The campus community is invited to sit in as graduate students defend their theses and dissertations.
Alex Urquhart
When: 10:30-11:30 a.m. Wednesday, May 8
Where: Business Building, Room 105
Title: “Life History and Environmental Tolerance of the Invasive Oriental Weatherfish (Misgurnus anguillicaudatus) in Idaho, USA”
Program: Master of Science in Biology
Abstract: The oriental weatherfish (Misgurnus anguillicaudatus) is invasive in at least 10 countries, including the United States. Although widespread, very little is known about the life history of this cryptic fish within invaded habitats. I conducted a series of studies designed to describe several life history components of the fish from an invasive population in southwestern Idaho. From May-2008 through July-2009, I collected 586 specimens from water bodies connected with the lower Boise River. I dissected 237 of these individuals and used morphometrics, ova counts, otolith ageing and statistical modeling to build a life history profile of this population. I examined and quantified the stomach contents of the dissected fish and used gravimetric, frequency and abundance data to determine the fish’s diet. I also used a temporally extended Critical Thermal Minimum (CTmin) experiment to find the lowest water temperature that a subsample of collected oriental weatherfish could survive. Within this population, I found a 1:1 sex ratio of sexually mature males and females. Young of the year displayed rapid growth to sexual maturity within one year of life and fish lived to six years of age in the wild. Upon reaching maturity, the fish became capable of reproduction during multiple spawning events over a protracted spawning season, with the largest females producing more than 40,000 eggs annually. Oriental weatherfish were eating a generalized diet of aquatic invertebrates and detritus within their invaded habitats. During the temperature tolerance experiment, fish survived exposure to subfreezing water temperatures and direct contact with ice. Estimated CTmin of this sample of fish was -1.76°C. This series of studies shows that the oriental weatherfish possesses many hallmark characteristics of other successful invasive species such as long lifespan, high fecundity, multiple reproductive events, generalized omnivorous diet and tolerance for a wide range of environmental conditions. These characteristics, coupled with ongoing dispersal through the aquarium pet trade make the oriental weatherfish an ideal invasive species. As such, further research into the impacts that the fish has on native faunal communities is needed.
Jim Poston
When: 9:30 a.m. Thursday, May 9
Where: Student Union Fisher Room
Title: “Political Advertising in the 2012 Presidential Election: How Visual and Aural Techniques Are Used to Convey Meaning”
Program: Master of Arts in Communication
Advisors: Rick Moore (chair), Robert Rudd, Julie Lane
Abstract: This paper proposes to undertake a deep analysis of the underlying meanings of TV ads. Meaning is suggested through the visual and aural means of expression available to ad creators. This paper will concern itself with presidential television advertising in the 2012 U.S. election.
The organizing concept is information manipulation, or how a particular type of meaning occurs to influence understanding about candidates and issues. This manipulation will be revealed with an eye toward having a richer understanding of what influence TV ads have in political communication. The larger implications for this political communication on democratic society will also be addressed. Framing and priming theories will serve as an important tool for analyzing the ads. These theories offer some intellectual rigor for this analysis in ways that give it more legitimacy as opposed to simple observations disconnected from theory. After setting forth the theoretical presumptions, this paper attempts to connect those theories to identify precisely where meaning occurs within a group of TV ads that represent the most striking examples of visual and aural manipulation.
Patrick Kolar
When: 10:30 a.m. Friday, May 10
Where: Student Union Simplot A Ballroom
Title: “Impacts of Wind Energy Development on Breeding Buteo Hawks in the Columbia Plateau Ecoregion”
Program: Master of Science in Raptor Biology
Abstract: Post-construction raptor fatality and nest monitoring is typically conducted at wind energy projects nationwide. However, pre- and post-construction surveys may fail to locate all nesting pairs and impacts from turbines may vary over the breeding season, potentially leading to biased estimates of reproduction and misleading inferences regarding the impacts of wind energy development if methods are not used to account for imperfect detection. To address these potential issues, I used an information-theoretic approach to examine the influence of multiple spatial and temporal variables on reproductive success, post-fledging survival, and the distribution of breeding pairs from three sympatric Buteo species in the Columbia Plateau Ecoregion (CPE). Although the probability of detecting breeding pairs was relatively high (mean = 71 to 90%, SE = 0.09 to 0.05), and sampling units were likely to be re-occupied (mean = 76 to 100%, SE = 0.14 to 0.10), I was not able to locate all nests in the 2010 or 2011 breeding seasons despite multiple surveys for each species. My research indicates the occurrence of breeding pairs was not associated with wind turbines or surrounding habitat types; instead, ferruginous hawks (Buteo regalis) and red-tailed hawks (Buteo jamaicensis) selected areas in relation to the density of nesting substrates. Swainson’s hawks (Buteo swainsoni) were more likely to nest in areas with other breeding pairs, but my results suggest that all three species may have minimized competition through staggered nesting and spatial segregation. Nest survival models predicted that the daily survival rate (DSR) of ferruginous hawk nests decreased as the number of wind turbines within 3.2 km increased (slope coefficient = -0.89, SE = 0.39, 85% CI = -1.47 to -0.30), but I found no effect of turbines on the DSR for red-tailed hawk nests or any additional variables affecting the DSR for Swainson’s hawk nests. None of the 60 radio-marked fledglings died directly as a result of collisions with wind turbines. his is likely due, in part, to the limited size of the natal home range (mean = 2.38 km2, SD = 1.48), and the relatively short duration of the post-fledging period (mean range = 20.75 to 31.60 days, SE = 1.14 to 3.30). However, model-averaged estimates of the DSR differed by species, and predicted distance to the nearest wind turbine (slope coefficient = 1.14, SE = 0.67, 85% CI = 0.19 to 2.10) and a quadratic effect of age best explained the variance in post-fledging survival. Juveniles from nests closer to turbines were more likely to die from predation or starvation just after fledging and prior to initiating natal dispersal compared to those from nests further away. Taken together, these results suggest a greater effect of wind turbines on ferruginous hawk reproduction compared to the other two congeneric species. The causes of this negative association between wind turbines and ferruginous hawks are unknown, but could potentially include collision mortality or indirect impacts such as disturbance or displacement of breeding adults. I recommend that methods for raptor nesting surveys on wind energy projects be standardized to better facilitate the meta-analysis of long-term data and account for imperfect detection of breeding pairs. Future research should focus on the risk of collision mortality to breeding adult raptors and the associated indirect impacts to reproduction. These data will be vital to understanding the consequences of wind turbine impacts to regional populations.
Hallie Lingo
When: 1:30 p.m. Friday, May 10
Where: Education Building, Room 109
Title: “Beaver Reintroduction Correlates with Spotted Frog Population Restoration and Terrestrial Movement Patterns of Newly Metamorphosed Columbia Spotted Frogs in the Owyhee Uplands of Southwestern Idaho”
Program: Master of Science in Biology
Abstract: Beaver have been shown to provide amphibian habitat. Therefore, in an attempt to restore declining spotted frog habitat along Stoneman Creek in the Owyhees beaver were released. The beaver settled along the stream and enhanced an eroding beaver dam, apparently improving spotted frog habitat. The resident frog population rapidly restored its numbers. I found that spotted frog recruitment within the improved habitat occurred in two ways: through immigration and successful breeding.
In experimental observations on the movement patterns of newly-metamorphosed spotted frogs, I found that spotted frog metamorphs undertake small-scale terrestrial movements. Terrestrial movements occurred mostly overnight. Within dry conditions, movement rates increased with dropping temperatures. Thus, the permeability of uplands is increased through nocturnal activity and decreasing temperatures.
Peter Games
When: 10 a.m. Monday, May 13
Where: MEC, Room 201
Title: “Visualization of Off-screen Data on Tablets Using Context-Providing Bar Graphs and Scatter Plots”
Program: Master of Science in Computer Science
Advisor: Alark Josh
Abstract: To effectively design and develop visualizations for tablets, one must consider the unique challenges and opportunities associated with tablets. Two such challenges include the relatively small screen size and limited user interaction capabilities, while one opportunity is the ability to provide a truly tactile interface. We present several visualizations for tablets that allow a user to focus on a region of interest while simultaneously maintaining context. Context is provided via aggregation, fisheye-style, and overview+detail techniques, and is intended to help a user extract interesting information from or discern patterns in the data. We evaluated the efficacy of our visualizations against standard, interactive visualizations on a tablet, and found that one of our bar graph visualizations (BG2) resulted in the fewest errors, the lowest user frustration level, and required the least amount of time. Similarly, one of our scatter plot visualizations (SP3) resulted in the fewest errors, the lowest user frustration level, and required the least amount of time. Our results also showed that users preferred context-providing techniques over traditional bar graphs and scatter plots, which include pinch-and-zoom and fling-based scrolling capabilities.
Kasha N. Glynn
When: 11 a.m. Monday, May 13
Where: Communication Building, Room 138
Title: “Always a Bridesmaid Never a Bride: Examining the Deinstitutionalization of Marriage and the Modern Day Spinster”
Program: Master of Arts in Communication
Advisors: Laurel Traynowicz (chair), Heidi Reeder and John McClellan
Abstract: This thesis explores the deinstitutionalization of marriage and the stigmatization of women who remain single past the expectant marital age. The goal of this research was to investigate the social identities of women who remain single past the age of 25, and to gain an understanding of how gender-based stereotypes influence their lives by examining their personal experiences. In an effort to better understand the stigmatization of today’s single woman, a qualitative method using focus groups was adopted for this study. Twenty-five participants were selected using a purposive, inclusion/exclusion sampling technique. Three focus groups consisting of six participants each and one focus group consisting of seven participants comprised the sample for this study. Focus group participants were guided in a discussion geared toward establishing: (1) the current ideals surrounding the institution of marriage, (2) the implications associated with a single status, (3) the gendered differences that accompany said implications, and (4) how these implications influence their everyday lives. Within the focus groups, the women discussed and shared personal stories of how they negotiate their status as a single woman in their everyday interactions with family, friends, co-workers, and other general acquaintances. Analyzing the stigmatization of single women from a social constructionist perspective led to interesting findings regarding certain ideals women connected with their single status. Researchers posit that for women specifically, finding a husband facilitates an adult identity that, generally speaking, lacks in the absence of a marriage. The results of this study indicate that not only is this ideology socially constructed, it also perpetuates the stigmatization of single women.
Juan Carlos Diaz-Vélez
When: 10 a.m. Wednesday, May 22
Where: MEC Room 201
Title: “A Framework for Management of Distributed Data Processing and Event Selection for the IceCube”
Program: Master of Science in Computer Science
Advisors: Amit Jain, Jyh-haw Yeh, Daryl Macomb, Alark Joshi
Abstract: IceProd is a job management system designed to coordinate and administer production of simulations and processing of data produced by the IceCube Neutrino Observatory located at the South Pole. IceProd is a separate layer on top of existing middleware and can take advantage of a variety of parallel and distributed computing resources. It fills a gap between the user and existing middleware by making job scripting easier and collaboratively sharing productions more efficient.
We describe the implementation and performance of an extension to the IceProd framework that provides support for mapping work flow diagrams or Directed Acyclic Graphs (DAGs) consisting of interdependent tasks to an IceProd job that can span across multiple grid or cluster sites. We look at some use-cases where this new extension allows for optimal allocation of computing resources.
