on-campus presentation

Roanoke College invites you to the “Alumni Weekend Showcase of Research & Creativity”, which takes place on Friday, April 12, 2013. Oral Presentations will be held in Fintel Library in the basement and Poster Presentations will be on the first floor of the library from 6-9pm. Students and faculty from all disciplines will be sharing their research and creative works on a variety of topics. All are welcome. Free to the public.

Some of the poster presentation topics include “Group Dynamics: The Qualities of a Successful Group”, “Fanatical about Facebook”, “Technointerruption and Social Life of College Students”, “Printmaking in the Classroom”, “College is Worth It!”, and some of the oral presentation topics include “The Relationship of Law and Violence in Apartheid South Africa”, “Chaotic Dynamics in the Heart”, “Michelangelo’s Victory” and much more!! Be sure to check back here on the RC Research blog during the next few weeks for highlights from the showcase.

The program (including abstracts) is available here: https://roanoke.edu/Documents/research/Program2013SP.pdf

Charla Henley (junior) presented her Summer Scholars research project, “The Economic Role of the Mexican Sweatshops: Exploitation or Saving Grace?”, at the RC Family Weekend Showcase of Research & Creativity. Charla is a Business and Spanish double major and she has been involved with research opportunities since her freshman year when she started out as a URAP student. Charla explains that “Research has always been something I was interested in, even in High School. It seemed natural to continue my research in college.”

Charla’s topic is concerned with the economic impact of the Mexican sweatshops in the communities of Northern Mexico. For many years these sweatshops were believed to improve economies and living conditions because they gave employment opportunities to thousands of people who either did not have an educational degree and/or were living below the poverty line. On the other hand, these sweatshops have been greatly criticized in recent years because they employee people at low wages, for long hours, under bad conditions and it is believed that they are exploiting people in need of a job to support their families. Charla became interested in this topic from a subtopic that she learned about in her Micro Economics class. Charla’s faculty mentor was Dr. Bañuelos and Charla states that “It was great to have someone with such a great base of knowledge on my topic at my fingertips.” Charla will soon be continuing her research by studying abroad in Puebla, Mexico where she will get to see firsthand what the conditions are like in the Mexican Sweatshops. Charla also hopes to continue her research interests in graduate school.

Charla’s message to freshman considering research is “Do it! If nothing else, it’s at least a great experience to put on your resume.  You’ll learn your strengths and weaknesses, be better able to complete projects for class, and may find something you’re really passionate about in the process!”

For more information on research opportunities at Roanoke College please check out: https://roanoke.edu/Academics/Learning_Firsthand/Research.htm

Tyler Barnes (junior) presented her research project, “vitellogenin1 in Embryonic Zebrafish as a Bioindicator to Detect Estrogenic Compounds within the Roanoke River”, at the RC Family Weekend Showcase of Research & Creativity. Tyler is a Biology major and has been involved with research since her freshman year. Tyler became interested in research opportunities after talking to a professor at an open house at another University, “I did research in high school, but had no idea that opportunities were granted to undergraduate students.  I found out that Roanoke offered an Undergraduate Research Assistants Program (URAP) and decided to apply for a research position.  I was lucky enough to be awarded a research position in Dr. Lassiter’s research lab and have been there ever since!”

The research project that Tyler is currently working on was started by someone who worked in the laboratory prior to her arrival. “When I saw this project advertised as an eligible URAP project, I knew that this project was my first choice.  Hormone pollution has been madly talked about in the media for the past decade and I wanted to learn more about it!” explains Tyler. Tyler’s project is mostly concerned with Estrogen contamination within the Roanoke River so she actually goes into the field and measures water from the Roanoke River and tests it on the Zebrafish embryos. Future work in this project will include testing direct effluent water samples from the Roanoke Wastewater Treatment Plant and expanding out to include other sample sites and variables of interest.

Tyler also points out that she has enjoyed working closely with her faculty mentor, Dr. Chris Lassiter, “Dr. Lassiter and I work on revising protocols, running through treatments, and bouncing ideas off of one another.  I truly value and enjoy working with Dr. Lassiter.  I think that being able to work with a professor outside of the classroom is a truly rewarding experience.”

As for presenting at the Family Weekend Showcase, Tyler states that “I enjoy presenting my research because I feel that I am contributing to society by educating others about problems that no one has the exact answers to yet.  Although I have presented my research before at other conferences, this past time was special because my family was there. They had no idea what I have been up to for the past three years besides hanging out in a fish lab!”

Tyler advises that “freshman should get involved with research, regardless of their intended major.  If they are truly interested in something, then they should pursue it!  This opportunity may lead them to other opportunities or job ideas later on in life.”