Stander Symposium Projects

Follow

• 

  Is a Roth IRA better if taxes are higher in the future?

  Shaun D. Huguley

  Roth individual retirement accounts (IRAs) are funded with post tax dollars and Traditional IRAs are funded with pre-tax dollars. Traditional IRAs are taxed when the money is withdrawn.​ It has been said that if taxes are higher in the future, then it is better to use Roth IRAs, but such analysis does not take into consideration that if income is lower than certain thresholds, a taxpayer can receive credits. We use simulations to see if a Roth IRA is always better when taxes are higher in the future.

• 

  Isometries of the Hyperbolic Plane

  Nicholas Wade Stout

  Classical geometry bases its foundation on five postulates from Euclid. However, mathematicians were always troubled by Euclid's fifth postulate, as it seemed that it should be derivable from the other four, and many made attempts to prove it using the other four postulates. Their efforts proved in vain, as it was later shown that other geometries exist which do not satisfy Euclid's fifth postulate. One of these, which will be the focus of this presentation, is hyperbolic geometry. We will examine two common models for the hyperbolic plane: the disk model and the upper half-plane model, with a particular emphasis on the isometries of the hyperbolic plane. Time permitting, we will also discuss tilings of the hyperbolic plane.

• 

  Is PBIS Being Effectively Implemented in Schools?

  Catherine Elizabeth Orban

  The implementation of PBIS methods have become more prominent in schools within the past few years. Positive behavioral support systems claim to create a more comfortable learning atmosphere for students. This project will define PBIS and review PBIS teaching techniques being used in K-12 schools and how effective they are in various schooling environments. The comfortability of teachers with PBIS methods will also be reviewed.

• 

  Is Perceived Level of Stress in College Students Related to Exercise Frequency?

  Aryon N. Charlton, Annalise Marie Ruth Cooper, Zachary Edward Lorei, Catherine M. Nasman, Christopher Constantine Stamos

  University students are subject to multiple stressors throughout their college career. Students may cope with the stress of college using differing strategies that may be maladaptive or adaptive. Adaptive strategies would include therapy, meditation, and exercise, while maladaptive strategies may include substance abuse or procrastination (Garber 2017). Maladaptive strategies may lead to poor academic performance and decision making among this population, which makes the importance of an adaptive coping mechanism essential to their success. Exercise produces multiple physical benefits for the participant that relate to overall health, but there are also many psychological benefits as well. The information found in this study will help determine if there is a correlation between exercise frequency and perceived levels of stress in college students at UD, and identify if exercise is an effective coping strategy to deal with stress. The purpose of this study is to analyze the association of stress levels in students at UD, to the frequency of exercise. The study will be conducted through a survey sent to University of Dayton students through a Google Form. The survey is 15 questions which range from topics about demographics to perceived stress levels and reported exercise frequency. Data will be collected March 28th through April 4th of 2022, and the results of the study are forthcoming.

• 

  Is return on assets a priced in risk factor in the equity markets? A study of the performance returns to portfolio weighting models with return on assets the principle factor loading.

  Isabella Abreu, Trenton Brian Zoeller

  In this study, we developed portfolio weighting models for four S&P 500 sectors, consumer discretionary, information technology, healthcare, and industrials with return on assets the principle factor loading. We test the hypothesis that the performance of the ROA portfolio weighting models outperform the market (S&P 500) over the period 2009-2021.

• 

  Is Return on Invested Capital a Priced In Risk Factor in the Equity Market? An empirical analysis of the returns to an ROIC/WACC portfolio weighting model 2009-2021

  Nora A. Jackson, Mary Bliss Stitzel

  In this study we take six S&P 500 sectors, consumer discretionary, consumer staples, information technology, financials, healthcare and industrials, and develop sector portfolio weighting models with ROIC/WACC the principle factor loading. The hypothesis we test is the long-term cumulative returns for the sector models outperform the market (S&P 500).

• 

  Is Stress Related to the Number of Hours of Sleep in College Students?

  Cheyenne M. Coyle, Kassandra Marie Parritt, Karolyn Mae Snell, Ciara Ann White, Dana M. White

  Background: Sleep is a vital component to achieving health and well-being as it is a restorative process that promotes immune functioning and multiple physiological processes. Sleep disturbances have been found to be associated with mental health issues such as high stress levels. Due to erratic schedules, academic demands and social pressures, stress levels have been found to be high among college students. When sleep quality is poor, a wide array of health issues can result. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to further investigate the prevalence of stress and sleep issues among the college student population. The aims of this study are to measure the amount of stress in college students, measure the number of hours of sleep in college students, and examine any association there may be between the two variables. Methods: A cross-sectional study will be utilized. Data will be collected utilizing an online survey. The survey will be a mixture of yes/no, multiple choice, likert scale and free response questions related to their demographics, stress, and sleep. Regarding sleep and stress, questions were pulled from the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Ten Item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10). Participants will be full time, undergraduate students ages 18-22 at the University of Dayton. The statistical analysis will compare the average PSS-10 value with the average PSQI value. A chi squared test will be used with a 95% confidence interval (p < 0.05).Results: Results are forthcoming as data collection will occur on March 28-April 4 2022.

• 

  Is there a Correlation between Prior Nutrition Education and Disordered Eating Among Collegiate, Male Athletes at a Private University

  Madeline Elizabeth Fletcher, Megan A. Gist, Christina Green

  The purpose of the study is to better understand the correlation between the exposure of prior nutrition education, and the prevalence of those at risk of disordered eating among male athletes at the University of Dayton. This study will be a mixed methods, cross-sectional study measuring the prevalence of disordered eating among male athletes at the University of Dayton, and how their prior nutrition education has affected this. Data will be collected by ethical standards. This includes informing participants of the purpose of the study and how the information will be used. Participation will be voluntary. Participants will be informed that their responses are completely anonymous and all information is confidential. There is no risk of physical harm, but caution should be given that this is a sensitive subject that could cause emotional or mental distress to some participants. A survey will be created to best assess the variables for this population. Administration in the University of Dayton's athletic department will be contacted in order to send the questionnaire to potential participants. If the administration clears it, then it will be sent to members of male collegiate teams at the school. Data will be collected between March 21, 2022 and April 4, 2022. The results will be analyzed the week of April 5, 2022.

• 

  Is There a Link between Consistent Exercise and Symptoms of Depression in College Students?

  Kayla M. Dawson, Madeline Ann Loughery, Giuliana M. Martin, Breven M. Perry, Monica Mary Widmeyer

  Background: Depression is a common condition that presents negative effects on mood, emotions, feelings toward self and personal condition, etc. The prevalence of mental health disorders among college students has continued to grow, with anxiety and depression being the most common. However, research has shown the right coping mechanisms, such as exercise, has helped to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression among college students. With college students being at increased risk of depression due to a variety of known factors, research should be conducted in order to examine the role exercise plays with the development of depression within these groups. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to identify a possible link between consistent exercise and the symptoms of depression in college students.Methods: The PHQ-9, a common questionnaire used to assess depressive symptoms/disorder, will be utilized in addition to basic demographic data collection questions like gender, age, and questions regarding exercise frequency and type. GroupMe, related platforms, and other communication methods are used to distribute the survey and ensure an adequate number participants complete the survey. The survey questions will be found within a Google Form questionnaire. Data collection will occur March 28 - April 4 Results are forthcoming

• 

  Is the strength of the antipredator response in male sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus) affected by the type of predator cue they receive?

  Michaela M. Rogers

  Climate change is inducing rapid changes to the environment, such as habitat fragmentation, invasive species, and pollutant exposure. A strong interest lies in how organisms will cope with rapid human-induced changes. One way organisms adapt is through transgenerational plasticity (TGP), which occurs when experiences in the parental environment influence the phenotype of their offspring. Previous literature shows that male three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) exposed to a predator had offspring that were smaller and less active – a phenotype indicative of a high predation environment. This suggests that TGP primes offspring for the environment they are going to encounter, but less is known about how parents use cues in their environment to elicit these effects. Individuals may rely primarily on one of type of cue (e.g. visual, olfactory) or use different cues simultaneously to assess predation. I exposed G. aculeatus males to either a control, visual only, olfactory only, or combination of visual and olfactory cues of a novel trout predator (Oncorhynchus mykiss) for 10-13 days prior to fertilization. I scored male behavior for 5 minutes before and after exposure to the trout. The results presented here determine whether fathers behave differently depending on the type of predator cue they received. If one type of cue is recognized as more dangerous, then males will exhibit more antipredator behaviors post-exposure compared to pre-exposure (e.g. spending more time oriented to the predator and more time in the back of the tank further from the predator). If fathers use multiple sources of cues simultaneously, then fathers exposed to both visual and olfactory cue of predation will exhibit more antipredator behaviors than fathers that received only visual or only olfactory cues. Recognizing multiple cues can increase the reliability of information in a variable environment where parents need to accurately prepare offspring for future environments.

• 

  Is the Workload of a Student's Major Related to Weight Gain in Female Upperclassmen College Students?

  Allison J. Kucera, Olivia F. Ryncarz, Olivia G. Scally, Grace Margaret Udelhofen, Sophia G. Wahib

  The purpose of this study is to further examine the relationship between female college student weight gain and the major that they are enrolled in, along with their associated workload. In particular, this study will include current female junior and senior students of varying majors at the University of Dayton. The aims of this study are to record their major and course load as well as measure their physical activity levels and dietary practices. It will then be determined if these factors have any correlation to weight gain throughout their college years. The participants of the study will be recruited by email and will be asked to take a survey. The responses of the survey will be anonymous, which will be specified in the email potential participants will receive. Additionally, the email will include a space in which each participant will be asked to consent to participating in the experiment before they take the survey. The participants of the study will be junior and senior females, aged 19 to 22, at the University of Dayton; all of which must be full time students of different majors to ensure a variety of responses. Potential participants will be recruited by the researchers performing this study. There will be approximately 80 participants asked to take the survey. The participants will be given a week to submit their responses. It is anticipated that around 30-50 will complete the survey, resulting in substantial data collection. For this study, a mixed method of both quantitative and qualitative instruments to measure each variable will be used. Most of the questions in the survey will be asking to give a quantitative answer that includes how many credit hours they are in or number of hours they work out in one week. There will also be qualitative questions which include asking the participants what their field of study is in including their major and minors. In the survey, validity will be ensured by gearing the questions specifically to what information is to be collected from the participants. Both the qualitative and quantitative questions in the survey will be kept short, focused, and mostly closed ended to ensure accuracy. Validity will be ensured by comparing results gathered from this experiment to other general published studies to see if there is a similar correlation in the research that was found between the variables. Reliability will be present within the study in that a large sample size will be used. Having the survey responses be kept anonymous, which encourages honesty in the participants' answers, will also encourage reliability. The participants that will be involved in the study will also be known by the researchers in some way, which encourages honesty and reliability in the participants knowing that they can trust that their answers will be kept anonymous. Proper measurement of the data that is collected will be conducted by carefully placing it into an Excel sheet and putting it into various graphs to analyze and compare to determine any trend or correlation. Since this is an online survey being sent out, there are also limitations in research that can occur. The participant’s accurate depiction of their answers or the amount of participants that actually fill out our survey cannot be controlled. Data collection and results are forthcoming.

• 

  It Makes Voices Louder: Why the Punishment of Free Speech is Counterintuitive

  Caroline Lavin Herling

  Diversity of thought is required for progress. However, the differing desired result of “progress” has proven to be an extreme point of contention between individuals and authorities. Of course, with the unbridled nature of free speech comes a spectrum of battling ethics, fallacies, and disparate perspectives of "truth". When authorities get involved to promote a singular viewpoint the diversity that paints the whole picture of the human experience is lost and people with the erased voices react. Ai WeiWei’s 1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows, public outrage over Florida's “Don’t Say Gay” bill, and Jennifer Rossuck’s study of censorship and banned books show that perspectives are recovered when the masses are inspired, specific media attention is earned, and public interest is sparked.

• 

  i-TRACE RNA interference-based reporter system to distinguish spatiotemporal gene expression in real time versus lineage cells in Drosophila eye

  Anuradha Chimata Venkatakrishnan, Paige Elizabeth McBride

  Dynamic gene expression pattern along the spatiotemporal axis is a key fundamental feature of all cells. Such changes contribute to cellular responses to stimuli and also execution of highly regulated and sequential developmental programs. During Drosophila (a.k.a fruit fly) eye development, several genes are expressed in a dynamic manner to regulate target genes. Our interest was to understand the exact expression pattern of some of the genes involved in this process. We have used the i-TRACE (RNAi Technique for Real-time And Clonal Expression) system to assess such minute but dynamic changes in expression pattern by combining Gal4/UAS, FLP/FRT, RNAi and fluorescent reporters. Upon crossing with a Gal4 stock, all real time gene expression (Gal4 mediated) is marked by the presence of red fluorescent protein (RFP) and all lineage cells express green fluorescent protein (GFP) independent of Gal4 activity. Additionally, the effect of Gal4 mediated GFP-RNAi expression persists in cells that currently and recently expressed the gene. This enables us to observe even brief changes in expression marked by loss of GFP. Here, we present the expression data of some of the genes that play an important role during Drosophila eye development.

• 

  JFK Airport Freight Handling and Trucking improvement

  Kathleen E. Beer, Aidan W. Bevard, Meredith N. Daly, John Mackey Lamason

  JFK airport Freight Handling business has declined significantly over the last several decades. This project researches several of the problems identified at JFK and specifically inbound and outbound Trucking delays and inefficiencies.

• 

  Kairos Data Repository

  August Thomas Huber, Monica Marie Nuttle, Kevin Joseph O'Boyle, Jacob Daniel Selong

  Outline and construct a world class online knowledge management infrastructure that will enable the company to grow exponentially in the future. This system is expected to document and categorize work for previous clients that can be easily found for knowledge sharing, training purposes, and aiding clients.The first goal of the project is to create a safe and secure system that will store data files for the entire company. This repository will need to give appropriate access to appropriate people within the organization as well as any clients who need certain information. Currently, Kairos does not have an infrastructure that allows them to do this so it is our job to create a strong framework that can easily be expanded in the future. With this, Kairos will have the ability to rely on and learn from past research instead of having to start fresh. Along with that, due to Kairos’ largest client being the U.S. Government, they are subject to audit at any time. This repository will allow them to easily pull documents that are needed to be successfully audited. Also, we will need to include a way that specific projects can be broken down into their components so that navigation through the repository will be more simple for both workers and clients. Due to the work that Kairos does and who they do it for, security is a key component of this repository as clients or team members will only be granted access to certain areas. It is important for our group to meet with Kairos Research’s management team in order to appropriately tailor the repository to aid them in working with the repository and ensuring it possesses the capabilities the team requires. Lastly, Kairos has requested that we include some form of order to their repository. The repository should include some form of search and find characteristics so that documents and projects can be found easily within the organization and for their clients. One potential idea is that each project will have some form of unique code that can be used to search the repository and find projects easily with security.

• 

  Kettering City Schools Analytics Platform for Student Achievement Data

  Elizabeth Rose Anderson, George E. Faulkes, John C. Francy, Hannah Jane Fredrickson

  The goal of this project is to recommenda new web-based analytics platform for theKettering City School System’s student achievement data. Data collected about students includesdemographics, attendance, assessment performance, and grades. The school district’s currentservice, Scantron, is a data warehouse that requires a high level of technical skill to access andmanipulate data. The district has tried hosting formal training sessions with teachers but has foundthat it has not increased utilization of the system. The amount of training required to successfullyoperate the current system is far more than teachers have time for. The school is hoping to find asystem that can interface with PowerSchool, their current learning management platform. Thissystem would be a comprehensive solution enabling teachers to access all the desired informationabout a student with one login. The system should be simple to use and be able to generate studentperformance reports quickly. There is no strict budget as Kettering City Schools’ main priority is toequip teachers with the critical data they need to help students grow. The school system is planningto implement this system for the 2022-2023 school year.

• 

  Kinematic Synthesis in the Design of Continuum Robots

  Yucheng Li

  Continuum robots are a type of robot composed of multiple sections that bend continuously along their elastic structures. Because of this, these robots are typically referred to as “snake-like”. Due to their soft structure, continuum robots have many significant advantages over conventional serial robots: flexibility, compliance, and dexterity. With these capabilities, continuum robots are well-suited for minimally invasive surgery, search and rescue operations, and a variety of inspection tasks. However, the additional complexity of continuum robots introduces a new set of synthesis challenges as compared to their rigid counterparts. In this research, we focus on the inverse kinematics (IK) problem as a first step in addressing the synthesis (or design) challenge for creating a continuum robot. The IK problem seeks to determine how to position a robot given a desired location and/or an orientation for the gripper at the end of the robot. The IK problem for complicated systems like a continuum robot is typically solved with time-consuming and complicated numerical methods. This research approaches a novel and fast method to solve the IK problem by exploiting the snake-like curve, called the backbone, described by a configuration of the robot. Using techniques from spatial rigid-body shape-changing mechanism theory, this research intends to reduce the complexity of calculating an approximate solution to this IK challenge.

• 

  Language as an Avenue for Representation in Theatre

  Hannah Rose Kessler

  In my project, I plan to research how language can be an avenue for representation in theatre. I will look at how language is an essential part of culture and works that use the languages of the cultures represented in that piece. I will introduce my topic with how the use of gibberish as Vietnamese in Miss Saigon fails to meet the most basic standard for representation. Then, I will use The Gods of Strangers and West Side Story, to show how the use of language can enhance representation. I will also compare The Gods of Strangers and West Side Story in their use and absence of subtitles and how it helps or hinders representation.

• 

  Legalizing Physician Assisted Suicide

  Jamie Blodgett, Christopher Eustace, Zoey E. Harig, Tyler Lebegue

  Physician Assisted Suicide (PAS) was first legalized in 1994 in Oregon as apart of The Death With Dignity Act. Since then it has been legalized in nine additional states in the U.S. In accordance with Article 25 in the UDHR and Appendix C in The American Medical Association Principles of Medical Ethics (2001), we will be presenting for the legalization of PAS throughout the world using a website and verbal presentation. We will be addressing the Thomas Youk case and the Montana Supreme Court ruling in the case Baxter v. Montana. We will also be speaking on the Patient Choice and Control at End of Life Act in Vermont and the effect this had on the state in 2013 and beyond. We will also be speaking on Brittany Maynard, a terminal brain cancer patient, who experienced Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act and present the argument of living with dignity viruses dying with dignity.As of May 2021, 20% of the world's population lives in a location where PAS is legal. In many states, the requirements for an individual to receive PAS are, “the patient must be terminally ill (expected to die within six months), identified as such by two independent physicians; must be adult, competent, and a resident of the state; must have made two oral requests at least 15 days apart, plus a written request; and must be able to self-administer the lethal agent.” We will be presenting the importance of these steps, and we will continue to connect the core of our presentation to UDHR Article 25 which states, “Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including…medical care and the right to security in the event of…sickness… in circumstances beyond his control.”

• 

  Let’s move: Benefits of implementing more physical activity in classrooms

  Sarah Katherine Demarco

  It is crucial for young children to get the necessary amount of physical activity in their day to day lives. There are many benefits to increasing the amount of physical activity a child receives throughout the day which include motor development, social and communication skills, and cognitive skills. Throughout the school day children spend most of their time in sedentary behavior which can cause students to be less engaged and less interested in school. When the amount of physical activity is increased in classrooms, research has found that children are able to stay engaged in lessons for longer periods of time and can acquire different skills that might not be learned while sitting at a desk.

• 

  Liquid Metal Ink as Stretchable Conductive Traces in Wearable Electronics Applications

  Lindsay Hampo, Zachary Jon Kranz

  As electronics become more integrated into every aspect of our daily lives, one limiting factor is the rigidity of electronics. However, recent developments of liquid metal inks have proven capable of creating flexible and stretchable electronic circuits. This work centers on a room temperature gallium-indium based metal ink which has been demonstrated to have high conductivity, negligible resistance change under strain and consistent performance over many strain cycles. These features are key for applications such as soft robotics and wearable electronics. We demonstrate the feasibility of liquid metal ink for conductive traces in wearable applications by blade coating the ink onto thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) and utilizing a heat press to bond the TPU and traces directly onto fabric. Resistance measurements are performed under both static and strain conditions using uniaxial stretching methods. Further development allows for the interfacing of the conductive ink traces with rigid electronics such as microcontrollers, sensors, and actuators to create initial prototypes of wearable electronics.

• 

  Living the Practice

  Jessica Nicole Williams

  Through various exhibitions, community events, and my pottery business known as "Muddstud", I've had the privilege of living my dream life as a maker. There have been many ups and downs in this journey, but I am learning and growing with each commission.

• 

  Local Supplier Management System for Independent Grocery Stores

  Brian J. Berry

  Gem City Market is a cooperative grocery store that seeks to help ease food insecurity in the south side of Dayton, while stimulating the local economy. Gem city has a goal of providing 15-20% of their products from local sources. In order to help achieve this my project was focused on idealizing a local food system for Gem City to connect with and cooperate with local food producers. Having multiple smaller suppliers is more complex and therefore expensive to maintain than have a few larger suppliers. Creating a map of local producers and suppliers would be a useful tool for Gem City to connect and foster relationships, easing some of the challenges with supplying from local producers.

• 

  Macrophage Migration and Phagocytosis in Breast Cancer Microenvironment

  Elizabeth A. Avera, Sarah E. Lamb

  Macrophages are a specialized type of immune cell that work via phagocytosis, a process in which they engulf and destroy foreign materials, and apoptosis, in which macrophages induce programmed cell death in infected or abnormal cells. Two major subtypes of macrophages include M1 macrophages, which are activated macrophages and induce inflammatory responses, and M2 macrophages, which are alternatively activated and induce anti-inflammatory responses (Abdulhadi, 2014). M1 macrophages have been studied in response to cancer environments for their ability to target cancer cells and trigger phagocytosis (Jaiswal et al., 2010). On the other hand, M2 macrophages are pro-tumorigenic, which can trigger angiogenesis, the development of new blood vessels, and other growth and healing factors, thus promoting tumor invasion and metastasis (Forssell et al., 2007). In 2018, breast cancer was the second leading cause of cancer related deaths in women, making the mechanisms of breast cancer progression important to study (Seigal et al., 2021). This poster will showcase tumor surveillance behaviors of macrophages in response to tumor-associated factors such as chemoattractants, or chemical substances that attract motile cells, protein binding molecules, soluble components from the cancer culture medium, etc., on the migration behavior of the macrophages. With an increased understanding of the factors that impact macrophage migration, this poster will also investigate macrophage’s effects on stimulating cancer phagocytosis and/or apoptosis. In this presentation, we will discuss current studies performed on the immune effects of macrophages in breast cancer invasiveness and progression in order to better understand the role macrophages play.

• 

  Mary Across Campus

  Matthew Coath, Emma Harry, Kathryn Hehn, Grace Kennedy, Sam Schadek

  The Symbolic Convergence Theory focuses on group identities that develop through shared fantasy elements. Through their deeper meaning, these statues rhetorically communicate and construct the Marianist identity at UD. Being frequent symbols on UD’s campus, they remind the community of the shared meanings, emotions, and values of the Marianist order.