Stander Symposium: College of Arts and Sciences

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  Comparing Maternal and Paternal Parenting Traits on Youth Resistance to Peer Influence

  Tamara Tatyana Carter

  Literature Review: Parenting styles are often targeted for interventions aimed at curbing antisocial behavior and promoting socially acceptable conduct among youth. The influence of parenting varies based on specific traits, such as warmth and support versus supervision and control. However, conflicting research exists regarding the direct impact of maternal versus paternal influence, with some suggesting that fathers may have a more significant role. Moreover, there is a lack of studies comparing maternal and paternal parenting regarding youths’ resistance to peer influence. Data: This study uses the Pathways to Desistance dataset comprising 1,354 adjudicated youth to compare paternal and maternal parenting traits on the effects of resistance to peer influence. Results: Bivariate correlation analysis suggested that maternal warmth positively affected resistance to peer influence, while paternal hostility negatively affected it. However, hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed that once control variables were added, neither paternal nor maternal warmth and hostility significantly impacted resistance to peer influence. Only gender and antisocial influence emerged as significant predictors of resistance to peer influence. Discussion: The current study failed to find a significant relationship between maternal and paternal parenting traits on resistance to peer influence. Antisocial influence appears to have a stronger effect on weakening resistance to peer influence, whereas females are more likely to be resistant to peer influence. Future studies and recommendations are outlined.

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  Conflict and Exploitation in the Land of the Mapuche

  Diana Paola Bencomo Miralles, Allison Elizabeth Bertke, Javier Castillo, David M. Speth

  Our poster presentation is focused on the Mapuche People in Chile. This indigenous group has constantly clashed with the Chilean government over land sovereignty. Successive governments have taken land from the indigenous population to convert into pine plantations owned by forest and timber companies. In return, Mapuche activists have resorted to violent protests demanding the return of their ancestral land. They have occupied the plantations, torched forests and farmhouses, and destroyed forestry equipment and trucks. Clashes with police have left several Mapuches dead and dozens have been detained and imprisoned under an anti-terrorist law that dates from the military dictatorship of Pinochet. The loss of Mapuche territory is taking a heavy toll on the community as there is a detrimental effect on their health, while it threatens farming livelihoods and the Mapuche traditional way of life. This loss of territory also has an effect on the environment as deforestation, land degradation, and pollution all occur.

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  Connecting the trans-regulators of an evo-devo trait to their direct target genes through genetic, genomic, and biochemical approaches

  Emily Barbara Daniel, Joseph Becker Kash, Devon Matthew Seibert, Rachel M. Stanojev

  Gene Regulatory Networks (GRNs) control the orchestrated spatial and temporal gene expression patterns responsible for trait development. The gain, modification, and deconstruction of GRNs logically must be major causes of trait evolution. Despite this perceived importance, the evolution of few if any traits is thoroughly understood at the scale of a GRN. This shortcoming has several causes. One is the difficulty of finding the breadth of GRN transcription factors and mapping these to their binding sites in cis-regulatory sequences of their downstream realizator genes. Another is the need for GRN studies to occur in experimentally tractable species for closely related species that possess ancestral, modified, and secondarily lost phenotypes. One suitable model trait is the gain, modification, and loss of sexually dimorphic abdomen pigmentation in the lineage of Drosophila melanogaster and its close relatives. We will share updates from our genetic, genomic, and biochemical studies that are mapping the regulatory connections between the key transcription factors of a pigmentation GRN and their realizator genes that comprise a pigment metabolic pathway. Findings will also be shared from genome sequence comparisons teasing out how this GRN has evolved at the level of transcription factor binding sites.

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  Coordinating the Revolution: Planning of the Montgomery Bus Boycotts (1955)

  Justin K. Altmeyer

  What is nonviolence — a concept, a mode of protest, a practice for modern living? This poster explores the ways in which nonviolence has been historically interpreted as "ahimsa," "beloved community," and as a way for practical and ethical thinking in our modern lives. We highlight the role of nonviolence as method and practice in historical and contemporary global instances that range from the farm workers movement, anti-nuclear protests, environmental green politics, and Dalit and Black actions towards representation.

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  Coyote Habitat Preferences in Human-modified Landscapes

  Trevor Wade Martin

  In partnership with Five Rivers MetroParks, the project seeks to understand the effects that recreational activities and land use have on wildlife occurrence within three properties in the Dayton, Ohio metropolitan area: Germantown MetroPark, Twin Creek MetroPark, and Upper Twin Creek. In the fall of 2023, up to ten weeks of data was collected at each of the three sites using camera trap technology as a remote, non-invasive method to capture wildlife activity patterns and behavior. Specifically, the project uses occupancy modeling techniques to determine habitat preference and relative abundance of coyotes (Canis latrans) based on camera sightings. The occupancy modeling results were tested against variables such as distance to human structures, forest edge, roads, and agricultural areas to provide insight into how land characteristics and anthropogenic activity determine coyote occurrence at each of the park areas. The research will serve as an informative resource for land managers when making decisions that may affect wildlife habitat and community structures in the future.

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  "Creating a Better Tomorrow: PFAS Contamination in the Greater Dayton Area" Presentation and Trailer

  Micah Kai-Wei Hung

  The objective is to make a documentary covering the topic of current issues of water contamination by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, a large family of chemicals commonly known as PFAS, in the greater Dayton area and how this contaminated water is affecting residents and businesses. This will be accomplished by producing a ten to fifteen minute video documentary, which is comprised of writing a script and compiling interviews to tell this story with appropriate footage, audio, and graphics. Although one could expect clean water in a developed country, there is current evidence that some ground and drinking water in Dayton, Ohio, is contaminated with human made chemicals. These chemicals are causing community members to be at risk. This documentary about PFAS contamination will bring social awareness and could lead to environmental sustainability on the issue of PFAS, especially in drinking and ground water in the greater Dayton area.

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  Creating a More Meaningful AI Tournament: Statistical Insights from the Game of Catan

  Aidan P. Reichenberg

  As the 14th most popular board game of all time, Catan distinguishes itself through a unique combination of randomness, strategy, and player interaction. This study explores the application of artificial intelligence (AI) to the game of Catan, utilizing the Catanatron framework to compare seven unique agents through an AI tournament.Central to this analysis is the application of statistically significant methods for comparison. Establishing quantifiable differences in the relative strength between agents is paramount in creating meaningful, repeatable findings in AI research. By generating statistically significant results, this study aims to create a foundation for comparing future agents created to play the game of Catan. Furthermore, the methods used for comparing agents in this study can be applied to similar games.This study adopts a tournament format to compare the agents, creating groups based on the initial findings of Bryan Collazo, creator of Catanatron. I placed Collazo’s original agents in opposition to each other. The first tournament round employing these agents builds a foundation for larger simulations. This study identifies the strongest agents, analyzes the nuances of their strategy, and quantifies their relative strength by looking at the statistical significance of the results.The results of this analysis contribute to AI research by producing meaningful comparisons between agents and providing a framework for future comparison that can extend to similar multiplayer games.

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  Creating Inclusive Community: Strategies for Belonging and Inclusion at UD

  Sama Ahmed, Elizabeth Blum, Javier Castillo, Tiffany Hunsinger, Kennedy Madry, Kathryn Montgomery, Jaden J. Rhynehardt, Deja Richardson

  A brave group of students, staff, and faculty embarked on a journey of introspection, cross-cultural engagement, and dialogue with the goal of developing strategies to foster positive change on our campus and in our community. Participants engaged weekly in the mini-course UDI 380 “Understanding, Respecting, and Connecting: Examining Privilege and Taking Action” which is one of the few spaces on campus where students, staff, and faculty learn together as peers and collaborators. Together, they attended a diversity conference in Tulsa, OK where the focus was to examine the challenging concepts of privilege and oppression and to develop strategies to create a more equitable world. Come hear the participants reflect on their experiential learning and discuss the skills and knowledge they gained to enhance the campus climate for inclusivity and diversity at the University of Dayton. Please join us for a lively discussion!

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  Creation of new Precipitation Intensity-Duration-Frequency Curves for the Dayton Region

  Joseph Walter Baker

  Rainfall Intensity Duration and Frequency (IDF) relationships, often expressed in IDF curves, are an essential tool in civil engineering. The IDF curves provide information on the expected intensity of a storm of a certain duration (e.g. three hours, one day) with a certain return interval (e.g. once every 10, 25, or 50 years) at a single location. They are used extensively in the design and development of drainage systems of all modern infrastructure. NOAA’s Atlas 14 provides the IDF relationship for the entire United States, based on precipitation data collected at thousands of weather stations across the country with the last version that covered Ohio being released in 2006. The underlying assumption is that the precipitation pattern is stationary and not expected to change over time. However this assumption is not valid as we face rapid climate change, which is likely to cause changes in the global and local precipitation patterns. We have already seen significant increases in extreme precipitation events, which is likely to continue over this century. Therefore, the objective of this study is to determine how climate change will affect the IDF relationship at Dayton, Ohio. This study relies on two major datasets. The first is historical precipitation data from NOAA weather stations covering the time periods of 15 minutes, 1 hour, and 1 day. The maximum range of this data is from 1971 to 2014. The second dataset is the global climate model (GCM) output for future precipitation. 10-20 GCMs are selected based on their performance in the Dayton region. The historical runs are used for bias correction, and the future runs of 2070-2100 are used to project future change. The results of this study will provide crucial information on building climate adaptation and resilience in infrastructure design and implementation for the Greater Dayton region.

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  Cult & Culture: An Analysis of Falun Gong

  Holly Conklin, Ben Francis, Tucker Hoffmann

  Rhetoric drawing on religious stories, ideals, concepts, and experiences surround us in our daily lives. These posters represent a sampling of the rhetorical analyses conducted by students from CMM 357 Religious Rhetoric throughout the Spring 2024 semester. Groups presented several themed reports prior to Stander and picked one to showcase at the symposium.

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  Cultural Significance of Folk Dances from Kenya, India, and Mongolia

  Katherine J. Moreira

  This THR/VAR 250 Diversity in the Creative and Performing Arts poster presentation project requires each student to research and present on a topic relevant to the interdisciplinary fields of visual and performing arts through a critical multicultural and social justice lens that foregrounds the appreciation of diversity and enables the expansion of personal cultural competencies.

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  Curation in Art Education

  Allison M. Trangenstein

  This paper delves into the role of curatorial practices in art education, illuminating its significance and relevance. Employing a qualitative approach, interviews and surveys were conducted with art educators and a list of questions was sent out to gauge educators' utilization and comprehension of curation in art education. Through a synthesis of scholarly insights and empirical evidence, the study showcases how curatorial engagement enhances critical thinking, fosters creativity, and nurtures diverse interpretations of art. Ultimately, it advocates for the integration of curatorial skills into educational curricula to enrich the pedagogical landscape and cultivate aesthetic sensibilities.

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  Dayton's Human Rights Heroes: A Moral Courage Project

  Lila Acott, Aila Carr-Chellman, Saija A’lan Cleveland, Sebastian Andres De Leon Osorio, Precious H. Henderson, Kristine Hillstrom, Kathryn Horning, Jet Lex, Mary Mull, Kurtis Neiman, Bridget Sexton, Katherine Shryock, Ximena Silva-Aguirre, Anastacia Zartman-Robb

  The Moral Courage Project is a storytelling initiative of the UD Human Rights Center. This term, students selected to participate in the program examined conceptual frameworks intersecting the studies of human rights, media, and social movements, and learned documentary skills, including interviewing, audio production, and photography. To apply the MCP method, the students were paired with members of Dayton United for Human Rights - a local grassroots effort to establish Dayton as a "human rights city" - and charged to develop audio and visual stories to feature the motivations and actions of human rights heroes in our own community.

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  Decolonizing the American History Museum: A Case Study of the Henry Ford

  Victoria Lynne Brey

  In this paper, I consider the origins and practice of decolonization in American museums, using the Henry Ford, an American history museum in Dearborn, MI, as a case study and situating it within the broader narrative of museum decolonization. I analyze the ways in which museums have historically presented very limited subjectivities to the public that assume a white male (often European, often colonizing) subjectivity as neutral and normative. I then consider the formation of the Henry Ford and the ways in which it broke with as well as fit into the dominant structure of museums as perpetuators of colonialism at its inception. I briefly discuss the history of the museum from its beginning until today, considering the ways in which it has or has not changed to incorporate more diverse subjectivities. I conclude by considering the contemporary efforts of the museum to engage with decolonization, offering insight into the operations of a world-renowned museum.

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  Democracy and Development in Central America: Models and Strategies for Strengthening Civil Society and Fostering Sustainable Economic Growth

  Diana Paola Bencomo Miralles, Morgan N. Ciolek, Mercy M. John, Mariana Marquez, Olivia M. Palumbo, Flavio Pinho De Almeida Reis, Kathryn E. Riddle, Alexia Siakwan-Adusei

  This panel presents the collaborative work of the International Studies capstone seminar with two international, non-profit organizations focused on democracy and development in Central America. In partnership with Cristosal, students have researched models and strategies that could serve to counter growing authoritarianism and strengthen civil society in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. Focusing on a broad array of comparative cases from Latin America and Africa, they have examined popular and civic engagement and education models; youth and social media’s role in political activism; strategies for empowering women and reducing gender-based violence; and how the breakdown of democracy affects the business community and erodes economic well-being. Students also are partnering with Counterpart International to support small farmer coffee cooperatives in Guatemala through researching alternatives to multinational, corporate models. In addition to examining models such as the Catholic Ethical Purchasing Alliance, they are investigating trade flows between Guatemala and the United States to better understand how to support these market alternatives. Finally, students are conducting market research on the feasibility of selling ethically sourced coffee on campus, in the city of Dayton, and throughout Ohio, as well as raising awareness of the importance of socially responsible purchasing decisions. In their presentations, students will discuss their main conclusions from their research, the impact of their advocacy work, and future steps that other students at the University of Dayton can take to build upon their initial efforts to support the work of Cristosal and Counterpart International. They also will highlight the economic exploitation, social injustice, political repression, and racism that is the legacy of colonialism, neo-colonialism, and US intervention in Central America and the historical context for the work they are doing.

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  Designing and Testing Phononic Crystals for the Purpose of Controlling Lattice Vibrations

  Riley J. Barrett

  The study of phononics is focused on engineering lattice vibrations and heat transport in solid-state materials through nanofabrication and material strain. The quantum states that are fundamental to quantum technologies face the issue of decoherence due to phononic interactions which exist at finite temperatures causing quantum devices to typically need to be cooled down to low temperatures (<1K) for operation. In order to make quantum technologies available at higher temperatures, it is required to develop a better understanding and ability to engineer the phononic environment. With this in mind, we are attempting to create devices with a phononic bandgap at low frequencies (10s of MHz) in order to begin showing how phononic crystals can suppress or amplify signals as a function of frequency. By changing the shape, size, and relative distance of the holes on our phononic crystal membrane, we are able to manipulate the phononic bandgaps of these devices. As we move further into this project, we want to use these types of devices to create phononic cavities and shields, which are crucial to optomechanical systems.

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  Determining connectivity deficits between the cerebellum and the thalamus in the Ts65Dn mouse model of Down Syndrome.

  FNU Mir Abbas Raza

  Introduction:The cerebellum - a key brain region that regulates gait, motor coordination, and adaptive learning - has an altered developmental trajectory in Down Syndrome, with preclinical mouse models mirroring these phenotypes. During development, the cerebellum not only forms its internal circuitry but also forms an extensive connectome with other major regions of the brain including the thalamus. However, potential connectivity deficits within the cerebellum and its connections with other regions of the brain in DS remain unknown. Methods:In this study, we stereotactically injected promoter-specific Cre-expressing retrograde Adeno Associated Viruses (AAVs) and Cre-dependent anterograde AAVs tagged with GFP to specifically label neural projections from the Cerebellar cortex to the Ventromedial thalamic nucleus (VM) via the Fastigial Cerebellar Nucleus (FN) in both Euploid and Trisomic Ts65Dn mice at postnatal day 45. Using confocal images of brain sections after signal enhancement with Immunohistochemistry we analyzed the morphology of the labeled cells, including their dendritic and axonal arborizations, as well as their connectivity patterns using Fiji. We performed descriptive statistical analysis to validate the AAV expression using MATLAB. Results:We have successfully labeled Purkinje cells through injections into the cerebellar cortex. Our injections into the simplex lobule of the cerebellar cortex of the Euploid Ts65Dn mice have yielded an 82.5% co-localization of 5.4 ± 0.3 Purkinje cells/(100µm)2 labeled with the Cre-dependent GFP expressing AAV out of the 6.6 ± 0.6 Purkinje cells/(100µm)2 immuno-positive for Calbindin (n=2).Conclusion: Our initial injections show good labeling and high colocalization of the Purkinje cells labeled with GFP in the cerebellar cortex. We are currently working on more injections into the cerebellar cortex and have also begun injections into the cerebellar and thalamic nuclei.

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  Developing Translanguaging Exercises: Utilizing Arabic Grammar Knowledge to Facilitate English Grammar Comprehension

  Abeer Abdullah M. AlMuafa

  Research on utilizing students' existing linguistic skills in their first language (L1) to learn a second language (L2) through translanguaging has received considerable attention. However, there is hesitancy in Arabic schools to integrate Arabic into English as a Foreign Language (EFL) and English as a Second Language (ESL) classes. Arabic-speaking teachers and students have mixed attitudes toward the presence of Arabic in English grammar classes, fearing potential interference with English proficiency. Although Arabic is used in these classes, it often happens informally or spontaneously due to a lack of planning. This issue is compounded by the absence of instructions on incorporating Arabic in English grammar textbooks and teachers' limited understanding of how to utilize students' prior knowledge of Arabic grammar through pedagogical translanguaging to understand English grammar concepts. Consequently, students' full linguistic potential remains overlooked. To address this gap, five translanguaging grammar exercises have been developed, aligning Arabic and English grammar concepts. These exercises aim to enhance metalinguistic awareness among Arabic-speaking students, moving beyond traditional grammar translation methods to incorporate culture and facilitate comprehensive language learning.

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  Did the Blessed Virgin Mary Die or Not? Opinions of the Early Church as Well as the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches in the 20th Century

  Vincent Alexander LoBiondo

  Pope Pius XII's 1950 definition of the dogma of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary did not say whether or not Mary died. Therefore, Catholics are still free to believe either possibility. The Immortalists say that Mary did not die, while the Mortalists hold that Mary did die. Most of the Church Fathers, Apocrypha, Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox theologians take the Mortalist position for various reasons. The Mortalists of the Eastern Orthodox Church say that Mary was subject to death from Original Sin. Meanwhile, a minority of Roman Catholic theologians argue from the Catholic dogma of Mary's Immaculate Conception, i.e. that Mary did not have Original Sin, to say that Mary would not have had to die since that was a punishment for the Original Sin that she did not have. The two Churches also disagree on how the body is united to the soul. Despite these theological differences, theological similarities exist.

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  Digging up the dirt on soil: The link between heavy metals in soil, agricultural practices, and pollinators on urban farms in the Midwest.

  Lauren E. Carr, Penelope Margaux Fisher

  As city populations grow, the need for fresh produce in cities to feed people also grows. One such growing urban environment is Dayton, Ohio, which has begun to implement measures aiming to limit the hunger experienced by underserved individuals in the city. According to The Dayton Food Bank, in Montgomery County alone 14.2% of individuals living in the county experience food insecurity, a majority of whom are children. Urban farming has proven to be a lucrative solution to some of these issues. However, these farms are often established in areas where the soil is degraded due to previous land use, which could pose challenges in growing crops in cities, and it is unknown what practices are most effective in restoring soil in urban agriculture. I hypothesized that farms which were closer to urban areas would contain a higher presence of heavy metals than those of peri-urban farms, farms who were run by individuals knowledgeable in soil ecology would have a healthier overall nutritional and moisture content, and farms with healthier soil composition would experience a higher abundance of pollinator diversity.We surveyed 18 local urban and peri-urban farmers about their understanding of the health of their soil, the practices they use to rejuvenate the soil, and what they were doing to promote pollinators. At each site, we took three soil cores from inside agricultural plots while three were taken outside of the agricultural plots. These soil samples were then analyzed for soil bulk density, moisture concentration, pH, and conductivity. The samples were then analyzed for various heavy metals including zinc, arsenic, and lead. Understanding the ecology of soil in urban farms and how to rejuvenate this soil can provide essential steps to creating sustainable farming habitats, and help create healthier methods for producing large-scale, nutritious food for many communities.

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  Dimensional Vision Synthesis: An Aesthetic Transformation of 2D Views into Dynamic 3D Realities for In-Car experience

  Sankarshan Dasgupta

  In recent years, 3D reconstruction has garnered significant attention, driven by the ever-growing demand for immersive experiences and realistic digital environments. With the development of advanced algorithms and substantial processing resources, it is now possible to convert static 2D images into dynamic, navigable 3D spaces. Using an emphasis on tackling the difficulties involved in precisely converting the subtleties of a 2D car front view image into an extensive multi-view 3D representation. This study explores the nexus between computer vision and spatial cognition. The proposed approach identifies the way we perceive and interact in a car with digital imagery, especially in contexts where depth perspective and spatial awareness. By advancing the synthesis of 3D representations from 2D images, we aim to elevate the capabilities of computer vision systems, enabling them to provide more immersive, realistic, and contextually accurate virtual environments.The goal of this project is to completely transform how we view and engage with 3D environments. Our research goes beyond basic understanding of computer vision and artificial intelligence; By establishing a seamless communication between the in-car driver and the virtual world, where we try to blend in the experience to replicate an real-world scenario. This aims to transform street view into an interactive 3D experience and mimic conventional in-car experiences. This approach is defined in game engine as specific sub tasks: (i) Extract the shape and texture of the scene objects. (ii) Implement advanced computer vision algorithms to extract depth information from 2D images. Thus, utilizing depth sensing mechanism for accurate depth measurement. (iii) Develop a real-time rendering engine to create a 3D representation of the scene. In this process, ensure the algorithm is computationally efficient for on-the-fly processing, considering the real-time computational ability required for in-car experience. In order to ensure resilience in identifying and reacting to a variety of driving circumstances, it is important to handle real-time processing constraints for immediate responsiveness and variations in surrounding factors that may effect the accuracy of depth sensing and scene reconstruction.

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  Discovery of Novel Mechanisms During the Biodegradation of Polymer Coatings by an Environmental Strain of Aureobasidium

  Paige Aileen King

  In order to create novel sustainable and biodegradation resistant coating formulations that do not include toxic additives to humans and/or the environment, the mechanistic complexity of the biodegradation process has to be simplified into general categories and knowledge gaps. This approach will truly identify where active biodegradation stops by microorganisms and where purely chemical hydrolysis and degradation begins. The specific research focus of my project is on the essential role of water and secreted hydrolytic proteins play in the movement and activity of polymer degrading fungi. The result of this focus could ultimately identify if degradation may be attributed to thermodynamic potentials of the organism, polymer coating, or both the microorganisms and polymer coating. My project will focus on a strain of yeast (Aureobasidium sp. W12) isolated and identified from degraded polymer coatings inside of Air Force cargo aircraft. I will determine the culture conditions that stimulate the release of hydrolytic proteins from A. sp. W12 and then use defined polymer coatings and techniques to understand how these proteins are affecting the degradation of polyester polyurethane coating over time as biofilms or facilitate the condensation of water on the surface below the relative dew point during the degradation of the coating. The result of my summer project should be the first identification and key hydrolytic enzymes and mechanisms used by A. sp. W12 in the degradation of polyester polyurethane coatings.

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  Diversity in the American Ballet World

  Haleigh Melina Gross

  This THR/VAR 250 Diversity in the Creative and Performing Arts poster presentation project requires each student to research and present on a topic relevant to the interdisciplinary fields of visual and performing arts through a critical multicultural and social justice lens that foregrounds the appreciation of diversity and enables the expansion of personal cultural competencies.

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  Documenting Inequities

  Ellana Rose Davis

  This THR/VAR 250 Diversity in the Creative and Performing Arts poster presentation project requires each student to research and present on a topic relevant to the interdisciplinary fields of visual and performing arts through a critical multicultural and social justice lens that foregrounds the appreciation of diversity and enables the expansion of personal cultural competencies.

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  Does Gang Involvement and Exposure to Violence Affect Perceptions of Juveniles’ Chances for Future Success?

  Justin P. Parlette, Ethan James Zemek

  For our project, we looked at how gang involvement and exposure to violence affect perceptions of chances for future success. This is a quantitative research project using the Pathways to Desistance dataset, which is focused on 1,354 juveniles involved with the justice system in both Maricopa County, AZ and Philadelphia, PA. We looked at the baseline data (lasting from November 2000 until March 2003). In order to be eligible for the study, juveniles had to be between the ages of 14 and 18 at the time of their offense. In our research, we used a total of nine variables. For our independent variables we used subject gender, ethnicity, number of biological parents in the household, ever involved in a gang, victim score, witness score, and personal rewards of crime. For our dependent variables we used aspirations and expectations for the future. Through our research, we found that victim score, the personal rewards of crime and ethnicity were significant in determining the results of future expectations. Furthermore, we found that ever being in a gang and the personal rewards of committing crime were significant in determining the result for future aspirations.