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."
-
What types of active learning in songs lhelp build literacy skills in early childhood?
Olivia Heinrich, Samantha Matheis
This study explores how specific music engagement of active learning in children's songs support the development of early literacy skills. Research focuses on rhyming words, modeling, and repetition. We examined 18 popular children's songs to identify patterns that contribute to literacy growth in early childhood. Our analysis found that these three features were present and play a significant role in enhancing phonological awareness, expanding vocabulary, and encouraging language production. Rhyming helps children recognize sound patterns, a foundational skill for reading. Modeling—where adults or characters demonstrate actions and call and repeat methods that provide clear examples for children to imitate. Repetition reinforced language structures and vocabulary, offering multiple exposures to new concepts and sounds. The combination of these elements created an engaging and supportive environment that promoted active participation and language development. Our findings suggest that educators and caregivers can intentionally use these songs with these characteristics to support early literacy. Music can be a powerful tool in the education process, especially in early childhood settings.
-
When Students Transfer
Nathan Seguin
Transfer students across the US face many challenges and experiences when transferring between colleges or universities. Transfer students often encounter academic, financial, and psychological difficulties. These students may also experience a lack of social inclusion and support, which can impact their sense of belonging and academic success. The study of findings highlights the importance of support systems, such as academic advising and mentoring, to help transfer students navigate these obstacles.
-
White Collar Crime and Sentencing Disparities
Makoro Kebe
This research aims to explore the intricate relationship between socioeconomic status and sentencing disparities in white-collar crime. White-collar crimes, which are usually non-violent and involve deceit or breach of trust, are frequently linked to respectable and well-regarded people. However, the definition and the socioeconomic background of perpetrators remain subjects of debate. Prior studies offer contradictory findings, with some suggesting that higher-status individuals face harsher sentences, while others propose a "status shield" where privileged backgrounds lead to more lenient punishments. Some studies have found that white-collar offenders come from more average backgrounds. To determine if socioeconomic position affects sentencing results, more research is necessary given the current ambiguity and conflicting evidence. Because perceptions of sentencing discrepancies have the potential to undermine public confidence in the legal system and perpetuate systemic inequality, it is imperative that these problems be addressed. Perceived advantages for the wealthy can diminish faith in the legal system and influence crime rates by shaping perceptions of risk and punishment.
-
Wings and Watts: Butterfly Communities in Microhabitats of Solar Prairies
Darcy Beazley, Elizabeth Miles-Flynn, Matthew Noble, Claire Qua, Leen Sawas
Solar energy is becoming an increasingly popular alternative energy source for residential and commercial entities. Butterflies are valuable bioindicators of habitat health and are sensitive to disturbance. This study assessed butterfly abundance and species richness at two solar prairie sites: Marianist Environmental Education Center (MEEC) and Curran Place. MEEC features grass-dominated plant communities under stationary solar panels, while Curran Place has forb-dominated communities under moving panels. At each site, we established six 60-meter transects across two microhabitats: buffer zones (areas around the solar arrays) and array aisles (spaces between the panels), totaling 12 transects per site. We predicted higher total abundance in buffer zones and greater species richness at Curran Place, where nectar-bearing plants are more diverse. Our results showed a marginally significant difference (p = 0.0972), with greater overall abundance at Curran Place, supporting our hypothesis. While ANOVA tests did not confirm statistical significance, trends suggest higher species richness at Curran Place. At MEEC, buffer zones had higher abundance and species richness, while no butterflies were recorded in the array aisles. Both sites primarily hosted generalist species, which are more likely to adapt and spread to altered environments. To mitigate the ecological impact of solar arrays, managing solar prairie sites with plants that support specialists and threatened butterflies can enhance biodiversity. Overall, our study provides a framework for future butterfly population research in solar prairies and highlights the importance of buffer zones, combining flowering plants and native grasses, for habitat conservation.
-
Workforce Readiness in Education: Has It Been Accomplished
Elizabeth Onderak
Too often students are not prepared to succeed in the workforce. There has been a recent struggle in job hiring to find young people who are fully equipped to succeed in their positions. With the future always changing, it is important that the education system changes with it. The findings shared discuss how to cope with these challenges and suggest improvements and priorities for a focus on for the future of education.
-
Working From Internal to External, Insight Into the Lived Experience of Campus Police Officers in the Support of Student Success
Paul Wojdacz
Campus police officers serve in a complex role within higher education. Officers navigate complex bureaucratic environments while balancing legal mandates, university policies, and being placed between students and the university. Employing a narrative inquiry methodology, this study used semi-structured interviews with 21 sworn campus police officers from universities across the United States to understand campus police officers' lived experiences and perspectives. Findings revealed officers deviate from traditional police methods and perceive themselves as guardians and educators within the larger university. They prioritize community-oriented policing and relationship-building over traditional law enforcement. They find purpose in contributing to student development and campus safety. Collecting non-traditional methods in which officers engaged with their campus community to support learning and belonging. From these experiences, they develop a strong sense of belonging stemming from positively impacting student lives. Narratives illuminate the potential for universities to acknowledge and amplify the diverse roles of campus police. Identifying recognition and student investment opportunities can enhance campus safety and build trust within the campus community. The study challenges traditional law enforcement paradigms by highlighting the importance of relationship-building, student engagement, and collaborative educational opportunities.
-
XRD characterization of metal oxide nanoparticle embedded hydrogels
Baji Varahagiri
This study uses X-ray diffraction (XRD) to investigate the structural and crystallographiccharacteristics of hydrogels embedded with metal oxide nanoparticles. Metal oxidenanoparticles improve the hydrogel's adsorption, mechanical strength, and thermalstability, which makes them promising for various applications. The crystalline phases ofthe embedded nanoparticles, their dispersion within the hydrogel, and any phasechanges that occur during synthesis and application are determined using XRDanalysis. The results offer valuable information for improving the filtration performanceof nanoparticle-hydrogel composites, guaranteeing effective contamination removalwhile preserving structural integrity. Various metal oxide nanoparticles including zincoxide and iron oxide nanoparticles that show promising applications as antibacterial anddrug delivery agents are investigated in this study. They are embedded withinbiocompatible poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) gels and the hybrid nanostructures willbe attractive for biomedical applications.
-
ZFP36L1 negatively regulates autophagy to suppress murine norovirus replication
Malabika Bhowmik, Mychaela Janzow, Tooba Ahmed Momin
Objective: Zinc finger proteins (ZFPs) are abundant in eukaryotic cells and play critical roles in cell signalling by binding to cellular components like DNA, RNA, lipids, and other proteins. Specifically, ZFP36L1 has been identified as a regulator of RNA metabolism with antiviral activity against multiple viruses. The current study aims to examine the role of ZFP36L1 in regulating norovirus replication using murine norovirus (MNoV-1) as a model. Given that viruses often hijack the autophagy pathway to facilitate replication, we also seek to understand the relationship between ZFP36L1’s antiviral efficacy and autophagy modulation.
-
ZFP36L1 Suppresses Human Coronavirus OC43 Replication Independent of Poly(A) Tail Deadenylation
Malabika Bhowmik, Tooba Momin
Objective: RNA viruses exhibit high mutation rates, enhancing their survival and potential for cross-species transmission, making them strong candidates for future pandemics. Targeting conserved aspects of viral replication could be an effective antiviral strategy. ZFP36L1, a CCCH-type zinc finger protein that regulates mRNA turnover, has demonstrated antiviral activity against several RNA viruses. Our study investigates the mechanism by which ZFP36L1 suppresses human coronavirus OC43 (HCoV-OC43) replication and explores sodium butyrate as a potential enhancer of ZFP36L1 expression to amplify its antiviral effects. Methods: Wild-type (WT), ZFP36L1-overexpressing (OE), and ZFP36L1 knockdown (KD) HCT-8 cells were infected with HCoV-OC43 and analyzed for viral titers, cytopathic effects, and viral transcript levels via qPCR. To assess whether poly(A) tail deadenylation contributes to viral suppression, CNOT1 was knocked down in OE cells, and viral titers were measured. Computational RNA-protein interaction tools (RPISeq) and homology modeling identified potential interactions between ZFP36L1 and the viral genome, validated through RNA immunoprecipitation and luciferase reporter assays. Additionally, sodium butyrate was tested for its ability to enhance ZFP36L1 expression, followed by viral titer assessment. Results: ZFP36L1 overexpression significantly reduced HCoV-OC43 titers, while knockdown increased viral replication (p less than 0.05). CNOT1 knockdown in OE cells did not reverse suppression, suggesting a poly(A)-independent mechanism. ZFP36L1 strongly interacted with the HCoV-OC43 nucleocapsid protein, leading to suppressed viral replication. Sodium butyrate treatment upregulated ZFP36L1 expression, further reducing viral titers. Conclusions: ZFP36L1 suppresses HCoV-OC43 replication by interacting with the viral nucleocapsid protein, independent of poly(A) tail deadenylation. Sodium butyrate enhances ZFP36L1 expression, strengthening its antiviral effects and leading to a greater reduction in viral titers. This highlights the potential of targeting ZFP36L1 expression via biocompatible compounds like sodium butyrate as a novel antiviral strategy against human coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2.
-
20th Annual Integration Bee, Mathematics
Arthur H. Busch
The students compete in teams of 2-3 people. This is organized in a similar way to the traditional spelling bee. Teams will be evaluating integrals that are projected on a screen. If a team incorrectly evaluates an integral, the team is eliminated from the competition. After the elimination rounds, we will hold the lightning rounds. The first 'y' many teams to correctly evaluate the given integrals will proceed to the next round. We do this until there is a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place team. First, second, and third place teams will receive math t-shirts. The Department of Mathematics will host a pizza lunch in the Science Center Atrium from 12:00-1:00 PM prior to the Integration Bee.
-
3.6 MVA Electric Aircraft Powertrain Development
Xiaoyan Liu, Vafa Marzang, Haoran Meng
An electric aircraft powertrain includes four parts: fuel cell power sources, DC-DC converters, DC-AC inverters, and loads. In this poster, the fuel cell provides 3.6 MVA (2.5MW) electricity energy, which is converted to the required electric energy form of the load using DC-DC and DC-AC converters. The fuel cell offers 600-900 volt DC voltage, which converts to a fixed 1000VDC, and subsequently, the DC form converts to the AC electricity form using the DC-AC inverter. The DC-AC inverter's design, including power module selection, is described based on power loss and thermal analysis. The power losses, including conduction and switching losses, are derived to find the inverter efficiency and the junction temperature. The junction temperature of the power module is analyzed based on the derived power losses and thermal resistance among the ambient temperature at the junction of the power module. Furthermore, thermal analysis is performed to assess the power module's temperature distribution and thermal management requirements under different operating conditions. The simulation results, obtained using MATLAB and PLECS software, validate the mathematical analysis and provide a comprehensive understanding of the system's behavior.
-
3rd Party Carrier Optimization
Brendan L. Ficht, Meigan G. Karolak, Conner M. Macioce, Maximus J. Tucker
MIS and OPS Senior Capstone Projects include small teams of 3 or 4 senior students working weekly with a company/organization to solve a real business problem. These projects extend for the complete undergrad senior year including both Fall and Spring semesters. Students act as Project Consultants and Managers to guide the project from inception until conclusion by delivering solutions and deliverables to the client. Students produce project documentation and formal presentations at multiple stages of the project and conclude with presentations to the supporting Client's Leadership Team.
-
Academic Achievement Gap of ELL Students after the COVID-19 Pandemic
Megan K. Buzzanca
As ELLs continue to be the fastest-growing population of K-12 public school students, itis critical to examine how ELLs were impacted by the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.ELL students struggled to transition from in-class to remote learning because many educationalmaterials were not appropriate for their learning style, both before and because of COVID. (Long,2022). Now, some of these ELL students are approximately 2-3 years behind their English nativepeers in terms of academic progress. The following research will have a foundation through aliterature review as well as a focus qualitative study on ELL students and teachers. The study willgive personal accounts of how COVID-19 has impacted the ELL student’s life in 2020 andhow it continues to impact their lives today. In addition, this study will analyze effective resourcesto further support the learning of ELL students.
-
A Comparative Study of Current Socioeconomic Status to Past Socioeconomic Status in Students and How it Affects their Success in College.
McKenzie M. Craft
An individual's level of education and income plays a role in socioeconomic background. Research shows that the amount of education an individual receives can be linked to their income level. The higher the level of education completed, there is a greater likelihood of achieving a higher paying job. Having a higher income can give more access to needed resources like healthier foods and safe shelter. Studies have shown that not having access to basic needs can negatively affect both physical and mental wellbeing. This study will look at how the past and current socioeconomic status of students affects their success in college.
-
Advancing Sickle Cell Disease Management: Introducing a High-Throughput Test for Irreversibly Sickled Cells
John-Paul Stefano Bugada
Sickle cell disease is an inherited red blood cell disorder caused by abnormal hemoglobin in the cells. This hemoglobin causes the cells to temporarily become rigid and shaped like a “C” or sickle. Sickle cells can get stuck and block blood flow leading to pain, infections, and other serious complications. The percentage of irreversibly sickled cells (ISCs) is an indication of how patients are managing their sickle cell disease. Currently, the best way to quantify ISCs is to use a microscope to count the normal red blood cells and ISCs and then manually calculate a percentage. This method is both time-consuming and subjective, and as a result, it is not being used even though it can help doctors better understand how patients are managing their disease. Through my research at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, we developed a high-throughput ISC test that is faster, more efficient, and more consistent than the current method. This new method uses machine learning analysis software to sort through tens of thousands of pictures of cells from a patient and determine the percentage of ISCs. The new test correlates with the current method without having to train people to recognize sickle cells or manually count them. We believe that this test will provide more accessible, accurate, and consistent monitoring of sickle cell disease while reducing subjectivity, costs, and time.
-
Africa in Our Century
Salem F. S. M. Alluwfan, Aboubacar Aribot, Joseph S. Boise, Patrick James Burns, Ava Elizabeth Catrabone, Charles Richard Ciolek, Daniel Joseph Cornish, Rodrigo Tomás Del Rincón Martínez, Drew Anthony Deshetler, Jack R. Dewine, Kate Adele Dillon, Oumoulkhairy Diop, Jarrett Charles Dixon, Aubrey Ann Evers, Niall Joseph Gallagher, Patrick Mills Garvey, Nicholas Ronald Geelan, Olivia Grace Gulesano, Brooke Renee Higgins, Colin Timothy Kane, Aimable Kazintwari, Kathryn Ann Kloska, Madeleine Grace Lacouture, Hayden Catherine Lingel, Griffin A. Miller, OBIORA Bunie Onochie, Dyamond R. Packer, Marissa Marie Perkins, Cameron Jordan Phillips, Elizabeth Mary Raster, Alexander Christopher Reminder, Natalie Renee Tippmann, Charles Morley Valentincic, Olivia Ann Voelker, Henry Garrett Wentworth
At a time when of the growing significance of Africa, the papers in this session provide a socio-historical context for the understanding of contemporary Africa. The presentations engage in several important ways, and in the end provide a better understanding of what the Economist referred to as the “New Scramble for Africa.” Topics range from the idea of Africa to human rights, genocide, and gender to Africa’s contribution to the global community. We promise to have an exciting session.
-
Alienation in Wise Blood
Zahra Kamdideh
This research paper explores the theme of alienation in Flannery O'Connor's novel Wise Blood through an analysis of the main characters Hazel Motes and Enoch Emery. The theoretical framework draws upon Herbert Marcuse's concepts of alienation in industrial society. The study aims to analyze how the characters in Wise Blood exemplify varying dimensions of alienation from society as well as the self. The paper provides background on the novel's post-World War II southern United States setting and how societal changes contributed to feelings of disconnection. It then delves into Marcuse's definition of alienation as estrangement from one's true self due to societal oppression and repression. Through close analysis of the two main characters, the paper explores how Hazel and Enoch each experience forms of religious, social, and existential alienation. Examples are provided of Enoch's social rejection, identity crisis, and escape into fantasy. Overall, this literary analysis aims to contribute additional perspective to scholarship on alienation in literature. It demonstrates O'Connor's skillful blending of psychological, philosophical, and religious themes to create enduring portraits of isolation and the search for meaning.
-
A Little Ridiculous | From Pen to Performance
John Owen Imhof, Cedric Mwanga Mwizerwa
Owen Imhof and Cedric Mwizerwa are passionate musicians who will present a unique session on their journey of creating original pieces of music. In this presentation, they will take the audience through the process of writing their original compositions and will contain some first-ever live performances of their newly created pieces, as well as reflections on pieces they’ve previously performed, showcasing their musical talent and creativity. Attendees will have the chance to learn about the creative process behind writing original music and gain insights into vocal and instrumental styles. This session is a must-attend for anyone interested in music composition, performance, and creativity.
-
A Long Term Analysis of Industrial Sector Stock Returns in Rising Fed Funds Rate Periods, 1999-2023
Christopher Fredrick Casey, David Francis McColl
Financial analysts consider industrial sector stocks to be cyclical in nature with strong sensitivity to changes in interest rates. In this study I look at four periods within the overall 1999-2023 period where the Fed Funds rate was rising to see if the strong sensitivity assumption holds up. I use the top 20 stocks measured by market cap in the industrial sector to examine the relationship between rising Fed Funds rate and sector stock returns.
-
A long-term study of the impact of rising federal funds rates on communication sector stock returns: An empirical analysis, 1999-2023
Thomas Charles Letke, Jordan Christopher Nelson
In the overall period 1999-2023, there have been four distinct sub-periods of rising federal fund rates. In this study we test the hypothesis that Communcation sector stocks are interest rate sensitive (I.e. Their prices and returns decline when federal funds rates are rising. However, because the four periods differ in terms of length of time, rate of increase in Fed Fund rates and macroeconomic conditions like economic growth and inflation, I expect the degree of interest rate sensitivity for communication sector stocks, period wise, to vary considerably. In this regard, a particular interest is the 2008-2016 period where the federal funds rate was quite low and rising slowly. We use the returns for the top 20 stocks by market cap in the communication sector to measure the sensitivity to rising fed fund rates.
-
Analysis and Design of High-Efficiency Modular Multilevel Resonant DC-DC Converter
Haoran Meng
This paper demonstrates a high-efficiency modular multilevel resonant DC-DC converter(MMRC) with zero-voltage switching (ZVS) capability. In order to minimize the conduction loss in theconverter, optimizing the root-mean-square (RMS) current flowing through switching devices is consideredan effective approach. The analysis of circuit configuration and operating principle show that the RMSvalue of the current flowing through switching devices is closely related to the factors such as the resonanttank parameters, switching frequency, converter output voltage and current, etc. A quantitative analysis thatconsiders all these factors has been performed to evaluate the RMS current of all the components in thecircuit. When the circuit parameters are carefully designed, the switch current waveform can be close tothe square waveform, which has a low RMS value and results in low conduction loss. And a design examplebased on the theoretical analysis is presented to show the design procedures of the presented converter. A 600W48 V-to-12 V prototype is built with the parameters obtained from the design example section. Simulationand experiments have been performed to verify the high-efficiency feature of the designed converter. Themeasured converter peak efficiency reaches 99.55% when it operates at 200 kHz. And its power density canbe as high as 795 W/in3.
-
Analysis of benefits in consolidation for vehicle routing problems with time windows
Nikesh Chithambaram
Vehicle routing is a complex optimization problem with different variations. In this study, we focus on evaluating the advantages of consolidation for vehicle routing problems with time windows. With the help of Google OR tools and deep reinforcement learning solutions, we aim to analyze and compare the benefits of consolidation under different parameters and evaluate the performance of both for increasing number of orders and customers. Our approach involves consolidating orders within specified windows as customers place multiple orders if they fall within a consolidation window based on next day delivery plan. Through this research, we seek to provide insights into the optimal methods for managing vehicle routing logistics in scenarios where consolidation plays a pivotal role.
-
Analysis of Mineral Resources and their Economic Viability in their Direct Community in the Appalachia Region
Camilla M. Fowler
The Appalachian Mountain Range, also known as Appalachia, consists of over 400 counties across 13 states, spanning 206,00 square miles from southern New York to northern Mississippi and encompasses a population of 26 million people. While the Region has made recent improvements in economic factors, Appalachia still lags behind much of the country, particularly in bachelor’s degree earnings, poverty rates, and per capita income (ARC). The coal and natural gas resources already provide much of the income and economy in Appalachia, particularly in West Virginia, due to the bountiful caches of resources present along the Region. However, this region of the United States is full of additional mineral resources, particularly non-fuel and infrastructure mineral resources, that could be exploited by the residents of the Region in order to facilitate further improvements and development in the region. A comprehensive map and dataset of the mineral resources and their locations in the Appalachian Region may provide insight into potential new economic sources – particularly those beyond fossil fuel resources – and a basis for governmental action to take advantage of raw materials and resources for economic improvement and community development.
-
Analysis of Power System Resilience Subject to Extreme Events
Adedayo Joshua Aruwajoye
This study aims to increase the understanding of power system resilience through pattern recognition of disaster induced system disruption. This study consists of analyzing power system failure and recovery patterns in a post extreme event environment to determine relevant pattern characteristics relating to power system resilience in statistical terms. Specifically, the methodology of this progressive study consists of (1) collecting and processing data from power system failures induced by natural disasters categorized by power companies, states, counties, and natural disaster occurrence, (2) developing failure and recovery curves for the collected data, (3) investigating and establishing a distribution model that correlates to the goodness of fit for plotted curves best characterizing the system behavior for each extreme external occurrence, and (4) creating an algorithm for specifying the resilience of such engineered systems. This study will then explore the resultant algorithm in modelling and answering questions about the resiliency of power systems subjected to some extreme events first, opening extensions to other kinds of natural disasters in the future. Since modern society relies extensively on power systems to survive, this increased insight into power system resilience will provide better situational awareness for stakeholders during future decision-making discussions regarding power system construction.
-
Analysis of Student Learning of Hooke's Law
Makenna R. Korzan
Physics educators use assessments to better understand students’ understanding of concepts inan introductory physics course. The Force Concepts Inventory was used as a model to develop anassessment to measure student learning of Hooke’s Law in an introductory physics lab. Three learningtargets were written, which the assessment questions were based on. The assessment was given duringthe summer term, and revisions to the assessment increased the effectiveness of the questions to assessthe learning targets. Data was collected from six sections of the PHY 201L during the fall term. Data wasanalyzed to determine student understanding of Hooke’s Law and effectiveness of teaching instructionin the PHY 201L. The assessment was given to sixty-eight students in the PHY 201L as a pretest beforethe Hooke’s Law lab and as a posttest afterwards. The results of the assessment showed that labinstruction was somewhat effective in increasing students’ understanding of Hooke’s Law with anaverage increase of 16% points per question on the assessment. The assessment found that studentscould explain how to find the spring constant from a graph by taking the slope. The assessment showedsmaller increases in scores for questions that included higher level questions. For example, studentscould not complete the calculation to determine the spring constant from a graph, incorrectly dividing yby x for a single point rather than taking the slope. To improve the Hooke’s Law lab, possible changescould include more opportunities for students to apply their knowledge of how to find spring constantfrom a graph and post lab questions where students have to explain Hooke’s Law and the relationshipbetween force and spring constant.
