2020 Abstracts

Witham, Arianna (Dixie State University)
Faculty Advisor: Pilkington, Olga (Dixie State University, Applied Sociology)

Two of Shakespeare's plays Much Ado About Nothing and Hamlet have plots that are largely dependent on the death of a female character. Looking at the deaths of Hero and Ophelia though the lens of feminist literary analysis shows that these deaths are transformative points. On the surface, these deaths are very different: Ophelia stays dead while Hero's death is only a ruse. However, the deaths of Hero and Ophelia transition both of them from persons to objects. In the case of Ophelia, after death all that is left is a corpse, and Hamlet and Laertes' altercation in Ophelia's grave on top of her body contradicts their sorrowful proclamations just before. After Hero re-enters society, admittedly as someone else, the only thing about her new identity that seems to matter is her physical similarity to the Hero most believe to still be dead. Considering genre prompts another comparison between these deaths. In Much Ado About Nothing, Hero's death prompts Beatrice and Benedict's confessions of love, and her return to society allows the weddings and celebration that finish the play and mark it as a comedy to happen. Tragedies are marked by the death and destruction of the characters, and Hamlet is no exception. Ophelia's death is a catalyst for events that lead to the deaths of the other characters. If she had been revived, then there would be no funeral, and the emotional stakes at the end of the play would not be as high. The deaths of both Ophelia and Hero serve to drive the plots of these plays, but at the cost of the personhood of each.

Barker, Avery (Utah State University)
Faculty Advisor: Kinkead, Joyce (College of Humanities and Social Sciences, English Department)

Clothing is a large part of a person's identity, it allows a consumer to express who they identify as outwardly. The demand for clothing that people identify has increased immensely over recent years. The industry is capable of producing mass amounts of clothing of all styles, yet we do not see a prominent amount of apparel that references books readily available to the consumer. That is why we will be looking at apparel that displays references to literature such as published works. By researching into this apparel, we will be able to determine what the literary apparel industry is, how it is growing, why we are seeing it now, how popular this apparel is, and how it relates to us. To answer these questions, we will be conducting surveys with English Majors here at Utah State University, interviewing professionals in industries that relate to literature apparel, and reviewing literature pertaining to apparel.

Bresee, Andrea; Abel, Emily; Adams, Roland; Ashby, Shelby; Barker, Avery; Borden, Eden; Christensen, Nikki; Eralie, Megan; Evensen, Cayenne; Haney, Cameron; Jensen, Mia; Jensen, Raychel; Julander, Alexis; Pulsipher, Chase; Roberts, Katie; Roundy, Talia; Schroeder, Janell; Wheeler, Shylee; Wood, McKenzie (Utah State University)
Faculty Advisor: Kinkead, Joyce (College of Humanities and Social Sciences, English Department)

Although university students who major in English studies write consistently, often the writing behaviors are taken for granted, particularly the long-term writing lives of these students. How did they develop as writers? What strategies have they developed to be successful writers? What are their preferred tools and technology, the material culture of writing? How has their various cultures influenced their writing? Autoethnography is a type of qualitative inquiry that can help construct and analyze identity through both process and product. The parts of the term indicate what it means: graphy, referring to writing, also means to graph, describe, and analyze systematically one's personal experience � the auto as in autobiography or autograph. Ethno refers to how a person is placed within a cultural experience. How is the personal experience a reflection of culture or subculture? By using an autoethnographic approach, including intensive analysis of a week's writing, surveys, and interviews, that describes and interrogates their processes and products, the researchers, who are also the subjects, develop a profile of the writing lives of upper-division English majors at a land-grant, research university.

Sorensen, Brianne (Utah State University)
Faculty Advisor: Edenfield, Avery (College of Humanities and Social Sciences, English Department)

I investigate how #burkaban is used by Twitter users to point out the compounded marginalization of Muslim women in modern Western law, particularly Denmark, through discriminatory practices in government.
Historically, Denmark has a fewer number of Muslim communities compared to other modern Western societies. I chose to research Denmark because Muslim communities are already severely marginalized socially, economically, and physically. Denmark also uses discriminatory speech in their lawmaking to intentionally discriminate against Muslim communities.
I unpack and use the framework of Crenshaw's ideas on intersectionality from "Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex," but instead of demarginalization of the intersection of sex and race, I examine how hashtag use points out the marginalization of the intersection of sex and religion. I also use Koerber's "Toward a Feminist Rhetoric of Technology" to bridge the gap between how technology research intersects with discriminatory political practices. I utilize Frost's Apparent Feminism methodology framework to analyze how hashtags are used to address political trends that are intentionally discriminatory, particularly towards Muslim women. I further utilize this methodology to look specifically at how this hashtag is used to pose an intervention of discriminatory politics.
My conclusions determine who is using the #burkaban on Twitter, whether it is Muslim women or allies of Muslim women. I argue different hashtag users deploy #burkaban towards different goals for political intervention in Denmark. I also conclude and argue that Twitter has an ethical responsibility to take action towards political intervention in Denmark.

Carter Olson, Candi; LaPoe, Victoria (Utah State University)
Faculty Advisor: Carter Olson, Candi (College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Journalism and Communication Department)

The Spiral of Silence theory is the idea that people in society are excluded based on their opinions. Because of this, members of society may keep their opinions quiet to avoid exclusion. While the theory was first introduced in 1974, its effects are important to research today, particularly with the political atmosphere and advanced communication technology we now have. Because social media allows users to broadcast their opinions to a large audience, researchers wanted to know how users self-censor on the internet. The study also aimed to determine if the tone, rhetoric, and events of the 2016 U.S. election influenced self-censorship. In this study, researchers found that many people, especially those in marginalized groups, tended to keep their opinions offline during the time surrounding the election.

Heftel, Christian (Utah Valley University
Faculty Advisor: Abbott, Scott (Humanities and Social Sciences, Integrated Studies)

The cosmos of Dante Alighieri is one obsessed with verticality. Hell is a hole in the ground, Purgatory a pillar that rises to the heavens. The deeper one descends into Hell, the worse the sinners one encounters. The higher one soars into Paradise, the more blessed the saints, until one finally arrives at the pinnacle of the Great Chain of Being: God. This accords with the common orientational metaphors identified by Lakoff and Johnson, where up is associated with good, with power, and with authority; and down is associated with depravity, impotence, and subjugation.

However, it is not merely Dante's cosmology that is concerned with the vertical. In his treatment of individual humans and their qualities and deeds, Dante similarly expresses an interest in their height, their posture, and their ability to stand upright. This interest is shown vividly in three beings or classes in Inferno: the virtuous pagans of Limbo, the wind-tossed lustful, and the king of Hell himself: Satan. In the poem, the virtuous pagans stand, suggesting moral and intellectual uprightness. The lustful, although lifted high into the air by the storms that beat them, are still unable to stand because they lack ground beneath their feet. Finally, Satan appears to stand, but is actually later shown to be imprisoned and inverted, frozen halfway through a fall from Heaven. Examining these three cases gives insight into Dante's conception of reason, sin, virtue, and the universe itself--and it gives similar insight into the linguistic and metaphorical connotations of human bipedality.

Reid, Rachael (Utah State University)
Faculty Advisor: Edenfield, Avery (College of Humanities and Social Sciences, English Department)

Recent outcries in the media and political conversation like the story of Brock Turner and the #metoo movement, have demonstrated how the rhetoric surrounding sexual assault is a problem. Current rhetoric surrounding these issues have demonstrated the continued staggering number of sexual assaults that happen every year, but has yet to solve the actual problem. In the name of feminism, people everywhere fight for the rights of those marginalized within a community, of all different group types. However, one group rarely mentioned is men who are victims of sexual assault (perpetrated by men or women). Frost's Apparent Feminism "recognize(s) and make(s) apparent the urgent and sometimes hidden exigencies for feminist critique of contemporary technical rhetorics." This work demonstrates the need for participation in Feminist work for all people and says that even those that don't identify as "feminist but do work that complements feminist goals, and makes apparent the ways in which efficient work actually depends on the existence and input of diverse audiences" has an essential role in the discourse around sexual assault perpetrated against men. Men are taught by society to hide their feelings, to "man up", and not express when something is difficult. In order for complex social impact in this area, we see the importance of technical communication. This research shows how the perception of sexual assault against men can be changed through our technical communication and help us reshape the world in which we live. Normalizing the effects/ reality of sexual assault against men is a step in this work. I am only considering those who have reported their sexual assault, which does give some bias. I will unpack what discourse is currently taking place and steps to change that discourse through communication strategies.

Kennen, George; Schrader, Abby M; Felinska, Eva; (Weber State University)
Faculty Advisor: Romaniello, Matthew (Weber State university, History)

This presentation will be centered around the experiences from multiple people that lived through and experienced the system in the 19th century. I will be focusing on the juxtaposing of their experiences and describing how different their experiences were based on the crimes that they were accused and sentenced for. For this presentation I will be drawing from memoirs, letters, and autobiographies from people of the time.

Whyte, Kyle Powys; Cuomo, Chris; Plumwood, Val; Johnston, Josee; Beacham, Jonathan; Gilson, Erinn Cunniff (Utah Valley University)
Faculty Advisor: Hanewicz, Wayne (College of Humanities and Social Sciences, integrated Studies); Bretz, Thomas (College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Philosophy and Humanities)

Growing awareness of environmental issues has led to an explosion of interest in both ethically and locally sourced products. As evidence has mounted of the role consumerism plays in driving environmental degradation, concerned individuals have begun seeking out alternatives to the cheap national and multinational brands that seem to be most responsible for driving these problems. While numerous potential alternatives have been formulated, two general trends have emerged and gained momentum. The first of these trends focus on increasing transparency around specific areas of concern with particular types of products. This includes things like organic certifications, guarantees around animal treatment, the types of energy used in production, and the impacts on human welfare. The other general approach has been to emphasize the importance of buying locally, seeking out a wholesale replacement of the national and global supply chains that have proven to be so environmentally unjust.

This paper shows why the debate between these two approaches misses a deeper disconnect. Arguments for ethically sourced products tend to be based around narratives that assert that personal choice is at the heart of the environmental injustices created by consumerism. In opposition to this view, this paper argues that it is the breakdown in the quality of relationships surrounding our consumption that has led to the environmental degradation we see today. By using the framework of ethics of care, this paper asserts that arguments about the need for greater consumer responsibility and choice reflect a fundamental misunderstanding of the ways our supply chains drive environmental injustice. Rather, we should focus our efforts on rebuilding local economies and developing high quality relationships between producers, distributors, consumers, and everyone in between. It is only then that we can start to take control of the breakdowns occuring and demand greater attention to environmental needs.

Mehr, Judd; Alvarez, Eduardo; Cardoza, Adam; Ning, Andrew (Brigham Young University)
Faculty Advisor: Ning, Andrew (Brigham Young University, Mechanical Engineering)

Wind power is an attractive alternative energy source because it is sustainable, clean and cost effective. However, wind energy is difficult to harvest because wind is irregular, seasonal, and often far away from urban areas. Several organizations have sought to solve this problem by designing wind harvesting aircraft, called windcraft. Windcraft are aircraft that are tethered to the ground, propel themselves into the air, enter steady flight in a crosswind, and allow the propellers to spin freely. The wind keeps the windcraft aloft and forces the propellers to turn backwards, turning them into turbines. Power generated from the turbines is sent down the tether and stored. Windcraft provide several advantages beyond those of conventional wind turbines, including high portability due to its smaller weight.

This research employs aerodynamic analysis to determine the forces on the turbines and lifting surfaces of a windcraft modeled after the Makani M600, an 8-rotor prototype produced by Makani Technologies. The analysis is a combination of modeling methods with varying fidelity, including the vortex lattice, vortex particle, and blade element momentum methods. The vortex lattice method models the lifting surface as a sheet of vortices that have the same capability to push on the oncoming flow as the lifting surface would. The vortex particle method uses a set of discretized fluid motion equations in a form that allows for the solution of the strength of the vortex at each point in the flow. The blade element momentum method uses two theories, the blade element theory and the momentum theory, to calculate the power, thrust and axial air velocity of a propeller or turbine. The modeling methods are validated by using experimental data from The Mexico Project and NASA. We implement basic design space exploration to display this model's compatibility with design optimization.

Roberts, Alexis (Utah State University)
Faculty Advisor: Holt, Kerin (College of Humanities and Social Sciences, English Department)

How is an enslaved woman's agency depicted in non-fiction pre-civil War narratives versus fictional neo-slave narratives? My presentation will primarily focus on the issue of the individual bodily autonomy that slaves have access to and the withholding of bodily access to the slave's master, while also discussing the individual beliefs of slaves, beliefs that do not conform to slavery from both the pre-civil war era and the post-civil war era. The comparison will be between the novel Incidents in the life of a slave girl (1861) and the novel Kindred (1979), which were written more than one hundred years apart. The comparison will primarily focus on the characters of Harriet and Dana, focusing on the differences in their perspectives as Harriet is a slave woman and Dana is a modern woman from 1976 forced into the 1800s and plantation slavery.

Speelman, Mackenzie (Weber State University)
Faculty Advisor: Arnold, Kristen (Engineering, Applied Science, and Technology; Interior Design)

The numbers in homeless LGBTQ+ youth are rising by the year. These numbers are devastating and mean that eventually these youth can potentially have nothing to live for because they are rejected from their homes. (Dashow, 2017) In Utah these numbers are heartbreaking, as there is not a place for them to be able to go. (Valkenburg, 2013) In partnering with Equality Utah, we would be able to create a space for these youth that would not only provide them with a space to call their own, but also provide resources for success in the real world.

It would also provide them with the opportunity to learn life lessons that they would not normally get if they were to continue to be homeless. It would be a safe place for them to be able to learn, and potentially get a higher education and a chance to be something other than a statistic. This space will be a welcome sight to any who may need it, and a place where they are free to be themselves. It will create a home for those who no longer have one, and would provide a better quality of life for those individuals.

When considering other elements of design in relation to this project, it is also important to consider what can be considered a safe place for these individuals. Dazakir and Read did a study about how people react to different kinds of design in relation to what is considered a safe place for them. It took into account how different types of shapes and forms would elicit a response whether it be in the pleasure receptors and looked at whether or not people felt more comfortable in a space based on those shapes. What they found was "the respondents associated more pleasure within curvilinear forms and would approach and affiliate more with others in those settings compared with the settings with rectilinear forms." (Read, 2019). This will be taken into consideration with group spaces to ensure that there is a promotion of socialization within the space and to help the space feel more welcome for socialization and to make the space seem more like home.

It has been shown that Utah is one of the worst places to be LGBTQ+ and homeless, and in a survey from the Human Rights Campaign 65% of those surveyed in Utah reported being verbally harassed at school, compared to 51% nationally. It also shows 75% of teens in Utah feel they would need to move away in order to "fit in" compared to 63% of LGBT teens nationwide. (UPR, n.d.) As a result of this, we need to ensure that there is a safe place for these youth.

Tolkien, J.R.R; Burke, Kenneth; Hundley, Heather; Borchers, Timothy; Shore, Howard (Utah State University)
Faculty Advisor: Colton, Jared (College of Humanities and Social Sciences, English Department)

While most rhetorical analysis of films look at the language and visual aspects, the object of this presentation is to analyze the rhetorical power of musical sound and score. Underappreciated by some and regarded as the lifeblood of the film by others, the musical score of a film is arguably one of the most vital aspects of cinema.

For the purposes of this presentation we will be examining the film score of the time-honored series of The Lord of the Rings as directed by Peter Jackson and composed by Howard Shore. While many have examined the genius of the composition or the complexity and cohesiveness of this score, it is our intention to examine how this composition moved the audience to feelings, thoughts, and actions.

Aside from Professor Tolkien, we will also examine the works of the rhetor Kenneth Burke and his theories of Dramatism; his theory on language and symbol systems and how they create the world around us. Our examination will focus on select scenes where the score works with the cinematography showing how the score is conveying the character's feelings or state of mind, which results in persuading the audience on how they should feel.

Through this analysis it is our intention to instill a greater understanding and awareness of how film score is used to influence audiences. Developing an understanding of how filmmakers use sound and score to influence their audience can make audiences more aware of those decisions and thus make them more engaged with the consumption of film.

Benson, Olivia (Weber State University)
Faculty Advisor: Arnold, Kristen (Engineering, Applied Sciences, and Technologies; Interior Design)

Feral and stray cats have long been a problem in communities across the nation. In 2014, it was estimated that over sixty million stray and feral cats live in the U.S. Considering that a female cat can have two to three litters a year with up to five kittens in each litter, theoretically speaking, one pair of breeding cats can start a family tree network of 420,000 cats in just over a seven year period. Now you may ask yourself, what is the problem with this large population? A study in 2013 by the Smithsonian Institute revealed that feral cats kill up to 3.7 billion birds a year in the United States and kill between 7-21 billion wild mammals. Aside from disrupting the Eco-system around us, feral cats are also extremely susceptible to rabies which, if contracted, can be transmitted to humans. Since the 1980's, private organizations and governmental agencies in the U.S. have tried to deal with this problem through what is known as Trap-Neuter-Release (TNR) programs. This involves live-trapping stray and feral cats, surgical sterilization and vaccine administration and then releasing the cat back into its neighborhood. While TNR programs stop the cat population from growing, it doesn't address the long-term problems current neighborhood cats cause. Local shelters have tried to tackle this issue but are unable to keep up with the crisis due to lack of funding and the overwhelming population in the area.

In order to fund a shelter that can keep up with demand and stay afloat, an all-in-one cat facility had to be created. Beyond vaccination care that shelters offer, multiple hospitality and commercial settings will be implemented to generate more cash flow which includes a cat cafe, general store, and grooming salon.

McCaela Michas (Brigham Young University)
Faculty Advisor: Allison, James (Family, home, and Social Sciences; Anthropology)

In 1849, settlers from the Salt Lake Valley ventured south to erect Fort Utah, Provo's first settlement. However, records from this time are scarce, and thus its exact position along the Provo River has since been lost through time. Efforts in the late 1930s and 1970s to establish the location of the fort were inconclusive. In the late 1990s, archaeologists from Brigham Young University and members of the Utah State Archaeological Society dug a series of test trenches near I-15 along the Provo River in hopes of finding tangible evidence of the fort and its location. Artifacts from this excavation include fragments of fauna bone, glass, ceramics, and metal, as well as pieces of brick, chalk, concrete, charcoal and a marble. While these artifacts appear to be historical and possibly connected to the fort, they had not yet been thoroughly analyzed until now. This paper will discuss the recent analysis of these artifacts to determine if the location of Fort Utah has finally been found.

Averett, Ty; Peterson, Kendall (Utah State University)
Faculty Advisor: López González, Crescencio (College of Humanities and Scoial Sciences; Languages, Philosophy and Communication Studies Department)

The case Méndez v. Westminster in California in 1947 brought Latinx families the hope that their students would no longer be segregated. Unfortunately, although Méndez v. Westminster brought an end to de jure segregation, Latinx students' fight for equity in education was just beginning. The de facto segregation that followed remains in our system today. This research explores this de facto segregation as exemplified in Stand and Deliver by Ramón Menéndez, McFarland, USA by Niki Caro, and several other films. These films demonstrate the experience of Latinx youth with the school system. While students may still be segregated between schools due to class differences between neighborhoods, they can also be separated within schools in subtler ways. An example of this is tracking: the practice of dividing students into various levels of classes based on ability level (i.e. remedial math, grade-level math, honors math). While, in theory, this may seem to be a reliable and helpful way to teach students on their level, it can be detrimental to the progress of minority students, leaving them even further behind. Because of biases on all levels of the system, a majority of minority youth find themselves in lower classes, increasing their feelings of hopelessness and putting them on a trajectory for dropout. This analysis details the effects of tracking on Latinx students, along with suggesting solutions and alternatives as demonstrated in the films mentioned above.

Adams, Sidney (Weber State University)
Faculty Advisor: Arnold, Kristen (Weber State University, Interior Design)

The SMART Recovery Youth Rehabilitation Center will be designed to help youth gain the skills they need to recover from their addictions, and hopefully further eradicate such problems as homelessness in the Salt Lake area. By providing a rehabilitation facility that is welcoming and comfortable for struggling youth, I hope to create a supportive atmosphere where change can take place. This facility will be functional and safe for both staff and patients.

Facility design has a tremendous impact on patient safety. It impacts how people move through the building, how much of a given area staff can see at one time and how people feel when they are in specific spaces. (Sammer, 2018) Patient safety will be a top priority in the design of this facility, and anti-ligature products will be specified. This Youth Rehabilitation Facility will combine functionality with a calming aesthetic to make patients feel secure and at home, and to ensure a successful road to recovery. Everything from seating arrangements to recreational areas will be thoughtfully considered to encourage a supportive atmosphere. Studies show that therapeutic architecture immensely benefits drug patients, especially when environmental factors such as acoustics, smell, color schemes, views, and natural light are considered. (Abdelhay and Dewidar, 2016) In addition, sustainable products and practices will be sourced and implemented in effort to achieve LEED certification.

Lupher, James (Dixie State University)
Faculty Advisor: Pilkington, Olga (Dixie State University, English)

In today's society, climate change is one of the most polarizing issues. Indeed, it seems as though there is a war being waged between believers and deniers with the believers being "scientifically minded" Americans and the deniers being "religious people". There is significant evidence, though, that religious peoples' ostensible incapacity to understand science is not really the issue, but rather, that the issue is political in nature. Barbara Kingsolver's novel Flight Behavior tackles this issue of a perceived dichotomy between science and religion in the setting of Appalachian Tennessee. We are presented first, with Dellarobia, a native of Feathertown, Tennessee who married into a religious, agricultural family. Using Carl Jung's definition of religion from The Undiscovered Self, I limn Dellarobia as the book's avatar of pure religion. Later, Ovid Byron enters the plot. As an entomologist and lepidopterist, who is concerned with what butterfly migrations tell us about climate change, he represents the ethos of science in America. I argue that though, at first glance, these two characters represent extremes, as the book progresses, they are revealed to be multidimensional. Dellarobia's religious nature remains intact, as she accepts the reality of climate change and Ovid reveals a capacity for a religious-like reverence for the natural world. The multidimensionality of these characters I argue subverts the perceived dichotomy between religion and science, suggesting that people on both sides of the political spectrum need to give each other credit and stop falling for politicized versions of the debate found on many mainstream media outlets.