NATURAL SCIENCE SEMINARS--SPRING 2011
Warren Wilson College
Jensen Lecture Hall, 4:00 pm 
Schedule - Fall, 2010
  Please send comments to 
Donald Collins (email: dcollins-no spam@warren-wilson.edu)
(remove the "-no spam")
Spring, 2011

Week 1
Jan 17, 2011

4:30

 Martin Luther King Day.  Syllabus hand-out.  MOODLE quiz
Thurs             Jan 20, 2011
 7:00 pm
ACS Lecture - Upper Fellowship Hall - Lecture - Dr. Mark Wilson, Western Carolina University. The Use of Next Generation DNA Sequencing Techniques to Detect Minor Sequence Variants in Forensically Relevant Samples.

 Week 2
Jan. 24, 2011

4:00

 Faculty Presentation: Dr. Brian Olechnowski.  RESPONSE OF SONGBIRDS TO RIPARIAN WILLOW HABITAT STRUCTURE IN THE GREATER YELLOWSTONE ECOSYSTEM.  Cancelled - sickness

4:20
 Faculty Presentation: Dr. Stephen Cartier.
Thurs,           Jan. 27, 2011
 Evening
 Sigma Xi Presentation at UNC-Asheville.  Dr. Hal Herzog, Western Carolina University - Psychology Department: Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat: Paradox and the Psychology of Human-Animal Interactions

Week 3
Jan 31, 2011

4:00

 

4:20

4:40

Week 4
Feb. 7, 2011

4:00

 Clara Osborne. Soil Quality in Warren Wilson College Pastures under Continuous and Management Intensive Grazing.  Mentor: Dr. Laura Lengnick

 

4:20

                     Open.   Max Wolf is presenting at Capstone Carnival - Week 15.

4:40
Open.   Matt Sullivan.  Deferred due to experimental problems to Week 11. 

Week 5
Feb. 14, 2011

4:00

 Elisa Otter.  Stratagraphic analysis of the Cumberland Plateau in Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area.  Mentor: Mr. Robert Hastings

 

4:20

 Tom Shaw.  Tamarix ramosissima Invasion Patterns Along Topographic Gradients.   Mentor: Dr. Stephen Cartier

4:40

Tues, Feb. 15
 4:00
 Special Guest Lecture: Professor Bülent Atalay, The Greatest Englishman Ever: Neutron Activation and the Resolution of a Newton Puzzle.  Spidel Rm. 112.  (Attendance credit: send summary to D. Collins before Monday, Feb. 14, 11:55 pm.)
Wed, Feb. 16
 7:00
 Special Guest Public Lecture: Professor Bülent Atalay,  LEONARDO’S UNIVERSE.  Dr. Bülent Atalay.  Any students are invited to join the speaker and faculty in one of the Merck Dining Rooms at about 5:30. (Attendance credit: send summary to D. Collins before Monday, Feb. 14, 11:55 pm.)

Week 6
Feb. 21, 2011

4:00

 Sean Pulsfort.  GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS FROM COW MANURE AND INORGANIC FERTILIZER AT WARREN WILSON COLLEGE FARM.  Mentor: Dr. John Brock.

 

 4:20
 Micheal Jolly.  Forest management and mice population on Christmas Tree Hill.  Mentor: Dr. David Ellum.

4:40
 Kaitlyn Varnot.  Benthic macroinvertebrates as Bioindicators of Water Quality in Waihihi
Stream, New Zealand.  Mentor: Dr. Mark Brenner.
Thurs, Feb. 24, 20aa
 7:00
 Special Public Lecture: Jeff Biggers on Mountain Top Removal.  Canon.  (Attend and earn attendance credit.  Send summary to D. Colins before Monday, Feb. 23, 2011)

Week 7
Feb 28, 2011

4:00

 Kate Ziegler.  Toxicity of Fluorescent Nanoparticles in Paramecium multimicronucleatum..   Mentor: Dr. Jeff Holmes

 

4:20

 Kyla Jacobs. Teratogenic Potential of Caffeine Throughout the Embryonic Development of the Zebrafish, Danio rerio.  Mentor: Dr. Jeff Holmes

4:40
 Reed Moore.  Automobile-Derived Heavy Metal Migration Through a Permeable Concrete.  Mentor: Mr. Robert Hastings

Week 8
Mar. 7, 2011

4:00

 No seminars - mid semester exams.

Spring Break
Mar. 14, 2011

 

Week 9
Mar. 21, 2011

4:00

 Patrick Sweatt.  Active Organic Matter Dynamics and their Effect on Soil Health.   Mentor: Dr. Laura Lengnick.

4:20
 Elena Wertenbaker.  Can the Soil Conditioning Index accurately predict soil organic matter levels on theWarren Wilson College farm?  Mentor: Dr. Laura Lengnick.

4:40
 Moriah Tucker.  Pollinators of Kudzu (Pueraria montana var. lobata) and Their Effectiveness in Spreading Pollen   Mentor: Dr. Amy Boyd

Week 10
Mar. 28, 2011

4:00

 Kelly Murphey.  Fire as an Effective Control Method for Rosa multiflora in Warren Wilson College Forest Riparian Zones.  Mentor: Dr. David Ellum

 

4:20

 Adrian Smith.  The efficiency of thermoelectric generator coupled photovoltaic modules under varied conditions.   Mentors: Dr. John Brock and Dr. Donald Collins

4:40
Open.  Sam Hyson moved to week 16 - approved by mentor.

Week 11
Apr. 4, 2011

4:00

 Skye Rios.  Investigation of Hydrogen Production by Rhodobacter sphaeroides.  Mentor: Dr. John Brock.

 

4:20

 Alissa Gore.  Using molecular modeling to predict products of elimination reactions.  Mentor: Dr. Dean Kahl.

4:40
 Matt Sullivan.   Quantum dot sensitization of electrodes for solar cell.      Mentor: Dr. Stephen Cartier

Week 12
Apr. 11, 2011

4:00

 Gordon Jones. Effects of Winter Grazing Management on Spring Pasture Quality and Composition.   Mentor: Dr. Vicki Collins

 

4:20

 Sam Yates.  Modeling of greenhouse gases from forest ecosystems.  Mentor: Dr. John Brock (from Sam Yates)

4:40
 Joe Zokan. Cultivating hanadaikon (Orychophragmus violaceus): germination, planting density, and protein content. Mentor: Dr. Michael Torres
Friday, April 15, 2011
 4:00
 Thesis drafts to mentors for all presenters.

Week 13
Apr. 18, 2011

4:00

 Julius Stuart.  Nanoparticle Toxicity in Zebrafish Embryos.  Mentor: Dr. Jeff Holmes

4:20
 Emilene Whidbee.  A characterization of the weed seedbank at the Warren Wilson College Garden.  Mentors: Dr. Amy Boyd and Dr. Laura Lengnick.

4:40
Open.  John Paul Rietz is presenting at the Capstone Carnival.

6:00
 Sigma Xi Induction for Sean Pulsfort, David Habib, Skye Rios, Ali Gore, Laura Lilley, and Gordon Jones.  UNC-Asheville.  Posters and presentations.

Week 14  
Apr. 25, 2011

4:00

 Zachary Patterson. The Effects of FloraNectar™ FruitnFusion Sweetener on Hydroponic Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis).  Mentor: Dr. Dean Kahl

 

4:20

 Linden Blaisus.   Elevated CO2 and Growth of rosa multiflora.   Mentor: Dr. David Ellum

4:40
 Jenn Wood.  Leaf anatomy of Rosa multiflora in elevated CO2.  Mentor: Dr. Amy Boyd
Friday, April 29
 4:00
Senior Theses due.  Two copies to Spidel 205 (one for mentor, one for archives), plus Permission to Photocopy, plus NSS evaluation (copies will be there).
Week 15   May 2, 2011
 4:00 - 6:00
 Social Sciences Capstone Carnival.  Jensen 308.  The following students have agreed to present at the Capstone Carnival rather than the regular NSS time slot:  Session: Presentations in the Natural Sciences.  Students may attend this session (all four presenations) and earn an extra, back-up credit for the NSS attendances.  Fill-out attendance forms as usual.
Dr. Mark Brenner will moderate the session, see that the time format is followed, distribute the regular NSS evaluation forms to the faculty present, and collect the compuleted forms after the session.  Any WWC faculty may participate in evaluating the presentations.  The format for the presentations will be very similar to the NSS format, except the presentations will be allowed 20 minutes plus up to 10 minutes for questions and discussion.  This is in contrast to the current spring NSS format which limits presentations and questions to 20 minutes.  The research mentors will introduce the presentors.

Week 16
May 9, 2011

4:00

 Clayton Hollifield.  Invasive Allelopathy.  Mentor: Dr. Michael Torres  Note: This presentation is being taped.  We hope to have an on-line video available on May 10, 2011.

4:20
 Sam Hyson.  Early spring tree phenology in forested and landscaped microclimates.  Mentor: Dr. Eavid Ellum

4:40
 Guest Seminar (Environmental Policy).  Elizabeth Bonham.  Energy Crisis and American Political Thought: Designing Policy for Resilient Cities