Metamorphosis

About Metamorphosis:

First published in 2009, Metamorphosis features scholarly and creative work at COPLAC member institutions across the United States and Canada. The journal is interdisciplinary by design, highlighting work in the natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, arts and professional programs. Undergraduate research and creative activity has become a "COPLAC Distinctive" with all member campuses focusing on this recognized "high impact" educational practice. Work published in Metamorphosis must be reviewed and approved by the appropriate campus committee or undergraduate research director. The URSCA director must send the approved work to COPLAC for publication. We do not accept work sent directly to the journal by the author/artist.

Submission Guidelines

We request two documents, each sent electronically to bailey@coplac.org:

Doc One: Summary

  • Document must be in MS Word
  • Title this document with your last name and school acronym (for example, Bill Spellman at UNC Asheville would title his Summary Document spellmanunca)
  • In this document please list the following in this order:
  1. Title of Presentation Author(s)
  2. Faculty mentor(s) School
  3. 200-250 word abstract (submissions over the 250 word limit will be edited)
  4. Up to 5 keywords related to your submission

Doc Two: Research

This is your actual paper.

  • Document must be a PDF
  • Title this document with your last name, school acronym and the letters RD (for example, Bill Spellman at UNC Asheville would title his Research Document spellmanuncaRD)
  • On the first page, include paper’s title, author(s), faculty mentor(s) and school name
  • Document should be single-spaced text with 1” margins, 12 pt font, and a maximum of 10 pages
  • All references are to be organized as endnotes

Fall 2024 / Current Issue

The Costs and Benefits of Implementing Security Cameras to Reduce Illegal Dumping

Justin Coen & Bergen Hill
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Nathanael D. Peach
Fort Lewis College

Abstract

Illegal dumping in San Juan County, New Mexico has become a substantial environmental issue.In response, county officials have taken serious steps to reduce instances of illegal dumping.These steps include supplying large garbage cans in various locations and creating an app wherecitizens can report illegal dumping. Despite these measures, San Juan County saw no notablereductions in illegal dumping. This study hypothesizes that to reduce the instances of illegaldumping, the risk of being caught needs to increase. This risk can be increased using surveillancecameras paired with AI interfaces. When conducting a cost benefit analysis of such a system, thebenefits of reduced illegal dumping, far outweigh the costs of utilizing the system. We estimatethat San Juan County could retain a cost savings of approximately $90,800-$192,302 over thecourse of five years with five cameras.

❐ PDF

Keywords: Illegal dumping, economics of crime, environmental protection, economics, cost benefit analysis

Death & Media:
Terror Management Theory and Attitudes Toward Diversity in Entertainment

Solei Johnston and Julian Orduno
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Brian L. Burke
Fort Lewis College

Abstract

Terror Management Theory asserts that, when reminded of one’s own death, people are more likely to engage in behaviors that bolster self-esteem or validate cultural worldview. Few studies have been done that expand this research into the realm of entertainment media, especially how death reminders impact peoples’ attitudes toward specific elements of
entertainment media. One-hundred-thirty participants completed a survey assessing their preferences and attitudes toward character demographics in entertainment media, specifically characters with marginalized identities. We hypothesized that people with liberal views would feel more positively toward diverse characters in entertainment media after death reminders, while people with conservative views would feel more negatively, as these beliefs are generally
aligned with each respective political outlook. Additionally, we hypothesized that people who had marginalized identities would feel more positively toward the inclusion of characters with similarly marginalized identities’ after death reminders, supporting people who are similar to themselves.

❐ PDF

Keywords: Terror management theory, diversity and inclusion, representation, entertainment media

Metamorphosis Archive