Summer Scholar Research Highlights

by kmainsah on September 2, 2019

Jared Boone ’20

Major: Political Science & French

Title: Power Structures and Political Tradition: An Explanation for the Disparate Healthcare Outcomes Between the United States and France

Abstract: The United States and France have distinctly different healthcare systems and these differences are shown in nearly every measure. It is unique that two western Republics with very similar systems of governance, values, traditions, and global interests have created such different systems and this project seeks to answer the question of why. A three-pronged approach is taken for each country which focuses on the key actors of each system. First, a history of the contemporary health system is treated which outlines the development of the major actors as well as the politics that surrounded this development. Then follows an examination of how these key actors interact when reform efforts are undertaken by the government in order to guard their own respective interest. Finally, specific recent reforms are examined specifically focusing on the political process involving such key actors and how they influenced the ultimate political outcome. Interviews of students, doctors, and academics in each system are used to supplement the research. Through the understanding the political structure of each respective system, this project seeks to understand the disparate result of the two systems.

Something about the scholar: Jared is a rising senior in the Honors program that began to enjoy the study of politics during the presidential primaries of the 2016 election. During this time, he was a bored high school student, but these events sparked his realization that in our modern world, the domain of politics is among the last in which, as a nation, we fight with one another for what we think is right. However divisive this process may be, Jared believes that this constant battle of ideas is important for the health of our local, national, and global society. Regarding his study of French, this is something that he undertook starting his freshman year in high school and never had the heart to let go. So, he made it a second major and now he seeks to one day be able to call himself bilingual in the French language and culture. Further, he seeks to begin to put that skill to use in this project which he is completing for the Roanoke College Honors Program, out of love for the political process seen in different cultures, and to give himself a boost for his upcoming career. In his free time, Jared enjoys music, biking and chess among other things. If he’s not working on his project, taking shots of espresso while hovering over his online chessboard or at choir practice, you can probably find him on one of the beautiful nature trails in Roanoke.

Emma Coogan ‘20

Major: Biology

Title: Testing the Limits of Perception and Cognition of the Odorous House Ant Tapinoma sessile

Abstract: I propose experiments with the well-known odorous house ant (Tapinoma sessile) to determine their color vision abilities, and then, to determine their ability to recognize themselves through the mirror test paradigm often used in studies of animal cognition. My research will build upon and test controversial published work demonstrating self-recognition in a single species of Myrmica ants. If ants exhibit self-recognition, we would better understand the limits of cognitive abilities of insects, compared to vertebrates—so-called higher animals—as very few animal species pass the mirror test.

Something about the scholar: Emma is a rising senior at Roanoke College, majoring in Biology and minoring in Psychology. With a deep passion for ecology as well as comprehending alternative viewpoints, she has studied a variety of resources outside the classroom—such as Joseph Campbell’s Hero of a Thousand Faces and Measuring Behavior: An Introductory Guide by Paul Martin and Patrick Bateson. She has thrown herself into the realms of interning and volunteering in both wildlife rehabilitation and zoological institutes. Having a strong belief in animals’ rights as well as human rights, she hopes to foster human respect for the other lifeforms with which they share the planet so that both groups might be brought closer together.

 

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