Stander Symposium Projects

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  The Impact of Globalization on Small Craft Breweries

  Aubrey Evers

  Globalization has transformed the craft beer industry, bringing both exciting opportunities and tough challenges for small breweries in Germany. While international trade and digital marketing have made it easier for these breweries to reach global markets, they now face growing competition from multinational beer corporations and foreign craft brands. At the same time, sourcing ingredients has become more complex, with many breweries balancing the need for high-quality, imported hops and malts with a push for sustainability and local sourcing. Consumer tastes are also evolving; German beer drinkers are embracing styles influenced by global craft beer trends, while international tourists are eager to experience Germany’s rich brewing heritage. This shift forces small brewers to innovate while staying true to tradition. Meanwhile, regulations, taxation, and trade policies present additional hurdles, shaping how these businesses expand beyond Germany’s borders. This paper explores how small craft breweries in Germany are adapting to globalization, drawing insights from industry reports, case studies, and academic research. Looking at real-world examples highlights how these businesses navigate challenges and seize new opportunities in a rapidly changing beer landscape.

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  The impact of involvement in student clubs on the well-being of UD students

  Brendan Connors, Grace Felts, Ruth Petrick, Emilee Strine

  We want to investigate the impact student organizations have on UD student's lives whether it is through mental health, physical well-being and life satisfaction.

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  The Impact of Prison Education Programs on Inmate Behavior

  Thomas Gillespie

  This study explores whether participating in prison education programs affects inmate behavior, particularly regarding disciplinary infractions. Using data from the Survey of Prison Inmates, 2016, collected by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, this research examines whether inmates who enroll in educational programs are less likely to receive infractions compared to those who do not. The study applies logistic regression analysis to assess this relationship while accounting for factors such as mental health history, prior education, job training participation, offense type, race, and prior incarcerations. The dependent variable, institutional infractions, is treated as a binary measure, distinguishing between inmates with no infractions and those with at least one. By analyzing these variables, this research aims to provide insight into how education influences inmate behavior and whether expanding educational access could be an effective rehabilitation strategy. The findings will contribute to ongoing discussions about prison reform and improving inmate outcomes through educational opportunities.

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  The Importance of Beavers: Effects of a Beaver colony on Biodiversity

  Dustin Holmes

  Ecosystem engineers are vital for natural areas, having a large impact on species richness and ecosystem health. An example is the North American beaver (Castor canadensis). Beavers can radically alter their environment through the construction of dams, which creates new aquatic habitats, leads to greater water availability, and increases nutrient availability for plants and animals. Around two years ago a beaver family began to build a dam in Glen Helen Nature Reserve (Yellow Springs, OH), and since then have completed construction of a dam and a lodge. This has caused significant flooding of the stream that the dam was built on and an opening of the canopy due to the beavers removing many large trees within the area. Our aim was to study the effects that this beaver colony has had on trees in the area and how the beavers are affected by the local fauna and human activity.For this objective, we set up three remote trail cameras to capture beaver presence and activity. Cameras were active for a month, from Nov 15 to Dec 15, 2022. We also monitored and documented the location of trees that showed any signs of beaver activity so that we could identify what tree species were preferred by the beavers. We collected the cameras and reviewed what was captured, following up with analysis of the data collected. We documented 141 photos and videos of beavers during our study. They were primarily active at dawn, and seemed to avoid other mammals and humans. It was also determined that the beavers mainly preferred medium sized sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) and hackberry trees (Celtis occidentalis) over other slower growing tree species. This data will aid in the management of Glen Helen Nature Reserve and provide insight on what attracts beavers to locations for their dam.

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  The Influence of Scottish and Irish Traditional Music on the Work of Bob Dylan

  Bryce Russell

  “Jean Redpath sung a song here a while ago, which I heard Liam Clancy sing about two years ago,” Bob Dylan told the crowd huddled around him on July 26, 1963, at the Newport Folk Festival. “I was listening to her sing it, and I thought I wrote this song called ‘With God on Our Side,’ and it must have somewhere stayed in the back of my mind hearing Liam Clancy sing ‘The Patriot Game.’” The connections between Bob Dylan and the American folk music tradition have been studied since the beginning of his career. However, the folk music of Ireland and Scotland have been important catalysts of Dylan’s work as well, spanning his early folk career to his most recent album. Through numerous covers of Irish / Scottish folk songs like “The Roving Blade” and “Easy and Slow,” among others, we can see Dylan’s appreciation and knowledge for this strand of folk music. For example, he seems to have a lasting affinity for “Wild Mountain Thyme,” having played it in 1965 at the Savoy Hotel with Joan Baez, at his return at the Isle of Wight festival in 1969, and on both the 1975 and 1976 legs of the Rolling Thunder Revue.In taking a deeper look into songs like “With God on Our Side,” “Walls of Red Wing,” and others, we can see how Dylan adapted not just the melody of multiple Irish / Scottish tunes, but also the lyrical elements of rebellion and self-reflectiveness.

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  The Influence of Task Difficulty, Color, and Gender on Mental Workload: A Factorial Analysis Using the Multi-Attribute Task Battery

  Esther Adeyemi

  This study explores how Task Difficulty Level (TDL), color, and gender jointly influence mental workload using the Multi-Attribute Task Battery (MATB) simulation tool. While TDL is a well-established factor in cognitive demand, including color and gender adds new dimensions to understanding workload dynamics. Research suggests that color can affect workload through emotional, behavioral, and physiological responses, while gender-related differences in performance may stem from stereotypes, prior experience, and biological variation. A factorial experimental design examined these variables' independent and interactive effects across four MATB task types: Resource Management, Tracking, Monitoring, and Communication. The study included 180 runs and 15 replicates for each combination of color (3 levels), TDL (low, high), and gender (male, female), and the results were analyzed using ANOVA. Participants were divided into two color groups: RBG (Red, Blue, Gray) and YGG (Yellow, Green, Gray), each comprising 15 males and 15 females. Findings confirmed that higher TDL consistently elevated workload across all task categories. Gender significantly influenced performance in tracking (males outperform females in both groups) and communication (males outperform females in RBG). In YGG, females excelled in Resource Management, while males performed better in tracking. Color alone did not significantly affect workload except in the YGG group for communication and monitoring tasks. However, notable interactions were found: color and gender interacted significantly in the RBG group for Resource Management, while color and TDL interacted in YGG for communication. These findings accentuate the importance of considering demographic and visual variables in workload assessment and offer valuable insights into how task difficulty, color, and gender collectively shape cognitive performance, paving the way for more inclusive and adaptive task design.

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  The Legacy of French Colonialism in Haiti: Economic Instability and Gender Inequality

  Lydia Andrews

  This research examines how Haiti’s colonial past, particularly its exploitative plantation economy (1697–1804) and the burden of post-independence debt (1825–1947), has contributed to systemic financial hardship and gender inequality. The poto-mitan figure, derived from the Haitian Creole words for “pillar” (poto) and “center” (mitan), is often viewed as a source of strength that symbolizes resilience, self-sacrifice, and responsibility, particularly among working-class, dark-skinned Haitian women. However, this figure, emerging from colonial and postcolonial labor structures, places disproportionate economic burdens on women while devaluing their contributions. This social construct has reinforced a gendered and racialized division of labor, limiting Haitian women’s economic mobility. Over the past fifty years (1970s–present), continued economic instability, worsened by political unrest and foreign interventions, has exacerbated these gender disparities, constricting Haitian women’s participation in the formal economy. Through an analysis of historical colonial policies, post-independence economic struggles, and contemporary gendered labor dynamics, this research seeks to examine how colonial legacies continue to shape economic and social inequalities in Haiti.

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  The Mathematics of RSA: Primality Testing, One-Way Functions and Key Exchange

  Maximo Gonzalez

  This project explores key mathematical components of public key cryptography, which is widely used to secure digital communications. The necessary mathematical tools are reviewed, including the topic of prime numbers and the Miller–Rabin primality test. One-way functions based on modular exponentiation are also covered, as well as the Diffie-Hellman algorithm which generates a secret key that is known to only the intended sender and receiver utilizing modular exponentiation. These topics are integral to demonstrate public key cryptography and how it is implemented using the RSA (Rivest–Shamir–Adleman) cryptosystem.

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  The Moral Courage Project Presents: "At the Root: Policing and the Right to Protest"

  Lila Acott, Aila Carr-Chellman, Saija Cleveland, Sebastian De Leon Osorio, Precious Henderson, Kristine Hillstrom, Kathryn Horning, Mary Kate Mull, Kurtis Neiman, Katherine Shryock, Ximena Silva-Aguirre, Anastacia Zartman-Robb

  "At the Root: Policing and the Right to Protest," the Moral Courage Project's fifth exhibition, documents a social movement based in Atlanta, Georgia facing repression for its opposition to a plan to build a police training facility in a clear-cut forest outside the city. The Moral Courage Project is a collaborative storytelling program of the UD Human Rights that produces traveling exhibitions, interactive websites, and a podcast series, Moral Courage Radio. The program prepares students to conduct immersive fieldwork in the U.S. and document the experiences of grassroots organizers and activists who expose themselves to risk in order to promote dignity during moments of crisis.

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  The Power of Black Love: Exploring Black Students' Sense of Belonging through the Lens of Romance

  Kayla Jackson

  All humans desire some sort of connection, as we are social beings by nature. This study aims to better understand the relationship between Black students’ experiences in romantic relationships and their perceptions of belonging on campus. This is necessary, given that a student’s sense of belonging is crucial to their success in higher education. The study was conducted using confidential, semi-structured interviews of Black undergraduate students at the University of Dayton who have been in a relationship during their college years. Results show that Black students have mixed feelings about whether they feel that they belong on campus. Though relationships had less of an impact on campus events and involvement, they had a profound effect on social life. These findings paint a more detailed picture of an overlooked aspect of Black students’ experiences on UD’s campus.

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  The Price of Community: Budget Changes and Multicultural Student Sucess and Belonging

  Crystal Kissi

  Increasing political opposition to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion policies alongside budget cuts at higher education institutions have caused much concern about the future of diversity initiatives on many campuses, including the University of Dayton. This study explores the perceptions of multicultural student leaders concerning budget changes. The goal is to understand the importance of multicultural organizations and perceptions of budget cuts and link these experiences and perceptions to student belonging on campus. Through semi-structured interviews with 13 multicultural student leaders who are involved in MEC and/or SGA, results highlight these organizations as a key factor in why multicultural students feel they belong on UD’s campus. The interviews also revealed the importance of holistic support from advisors and other administrators on campus or in their organizations. These findings demonstrate the specific needs of students and organizations, as well as the importance of administrative structures and national networks in supporting students on campus.

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  The regulation of the Drosophila melanogaster pale gene and its evolution during the origin of a dimorphic pigmentation trait

  Devon Seibert, Ashley Williams

  The coordinated expressions of trait building, so-called “realizator”, genes in the appropriate cell types and developmental stages are two impressive outcomes of the genetic and molecular mechanisms of morphological evolution. For each realizator gene, its pattern of expression is anticipated to result from the interaction of a combination of transcription factors to binding sites within one or more cis-regulatory element (CRE). A question that remains murky is to what extent these similar patterns of realizator expression require their CREs to be bound by similar combinations of transcription factors. One model trait that may shed light on this question is the sexually dimorphic pattern abdomen pigmentation that evolved in the lineage of Drosophila (D.) melanogaster fruit flies. This male-specific pattern of melanic pigmentation on the posterior abdomen results from the spatial-, temporal-, and sex-specific deployment of a pathway of metabolic genes. While the CREs for several of these pathway genes have been well-studied, the biochemically first acting gene, known as pale, has received little attention. Here, we will share insights from studies on the regulation of the D. melanogaster pale gene and how this regulation and pale expression evolved during the origin and diversification of this pigmentation trait.

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  The Relationship Between Disciplinary Actions and the School-to-Prison Pipeline: Impact on Minority Dropout Rates

  James Quinn

  The school to prison pipeline is one of the biggest problems in the United States that is sending youth minority out of school and into jail instead. It largely weighs against young minority school students. One of the major problems in the school to prison pipeline is the dropout rate of youth minority students. This project will look into the effects of dropping out and what behaviors both in and outside the school were like. Schools have contributed to making minor violations into big problems which increase the rates at which minority students are being pushed out of school and into the juvenile justice system. This research aims to investigate the disciplinary practices impacting minority students like dropout rates and how they contribute to the school to prison pipeline. Some variables focus on whether suspension and expulsion has similar effects on whites and nonwhites, controlling for behavioral history, family structure, substance abuse, gang involvement, academic performance, and friends criminal involvement, and other variables. In the end, this study will help show the importance of changing these policies to more promote equal and fair disciplinary actions and to further reduce the long term consequences for marginalized students.

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  The Rise of the Far Right in France & Impact on French Immigration Policy

  Rose Philbin

  The National Rally, France’s right-wing populist and nationalist party, has seen swift growth in recent years under the leadership of Parliamentary Party Leader, Marine Le Pen. Formerly a party on the political outskirts, in July of 2024 it won more seats in the French parliament than it has had in any other time in history. This project explores the French political system and the factors that have led the National Rally to gain increased popularity in the last decade. Additionally, it investigates how immigration has impacted France, the French government’s response to it, and how this situation will continue to change in the future. This project addresses the question: what are the factors that have led to the rise of the far right in France and how has this rise impacted French immigration policies? The rise of far-right ideals has historically included ideology that stresses racism, antisemitism, and xenophobia. Being aware of these global political shifts is essential in understanding the future impacts of the far-right in France, as well as its effects worldwide.

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  The Role of Play-Based Learning in Cognitive and Social Development in Early Childhood Education

  Emily Tucker

  Play-based learning is important for young children to develop their cognitive and social skills. In play-based learning teachers guide play, kids learn new ideas, and get to explore on their own. In classrooms with kids of different abilities, play helps them interact with others and manage their behavior. Balancing kids’ freedom with teacher support helps children grow in their thinking, language, and emotions while creating a welcoming learning environment.

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  The Role of Retinal Degeneration Gene Crumbs in Alzheimer's Disease

  Magdalene Amponsah-Mensah

  Magdalene Mensah, Sunanda Yogi, Amit Singh CRUMBS (crb) is a transmembrane protein important for apical-basal polarity and is known to be a negative regulator of the growth regulatory pathway. It plays a crucial role in the morphogenesis of photoreceptor cells. The human ortholog is CRB1 (crumbs cell polarity complex component 1), which has been implicated in retinitis pigmentosa and retinal degeneration. Drosophila melanogaster has a short life cycle and various developmental stages, making it a useful model to study disease progression. We aim to characterize the basic function of crb in the developing eye of Drosophila. There is a single fly gene, crb, which is orthologous to both isoforms of CRB1 and CRB2 in humans, making it an appropriate model system to study mutations in the crb gene. In our lab, we have overexpressed crb (gain-of-function) and downregulated crb (loss-of-function) using the UAS-Gal4 bipartite system. Retinal and neurological degeneration share similar cellular mechanisms, and their mechanistic pathways often coincide. Alzheimer's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that begins with the accumulation of abnormal plaques (Aβ42) and neurofibrillary tangles (Tau) in the brain. In our lab, we have previously modeled Alzheimer's disease by expressing human Aβ42 in Drosophila. This study aims to model retinal degeneration in the context of Alzheimer's disease. I will examine the effect of crb on Alzheimer's and score the resulting phenotypes, analyzing them across various developmental stages. This study could also be further extrapolated to human ocular diseases that result in progressive retinal degeneration.

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  The Role of Temperature and Transcription Factor CodY in Regulating the Effects of Propionate on Listeria monocytogenes Lactate Dehydrogenase Activity

  Emily Backus, Angelina Giannetto

  Listeria monocytogenes is a bacterial foodborne pathogen that can cause severe enteric infections with high mortality rates. During transmission, L. monocytogenes is exposed to propionate both as a common additive in food matrices and as a metabolic byproduct of our intestinal microbiota. However, how L. monocytogenes adapts to propionate exposure is not fully understood. In this study, we investigated how propionate exposure regulates the activity of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). LDH activity is critical for bacteria to maintain redox homeostasis and therefore can be a good indicator for bacterial fitness. Therefore, bacteria grown under different conditions with or without propionate were harvested and lysed. LDH activities were quantified in the resulting lysates using Pierce LDH Cytotoxicity Assay Kit. To investigate how L. monocytogenes LDH activity is regulated by propionate under different environmental conditions, we analyzed the effects of temperature on wildtype L. monocytogenes LDH activity. We compared the results of 0 degrees Celsius, with or without propionate, and then 37 degrees Celsius, with or without propionate. We discovered that there was no statistically significant difference between any of the temperatures and with or without the presence of propionate. Moreover, to explore the molecular mechanism underlying the regulation of LDH activity, we compared the results between wildtype L. monocytogenes and a mutant strain lacking the transcription factor CodY. We found that while propionate didn't significantly change LDH activities, the lack of CodY resulted in a significantly lower LDH activity. These results highlight the potential role of CodY in activating LDH production.

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  The Role Race plays in Misconduct in Jails and Prisons

  Hunter Koehler

  I will be looking at if there is a connection between Race and the type of Misconduct that is conducted in prisons and jails in the United States correctional system. I will be focusing on Non-violent misconduct and Violent misconduct. I will be using other variables besides Race to help see what other factors may play a role in misconduct happening in the correctional facilities other than race. I will look at whether or not veterans and inmates with mental disabilities are more or less likely to commit misconduct while incarcerated than other inmates. I will also look at whether inmates have received some sort of education while being incarcerated. Whether inmates have been arrested and incarcerated before their current offence(s) and how many times they have been arrested and incarcerated before this offense(s). I am looking at this relationship due to the overwhelming media attention that Race plays a role in everything, so I want to know if the prisons system is subject to these claims. I also wanted to look into whether the prison system is as one sided as some people think, showing that the African American population is disproportionally represented in the prisons and jails of the United States. I am looking at the information and statistics to better understand what could influence the decisions of an inmate and what variables have a major role in those decisions.

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  The Safety on Campus Edges

  Riley Holkema, Maya Parks, Valerie Smith

  In this class project for SOC 324: Communities & Crime, we worked to identify a crime problem or a plan to promote safety that is pertinent to our own community. We applied relevant social science theories in order to understand how to promote safety on campus, especially along campus edges. Based on these theoretical explanations, we offer strategies to address the crime problem and to enhance community safety, as well as an action plan to implement our recommended solutions.

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  The Transformative Role of Art in Education: Cultivating Creativity, Confidence, and Compassion

  Cindy Pham

  Although often overlooked, art plays a significant role in shaping a holistic education that enhances creativity, fosters confidence, and promotes emotional development among students. In highlighting the instrumental contributions that art has on the educational experience, this project advocates for the continued inclusion of arts within school systems as it is evident that art can immensely support students’ social-emotional maturity and self-efficacy.

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  The Use of Novel Additively Manufactured Electronics Techniques in the Design of Multifunctional 3D Printed Capacitors

  Tanner Cuttone, Bridget Gerber, Christopher Ruetschle, Zhe-Yu Yu

  Rapid advancements in the emerging field of Additive Manufacturing Electronics (AME) over the past several years provide an innovative and cost-effective solution for the fabrication of multifunctional, frequency-selective composites that can be implemented for a variety of applications in avionics and electronic warfare. The overall aim of this study is to explore two different fabrication techniques (hybrid FDM versus conformal conductive ink) to create a 3D printed antenna and measure the corresponding signal strength, bandwidth, and polarization for each method. New hybrid metal-infused 3D printer feedstock filaments offer a compromise between ultra-lightweight, elastic polymers with relatively low conductivity and melting points, and full metal parts produced through much more expensive additive processes such as laser-powder bed fusion. 3D printing with metal-infused filament comprises an emerging new field coined “metal deposition modeling”, which when combined with dual-extrusion processes, provides an innovative strategy for creating multifunction, multi-layer, multi-material electronic devices with distinct conductive, dielectric, and substrate layers. By comparison, high resolution deposition of thin-film, nanoparticle silver and dielectric inks onto flexible substrate layers provides a revolutionary fabrication technique for flexible, conformal 3D printed circuit boards (PCBs).

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  Time and Space are not Absolute

  Brett Jones, Andrew Shoemaker, Charles Strunc

  Before 1905, it was believed that time and space were absolute. Two observers will measure the same time and space regardless of the frame of reference where measurements are made. However, Albert Einstein challenged this long-held belief after introducing his well known special theory of relativity. This theory transformed how we view the universe as a whole. His theory shows that two observers would measure different times and distances when they move with respect to each other. In particular, time slows down and distance shrinks in moving frames. As an example, in our presentation we will discuss the twin paradox where we will show that the traveling twin will age less. Ten years later (1915), Einstein introduced his general theory of relativity where he shows that massive objects like planets and stars can bend space and time around them, affecting how the fabrics of space-time behave. This idea upends the traditional view of a constant, unchanging reality, showing instead that time and space are dynamic and interwoven in ways we’d never imagined before.

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  Tooth Development in Frogs: Implications for the Re-Evolution of Lost Mandibular Teeth and the Origin of Vertebrate Morphological Innovation

  Kyliah Gilliam-Beale

  Teeth have been maintained across most vertebrates for 400 million years, and the core regulatory network underlying tooth formation is deeply conserved in the embryonic jaws of fishes and amniotes. Unlike other vertebrates, frog odontogenesis is delayed, occurring during metamorphosis. Larval anurans possess unique keratinized mouthparts that functionally replace, and potentially inhibit, teeth. The majority of frogs form teeth on the upper jaw but lack lower jaw dentition; however, a single species re-evolved mandibular teeth. The developmental- genetic mechanisms underlying tooth formation is poorly understood in frogs, and it is unknown if an ancestral program is partially maintained in the lower jaw, providing a putative mechanism for recovering lost mandibular teeth. Using a developmental series of a non-model frog, we assessed 1) if the gene network underlying odontogenic competence is conserved in the late- forming teeth of frogs, 2) if keratinized mouthparts of tadpoles impede tooth induction, and 3) if transient tooth rudiments form in the anuran mandible. The frog upper jaw displays dental expression patterns comparable to other vertebrates, supporting the conservation of the tooth development network. Teeth emerge before keratinized mouthparts degenerate, but their location may be spatially constrained by keratin. No evidence of tooth development was found in the mandible, suggesting that frogs are unique in losing teeth without a trace. Overlapping gene expression patterns are present in tadpole keratinized mouthparts and frog teeth. We hypothesize that the novel mouthparts of tadpoles did not arise de novo but originated by partially co-opting the developmental program that typically orchestrates odontogenesis.

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  Trauma, Vengeance, and Healing in Haitian Corner

  Lydia Andrews

  This presentation examines how Raoul Peck’s 1987 film Haitian Corner explores the different ways trauma is processed within the Haitian diaspora, contrasting the protagonist Joseph’s obsession with vengeance against his community’s focus on rebuilding. Joseph, a survivor of the Duvalier dictatorship displaced in New York City, is consumed by his past, isolating himself as he relentlessly pursues his former torturer. Whereas, characters like Sarah and Hegel, who have endured similar trauma, exile, and displacement, focus on establishing stability and creating supportive spaces for their community in New York. While much of the Haitian diaspora prioritizes moving forward, Joseph remains trapped in a cycle of traumatic memories and vengeance. Through this juxtaposition, Peck reveals the complex reality of overcoming trauma: healing occurs in various ways, at different paces, and on different timelines. In this way, Haitian Corner gives insight into the Haitian diaspora’s diverse experiences and can resonate with communities and individuals dealing with similar histories of political violence and displacement. Ultimately, Peck leverages Haitian cinema as historical testimony and a means of reclaiming agency, depicting the diaspora’s struggles and resilience, and contributing to broader discourse on trauma within the Francophone world.

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  Two Player Lights Out

  Maximo Gonzalez

  This is a project for MTH 466, Graph Theory and Combinatorics. A graph is a mathematical object that consists of two sets, a set of vertices and a set of edges. An edge joins two vertices and depicts a relationship between those vertices, and these vertices are called neighbors. This game is played on a graph, all of whose vertices can be thought of as lights which can be “off” and “on”. Selecting a vertex changes the state of that vertex and of all its neighbors. At the start of the game, the lights at all the vertices are on. The two players take turns in selecting a vertex of the graph. A player may not select the same vertex that their opponent selected most recently. The winner is the player who turns off the last light. If the lights remain on after 20 turns, then the game is a draw. This poster investigates the fewest required moves for a player to win, whether the order of moves matter, and whether there is an advantage to being the first player.