Ursinus Dance Program: American College Dance Association Conference, March 4-7, 2020

Ten students and two faculty members of the UC Dance Program attended the Mid-Atlantic North regional conference of the American College Dance Association (ACDA) from March 4-7, 2020, at the University of Maryland, at College Park, MD. While at the conference, students performed in two dance works, participated in dance classes, and networked with dancers in peer institutions. A highlight of the event was the selection of Visiting Dance Professor Bailey Anderson’s dance, Ridiculous Rigor: Past, Present, and Possible, for the Gala performance. Included in this document are descriptions of the Student Achievement in Research and Creativity Committee Grants awarded to the students, the ACDA classes and informal concerts they attended, as well as student and faculty responses to the conference

Measurement errors in body size of sea scallops (Placopecten magellanicus) and their effect on stock assessment models

Body-size measurement errors are usually ignored in stock assessments, but may be important when body-size data (e.g., from visual sur veys) are imprecise. We used experiments and models to quantify measurement errors and their effects on assessment models for sea scallops (Placopecten magellanicus). Errors in size data obscured modes from strong year classes and increased frequency and size of the largest and smallest sizes, potentially biasing growth, mortality, and biomass estimates. Modeling techniques for errors in age data proved useful for errors in size data. In terms of a goodness of model fit to the assessment data, it was more important to accommodate variance than bias. Models that accommodated size errors fitted size data substantially better. We recommend experimental quantification of errors along with a modeling approach that accommodates measurement errors because a direct algebraic approach was not robust and because error parameters were diff icult to estimate in our assessment model. The importance of measurement errors depends on many factors and should be evaluated on a case by case basis

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Building an Anti-Racist Dance Classroom Through the Dance Education Lab of the 92nd Street Y in New York City

Ursinus College Dance Program faculty and students attended a workshop by Nyama McCarthy Brown and Frederick Curry through the Dance Education Lab of the 92nd Street Y in New York City in January, 2021. The workshop, Building an Anti-Racist Dance Classroom, was supported by an Inclusive Community Grant. Inclusive Community Grants are meant to support Ursinus College\u27s efforts to build relationships across difference as the college seeks to promote a diverse and inclusive campus environment

Rehearsal for Ridiculous Rigor: Past, Present, and Possible

Ridiculous Rigor: Past, Present, and Possible, a postmodern dance choreographed by Bailey Anderson with input from the dancers, was selected as part of the Gala Concert performance at the Mid-Atlantic North regional conference of the American College Dance Association (ACDA) from March 4-7, 2020, at the University of Maryland, at College Park, MD. This work explores the idea of rigor, what rigor could possibly be, and what rigor is in the modern day world. This video is a rehearsal for the performance