The recipients of 2004-05 University Grants have just been announced.
These grants assist individual faculty members in conducting well-defined and purposeful scholarly and creative activities which contribute to professional growth and which enhance the programs of the University. Projects pertain to the faculty member's discipline (but may be interdisciplinary) and are to result in a product, which will be shared in a professional public venue. Applications are evaluated by a faculty committee. 2004-05 grants range from $2,150 to $4,970. Recipients and their projects are listed below...
1. Bhuyan, Rafiqul: Evaluating Analysts' Target Prices:
An Empirical Investigation Using a large database of analysts' target prices, Dr. Bhuyan will investigate the significance of target prices in portfolio analysis for long-term investors who wish to hold securities.
A series of portfolios consisting of
1) stocks only, 2) stocks with covered call, and 3) stocks with protective put option as insurance will be designed including the target price as a guide.
This research will attempt to answer two questions:
i. Can na´ve investors take advantage of the analysts' target prices? Are there any strategies that these investors can use to take advantage of the analysts' target prices rather than simply following a buy-hold strategy?
ii. Is the mean of the target prices a better indicator of the true equilibrium prices? Is the variance of the target prices a better measure in risk management for a portfolio of securities? Presentation of findings: publication of an article in a refereed journal and presentation at a national conference
2. Fosnaugh, Linda and Patrick Mitchell: Mathematical Modeling for Elementary School Teachers.
Mathematical Modeling was added to the grades 4-8 mathematics teacher curriculum in the fall of 2002. No satisfactory texts are available for this course. Drs. Fosnaugh and Mitchell have begun to develop their own teaching materials for this course. This research project is intended to enable them to continue developing and testing teaching materials for this course. The researchers will team teach Math 3003 in the fall of 2004 and will introduce topics appropriate to the course in modular form. Each topic and activity will be analyzed in order to maximize the students' comprehension of the modeling process. Presentation of findings: publication of a text book
3. Fuertes-Manjón, Roberto: Ideological Radicalism, Intellectual Elitism and Modernity in the Works of Margarita Nelken:
The Years in Spain The main goal of Dr. Fuertes-Manjón's research project is to study the literary works, art criticism, and journalistic publications of Margarita Nelken, Spanish writer, art critic, journalist, and political activist. This research will take place in Spain due to the fact that many of Nelken's writings appeared in newspapers, magazines and journals which are not accessible in the United States. Presentation of findings: publication of a book
4. Ranette Halverson and Terry Griffin: Computer Security Investigation- Intrusion Detection Investigation Analysis System:
This proposal focuses on the study and development of an analysis tool that allows system administrators to visually identify intrusion alerts and take necessary corrective actions. The projects will be implemented as an extension to a basic tool, known as "HAT", "Honeypot Analysis Tool", developed by Griffin in the preliminary stages of the research. The research encompasses a network security laboratory and the theoretical and practical study of network intrusion detection. Presentation of findings: presentations at conferences and articles submitted for publication
5. Hewitt, Harry: Emilio Langberg: A Danish Immigrant to Mexico, 1835-1866
This research will center on the time Langberg served as the Sub-Inspector of the Colonias Militares in Chihuahua (1849-1853); his role as a military escort for the US-Mexican Boundary Survey (1851-1853); his reconnaissance maps of the Chihuahua - Coahuila frontier between the presidio of San Carlos, Chihuahua and Santa Rosa, Coahuila (1851-1852); his leadership in a major battle at Laguna de Jaco against Indians (1853); his exile to New Orleans in 1853 in opposing Santa Anna; his return to Coahuila in 1854; his confrontation with Texans over fugitive slaves living in Coahuila; and his participation in the revolt that drove Santa Anna from power in 1855. Important documents pertaining to Langberg's career in the Guajardo (papers in the Beinikie Library of Yale University, The Archivo General de Nuevo León in Monterrey and the Instituto Estatal de Documentación, in Saltillo, Coahuila) will be examined for this research. Presentation of findings: presentations at conferences to be submitted for publication as a journal article or monograph
6. King, James R.: Monastic Patronage and Parish Churches:
The English Diocese of Lincoln and the Thirteenth Century This research involves the interaction between medieval monastic houses and their patronage over parish churches in the extremely large diocese of Lincoln, which covered more than eight counties. Dr. King's previous research covered sources through the year 1279. This research will continue, at the Public Record Office (the British National Archives), with the years 1279-1299. In addition, Dr. King will study manuscripts of the grants of property rights over parish patronage to monasteries, which are mostly in the British Library in London and the Bodleian Library at Oxford. Presentation of findings: publication as part of a book length monograph and as part of a database with Dr. Nicholas Bennett
7. Michael Land, Bambi Bailey, Martha Burger and Ann Estrada: Developing a Benchmarking System for Teacher Education:
This project consists of developing a benchmarking system for undergraduate students enrolled in EDUC 3153, Educational Psychology, for TXBESS (Texas Beginning Educators Support System; TXBESS is aligned with TExES (Texas Examination of Educator Standards). A database will be formatted to accommodate not only the data collection of the results of the benchmarking for each of the 150 -200 undergraduate students enrolled in EDUC 3153 during the 2004-05 academic year, but also for all 22 TXBESS competencies and for each professional education course. These data will track the progress of each student through the competencies required for certification in the state of Texas. After benchmarks are identified, tools to measure progress will be developed and field-tested. The database will be designed using a "function determines form" paradigm. West College of Education faculty will determine the data categories. Presentation of findings: presentations at conferences
8. Ruth Morrow: An Initial Assessment of the Evolution of the Cadenza within the Piano concerto during the Common Practice Period, including both Contemporaneous and Contemporary Cadenzas for those Concerti without "Composer Written" Cadenzas
The piano concerto is a major part of the standard repertoire for any student or professional pianist and the cadenza is a necessary part of each concerto. This project will be the first systematic attempt to trace not only the development of the cadenza from its improvisatory origins through its composed inclusion within the concerto, but also the subsequent composition of cadenzas for concerti without cadenzas written by the composer. The research will focus on the concerti of the Classic and early Romantic periods. The cadenzas will be assessed by a variety of means, including stylistic and structural analysis. Assessments will be made both chronologically and cross-period. Presentation of findings: publication of an article and a book
9. Scales, Jon B.: Assaying Living and Preserved Tissues for the Presence of Leishmania:
A Pilot Study for Determination of Prevalence of Leishmania in North Texas Leishmania is a protozoan parasite of mammals, including humans, canines and certain species of rodents. Leishmania infections can be quite severe causing discomfort and scarring or even death. Leishmania is a potential health threat only when the parasite, a suitable host species and the vector responsible for spreading this disease, the sand fly, occur in an area simultaneously. Both the wood rat, a potential host, and the sand fly occur in north Texas. Morphological evidence from wood rats recently taken in Wichita County suggests the presence of Leishmania in north Texas. In this study, tissue samples taken from recently trapped wood rats in Wichita County and vicinity will be analyzed, using the polymerase chain reaction technique, to determine if, in fact, the morphological characteristics are due to Leishmania infection. Furthermore, these techniques will be used to examine preserved skin specimens from wood rats and other species collected since the 1950s that are housed in the MSU mammal collection. Presentation of findings: presentation at a professional conference, publication of a journal article, and use as a pilot study to seek federal grants
10. Shipley, Michael M.: Comparison of Milk Lipid Composition from Various Mammalian Groups
In this study, the milk lipid composition of two rodent families (Hereomyidae and Muridae) and one family of rabbits (Leporidae) will be examined to consider differences in nutritional physiological needs, as well as to compare the lipids phlyogenetically. In choosing species for this study, availability, habitat, diet, and reproductive habits are considered. Milk samples will be obtained from wild lactating females. Lipids will be extracted and analyzed using thin-layer chromatography and gas chromatography. The results of these tests will be analyzed statistically and the information will provide for comparisons between each family and between species within each family. Presentation of findings: presentation at a state or regional professional conference and publication of a journal article
11. Sportsman, Susan: Conflict Management Styles in Nursing and Allied Health Conflict can jeopardize effectiveness in any organization.
Those in conflict tend to prefer one conflict management style over others, regardless of the situation. Constructive conflict management requires the ability to choose from a variety of styles, depending upon the characteristics of the specific conflict. The United States health care delivery system is particularly vulnerable to the effects of conflict because of the complexity of the system and because the large number of stakeholders with competing interests and values amplifies the consequences. This pilot study will use a descriptive design to determine the prevalent conflict management styles of pre- and post- licensure students in nursing, radiologic sciences, and respiratory care at MSU, to determine if there are differences in conflict management styles between nurses and allied health professionals and between males and females in the health professions. Two quantitative instruments will be used to gather data, the Demographic Data Sheet and the Thomas-Killman Conflict Mode Instrument. The means and standard deviations of the subscales for nursing and allied health groups and for males and females will be determined. Frequency distributions and bar charts will be obtained for all variables. Comparisons will be made of the conflict management styles of nurses and allied health professionals and males and females, using a t-test. Statistical significance will be obtained at the 0.05 level. Presentation of findings: provide direction for further research, presentation in health care education and health care continuing education
12. Stangl, Frederick B. Jr.: Ecological and Biogeographical Assessment of Mammals from the Guadalupe Mountains, New Mexico Biogeography is the study of the past and present distributions of plants and animals and of the causative factors in action.
This study will initiate an inventory of mammals from the Guadalupe Mountains of New Mexico and the historical-to-present biogeographic relationships. The distribution and population status of wildlife species are always in a state of flux, in response to myriad factors. Climatic conditions, disease, invasions by other species can initiate changes ranging from population crashes or explosions to range expansions or local extinctions of resident species. Earlier works in the region ensure that there are sufficient historical data for comparisons with the proposed study to document changes that have occurred over the past several decades.