Johanna Waker, Mary Margaret Arrowsmith, Noah Batke, Scott Stegall
Faculty Sponsor: William Lawing
2019
How does Hemiptera species richness change due to habitat loss?
Matthew Begley, Wilson Goode, Elizabeth Sasser
Faculty Sponsor: Kevin Smith
Habitat loss is known to decrease the biodiversity of an area. Some studies have used the Species-Area Relationship (SAR) to estimate this loss, but a study by Almeida and Smith (unpublished 2019) found that both the SAR and a rarefaction-based approach to estimating biodiversity loss underestimated the true cost of habitat loss. We analyze arthropod data from Almeida and Smith to determine the effect of this habitat loss on the family Hemiptera. In our study, rarefaction is found to closely predict the immediate biodiversity loss from a random 50% habitat removal treatment but underestimates the long-term effects of this removal. We calculate a Pe value, or probability of extinction, for each species of Hemiptera in our study based on random-chance removal by sample. Several species went “extinct” in our study despite low Pe values, which may represent selective forces rather than a random-chance decline in biodiversity.
6:00 Jazz Combo
Patrick Sullivan, Will Messner, Thomas Hammons, Brendan Cassidy, Ken Lee, Emery Nash
Faculty Sponsor: William Lawing
Jazz sextet performance
5:00 Jazz Combo
Matt Bell, John Turlington, Frank Carroll
Faculty Sponsor: William Lawing
Jazz trio performance
Collegium Musicum
Casey Margerum, Morgan Potter, Emily Banks, Kelly Garrett, Meghan Rankins, Jack Lovelace, Alex Harrelson, Toler Webb, Martin Malotky
Faculty Sponsor: William Lawing
Mixed acapella ensemble performing classical choral literature
Testing the Accelerator Hypothesis: What is the effect of BMI standard deviation score on the age of Diagnosis of Type 1 Diabetes?
Catherine Jackson
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Shyam Gour Suresh
In 2001, T.J Wilkin proposed the Accelerator Theory saying that increased weight does not only increase risk of having Type 1 diabetes but accelerates the process and is the reason for the increase in Type 1 diabetes diagnoses among increasingly younger children. This paper explores the validity of the Accelerator Hypothesis by testing the relationship between BMI standard deviation score and the age of diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes patients in South Africa. The data consists of information from 265 patients diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes from 2009 to 2018. The results indicate there is an inverse relationship between BMI standard deviation score and age of diagnosis.
Does Foreign Direct Investment drive Tourism?
Andrew Peipers
Faculty Sponsor: Shyam Gouri Souresh
This project uses panel data from 1995-2017 using state fixed effects for Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, and Peru to study the relationship between Foreign Direct Investment and Tourism
Dynamic Spatial Models – Agent-based Decision-Making
Athena-Maria Kalamaras
Faculty Sponsor: Economics Department (ECO 316)In the context of dynamic spatial models, we considered agent-based decision-making processes. This project creates agents that realize an autonomous decision-making process, including inputs like income and information about the surroundings to produce clear outputs like spending and relocating. The agents are given a decision-making mechanism that resembles a cost-benefit analysis, in order to evaluate their options and optimize their relocation strategy. The agents keep moving until no better position is available. The results of the agents’ decision making are then portrayed through various maps, including money maps, optimization maps, status maps and identity maps.
