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Showcase College of Arts and Sciences

Grain Elevators & Railroads: The Building of the Frontier

Grain Elevators & Railroads: The Building of the Frontier

Primary author: Elisha Madison
Co-author(s): David Bolingbroke
Faculty sponsor: Dr. Jeff Sanders

Primary college/unit: Arts and Sciences
Campus: Pullman

Abstract:

Grain is a foundational resource for the world, in this past year alone, 2,121 million metric tons of grain were produced and used. Whitman County is one of the top producers . . . To produce this amount of grain, grain elevators and silos are vital in storing and sorting. But these elevators are bereft without the trains to transport the grain to various states, or ports to be shipped around the globe. The local economy and settlement patterns were shaped in part by the rapid growth of the railroads from 1860 to 1897, which changed the landscape of the western frontier. This rapid industrial progression would eventually fail as the railroad dissipated.

This mapping project, focusing solely in Washington, specific in Whitman County, pinpoints the areas historical grain silos, flour mills, and railroads, in order to present a microhistory on how these sites became central to nation building, as towns were developed to meet the needs of a grain heavy economy. Using ArcGIS and photographs from the Dillman Collection, this project explores change over time through the mapping of original flat houses, to grain elevators/silos created in 1842, to their evolution; we see how people settled as they moved across the United States, and how the railroad and agriculture are tied irrevocably together.

Each signifier on the map, provides locations and history of these sites, allowing this to be an interactive map for everyone to increase understandings of the Pacific Northwest’s journey from frontier to advanced metropolis.

My Dog Ate My Behavior Chart: Examining Discrepancies in Reporting of Externalizing and Internalizing Behaviors between Teachers and Parents of Head Start Preschoolers

My Dog Ate My Behavior Chart: Examining Discrepancies in Reporting of Externalizing and Internalizing Behaviors between Teachers and Parents of Head Start Preschoolers

Primary author: Austin Lau
Faculty sponsor: Tammy D. Barry

Primary college/unit: Arts and Sciences
Campus: Pullman

Abstract:

Externalizing and internalizing behaviors constitute two classes of “problematic” behaviors that children can exhibit at a young age. To illustrate, hyperactive (e.g., fidgeting, not sitting still) and aggressive behaviors (e.g., punching, fighting) fall in the externalizing domain, and withdrawn behaviors (e.g., depression, mood disturbances) fall in the internalizing domain. The earliest reporters of externalizing or internalizing behaviors are typically students’ parents or teachers. Teachers may observe externalizing or internalizing behaviors of their students at an increased frequency, as students may cope with the more structured demands of the classroom environment by colloquially “acting out” or “shutting down.” Conversely, parents may observe unique patterns of externalizing or internalizing behaviors from their child in an environment with less structure. To better understand the potential discrepancies in reporting, Cohen’s kappa statistics were calculated between parents’ report and teacher’s report of behaviors within a nationally-representative, at-risk youth sample enrolled in Head Start. Parents and teachers rated children with equivalent rating forms with acceptable internal consistency.The kappa statistics for matching conditions (e.g., parent-reported and teacher-reported withdrawn behaviors) suggest that agreement between parent and teacher were overall low. Parent-reported and teacher-reported student hyperactive behaviors exhibited significantly low agreement, with withdrawn behaviors trending significance. Discrepancies in agreement between levels of externalizing/internalizing behaviors across settings may lead to repercussions toward individual behavioral treatment planning as well as the systemic coordination of care between school and home. Future work should examine the importance of convergence or divergence patterns for specific externalizing or internalizing behaviors.

Design and Synthesis of Porous Smart Materials

Design and Synthesis of Porous Smart Materials

Primary author: Qiang Zhang
Co-author(s): Matthew Hurlock

Primary college/unit: Arts and Sciences
Campus: Pullman

Abstract:

Zirconium Metal-Organic Frameworks (Zr-MOFs) have recently emerged as a distinct family of porous materials. Generally, Zr-MOFs are formed from Zr clusters made of six Zr atoms bonded together by oxygen atoms forming secondary building units (SBUs). Though many Zr-MOFs have been synthesized over the last decade none have shown a cluster coordination of more than 12 ligands. Coordination through only one oxygen atom of the carboxylic acid suggests that a coordination of up to 24 ligands could be achieved greatly increasing the number of structures Zr-MOFs can form. Current investigations have shown steps toward reaching this goal.
The new Zr-MOF WSU-5 (Washington State University-5) was synthesized through solvothermal methods from ZrCl4 and the tetracarboxylate linker H4ETTC. Utilizing post-synthetic modification, WSU-5 was transformed into WSU-6 and WSU-7 through the insertion of 1,4-benzenedicarboxylic acid (BDC) and 2,6-napthalenedicarboxylic acid (NDC), respectively. Crystallographic analysis show that WSU-5 is comprised of 8-connected Zr6-SBUs and the 4-connected ligands H4ETTC. Therefore, WSU-5 possesses the uncommon (4,8)-connected interpenetrated scu-c topology. The insertion of BDC into WSU-5 coordinated four BDC ligands into each SBU. This formed the (4,12)-connected WSU-6 with the new mjh topology. Interestingly, when NDC was inserted into WSU-5, six NDC ligands coordinated to the Zr6-SBUs. Two through bidentate coordination and four though monodentate coordination. The (4,14)-connected WSU-7 was generated, which exhibits a new topology, jkz. The Zr6-SBUs of WSU-7 is the first Zr-MOF to contain 14-connected Zr6-SBUs. The insertion alters the luminescent properties which can be used as sensors.

YAZZ Band: Fun Sized Edition

YAZZ Band: Fun Sized Edition

Primary author: Gregory Yasinitsky

Primary college/unit: Arts and Sciences
Campus: Pullman

Abstract:

Greg Yasinitsky, WSU Regents Professor of Music, received a 2019-2020 CAS Arts and Humanities Fellowship to produce a recording project of big band jazz for his ensemble YAZZ Band, composed by and featuring saxophone performances by Yasinitsky. The music is scored for “little big band,” a big band with the reduced instrumentation of four saxophones, two trumpets, trombone, piano, bass and drums. At this writing, five pieces have been composed, arranged, recorded and mixed and are essentially ready to be released. The recordings were made in the WSU Recording Studio and feature some of the finest musicians in the country. Two or three additional pieces will be orchestrated, recorded and mixed and when completed, the entire project will be released internationally streaming sites, including Spotify and Apple Music, and download sites including iTunes and Amazon. Physical compact discs will also be made available. The sheet music for all of the pieces will be published by Walrus Music, a top firm specializing in jazz. Yasinitsky’s big band music is performed in over forty countries around the world. His previous big band CD: YAZZ Band, was featured for fourteen weeks on national radio play lists and received numerous positive reviews around the world. YAZZ Band was named one of the top Big Band CDs of the year by BeBop Spoken Here in the United Kingdom. Because this new project is for a smaller ensemble, Yasinitsky’s new recording is called YAZZ Band: Fun Sized Edition.

Occam’s Razor Cuts Out Low Mass Stars

Occam’s Razor Cuts Out Low Mass Stars

Primary author: Guy Worthey
Co-author(s): Xiang Shi; Islam Khan

Primary college/unit: Arts and Sciences
Campus: Pullman

Abstract:

A galaxy’s light is a composite of the various stars that make it up. Both giant stars and dwarf stars contribute to the total light output. The giants are cool, luminous, about one solar mass, and rare. The dwarfs are cool, faint, about 0.1 solar masses, and numerous. Most of the stellar mass of a galaxy is in these dwarf stars.

Some features in the red optical spectrum respond to dwarf/giant status in stars. Comparison of galaxy spectra to plausible mixtures of dwarf and giant light leads to the conclusion that the hugest galaxies have more dwarfs than galaxies like the Milky Way. The current picture is that these huge galaxies were formed from mergers of smaller galaxies. This leads to a paradox. If a huge galaxy is the sum of several smaller ones, why is the stellar content different?

We posit that the apparent enhancement in the number of dwarf stars in huge galaxies is an illusion. The increased heavy element content in huge galaxies causes in turn a decrease in the number of viable giant stars. The decrease in number of giants has been misinterpreted as an increase in the number of dwarfs. The trend we see in the spectrum is therefore naturally explained without generating new puzzles.

Pitch Organization of Quarter-Tone String Trio Using Frequency Ratios of 11/9 and 8/7

Pitch Organization of Quarter-Tone String Trio Using Frequency Ratios of 11/9 and 8/7

Primary author: Michael Williams
Faculty sponsor: Scott Blasco

Primary college/unit: Arts and Sciences
Campus: Pullman

Abstract:

Using just intonation, also called pure intonation, is the tuning of musical intervals as small whole number ratios (such as 3:2 or 4:3) of frequencies. The pitches of this piece are based on two different intervals, or frequency ratios, of 11/9 and 8/7. I create two separate series, one consisting of added ratios 11/9 (11/9, 11/9*11/9, 11/9*11/9*11/9, etc.) and another of added ratios of 8/7. The first organization of pitches is made from a series of 11/9 intervals divided into series of fifths, notated at the nearest quarter tone. An interval of a near-perfect fifth is created by adding two 11/9 intervals together. By adding two 8/7 ratios, the series of frequencies sounds somewhat uneven, and kind of disorienting. In order to combat this unevenness in the 8/7 series, I divide it into three different series based on the series of fifths compiled from the series of 11/9 series. The first series of 8/7 series frequencies matches closely with the beginning of the 11/9 frequency series. The second and third series are tempered by some 45 cents to make the 8/7 series more even between the frequencies. By combining the 11/9 series with the 8/7 series altogether, a microtonal quarter-tone scale is created. This scale is used for my string trio.

razing Impacts of Rotifer Zooplankton in a Seasonally Cyanobacteria-Dominated Lake

Grazing Impacts of Rotifer Zooplankton in a Seasonally Cyanobacteria-Dominated Lake

Primary author: Kathryn Sweeney
Co-author(s): Gretchen Rollwagen-Bollens
Faculty sponsor: Dr. Gretchen Rollwagen-Bollens

Primary college/unit: Arts and Sciences
Campus: Vancouver

Abstract:

Vancouver Lake in western Washington is one of many lakes characterized by annual and often toxic cyanobacteria (harmful algae) blooms. Phytoplankton and cyanobacteria are the primary producers of lake systems, and the foundation on which zooplankton grazers, like copepods or rotifers, are able to survive. Thus, toxic blooms may be controlled top-down by these micrograzers, which is information relevant to resource managers and the public alike. Previous studies have shown copepod grazing to influence bloom formation, and bloom decline to be driven in part by microzooplankton community grazing. However, we don’t understand the individual roles of particular micrograzers such as rotifers. To address the role of rotifers, we are conducting feeding incubations with water collected from Vancouver Lake. Preliminary results show that rotifers have a mild grazing effect on phytoplankton and cyanobacteria only after the peak of a bloom, while the whole microzooplankton community has a large impact both before and after the peak. This seems to suggest that other non-rotifer microzooplankton such as ciliates or dinoflagellates may be responsible for the majority of bloom suppression in both spring and fall. Further microscopical analysis of samples will elucidate which plankton species were present in the lake during each experiment, and which phytoplankton taxa rotifers had been preferentially feeding on. Additionally, due to an unexpected shift in the timing of the 2019 bloom cycle, supplemental experiments will be performed during spring 2020 to complete our understanding of seasonal dynamics related to cyanobacteria blooms.

DOUBLE CROSSED: The Missionaries Who Spied for the United States During the Second World War

DOUBLE CROSSED: The Missionaries Who Spied for the United States During the Second World War

Primary author: Matthew Sutton

Primary college/unit: Arts and Sciences
Campus: Pullman

Abstract:

In DOUBLE CROSSED: The Missionaries Who Spied for the United States During the Second World War (Basic Books 2019), historian Matthew Avery Sutton draws upon never-before-seen archival materials to show how missionary activists proved to be true believers in Franklin Roosevelt’s crusade for global freedom of religion. Sutton focuses on four missionaries, William Eddy, a warrior for Protestantism who was fluent in Arabic; Stewart Herman, a young Lutheran minister rounded up by the Nazis while pastoring in Berlin; Stephen B. L. Penrose, Jr., who left his directorship over missionary schools in the Middle East to help build the American intelligence apparatus; and John Birch, a fundamentalist missionary in China. Working for eternal rewards rather than temporal spoils, they proved willing to sacrifice and even to die for their country during the conflict, becoming some of the US’s most loyal secret soldiers.

Acutely aware of how their actions conflicted with their spiritual calling, these spies nevertheless ran covert operations in the centers of global religious power, including Mecca, the Vatican, and Palestine. In the end, they played an outsized role in leading the US to victory in WWII. After the war, those who survived helped launch the CIA, so that their nation, and American Christianity, could maintain a strong presence throughout the rest of the world.

Surprising and absorbing at every turn, DOUBLE CROSSED is an untold story of World War II spycraft and a profound account of the compromises and doubts that war forces on those who wage it.

The Effects of Animated and Static Concept Map on Students’ Learning Performance in Chemistry

The Effects of Animated and Static Concept Map on Students’ Learning Performance in Chemistry

Primary author: Oluwafemi Sunday
Co-author(s): Olusola Adesope; Rachel Wong; Krista Nishida
Faculty sponsor: Olusola Adesope

Primary college/unit: Arts and Sciences
Campus: Pullman

Abstract:

Research in concept maps has shown that they facilitate meaningful learning. Although there is overwhelming research evidence showing that animations are better for learning than static concept maps, many of such studies have been conducted in laboratory settings. Hence, there is little understanding of the instructional efficacy of using animated over static concept maps in ecologically-valid environments. The primary objective of this study is to investigate the effects of animated and static concept maps on students’ learning performance in a large undergraduate chemistry classroom. Previous research shows that animated concept maps produced no advantage over static concept map when spoken narration was provided to guide learning. In this experiment, we examined the effectiveness of animated and static concept maps on students’ chemistry learning performance in the absence of spoken narration using a 2 (animated/static) x 2 (map/text) factorial design. Students (N = 564) were randomly assigned to one of four conditions. Learning performance was measured via immediate and delayed posttests. Results show that the animated concept map group did not significantly outperform the static concept map group. This finding shows that animated and static concept maps are effective for learning as participants in both conditions were better able to integrate and process concepts learned in coherent manner regardless of concept map types. Theoretical and practical implications will be discussed.

Race and the Atlanta Braves from Summerhill to Cobb County

Race and the Atlanta Braves from Summerhill to Cobb County

Primary author: Clif Stratton

Primary college/unit: Arts and Sciences
Campus: Pullman

Abstract:

Race and the Atlanta Braves from Summerhill to Cobb County is a historical analysis of the consequences of the arrival and departure of the Braves baseball franchise to (1966) and from (2016) its downtown Atlanta site from the late Civil Rights era to the present. Drawing on multiple archival collections and oral history interviews, I argue in this book-in-progress that the arrival of big-time professional sports in “the city too busy to hate,” as former mayor William B. Hartsfield once dubbed Atlanta, proved far more than a benign entertainment spectacle meant to strengthen community bonds, elevate civic pride, and court business and tourism. The Braves did, or at least had the potential at times, to contribute to the achievement of these noble aims.
But professional baseball’s descent on this New South city also exposed and exacerbated the deep-seated racial, economic, and spatial divisions that defined the city’s history in the second half of the 20th century and continue to do so well into the 21st. Thus, Race and the Atlanta Braves offers a high profile case study in how race and racism transformed the urban South into what historians call the Sunbelt South, the centerpiece of which was and is a corporate-driven, publicly subsidized model of capitalism that has come to dominate urban planning and policy, residential living patterns, and metropolitan social relations. Atlanta was part of a broader national phenomenon pioneered after World War II in cities across the Sunbelt, including San Diego, Phoenix, Austin, and Charlotte.