Stander Symposium: College of Arts and Sciences

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Rainfall Patterns in East Africa: Implications of ENSO and IOD on Precipitation Variability

Elisabeth A. Arnold

Precipitation in East Africa varies throughout the region, which is especially vulnerable to climate change due to its dependence on predictable precipitation for subsistence agriculture. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the changing seasonal and monthly patterns of rainfall in East Africa and their relation to ENSO and IOD using high resolution MSWEP data from 1980-2021. Northwestern and Southern East Africa experience one rainy season while equatorial East Africa experiences two rainy seasons. In most of the region with two rainy seasons, the first rainy season is longer with more precipitation and the second rainy season is shorter with less precipitation. Trends over time indicate that the long rains are getting shorter and bringing less rainfall, and that the short rains are increasing in duration and precipitation amount. The reduction in the long rains is greater than the increase in the short rains, and therefore the region is overall experiencing a reduction in precipitation. The El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) are climate patterns which impact worldwide precipitation, including East Africa. Monthly average precipitation throughout East Africa is influenced by the ENSO and IOD. The effect on mean monthly precipitation varies spatially.
Rainforest Conservation and Indigenous Communities

Holly E. Conklin, Luis Andrés Ramírez Márquez, Aaliyah S. Rios

The Kichwa people are a prime example of indigenous sustainability and stewardship in the Ecuadorian Amazon Rainforest. Through established cultural customs, they use sustainable hunting, fishing, and agricultural practices to coexist with the environment. These efforts are strengthened by cooperative projects with outside partners, which promote ecotourism and conservation initiatives. Threats like deforestation continue despite advancements, highlighting the necessity of continuous support for indigenous rights and traditional knowledge. The coexistence of the Kichwa with their surroundings provides an essential model for the conservation of rainforests, emphasizing the role that indigenous leadership plays in protecting biodiversity and promoting sustainable livelihoods.Our presentation will focus on the Amazon rainforest and how the indigenous community, Kichwa, has been maintaining the rainforest. The research we have done helped us understand how economic and political concerns play a role in sustainability in the Amazon rainforest, specifically with conservation policies. There is an evident and urgent need to preserve and safeguard the world's forests. Indigenous communities, such as the Kichwa of the Amazon, have realized that action is necessary to stop the worst consequences of deforestation, climate change, and its effects on species. To achieve this, the Kichwa community in the Ecuadorian Amazon is putting cutting-edge, sustainable agroforestry techniques into practice.
Regan Holkema - Capstone Artist Presentation

Regan Cecilia Holkema

Regan Holkema is an undergraduate student at the University of Dayton. She aspires to be an illustrator and currently uses drawing and painting as her primary media, working primarily in graphite, ink washes, colored pencil and acrylic. Holkema’s work explores the human mind and complexities of human emotions, trials and tribulations, through the human figure and the incorporation metaphorical symbolism.
Regulation of catalase activity in Listeria monocytogenes by various environmental factors

Madison Gillon

Listeria monocytogenes is a bacterial foodborne pathogen that can lead to serious and potentially deadly gastrointestinal infections specifically in immunocompromised populations. In fact, Listeria infection is the third leading cause of death from food poisoning in the United States. During transmission, Listeria produces catalase to detoxify reactive oxygen species that can form as a byproduct of metabolism and immune defense in infected hosts. Furthermore, catalase production is critical to Listeria fitness and survival. In this study, I investigated how catalase production was regulated by propionate and oxygen. Propionate is a short chain fatty acid commonly found in the human gut microbiome and in food as an additive. Propionate exposure, whether in food matrices or in the intestinal lumen, typically takes place under anaerobic conditions. To measure catalase activity, hydrogen peroxide and Triton X-100 were added to anaerobic and aerobic cultures of Listeria with and without propionate. The catalase produced by Listeria breaks down the hydrogen peroxide releasing oxygen bubbles, which are then trapped in the Triton X-100 detergent. The height of the bubbles can then be measured to visually display and compare the catalase production under each experimental condition. These results will help us understand how Listeria regulates its catalase production.
Regulation of growth and patterning in the developing eye of Drosophilamelanogaster by the Hippo pathway coactivator yorkie and dorsal selectordefective proventriculus

Rohith Basavanahalli Nanjundaiah

The developing eye of Drosophila is a well-established model for studyingdevelopmental genetic processes and growth regulation. The developmental geneticnetworks discovered in Drosophila are highly conserved in all animals includinghigher mammals. Our long-term goal is to understand the molecular basis of Dorsal-Ventral patterning and growth in the eye by interactions of the dorsal selector genesand growth regulatory genes. We recently identified defective proventriculus (dve) asa candidate for dorsal-ventral eye patterning that acts as a transcriptional regulator.Gain of function of Dve, results in eye suppression, while loss of function of dve,exhibits dramatic eye enlargement phenotypes which raised an interesting question,whether the dorsal patterning gene dve, apart from its main function of specifyingcells fate, plays a dual role in regulating growth during eye development inDrosophila? We hypothesized that Dve may interact with the Hippo growthregulatory pathway to control patterning and growth of the eye. We tested theinteractions between Hippo pathway and dorsal-ventral patterning using the GAL4-UAS system and MARCM. To investigate whether yki is involved in dve domaingrowth, we used GAL4 drivers in the eye like Dve Gal4 to drive the spatiotemporalexpression of transgenes in the dorsal eye, and Ey-Gal4 and GMR-Gal4 to test theeffects of Dve and Yki modulations before and after MF formation in the larval eyeantennal disc. Initial data suggests genetic interactions between Hippo and DVpatterning genes are important in early eye development. We have tested wingless(wg) a known and conserved Hippo downstream target for Dve and Yki mediatedeffects using reporter assays, clonal analysis
Regulation of LLO production in response to anaerobic propionate exposure

Sydney Krystine Herzog, Lauren E. Piper

Listeria monocytogenes causes a serious infection when consumed in its typical contamination area, food. This bacteria can be extremely dangerous to sensitive populations, such as pregnant women, newborns, the geriatric population along with immunocompromised individuals. Listeria infections involve a coordinated expression of various virulence factors in response to changes in the environmental conditions. Our research team found that anaerobic propionate exposure upregulates the production of listeriolysin O (LLO) toxin at the transcriptional level. However, it is not clear whether there is a post-transcriptional regulation on LLO production. In this study, we used an IPTG-inducible LLO strain to answer the question. With 1 mM of IPTG as the transcriptional inducer, we found that anaerobic propionate significantly increased LLO production compared to no propionate control. However, with 10 mM of IPTG, the enhancement effects from propionate were absent. We then used a cell culture model of infections to test the infection outcomes of IPTG induction with or without propionate and found that propionate treatment did not result in enhanced infections. Therefore, while additional experiments are needed to confirm the effects of IPTG on transcript levels, there are likely post-transcriptional regulations to help Listeria respond to anaerobic propionate exposure.
Relationship Exploration through Music: Treatment Considerations for Adolescents with Attachment Trauma

Jaylee A. Sowders

Interpersonal relationships are key to navigating our understanding of ourselves, others, and the world. However, our ability to form and maintain healthy relationships depends greatly on our experiences as children. Attachment theory, developed by John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth, suggests that our initial relationships and their characteristics can impact our sense of comfort and safety in later attachments (Bretherton, 1992). Challenges and trauma in attachment at a young age may hinder a child’s development into adulthood where interpersonal relationships are key to navigating our academic, professional, and personal environments. If left unaddressed, these challenges can become exacerbated in adolescence as teenagers form more concrete understandings of themselves and the world (Dubois-Comtois, et al., 2013). Understanding the lasting psychological impact of attachment trauma is necessary to discovering appropriate and effective ways of addressing these struggles.With a focus on equity and accessibility in mental healthcare, this study is centered in music therapy assessment and treatment with teenage clients facing attachment trauma and the role of music as a communicative resource and symbolic object for attachment. This presentation will feature the findings of an undergraduate honors thesis project, supplemented by research at the University of Oxford, that will include a review of attachment theory and music therapy literature and qualitative research and thematic content analysis of interviews with credentialed music therapists working with this client group. This study aims to analyze the affordances, risks, and challenges of music therapy experiences in helping adolescents with attachment trauma to explore their internal patterns of attachment and develop strategies to form healthier future attachments.
Religion and overlooked factors of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Bruce Ward Giles, Isabelle R. Walters

This study explores the underlying factors causing the conflict between Israel and Palestine and how religion, psychology, antagonism, critical race theory, and more are critical to understanding why this conflict is still raging. We explored why this war is generally thought to be political only. A literature review of relevant articles revealed that religion and racism play a large role in this conflict that has been going on for many years; not just politics. Patterns and traditions of how people think and act reveal a clear history of foundation building that led to this conflict from both sides. Religious reasons play a role in the conflict as well as the theoretical concept of constitutional violence, which explains why power is not gained through the constitution. We also learned that patterns of intra-Muslim contradictions and violence relating to religion have been around for hundreds of years and that religion can wrongfully influence violence. According to critical race theory, the prevalence of racism towards Palestinians is engraved in Israeli society. The conflict is something that not everyone wants on both sides, but racism and stereotypes are embedded in each side and lead to hate.
Religious Rhetoric in Our Lives

Andrew M. Bray, Kennedy Lillian Byrd, Erin C. Callahan, Hope Elizabeth Clegg, Holly E. Conklin, Tristan L. Fountain, Benjamin Lloyd Francis, Laynie Michael Gerhardt, Hayden Lee Gray, Kendall Laila Grace Griffin, Meredith Elyse Grigsby, Tucker J. Hoffmann, Sophia Elle Hollins, Mary K. Kelty, Grace Elizabeth Kovesdy, Parker Alan Lewis, Austin J. Lloyd, Mark A. Martino, Elizabeth G. McMonagle, Davis William Menke, Catherine F. O'Brien, Hayden G. Parsons, Zachary Peter Rocco, Ryan O. Rosfelder, Connor M. Roy, Emma Grace Sawchuk, Jessica Catherine Schad, Dan Sang Chul Sciabica, Cassandra L. Secrease, Ren Marie Sikes, Noah Thomas Trimble, Olivia Anne Turturro, Erica Alexandra Velecela, Jillian Marie Yates, Leonard Patrick Zaleski III

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.
Reoffending Among First-Time Juvenile Offenders

Clara B. Beatty, Kristen Victoria Windebank

The aim of this study is to find out what factors lead to reoffending among juveniles. The goal of this project is to bring the crime rates down for juveniles, so they can grow up to be successful. Our hypothesis is that a juvenile running away from home, among other home life complications will affect and increase the chance of a juvenile re-offending; the null hypothesis states that running away from home, among other home life complications will not affect nor lower the chance of a juvenile re-offending. The research initially suggested that with clear incentives not to commit crimes, the youth will have no reason to commit said crimes and the crime rates and recidivism rates will slow. In running a negative binomial distribution we found that the subject’s gender, their family structure, levels of depression, and their education level are significant factors in predicting the likelihood of recidivism.
Researching gender and (in)equality in Africa

Mercy M. John, Aja Rene McMichel, Ahmi' Breon Piilani Moore

Women make up ‘half the sky’ of Africa, and while some African countries have made tremendous progress toward gender parity in some areas, systemic inequality and unfair discrimination continue to undermine our rights guaranteed by international human rights law (Nabaneh, 2021). In this panel, young scholars who are engaged in research through the Human Rights Center Kenya Applied Research Practicum and international human rights fellowships will discuss their work — sexual and gender-based violence in The Gambia (SGBV), Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in Kenya and women’s rights to property and land in the case of separation, divorce, and annulment in Africa. The panel will broadly focus on the limitations of legal frameworks, community approaches to addressing gender-based violence, regional protection mechanisms, including the African Women’s Protocol, and movement building. The panel will also delve into the dilemmas they faced as researchers and ethical ways of data collection/ doing research. Including the importance of becoming self-aware about their own positionality, being empathetic observers and engaged emerging scholars, and how it can contribute to building stronger social science methods.
Resolving the function and evolution for two transcription factor genes that pattern a sexually dimorphic fruit fly pigmentation trait

Logan A. Brubaker, Hayley Grace Long, Allison Elizabeth Pavlus

Animal morphological traits develop through the actions of and evolve through changes in genomic-encoded Gene Regulatory Networks or GRNs. Therefore, a robust understanding of the evolutionary developmental biology of traits requires knowledge about the architecture of GRNs and how such architecture evolves. Generally speaking, GRNs are hierarchical in structure, with their highest tier consisting of regulatory genes like transcription factors and the lowest tier consisting of the realizator genes whose encoded proteins end up making the trait. For several evo-devo model traits, some of the regulatory and realizator tier genes are known and their evolution have been chronicled. However, the architecture and evolution of an entire GRN has remained out of reach. This includes the GRN responsible for the sexually dimorphic pigmentation on the abdomens of Drosophila fruit flies. Here, new insights will be shared for two upper-tier transcription factors in the Drosophila melanogaster abdomen pigmentation GRN whose function and evolution have remained mostly un-studied.
River Stewards Senior Capstone: Environmental Education Outreach to the Dayton Community

Elisabeth A. Arnold, Allison George, Alison L. Hardie, Kathleen E. Horgan, Andrew Kimes, Gillian R. Leone, Anne C. Meyer, Tessa A. O'Halloran, Lily Pestorius, Catherine Rafter

The River Stewards program is a three-year interdisciplinary leadership and civic engagement program through the Fitz Center for Leadership in Community. Each cohort works together to develop a senior project. The 2024 cohort had a passion and decided to focus their project on education outreach surrounding Dayton’s rivers and watershed as well as continuing the efforts of previous capstone projects. Following the retirement of the RiverMobile, a mobile museum that was a previous capstone project, the 2024 cohort saw a clear need for a new means of providing environmental education to the Dayton community. The first component to the project is the installation of a storybook trail along the Great Miami River of the “Into the River” book developed by the 2020 River Stewards cohort. This storybook trail is one of the first urban and accessible storybook trails in Ohio. In February of 2023 the RiverMobile was made a permanent installation in the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery. The 2024 cohort has worked on developing a partnership with Boonshoft and developing educational outreach curriculum and activities to enhance the RiverMobile exhibit and interact with community members.
Road Surface Recognition from Dashcam

Reyansh Brijesh Kumar Mishra

In this research work, our objective is to accurately identify the materials used in road surfaces, such as asphalt, bricks, chipseal, cobblestone, gravel, cement concrete, etc. To achieve this goal, we have collected more than 2k images from different resources and dashcam videos on YouTube. We process these images to find out the material of the road and predict whether the result is better with background or without background.
Robin the Nest: Fixed Solar Panels led to Smaller Nest Heights and Angles compared to Tracking Panels

Emma R. Borgert, Adrianna R. Burghardt, Brendan Edward Enochs, Amy Q. Friemoth

Since the start of the industrial revolution, urbanization has been taking natural habitat from species leading organisms to find alternatives for food and shelter. As cities grow and pollution increases throughout the world, renewable energy has become vital to combat global warming. This has caused for solar arrays to become a major home for wild animals. Birds have been one of the major organisms found in solar arrays, often nesting under solar panels that now occupy once wooded areas. In this study we looked at how these solar panel sites are changing bird nest dynamics. Additionally, comparing the differences of tracking solar arrays and fixed solar arrays nest architecture may have increased impacts. Nests built at the tracking sites are expected to display altered structural features including differences in depth, diameter, angle, and point of attachment, aimed at securing stability during movement. This research was conducted at two sites, Marianist Environmental Educational Center (MEEC) and The University of Dayton’s Daniel J. Curran Place. At each site fully constructed nests were identified and flagged for measurements. The following measurements were conducted at each site, nest height, diameter, depth, and attachment angle. IButton’s were also placed in 5 nests per site to accurately measure nest temperature throughout the course of one week. Statistical analyses were conducted in RStudio with the collected data. It was found that Robin nests were altering their nest structure on tracking panels. This alteration in nest architecture may allow birds to nest in novel structures like solar panels. Due to limited research done about nest alteration in solar arrays further analysis would be recommended to further study just how big the impact of urbanization has on birds.
Round goby male reproductive tactics: connections to environmental factors, and impacts on behavior.

Andrew S. Bumps

Round gobies (Neogobius melanostomus) are small, benthic fish native to the Black and Caspian Seas that are now invasive around Europe and the Great Lakes. Male gobies exhibit alternative reproductive tactics, in which guarders invest energy into body size and nest protection, while sneakers are smaller and invest in sperm production to sneak into nests to fertilize eggs. Our study investigated the influence of environmental factors on the ratio of sneaker to guarder males and the influence of this ratio on aggressive and exploratory behaviors. We used GoPro footage, minnow trap collections, and environmental observations from 4 nearshore sites around Beaver Island, Michigan. Reproductive tactics of individual male specimens were determined using gonadosomatic index and length. Our results show that interstitial space, wave action, weather, density, and temperature appear to impact the ratio of sneaker to guarder males. Based on video footage, the percentage of guarders and aggression both increased with density, indicating possible correlation. In addition, smaller gobies were more exploratory than larger ones, indicating that male alternative reproductive tactics may strongly influence goby behavior. Our study demonstrates a highly variable, environmentally-driven structure of round goby populations, which in turn likely influences their ecological role in these nearshore ecosystems.
Russian War Crimes Against Ukraine

Katherine Jean Hoener

Russia and Ukraine have a long and complicated history. The conflict escalated with Russia’s invasion in February 2022 designed to challenge Ukraine's right to statehood on the dubious pretext they were governed by “extremists” who persecuted the Russian minority. According to treaties, war crimes can be defined as acts committed during armed conflict that violate international humanitarian laws. This research explored the alleged war crimes Russia has committed. There have been systematic and intentional attacks against civilian targets such as hospitals, schools and churches; survivors of torture report they were beaten and waterboarded; victims of sexual violence recount their experiences of rape and forced nudity; and children have been abducted for the purpose of removing their Ukrainian identity. Investigators of war crimes must ensure the evidence has not been altered, which has proved to be difficult as debris was removed for safety concerns, others have buried loved ones, or victims have fled. Furthermore, for Russian officials to be held accountable, it must be proved beyond a reasonable doubt that their actions were for the purpose of furthering the conflict’s goals, and they did so knowingly. Ultimately, the International Criminal Court has begun an investigation, and Ukrainian courts have already convicted Russians for war crimes. Finally, this research identified the implications of these charges and the overall impact of war crimes. The charges may prevent Russian officials from traveling as they can be arrested, may deter other political leaders or combatants from engaging in similar conduct, and may serve as a morale boost for Ukraine. These crimes have caused untold destruction and suffering and left Ukrainians without access to basic necessities. In addition, Russia's aggression has caused Sweden and Finland to break with decades of international neutrality. While Russia denies any wrongdoing, this is important research as it informs, educates, and publicizes war crimes that impact millions of Ukrainians.
Safety Training with Personalized Augmented Reality

Abhijeet Gupta

Work-related fatalities remain a pressing concern in the construction industry, with statistics revealing alarming rates of fatal incidents. Traditional safety measures, while essential, often fall short in addressing the dynamic nature of hazards in construction environments. In response, this paper proposes a novel approach to safety training utilizing Augmented Reality (AR) integrated with Computer Vision technology. The research objective is to mitigate work-related fatalities by developing a real-time training method that superimposes hazard animations onto construction site settings. Through AR simulations created using Unity, four major hazards - falls, slips, falling objects, and electrocution - are realistically depicted within the construction context. These simulations are integrated with a Computer Vision module that detects potential hazards in real-time using object detection algorithms.
Saving the Emerald in the Isle: A Study of Irish Environmentalism

Alexandra Rae Amrhein

Climate change is among the most pressing issues facing the world today. In the United States, we tend to focus on ways in which our country needs to address the crisis. However, when attempting to understand the scope of this global dilemma, it can be helpful to see it through the lens of other nations’ approaches. This project focuses on sustainability and climate awareness in the Republic of Ireland. After establishing Ireland’s unique struggle with the climate crisis, I determine whether the nation’s current approach to decreasing carbon emissions is effective and, if not, what changes should be made. For context, I first provide a brief background on the Irish environmental movement and examine public opinion on the significance of climate change. Analyzing the Climate Change Performance Index, reports from the European Investment Bank, various articles and international surveys, I then argue that Ireland’s 2021 Climate Action Plan will not allow the nation to achieve its goal, a 51% reduction in emissions by 2030. Finally, I propose solutions to Ireland’s plight, implying ways in which the U.S. can potentially adopt similar strategies and thus address our own nation’s struggle with climate change.
Seeds of Equity: A Garden Starter Pack

Maren Freudenschuss, Grace M. Regenor, Jacqueline A. Sherick, Meghan A. Zakelj

Our first step in solving world hunger is to create starter packs. As educators we will lead our students through how to create portable gardens. These students will target the social justice issue of food inequality. With the use of these portable gardens, seeds and food resources can be shipped to communities that do not have access to these food resources. Using their STEM skills students will create a flat portable plant pot. They will work to find a design that can withstand shipping, soil, water and plants. In their creation they will use system inequalities to calculate the most cost effective design.
Selective Evolution of Lithium Ions by Shewanella loihica

Gabrielle A. Kozurek

The prevalent use of lithium ion batteries in consumer electronics poses a significant sustainability challenge to both manufacturing and source availability over the next 50 years. There are several methods to extract lithium from salt water that are commercially available but require caustic reagents and environmental hazards. However, there are several lithium-resistant bacteria that have the ability to precipitate or mineralize lithium ions into a reduced form of lithium that can be processed readily into a lithium source material for batteries. The goal of this project was to culture, characterize, and selectively evolve Shewanlla loihica using lithium ion concentration changes both aerobically and anaerobically. This strain has published metal-reducing capabilities and by selectively pressuring the organisms with higher and higher concentration of Li we will understand the fundamental lithium tolerance of the organism. The project includes an understanding of the changes in growth rate due to subsequent culturing of organisms with increasing concentrations of Li ion. The hope for the final outcome of the project was to find a potential biological approach to the precipitation of Li ions from salt water.
Sexual Assault on the University of Dayton's Campus in Relation to Social Sororities and Fraternities

Nina Buchan, Cally E. Robinson

This study focuses on the rates of sexual assault based on interaction with Greek life and the habits of the the interviewee and their peers. We asked participants questions based on drug and alcohol habits, knowledge of sexual assault, and knowledge of someone they know who has been sexually assaulted. We used a binary logistic regression to run gender, alcohol and drug habits, and Greek life interaction in comparison to knowing someone who has been sexually assaulted by a Greek member. Our results found no significance between these independent and dependent variables.
Shaping Gandhi: The Teachers Who Molded a Leader

Aidan R. Wanke

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.
Sharpeville: The Limits of Nonviolence

Carson M. McCorkle

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.
Social Advocacy and Celebration of Latin Music in The Performing Arts

Nadine Olivia Ayers

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.