Beth Weber Participated in Buena Vista University's Eleventh Annual Scholars Day

2015 May 22

Buena Vista University's eleventh annual Scholars Day was held Friday, April 24. The event provided students from all disciplines an opportunity to present their best presentations, original research, academic posters, artistic creations and performances to their peers, professors and the public.

This year's Scholars Day event featured 43 presentations from 86 students, exploring topics from art and business to science and history.

Beth Weber, a senior biology major from Mapleton, was one of the students who participated. Weber's presentation was titled Analysis of Dried Blood Using Electron Paramagnetic Resonance , and the project's abstract is as follows:

Oxy-hemoglobin is oxidized over time to form met-hemoglobin and hemichromes. This transition was examined to determine if electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) analysis was a useful method in determining how long the blood had been ‘out of the body’. Testing was done on a short and long-term basis, from fresh smears to smears that were weeks old. The smears were rehydrated with a buffer solution, frozen, and placed into an EPR instrument. In addition, the sample was analyzed in a UV-VIS. EPR was used to determine the type of hemichromes formed as blood aged and also the relative amounts of met-hemoglobin to hemichrome. Concentrations were then determined through mathematical decomposition of the UV-VIS data.

Weber also had a second presentation titled: Macroinvertebrate Concentrations on Opposing Borders of Castor canadensis Establishments. The abstract for this presentation is as follows:

Biological, physical, and chemical assessments were conducted on an upstream and downstream American beaver dam site during April, 2014 in Buena Vista County, IA. Data were further analyzed for macroinvertebrate diversity to determine stream health. Methods included using a D-frame kick-net for macroinvertebrate collections, with the specific goal of identifying richness and abundance of Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera (EPT). These three Orders are used to quantify EPT levels and to develop an Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI). Using data collected from not only EPT levels, but also physical stream characteristics, the IBI water quality comparison of the two sites resulted in the upstream site being “fair” and downstream being “poor.” The research hypothesis stating that the American beaver dam would have a positive effect on the downstream water quality was not supported. Due to the agricultural land use conditions of the local watershed, the stream system showed signs of degradation, which may have resulted in low macroinvertebrate diversity and overall low IBI scores. Further and more extensive assessments would need to be conducted for better accuracy.

The keynote speaker for the event was Jeff Anderson, Class of 2003, who is the executive director of communications for the Minnesota Vikings. Anderson is entering his thirteenth season with the Vikings and plays a lead role in the organization's external and strategic communications.

"For some Scholars Day is the culmination of their work at BVU, and for others it becomes the springboard that sends them into a field they had not previously anticipated," said Dr. Steven Mills, assistant professor of Spanish and chair of the events committee who organized the event. "Either way, those who participate find in it a valuable growing experience and a strong sense of accomplishment."

Photos from this year's and previous Scholars Day events, along with a video from this year's event, are available online at www.bvu.edu/scholarsday.