Abstracts The history of Putnam County, Georgia, has long been told through a biased, whitewashed perspective that completely neglected the relevance of African Americans in Putnam’s development. Historical markers posted at antebellum mansions celebrate the achievements of white planters, while ignoring that their houses, their lives, and the county of Putnam, itself, was built upon the labor of slaves. Ignorance of black contributions is a common characteristic of small Southern towns, but Putnam is unique in that both Alice Walker, author of The Color Purple, and Joel Chandler Harris, teller of the Uncle Remus tales, grew up in the same Putnam neighborhood nearly a century apart. More remarkable is that both internationally famous authors, in their own way, chronicled the lives of Putnam’s African American communities that historical markers still miss. The project has been to begin developing a book proposal for UGA Press that will expand the history of Putnam with an eye towards making visible the intersectionality and inclusivity recognized by both Harris and Walker. The work began with a literature review on the relevance of geographical locations to history, and will soon progress to setting up community events that will allow local people to tell their personal stories. By understanding the history of Putnam as told by a diverse group of people, and using those histories to create context for narrative elements from both Harris and Walker, the book proposal will create a space for telling Putnam’s more authentic, more inclusive, more complicated history.
Using Electrical Stimulation to Lower Post-Prandial Blood Sugar in People with SCI Nivita Sharma, CURO Honors Scholar, CURO Research Assistant, CURO Summer Fellow Rachel Aldridge Dr. Kevin McCully, Kinesiology, College of Education Type II Diabetes is prevalent among individuals with spinal cord injuries (SCI) because of their limited mobility. Exercise has been shown to lower post-prandial blood glucose levels in ablebodied people. Electrical stimulation of the muscles causes similar muscle contractions that occur when an individual exercises. Muscle contractions act like insulin to allow cells to consume glucose from the blood. We aim to observe changes in blood glucose levels when six muscle groups (quadriceps, hamstrings, and calves of both legs) are electrically stimulated after the consumption of a carbohydrate rich meal in ablebodied and individuals with SCI. We hypothesize that electrical stimulation will cause a clinically relevant decrease in post-prandial blood glucose levels. Continuous glucose monitors (CGM) will be used to measure the blood glucose levels throughout the three-day experiment. Electrical stimulation will be performed using a medical grade electrical stimulator (Theratouch 4.7, RichMar). The first day will include insertion of the CGM, the second day will involve sedentary conditions after the consumption of a carbohydrate-rich meal, and the third day will involve 60 minutes of electrical stimulation after the consumption of a carbohydrate-rich meal. All meals provided to the participants will be established using their estimated caloric intake and physical activity. CGM data on the sedentary day will be compared to the electrical stimulation day to test for effects of stimulation. Significance: If effective, post-prandial electrical stimulation can be a simple method to decrease the risk of Type II Diabetes in individuals with SCI.
Infant Sleep Duration among White Breastfed and Black Formula Fed Infants at 16 Weeks Olivia Shealy Dr. Leann Birch, Foods and Nutrition, College of Family and Consumer Sciences The National Sleep Foundation recommends daily sleep duration of 12-15 hours for infants (4-11 mo) as appropriate for health and well-being. Insufficient sleep and poor sleep quality have been linked to adverse effects on development and behavior, as well as increased risk of obesity. Both race and feeding mode have been examined as possible factors affecting infant sleep patterns, with variable results. Further research is needed to clarify these associations. This study examines the differences in infant nighttime sleep duration, and
Unalterable Roots Sachi Shastri, CURO Honors Scholar, CURO Research Assistant Dr. Christopher R Lawton, History, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences
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