Stander Symposium Projects

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  Can Ruminating About Trauma Foster Growth? Emotion Regulation's Role in the Link Between Intrusive and Deliberate Rumination

  Molly Julianna Campbell, Elizabeth A. Chevalier, Karoline Elizabeth Harshbarger

  Posttraumatic growth (PTG) refers to positive psychological changes resulting from cognitive struggle after stressful situations or traumatic events (Tedeschi et al., 2018). The theoretical framework of PTG says that traumatic or disruptive life events challenge a person’s core beliefs. As a result of this challenge, one can experience intrusive rumination, or automatic, uncontrollable thoughts about the event, which is sometimes associated with lower PTG (Cann et al., 2010) and sometimes uncorrelated (Bakaityte et al., 2022). Instead, if a person can manage their distress, and reassess their goals and beliefs, there is some evidence that this may be able to turn into deliberate rumination (Bakaityte et al., 2022), which consists of reflective, constructive thoughts about the event, and is linked with more growth (Tedeschi et al., 2018). Though the transition from intrusive to deliberate rumination may be crucial in fostering PTG, it is not well understood. Among the few studies that have looked at this association, some have found self-blame to mediate the intrusive - deliberate link (Bakaityte et al., 2022), while others have tested multiple cognitive mediators and not found significance (Rider Mundey et al., 2019). To better understand the mixed findings regarding the pathway from intrusive rumination to deliberate rumination to PTG, it is important to consider variables that moderate these links, such as emotion regulation, which is linked with both deliberate rumination and PTG (Zhou & Zhen, 2024). This study will use self-report data from undergraduate students who have experienced one or more traumatic events to test the relation between intrusive and deliberate rumination (assessed using the Event-Related Rumination Inventory), to test emotion regulation domains (assessed using the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale) as moderators of this link, and test these associations with PTG (assessed using the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory). Moderation will be tested using the PROCESS macro for SPSS.

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  Can Self-care Activities Help Combat the Effects of Academic Burnout?

  Anna Jane Caldwell, Mia G. Fiordelisi, Chloe Gwendoline Fletcher, Adam J. Jones, Sage Alisen Roberts

  Academic burnout is a rising problem in college students as college can determine the trajectory of a students’ professional life. College is also very important for personal development along with the need to acquire and obtain knowledge and skills. As a result, academic burnout is prevalent in this population. There are many factors that can prevent academic burnout, such as physical activity and many others that can add to it, like increased levels of stress. This study investigated the intricate relationship between daily stressors and academic burnout while identifying effective coping mechanisms among college students at the University of Dayton (UD). We sought to assess the amount of academic burnout on the UD campus, look at coping mechanisms utilized by students and compared it to the proven strategy of physical exercise. We also aimed to analyze students’ daily stressors that impact the prevalence of academic burnout. Employing a cross-sectional design, a single survey was distributed to participants to gauge burnout levels, daily activities, and coping strategies. Participants, recruited from Health Science Research classes and through researcher networks, included UD undergraduate students living on campus. This offered a sample of high-achieving college students that may be at risk for burnout due to a high level of involvement.nThe importance of understanding and addressing academic burnout is underscored by its potential impact on students' well-being and academic performance. By investigating daily stressors and coping mechanisms, this research contributes valuable insights that can inform psychologists, teachers, and advisors in providing support and interventions for students struggling with burnout.

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  Can't Believe It's Not Bottled!

  Molly Kennedy Delude, Ethan W. Shade, Sarah W. Stuckert

  This lesson plan unit incorporates interdisciplinary courses to actively engage students in the social justice issue related to access to water and preservation of clean water. Students will critically examine and develop a way to preserve a sustainable amount of clean water in rural and urban communities. Through this unit, students will explore the scientific and mathematical principles behind water access and sustainability, while also learning about cultural and social aspects that influence water usage and management. The unit plan emphasizes experiential learning and collaborative problem-solving, empowering students to understand and tackle real-world challenges.

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  Case Analysis: Forced Abortion of Disabled Woman's Fetus

  Audrey Olivia Pohlod

  I examine a case that involves a disabled pregnant woman from the United Kingdom whom a judge ruled must have an abortion, against the wishes of the woman and her mother. The woman suffers from a disability which gives her the mental capacity of between a six and nine-year-old, despite being in her twenties, but the fetus itself bore no evidence of impairment. The woman’s mother had stated her willingness to care for the fetus once born, but the judge determined the woman’s life would be worse if the pregnancy was continued. Personal autonomy and social expectations are issues relevant in this case. The pregnant woman and her mother as persons have a measure of autonomy, a capacity which forms the basis of freedoms. This capacity thus begs the question of whether a judge has the right to overrule the women’s decisions in regards to the abortion. The judge within this case also hints that the United Kingdom’s society frowns upon abortion, but that the social expectations should not hold weight when deciding the best action to promote the well-being of the pregnant woman.The Categorical Imperative of Kantian ethics holds that one should act only on that maxim that could hold as a universal law, and in this case, forcing abortions against the will of the mother would not hold universally. Utilizing justice and virtue ethics, I claim that it would be most just to support the will of the pregnant woman and her mother. Finally, natural law theory would consider the act of forced abortion a negative action to bring about a good effect, and thus the judge’s ruling would fail the principle of double effect. Therefore, I argue that the judge’s decision to force the abortion of the woman’s fetus was immoral.

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  Case Analysis of Mentally Disabled Pregnant Woman

  Mary Lucille Mislansky

  In the UK, a 20-year-old pregnant woman with the mental capacity of a 6-9 year old is ordered by the court to have an abortion. The cause of her pregnancy is unknown and currently under police investigation. She and her mother do not wish for her to receive an abortion. In this case analysis, I will use the moral theories and moral norms of respect for patient autonomy, the natural law theory, and the ethics of care, to argue that the mother and her daughter should be permitted to keep the fetus and give birth to the child. In addition, the mother and the pregnant woman have the right to continue the pregnancy as there is no evidence the fetus will be mentally disabled and the mother has offered to care for the child with her daughter. The last line of reasoning against abortion is based on the idea of fetal personhood. Mary Anne Warren argues that a fetus is not a person because it does not have consciousness, reasoning, self-motivated activity, capacity to communicate, and presence of self-concepts. However, this does not mean an abortion needs to be performed. In this case, the mother and the pregnant woman want to have this baby. I will conclude that it is not morally right for the judge to court order that this woman receive an abortion.

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  Characterizing the Broadband Frequency Response of Pressure-Sensitive Paint

  Charles Jerome Strunc

  Pressure-Sensitive Paint (PSP) is an exceptional tool used to gather the pressure distribution on a model during a wind tunnel test (or other similar methods of testing) in the form of a high-resolution image. In order to use the PSP effectively, however, an intimate understanding of the paint being employed must first be established and the reaction time of the paint being developed must be pushed to the limit. These goals in my work are accomplished by sending various novel PSP creations through a resonance tube that was designed, constructed, and applied here on campus. The resonant qualities of an air column in the tube are exploited to increase the magnitude of the rapid pressure fluctuations coming from a speaker system. The pressure readings from the paint inside the tube will be compared to the more exact results from a pressure transducer to determine the frequency response time of the paint, thus allowing the testing of novel PSP at any desired frequency range between 0 and 60 kHz.

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  Christianity and Judaism: Perspectives and Solutions to Poverty

  Grooznyi Nicole Armstrong, Gabriel Christian Jones, Ricky Steven Miller

  This literature review of sociology, anthropology, and psychology asks about how material and monetary poverty is addressed by Christianity and Judaism. The purpose was to explore how religious groups alleviate poverty and what their perspective is in regard to impoverished communities. We compared articles in various social disciplines about the prevalence of poverty in different religions. From our research, we found that these religions cope and view poverty in different ways. This is relevant because poverty is a real and growing issue around the world and individuals look to religion as a way to cope with their hardships.

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  Civil Religion: Presidential Inauguration and The Star-Spangled Banner

  Andrew Bray, Kennedy Byrd, Meredith Grigsby

  Rhetoric drawing on religious stories, ideals, concepts, and experiences surround us in our daily lives. These posters represent a sampling of the rhetorical analyses conducted by students from CMM 357 Religious Rhetoric throughout the Spring 2024 semester. Groups presented several themed reports prior to Stander and picked one to showcase at the symposium.

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  Civil Religion & The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

  Erin Callahan, Grace Kovesdy, Laynie Gerhardt

  Rhetoric drawing on religious stories, ideals, concepts, and experiences surround us in our daily lives. These posters represent a sampling of the rhetorical analyses conducted by students from CMM 357 Religious Rhetoric throughout the Spring 2024 semester. Groups presented several themed reports prior to Stander and picked one to showcase at the symposium.

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  Classification of Surfaces with Fundamental Groups

  Jacob D. Biesecker-Mast, Jasmine George, Michael Thomas Siegrist, MaryRose Schertler

  Polygons can transformed into surfaces via projective maps that work akin to gluing. If each vertex of a polygon is mapped to a single point, there is a classification theorem that assigns a fundamental group to the corresponding surface. This project will explore this classification theorem on generators of squares, and specifically how the fundamental group operates on the torus.

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  Climate Change in the Classroom: How and Why We Teach It

  Eliot Archer Suttman

  Climate Change Education (CCE) is a topic being addressed in classrooms through curriculum and research studies. From this review, we see how teachers are building/organizing content, how it is implemented in different subjects, and how textbooks affect content knowledge. This curriculum also allows teachers to look at the social and cultural aspects of CCE.

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  Climbing assay to study behavioral deficits in Alzheimer’s disease

  Aydan Romeo Wilson

  Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that manifests as profound loss of neuronal tissue and high levels of stress and cell death. Patients with AD present with memory problems, motor dysfunction, and the eventual loss of the ability to perform everyday tasks. While there are some medicines that can alleviate the symptoms, there is no cure for AD. AD is characterized by high accumulation of amyloid-beta-42 (Aβ42) that forms layer on the brain as plaques and thus affecting cell function. In our lab, we utilize the Drosophila model to investigate how AD progression affects behavior. We have previously established and validated an AD model where misexpression of the human Aβ42 in the differentiating neurons (GMR>Aβ42) results in progressive neurodegeneration and cell death. We have performed climbing assay (a behavioral assay) as a functional readout of neurodegeneration. The climbing assay measures the ability of flies to climb up ten centimeters on the inside of a test tube within a predetermined duration. For the climbing assays, we have modelled AD in the brain using a mushroom-body specific Gal4 driver (Ok>Aβ42). In this poster, we have presented our results from climbing assays performed at different time points. We demonstrate that the AD flies (Ok>Aβ42) have significantly lesser climbing ability when compared to the wild-type controls (Ok-Gal4).

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  Combining bioinformatic and transgenic approaches to better understand the regulatory control of genes for a Drosophila pigmentation trait

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

  Spatially- and temporally-regulated patterns of gene expression are an essential feature of animal development. Moreover, changes in expression patterns are known to underlie cases of evolution and disease. These expression patterns are sculpted by the activity of sequences often referred to as cis-regulatory elements or CREs. The collective number of CREs in a typical metazoan genome greatly exceed the number of genes. However, even in the most thoroughly studied animals, like Drosophila (D.) melanogaster, most CREs remain to be found and/or characterized. We previously used a small set of known CREs that function in a gene regulatory network (GRN) for the sexually dimorphic pigmentation of D. melanogaster to predict additional CREs genome-wide. Using the transcription factor motif-blind SCRM-shaw bioinformatic tool, more than 500 potential pigmentation GRN CREs were predicted. Here, we share our findings that are part of a follow-up study that focused on CRE predictions residing in or near to regulatory genes, including those populated by multiple predicted CREs. This includes the eight CRE predictions distributed across the Eip74EF locus. In addition to furthering an understanding of the evolution and development of a fruit fly trait, the results and future studies may shed light on the expression control of regulatory genes and its evolution.

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  Come on in, the water's fine! How solar panels may affect damselfly behavior.

  Stephanie Kaitlyn Murray, Chelse M. Prather, Chloe M. Reilly, Skylar M. Shannon

  Solar energy is a booming industry in the United States, especially in Ohio. Several areas within the state are urgently converting land into solar fields to normalize the more sustainable energy source. While the transition away from fossil fuels is essential for repairing Earth’s environment, it is important to ask the hard questions regarding potential environmental risks associated with solar panels. This study focuses on the effect solar panels may have on Odonata, specifically, damselflies. Odonates are ecologically significant in terms of their indication of water quality and their role as prey for many species of birds and fish. They also benefit humans as they rid our space of vectors such as mosquitos, which are known to carry fatal diseases. Previous observations have suggested that damselflies may be attracted to solar panels due to their resemblance to water, which could serve as a threat to damselfly larvae. We observed damselfly behavior over three types of solar panels that differed in color, thickness of gaps between solar cells, and panel flexibility. Six solar panels were laid flat on a plot of land close to water where there were high population densities of damselflies. Each panel had a matching control plot, in which vegetation was sheared to match the size of the panel. These were used to confirm whether the damselflies behaved differently over panels laid in grass than over bare land with grassy overhang. The panels were observed during the month of August, which is when Odonate activity is at its highest. Observations of specific interactions between damselflies and solar panels or control plots were logged in a data sheet and later analyzed using R statistical software. Through statistical analysis, it was found that there was no significant difference between Odonate activity among the solar panels and the control plots.

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  Comparing Maternal and Paternal Parenting Traits on Youth Resistance to Peer Influence

  Tamara Tatyana Carter

  Literature Review: Parenting styles are often targeted for interventions aimed at curbing antisocial behavior and promoting socially acceptable conduct among youth. The influence of parenting varies based on specific traits, such as warmth and support versus supervision and control. However, conflicting research exists regarding the direct impact of maternal versus paternal influence, with some suggesting that fathers may have a more significant role. Moreover, there is a lack of studies comparing maternal and paternal parenting regarding youths’ resistance to peer influence. Data: This study uses the Pathways to Desistance dataset comprising 1,354 adjudicated youth to compare paternal and maternal parenting traits on the effects of resistance to peer influence. Results: Bivariate correlation analysis suggested that maternal warmth positively affected resistance to peer influence, while paternal hostility negatively affected it. However, hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed that once control variables were added, neither paternal nor maternal warmth and hostility significantly impacted resistance to peer influence. Only gender and antisocial influence emerged as significant predictors of resistance to peer influence. Discussion: The current study failed to find a significant relationship between maternal and paternal parenting traits on resistance to peer influence. Antisocial influence appears to have a stronger effect on weakening resistance to peer influence, whereas females are more likely to be resistant to peer influence. Future studies and recommendations are outlined.

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  Comprehensive and Inclusive Sex Education

  Paige Louise Kurtz-Carney

  A literature review about the health effects and behaviors of students based on their exposure to different types of sex education. Teen pregnancy statistics, LGBTQ mental health, and youth behavior risks surveys are included. And a review of public opinion on Sex education's current and future state is discussed.

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  Conflict and Exploitation in the Land of the Mapuche

  Diana Paola Bencomo Miralles, Allison Elizabeth Bertke, Javier Castillo, David M. Speth

  Our poster presentation is focused on the Mapuche People in Chile. This indigenous group has constantly clashed with the Chilean government over land sovereignty. Successive governments have taken land from the indigenous population to convert into pine plantations owned by forest and timber companies. In return, Mapuche activists have resorted to violent protests demanding the return of their ancestral land. They have occupied the plantations, torched forests and farmhouses, and destroyed forestry equipment and trucks. Clashes with police have left several Mapuches dead and dozens have been detained and imprisoned under an anti-terrorist law that dates from the military dictatorship of Pinochet. The loss of Mapuche territory is taking a heavy toll on the community as there is a detrimental effect on their health, while it threatens farming livelihoods and the Mapuche traditional way of life. This loss of territory also has an effect on the environment as deforestation, land degradation, and pollution all occur.

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  Connecting the trans-regulators of an evo-devo trait to their direct target genes through genetic, genomic, and biochemical approaches

  Emily Barbara Daniel, Joseph Becker Kash, Devon Matthew Seibert, Rachel M. Stanojev

  Gene Regulatory Networks (GRNs) control the orchestrated spatial and temporal gene expression patterns responsible for trait development. The gain, modification, and deconstruction of GRNs logically must be major causes of trait evolution. Despite this perceived importance, the evolution of few if any traits is thoroughly understood at the scale of a GRN. This shortcoming has several causes. One is the difficulty of finding the breadth of GRN transcription factors and mapping these to their binding sites in cis-regulatory sequences of their downstream realizator genes. Another is the need for GRN studies to occur in experimentally tractable species for closely related species that possess ancestral, modified, and secondarily lost phenotypes. One suitable model trait is the gain, modification, and loss of sexually dimorphic abdomen pigmentation in the lineage of Drosophila melanogaster and its close relatives. We will share updates from our genetic, genomic, and biochemical studies that are mapping the regulatory connections between the key transcription factors of a pigmentation GRN and their realizator genes that comprise a pigment metabolic pathway. Findings will also be shared from genome sequence comparisons teasing out how this GRN has evolved at the level of transcription factor binding sites.

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  Consumer Discretionary Sector Returns in a Rising Interest-Rate Environment: an Empirical Analysis, 1999-2023

  Hayden Lee Gray

  In this study I consider two arguments concerning consumer discretionary sector stock returns in a rising interest rate environment. First, and using fed fund rates as my interest rate, rising rates due to economic growth and not federal reserve monetary policy, will most likely result in positive returns for consumer discretionary stocks. Second, if the fed fund rate increase is due to aggressive monetary policy tightening actions by the fed, then the consumer discretionary sector stock returns will likely be negative. To test my assumptions, I use returns for the top 20 stocks in the consumer discretionary sector over four distinct periods of rising fed fund rates within the overall period 1999-2023. I use the measure of skewness to validate my assumptions.

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  Cooperative Economic Games

  Zackary Dodge Adda-Berkane, Rachel Elizabeth Adolf, William John Arzola, Gary Ryan Beggs, Madison Paige Benson, Nicholas Joseph Blincoe, Danielle Monica Bolt, Emily Terese Bruns, Christopher Fredrick Casey, Aidan Joseph Cseh, Andrew Francis Drecnik, Justin Alexander Eichholz, Abigail Marie Folkening, Catherine E. Frazer, Kristofer Mark Geier, Andrew C. Haab, Casey Patrick Hippel, Tyler Michael Juliano, Aidan David Kelly, Mortimer Arturo Lugo Morales, David Joseph Maurer, Alyssa Lily Miller, Devyn D'Elle Mundy, Frank John Pinn, Abby Marie Plsek, George W. Proesel, Mark Neil Roble, Devin Michael Scharf, Nicole Marie Shinsky, Quinton Louis Smole, Thomas Michael Steck, Nicholas Donnelly Stone, Alexander Steven Tomczak, Molly Peighton Wood

  New discoveries in archeology confirm what economists have understood for some time: that humanity’s ability to survive and thrive is as much a result of our ability to cooperate as to compete. Indirect reciprocity—which prompts people to help unrelated strangers—has emerged as the most effective mechanism yet innovated by ‘the most invasive species’: enabling humans to achieve more—collectively—than would have been attainable—individually. But mitigating climate change demands that we cooperate to an unprecedented degree. In these Stander sessions, students will combine forces and play cooperative games in which the game is either positive sum (everybody’s a winner) or negative sum (everybody’s a loser). Games with different degrees of difficulty are available, and—space permitting—students can play as many iterations as desired. Sessions officially begin at 10:00, noon and 2:00 PM, but since game lengths are fungible, patient people—those with low rates of time preference—can arrive anytime and wait for a new game to commence.

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  Coordinating the Revolution: Planning of the Montgomery Bus Boycotts (1955)

  Justin K. Altmeyer

  What is nonviolence — a concept, a mode of protest, a practice for modern living? This poster explores the ways in which nonviolence has been historically interpreted as "ahimsa," "beloved community," and as a way for practical and ethical thinking in our modern lives. We highlight the role of nonviolence as method and practice in historical and contemporary global instances that range from the farm workers movement, anti-nuclear protests, environmental green politics, and Dalit and Black actions towards representation.

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  Coyote Habitat Preferences in Human-modified Landscapes

  Trevor Wade Martin

  In partnership with Five Rivers MetroParks, the project seeks to understand the effects that recreational activities and land use have on wildlife occurrence within three properties in the Dayton, Ohio metropolitan area: Germantown MetroPark, Twin Creek MetroPark, and Upper Twin Creek. In the fall of 2023, up to ten weeks of data was collected at each of the three sites using camera trap technology as a remote, non-invasive method to capture wildlife activity patterns and behavior. Specifically, the project uses occupancy modeling techniques to determine habitat preference and relative abundance of coyotes (Canis latrans) based on camera sightings. The occupancy modeling results were tested against variables such as distance to human structures, forest edge, roads, and agricultural areas to provide insight into how land characteristics and anthropogenic activity determine coyote occurrence at each of the park areas. The research will serve as an informative resource for land managers when making decisions that may affect wildlife habitat and community structures in the future.

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  "Creating a Better Tomorrow: PFAS Contamination in the Greater Dayton Area" Presentation and Trailer

  Micah Kai-Wei Hung

  The objective is to make a documentary covering the topic of current issues of water contamination by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, a large family of chemicals commonly known as PFAS, in the greater Dayton area and how this contaminated water is affecting residents and businesses. This will be accomplished by producing a ten to fifteen minute video documentary, which is comprised of writing a script and compiling interviews to tell this story with appropriate footage, audio, and graphics. Although one could expect clean water in a developed country, there is current evidence that some ground and drinking water in Dayton, Ohio, is contaminated with human made chemicals. These chemicals are causing community members to be at risk. This documentary about PFAS contamination will bring social awareness and could lead to environmental sustainability on the issue of PFAS, especially in drinking and ground water in the greater Dayton area.

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  Creating a More Meaningful AI Tournament: Statistical Insights from the Game of Catan

  Aidan P. Reichenberg

  As the 14th most popular board game of all time, Catan distinguishes itself through a unique combination of randomness, strategy, and player interaction. This study explores the application of artificial intelligence (AI) to the game of Catan, utilizing the Catanatron framework to compare seven unique agents through an AI tournament.Central to this analysis is the application of statistically significant methods for comparison. Establishing quantifiable differences in the relative strength between agents is paramount in creating meaningful, repeatable findings in AI research. By generating statistically significant results, this study aims to create a foundation for comparing future agents created to play the game of Catan. Furthermore, the methods used for comparing agents in this study can be applied to similar games.This study adopts a tournament format to compare the agents, creating groups based on the initial findings of Bryan Collazo, creator of Catanatron. I placed Collazo’s original agents in opposition to each other. The first tournament round employing these agents builds a foundation for larger simulations. This study identifies the strongest agents, analyzes the nuances of their strategy, and quantifies their relative strength by looking at the statistical significance of the results.The results of this analysis contribute to AI research by producing meaningful comparisons between agents and providing a framework for future comparison that can extend to similar multiplayer games.

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  Creating Inclusive Community: Strategies for Belonging and Inclusion at UD

  Sama Ahmed, Elizabeth Blum, Javier Castillo, Tiffany Hunsinger, Kennedy Madry, Kathryn Montgomery, Jaden J. Rhynehardt, Deja Richardson

  A brave group of students, staff, and faculty embarked on a journey of introspection, cross-cultural engagement, and dialogue with the goal of developing strategies to foster positive change on our campus and in our community. Participants engaged weekly in the mini-course UDI 380 “Understanding, Respecting, and Connecting: Examining Privilege and Taking Action” which is one of the few spaces on campus where students, staff, and faculty learn together as peers and collaborators. Together, they attended a diversity conference in Tulsa, OK where the focus was to examine the challenging concepts of privilege and oppression and to develop strategies to create a more equitable world. Come hear the participants reflect on their experiential learning and discuss the skills and knowledge they gained to enhance the campus climate for inclusivity and diversity at the University of Dayton. Please join us for a lively discussion!