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Research roundup at MSU-Bozeman (#208)-British logic-Toxic springs-Sauger saga-Kids and eating

by Evelyn Boswell and Annette Trinity-Stevens

British logic

British philosopher F.H. Bradley once wrote a book called "Principles of Logic." But the book is actually very unsystematic, and Bradley never makes it clear what he’s talking about, says Jim Allard, a philosophy professor at MSU. Allard hopes to do a better job in a book he is writing on Bradley. Allard will explain how Bradley represented a transition between two kinds of logic. Allard will also describe Bradley’s views. Bradley believed that judgments by themselves are neither completely true nor completely false, for example. They are always part of a larger system of judgments and statements. Bradley lived from 1846 to 1924. Allard’s project is funded in part by an MSU Scholarship & Creativity grant.

Toxic springs

Arsenic is toxic, but arsenite is even more so, says Timothy McDermott, a soil and environmental microbiologist at MSU. To better understand how bacteria and arsenite interact in the environment, undergraduate Bill Franck is looking at some hot springs that have high concentrations of arsenite. The hot springs are located in Norris Basin at Yellowstone National Park. Franck’s work could lead to better ways to protect water supplies from arsenic contamination and may help with remediation, McDermott said. He added that one goal of MSU’s Thermal Biology Institute is to train undergraduates, and Franck is "one example of the best and brightest that Montana has to offer." Franck is a senior from Sidney.

Sauger saga

Sauger are cool-water fish native to eastern Montana. In the last few decades, sauger numbers have dropped dramatically, prompting fisheries managers to ask why. At first drought was considered the culprit, but now scientists think the problem is more complicated than that. Several state and federal agencies are coming together to form a conservation agreement for the fish, said Christopher Guy of the Montana Cooperative Fisheries Research Unit at MSU. The agreement will identify threats to the fish and suggest ways to mitigate them. The plan also will point out where managers need more research. Funded by the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, the agreement will be done by December 2003, Guy said.

Kids and eating

Youth between age 10 and 16 are the most vulnerable to developing eating disorders, and research shows that both Caucasian and Native American kids develop them. But are there differences in the nature of those eating problems between the two groups? Wes Lynch in the MSU psychology department is interested in finding out. He and three collaborators plus about 15 students are working on a two-year study. They’ll use surveys and interviews to characterize eating problems and risk factors in both populations. Then they’ll see if involvement in sports increases the risk of eating disorders or decreases it. The study is funded by the National Institute of Mental Health.

Contact: Annette Trinity-Stevens (406) 994-5607 or [email protected]

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