11:00 am – 4:00 pm – Faculty Presentations of Scholarship
11:00 – P1: Food in The Hobbit, Dr. Kristen Burkholder, PhD
What characters eat or do not eat, and how they treat others with regard to food and eating, are important aspects of both characterization and plot in J. R. R. Tolkien’s "The Hobbit." Acquiring food is a frequent matter of concern for the dwarves and hobbit during their quest — their most difficult moments are marked by hunger — and food and eating are important throughout the story. The details of who, how, and what were informed by Tolkien’s own experiences and the context in which he lived (2014. “Dreaming of Eggs and Bacon, Seedcakes and Scones," The Hobbit and History, ed. Janice Liedl and Nancy R. Reagin).
11:30 – P2: Writing a Life, Writing a Wife: The Biography of Fanny McConnell Ellison, Dr. Tracy Floreani, PhD
This presentation provides an overview of a book-in-progress, a biography of the wife of African American novelist and Oklahoma City-native Ralph Ellison. Fanny is now being recognized as an important writing partner who was instrumental in helping his National Book Award-winning novel Invisible Man come into being. The talk focuses on a specific key chapter of the biography (teaser: it involves love letters!) and includes discussion of the challenges of archival research, some show-and-tell from the amazing manuscript collections I've visited and interviews I've conducted, and the process of writing someone else's life story.
12:00 – P3: Here for Good: The Latino Experience in Oklahoma, Dr. Mark Griffin, PhD
A 28-minute documentary focusing on the history, cultural contributions, and struggles of Oklahoma's Latino community.
12:30 pm – 1:00 pm – Poster Presentations Open for Public Viewing
Light Hors d’oeuvres served
1:00 pm – 3:30pm – Faculty Presentations of Scholarship
1:00 – P4: Musicals and the Post-Truth World, Dr. Jake Johnson, PhD
In this paper, I consider how musicals inhabit and promote a "post-truth" worldview similar to those reflected in current populist resurgences throughout the West. I argue that it is musical theater's penchant for the unreal that in recent decades has given it traction within both secular, liberalized communities and fundamentalist religious ones. Considering how contemporary musicals form an important point of confluence between these groups, I conclude, may help open a space for greater dialogue among people with increasingly disparate world views.
1:30 – P5: The Parable of Children Playing in the Marketplace, Dr. Sharon Betsworth, PhD
This paper will examine Jesus' parable in Matthew 11:16-19 and Luke 7:31-35, which compares "this generation" to children in a marketplace. The paper will situate the parable in the first century context of children's play. I also will draw upon modern play studies to evaluate the nature of the children's activities as play.
2:00 – P6: Complementarity and Mimicry Effects of Nonverbal Behavior in Mixed-Gender Interactions, Dr. Justin Wareham, PhD
People who become submissive to nonverbal dominance tend to be viewed as more likable by their partners, share more information with each other, and behave more cooperatively. However, prior studies on these social benefits have only examined the effects and outcomes of dominance complementarity within same-gender interactions. The current paper examines the nonverbal dynamics of dominance complementarity and mimicry occurring during mixed-gender social interactions.
2:30 – P7: Writing Alfalfa Bill: Some Findings from a Forthcoming Biography of Alfalfa Bill Murray, Dr. Robert Dorman
Alfalfa Bill Murray (1869-1956) was the most famous and controversial politician in Oklahoma History. Discussion of what the author learned while researching and writing the first new biography of Murray in fifty years, focusing on the rationale for the book and the challenges of writing it. Currently in production, To Be Master: The Life of Alfalfa Bill Murray will be published by the University of Oklahoma Press in 2018.
3:00 – P8: How Men in Nursing Navigate Touch-Driven Care, Dr. Elizabeth Diener, PhD
When men graduate from nursing school and begin to practice they frequently find some assumptions of how, where, and when they will touch patients. Touch and nursing care go together, right? Why isn’t this taught in programs of nursing? Results of a qualitative study are discussed.
3:30 – P9: Recycling synaptic vesicle proteins – the role of Stonin/UNC-41, Dr. Greg Mullen, PhD
Neurons communicate with other cells by releasing signaling molecules called neurotransmitters. Release of neurotransmitters requires the fusion of synaptic vesicles with the cell membrane and then subsequent recovery of vesicle proteins and membrane through endocytosis. Members of the UNC-41/Stonin family link the synaptic vesicle proteins to the endocytic machinery and facilitate efficient recovery of these proteins.
Poster Presentations
P1: Promoting Compassion and Respect for Students with Disabilities in Nursing Programs, Janice D. James, BSN, RN & Dr. Dia Campbell-Detrixhe, Phd, RN, FNGNA, CNE, FCN
The aim of this poster is to promote awareness within the educational community on barriers that exist for students with disabilities who would like to pursue a degree in nursing. This poster also presents strategies that could be implemented by nursing programs that may encourage students with disabilities to consider a career in nursing.
P2: SkyDance Bridge Lighting Project Poster Session, Aaron Mooney, MFA
The SkyDance Bridge Lighting Project was a class project in THRE 3063, Museum, Fashion, and Special Event Lighting Design in which students designed lighting shows for the iconic bridge in downtown OKC. These designs were then shown on the bridge in an evening celebratory event. The work for this event was presented in a Poster Session for the Education Commission of the United States Institute for Theatre Technology at the 2017 National Conference.
P3: ALIEN8 – Bridging the Performance Gap between Youth & Adult Theatre, Kate Brennan, DLT, MFA
Children's theaters thrive and there is plenty of material for more mature audiences, but where are the theatrical stories for young adults ages 12-21? Last July 2017, David Lee White and I collaborated with an ensemble of young adults from McCarter Theatre Center's Education program in Princeton, NJ to create a new musical with the developing voice of a generation in between.
P4: The Hot Wire Miter Saw, LukE Hadsall
A presentation of a published article describing a hot wire miter saw used for cutting foam molding in theatrical applications.
