The Brother Joseph W. Stander Symposium recognizes and celebrates academic excellence in undergraduate and graduate education. This annual event provides an opportunity for students from all disciplines to showcase their intellectual and artistic accomplishments. The Stander Symposium represents the Marianist tradition of education through community and is the principal campus-wide event in which faculty and students actualize our mission to be a "community of learners."
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Investigating the Relationship Between Texting Behaviors and Transportation
Sarah Victoria Frazier, Dorian A. Miller
This research project intends to explore the relationship between texting tendencies and the transportation behaviors of walking and driving. One intriguing and increasingly prevalent phenomenon arising from this digital revolution is the act of texting while in motion, specifically while walking and driving. When young drivers are operating a vehicle, 42% report they read text messages (Taylor & Blenner, 2015). Similarly, Jiang et al. (2017) found that 40% of people look at their phone when moving through a crosswalk. While research has been conducted on this topic, many researchers have not specifically looked into collisions with both cell phone use while driving and cell phone use while walking, which we believe is a major research gap. Therefore, this research analyzes past collision experiences in relation to behavioral intentions to use cell phones while walking and driving.
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Investigating the role of PLN in Brain and Behavior
Ben Klocke
Intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis is critical for a wide range of cellular processes in neurons. As such, dysregulation of Ca2+ homeostasis has been implicated in many neuropsychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders, including bipolar, schizophrenia, and autism. Given the importance of proper Ca2+ handling, neurons have evolved a diverse Ca2+-handling “toolkit” to tightly regulate the trafficking of Ca2+ throughout cellular and subcellular compartments such as endoplasmic reticulum (ER), which functions as a key intracellular Ca2+ storage unit. One critical ER Ca2+ regulatory protein is the sarco-endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ ATP-ase (SERCA2), which pumps Ca2+ ions into the ER lumen and is vital to proper Ca2+ homeostasis in not only neurons, but in all mammalian cell types. Interestingly, studies from our lab have exposed phospholamban (PLN), a SERCA2 regulator previously thought to have a largely cardiac-specific function, to be expressed in the thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN) of the mouse brain. Using a constitutive global PLN knockout mouse model, we found that PLN plays an important role in regulating locomotor activity; we then developed and employed a novel TRN-specific conditional knockout mouse model to investigate the role of PLN in TRN-dependent behaviors such as sleep and executive functioning. Overall, these findings provide the first evidence that PLN plays a role in the brain and advances our knowledge on the role of TRN in the regulating of brain and behavior.
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Investigating the Theory-Practice Gap in Sales Engineering Transitions
Jack Kenneth Doll
This research paper reports the investigation of the theory-practice gap that exists for engineering graduates transitioning into sales engineering or technical sales roles. Sales engineering is the practice of employing technical knowledge to facilitate the sales process of complex engineered products and services, acting as a bridge between engineers and customers. A balance of technical knowledge and sales acumen are critical to success in these positions . To investigate this theory-practice gap, the researcher employs a mixed-method design consisting of self-assessment surveys directed at current and previous sales engineers to gauge their readiness and skills at graduation versus the skills they have acquired throughout their career. These surveys explore the aspects of missing skills, if any, that they have observed in their industry experience. This research provides valuable insights for educators, industry professionals, and aspiring sales engineers, facilitating a more seamless integration of theory and practice in this growing field.
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Is There an Inverse Relationship Between Utility Sector Stock Returns and Rising Interest Rates? An Empirical Analysis, 1999-2023.
Andrew Charles Kohnen, Cannon Spelman
Financial economists believe that utility sector stocks are bond proxies i.e., as yields on bonds increase, utility sector stock prices will decline. In this study, I test the hypothesis that an inverse relationship also exists between rising Federal Funds Rates and utility stock movements. For my test, I use four periods of rising Federal Funds Rates since 1999. These periods have different macro characteristics, with two occurring after an economics recession, one during a period of modest inflation and slow but steady economic growth, and the most recent period, February 2022 - August 2023, where inflation is high and rising and the Federal Reserve is aggressively raising the Federal Funds Rate. I use the Top 20 stocks by market in the utility sector to carry out my analysis.
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Is urban farming the bee's knees? A socio-ecological study on the effect of pollinator recruitment methods on pollinator communities in urban agriculture.
Samantha B. Urquidez
Pollinators are essential to agriculture and with the increase in urban farming, there is great concern regarding insect pollinators in urban spaces. While there has been extensive literature looking at bee abundance and biodiversity in urban environments, there has been little research studying the efficacy of currently utilized pollinator recruitment practices in urban agricultural systems. In Dayton, Ohio, and the surrounding area 18 urban agricultural sites have been sampled for insect pollinator activity utilizing timed observations, pan traps, and hand netting. In addition to traditional methods of looking at pollinator activity, an important component of this research includes a sociological study that looks at the farmers themselves and how their efforts may be affecting the pollinator activity observed on their agricultural plots. To examine this relationship, we conducted an electronic survey and one-on-one interviews with each of the farmers in addition to our biological sampling. Our goal is to better understand the factors impacting pollinator activity and what pollinator recruitment methods are most effective in an urban environment.
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JAK STAT Signaling regulates defective proventriculus (dve) to determine dorso-ventral patterning in Drosophila eye.
Sunanda Yogi; other researchers: Akansha Raj, Anuradha Venkatakrishnan Chimata, Madhuri Kango-Singh, Amit Singh
Axial patterning is the fundamental process of organogenesis, which entails delineation of three distinct axes: Antero-Posterior (AP), Dorso-Ventral (DV) and Proximo-Distal (PD) axes. Any impairment in the axis formation may lead to developmental birth defects in humans and therefore, getting insight of the mechanism of axis determination is crucial for better understanding of organogenesis. In Drosophila eye model, DV patterning is the primary lineage restriction event. A new member of DV patterning gene, defective proventriculus (dve, a Homeobox gene), an ortholog of SATB homeobox 1 (special AT-rich sequence binding protein 1) has been identified which acts downstream of a GATA-1 transcription factor pannier (pr), and upstream of wingless (wg) in the dorsal gene hierarchy. Unpaired (Upd), a long-range secreted ligand for JAK STAT pathway, is known to promote eye development by negatively regulating Wg expression. Here we present that Upd interacts with dve, to regulate the patterning and growth of the developing Drosophila eye. We found that activation of JAK STAT pathway in dve expression domain results in dorsal eye enlargement and downregulation of Wg expression whereas its inactivation in Dve domain results in eye suppression phenotype and upregulating Wg expression. Our data strongly imply that Upd plays a crucial role in defining the functional domain of Dve during DV axis formation of developing eye. We will present the complex interactions between these two highly conserved pathways, viz., JAK-STAT and dorsal eye fate selectors in growth and patterning of the eye.
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Jesuits, Jews, and Jacobins: A polite disagreement between Don Luigi Sturzo and Hannah Arendt
Laura T. Coughlin
This paper, Jesuits, Jews, and Jacobins: A polite disagreement between Luigi Sturzo and Hannah Arendt, exposes original research funded by the University of Dayton and performed at the archives of the Istituto Luigi Sturzo in Rome. The essay is part of a larger dissertation project that endeavors to clarify the conservative and religiously inflected antifascism of Don Luigi Sturzo, Italian priest-politician and founder of the Partito Popolare Italiano (PPI). In August of 1942, Hannah Arendt and Don Luigi Sturzo, both wartime exiles in the United States, exchanged letters related to Arendt’s groundbreaking essay, “From the Dreyfus Affair to France Today.” This correspondence reveals a genuinely civil conversation between partners engaged in dialogue about the most significant European issues of the long nineteenth century and the effect of those issues on the twentieth century. Of particular interest is their debate in three areas on which Arendt drives the conversation: 1) the relationship of the Society of Jesus to the formation of negative Catholic attitudes about the Jews of Europe, 2) the importance of personal political formation to a democratic tradition that enforces individual and human rights, 3) the distinction between the “mob” and the “people.” As to this last point, the former (“mob”) is large, emotional, violent, and easily led to reaction (e.g. Fascism) especially in corrupt states. By contrast, the latter (“people”) is small, rational, consistent, and able to secure the integrity of the laws.
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'Jesus of Siberia'
Jillian Yates, Noah Trimble & Ren Sikes
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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Kinematics of Inextensible Constant Curvature Model for the Design of Minimally Invasive Surgical Robots
Yucheng Li
Continuum robots are inspired by biological organisms such as snakes, octopus tentacles, and elephant trunks to replicate their flexibility. These robots can navigate complex and confined spaces, enabling them to adapt to changing shapes and surfaces and interact delicately with environments without causing damage. Hence, their inherent flexibility and maneuverability make continuum robots ideal for surgical procedures in minimally invasive surgery (MIS). However, MIS requires exacting precision in both the position of the surgical robot end-effector and the shape of the continuum robot backbone. Additionally, the high flexibility of continuum robots introduces complexity in motion planning and control. To address these challenges, this study focuses on two key aspects: understanding kinematic redundancy and locomotion in the inextensible continuum robot and proposing a novel design of the backbone and actuating system of the continuum robot to enhance backbone stiffness without loss of flexibility. The DIMLab's prior research has successfully achieved the objective of comprehensively understanding the kinematics of continuum robots, enabling their application in the medical field.
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Leadership Experience, Philosophy, Legacy: Abbie Dent
Abbie Dent
The ULeaD Emerging Leaders Program, sponsored by the Student Leadership Programs Office, is a cohort-based initiative for first-year students that brings participants together for monthly sessions to develop a range of leadership skills and abilities such as effectively leading change, inclusive leadership, building meaningful relationships, inspiring others to act, and building resilience. For the first time, this cohort of first-year students will be presenting their final projects for the program at the Stander Symposium. Students' final project posters will include their leadership philosophy, how they have grown as leaders, what they have learned from the ULeaD program, and how they hope to impact the UD community.
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Leadership Experience, Philosophy, Legacy: Abby Lambert
Abby Lambert
The ULeaD Emerging Leaders Program, sponsored by the Student Leadership Programs Office, is a cohort-based initiative for first-year students that brings participants together for monthly sessions to develop a range of leadership skills and abilities such as effectively leading change, inclusive leadership, building meaningful relationships, inspiring others to act, and building resilience. For the first time, this cohort of first-year students will be presenting their final projects for the program at the Stander Symposium. Students' final project posters will include their leadership philosophy, how they have grown as leaders, what they have learned from the ULeaD program, and how they hope to impact the UD community.
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Leadership Experience, Philosophy, Legacy: Camryn McKenzie
Camryn McKenzie
The ULeaD Emerging Leaders Program, sponsored by the Student Leadership Programs Office, is a cohort-based initiative for first-year students that brings participants together for monthly sessions to develop a range of leadership skills and abilities such as effectively leading change, inclusive leadership, building meaningful relationships, inspiring others to act, and building resilience. For the first time, this cohort of first-year students will be presenting their final projects for the program at the Stander Symposium. Students' final project posters will include their leadership philosophy, how they have grown as leaders, what they have learned from the ULeaD program, and how they hope to impact the UD community.
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Leadership Experience, Philosophy, Legacy: Chancelon Rice
Chancelon Rice
Through working with and meeting with ULeaD I was able to learn networking, leadership, and social skills. Understanding how your background can affect how you lead.
Leadership to me looks like understanding yourself to best understand those around you. When you as a leader are your best self you can empower those around you to be the best version of themselves and produce their best work.
The legacy I hope to leave is someone that anyone could feel like they could go to. A resource for anybody at the University, to where even if I don’t have the information I can get them in touch with someone who will.
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Leadership Experience, Philosophy, Legacy: Claire Monahan
Claire Monahan
The ULeaD Emerging Leaders Program, sponsored by the Student Leadership Programs Office, is a cohort-based initiative for first-year students that brings participants together for monthly sessions to develop a range of leadership skills and abilities such as effectively leading change, inclusive leadership, building meaningful relationships, inspiring others to act, and building resilience. For the first time, this cohort of first-year students will be presenting their final projects for the program at the Stander Symposium. Students' final project posters will include their leadership philosophy, how they have grown as leaders, what they have learned from the ULeaD program, and how they hope to impact the UD community.
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Leadership Experience, Philosophy, Legacy: Drayton Willey
Drayton Willey
The ULeaD Emerging Leaders Program, sponsored by the Student Leadership Programs Office, is a cohort-based initiative for first-year students that brings participants together for monthly sessions to develop a range of leadership skills and abilities such as effectively leading change, inclusive leadership, building meaningful relationships, inspiring others to act, and building resilience. For the first time, this cohort of first-year students will be presenting their final projects for the program at the Stander Symposium. Students' final project posters will include their leadership philosophy, how they have grown as leaders, what they have learned from the ULeaD program, and how they hope to impact the UD community.
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Leadership Experience, Philosophy, Legacy: Eleanor Forrest
Eleanor Forrest
The ULeaD Emerging Leaders Program, sponsored by the Student Leadership Programs Office, is a cohort-based initiative for first-year students that brings participants together for monthly sessions to develop a range of leadership skills and abilities such as effectively leading change, inclusive leadership, building meaningful relationships, inspiring others to act, and building resilience. For the first time, this cohort of first-year students will be presenting their final projects for the program at the Stander Symposium. Students' final project posters will include their leadership philosophy, how they have grown as leaders, what they have learned from the ULeaD program, and how they hope to impact the UD community.
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Leadership Experience, Philosophy, Legacy: Emma Gaglione
Emma Gaglione
The ULeaD Emerging Leaders Program, sponsored by the Student Leadership Programs Office, is a cohort-based initiative for first-year students that brings participants together for monthly sessions to develop a range of leadership skills and abilities such as effectively leading change, inclusive leadership, building meaningful relationships, inspiring others to act, and building resilience. For the first time, this cohort of first-year students will be presenting their final projects for the program at the Stander Symposium. Students' final project posters will include their leadership philosophy, how they have grown as leaders, what they have learned from the ULeaD program, and how they hope to impact the UD community.
