The Brother Joseph W. Stander Symposium recognizes and celebrates academic excellence in undergraduate and graduate education. This annual event provides an opportunity for students from all disciplines to showcase their intellectual and artistic accomplishments. The Stander Symposium represents the Marianist tradition of education through community and is the principal campus-wide event in which faculty and students actualize our mission to be a "community of learners."
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Relative Value and Momentum Weighting for a Concentrated Portfolio of Health Care Stocks
John P. Klinger
A key factor in portfolio returns is the weights given to stocks in a portfolio of stocks. Capital Asset Pricing Models indicate that the weight assigned to a stock should be based on its risk premium to the market. In recent years, attention has focused on firm size, relative valuation, and earnings momentum as the appropriate weighting strategies. In this study I focus my attention on large size firms in the health care sector using a concentrated portfolio of the 10 largest holdings in the SPDR Health Care ETF. I use a combination of relative value and momentum weighting strategies to develop portfolio weights for the 10 health care stocks. The performance of the concentrated portfolio is compared to the performance of the SPDR Health Care ETF, the DOW, and the S&P 500 for 2014. Quarterly and annual performance comparisons are made assuming that the concentrated portfolio starts 2014 with a funding level of $5,000,000.
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Research exercise: A Mathematical Model to Calculate an Animals Equilibrium Temperature based on the Environmental Temperature
Victoria A. Wawzyniak
Every animal’s temperature is directly correlated to the temperature of the environment that the animal lives in. The animal’s equilibrium temperature can be modeled using mathematical tools based on the temperature of the environment, the amount of solar radiation, and the heating characteristics of the specific animal. Newton’s Law of Cooling can be used to model this sort of phenomena of temperature changes. This mathematical model provides a relation between the unknown temperature and the derivative of this unknown temperature. In this work we will solve this model numerically using different techniques such as the Euler method, the three-term Taylor method, and the Runge-Kutta method. Using these three different mathematical methods, the animal’s body temperature due to the environment can be determined. We use Matlab for all numerical computations.
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Research exercise: Animal-Assisted Intervention in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Critical Review
Karen A. Alexander
Animal-assisted intervention (AAI) is a general term which includes the subcategories of animal-assisted therapy (AAT) and animal-assisted activity (AAA). AAI has been implemented for several centuries within both the medical and psychology fields, but there is not yet an evidence-based consensus for its use. This literature review critically examines current research on the efficacy of AAI as an intervention method for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
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Research exercise: Closed Loop Container Glass Recycling in the State of Ohio
Jonathon P. Caito, David D. Carlos, Josh Obertino Norwood
Glass recycling is one of the fastest growing recycled materials in the country; however, there is a lot that comes into play in order to determine the efficiency of glass recycling. The state of Ohio is in a unique situation due to the fact that it is in close proximity to a large amount of glass production facilities, both in state and nearby out of state. This allows glass recycling facilities to achieve a high rate of production, as well as keep a relatively high efficiency rate due to low transportation cost. That being said, there is still much that Ohio can improve upon in order to both increase its efficiency and become closer to having a "closed loop" on glass usage. Currently the glass received for recycling outweighs the current demand for glass in Ohio; due to quality issues and differences in product demands, a large portion of the the processed recycled glass is shipped out of state, while raw materials are shipped in to glass manufactures. While this is not the only thing responsible for a huge loss in efficiency, it is also responsible for the unnecessary environmental impact of the excessive use of raw materials. This research will examine possible solutions in order to increase the efficiency and quality of the glass recycling process. Such acts as separate glass curbside recycling and color separation have shown to hold a significant impact on the percentage of the glass material retained form the recycling process, as well as the overall quality.
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Research exercise: Comparative Education System Analysis Between Finland and the United States: A Case Study
Caroline Ann Goodill
International student achievement tests have articulated the problem of inequitable education systems around the world. Due to the relatively recent introduction of these tests, scholarly research on the subject has developed as the tests have produced more results. A shared goal of a majority of the research regarding international student achievement is to establish quality education systems. As the United States continuously ranks at or slightly above or below average on the PISA test over the past twelve years, Finland’s consistent success has drawn worldwide attention. For this reason, Finland is the educational system benchmark for this undergraduate thesis.Many authors and scholars have claimed there have been specific Finnish innovations developed in the past decade that directly contribute to Finland’s rise in international student achievement scores. Finland looked to foreign education systems, like Japan, the United States, England, and Sweden, when building and later reforming their own system. In order to help improve American education, it can be beneficial to identify and analyze the programs of the Finnish system that have proven to be successful. The research questions thus guiding this thesis are: What changes have been made in the educational system in Finland that have contributed to improving performance on international assessments? What changes have been made in the United States educational system that are similar to the changes that have been made in Finland? What are the factors contributing to the success of the changes in Finland that could be replicated in the United States?To date, the researcher has identified and begun research on Finland’s part-time special education system, the 9-year comprehensive education system, peruskoulu, and the universal structure of the university teacher education program as three innovations supporting Finland’s educational success. Further research and analysis will continue to evolve over the next two years.
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Research exercise: Developing A Safe Learning Environment Conducive to Comfort and Success
Sara M. Borchers, Karin E. Forsthoefel, Victoria R. Schoen, Olivia G. Thomakos
The goal of the EDT 110H poster is to illustrate a safe learning environment in which schools are able to serve a variety of students in order to be comfortable in the classroom and achieve academic success.
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Research exercise: Digital Marketing and Changing Marketing Industry
Brenna L. Frattaroli, Robert Joseph Jagielski
The purpose of this pilot study on digital marketing/social media is to understand best practices as it applies to professional sport teams, corporations and marketing organizations. Current students and professionals could apply this information in their daily work. A literature review on digital media revealed shared practices and up-and-coming trends for those in the digital media industry. Using the information gathered from the literature review, a survey was then created and validated by a panel of experts who are currently working in the profession. The survey was conducted during the spring semester of 2015, utilizing a sample of individuals drawn from professional sport teams, corporations and marketing organizations. The survey consisted of 8 questions that focused on digital marketing, activation and potential advancements currently utilized within the marketing profession. The results will present an understanding of advancements in one of the newest and still evolving areas within the marketing industry. This study provides extensive look at digital marketing techniques on a macro level and providing the participants potential development opportunities.
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Research exercise: Drosophila eye model to demonstrate the role of microRNA-277 in Alzheimer's disease
Ginny Marie Long, Ankita Sarkar
Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder associated with gradual cognitive impairment and memory decline. As the most common form of dementia, AD currently affects more than 5 million Americans and is expected to affect over 16 million Americans by 2050, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. This disease is characterized by the accumulation of Amyloid-beta 42 (Aβ-42) polypeptides, resulting from the hydrophobic nature of an improperly cleaved transmembrane protein called the amyloid precursor protein (APP). When the APP is cleaved to be 42 amino acids long instead of 40, plaques are formed that alter cellular pathways, inhibit synaptic activity, and initiate neuronal death. Using Drosophila melanogaster as a transgenic model system, we misexpressed Aβ-42 in the differentiating photoreceptors of the developing Drosophila eye. Misexpression of Aβ-42 in the eye results in a strong neurodegenerative phenotype. This project focuses on the impact of a specific microRNA, mir-277, on amyloid-beta-42 mediated neurodegeneration. MicroRNAs act as post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression and work by binding to complementary sequences of mRNA to induce effects such as target degradation, or translational repression. By doing so, microRNAs are capable of preventing protein assembly associated with specific mRNA targets. The results from our studies will be presented.
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Research exercise: ETHOS - Appropriate Solar Technology for Bihar, India
Mariana Lopes, Brooke C. Place
An investigation of the potential for appropriate solar technology in Bihar, India, including solar thermal refrigeration systems. The feasibility of solar PV cells within a micro grid system was studied for applications to existing refrigerators. This is pre-work for an upcoming ETHOS immersion in Bihar, India.
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Research exercise: Glass Recovery is Half the Battle
Abdullah Almandeel, Anas M. Alwatban, Shanthan Reddy Kakulavaram, Daniel J. Kelley
In an energy conscious society, all methods of saving or conserving energy become important. One such way is through recycling. The energy saved by recycling a single glass bottle could be used to light a 100-watt light bulb for four hours, power a computer for half an hour, or a television for 20 minutes. Ohio sends approximately 90% of consumed glass containers to the landfill. There is tremendous room for improvement for glass recycling. This research focuses on how to increase the glass recovery from consumer to recycling facilities by addressing the social, economical, political, and logistical aspects associated with glass recovery. Social factors that influence likelihood to recycle are investigated through a literature review. The container deposit law that a small number of states employ will be quantified through statistics and compared to Ohio’s statistics. The logistics of recycling availability for Ohioans will be assessed and displayed. The economics of incentive programs and the impacts of an increase in glass recovery will be quantified through a cost savings analysis. An integrated plan of these four aspects will be provided. The results will show what the estimated potential percentage participation increase could be by implementing this proposed plan. The paper will conclude with the impacts of various levels of participation and how much energy savings will increase.
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Research exercise: How to Lead Your Team to a Successful Capstone Project: A Student's Guide
Kelsey E. Diachun
The purpose of this project is to analyze and develop a “student” guidebook to manage a senior design or capstone project. The outcome of the project will be a booklet which can be handed to the students chosen as project managers for their capstone project. This booklet will contain a step-by-step guide on leading projects. The guide will include best practices, software tools and how to use them, as well as describing exactly what steps should be taken in order to achieve a successful conclusion to the project. The booklet will also describe some personality traits which are seen in successful project managers both on real world projects and in past student capstone projects. To complete this project, recent graduates will be interviewed, as a means of learning what they felt were the strengths and weaknesses of their capstone projects. These interviews will also investigate what tools the graduates have used for project management and which ones they feel are the easiest to use while having the highest success rate. These analyses will then be used to determine which tool is best for student projects. Throughout the process, research will be done to develop a list of key personality traits shared by project managers in varying disciplines. Research will also be done to collect a listing of techniques that are used in helping to teach students the field of project management and explain which are the most successful and why they work. The final booklets will be available as handouts on the day of the presentation.
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Research exercise: Numerical Exploration of the Spread of Infectious Disease
Johnathan Raymond Ayers
This study will consider a model of SARS for a closed population. The mathematical model will be solved using numerical techniques and the solutions will be compared. It is assumed in this study that the incubation period is very short and individuals who recover from the disease become permanently immune.
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Research exercise: Numerical Methods applied to an Enzyme Kinetics Model
Claudia J. Labrador Rached
In this work, we study enzyme kinetics using numerical techniques, such as Euler’s Method and Taylor’s Series Method. Our system consists of four ordinary differential equations, each of them describing the reaction rate of specific compounds in reaction. We represent the numerical solution and plots of each reactant. We compared the performance of our numerical methods with methods used in Callie Martins’ Enzyme Kinetics Spring 2012 Work.
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Research exercise: Pathway Toward the End-of-life Options for Medical Devices and Equipment
Tyler J. Bahdasarian, Aleksandar Grocic, Julia C. Hauser, Jose C. Panameno
At the end of life, medical equipment can follow three major paths. The first being destruction, medical equipment which cannot be sterilized and is contaminated, then are incinerated; an example of this would be surgical waste that is soaked in bodily fluids and cannot possible be re-used. Some equipment contains toxic elements such as mercury and are dealt with according to the proper regulations and standards. The second path is recycling option. For example, in the case of MRI machines and many medical devices, more than 90% by weight can be recycled for material content. The final major path medical devices take is refurbishment. Medical devices on this path are generally collected by the manufacturers, fixed, updated, supplied with a new warranty and resold to the secondary market at a large percent of the original sticker price.This research examines the current practices of incineration, landfill, reuse, and refurbishment for medical devices and how the the industry can best reduce the environmental impact of these practices, reduce costs for hospitals and consumers, and improve the humanitarian efforts which are already underway. In addition, this research will discuss the philanthropy efforts surrounding reusable medical equipment and government involvement and incentives to recycling, reuse, and donate medical devices. A trend of refurbishment rather than buying new could be emerging from hospitals due to the Affordable Care Act which often case exempts refurbishers from a new medical device tax that was implemented under the law.
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Research exercise: Perceptions of Meaning in Liturgical Music in Christian Church Communities of Various Denominational Identities
Molly M. Guinan
Music is a primary part of worship in most Christian churches around the world. Music, however, holds different meaning and serves a variety of purposes and functions within each Christian denomination. As a part of an independent study course focused on topics related to contemporary liturgical music repertoire, I chose to investigate how Ministers of Music in several different denominations of the Christian faith assigned meaning and purpose to music in the context of worship, and what particular styles they found to resonate most with their own congregations. In order to do this, I interviewed Ministers of Music from the following church communities in and around Dayton, each representing a different denomination: St. Luke’s Catholic Church, Epiphany Lutheran Church, United Methodist Church, and The Vineyard. This poster will outline the factors I considered when developing relevant interview questions (e.g., cultural background of liturgical ministers and congregation members, tendencies of specific denominations, structure of liturgy in worship services) and the conclusions to which I came regarding the factors that play the most significant roles in determining the style of music utilized and the ways in which music is viewed and assigned meaning in a given church community. Additionally, examples of written and recorded music that were deemed meaningful by the Ministers of Music in each of the various church communities will be showcased with the written findings.
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Research exercise: Research on Foundational Elements of the Education System
Emma C. Francois, Kaitlyn E. Stanfield
Many schools emphasize the importance of standardized tests and homework. The goal of the EDT110H1 class project was to investigate the effects of homework and the advantages and disadvantages of standardized tests, and how they affect the American schooling system.
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Research exercise: Solving Crime Using Mathematics
Michael Joseph Jacob
Mathematics is used in almost every area of life. With the development of modern computers, mathematical modelling and numerical simulation is new synergy in scientific discovery. In this work nonlinear equations are solved in order to determine the time of death to solve a crime. The equations are solved with few methods and we compare the accuracy of methods.
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Research exercise: The Implementation of Two-way Immersion Programs in Schools
Kara Marie Jankowski
As society becomes more global, educators are searching for models of education that provide students with the ability to be competitive in the global marketplace. Bilingual education offers students the opportunity to learn two languages while maintaining student achievement in other content areas. Two-way immersion programs, also known as dual-language programs, are a model of instruction where students receive content instruction in two languages. In addition, students and teacher speak both languages and the native languages of the members of the classroom vary. As the programs have been proven to be effective, the next step is figuring out how these programs can be implemented on a practical level (Garland 2012). It is because bilingual programs benefit both language-minority and language-majority students, it provides a positive education option for many students. In order to see if two-way immersion programs can be implemented on a wider scale, research needs to indicate the positive and negative consequences of these programs. Without this research, it will be difficult to see if two-way immersion programs are even a viable option for schools, especially ones with high populations of speakers of other languages. The purpose of this research is to examine the human and material resources necessary for the successful implementation of two-way immersion programs in the United States to determine the practicality of using this dual-language model on a wider scale.
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Research exercise: The implications for instruction under The Common Core State Standards in Mathematics and the effect on students with Dyscalculia
Melissa Rachel Siegel
Dyscalculia and the new CCSS for mathematics are interconnected in regards to the second question asked about the standards. The CCSS-M have implications for instruction that correspond with instructional strategies that are suggested as modifications for students with dyscalculia. Real world applications can move the lesson from a lecture to visual, auditory and kinesthetic aspects to the lessons, depending on the topic. These aspects have shown to help these students. The conceptual focus with the CCSS-M implies a teaching strategy that moves from teaching the procedure to teaching the mathematical concepts, and the reasoning for the procedure, rather than just simply the steps. The possible connections between the implications of instructional strategies by the CCSS-M and the strategies used to support students with dyscalculia is the basis of this undergraduate research honors thesis. The results of this study will contribute to the current research by proposing a positive correlation between the implementation of the CCSS-M, and academic achievement by students with dyscalculia. Since both topics are relatively new in terms of educational practice, it is a very relevant topic in educational research because it has the potential to contribute to the literature in education and educational policy in the United States. The purpose of the study is to identify what instructional strategies using the Common Core State Standards will best support students with dyscalculia. This study could influence classroom application and practice, as well as increase awareness of dyscalculia.
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Research exercise: Utilization of the Gordon Music Learning Theory in Elementary Classroom Music
Hadley Gammie
The Gordon Music Learning Theory is an example of a sight-before-sound method. It focuses on audiation, which is not just hearing the music, but comprehending it as well. There are other methods of instruction such as Kodály, Orff-Schulwerk, and Dalcroze that also use the idea of hearing first, but which do not follow the same sequential order of learning. A survey was conducted to determine which method(s) were most familiar to elementary educators in Southwest Ohio. Results demonstrated that Kodály was the most familiar method, and the Gordon Music Learning Theory was the least familiar. Additionally, the survey asserted that the Kodály method is the most widely known and used, and that the Gordon Music Learning Theory is the least known and used. Keywords: Edwin Gordon, music learning theory, audiation, sequence, elementary music
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Restorative Justice: The Alternative Outlet for Criminal Behavior
Mary M. Cook, Tara E. Fritsch, Michele C. Palmer, Julianne T. Radish
As members of the University of Dayton Social Justice Club, our group carried out a semester long project focused on Restorative Justice in conjunction with the Montgomery County Mentoring Collaborative. We were assigned to Belmont School and each given a young girl to work with. Each young girl we were paired with had a history with incriminating behavior. Our responsibility included talking with our partner and helping them claim responsibility for their actions. Additionally, we talked through previous decisions and their consequences to encourage the girls to start thinking about the impact of their actions.
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Retained Earnings as a Determinant of the Cross Section of Returns
Michael M. Raleigh
The objective of this study is to find out if retained earnings is a determinant of portfolio returns in the cross section. Two hypotheses are tested. First, that value stocks with higher levels of retained earnings will out perform value stocks with lower levels of retained earnings. Second, that growth stocks operate differently in that stocks with low levels of retained earnings will outperform stocks with high levels of retained earnings. For the cross section analysis, the S&P 500 is divided into 10 groupings of 50 stocks each by firm size. using price to book, the top 50 and bottom 50 are further divided into portfolios of 25 stocks each and labeled as relative growth and value portfolios. Weighting the stocks by retained earnings per share, a performance comparison is made for the four portfolios relative to the S&P500 and the Russell 1000 value and growth indexes. The period of analysis is 2006-2004 which includes all phases of a market cycle.
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Retrofitting Retiring Coal Fired Power Plants to Burn Rubber Tire Scraps
Abijitth Guruprasad, Naga Bhavya Kancheti, Abhinandan Ravikumar
New legislation passed by United States Environmental Protection Agency in 2011 requires fossil-fuel fired electric generation units to limit the amount of toxic emissions releases by combustion. Two most important measures, known as Cross-State Air Pollution Rule and the Mercury and Air Toxic Standards, will effect roughly 1,100 coal-fired electric generation units. These facilities are forced to decide between investing in scrubbing technology to reduce their emission rates and retiring. The number of facilities retiring is unknown but many predictions expect severe electric generation capacity reductions in regions that rely heavily on coal-fired generation. The amount of planned electric capacity additions at this juncture do appear to be enough to replace the minimum projections of coal-fired capacity lost while also sustaining the steadily yearly growth of electric capacity that has occurred every year to meet increasing electricity consumption in the United States. In this study, the emergence of cleaner burning tire-derived fuels was examined as an alternative fuel source to help combat this loss in electric capacity. Tires produce almost the same energy as petroleum and approximately produces 25% more energy than coal. The pollutants emitted from the combustion of coal versus the combustion of scrap tires, and their environmental impacts are assessed. An actual power plant retiring in 2015 in central Ohio near both tire collection and tire shredding facilities was considered as a case study to test the feasibility of tire-derived electricity generation to replace the coal-fired capacity. In addition, the electricity generated from different grades of coal compared to rubber tires are examined.
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Risk and Resilience: A Prospective Analysis of the Complex Effects of Internalizing Problems on Alcohol Use in Adolescence
Lauren E. Hurd
Previous research suggests that there exist both risk and protective mechanisms for the relationship between internalizing problems and alcohol use outcomes. The present study aims to determine whether deviant peer affiliations and risk aversion are two protective mediating mechanisms of this relationship. A risk mechanism of high negative emotionality, consistent with the tension reduction hypothesis, will also be investigated. For exploratory purposes, the mediators will be tested on three separate alcohol use outcomes: frequency of use, frequency of heavy use, and problematic use. Data from age cohorts 9, 12, and 15 (N=2,339) of the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods’ (PHDCN) Longitudinal Cohort Study will be utilized. This study collected data in three waves, each occurring approximately two years apart. Internalizing disorders will be measured by the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) from the first wave of data collection. The Emotionality, Activity, Sociability, and Impulsivity (EASI) Temperament Survey from wave one, and the Deviance of Peers questionnaire from wave two will be used to assess the mediators. Lastly, the participants’ alcohol use outcomes will be determined from substance use interviews conducted during wave three of data collection. To assess the hypothesized mechanisms, the bootstrapping procedure with multiple mediators will be utilized.
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Root Cover Pebbling on Graphs
Claire Antonia Sonneborn
A graph is a mathematical object that can be described as a set of vertices and a set of edges. An edge joins one vertex to another. The existence or absence of an edge between two vertices can represent a relationship or absence of a relationship between two objects. Two vertices are said to be adjacent if there is an edge that joins them. Imagine placing pebbles on the vertices of a graph. We can move a pebble from one vertex to an adjacent vertex using certain pebbling moves in which two pebbles are removed from a vertex and one is placed on an adjacent vertex while one is removed from the graph entirely. We have defined a concept called root cover pebbling, a variation on cover pebbling which is a well documented concept. In root cover pebbling we begin with all pebbles on one vertex of a certain graph and attempt to place at least one pebble on every vertex of the graph by using pebbling moves. Thus the root cover pebbling number is the least number of pebbles needed to achieve a configuration with at least one pebble on each vertex of a graph when starting from a configuration with all pebbles on the root vertex. We construct an algorithm for calculating root cover pebbling numbers for certain graphs. We also examine graphs with a root vertex and paths attached to it. With these graphs, we explore the relationships between the number of paths in the graph and the root cover pebbling number of the graph.
