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Author Archive | Katelyn Rosevear

Thomas Kuntzleman

By on March 13, 2013 in Faculty Publications

Williamson, J. Charles, Thomas S. Kuntzleman, and Rachael A. Kafader. “A Molecular Iodine Spectral Data Set for Rovibronic Analysis.” Journal of Chemical Education 90, no. 3 (March 2013): 383–385. doi:10.1021/ed300455n.

Abstract: This article discusses a dry lab molecular iodine experiment conducted by undergraduate chemistry students at the Spring Arbor University in Michigan. The experiment involved a search by students of an online iodine spectral absorption atlas to find multiple transitions belonging to one of a number of vibronic brands. The authors add the class data were pooled for spectroscopic analysis of both the X and B states. The method used for generating the spectral data set is also described.

Jonathan Rinck

By on November 21, 2012 in Faculty Publications

Rinck, Jonathan. “Maria Spilsbury (1776-1820): Artist and Evangelical.” CAA Reviews (March 22, 2012): 1.

Abstract: In her short biographical work Father and Daughter: Jonathan and Maria Spilsbury (London: Epworth, 1952), Ruth Young, a descendant of Maria Spilsbury (Spilsbury-Taylor, after her marriage in 1808), recounts a delightful anecdote in which the future KingGeorge IV visited Spilsbury’s studio on St. George’s Row, London. Impatient with how slowly work was progressing on his commission which, to his judgment, seemed complete, he exclaimed, “Really, Mrs. Taylor, I swear that you can do no more to that! You’ve finished it and a damned good picture it is.” Unconvinced, Spilsbury sought a second opinion from her maid. Upon close inspection, the maid astutely pointed out that, distressingly, the woman sewing in the painting still lacked a thimble. At this, the exasperated prince, Young writes, chased the maid out of the room, “her cap-strings flying” (32). Any other artist might have obligingly yielded to the prince, but such was Spilsbury’s notoriety that visits from the Prince Regent, her chief patron, were merely commonplace.

Thomas Kuntzleman

By on November 13, 2012 in Faculty Publications

Kuntzleman, Thomas Scott, Kristen Rohrer, and Emeric Schultz. “The Chemistry of Lightsticks: Demonstrations To Illustrate Chemical Processes.” Journal of Chemical Education 89, no. 7 (2012): 910–916.

Abstract: Lightsticks, or glowsticks as they are sometimes called, are perhaps the chemist’s quintessential toy. Because they are easy to activate and appealing to observe, experimenting with lightsticks provides a great way to get young people interested in science. Thus, we have used lightsticks to teach chemical concepts in a variety of outreach settings and demonstration shows. Although these devices are simple to operate, a working lightstick depends upon a rich array of physicochemical processes. For example, the chemical processes involved in lightsticks include acid–base chemistry, redox reactions, quantum chemistry, and thermodynamics. Consequently, we have used lightstick experiments and demonstrations in general, inorganic, and physical chemistry classes. In this paper, we share some experiments and demonstrations with lightsticks that we have used in these various educational settings.

Jeffery Bilbro

By on November 13, 2012 in Faculty Publications

Bilbro, Jeffrey. “The Ecological Thought.(Book Review).” Christianity and Literature no. 4 (2012): 693.

Abstract: In his latest book, Timothy Morton provides those scholars who are interested in the growing field of ecocriticism but not sure what all the fuss is about with a provocative, accessible introduction to the radical implications and intriguing possibilities that ecology offers for cultural theory. Those looking for literary analysis or an overview ofthe current state of environmental literary theory should turn elsewhere—starting with Lawrence Bueil’s excellent, if now slightly dated. The Future of Environmental Criticism: Environmental Crisis and Literary Imagination (2005). In The Ecological Thought, Morton leaves behind the close textual analysis, high-level theory, and, thankfully, the impenetrable prose, of his previous book. Ecology without Nature: Rethinking Environmental Aesthetics (2007). Instead, he offers a series of probing thought experiments and far-reaching cultural and theoretical analyses that explore ecology’s cultural implications. Morton’s style embodies the provocative irony that he argues the ecological thought demands as he takes on the role of “the irritating Columbo-style guy at the back of the room, the one who asks the unanswerable question” (115). So while many of Morton’s answers suggest that his conception of :he ecological thought is not as radical as he thinks it is, or as it perhaps should be, his questions challenge scholars in the liberal arts to wrestle with the consequences of ecology’s recent scientific discoveries.

Bruce Baldwin & Thomas Kuntzelman

By on November 13, 2010 in Faculty Publications

Baldwin, Bruce W., Scott Hasbrouck, Jordan Smith, and Thomas S. Kuntzleman. “Classroom Activity Connections: Demonstrating Various Flame Tests Using Common Household Materials.” Journal of Chemical Education 87, no. 8 (2010): 790–792.

Abstract: In JCE Activity #67, “Flame Tests: Which Ion Causes the Color?”, Michael Sanger describes how to conduct flame tests with household items. We have used this activity in outreach settings, and have extended it in a variety of ways. For example, we have demonstrated large-scale strontium (red), copper (green), and carbon (blue) flames using only household items, and have helped children investigate the chemistry of sparklers and colored flame birthday candles.

Mark Correll

By on November 21, 2009 in Faculty Publications

Correll, Mark R. “Kevin P. Spicer, Hitler’s Priests: Catholic Clergy and National Socialism.” Fides et Historia no. 1 (2009): 111.

Abstract: Kevin P. Spicer’s new work, Hitler’s Priests: Catholic Clergy and National Socialism, examines Catholic-Nazi cooperation by inspecting the role of the small but vocal group of clerical Nazi supporters, the so-called “brown priests.” Hitler’s Priests explores the brown priests’ lives through their correspondence, parish records, and publications. Spicer describes the pastoral and theological results of the brown priests’ worldview, as well as the rationale for their open support of the Nazi party. Taking nine of the most active clerical supporters of the Nazis, he sketches biographies of these individual priests, outlining their respective entries into a pro-Hitler stance, their agitation for the Nazis, and the difficulties they encountered either with the church hierarchy or party leadership.

Shasha Wu

By on November 13, 2006 in Books
Revesz, Peter, and Shasha Wu. “Spatiotemporal Reasoning about Epidemiological Data.” Artificial Intelligence in Medicine 38, no. 2 (October 2006): 157–170. doi:10.1016/j.artmed.2006.05.001.
Abstract:  In this article, we propose new methods to visualize and reason about spatiotemporal epidemiological data. Background: Efficient computerized reasoning about epidemics is important to public health and national security, but it is a difficult task because epidemiological data are usually spatiotemporal, recursive, and fast changing hence hard to handle in traditional relational databases and geographic information systems. Methodology: We describe the general methods of how to (1) store epidemiological data in constraint databases, (2) handle recursive epidemiological definitions, and (3) efficiently reason about epidemiological data based on recursive and non-recursive Structured Query Language (SQL) queries. Results: We implement a particular epidemiological system called West Nile Virus Information System (WeNiVIS) that enables the visual tracking of and reasoning about the spread of the West Nile Virus (WNV) epidemic in Pennsylvania. In the system, users can do many interesting reasonings based on the spatiotemporal dataset and the recursively defined risk evaluation function through the SQL query interfaces. Conclusions: In this article, the WeNiVIS system is used to visualize and reason about the spread of West Nile Virus in Pennsylvania as a sample application. Beside this particular case, the general methodology used in the implementation of the system is also appropriate for many other applications. Our general solution for reasoning about epidemics and related spatiotemporal phenomena enables one to solve many problems similar to WNV without much modification.

Robert Woods

By on November 13, 2003 in Faculty Publications

Woods, Robert, and Samuel Ebersole. “Becoming a ‘Communal Architect’ in the Online Classroom-Integrating Cognitive and Affective Learning for Maximum Effect in Web-Based Learning.” Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration 6, no. 1 (2003). http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/spring61/woods61.htm.

Abstract: Successful online instructors realize that building a sense of “community” in the online classroom is necessary for successful learning outcomes (Gunawardena, 1994; Wiesenberg & Hutton, 1996; Campbell, 1997; Gunawardena & Zittle, 1997; McLellan, 1999; Kazmer, 2000; Wegerif, 1998). The development of community “becomes a parallel stream to the content being explored” in online courses: [It is not] “something that ‘mucks up’ or interferes with the learning process (Palloff & Pratt, 1999, p. 30).