Letter from the Editors


Welcome to the second issue of The Rowdy Scholar! We originally planned for this issue to go live in the Spring 2020 semester, but the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated pushing publication back as authors, faculty mentors, and editorial board members juggled school, work, childcare, health concerns, and other obligations under unprecedented circumstances.

We are thrilled to finally be able to unveil this issue, which, like the first issue of The Rowdy Scholar, features the work of undergraduate researchers at MSU Denver who have chosen to delve deeply into scholarly work, producing new knowledge and contributing to ongoing conversations in multiple disciplines. Like the first issue, this edition showcases the work of many individuals, including student authors, their faculty mentors, and the editorial board.

Unlike the first issue, this edition’s final production took place remotely, with all communication between authors, faculty mentors, and editorial board mentors conducted at a distance, with everyone striving to balance this work with the added labor of homeschooling children, managing unprecedented levels of stress, and surviving a global pandemic. We are grateful for everyone’s dedication, but especially for the perseverance of the student authors whose work is published here. You continue to inspire and humble us.

We continue to believe deeply in the potential of undergraduate researchers to make valuable contributions to knowledge. We encourage scholars of all types to read and cite the work featured here.

For information about submitting to the third edition of The Rowdy Scholar, go to https://msudenver.edu/rowdy-scholar/submissions.

Elizabeth Kleinfeld, Professor of English and Writing Center Director

Sheryl Zajdowicz, Professor and Chair of Biology

 


Editorial Board and Reviewers for This Issue

Elizabeth Kleinfeld
Sheryl Zajdowicz
Pamela Ansburg
Shelby Balik
Philip Bernhardt
Erin Bissell
Deborah Horan
Christina Peters Huber
Sara Jackson
Jason Janke
Shinyong (Shawn) Jung
Kimberly Klimek
Kristy Lyons
Vida Melvin
Nhu Nguyen
Sanaa Riaz
Anahi Russo Garrido
Rich Sandoval
Siva Santhanam
Mandi Schaeffer Fry
Sarah Schliemann
Erin Seedorf
Summer Trentin
Kimberly VanHoosier-Carey

Articles in this Issue:


What’s in a Name? Hip Hop Graffiti and Principles of Authorship

Student Authors: Melissa Camp and Mateo Candelaria

Major: English

Faculty Mentor: Elizabeth Kleinfeld


The American Foreign Policy Shift During the Carter / Reagan Era

Student Author: José Faustino Flores

Major: Individualized Degree Program

Faculty Mentors: Sheila Rucki and Elsa Dias


Preliminary Investigation into the Function of tfap2a Variants in Zebrafish

Student Authors: Thanh Bao Dan Nguyen and Jessica Patrick

Major: Biology

Faculty Mentor: Vida Senkus Melvin


Electrochemical DNA Biosensors for Detecting Nontuberculous Mycobacteria

Student Authors: Dylan Poch and Tyler Sodia

Majors: Biochemistry/Biology

Faculty Mentors: Andrew Bonham and Jenn Honda


Fracking on Federal Land: An Overview of the Costs and Benefits of Fracking

Student Author: Siet Wright

Major: Individualized Degree Program

Faculty Mentor: Elizabeth McVicker