Spring 2008 Science Festival Topics

Topic Areas :

• Biology
• Chemistry
• Computer Science
• Geoscience
• Mathematics
• Physics
• Psychology
   

BIOLOGY
 

Topic:  Creepin' Creek Critters.

Presenter:  Dr. Bill Brenneman

Students will have a hands-on experience with a variety of animals obtained from a local stream.

Topic:  Ants at a Picnic: Can They 'Taste' What We Taste?
Presenter:  Dr. Barkley Butler

We can taste sweet, sour, salt, and bitter.  Can ants "taste these same four?  We use artificial sweeteners as substitutes for sugar.  However, we can taste the difference; can ants "taste" the difference too or will they be fooled by them?  Using colonies of ants in the laboratory, you will be given an opportunity to design and carry out an experiment to answer one of the questions posed above.  As you perform the experiment, you may discover, if you watch closely enough, interesting aspects of ant behavior.

Topic:  Liking Gals and Fun Guys (i.e, Lichen, Galls and Fungi)

Presenter:  Dr. Tom Lord

Molds and fungus are everywhere!  They are in the air we breathe, water we drink and food we eat. They are in our bedroom, car, and classroom.  It has been estimated that every person on earth harbors at least one type of mold or fungus.  This session will go over these incredibly interesting forms of life. 

Topic:  The Living Chick Embryo as an Experimental System.

Presenter:  Dr. Russell Petersen

The 3 1/2 day chick embryo can be used as an experimental system for a variety of experiments.  During this presentation, living chick embryos will be examined, in the shell and in physiological solutions, and we will discuss how they can be used as experimental systems.

Topic:  Bugs - Up Close and Personal!
Presenter:  Dr. Holly Travis
Many people are intimidated by large insects, millipedes and other
arthropod representatives. They often don't have the chance to see and
handle these unique organisms. Students will learn about the unusual
features of some of these fascinating creatures and will have a chance
to handle and observe several specimens, including Giant Cave
cockroaches, Madagascar Hissing cockroaches, Indian stick insects, and
African Giant Black millipedes.  In addition, tarantulas, scorpions,
and some other fascinating creatures will be available for
observation.

Topic:  Microscopic Examination of Living Fish Embryos

Presenter:  Mr. David Walko

Japanese Medaka fish have been induced to mate and lay fertilized eggs that have begun to develop.  You will take individual eggs that are this big (o) and view them under low and medium powers of a compound microscope.  You will observe: the embryo’s eye color, fin movement, heart-beat-rate, blood color, contraction of heart chambers, brain development, green gall bladders, red spleens, etc.  Finally, prizes will be awarded to lucky students who actually observe a fry hatch.
 

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CHEMISTRY
 

Topic:  Identification of Fire Accelerants

Presenter:  Dr. Anne Kondo and Dr. Lourdes Herold 

Students will analyze various flammable solvents to identify the accelerant used to start a fire, using a procedure developed by an IUP Biochemistry major.
 

Topic:  An MRI for Molecules

Presenter:  Dr. John Woolcock

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy is used to determine the structures of chemical compounds, much the same way an MRI is used to image the internal organs of the body.  A  demonstration of this instrument will show how it can be used to identify the components of a drug sample.

Topic:  Nuclear Fires

Presenter:  Dr. Mike Briggs

Great energy can be obtained from the nucleus of an atom but it took a long time for scientists to understand the nucleus. Some atoms have nuclei that are unstable and give off energy and particles in order to become stable.  The discovery of this decay process was an important step in our understanding of the nucleus. The evidence of this decay process is all around us and we can measure it with the proper instrument.  Today, using a Geiger-counter, I will show you some sources of the
products of the decay process.  It was this understanding of nuclear decay that lead to our use of nuclei of atoms for energy purposes.

Topic:  Metals, Metals, Everywhere!  The Determination of the Levels of Some Common Metallic Elements in Natural Water and in Common Beverages Using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry

Presenter:  Dr. Lawrence Kupchella

In this presentation, Dr. Kupchella will discuss the method of Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry and he will demonstrate how the method can be used to determine the concentration of various metallic elements in test samples.  In liquid-based samples, the metallic elements are present in the form of dissolved salts.  The samples that will be tested will include natural waters like seawater, lake water, and river water, as well as other water-based samples that will include some commercial beverages like colas and iced tea.

Topic:  Computers in Science

Presenter:  Dr. Carl LeBlond

The use of computational modeling in biology, materials science and chemistry has exploded in recent years.  Driven by technological developments in hardware and software systems, computational modeling is being applied to increasingly complex problems.  In this session students will experience first hand the power of computational modeling and perform simulations on their own.
 

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COMPUTER SCIENCE
 

Topic: Show Me the Data

Presenter: Dr. Charles J. Shubra
 

This short presentation will establish the importance and structure of “Information Systems” in the modern world.  Every enterprise including corporations, educational systems, sports teams, religious organizations, governments, etc rely on the data that constitutes their business.  An information system must be able to store and retrieve the data at the user’s request.  The presentation will investigate the various technologies for implementing “Information Systems” with an emphasis on the role of computers and programming technologies.

Topic:  “How Do Computers Work?”

Presenter: Waleed Farag

An introduction to how computers work will be given to the expected audience. The talk starts by giving a scientific definition to a computer then surveying various computer components such as the system unit, input devices, output devices, storage devices, etc. Various famous computer applications will be discussed with emphasis on the day-to-day uses of computers and applications of computer on entertainment. At the end of the talk, a small video clip will be presented as an example of a commonly used application of computers then an open discussion for student questions will be conclude the talk.

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GEOSCIENCE
 

Topic:  Reconstructing Vanished Worlds: What Rocks and Fossils Can Tell us About the Geography and Climate of the Past

Presenter:  Dr. John Taylor

What were Pennsylvania and the rest of North America like 300 million years ago, during the Pennsylvanian Period when the coals that are mined here were forming?  How about 500 million years ago at the end of the Cambrian Period?  Answers to these questions like these can be extracted from the physical and chemical attributes of rocks of these periods, but it’s a challenging task that requires utilization of fossils and other correlation methods to identify rocks of similar age across long distances.  You’ll be amazed at the difference a few hundred million years can make!

Topic:  As the Sky Turns: A Trip to the Ends of the Earth
Presenter:  Dr. Kenneth S. Coles
If you were to travel to the southern hemisphere, or even all the way to the South Pole, what would you see in the sky?  Find out what will look the same as it does in Pennsylvania and what would look different as you predict how the Sun and stars move.

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MATHEMATICS
 

Topic:  Let's Make a Deal: Simulation and the Monty Hall Problem

Presenter:  Dr. Tom Short

Have you ever heard of the game show "Let's Make a Deal"? Sometimes contestants were given the option to trade in their prize selection for a different, but unknown, "mystery" prize.  We'll use probability and simulation to determine whether staying with the original prize selection or switching to a different prize is the better strategy.

Topic:  Fractals Support Group

Presenter:  Dr. Dan Look

Are you feeling too irregular to be easily described in traditional Euclidean geometric language?  Is your Hausdorff dimension greater than your topological dimension?  Are you stochastically self-similar with a recursive definition?  Do the other geometric curves make fun of you? 

Topic:  Puzzles and Paths

Presenter:  Dr. Kimberly Burch 

The Tower of Hanoi is a puzzle familiar to many mathematicians.  A child's stacking toy is used to demonstrate and explain the legal moves used in solving the puzzle.  The solution to this puzzle provides a Hamiltonian cycle through the n-cube graph by keeping track of the moves used in solving the puzzle for n disks.

Topic:  Creating Special Effects in Photographs

Presenter:  Dr. H.E. Donley and Dr. Frederick Adkins

Students will manipulate digital photographs with mathematical functions to create special effects or to improve image quality.  They will create several functions and enter them into a software package
to explore the effects on various photographs.

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PHYSICS
 

Topic:  Physics Can be Painful!   

Presenter:  Dr. Sobolewski

Various demonstrations illustrating force and pressure will be shown, some which might hurt! (Well, just a little) Demonstrations include: Magdeburg Spheres, Van Degraaff Generator, collapsing cans and the bed of nails.

Topic:  Mechanical Waves  

Presenter:  Mr. Ronald Freda

Demonstrations of resonance phenomena using standing water columns and vibrating strings.  Sound perception activities will include using American Acoustic Society sound demonstrations.

Topic:  Electro Magnetic Induction   

Presenter:  Dr. Muhammad Numan

Demonstrations of interaction between electricity and magnetism.

Topic:  In the Search of an Ultimate White Light through Novel LEDs   

Presenter:  Dr. Devki Talwar

I will talk to students about recent efforts to achieve "Ultra Pure
white light" by using Light emitting diodes.

Topic:  The Interplay Between Electricity and Magnetism
Presenter:  Dr. Feng Zhou
The interaction between electric current and magnetic field can produce fascinating demonstrations involving familiar equipment. We will perform simple experiments that will produce unexpected outcomes.
 

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PSYCHOLOGY
 

Topic:  Psychotherapy in the Flesh

Presenter:  Dr. Lynda Federoff

Three mock psychotherapy sessions, addressing a therapeutic issue from a variety of theoretical perspectives, will be conducted with attendees as clients. The impact of the theoretical perspective of the therapist will be illustrated and discussed.

Topic:  If I Only Had a Brain

Presenter:  Dr. William Meil
Students will experience a variety of psychological effects and phenomena in experiments simulated by a computer.

Topic:  SURVIVORS! (A Study of Group Processes).    

Presenter: Ms. Theresa Ruffner

This is a demonstration on group processes and decision making.  In groups of 4-5, students will be given a problem scenario involving 15 people in a malfunctioning space ship that now only has enough air space for 8.  The questions is "Who should survive to colonize the planet and why?"  Students must make decisions as a group based on information provided.  After, we discuss how leaders were selected, how decisions were made, whether there was conformity or pressure,
etc.

Topic:  Am I Feminine?  Masculine?  Androgenous?  The scientific measurement of gender    

Presenter: Dr. Maureen C. McHugh

Several measures of gender and gender attitudes will be introduced.  Participants will be able to take a measure of gender-typing.   The concept of gender and the meaning of test scores will be explained.

Topic:   How Do we Know “What is Abnormal Behavior”?
Presenter:  Dr. John Mills
There are so many different kinds of people and so many ways of looking at the world that it is sometimes hard to know what is abnormal and how to classify different kinds of abnormal behavior. We'll see some of the ways that Abnormal behavior is studied and described.
 

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