Several Hope College faculty and students who have conducted research will make presentations during the 118th Annual Conference of the Michigan Academy of Science, Arts, and Letters, to be held at Alma College on Friday, March 2.
The interdisciplinary/multidisciplinary event will feature nearly 500 presenters in 32 sections in the sciences, humanities and social sciences. The majority of presenters at the conference will be from colleges and universities. The remaining presenters are employed by public libraries, government agencies, research organizations, non-profit groups or K-12 schools, or are independent scholars.
The participants from Hope will make a total of 14 presentations in the sections focused on education, environmental science and ecology, French and Italian language and literature, the geological sciences and sociology.
Dr. Vicki-Lynn Holmes, assistant professor of mathematics and education, Dr. Jane Finn, associate professor of education, and seniors Marcy Browers of Elburn, Ill., and Nydia Chavarria of Holland will present “The Michigan Merit Curriculum: Are Teachers Ready to Instruct.”
Holmes, Dr. Yooyeun Hwang, professor of education, and sophomore Nicholas Haugen of Kalamazoo will present “The Effects of Project-based Learning (PBL) Approach on the Achievement and Efficacy of High School Mathematics Students: A Longitudinal Study Investigating the Effects of the PBL Approach in Mathematics Education.”
Finn and juniors Sarah Lidgard of Hudsonville and Jayne Vroon of Holland will present “What is Needed for Successful Independent Living? Findings from the Friendship House.”
Holmes and Haugen will present “Using Regional Data to Correlate Program Effectiveness: Delta Math as a Case Study: The Effects of the Delta Math Response to Intervention Program on Student Achievement.”
Senior Hilary Bultman of Hamilton will present “The Effects of Aquatic Insect Nutrient Subsidies on Plant Quality and Insect Herbivore Growth. (Poster),” work conducted with Dr. David Hoekman, 2006 Hope graduate Jamin Dreyer and Dr. Claudio Gratton, all of the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
Senior Katelyn Hemmeke of Hamilton will present “Deux Votations Suisses Controversées et leurs Conséquences.”
Junior Lauren Miller of Boyne City will present “La Lutte des Femmes Maliennes pour le Respect de leur Intégrité Physique.”
Sophomore Natalie Woodberry of Saint Paul, Minn., will present “La Condition de Vie des Femmes au Maghreb et les Perspectives d’Avenir a l’Issue du Printemps Arabe.”
Dr. Isabelle Chapuis-Alvarez, assistant professor of French, will present “La Montée des Communautarismes est-elle une Menace pour la France et le Reste de l’Europe.”
Junior Athina Alvarez of Grand Rapids will present “BD et Utopie dans Les Cité Obscures de Schuiten et Peeters.”
Suzanne DeVries-Zimmerman, part-time lecturer in the geological and environmental sciences, senior Nathan Erber of Rockford and Dr. Edward Hansen, professor of geology and environmental science, will present “Plant Macrofossils and Paleoenvironmental Conditions in an Allegan County, Michigan Peat Bog.” Hansen is also co-chair of the section on Geological Sciences.
Sophomore Connor Mulcahy of Cedarburg, Wis., will present “The Use of Digital Imagery to Monitor Erosion/Deposition Pins in Lake Michigan Coastal Dunes.”
Dr. Deborah Sturtevant, professor of sociology and social work and chairperson of the department, sophomore David J. Blystra of Holland and senior Lindsey N. Boeve of Holland will present “Milk and Medicine: A Program Evaluation.”
Senior Matt Herm of Port Huron and Dr. Roger Nemeth, professor of sociology, will present “Measuring the ‘Social Carrying Capacity’ of Wolves in Michigan: Preliminary Findings.”
The Michigan Academy of Science, Arts, and Letters was established in 1894 to promote exchange among researchers at colleges, universities, government agencies, research and business organizations. Since 2004, the academy has been located at Alma College and is funded primarily by individual and institutional membership dues and conference registration fees. Currently 32 colleges and universities, including Hope, support the academy through institutional memberships.
Among its other activities, the academy also publishes the “Michigan Academician,” a peer-reviewed, academic journal. Each year one issue of the journal contains the abstracts of all papers presented at the annual conference.
In addition to Hope, the institutional members of the academy are:
Adrian College, Alma College, Andrews University, Aquinas College, Baker College of Flint, Calvin College, Central Michigan University, Cornerstone University, Eastern Michigan University, Ferris State University, Glen Oaks Community College, Grand Valley State University, Henry Ford Community College, Kettering University , Lake Superior State University, Lawrence Technological University, Macomb Community College, Madonna University, Marygrove College, Michigan State University, Northern Michigan University, Northwood University, Oakland Community College, Oakland University, Saginaw Valley State University, Schoolcraft College, University of Detroit Mercy, University of Michigan – Dearborn, University of Michigan – Flint, Wayne State University and Western Michigan University.
More information about the academy and the conference is available online at www.themichiganacademy.org.