Collegiate Academy of the North Carolina Academy of Science
ANNUAL REPORT 2005
Members for 2004-2005
Memberships included 13 group members and 12 individual memberships.
Group Memberships: Campbell University, Catawba College, Gardner-Webb
University, Guilford College, Highpoint University, Lenoir-Rhyne College,
Meredith College, Methodist College, Peace College, Queens University of
Charlotte, University of North Carolina at Pembroke, Wake Forest University,
Warren-Wilson College
Individual Members represented: Duke University, East Carolina University, NC
Wesleyan College, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, University of
North Carolina at Wilmington, Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center,
Wingate University
Officers
President:
Vice President:
Secretary:
Historian:
Lance Lucas
Sean Bloom
Ashley Wilhelm
James Colby Decker
Gardner-Webb University
Catawba College
Catawba College
Campbell University
Faculty on the Executive Committee
Executive Director:
Faculty Advisor:
Lecture Program Coordinator
Yarbrough Grants Coordinator
Dr. Karen Guzman
Ms. Susan Manahan
Dr. Lisa Bonner
Dr. Kazi Rahman
Campbell University
Gardner-Webb University
Peace College
Mount Olive College
Collegiate Academy Activities
Fall Undergraduate Research Workshop
The workshop was held on November 6, 2004 at Sigma Xi, The Scientific
Research Society’s beautiful facilities in the Research Triangle Park. There
were 40 participants representing 10 institutions in attendance. This was a great
opportunity to develop new relationships with an organization that has many
similar interests to the North Carolina Academy of Science.
Other highlights of the workshop included the keynote presentation by Dr John
Yukich from the Physics Department at Davidson College entitled, “Optical
Tweezers: Shining Laser Physics on Cell Biology”, a panel discussion of
student research opportunities entitled “Gaining Research Experience: A
Student Perspective” presented by our officers, and the reinstated tradition of
conferring of the gavel (although a little late) to the incoming president.
Collegiate Academy Activities (continued)
Annual Meeting
The meeting was held at Meredith College on March 18-20, 2005. There were a
total of 76 students representing 16 institutions. The Academy had a rare
opportunity to hear from two great scientists: Dr. Robert P. Higgins and Dr.
Lynn Margulis. Officers Lance Lucas and Sean Bloom were given the
opportunity to moderate one of the oral presentation sessions and gained
valuable experience (see below).
Collegiate Academy Initiative & Accomplishments
Development of a Strategic Plan
To define our goals and focus our efforts, the Executive Committee prepared a
Strategic Plan. If there were such a plan previously, it is lost in the records.
The hope of the committee is that this document will serve as a template for
future years so that each year the Collegiate Academy can direct its efforts and
have a means to assess progress. Goals for next year can be found in Strategic
Plan for 2005-2006
Improved Communication
Members of CANCAS are located across the state, so communication is
complicated by distance. Recently, the main method of communication was a
single mailing in the fall that contained information about the Fall
Undergraduate Research Workshop and membership. Other mailings were sent
from the senior academy, but not all of these reached CANCAS members. To
alleviate these problems and to be able to send out timely reminders, an email
list was generated and Monthly News Notes are now sent to the membership
between August and May. A small mailing is still sent by regular postal service
in the fall, but unless otherwise requested, information is sent out by email and
posted on our new website (see below).
Creation of a CANCAS website
Although CANCAS did have a website a number of years ago, such a site was
no longer available. A new website was created and information that the
membership would be interested in obtaining is now more readily available.
The website is also a source of information for those that may be interested in
joining CANCAS. The site has information on programs and activities,
membership and grant forms, photos of activities, news of current events, a
news archives and many more items. A goal of this next year is to improve the
site and move it to a more permanent location.
Collegiate Academy Initiative & Accomplishments (continued)
Revision of the CANCAS Handbook and Constitution
Although the CANCAS Handbook (and the Constitution that was contained in
this booklet) contains an abundance of useful information, most members did
not know of its existence. The last time the Handbook was revised was 1998.
At the beginning of this year, many parts of the Handbook and Constitution
were out of date and inaccurate. The Executive Committee took on the work of
revising these documents. Since the booklet was not in electronic format,
creating an electronic document was the first task. Voting on changes to the
constitution at the Spring Business Meeting was another task. The revisions to
the Handbook are almost complete, so the Handbook should be available to post
on the website by early fall providing the membership with easy access to the
information.
Revised Membership Types
The changing model of student organizations and student involvement since the
inception of the Collegiate Academy in 1954 has necessitated that we take a
look at how the Collegiate Academy is organized. The primary mechanism for
membership previously was through a club. Not all institutions follow this
model and many students are active in their science departments but not in a
club. In an attempt to make membership more inclusive, the previous Club
Membership was changed to Group Membership. A faculty advisor is still the
primary contact for the group, but a variety of groups can now gain membership
to the Collegiate Academy. Individual Membership is still an option for those
that are not part of a group interested in CANCAS membership.
Increasing Membership
Although this is an initiative that requires further attention, a list of prospective
members was generated by the president and a recruitment letter sent to these
departments.
Adjustment in Yarbrough guidelines
Previously, there was not a mechanism to receive funds for a summer research
project in a timely manner. Discussions with the Board of Directors and the
Chair of the Yarbrough Grants Committee resulted in a modification allowing
funds to be disbursed to individuals in time for a summer research project if this
were requested.
Opportunity to Moderate a Session at the Annual Meeting
One of the benefits of being an officer is developing leadership skills. The
Handbook indicated that officers previously had an opportunity to moderate a
session at the Annual Meeting. Working with the Annual Meeting Coordinator,
two officers took advantage of the opportunity to gain this type of experience.
Lance Lucas and Sean Bloom worked with Dr. Francis Cuffney and Dr. Jeff
Llewellyn, respectively, to moderate a session at the meeting. We hope to be
able to make this opportunity available in future years as well.
Special Note: Collegiate Academy Officers
When you see the accomplishments of this year, you may not understand that much
of this was possible because of the dedication and leadership of this year’s group of
officers. They willingly took on the task of organizing and implementing the Fall
Workshop in an uncommon venue, a non-academic institution. They worked
together to design a Strategic Plan, revise the Handbook and put together an
outstanding panel discussion of research opportunities that drew a great deal of
interest at the Fall Workshop. Many thanks to our officers!
Derieux Judges, 2005
Lisa Bonner, Peace College
Ben Brooks, Gardner-Webb University
Francie Cuffney, Meredith College
Sherry Ginn, Wingate University
Julias Harp, North Carolina A&T State University
Tom Jones, Gardner-Webb University
Gerhard Kalmus, East Carolina University
Karen Katula, Dept. of Biology, UNC Greensboro
Erica Kosal, North Carolina Wesleyan College
Jothi Kumar, North Carolina A&T State University
Karen McDougal, Lenoir-Rhyne College
John Mecham, Meredith College
Kazi Rahman, Mount Olive College
Mary A. Smith, North Carolina A&T State University
Rebecca Creech Tart, Lenoir-Rhyne College
David Webster, UNC Wilmington
David Zeigler, UNC Pembroke
Derieux Awards, 2005
Poster Presentations
Place
Student
Session
Institution
st
Kendall Prescott
Group 1
Catawba
st
Abigail Blodgett
Group 2
Guilford
nd
Morgan Mueller
“
Guilford
rd
Juan Doig
“
ECU
1
1
2
3
Group 1 includes: Cell & Dev, Health, Molec
Group 2 includes: Chem, ENVS, Sci ed, Ecol, Zoo
Derieux Awards, 2005 (continued)
Oral Presentations
Place Student
Session
Institution
1st
Austin Stone
Cell Dev I
Wake Forest
1st
Ashley Wilhelm
Ecology I
Catawba
2nd
Saba Alemayehu
“
Warren-Wilson
Sean Bloom
“
Catawba
3
rd
1st
Amber Boles
2nd
Omar Barnaby
1st
Jackie West-Denning
Sci Ed
Campbell
1st
Megan Burns
ENVS
Warren-Wilson
1st
John Pennisi
Botany
Lenoir-Rhyne
1st
Pierra Law
Biotech/Health Sci/Physiol
Peace
2nd
Jennifer Pickler
1st
Rachel Leon
Cell Dev II
2nd
James Smith
“
1st
Erin McVey
Zoology
2nd
Jennifer Kelley
“
UNCW
3rd
Kristal McKelvey
“
Warren-Wilson
1st
Karim Ali
Chem I
Warren-Wilson
“
Warren-Wilson
“
“
”
Catawba
Guilford
ECU
Warren-Wilson
Molec Biol
Guilford
2
nd
Lauren Lippincott
“
”
Guilford
3
rd
Amber Frick
“
”
Guilford
1st
Ashley Sheets
2nd
Behavioral
Wingate
Rosanny Lynch
“
Wingate
1st
Ian Breckheimer
Ecology II
Guilford
2nd
James Stultz
1st
Grant Murphy
2nd tie
Rebecca Rudicell
“
Warren-Wilson
2nd tie
Clayton Wilburn
“
Warren-Wilson
“
Chem II
Warren-Wilson
Guilford
Yarbrough Grant Report: Grants for the 2005-2006 Academic Year
NC Academy of Science List of 2005 Yarbrough Grants
Student
1.Amos Little
23 LookoutHill Road
Peterborough,NH03458
Faculty Advisor
Michael Torres
PO Box 9000,WWC
Ashevill, NC 28815
Proposal
Herbicide Effect on A.altissima on Native and Non-native
Invasive Species
2.James H. Smith
606 E 11th St. Apt.436
Greenville,NC27858
Gerhard Kalmus
Biol. Dept.,ECU
Greenvill, NC 27858
Hox10 Expression in Caco-2 Cells
3.Issac Stewert
PO Box 8067
LRC, Hickory,NC28603
Marsha Fanning
Box 7156,LenoirRhyne C.
Hickory,NC 28603
Using water Quality Testing and Field Observation to
Establish Bacterial Polution Sources in Urban Streams
in Hickory,NC
4.Katherine Kennedy
CPO 7795, WWC
Asheville,NC 28815
Jeff Holmes
CPO 6275,WWC
Asheville, Nc 28815
Mineral Level and Weight Gain in Piglets with or without
Acess to Soil Nutrients
$125 Biochem.
5. Julia York
CPO 7696,WWC
Asheville,NC 28815
Jeff Holmes
CPO 6275,WWC
Asheville,NC 28815
Charceterization of the Anti-viral Properties of Fourteen
Essential Oils
$125 Microbiol.
6.Amand Davis
CPO 7087,WWC
Asheville.NC 28815
Dean Kahl
CPO 6005, WWC
Asheville,NC28815
Imidacloprid concentration and duration in Soil After
Insecticide Treatment
$50 Chemistry
7.Stacey Hollis
CPO 7665,WWC
Asheville NC 28815
John Brock
CPO 6066, WWC
Asheville,NC 28815
Heavy Metals in Tern Prey
$52 Env. Sci.
8.Rebecca Hammer
D. Wilson Freshwater
POB 21977,UNCW station Ctr. for Marine Science
Wilmington, NC 28407
5600 Marvin Moss Ln.
Wilmington,NC 28409
9. Rebecca Mason
LRC Box 7633, Hickory
NC 28603
The use of Nuclear DNA marker to distinguish and
investigate lionfishes P.miles and P.volitans
Rebecca Tart
Determin. of Enteric Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria in
LRC Box,7204, NC 28603 Lambs Fed Diet containing Tetracycline
$Amount Area
$50 Botany
$225 Biology
$50 Ecology
$273 Marine Bio.
$50 Microbiol.
Lecture Program - No activity reported for this year
Respectfully submitted,
Karen Guzman, Executive Director