CARSCA 2014

Youth aggressive behavior is a challenge for those who work with adolescents. Glenn and McDonald discuss the theories of physiological activities, especially stress and heart rate corollaries to aggressive behavior, and trace adolescents’ reactions to various social experiments.

Over 3,000 hours of work and 160 pounds of welded parts went into some of Craig Wedderspoon’s recent works, which travelled from Tuscaloosa to Birmingham. Wedderspoon’s sculptures are visual philosophy, engaging the viewing experience and spaces created in his work. Here, he discusses the work he does at the metal and ceramics shop on the University of Alabama campus.

People with Autism Spectrum Disorder may have impaired communication skills, problems comfortably conversing with others and lack “theory of mind” and understanding of what other’s social intentions are. Anthony P. Buhr discusses his experiment testing ASD kids’ approaching peers through an interactive exercise that discusses social roles and characters.

The Spanish Civil War ushered in a dictatorship in 1939, which gave rise to many social activists. However, until recently, very little attention had been given to female activists. Ana Corbalan discusses her journey through historical archives in Salamanca and Madrid, where she found letters, newspapers, documents, speeches, photos, and more detailing these women’s experiences.

Carolyn J. Cassady discusses how Matrix-assisted Laser Desorption Ionization (MALDI) helped to revolutionize mass spectrometry and ultimately simplify it through specific polymers used in the reaction. She goes on to discuss MALDI and mass spectrometry work based on the nanoparticles that make the necessary reactions happen.

With recovery from the tornado of April 2011 still underway, sociological and geological statistics can be gathered and compared to a pre-tornado Tuscaloosa. Focusing on areas in Tuscaloosa of low and high income, Lichtenstein and Weber answer questions about foreclosure and rebuilding following the tornado and how social inequality affected recovery.

The emergence of the Tea Party faction of the Republican Party in 2009 caused disagreement in the Republican Party. But what makes them different? Park examines the difference between Tea Party Republicans and regular Republicans. He discusses differences from both analytical analysis of data and ideological perspectives from the politicians to show the fundamental differences.

Unlike most animals, snakes can shut down stomach acid production, meaning their digestive process fluctuates. Stephen Secor investigated digestion patterns in Burmese pythons to discern patterns in digestion and feeding, gene regulation and expression, enzyme and membrane transporters, and nutrient transport.

Dance and theater collaboration is not uncommon, but collaboration from both American and Cuban artistic expression creates fascinating productions. Seth Panitch discusses his original play, “Alcestis Ascending,” his conversations with Cuban artists, his discovery in developing visual and artistic interpretations, the performance in Tuscaloosa, and the performance in Cuba.

Tom Wolfe discusses how he developed his recent album Solerovescent. Wolfe’s work includes jazz, musical improvisation, and the interplay of different musical instruments.

Drawing on rocks with roots? More intricate than you may think. Sarah Marshall, a visual artist, discusses expression from two types of experiences of the world, the relationship between imagination and physical embodiment. Marshall also discusses the commercial use of this medium as a replication tool, and the development of lithography and its history.