2008 Proceedings - St. Cloud State University

Abstracts
Session ZA Behavioral Science Granite
Children of Color Identity
The proposed study will examine the upbringing of adopted children of color being raised by parents of a different race and ethnic
background and also how the media affects their racial and ethnic identity. At each stage of development, racial and ethnic identity
formation plays a critical role in helping a child develop a healthy sense of self and collective belonging. Children of color in foster care are
often placed in homes with families of different racial and/or ethnic backgrounds, thus they face unique challenges in the process of ethnic
identity formation. Even before they can talk, children begin to notice differences (physical)—in skin color, eye shape, language, hair, etc.
between them and their families. Influences on their identity are their own adopted parent‘s family ideals of ethnicity as well as the
influence of outside factors such as the media. Beginning while they are young, children absorb information about biases and stereotypes
from their families (especially their parents) and the media. The research results will stem from a focus group of adopted children of color
that were adopted by parents of a different race and ethnic background. The findings will be a personal look into understanding how
children who are raised by people from a different racial background can be impacted by media and the surrounding environment, affecting
children‘s psychological wellbeing.
Presentation Index: ZA2
Time: 3:50 p.m.
Department: Women's Studies
Project Sponsor(s):
Student Presenter(s): Figueroa, Alexis; Johnson, Terri
Berila, Elizabeth
Airport Runway Incursions Research
Runway incursions have caused serious accidents, including the most serious aviation accident in history in terms of loss of life. A runway
incursion is defined by the FAA as "any occurrence at an aerodrome involving the incorrect presence of an aircraft, vehicle or person on
the protected area of a surface designated for the landing and take off of aircraft". The FAA has identified that the issue of runway
incursions is one of the most significant safety issues in aviation today. Runway status lighting (RWSL) is a system that is being tested
successfully at several major Class B airports. RWSL requires airport surveillance radar to operate, and is therefore impossible at nonradar
Class D airports. A tower-controlled RWSL (TC-RWSL) system would be a practical solution for preventing certain runway incursions
at non-radar Class D airports. TC-RWSL works by illuminating red lights at taxiway/runway intersections when a runway is in use, in order
to prevent other traffic from entering the runway. TC-RWSL could be supplemented by inexpensive motion sensors placed at
taxiway/runway intersections. TC-RWSL would be an effective, practical step towards reducing the number of runway incursions that occur
at Class D airports. In addition to the Student Research Colloquium, the team findings will also be submitted to the Federal Aviation
Administration for Universities.
Presentation Index: ZA3
Time: 4:10 p.m.
Department: Aviation
Project Sponsor(s):
Student Presenter(s): Jacobson, Shane; Krygowski, Nick; Koch, Ryan;
Aceves, Robert
Sigette, Jeremy
Session ZB Emerging Trends in Science Mississippi
Peeling the Quark Onion with a Trillion Degree Furnace
Owing to the Pauli Exclusion Principle (a fundamental statement in quantum mechanics), electrons, quarks and all fermions have an
inflexible avoidance of one another when squeezed into nearly the same state. That is, they cannot exist in the same quantum state- ever!
Instead, these fermions will jump into higher energy states even though that requires more energy. If the higher-energy states are filled,
they must reach even higher until they find a vacant state. Under the right conditions, this phenomenon introduces an outward pressure
called degeneracy pressure. Degeneracy pressure is the reason that neutron and white dwarf stars do not collapse, but are instead stable
against strong gravitational forces. We calculate the degeneracy pressure in a hot fireball of quarks and gluons. For temperatures in the
range of 0.18 GeV, degeneracy pressure would be about 4 GeV/fm^3. These values translate over to roughly 2 trillion Kelvin and 10^32
pounds per square inch, or 10^31 atm. Our results indicate that degeneracy pressure may have significant and observable effects in
experiments that are being carried out at heavy-ion colliders (atom smashers) around the world. In particular, the produced particles in
high-energy heavy-ion collisions escape the reaction zone with impressively high velocities. This research project has resulted in a
possible explanation for the observed behavior.
Presentation Index: ZB1
Time: 3:30 p.m.
Department: Physics
Project Sponsor(s):
Student Presenter(s): Swanson, Joshua; Horvat, Stephen
Haglin, Kevin
St. Cloud State University Student Research Colloquium 73
April 22, 2008