Download Examples of accepted abstracts from past symposia

SAMPLE ABSTRACTS APPROVED FROM PAST GMAP SYMPOSIA
Designing chemical precursors that control semiconducting nanocrystal size and shape
Samuel Alvarado, Hua-Jun Fan, Javier Vela, Chemistry
Semiconducting nanocrystals with average sizes between 2-10 nm, called quantum dots, exhibit optical and
electronic properties that depend on their size and shape. Their tunable band-edge absorption and
luminescence makes them ideal for optoelectronic applications such as solar cell materials,
chemical/biochemical sensors and photocatalysts. Typical compositions include zinc sulfide, zinc selenide,
cadmium sulfide, and cadmium selenide. A common technique for producing quantum dots is the
decomposition of chemical precursors in a hot solvent. A problem with this method is that the average size,
shape, and elemental composition of the quantum dot products are not reliably controlled unless specific
combinations of surfactants are employed. We demonstrate reproducible control of these traits for cadmium
sulfide and cadmium selenide by systematically varying the molecular structures of two different classes of
chemical precursors: phosphine chalcogenides and organic dichalcogenides. We resolve reactivity differences
within a class of precursors by density functional theory calculations. Results show that weakening chemical
bonds to sulfur or selenium in the precursors lead to faster nucleation of nanocrystals, while stronger bonds
lead to slower and more selective formation of nanocrystals with elongated or branched shapes. Using this
method we also design new precursors that will exhibit unprecedented reactivity for shape-controlled synthesis
of nanocrystals.
Living the Creed: How Chapters/Colonies of Sigma Lambda Beta International Fraternity engage in their
communities
Manuel Del Real, School of Education
Every year, over thirty-five Latino Greek Letter organizations across the nation engage in community service in
their communities. Service is imbedded and cultivated in the mission and principles of these organizations,
which focuses on advancing Latino cultural awareness and advocating for the Latino community. Service consists
of multiple activities that include fundraisers for scholarships, youth leadership conferences geared towards
students of color, creating mentoring opportunities for youth, and participating in campaigns such at the
Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM Act). These activities have transformed how
service is defined and enacted in the Greek community. However, there is no empirical research on what kinds
of service these organizations provide to their communities. In 2012, the executive office of Sigma Lambda Beta
International Fraternity Inc. (SLB) implemented an assessment on community service projects that will provide a
national illustration of the kinds of service Latino fraternities provide in their communities.
Evaluation of agricultural emerging contaminants (AECs) in the South Fork watershed of the Iowa River using
POCIS
Maurice Washington, Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering
In the past 5 – 10 years, passive sampler technology has been developed for water quality monitoring, and the
polar organic chemical integrative sampler (POCIS) has become one of the most commonly used devices. POCIS
are manufactured to sample hydrophilic compounds such as antibiotics. In this study we are using the POCIS to
monitor agricultural emerging contaminants (AECs) in the South Fork watershed of the Iowa River (SFW). The
AECs of concern are tylosin, sulfamethazine, and atrazine. Tylosin and sulfamethazine are antibiotics used in
swine production. Atrazine is a heavily used herbicide in the U.S. corn belt. The SFW is an agricultural watershed
mainly dominated by corn and soybean production with an extensive amount of confined swine feeding
operations. Previous monitoring studies in the SFW have resulted in non-detects or low detection of tylosin and
sulfamethazine. POCIS have the ability to improve detection limits of chemicals that are ordinarily hard to detect
with current sampling techniques. Three in stream locations (IATC-323, IABC-350, and IASF-450) and two tile
drain (IATC-241 & IATC-242) were used in the study. Monthly POCIS (n=2), grab samples (n=2), and sediment
were taken at each site. Each POCIS was processed by removing the HLB sorbent from its housing followed by
solvent extraction. All elutes were analyzed for tylosin A, sulfamethazine, and atrazine with LC-MS/MS. This
evaluation of the POCIS could provide an accurate picture of AEC concentrations in the South Fork watershed.
Why Do People Say, "It’s Human Nature?" Interrogating the “Natural” from a Sociological Perspective
Andres Lazaro Lopez, Sociology
The concept of human nature has gained little usage in the discipline of sociology, which has usually viewed
different ways of being human as rooted in cultural and social arrangements. Labeling any particular attitude,
belief or behavior as constituting human nature would appear to be, from a sociological perspective, an act of
privileging some social constructions over others. This is the perspective taken in this study to understand how
human nature is used in everyday discourse. Data was collected by enlisting several hundred students in an
introductory sociology course as field workers to record instances of human nature and naturally (used in ways
that seem to refer to human nature) they witness over the course of six months. Grounded theory techniques
were used to analyze the data. The following questions are address: (1) under what contextual realities do the
need for utilizing the concept of human nature arise; (2) why in everyday interaction do individuals use the
concept; and (3) what are the power dynamics involved in the meanings and usage of human nature?
Implications are discussed for such issues as (1) micro-inequalities, (2) vocabularies of motive, and (3) whether
sociologists should attempt to reclaim the concept of human nature.