UA News

Students will present during the UA Honors College Spirit of Inquiry expo on topics related to environmental studies, particle physics, depression and happiness, music, human rights and health.

Can you imagine a time when devices the size of computer chips are used to swiftly detect diseases while in the field or when highly industrialized and globalized economies will rely heavily on local agriculture?

University of Arizona student researchers can. 

Students throughout the campus are engaged in the type of research meant to improve what is known and understood about human experiences, ecosystems and some of the greatest challenges facing societies around the globe.

Some of those students will present their work during the Spirit of Inquiry, a Feb. 16 research expo organized by the UA's Honors College. 

During the annual expo, to be held 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the South Ballroom of the Student Union Memorial Center, students will discuss their original research projects. 

“The University of Arizona is dedicated to having all of our students participate in creative activities as part of their academic program," said Leslie Tolbert, the UA's vice president for research, graduate studies and economic development.

"Many of the faculty members teaching these activities are international leaders in their fields. This provides students with a special opportunity to learn from the experts," Tolbert said.

"Students must leave the University with a competitive edge in order to succeed in today’s complex world," she continued. "Our knowledge-based, global society, driven by innovation, depends on individual creativity.”

The work of each student is grant-funded. Also, to be chosen to present during the expo, students are requried to write a proposal to be considered.

Among the presenters are: 

• Jonathan Wintringham and April Trinidad are each studying the role of musical instrucments in other countries. Wintringham, a senior in the School of Music, is focusing on the saxophone in Japan; Trinidad, also a senior studying music, is presenting on viola repertoire and performance in Spain.
• Ricardo Celaya, a junior studying public health, is attempting to understand the diet bobcats in Kofa National Wildlife Refuge maintain based on an analysis of their fecal DNA.
• Jessica Danton, an international studies senior and Honors College student, proposes a way to localize food networks in the southern Arizona region in order to promote local agriculture production. 
• Margaret Jarvis, a psychology senior and Honors College student, is studying Facebook statuses to determine what they indicate about individuals and their psychological well being. Her research earned her an award in the social sciences and law division during the Graduate and Professional Student Council's recent 2009 Student Showcase. 
• Francois Lemery, a senior majoring in physics, will present his project, "Understanding Missing Transverse Energy at the LHC: A First Step Toward Discovering Dark Matter."

Robert Hanshaw, a senior studying linguistics and an Honors College student, collaborated with another student on a research project, which is investigating ways to enhance voice recognition techology.

Alan Mackey, also an Honors College student and senior studying mathematics and economics, worked with Hanshaw to simulate 3-D to investigate sound using typical stereo headphones. 

Hanshaw wrote 16 different excerpts and melodies for a quartet and research subjects were asked to focus on different voices. 

"The idea is that it is easier to decide if everything is in one place as opposed to being mixed down to mono," he said.

The two tried to determine if, in simulating the sound, people would be able to determine particular nuances, such as whether the instruments were recorded together or not.

"Each person's perception of sound will differ," said Hanshaw, who was a music composition major before switching to linguistics. 

"This assumes there is a perceptual benefit to being able to locate sound in space," he said, "that when you hear a complex sound – if one of its component parts are in different locations in space – you would be readily able to pick them apart." 

Hanshaw said he and Mackey are continuing their research.

Another student, David Keating, will present his investigations of computer-mediated support.

For his project, "Spirituality and Support: A Content Analysis of Online Social Support for Depression," Keating sought to make a compasrisoin of advice provided by those who identitifed as being spiritual or affiiated with a religion versus those who did not.

To conduct his investigation, Keating studied message boards in 2009, focusing on two Christian groups and two general groups.

"My core hypotheses were that Christian groups would be more network-oriented through informal networks and that they would offer emotional support," said Keating, a senior majoring in communication and creative writing.

Keating, who will be presenting on his research for the first time, said his involvement with the Spirit of Inquiry and support from Stephen Rains, a UA assistant professor of communication, has proven to to beneficial.

"Research experience will look good on my application, but I wanted more experience in the area – and it's a subject I've always been interested in," said Keating, who also is planning to attend graduate school.

"I got a lot of help," he said, "and am indebted to Steve Rains, my adviser, for helping me every step of the way."