Stander Symposium Projects

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  Living in the Slump: Second Year African American Undergraduate Students' Coping Mechanisms

  Cerelia Victoria Bizzell

  The sophomore experience has been characterized with not only academic difficulty, but also psychosocial challenges (Schaller, 2010). This study sought to describe and examine the many different experiences African American sophomore students encountered at a predominately White institution (PWI). Moreover, this study looked to understand the stress coping mechanisms they have adapted when balancing academics, social life, and extracurricular activities. The findings revealed that African American sophomore students have had difficulty learning to trust their institution’s resources, have had a hard time balancing their social life, and have felt the need to mature faster than others. Incorporating a narrative study approach allowed students to reflect on their interpersonal and intrapersonal development, and give detail to how they dealt with the obstacles they faced during their second year. Future studies could focus on a particular gender in order to analyze the different stress coping mechanisms utilized by students.

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  Mentoring Strategies for the Support of High School Students Experiencing Anxiety and Depression: A Case-Study of Two Catholic High Schools

  Karin Elaine Forsthoefel

  There is a high prevalence of anxiety and depressive related disorders among adolescents ages 13-18 in the United States, and these statistics do not include the undiagnosed experiences of anxiety and depression that are typical during adolescence. This case study examines the supports provided for students experiencing anxiety and depression in two Catholic high schools. The aims of the study were to collect a list of strategies and interventions being used in Catholic high schools to address the needs of high school students experiencing anxiety and depression, and to investigate the use of mentoring opportunities through which teacher-student relationships can be developed. Faculty and staff members were surveyed and interviewed to gather specific information about strategies and mentoring opportunities employed. Themes among the data include the teacher roles of seeking knowledge, collaborating with parents and staff, modeling healthy coping strategies, and creating supportive environments to foster student openness.

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  Methods of Blocking Efflux Pump Activity in Escherichia Coli

  Erich Nicholaus Auer

  Overuse of antibiotics throughout the developed world has contributed significantly to the emergence of antibiotic-resistance in bacteria. Although this helps bacteria it is extremely harmful to humans. As bacteria adapt to the antibiotics, current treatments become ineffective and bacterial infections can become life threatening. One of the mechanisms that bacteria, such as E. Coli, use are efflux pumps. Efflux pumps are capable of taking potentially harmful substances, like antibiotics, from inside the bacterial cell and moving them out. This allows the bacterium to escape from the killing effects of the antibiotics. My hypothesis was that a natural product, small molecule compound, or DNA aptamer would be able to bind to some part of the tri-part structure of the efflux pump and block its activity. The results showed that there are some promising compounds but none that were actually capable of blocking activity to a significant degree.

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  Minimal perimeters of triangles with fixed area and foot.

  Hang Luo

  Triangle with the same area can have different perimeters. In this project we are exploring the question of when those perimeters are as small as possible. With no further conditions, the answer to this question is known: the minimal perimeter is obtained by an equilateral triangle. We can explore the question under the condition that location of the height is fixed. In this case the minimal perimeter can be obtained by variety of different triangle types. We want to know which type of a triangle has minimal perimeter based on the location of the height.

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  Mobile Sensor Lab

  Brandon Mckenzie Hampshire

  The Vision Lab has many projects that involves data collection from various sensors. These sensors can vary by platform and programming language. In order to centralize data collection, the Robot Operating System (ROS) is applied to the Clearpath Husky robot. The Husky is made for multi-terrain transport and can be modified to carry multiple sensors. The Robot Operating System is not an operating system but is a network centralized library. ROS provides background services and different language libraries that allow sensors and languages to communicate to a common location. In addition, the libraries can let the user to receive data from the central network thus allowing multiple cross language platform communication. An application of these components can assist in data collection for environment 3D reconstruction. Environment 3D reconstruction requires depth imagery, RGB imagery, and orientation of the camera. The Husky provides estimated orientation to ROS and ROS supports the Microsoft Kinect. With open source coding, the Husky can be coded to collect the necessary data for 3D reconstruction.

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  Model Predictive Control Energy Dispatch to Optimize Renewable Penetration for a Microgrid with Battery and Thermal Storage

  Ibrahim Aldaouab

  As intermittent renewable energy becomes a larger fraction of the overall energy mix in the US, algorithms that efficiently utilize this energy are necessary. In this work, a model predictive control (MPC) method is developed to perform real-time optimization to maximize the power delivery from a renewable supply to a building. An isolated microgrid scenario is considered, consisting of a mixed-use residential and commercial building, renewable power supply, battery storage, hot water tank thermal storage, and a backup supply. The MPC strategy utilizes predictions of the building’s electrical and hot water loads, on an hourly basis, along with predictions of the output from the renewable supply. At each time step, these predictions are used to create an optimized power dispatching strategy between the microgrid elements, to maximize renewable energy use. For a fixed size microgrid, the performance of this MPC approach is compared to the performance of a simple non-predictive dispatching strategy.

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  Modulation of Listeria monocytogenes carbon metabolism by short chain fatty acids

  Diksha Bedi

  Listeria monocytogenes, a bacterial pathogen, is associated with foodborne infections in humans. Listeria encounters short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) during its transit through the intestine but its metabolic responses to SCFAs are not fully understood. To determine how Listeria metabolism is affected by SCFAs, I performed basic microbiology assays, including monitoring optical density, determining acetoin production, and measuring culture pH levels, to assess Listeria growth in the presence of butyrate, propionate, and acetate. I also performed preliminary 13C-NMR assays to provide a more in-depth look into carbon metabolism in SCFA-treated Listeria. I found that propionate-supplemented, but not glucose-supplemented, Listeria produced significantly more acetoin compared to no supplemented controls. Because acetoin is a product of central carbon metabolism, my result suggests that Listeria is capable of changing its carbon metabolism in response to propionate. My preliminary 13C-NMR results have not revealed how carbon metabolism is altered by propionate and are under current investigation. Further investigation will provide more knowledge in the metabolic mechanism associated with Listeria responses to SCFAs during intestinal transit.

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  Molecular Modeling and Characterization of a Mussel Adhesive Protein (Mefp-5)

  Kathryn Rose Zimlich

  The blue mussel, Mytilus edulis, secretes adhesive proteins to facilitate adhesion to a variety of substrates. Several Mytilus edulis foot proteins (MeFP) have been isolated and characterized. MeFP-5 is said to be the most adhesive of these proteins, and has a comparatively large molecular percentage of L-Dopa when examined against MeFP proteins 1-4 at over 25% L-Dopa, if full conversion from tyrosine occurs. The catechol functional group of L-Dopa complexes with Fe3+ to form organometallic linkages, but how L-Dopa in MeFP-5 is interacting with an iron oxide surface, and if the lysine amino acids adjacent to L-Dopa help to facilitate formation of the epoxy-like barrier on iron oxides, is unknown. This project focuses on evaluating the orientation of the catechol groups in L-Dopa through molecular modeling, generating a 3D model of an iron oxide surface, characterizing regions of MeFP-5 which are most likely to complex with Fe3+, and altering the amino acid composition of MeFP-5 to attempt to maximize adhesive properties and explore possibilities for creating a synthetic analog. Modeling is done in the programs ChemDraw® and Chem3D® (PerkinElmer) to analyze protein structure and the catechol positioning of L-Dopa within the protein MeFP-5. To validate and refine the model, experimental data of MeFP-5 adsorbed onto HY80 steel using Raman infrared spectroscopy have been used to determine what interaction the lysine and L-Dopa functional groups in MeFP-5 have on the steel surface. These data have been incorporated into the 3-dimensional model of the protein-metal interface.

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  Molecular Modeling of Organic Matrix Proteins in Oysters

  Anna Kathleen Benton

  Three organic matrix proteins, Pearlin, Prismalin, and Shematrin, from the shell of the oyster Pinctada fucata have been isolated, characterized, and the sequences reported in the literature. These organic matrix proteins are known to interact with one another and with the mineral layers in assembly of the shell, but how the interaction occurs is unknown. This project focuses on molecular modeling of the proteins to discover how this interaction occurs by using the 3D modeling program Chem3D® (PerkinElmer). The molecular modeling program initially displays each protein in the least sterically-hindered conformation. Next, post-translational modifications were made to model the amino acid crosslinking that must occur between the proteins; the introduced post-translational modification is addition of a hydroxyl group to Tyrosine residues to form L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-Dopa) residues. The modifications of changing the tyrosines to L-Dopa were made to the protein sequence at random to identify any combination of alterations that would be most beneficial for the interaction between the organic matrix proteins and the mineral. After an acceptable conformation was found, the protein was replicated in the modeling program. The proteins were then rearranged to determine the most favorable electrostatic arrangement, one with polar regions of the protein interacting with one another. This modeling approach will be used in the future for proteins isolated and characterized from our experimental organism, Crassostrea virginica, the eastern oyster.

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  Monitoring fecal coliform bacteria concentrations for the assessment of recreational safety of kayak chutes in Great Miami River near downtown, Dayton, OH.

  Audrey Allison Hayes, Suzanne L Lowes

  To determine the potential risks to human health of newly-developed recreational kayak chutes in the downtown Dayton, OH area, surface water samples were collected from sites in the Great Miami River, Mad River, Wolf Creek, and Rubicon Creek. Samples were collected directly from the main river channel adjacent to the kayak chutes and from local stormwater outfalls that empty into rivers and streams near the kayak chutes. Surface water samples were put on ice and taken to the lab where they were cultured in an incubator and counts were made of fecal coliform colonies. Colony concentrations for total fecal coliforms and E. coli regularly exceeded the Ohio EPA’s class A standards for recreational waters. It was found that concentrations increased as the water level increased due to heavy precipitation. Future directions include determining the source of the E. coli contamination in the Rubicon Creek outfall, which may reveal the University of Dayton’s impact on coliform bacteria concentrations since this is the campus’s main outfall into the Great Miami River. We also plan to collect samples from kayak chutes outside of the Great Miami River.

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  Motivation Factors that Affect the Usage of the Recreation Facility by College Students

  Megan Rose Ellis, Kelly Ann Evers, Samantha Kaye Isidro, Jac Nicole Reamsnyder

  Studies have shown that this current generation of young adults is one of the least active when compared to other age groups. Most of these young adults are college-aged students with busy, stressful lives who cannot find the time to use recreation facilities. A main issue in research is that physical activity has declined and that there are surrounding factors that influence this. This study will focus on the primary motivation factors for physical activity participation in hopes of highlighting what motivate college-aged students to prioritize their health and fitness. A survey will be conducted and sent out to students who use the recreation facilities at the University of Dayton. Specifically, we will focus on measuring a variety of motivation factors, which includes social reasons, health benefits, weight management, self-confidence, competition, etc. The research findings will not only help us better understand the motivations behind the physical activity participation among UD students, it will also be beneficial to the UD Campus Recreation by allowing them to better satisfy the needs of their student clients.

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  Moving towards tuning of ankle-foot orthoses: The influence of carbon and plastic AFOs for individuals with Multiple Sclerosis

  Sarah Elizabeth Hollis

  Mobility impairments are reported as the most debilitating symptoms for individuals with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Fatigue, a major symptom of MS, further affects mobility. Ankle-foot orthoses (AFOs) are one potential solution to alleviate some of these mobility impairments; however, the effectiveness of AFOs for individuals with MS are currently inconclusive and have known downfalls. We took a comprehensive look at both carbon fiber and polypropylene AFOs to gain an understanding of the immediate effects of AFOs for individuals with MS. In collaboration with the University of Dayton’s Doctorate of Physical Therapy Program, data was collected for 10 participants on various balance, gait, and strength/fatigue assessments. Overall, no significant differences existed between the baseline, carbon, or plastic AFO conditions for any assessment outcome (p>0.05); however trends did arise within the static and dynamic balance task results. Many outcome parameters varied among participants, suggesting the importance of individual responses to AFOs and patient preferences in prescribing AFOs. The majority of participants preferred the carbon AFO. All AFOs were off-the-shelf with only slight adjustments to account for fit and alleviate any pain, AFO tuning is believed to help optimize the efficiency of AFOs by adjusting the angle of the shank during midstance and the stiffness of the footplate. The next step in this work is to investigate the effects of AFO tuning in collaboration with area clinical partners. A case study is currently underway to give insight and better understanding to the effects of AFO tuning.

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  Multi-Feature Fusion Approach for Object Classification on Oil/Gas Pipeline Right-of-Ways

  Ming Gong

  Pipeline right of way (ROW) monitoring and safety pre-warning is a vital way to guarantee safe operation of the oil/gas transportation. Any construction equipment or heavy vehicle intrusion is a potential safety hazard to the pipeline infrastructure. Therefore, we propose a novel technique that can detect and classify any intrusion on oil/gas pipeline ROW. The detection part has been done based on our previous work, where we built a robust feature set to represent an object from two parts. Firstly, we divide an image into two circular regions with linearly increasing areas and pyramid levels. Then the histogram of the local feature is extracted for each sub-region and in multiple pyramid levels. After that a support vector machine with radial basis kernel is used to detect objects. For the classification part, the object can be represented by a robust fusion feature set, which is a combination of three different feature extraction techniques, histogram of oriented gradient (HOG), local binary pattern (LBP), and the color histogram of HSV (hue, saturation, value). Then a decision making model based support vector machine classifier is utilized for automatic object identification. It is observed that the proposed method provides promising results in identifying the objects that are present on the oil/gas pipeline ROW.

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  My Semester of Service at the Brunner Literacy Center

  Fiona Marie Madden

  The Brunner Literacy Center serves the considerable but largely unrecognized segment of the adult population with low literacy skills. By working with individuals to improve their reading skills, earn their GED, or learn English as a second language, we empower them to improve their lives and their communities. Adult education programs have proven positive impacts on families and communities, including reducing crime and recidivism rates, high school dropout rates, and life expectancies.

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  Niagara Falls in Ohio? – geomorphological and geological expression of the Niagara Escarpment in the vicinity of Dayton, Ohio.

  Thomas Daniel Bashore, Deja Juanita Branch, Frances Coletta Jelinek

  The Niagara Escarpment is a significant landform that runs for hundreds of miles in the northern United States and Canada; from eastern Wisconsin through Ontario to central New York State. The most famous part of this feature is no doubt the Niagara Falls and the Niagara Gorge on the Niagara River, between New York State and Ontario. The geology underlying the Niagara Escarpment comprises Paleozoic Era sediments: Silurian carbonate rocks that are more resistant to erosion overlying more easily eroded sediments from the Ordovician Period; conditions necessary for a waterfall to form. This pattern can be traced along the length of the Niagara Escarpment. What is perhaps less well-known is that in the Dayton area the same age rocks outcrop in a similar relationship along the rim of the Cincinnati Arch expressed at a number of local scenic sites (parks and reserves): for example, Glen Helen, Clifton Gorge, Charleston Falls, Patty Falls (Englewood Metro Park); many with waterfall features clearly not as high as at Niagara Falls but with the same basic geological framework as the latter. The local expression of the Niagara Escarpment is due to an isolated geological inlier, where older rocks (Ordovician age) are overlain by Silurian rocks. We have investigated the geology and geomorphology of some sites in the Dayton area along SW Ohio’s Niagara Escarpment. It is possible to document variation in the geology of the escarpment depending on location along the Cincinnati Arch and depth of erosion. Geomorphological features associated with karst landscapes (limestone solution) of the Silurian sediments have also been investigated. In addition the potential to develop educational materials on this local resource is being explored.

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  Novel Zinc containing Porphyrin exhibits dark toxicity against an opportunistic pathogenic bacterium grown under planktonic and biofilm conditions

  Nehaben Nik Patel

  One of the greatest threats to human health, and life, is the rise of antibiotic resistant bacterial infections. National summary data from the CDC estimates that at least 2,049,442 million illnesses and 23,000 deaths occur each year as the result of antibiotic resistant bacteria and fungi. Additionally, 250,000 illnesses and 14,000 deaths are caused by the bacterium Clostridium difficile, considered to be related to antibiotic resistance and use. We are the co-inventors of two patented novel technologies for the treatment of antibiotic resistant bacteria. Both treatments make use of a novel porphyrin ZnP (US Patent # 9,364,537) that does not require using traditional photo-activation i.e., it exhibits unique dark toxicity. In standard tests against planktonic cells ZnP exhibits broad spectrum activity, for example it is bactericidal towards: Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MIC90 at 25µM), MSSA and MRSA strains of Staphylococcus aureus, as well as Listeria monocytogenes and Mycobacterium smegmatis. In toxicity testing using lung alveolar cells no toxicity was detected at concentrations that were 2-fold higher than the MIC. We have demonstrated that P. aeruginosa (PAO1) cells take up ZnP rapidly and accumulate it inside the cell. In cells treated with 25 µM ZnP there was a substantial loss of chromosomal DNA after as little as 5h; with an almost total loss at 50 µM. Additionally, we have tested various uptake/transport systems in PAO1 that aid in uptake of ZnP. In biofilm experiments, ZnP was able to disrupt 16h preformed biofilms on Polyethylene (PE) and stainless steel surfaces by 2 logs and, more interestingly, prevent the formation of biofilms when PE surface was pretreated with 25µM ZnP compared to the control.

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  Olfaction and Disgust as predictors of Elevated Perfectionism

  Maia A McLin

  Olfaction aided in survival by providing a means to assess if foods were safe to consume. This assessment may have increased chance of survival by decreasing the likelihood of consuming contaminated foods leading to an evolutionary advantage (Rozin & Fallon, 1987). Disgust and olfaction are not key in survival today because of current regulations that prevent the distribution of spoiled and contaminated foods. It is possible that disgust sensitivity and the perception of normally perceived pleasant odors as unpleasant act as a disadvantage in those diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder. This study will examine associations between rigid perfectionism, odor detection sensitivity, perceived pleasantness of odors and disgust sensitivity. Approximately 80 undergraduate students from the University of Dayton will be assessed for odor detection sensitivity, odor identification accuracy, and complete three self-report questionnaires assessing personality traits and disgust sensitivity. Odor sensitivity will be tested with Sniffin Sticks Odor Detection Threshold test (Burghart Instruments; Hummel, Sekinger, Wolf, Pauli, & Kobal, 1997), perceived odor pleasantness with Sticks odor identification test (Burghart Instruments; Hummel et al., 1997). The three self-report measures used are the NEO Personality Inventory-3 (NEO-PI-3; McCrae, Costa & Martin, 2005), the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5; Krueger, Derringer, Markon, Watson, & Skodol, 2012), and the Disgust Scale-Revised (Haidt, Mccauley & Rozin, 1994). It is predicted that elevated perfectionism will be associated with lower odor detection sensitivity, lower pleasantness, higher disgust scores, and higher neuroticism. This study may provide further understanding of relationships between perfectionism, disgust and olfaction, and may also help identify possible target areas for Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder treatment by changing odor perceptions.

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  Open Minds to Open Doors: How Dayton is Becoming More Inclusive

  Haley Marie Sandifer

  The city of Dayton, OH is a small-scale example of a problem facing our nation: the lack of understanding between different groups of people living in the same area, leading to a sense of separation and often exclusion. Frequently ostracized groups include immigrants or minorities and people living in impoverished conditions or in low-income areas. I will use class literature, historical documents, excerpts from the Facing Project Narratives in Dayton, and direct communication with community members to show the negative effects of these harsh divides between groups in Dayton. The goal of my poster is to increase awareness about this issue and to show that strides are being taken in our city to break down these barriers, foster unity, and enact social change. Programs such as The Longest Table, Welcome Dayton, and Peace Dayton will be discussed.

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  Open Minds to Open Doors: How Dayton is Becoming More Inclusive

  Haley Marie Sandifer

  The city of Dayton, OH is a small-scale example of a problem facing our nation: the lack of understanding between different groups of people living in the same area, leading to a sense of separation and often exclusion. Frequently ostracized groups include immi¬grants or minorities and people living in impoverished conditions or in low-income areas. I will use class literature, historical doc¬uments, excerpts from the Facing Project Narratives in Dayton, and direct communication with community members to show the negative effects of these harsh divides between groups in Dayton. The goal of my poster is to increase awareness about this issue and to show that strides are being taken in our city to break down these barriers, foster unity, and enact social change. Programs such as The Longest Table, Welcome Dayton, and Peace Dayton will be discussed.

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  Opportunities for Improvement of University of Dayton Resources Regarding Anxiety and Depression

  Emily Cecilia Goecke, Kayla Christine McCarthy, Molly Alison Murray, Rachel Ann Pavlinec

  The problem of anxiety for college students is steadily increasing. And, in recent years, anxiety has passed depression as the number one health issue specifically targeting women. Due to the stress of a changing lifestyle, college students and young adults are most affected by anxiety. If not treated, anxiety can be detrimental to sleep patterns, academic performance, and overall health. The University of Dayton provides a counseling center and some other resources for students to help cope with anxiety. However, after evaluating these resources, we found them in need of improvement. After comparing UD’s resources to those available at other college campuses and speaking with fellow UD students, we determined that access to online resources may be more beneficial than traditional mediums to help treat anxiety. Because anxiety affects such a large population of college students, there are several ways to give students access to the help they need. By providing greater awareness, using technology in the form of mobile applications, and giving students 24/7 access to support, the overall mental health of college students at UD could improve. We have also created a document to inform students about the facts and opportunities for persons suffering from anxiety and depression at UD.

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  Optimization of Density and Surface Finish in Metal Additive Manufacturing

  Allyson Meagan Cox

  Laser Powder Bed Fusion is a type of additive manufacturing of metal parts that uses fine metal powder that is melted together by a high powered laser, layer by layer, based off a CAD model of the desired design. The metal additive field has gained recent and widespread attention for its innovation, customization, and prototyping. However, due to the nature of industries such as aerospace and defense, the demand for quality products is high. Two ways to measure quality of a finished additive part are density and surface roughness. These properties were measured and compared against changing print parameters to determine process settings that yield optimum part quality. Inconel 718 powder was used in the Advances Technology Laser Additive System (ATLAS) to create test pieces with critical geometries in the design. The individual layers of the part were scanned for profilometry data to analyze internal and edge surface roughness. In addition, the final part characteristics were determined using density testing and metallurgy. During the print, volumetric energy density (VED), mark speed, power, hatch design and part design all remained constant. The number of contours around the edge of the design layer and the offset to hatch were altered for each part. These parameters were compared against each other in the results of the experiment to determine the critical settings of an additive manufactured part that would lead to quality finished parts without post processing.

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  Optimization of Wireless Electroceutical Dressings in Wound Healing for Burn Victims

  Nilan Mani

  The purpose of the proposed interdisciplinary research is to investigate how the electrochemistry of Wireless Electroceutical Dressings (WEDs) can be optimized to fight infection and promote healing in the wounds of burn victims. One of the most common secondary complications is infection, since bacteria and microbes are able to enter the human body freely in the absence of a protective layer of skin. Infection has been determined to be the leading cause of death in approximately 61% of all reported burn victim cases. Once inside the body, bacteria readily form biofilms to shield themselves from antibiotics and increase resistance to treatment by humans. As a result, an anti-biofilm treatment method is necessary to eliminate the biofilm barrier that currently exists when treating disease. A proof of concept for the nanofabrication of an alternative, Biomimetic Wireless Electroceutical Dressing (BWED) that increases bacteria-disruptive microcurrents through optimization of electrode design (material, geometry, volume, and/or circuitry) will be discussed. This feasibility study entails monitoring the growth of various bacterial colonies cultured from common locations in the environment (e.g. cell phone, door knob, elevator buttons) in the presence of various BWED configurations. The research will attempt to show whether BWEDs work better at decreasing the growth of bacteria colonies when compared to a control group with no BWED present. This information will be used to determine the most promising electrode designs to optimize and fabricate in the future.

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  Parental Involvement and External Factors that Influence Academic Success

  Erin Marie Colbert, Claire N Evans, Megan Jane Stefan

  This presentation explores how student success is affected by parental involvement, and addresses external factors such as single-parent households and cultural backgrounds.

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  Partnering with IEP Students to Improve Nutrition Label Education and Literacy

  Olivia Louise Bittner, Brian Douglas Davidson, Natalia Marie Iannarino, Caroline Marie Symons

  Many health care documents are written at too high a reading level for a majority of the U.S. population to comprehend. In an effort to address this problem, we revised a previous existing document on how to read a nutrition label. The original document was intended for children, but through testing it was determined to be written at approximately a ninth grade reading level. We visited a classroom of ten, level two Intensive English Program (IEP) students who wanted to learn more about understanding American nutrition labels to determine what information they are interested in. Within this visit we learned that the students understood the components associated with an American nutrition label, but wished to learn more about what foods are important to include in a healthy diet compatable with their cultural and dietary preferences. In order to cater to the IEP students, we revised the original document to approximately a fourth grade level and paid specific attention to formatting to prevent distraction from key information. We utilized culturally appropriate images and words so that these students could better understand the presented information. After revision, we presented our improved document to the IEP students to receive feedback on the readability and comprehension. With their feedback, we further revised our document so that it would more effectively communicate this information.

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  Perceived Barriers to Reporting Incidences of Stalking by Undergraduate Students at a Private, Midwestern University.

  Antony David Parnigoni

  One in six women and one in 19 men will be victims of stalking in their lifetime (Baum, Catalano, & Rand, 2009). This qualitative, phenomenological research study explores the perceived barriers to reporting stalking-related behavior that undergraduates self-report at a private, religiously-affiliated, mid-sized, Midwestern research university. Undergraduate students (n=22) were interviewed in a one-on-one setting. Barriers that have been recorded in past research have included fear of retaliation, uncertainty that a crime has been committed, or not wanting friends to find out (Fisher, Diagle, Cullen, & Turner 2003; Sable, Danis, Mauzy, & Gallagher, 2010). These previous findings are consistent with the findings of this study. In addition, the majority of students reported that the school could do more to educate on what constitutes as stalking behavior, what the reporting options are, as well as what happens after a report has been filed. These findings are relevant for any university because the research site in this study has already invested a great deal of resources into combatting partner violence and this evidence suggests that there will always be more opportunities for education and student engagement; in other words, this is an ever-evolving battle that needs to be fought.