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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Students with Disabilities in the Classroom
Mary K. Corliss
All students, regardless of disability status, should be able to receive the same education as their peers. This review discusses how children with a disability are included, how Covid-19 may have affected their learning, and how a typical day may look.
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Study of Transphobia in France
Lydia G. Andrews
This paper explores the persisting challenges transgender individuals face in France despite some recent legislative advancements. While laws recognizing gender identity have been enacted, discrimination and violence against the transgender community persist at alarming rates. Statistical evidence and real-life experiences emphasize the urgent need for proactive measures to ensure the safety and equality of transgender individuals. The paper delves into institutionalized transphobia, examining systemic biases within legal, medical, educational, and governmental frameworks. Although legal reforms have addressed some issues, recent cases expose the shortcomings in the judicial system and reflect the impact of institutional barriers on transgender rights. The discussion also includes workplace discrimination and limited access to quality healthcare, emphasizing the need for societal change, active intervention, and comprehensive legal reforms to create a France where transgender individuals can live free from discrimination, violence, and institutional hurdles. The call to action is clear: a collective effort is imperative to guarantee the security, rights, and dignity of the transgender community in France.
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Sub-Wavelength Waveguide Michelson Interferometer Sensors
Kurugamage Nuwan Asela Perera
We experimentally demonstrated an asymmetric path enhanced Michelson interferometer sensor with subwavelength waveguides in a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) platform with bulk sensitivity ~775nm/RIU. Numerical simulations indicate feasibility to achieve high sensitivity ~70,000nm/RIU in optimized device geometries. Phase sensitivity is recorded as 72,678 rad/RIU. cm for biotin-streptavidin conjugate detection. By monitoring intensity changes in interferometers, our device can potentially reach a limit of detection of 1.1×10-6 RIU.
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Success for the Sophomore Experience
Erin R. Steiner
This study investigated challenges facing second year college students and the gaps in the in-classroom and out-of-classroom curriculum that pose roadblocks to sophomore year success. This postpositivist, quantitative study utilizes data from the Multi-Intuitional Study of Leadership (MSL) survey collected at the University of Dayton in 2020-2021. From the MSL data we found that sophomore level students self-reported having lower ability and/or confidence in their leadership skills in relation to self, group, and social identities. Findings from this study stress sophomore students need high impact programming centered around the development of self, group, and social issues that affect the sophomore year experience through a leadership lens
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Surface Reinforcement Strategies for Polymer-based 3D Printing with Industrial Robotic Arm
Ajith Kumar Veeraboina
Additive manufacturing (AM) technology is rapidly advancing across diverse fields. For instance, the use of robotic arms in various AM processes has led to significant gains in printing flexibility and manufacturing scalability. However, despite these advancements, there remains a notable research gap concerning the mechanical properties of parts 3D-printed with robotic arms. This study focuses on developing a robotic fused filament fabrication (FFF) 3D-printing process with a layer resolution of 50 μm to 200 μm. We propose a novel planar tool path strategy that can vary contour layer thickness within an infill layer to improve mechanical strength by minimizing air gaps between contours. SEM images suggest this new tool path strategy leads to a meaningful reduction in void area fraction within contours, confirmed by a nearly 6% increase in ultimate tensile strength. In addition, we also propose a strategy for creating a non-planar tool path along axial direction for thin-shell 3D models, utilizing planar slicing. This strategy includes segmentation of the point cloud and printing non-planar layers on top of the printed planar layers in a systematic order. This approach might guarantee bonding between deposited polymer paths in different directions. Therefore, yields a significant improvement in mechanical properties.
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Survey-Based Research Project Led by Students
Jakob A. Burdick, Jonas Alfred Magoto, Marielle G. Mejia, Anjli Seoraj Ramharakh, Samantha Paige Wells
POL 207 is a research methods course designed for political science students. In this course, students are responsible for developing their own research questions, writing a literature review, establishing research methods, and conducting surveys at UD to test their hypotheses. This panel provides an opportunity for POL 207 students to present their research findings.
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Sustainability issues in Brazil: the Brazilian Amazon and its indigenous tribes are in danger.
Alejandro Cazorla Granados, Chloe J. Klawon, Dasha E. Penas-Johnson
In the 21st century, our society speaks of indigenous groups as notions of the past, as steps on the ladder towards modernization. However, indigenous peoples and their collective identities are very much part of our present world, and we must advocate for their recognition and their rights. While there are approximately 370 million indigenous people spread all over the world, practicing distinctive traditions and holding varying beliefs, there is a single, irrefutable value found among all groups– their connection to their land. The United Nations informs: “They have a special relation to and use of their traditional land. Their ancestral land has a fundamental importance for their collective physical and cultural survival as peoples.” The Brazilian Amazon has the highest concentration of indigenous people in the world. Our group will be highlighting the Tikúna tribe which is the largest indigenous group found in the Amazon. We will explore how sustainability issues such as deforestation and mining have affected this group and others in the Amazon. Furthermore, we will discuss how socioeconomic, political, and social justice issues in Brazil perpetuate such harmful ramifications onto these groups and the environment. Finally, we will identify possible solutions to the problems that endanger both the land and the indigenous people of the Amazon.
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Symbolism in Gold: Unveiling Ancient Egyptian Society Through Jewelry
Caroline Rose Curti
Ancient Egyptian jewelry served as more than just personal adornment; it embodied profound cultural and religious significance. This paper explores its evolution through key periods: the pioneering Badarian Culture, the reformative Middle Kingdom, and the prosperous New Kingdom. From faience beads symbolizing the Nile's vitality to amulets representing protection and resurrection, each era reveals intricate beliefs and societal values. The iconic Heart Scarab of the New Kingdom, crafted from gold and serpentinite, epitomizes the Egyptians' reverence for rebirth and the afterlife. Inscribed with passages from the Book of the Dead, these scarabs served as guides for the deceased. Through these artifacts, we glimpse the complex tapestry of ancient Egyptian civilization, where jewelry transcended ornamentation to become vessels of cultural identity and spiritual aspiration.
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Text Analysis of Popular Music from the Past Decade
Jesse P. Devitt
Millions of songs, ranging from a multitude of genres, are released every year. And now, due to popular streaming applications, music is more accessible than ever before. This project explores the impact of lyrics on a song's appeal. Utilizing text and sentiment analysis, it examines the relationship between lyrics and song popularity. The data for this analysis comes from Genius. This popular online, user-centric media company provides the lyrics to millions of popular songs and the space for users to annotate and analyze said lyrics. Focusing on songs from the last decade (2010-), we aim to highlight the most frequent words and word pairs within specific genres through word clouds and bigram analysis, respectively. In addition, some of the more popular artists from the decade were isolated and analyzed via sentiment analysis of their lyrics, hoping to find correlations to song popularity via site views. This project possesses the goal of understanding the complexities within the modern-day music scene. With all the advancements in artificial intelligence, it's within the realm of possibility that a once artist-centric industry may shift over to big data, as so many other industries have in recent years.
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Texting Frequency and Distraction Levels: A Comprehensive Analysis Among Young Adults.
Jahmia A. Bridges-Butler, Gift Oluwatosin Olalusi
This paper intends to explore the frequency of texting and its impacts on the levels of distraction. The existing scholarly research surrounding this subject encompasses various perspectives, including the impact of texting on education, knowledge retention, and driving performance. Studies have found a positive correlation between texting as a distraction and reading in the classroom, as well as a relationship between texting and distracted driving, accounting for numerous injuries and fatalities. This study intends to fill the gap upon these previous findings by addressing whether there is a significant difference between the frequency of texts on near miss accidents and gender. Additionally, exploring the correlation between the frequency of texting on getting work done and walking.
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That’s Alright Mama
Jacob Russell Hausler
This THR/VAR 250 Diversity in the Creative and Performing Arts poster presentation project requires each student to research and present on a topic relevant to the interdisciplinary fields of visual and performing arts through a critical multicultural and social justice lens that foregrounds the appreciation of diversity and enables the expansion of personal cultural competencies.
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The Angelus & Regina Coeli Prayers
Ella Germana Bach
The Angelus and the Regina Coeli are two prayers recited at 6 am, noon and 6 pm, the Regina Coeli being prayed in place of the Angelus during Eastertide. The Angelus is comprised of 3 sections with a Hail Mary in between, while the Regina Coeli has 6 sections ending in alleluia. Although the exact origins of both prayers are unknown, the Angelus is thought to begin from monks who prayed three Hail Mary’s in the evening at the last church bell. The Regina Coeli, comes from a legend where three angels appeared to St. Gregory the Great on an Easter morning, chanting the first three lines of the Regina Coeli. Both prayers appeared in manuscripts from the 12th and 13th centuries. The Angelus and Regina Coeli were approved to be prayed at the bells by Pope Benedict XIV in 1724 and 1742, respectively. These prayers represent multiple biblical passages and are tied in with the dogma of the Mother of God. The Angelus is especially related to the 4th Sunday in Advent while the Regina Coeli is related to the Easter season to celebrate the resurrection. These prayers promote feeling a sense of peace, joy and grounding as they plead for Mary’s mediation and reflect on her trust in God which Catholics aim to emulate. Overall, both of these prayers are very important to the Catholic faith and provide a way of meditation and a reminder of what Mary did for Catholics.
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The Brain Health Collective
Hannah Josephine Moore
The Brain Health Collective produces community partnerships and interdisciplinary research that contribute to the greater good in the Greater Dayton region. The BHC consists of an Advisory Board and the following four workgroups: Professional Education, Continuum of Care, Awareness & Promotion, and Collaborative Applied Research. We also have opportunities for student involvement.
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The Chipko Movement: Gandhian Philosophy in Action
Colin E. Meehan
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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The Chipko Movement: Voices of Indian Women Heard
Carla Pettiford
ChandiPrasad Bhatt, an environmentalist along with SundergalBahuguaand GuanaDevi, were the prominent leaders of the movement. Chandiin 1964, established the Dasholi, Gram, Swarajya, Mandal (DGSM), a cooperative organization dedicated to improving the lives of villagers; this included providing employment close to their homes in forest-based industries and fighting against flawed policies through Gandhian non-violent Satyagraha (firmness in a good cause, or the law of self-suffering). These programs were specifically targeted to women as participants which was a practical move since the women were the ones who gathered the wood, and water for cooking, and had a spiritual and physical relationship with nature that provided for their families daily. There was a synthesis created between practical field knowledge and the latest scientific innovations for the conservation of the environment and ecology in the region. This would be a sustaining practice that would change the way the forests were handled for decades to come.
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The Christian Influence on Gandhi: A Systematic Review
Emma E. Clark
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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The Driving Factors of Childhood Malnutrition in the United States
Jaelyn Sarah Nycole Manley, Morgan Taylor
When asked about a country with alarming levels of childhood malnutrition, would the United States of America come to mind? According to Hart Research Associates and Chesapeake Beach Consulting (2014), less than half of the American adult population considers hunger in the U.S. to be a large issue. However, when considering that in the year 2022, an estimated 13 million children in the United States struggled with hunger, it is shocking that the public is not more aware of such an issue (Child Hunger in America, 2022). The growing issue of childhood malnutrition in America is complex due to the various factors which contribute to it. Shining light on this issue, Feeding America identifies three primary drivers of malnutrition: diminished family income, the availability to afford proper housing, and the influences of racism and discrimination (Child Hunger in America, 2022).Furthermore, the CDC states that American students receive less than 8 hours of nutritional education yearly (Healthy Eating Learning Opportunities and Nutrition Education 2023). Khattak and Ghazanfar (2017) explain that a mother’s lack of nutrition education leads to poor feeding choices for their children.In this poster, we will discuss family income, access to proper housing, the effects of racism and discrimination, and lack of nutritional education as the driving factors of childhood malnutrition in the United States.
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The Effect of Appearance on Judgments of Interpersonal Distance
Connor Nicholas Kuntz
This presentation will explore how we perceive the world and other people, and how our perception does not always match reality. Sensation is the process of collecting information about the world with our eyes, ears and other sensory organs. Our brains then process this information, and the result is our perception. It would be impossible to take in and process everything around us, so our brains select information to focus on and use shortcuts to make processing easier and quicker. This speedy, efficient processing allows us to quickly make sense of our surroundings and to interact with our world, but there are some downsides to using these shortcuts. For example, some mental shortcuts result in unavoidable and unconsciously biased ways of seeing the world around us. However, by understanding these biases, we can work to minimize their effects. My research used virtual reality environments and models of people to observe the effect of stereotypically threatening appearances on how we perceive the distance between ourselves and a person perceived as threatening. The hypothesis was that individuals who appeared more stereotypically threatening would appear closer than those less stereotypically threatening. While there was a significant difference in how threatening and non-threatening targets were perceived, our data found that more threatening targets were judged to be farther away than non-threatening targets on average. A possible explanation for this result is that seeing the threatening target as further is a signal to avoid approaching the target.
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The Effect of Floor Stiffness on ACL and Meniscus Tear and Chondromalacia Susceptibility in Dancers
Katherine J. Moreira
Dance is a physically demanding art form, placing repeated strain on the joints and muscles of the body. Western dance technique emphasizes use of the lower extremity, resulting in a high volume of injury to the hip, knee, and ankle joints. Dance companies attempt to combat injury by installing low-stiffness floors in studios and performance spaces. These floors exert less pressure on dancers’ joints during intense movement sequences. The purpose of this research is to determine the impact of floor stiffness on dancers’ susceptibility to ACL and meniscus injuries and chondromalacia, specifically. Participants were asked about past and present dance training, floor type for all training, lower extremity injuries, and their path to recovery. The data were analyzed to find the frequency of dance-related injuries of each type, on both sprung (low stiffness) and non-sprung (high stiffness) floors. The results indicated that floor type does not have an effect on injury susceptibility in dancers. They also showed that of ankle, knee, and hip injuries, ankle injuries are the most common. A torn ACL and meniscus appeared in one participant, and no occurrences of chondromalacia were reported. Overall, the data show that ACL and meniscus tear are not common in low stiffness floors. Future research may investigate the effect of floor surface on lower extremity joint injury, as floors with high slickness may have a more immediate effect on dance injury.
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The Effect of Parental Monitoring on Adolescent Substance Abuse
Luke Anthony Reiser, Zachary Peter Rocco
This study explores the impact of parental monitoring on adolescent substance abuse, which utilizes data from the Pathways to Desistance dataset. This dataset includes juveniles in the criminal justice system. This study, which included a sample of 1,354 male and female adolescents aged between 14 and 18 found guilty of offenses, aimed to seek out a relationship between parental monitoring, knowledge, and the prevalence of substance abuse among adolescents. Findings from our regression analysis show that while parental monitoring did not show a significant direct correlation with drug use, parental knowledge did show a consistent negative relationship with both drug and alcohol use among adolescents. Indicating that increased parental knowledge significantly reduced the likelihood of substance abuse among these adolescents. The study also highlights the roles of both mother warmth and hostility, excluding father warmth and hostility due to the high volume of missing data. The findings particularly noted that higher levels of mother hostility were significantly associated with an increased chance for drug use. Alternatively, the study found a negative association between parental monitoring and adolescent alcohol use, which suggests that more involved and knowledgeable parenting could reduce the likelihood of alcohol consumption.
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The Effects of a Mindfulness Intervention on Ameliorating Premenstrual Hedonic Eating Patterns in College-Aged Females
Nicole R. Palmieri
Background: Young women in college are susceptible to weight gain from a myriad of factors to include environmental and hormonal influences.
Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the impact of a mindfulness intervention on food craving behaviors in women in the luteal and follicular phases of the menstrual cycle.
Methods: This was a quasi-experimental study using repeated samples one-way ANOVA and qualitative data to examine pre-intervention and post-intervention changes in cravings and mindfulness.
Results: 23 participants completed the intervention and study-related requirements pre-intervention and post-intervention. There was a trend of mean decrease in FCQ-T scores (124.83 ± 3.76 to 117.44 ± 3.67, p=0.204) and mean increase in MEQ scores (69.74 ± 5.63 to 72.57 ± 6.45, p=0.127). Menstruating women reported remorse, anger, and loss of control when cravings occur. After the mindfulness intervention, acknowledging physical sensations, emotions, hunger/fullness cues, contemplation of outcomes if the craving was or was not indulged, and engaging in mindfulness exercises resulted in a shift in how the food craving was managed.
Conclusion: Mindfulness interventions may be supportive in ameliorating food cravings in college-aged menstruating females.
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The effects of caffeine on athletic performance amongst female collegiate basketball players
Kara Marie Gunter, Madeline Joy Kapsimalis, Jillian E. Peltier, Jenna Elizabeth Williams, Ivy Elizabeth Wolf
Caffeine intake has been popular amongst collegiate athletes for decades in hopes that its supplementation is beneficial to their athletic performance. Prior studies have found mixed results in determining whether caffeine intake has significantly improved athletic performance when comparing the results of various functional skill tests (e.g., handgrip strength, Sargent’s jump, upper-body explosive power, attack skill, service skill, hand movement speed, Illinois agility) (Nemati et al., 2023). Significant results were found regarding some of the tests; however, the results were not conclusive enough to generalize what was found. The purpose of this study is to investigate how caffeine intake correlates to athletic performance and heart rate in female collegiate basketball players. We aim to investigate the relationship between caffeine consumption and its effects on cardiovascular activity and physical exertion by collecting data through a questionnaire survey, and performance measurement on two separate practice days.The data will be collected from female basketball players at the University of Dayton. By using a quasi-experimental design, our participants will report their performance after the practice sessions. First, they will not consume caffeine before practice as their heart rate is monitored. The same participants will have their heart rate monitored after consuming 200mg of caffeine (Alani Nu Energy Drink) before practice on a different day. While this study is still under investigation, our results will suggest how caffeine consumption may have a positively significant impact on athletic performance in female collegiate basketball players. Our findings will provide further understanding into how caffeine can perhaps enhance athletic performance and whether the findings are significant enough to be applicable to a generalized population of athletes looking to boost their performance.
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The Effects of Employment Status on Physical Well-being in College Aged Students
Julia Lauren Callahan
Stress that can come with an individuals occupation whether that be the type of position they hold or the benefits they receive from that position can have a negative effect on their mental and physical well-being. A common result is burnout which can be characterized by physical or mental collapse due to overwork or stress. College often becomes a time in which students not only manage academics but also become responsible for obtaining a job to cover various college expenses. The goal of this research project is to look at employment status in college aged students and how that affects their physical well-being.
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The Effects of Fatigue on Landing Forces in Competitive Female Irish Dancers
Anna Robinson
Lower extremity injuries are highly prevalent within the Irish dance population, yet research surrounding potential determinants is scarce. Many movements, particularly jumps, in Irish dance are constituted by a one-foot landing with the ankle in a plantarflexed position and the knee fully extended. This unique landing technique is contrary to other forms of dance, such as ballet, where landings typically allow for some knee flexion in a plie-like position. Subsequently, this aesthetic constraint requires large amounts of strength and balance, in addition to forcing the structures of the foot and ankle to absorb the entire shock of the landing. This study aims to determine the effect that fatigue has on landing forces following the 360 spin move, which is characterized by the dancer jumping off the ground from their lead foot, making a full 360° turn in the air before landing on the opposite foot. Since fatigue has been shown to play a role in ground reaction force, in addition to overall center of pressure, this study focuses on establishing how the lower extremities react when trying to stop the turning motion following this jump. Through having competitive female Irish dancers perform the 360 spin under both fatigued and non-fatigued trials with all landings taking place on a force plate, the changes in ground reaction force and center of balance can be determined. The results from this study will be able to direct future research in establishing additional injury risks associated with the Irish dance technique in order to correctly aim injury prevention measures.
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The effects of prairie seed mix composition and soil amendments on Quercus macrocarpa seedling success during post-agricultural restoration
Lindsey Christine Dewey
In the last century, worldwide, there has been an increase in the amount of abandoned agricultural land. In eastern North America, restoration efforts often focus on trying to restore these post agricultural fields to native forest. The natural secondary succession of post-agricultural landscapes is hindered by many barriers including diminished carbon and nitrogen in the soil, herbivory, disruption of symbiotic mycorrhizal relationships, and invasive species. Restoration efforts such as applying seeding mixes to reduce invasive species, plant legumes to restore nitrogen to the soil, whole soil additions to help restore the microbial community, and the addition of mulch to add carbon into the soil are being used to mitigate these barriers. Abandoned fields represent a unique opportunity to help restore some of the eastern North American native forest; however, ensuring tree seedling success in the relatively inhospitable conditions of a post-agricultural field remains a significant challenge. Working with our community partners, Five Rivers Metroparks (Dayton, Ohio) we established a fully replicated restoration experiment on a 12 ha post agricultural field in the Spring Run Conservation Area. We established 20 plots and assigned one of four prairie plant seed mixes: high diversity + high legume content; high diversity + low legume content; low diversity + high legume content; low diversity + low legume content. Each plot was also split into four subplots that received one of four soil amendments: no amendment (control), whole soil transplant, mulch application, and whole soil and mulch. In each subplot, six bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa) saplings were planted. The height and basal diameter of each surviving sapling was measured in the spring of 2022 directly after planting, after one growing season in the fall of 2022, and after a second growing season in the fall of 2023. One sample was collected from every subplot in the fall of 2022 and 2023 to measure sapling biomass and examine the ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF) and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) root colonization. After two growing seasons the seed mixes significantly affected the basal diameter of oak saplings and sapling root weight was higher in the high diversity plots. Additionally, increased EMF colonization was positively correlated with increased sapling height. However, in our study many treatments had no significant effect on the success of bur oak saplings. It is likely that microclimates and herbivory had the strongest influence on bur oak sapling success.
