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Conference on
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SAMPLE ABSTRACTS
Sample Science abstract:
THERMAL DECOMPOSITION KINETICS OF AN ENERGETIC NICKEL COMPOUND
Bradley Q. Warlick, (Dr. Charles Wight), Department of Chemistry, University
of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112
The decomposition kinetics of Nickel (II)-hydrazine-2,3-pyrazinedicarboxylate
"3H2O were characterized through the use of thermogravimetric analysis
(TGA), as well as differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). These techniques
were used to determine the compound's thermal stability and total energy release
as a function of both time and temperature. By conducting several series of
experiments at different heating rates, we were able to extract robust values
of the decomposition kinetic parameters with the use of an advanced isoconversional
method. The analysis reveals that the initial steps in the compound's decomposition
are due to a reversible dehydration. Based on an analysis of TGA values, the
activation energy for the main exothermic step in the decomposition was found
to be ~135 kJ/mol. DSC values confirmed this finding to within 7 percent.
Sample Humanities abstract:
A NEW VIEW OF WHY PROMISES OBLIGATE
Paul P. Arnold (Dr. Leslie Francis), Department of Philosophy, University of
Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112
My research with Dr. Francis has focused on two related concepts: promises and
expectations. Promises are a core concept in any complete moral theory. Almost
all the great moral philosophers have offered an account of how promises obligate,
as have most modern philosophers. Some have argued that promises obligate because
of social convention. Others have argued that promises obligate for reasons
of utility. Yet others have argued from Kantian perspectives. The varied answers
to this problem are logical extensions of the moral framework the various authors
work within.
My research offers a new view of promises. It does this by redefining the source
of the obligations that promises generate. Unlike the traditional views, which
identify the source of obligations with either the promisor or the larger social
relationship, my view begins with the expectations of the promisee. My research
defends this perspective as a better one than that offered by the traditional
accounts. It also shows how this new view solves several of the problems the
traditional accounts encounter.
This project is part of a larger philosophical inquiry into why expectations
matter. Such an inquiry is of great theoretical and practical interest for both
moral philosophers and legal contract theorists
Other excellent examples of abstracts can be found in our University of Utah
Undergraduate Research Abstracts Journal located at:
http://www.lib.utah.edu/epubs/undergrad/