One of the special benefits of a large research university is the opportunity it provides undergraduates to study in a wide variety of disciplines and to work under the personal supervision of nationally recognized scholars. As a means of promoting such educational experiences for students, the Office of Undergraduate Studies offers Research and Creativity Grants during the summer term. The grants are intended to take advantage of the rich resources available through the libraries, the laboratories and, most especially, the academic personnel at the University of Kentucky. Undergraduates in all areas of intellectual inquiry are eligible, and students at many different levels of matriculation have received support. Both individual projects and joint ventures have been endorsed by the selection committee, which is particularly interested in funding interdisciplinary efforts. During the summer of 2003, a total of eleven awards were made. Of these awardees, the following students had progressed far enough to be able to supply a description of their research in time for publication in this issue of Kaleidoscope :

William Fredrick Dotson
Department of Psychology
Mentor: Dr. Michael Bardo

Novelty Disruption in Acquisition of Amphetamine Self-administration in High Responders and Low Responders

A great deal of research has been conducted to elucidate the behavioral, neuropharmacological, and neuroanatomical mechanisms associated with psychostimulant abuse. One long-term goal of this research is to determine the genetic and environmental causes for stimulant abuse.

Vulnerability to drug abuse is related to a personality trait known as “novelty seeking” or “sensation seeking.” Previous research has shown that stimulant self-administration is greater in rats that are highly active in a novel environment (high responders) compared to rats that are relatively inactive (low responders), but it is not clear whether the decrease resulted directly from exposure to novelty per se or whether any enriching stimuli (novel or familiar) would produce a similar effect. The specific aim of this project is to determine if individual differences in response to novelty predicts the acquisition of amphetamine self-administration when novelty is presented prior to an amphetamine self-administration session in high responding and low responding rats.

Rats will first be screened for novelty response and activity using two different tests (free-choice and inescapable induced). In order to conform to a procedure, which in preliminary tests yielded a clear novelty-induced decrease in acquisition of amphetamine self-administration, exposure to novelty will consists of placing rats (n=6) individually into a large chamber (50 X 80 X 30 cm high) for 15 minutes immediately prior to each amphetamine self-administration session. The chamber will have pine chips on the floor and various objects made of hard plastic or metal. The objects will be re-arranged daily, with novel objects being introduced daily. Control rats (n=6) will be handled briefly 15 minutes prior to each self-administration session. Both novelty exposed and control rats will be assessed for acquisition of amphetamine self-administration using a low unit dose. The FR value will be incremented by a pre-determined set of criteria.

If the hypothesis is supported, the results will add to the mounting evidence that exposure to novel environmental stimuli serves as a protective factor against drug taking among high novelty/high sensation seekers. The findings would also advance understanding of vulnerability for stimulant abuse and could potentially lead to better prevention and drug treatment interventions.

Mott Aumaine
Department of Modern and Classical Languages
Mentor: Dr. Jean Marie Rouhier-Willoughby

The Generation Gap in Bosnia

In the summer of 2003 I intend to return to Bosnia to examine the generational differences that exist between young people between the ages of 23-35 and their parents. As a continuation of the extensive interviews and journaling from my previous trip, I will examine the issues of religion, oral history, and the gap that exists between the two generations. Previously, among the younger generation I noticed a strong sense of disillusionment. They are barred by the government from leaving the country, and the economy is not regaining its feet. In my travels between Kladusa and Cazin I only met three young people (23-35) who were employed. The continuing economic strain, lack of travel opportunity, and very prevalent disillusionment from the war contribute to an amazing proliferation of oral folklore. Folklore acts to realign society in times of crisis and instability. The conditions of Kladusa and Cazin currently exist in a state of instability and internal crisis. The resulting lore manifests itself primarily as memorates and fabulates that describe eye-witness events passed from person to person. As the foundation for my Gaines thesis, I will examine the transmission of oral lore and the healing function it provides.

Lesli Proffitt
Department of History
Mentor: Prof. George Herring

The Role of Neutrality in Korean War Diplomacy, 1954-55

In this time of polarized foreign policies, understanding concepts and practices of neutrality is essential in making fair and just decisions. How better to gain that level of thinking than to explore the foreign policy of a neutral country during one of the world's most antagonistic times, the Cold War. Sweden is one such country, and an excellent example, due to the world leadership provided by Swede Dag Hammarsk ö ld as United Nations Secretary General from 1953 to 1961.

I am currently examining how the country of Sweden and the individual, Dag Hammarskj ö ld, resolved a tense situation involving China and the United States during the Korean War. In November of 1954, China announced that it had eleven American fliers who through Chinese law had been sentenced to long prison terms due to alleged acts of espionage, and that four more airmen were awaiting trial. The US, led by President Eisenhower, refused negotiations with “Communist China” as a part of their continued allegiance to the exiled Nationalist government of China. With these two giants frozen in their politics, Dag Hammarskj ö ld began mediations under the authority of a UN resolution. The fact that Sweden, as a neutral country, had recognized the Communist government of China did play a factor in the eventual acceptance of Hammarskj ö ld as a mediator and his authority as the UN Secretary General.