The Butler Brown Bag Research Seminar

Schedule of Speakers from Fall 2004

September 1, 2004
Paul Hanson, History, Dean of LAS,
"The Importance of choosing well one's research focus: Working in French Archives"
Paul Hanson will talk about his research in Paris for his most recent book, Historical Dictionary of the French Revolution, and the alumni trip that he led to France this past June.
George Geib, History, will introduce Paul. George organized the Odd Topics Society luncheon series, which we formally recognize as a forerunner to the Butler Brown Bag.
See the DawgNet News Article on Paul Hanson's talk by Liz Juranek.
September 8, 2004
Hema Ramanathan, Education (Middle/Secondary),
"Religion and Private Schools in India"
India is the largest democracy in the world and is the birthplace of four major religions of the world - Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism. Though the population is 87% Hindu, it has the second largest number of Muslims in the world and a visible Christian community. As the slide show illustrates, the remarkably similar patterns of curriculum and activities in all three private schools in the study ensure a student experience that is strongly rooted in South Indian arts and culture, which is deeply rooted in Hinduism. The schools thus have a homogeneity of religious experiences that is at odds with the cultural and legal history of the country.
September 15, 2004
Anne Wilson, Organic Chemistry,
"How sweet it is to be back at Butler"
What makes sugar sweet? What about all those other sweeteners? We will look at (and taste!) these compounds and make a brief foray into food chemistry. This talk is aimed to make organic chemistry much less intimidating, and everyone, regardless of science comfort level, is encouraged to attend.
September 22, 2004
Bob Holm, University Research Programs and The Butler Summer Institute (BSI)
Bob will introduce three BSI students from this past summer:
  • Sean Couch, "A Study of Asteroid Rotation Characteristics"
  • Chris Tracy, "Bang on a Can Composition"
  • Conor Lee, "For the Prevention of Procreation: Dr. Harry C. Sharp and Indiana's Sterilization Law of 1907"
September 29, 2004
Ben Liu, Marketing, and Sakthi Mahenthiran, Accounting,
"The Role of Trust in Influencing the Management of Outlets of a Privatized Malaysian Utility Company"
This study is a survey of multi-level managers' trusts perceptions, how trust affects task delegation by supervisors (hereafter called "leaders"), and the performance of the subordinates', along with the evolution of budgeting practices. The study was conducted in a division of a privatized utility company in Malaysia, and the subordinates were responsible for managing the retail outlets of this company. The study finds that subordinates' perception of the leaders' trust in them significantly positively influences outlet performance, which is a result that is consistent with findings in leadership literature (e.g., Holly et al., 2000; 2003). However, contrary to findings by Richardson et al., (2002), the study finds that higher delegation negatively influences outlet performance. This later result is explained by the context of the study, where the group sales managers' feel that it may be unsafe to delegate important tasks to outlet managers, and subordinate value being closely supervised. Over time, the study finds that this may have caused the subordinates to depend too excessively on their leaders for close monitoring, which can influence the success of budgeting practices.
October 6, 2004
Judy Lysaker, Education (Reading),
"Becoming a Reader. What's Self Got to do With It?"
Learning to read is often cast as a process whereby children master a sequential set of cognitive and linguistic skills. Yet this position is limited by a predominantly epistemological stance which assumes that learning to read is simply related to what children know. Yet reading may also be thought of as an ontological event, an event of the self. In this presentation I will use data from children's readings of wordless picture books to demonstrate the development of the capacities of self required as children become readers.
October 20, 2004
Andy Levy, English,
"The First Emancipator"
In 1791, Robert Carter III, one of America's richest men, and friend and peer to George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, freed over four hundred and fifty slaves-- the largest emancipation in American history before Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. Yet the man and his deed remain virtually forgotten. Find out why Robert Carter freed his slaves, and why we couldn't care less.
October 27, 2004
John Green, Theatre,
"Theatre Without Borders"
My research is focused on the impact of transnational theatre practices on approaches to teaching theatre, and the creation of performance in the traditional university theatre program.
November 3, 2004
Travis Ryan, Biology,
"Community and Spatial Ecology of Turtles in an Urban Landscape"
For the past three years, my students and I have been studying the composition of the turtle community inhabiting the Central Canal and surrounding aquatic habitats (e.g., Lilly Lake behind the IMA, Holcomb Pond, and the White River). Additionally, we have been monitoring the movement of about 60 individuals to determine what areas of the canal different species prefer, where they hibernate, how much they move, and why. In this presentation, I will touch on each of these topics and discuss the general goal of conducting ecological studies in urban habitats.
November 10, 2004
Chris Ponting, Oxford, Bioinformatics,
"The Evolution of Vertebrate Genomes"
Our genome is a story rich in intrigue, battle and love. It dashes our hopes for being different because much that it contains is present also in other mammals and vertebrates. But a close reading reveals genes that are our own, that are not shared with the chimpanzee, our closest relative, and even others that are present only in a fraction of the human population.
November 17, 2004
Zhi-Hong Chen and students Jonathan McCullough and Michael Winters, Computer Science & Software Engineering,
"Undergraduate Computer Science Programs in China"
This past summer, we researched undergraduate programs in computer science in China. We will share what we learned during our trip, including lots of pictures. This work was supported by the office of International Programs and by a grant from the Freeman Foundation.
December 1, 2004
Robert Dale, Psychology,
"The Behavioral Development of Elephant Calves"
Many observers have described aspects of the development of elephant calves, for both Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) and African elephants (Loxodonta africana). I have drawn from a variety of sources - including monographs, professional journals, books by professional hunters, ancient Hindu texts and commercial videotapes - to produce a generic description of the behavioral development of elephant calves. Photographic and video examples of some particularly important or unusual behaviors will be provided.
December 8, 2004
Tim Brimmer, Music, with the Jordan Jazz Ensemble
Tim Brimmer and the Jordan Jazz will perform for us.

Schedule of Speakers for Spring 2005

January 27, 2005
Brian Murphy, Physics and Astronomy
"Big Black Holes and Little Black Holes, are there any in between?"
Black holes have been grouped into two categories: stellar mass black holes with masses less than a hundred times the mass of the Sun; and supermassive black holes with masses up to several billion times the mass of the Sun. Until recently black holes with masses between these two extremes were not expected to exist. Two years ago observations from the Hubble and Chandra Space Telescope hinted at existence of a new type of intermediate mass black hole. In this talk I will review the observations and possible formation mechanisms of intermediate mass black holes.
February 3, 2005
Tony Armstrong, Director, and Karl Koehler, Deputy Director, Indiana 21st Century Research and Technology Fund
"Strategy and Practice-Interactions with Federal Funding Sources"
NSF influencing you; you influencing NSF. Consensus. Multidisciplinarity. Second Review Criterion. NIH and its Roadmap-opportunity for all disciplines. Catalytic/enabling role of 21st Century Fund.
February 10, 2005
Aron Aji, English
"Impossible Wordplay: Translating from Turkish to English"
Aron Aji has been translating Turkish literature since 1995, and has received the 2004 National Translation Award for his English version of Bilge Karasu's The Garden of Departed Cats. He will discuss the particular challenges of translating between languages that are syntactically and grammatically incompatible, and engage us in a hands-on exercise in translating a particularly pesky little Turkish phrase.
February 17, 2005
Barry King, Operations Management
"Modeling Work Assignment at a Call Center as a Multiple Knapsack Problem"
Scheduling work for a help desk or similar environment usually is done once in the morning and then work assignments are altered throughout the day as requirements change. There are numerous problems with this straightforward approach. Here we discuss a solution that re-assigns work in near real time modeled as a multiple knapsack problem, a well-known problem type in applied mathematics.
February 24, 2005
Jeremiah P. Farrell, Mathematics
"Enigmatology 101"
In 1973, Will Shortz graduated from IU with the first degree in Enigmatology ever awarded. He now is an editor of the New York Times (since 1993) and appears weekly on NPR's Weekend Edition (since 1987). Prof. Farrell will discuss his association with Shortz and Enigmatology. There will be a take-home final.
Note: The winners of the crossword-puzzle book drawing were Shirley Daniell and Lacey Echols. Congrats!
[See also this webpage or this one.]
March 3, 2005
Michael Nachman, Biology, University of Arizona
"The Genetic Basis of Reproductive Isolation in House Mice"
Speciation - the splitting of one species into two - requires reproductive isolation. Thus, the genetic basis of speciation can be studied by identifying genes that underlie reproductive isolation. To date only a handful of "speciation genes" have been identified, mostly in Drosophila. We have been studying the genetic basis of reproductive isolation between Mus domesticus and Mus musculus, two closely related species of house mice that hybridize in nature. In crosses between these species, female hybrid offspring are normal, but male hybrid offspring have reduced fertility. Using markers throughout the genome, we have been mapping the genes responsible for this phenotype by studying patterns of introgression in nature and by performing crosses in the laboratory. These studies identify one region in the middle of the X chromosome that is likely to be important in reproductive isolation in mice. The availability of the complete genome sequence of the mouse allows us to identify several candidate "speciation genes" in mice.
Note: This talk will be in Pharmacy 204.
March 10, 2005
Jeanne Van Tyle, Pharmacy
"Of Mice and Men"
I will discuss issues in clinical drug trials which are, for the most part, not done in women.
Note: This talk will be in Pharmacy 204.
March 24, 2005
Terri Jett, Political Science
"Rollin' On the River: The Gees Bend Ferry Project"
Gees Bend is a community of inhabitants in Wilcox County, Alabama who can trace their ancestry to slaves on the original plantation. For many decades they were dependent on a ferry as a means of transportation to provide access for them to the county seat of Camden, the center for social and economic activity in the community. While they were participating in civil rights activities during the 1960's the cable to their ferry was cut, and as a community they were never able to fully recover from the demise that ensued. In 1996 they received a federal grant to have the ferry restored, but to this day, it has not occurred. This research presents this project as a case study that exemplifies the difficulties associated with community development efforts in an area known as the "Black Belt" of Alabama.
March 31, 2005
Allison Harthcock, Media Arts
"Unsportsmanlike: Female Athletes, Liberation, and Oppression"
Female athletes have been enjoying the benefits of Title IX for years, including a growing interest in woman's sports media coverage. Through the coverage of their sports, female athletes are being liberated: female athletes are empowered; traditional standards of beauty have expanded. However, female athletes are also being oppressed by the same coverage: heterosexuality and traditional gender roles are highlighted in media coverage; off the athletic field, athletes are still expected to adhere to traditional standards of beauty. This presentation will look at the benefits of sports and sports coverage, as well as the down side for the female athletes.
April 7, 2005
Carmen Salsbury, Biology
"Location, location, location: Urban real estate through the eyes of a tree squirrel"
In this age of urban sprawl, there is no shortage of condominiums, strip malls, or housing additions. Without question, the landscape is rapidly becoming more urbanized. Greater urbanization may mean that we have more choices of where to live or purchase our next espresso but what does it mean for the ubiquitous tree squirrel who nests high in the tree tops? What criteria are important in determining where tree squirrels build their nests? Has urbanization and the fragmentation and disturbance of woodlots influenced squirrel densities? Should we even care? Attend this seminar to learn the answers to some of these and other burning questions that you have no doubt been pondering for years.
April 14, 2005
Anne Wilson, Honors Program Director
Anne will introduce three of our current students who will each give a short presentation on their honors thesis:
  • Jesica Speed, Communications Studies and Spanish major;
    "The Ability of LIPSS (Learning Interpersonal Speaking Skills) to Reduce Communication Apprehension in Elementary-aged Children"
  • Jillian McDonald, English Writing and Philosophy major;
    "In Between Dreams (A Novella)"
  • Monika Schneider, Biology and Chemistry major;
    "TNF-alpha Production by Macrophages in Response to LPS and Various Cytokines"
April 21, 2005
Vivian Deno, History
"Holy Roller Sideshows: Charsimatics, Film, and the Carnivalesque"
My talk examines the ways in which popular film and television functions as a repository for fantasies of the American carnivalesque. I am particularly interested in how American popular culture simultaneously positions Charismatics as con artists or religious fakirs and as privileged recipients of Gnosticism or hidden knowledge - through cinematic representations of the Charismatic experience. My work grounds these visual representations within the history of the faith to consider the ways in which concerns with the carnivalesque have structured popular understandings of the faith since its inception in 1906.
April 28, 2005
Abbas Jarrahian, Pharmacology
"Marijuana (Cannabis sativa): From the Backstreets to the Clinic"
The discovery of anandamide, an endogenous cannabinoid ligand (i.e., the brain's own marijuana), has intensified research in this field. Several aspects of cannabis-related research will be presented.

Organizers

Susan Kenyon, Anthropology, skenyon@butler.edu, 9497, and
Jon Sorenson, Computer Science & Software Engineering, jsorenso@butler.edu, 9765.