Stander Symposium Projects

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  Assessing and Improving the Biocompatibility and Usability of Composite Additively Manufactured Organ-On-Chip Devices

  Yun Xing

  Fluidic organ-on-chip (OOC) devices are powerful tools in biomedical research, allowing for the set-up, control, and monitoring of complex biological scenarios that better mimic in vivo conditions. Currently, the adoption of OOC devices for biological research is limited due to low yields and high-cost stemming from the engineering expertise and manual skill required to design and fabricate them. Additive manufacturing techniques making use of digital modularity can reduce the expertise and skill required while increasing functionality with multi-material components. We report on our work evaluating the biocompatibility of 3D-printed cell culture devices with various materials and surface modifications. OOC devices were fabricated from Cyclic Olefin Co-polymer (COC) using fused filament fabrication. Additional components were fabricated from silicone and chitosan with extrude and cure printing and electrospinning to provide cell-culture substrates that better mimic native tissues. To further enhance the material biocompatibility and promote cell adhesion, we treated surfaces with corona plasma and polydopamine surface coating.To evaluate the biocompatibility of the materials and surface modifications used in our composite devices, we employ and optimize live/dead viability assay procedures using a combination of highly sensitive fluorescent dyes (Calcein Blue AM and 7-AAD) in 3D-printed COC cell culture devices in vitro. These experiments and the resulting protocols provide a comprehensive method to assess novel materials and cell culture device configurations. The work also provided research-level feedback on the usability of the devices which led to iterative redesign which will be reported. Both outcomes set the foundation for the future construction of affordable, biocompatible, and functional organ-on-chip (OOC) systems manufactured using COC. The successful fabrication of biocompatible 3D-printed cell culture devices using COC and additional materials presented by this project may overcome the manufacturing limitations of OOC using bioengineering strategies, which enables for future mass-production of various OOC systems.

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  Assessing flight task performance of general aviation pilots under varied VR conditions

  Nathan A. Brelage

  An understanding of how pilots complete their flight tasks is an essential element of preventing aviation incidents. Disorientation or a loss of control of the aircraft are some of the direct causes of such events. This study seeks to assess the impact of environmental factors on the ability of general aviation pilots to complete flight tasks.Certified pilots (n = 8) with experience flying a Cessna 172 or similar aircraft participated. They were tasked with flying a virtual model of a Cessna 172 Skyhawk. This was accomplished using X-Plane 11 flight simulation software, Honeycomb Alpha flight controls, and a Saitek throttle quadrant. The software was integrated with an HTC Vive Pro virtual reality headset. Within X-Plane 11, three environmental conditions were created: Clear, Partial Clouds, and Full Clouds. All weather conditions other than cloud cover were the same across the environments with no wind present. No clouds are present in the Clear condition. Roughly 50% of the ground is obscured by clouds in the Partial Clouds condition. The ground is completely obscured by clouds in the Full Clouds condition. In each environment, the pilots were tasked with performing a series of 500 ft ascents, 500 ft descents, 90° turns to the right, and 90° turns to the left. These tasks were completed above the cloud layer.The pilots were assessed based on their altitude error, heading error, heading rate of change, and the amount of motor control effort that was required to complete the task. The duration of the task was also considered when evaluating the impact of the environment. The findings of this study may help to indicate where pilots need additional training or tools to aid them in safely controlling their aircraft.

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  Assessing Mental Health Issues in Indigenous Communities (Sioux)

  Vanessa Noelle Ocampo Bautista, Madeline Sierra Hendrix

  The lack of acknowledgement by the American Psychological Association of mental health problems in Indigenous communities and its failure to identify culture-specific disorders, results in inadequate training of mental health professionals serving in these communities. The 25 conditions that the physicians failed to address for over 100 years which include, “Pibloktoq (arctic hysteria), chidnoh (a form of ghost sickness), windigo (melancholia and delusions), schwas (spirit intrusion), and iich’aa (taboo breaking)” (Grandbois 1008). Leaving these as unrecognized disorders results in many indigenous people turning to traditional ways of healing and feeling that most non-indigenous people should not use spiritual or healing methods. They believe modern psychology has failed them and it can be perceived to be a form of social control, as history has suggested. One way to solve these ongoing issues is by assigning the clinician to a Native mentor or having them live with and meet the community members. In an article from the National Institute of Mental Health, researchers suggest that “‘mainstream clinicians’ ought to consult with indigenous practitioners about the expressions of mental disorders among indigenous people. Such recommendations should become a required action and a practice guideline for all practitioners who are not culturally competent to provide quality care to AIAN people'' (Lewis). Psychologists need indigenous mentors and integration in the community to have a better understanding of the culture. Through the specific language that the therapist uses, adequate cultural training, knowledge of tribal law, government support, and respect for Indigenous therapy, treatment between the patient and therapist can be improved. This poster explores the mental health issues and solutions specific to the Siouxland community.

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  Assessing the Association Between Religion, Relationship Status, Sexual Activity, and Self Worth Among College Students

  Lily Marisa Sweeterman

  The course of romantic relationships has changed greatly over the past century especially among young people. This research explores the relationship between the importance of religion and relationship status and sexual activity on self worth in a sample of over 70,000 college students aged 18-25 in the United States. Data for this research come from the Healthy Minds Study, an online survey of college students conducted from 2018-2019 by the University of Michigan. Using chi-square tests, I first examine the relationship between religion and number of sexual partners, relationship status, and agreement with two statements about self worth: "I am a good person and live a good life" and "people respect me." I hypothesized that students with higher levels of religiosity would report lower levels of self worth if they had a greater number of sexual partners, but higher levels of self worth if they reported being in a relationship.

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  Assessing the Current Pharmaceutical Patent System in the United States

  Ivy Ayitey, Augustine James Boehnlein

  In the last couple of decades, one of the major crises that continues to plague healthcare is the rising costs of medications (Rajkumar, 2020). While it could be argued that pharmaceutical companies are at fault for these high costs, the standards of the current patent system that these companies follow allow such price gouging to continue (Rajkumar, 2020). The current patent system is meant to spur innovation while still allowing competition by securing short-term monopolies for new medications (Feldman, 2018). However, pharmaceutical companies are finding loopholes in the current system to extend their monopolies on current drugs to increase future revenue (Feldman, 2018). Such practices are called “evergreening” and explain why “78% of the drugs associated with new patents in the FDA’s records were not new drugs coming on the market, but existing drugs” (Feldman, 2018). Both Feldman (2018) and Gøtzsche (2018) argue that these practices are hurting innovation and the future of healthcare, which is why alternative models such as the not-for-profit model, increased transparency, Ruthless Simplification, and One-and-Done policies have been offered. The purpose of this poster is to outline the current patent system in place, detail the system’s problems, and describe proposed solutions.

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  Assessing the Effects of Body Worn Cameras on Police and Citizen Interactions

  Callaghan J. Flood, Lily R. Holtane

  This study aims to use quantitative data analysis expanded by a qualitative interview to explore the effects of BWCs on police-citizen interactions by looking at citizen complaints against officers in various police departments across the United States. The goal is to provide an overarching view of the effects of BWCs across the whole United States. Specifically, this study is looking to see if BWCs can improve the interactions between police and citizens as a part of re-legitimizing police in the eyes of the public.

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  Assessing the Impact of COVID-19 and Childhood Immunization Rates in the United States

  Laura L. Bender, Hannah Marie Derespiris

  Vaccines are an important part of the health and well-being of children. The CDC notes that vaccines are a safe and effective way to prevent infectious diseases and strengthen their immune systems (2019). HPV, measles, and polio are among some of the few potentially life threatening diseases that vaccines can prevent (CDC, 2019). Staying up to date on vaccinations is important for people of all ages, but especially for children and infants since their immune systems are not fully developed (CDC, 2019). Through childhood immunizations, the immune system produces antibodies to help recognize and protect against fatal diseases (CDC, 2019). In the US, during the pandemic, there was a decrease in the number of children getting their regular vaccines. According to a study done in the United States, “Among children aged <24 months and children aged>2–6 years, DTaP doses administered declined an overall median of 15.7% and 60.3%, respectively, across all jurisdictions compared with the same period during 2018 and 2019” (Patel et al., 2021). Further research needs to be done regarding the exact reasons for the decrease in vaccinations during the pandemic, but regardless, there are potentially severe health ramifications for children being unvaccinated. The purpose of this poster is to examine changes in childhood vaccination rates since the pandemic began, its implications for the health of children, and to discuss future initiatives of vaccine programming.

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  Assessing the Impact of COVID-19 on Psychiatric Calls for UD EMS

  Danielle Carmela Brown, Avery Lyn Lewis

  Mental health has become increasingly discussed and studied in recent decades. The COVID-19 pandemic led to unprecedented times and numerous restraints for society as a whole, but specifically, for the education system and its students. From the pandemic, isolation periods, uncertainty in class format and structure, and fear of the future all contribute to mental stressors during this time. In a study conducted at Texas A&M University, 71% of college students indicated an increase of stress and anxiety due to the COVID-19 pandemic (Son et al., 2020). Additionally, nearly 20% of college students surveyed during the pandemic experienced suicidal thoughts or ideations (Wang et al., 2020). As students and collegiate EMS providers at the University of Dayton, we are interested in studying the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health crises which can be reflected by the amount of psychiatric calls for UD EMS. Specifically, the data, provided by UD EMS Assistant Chief of Operations, was drawn from 2018 through 2022 and compares the total number of EMS calls to the number of psychiatric calls throughout that period. During the 2020-2021 school year in the pandemic, UD EMS responded to a total of 7 psychiatric emergencies out of 110 total calls (6.36%). In January 2022 alone, UD EMS responded to 5 psychiatric emergencies out of 34 total calls (14.7%), which is the highest number ever recorded in a single month. These totals do not reflect the students with mental health crises that receive assistance from the University of Dayton Police Department without the intervention of UD EMS. The purpose of this poster is to recognize how COVID-19 has increased mental health issues on the University of Dayton’s campus and to provide a comprehensive guide of mental health resources available to students.https://www.jmir.org/2020/9/e21279/ https://www.jmir.org/2020/9/e22817/

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  Assessing the link between DEFB1 gene mutation and the predisposition to dental caries

  Max W. Hartwig, Alexander B. Kurdziel

  Caries, more commonly known as cavities, occur in the oral cavity when bacteria attack the tooths’ enamel causing tooth decay (National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, 2019). According to Dye (2015), caries are extremely common with 91% of adults 20 to 64 having had dental caries in their permanent teeth. While there are over 700 different species of bacteria within the oral cavity, there are important immune barriers that fend off these bacteria (National Institute of Health, 2019). Beta defensin 1, one of these immune barriers, is a protein that is encoded by the DEFB1 gene (NCBI, 2022). This protein is commonly found on the enamel of teeth and serves as one of the first lines of defense against invading germs (University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences, 2010). A mutation or polymorphism of this gene can be a genetic cause for an increased amount of caries in an individual (Ozturk, 2010). According to Conroy (1993), as much as 40-65% of the risk for dental caries can be due to genetic factors. In a more recent study, the presence of the variant allele of the DEFB1 marker rs11362 (G-20A) was associated with a five-fold increase in decayed, missing teeth due to caries (Ozturk, 2010). The purpose of this poster is to discuss research on the link between the predisposition to caries and the mutation of the DEFB1 gene. Afterwards, we will discuss literature that strategizes how to prevent dental caries in people with the predisposition.

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  Assessment of Aggressive Behavior in a Transgenic Mouse Model

  Kiara Eileen Bahamonde, Ben Klocke

  The Tube Dominance Test has been widely used to assess social dominance, aggression, and social hierarchy in mice. The purpose of our study was to determine if the Tube Dominance Test can be used to identify aggression and social dominance in transgenic mice that lack a specific calcium regulatory protein. To test this hypothesis wild type and knockout mice of both sexes were habituated with the clear tube and handled for three days. For five days, the mice were trained to pass through the tube. For testing, two mice meet in the middle of the clear tube. Due to limited space within the tube, only one mouse can pass at a time; therefore, one mouse must submit to the other. Preliminary analyses are currently being conducted using this behavioral assay to assess aggression levels in this mouse strain.

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  Assessment of risk factors associated with anterior cruciate ligament injury through video analysis of drop vertical jump before and after gluteal muscle strengthening program.

  Julianna D. Leonard

  Two-dimensional video analysis of the drop vertical jump test has been shown to be an effective and accessible screening tool in assessing an individual’s risk for anterior cruciate ligament injury. High degrees of dynamic knee valgus during landing from a drop vertical jump suggest increased risk for ACL tears, specifically in female athletes, who are at greatest risk. Activation of the stabilizing muscles of the hip has also been shown to play a role in reducing these knee movements that predispose an individual to ACL injury. The purpose of this study was to use the drop vertical jump injury screening protocol to assess ACL injury risk in female volleyball players before and after their participation in a six-week training program targeting the strengthening of the gluteus medius muscle. Two data collection sessions were completed six weeks apart. During both data collections, tape markers were placed on the hips, knees, and ankles of the participants. Five video trials of the drop vertical jump were recorded and analyzed to determine maximum knee valgus during landing from the drop vertical jump. Between the two data collections, the subjects participated in their regularly scheduled weekly training sessions, which included exercises for the gluteus medius muscle. The results from the pre- and post-training data collections were presented to the participants in a report including details of their risk classification, along with general recommendations for improvement. The pre- and post-training injury screening data were compared to evaluate the efficacy of the gluteal muscle strengthening program in decreasing risk factors associated with ACL injury.

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  A systematic review of nursing cognitive workload for improved patient care and reduced Healthcare Acquired Infections

  Suheil Salih

  The COVID-19 pandemic pushed the limits of healthcare systems worldwide warranting studies to improve preparedness for future outbreaks. This paper’s purpose was to synthesize and identify missing gaps in the literature of nurse cognitive workload and its relation to Healthcare Acquired Infections (HAIs) through the use of a systematic literature review. The results suggest that undesirable outcomes in nursing are due to increases in workload and stress which result from factors such as inadequate staffing, lack of communication, interruptions, and negative attitudes. To understand the effect of environmental factors on nurses’ workload and subsequently the HAI, we need to have a tool for measuring the workload. A literature gap exists in defining nurse workload related to infection, and new measuring methods which can accurately assess nurses’ cognitive workload are required.

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  Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) and Communication

  Kathleen Megan Crump

  There is an increasing amount of research relating to young children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) and facilitating their communication skills. This project addresses why it is important to assist in communication with children with ASDs at a young age, what interventions can be implemented in order to achieve this goal, and the ways in which peer and adult interactions can make an impact. Each of these aspects of engagement in the classroom are important to facilitate positive experiences for students with ASDs that leads to an improvement of communication skills which are applicable in all aspects of life.

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  A Visual Experience in support of the National Park Service

  Kaitlyn B. Acra, Marya Nabil Khamis Al Zadjali, Balkis Mohammed Alhalal, Sydney N. Eldridge, Anna Caroline Gorman, Trent Ryan Howell, Jack H. Kargl, Carlene R. Landers, Kasidi Lynn Meyers, Grace E. Reilly, Joseph S. Swisher, William Baran Symank, Kelsey M. Vonderhaar

  Students enrolled in VAD415 Graphic Design III were tasked with creating a meaningful, effective, and engaging experience using aspects of visual identity, branding, and environmental graphics to guide visitors in their navigation to the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park located in the historic Wright Dunbar neighborhood. The students began by meeting with several National Aviation Heritage Area (NAHA) partners and making several site visits to the National Park, located just .3 miles from the intersection of the newly renovated W. Third St. Bridge and Edwin C. Moses Blvd. Students worked collaboratively to gather resources, research the park’s content and history, and manage communications with members of NAHA and the National Park Service (NPS). Four student teams then each designed a creative visual package including a directional way-finding system and corresponding environmental graphics. Teams are presenting their design proposals to NAHA leadership and community partners with the potential for a team’s design to move into production and implementation. Working with a local non-profit organization on this community-driven project has been a tremendous experiential learning opportunity for the students. Special thanks to Mackensie Wittmer, Executive Director, NAHA, for proposing this project. Documentation of team research and project development are on display in the Department of Art and Design in Fitz Hall during the closing evening of the Stander Symposium and closing reception for the annual student Horvath Exhibition.

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  Barriers to Physical Activity for College Students

  Grant A. Hirzel, Jacob Duncan Maloney, Mark Silvio Manfredi, Zachary Joseph Pohlman, Nicholas Roman Riordan

  This study looks to examine certain factors that affect levels of physical activity in college students, how active college students are, and how activity level is impacted by location on campus as well as age. The primary study question is: “What are the barriers to exercising for college students?”. The data for this study will be collected through surveys sent out to UD students ranging from undergraduate freshmen to seniors. The goal is to be able to collect data from 30 students from each class and have a diverse group of majors and extracurriculars that give a true picture of students on campus. The variables that will be measured are frequency of exercise, type of exercise, barrier to not exercising more, upperclassman or underclassman, gender, and proximity of address to gym. A google survey with a variety of questions will be utilized to collect as much data as possible from our target population. The data collection will take place from March 22nd - April 5th. After data collection, analysis will take place by putting the different responses into groups and determining the different factors college students have when it comes to participating in physical activity. The results will be analyzed after data collection around April 5th.

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  Behavioral analysis of a transgenic Drosophila model of Tau mediated toxicity in Alzheimer's Disease

  Prajakta D. Deshpande, Liam Michael Dwyer

  Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a fatal progressive neurodegenerative disorder marked by a gradual loss of cognitive function and memory loss. Alzheimer’s pathology includes the extracellular accumulation of amyloid beta 42 plaques (Aβ42) and intracellular accumulation of neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) in the brain. In AD, Tau protein, a microtubule associated protein (MAP), gets hyperphosphorylated which results in the intracellular accumulation of NFTs due to destabilization of microtubules. We employ the Gal4/UAS system in Drosophila melanogaster to misexpress human Tau mutant (TauR406W) which mimics AD like neuropathology. It has been previously shown in our lab that misexpression of human TauR406W within the developing fly retina (GMR>TauR406W) exhibits reduced and rough eye phenotype. Here, in this study we will assess Tau mediated toxicity in a transgenic fly model by behavioral analysis. We will misexpress human TauR406W in the nervous system by using Elav-Gal4 driver. One of the behavioral assays such as a locomotion assay will increase our understanding of effects of tau mediated toxicity in AD. Here we will present the behavioral effects of AD transgenic flies.

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  BetterU: A daily activity monitoring pervasive mobile application

  Sankarshan Dasgupta, Claire I. Gutsmiedl, Vatsa Sanjay Patel

  The majority of daily activities (including eating on time, drinking enough water, moderate exercise, sleep, and others) are essential to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. A plethora of studies show that ignoring critical health-related tasks and healthy lifestyle habits (i.e., proper nourishment, work-life balance) could lead to anomalies such as health complications and chronic illnesses (including type-2 diabetes). In this research, we seek to explore and design social-technical tools to help people avoid such anomalies. We started by exploring the lifestyle needs of the students at our University. Our findings show that the majority of users are unwilling to make the effort or sometimes forget to record their daily activity routine using the current tracking applications. Some forgot to self-track because of career changes or shifting settings and lifestyles. This work will present the design of a mobile application that will monitor and assist routine on critical tasks. The App enables the user to make informed choices and fix any unusual behavior in their schedule. Further, in order to address participants' unwillingness to record their activities, we integrated critical ubiquitous computing components in our App including smartphone auto-tracking and GPS. First, auto-tracking components will offer our end users the ability to comprehensively track, monitor, and document their activities with ease. Second, the GPS and time access working in tandem offers them the most acceptable activity performance data handling within that time period. Consequently resulting in an undetectable design that produces the most accurate results conceivable. The App is set up, with the unique combination of GPS and time allowing the end-user to track their health activities, while also promoting self-monitoring and event schedule.In this symposium, we will present our design process and demonstrate how our App may support end-users (including our University students) to track their daily habits and activities.

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  Beyond Biology: Using Nature in the Classroom for All Subjects and Development of Elementary Age Students

  Noah Maynard Lorbach

  Time in nature is commonly utilized for biology classes and science projects. There is research, however, which shows that time in nature is beneficial for education in all school subjects including: English, history, math, and foreign language. In addition, teaching elementary age children in the outdoors allows for greater social and emotional development occurring beyond the typical classroom.

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  Bidirectional associations between adjustment and academic achievement: Testing the adjustment erosion and academic incompetence hypotheses

  Abigail Stover

  Abigail Lou Stover

  An association between academic incompetence and behavior problems exists. There are two frameworks to explain this association: the adjustment erosion and academic incompetence hypotheses (Van der Ende et al., 2016). These hypotheses relate to the directionality of the association between academic incompetence and behavior problems. The adjustment erosion hypothesis predicts that internalizing or externalizing problems lead to academic problems, whereas the academic incompetence hypothesis predicts that academic problems lead to internalizing or externalizing problems (Van der Ende et al., 2016). This study examines links between externalizing problems, internalizing problems, and academic performance, looking at bidirectional pathways between these variables, while controlling for confounding family background variables. This study uses previously collected longitudinal data from a nationally representative sample. Analyses included between 1,117 and 1,258 participating families. Reading and math achievement from children ages 5 to 14 were measured using the Peabody Individual Achievement Tests. Externalizing and internalizing behaviors were measured using the Behavior Problem Index completed by mothers during the same age range. Multiple regression analyses were used to test whether externalizing and internalizing problems at ages 5/6 predicted math and reading abilities at ages 13/14, and whether math and reading abilities at ages 5/6 predicted internalizing and externalizing problems at ages 13/14. Analyses controlled for maternal IQ, delinquency, highest grade, age at childbirth, family income, biological sex of the child, and the age 5/6 value of the age 13/14 dependent variable. Externalizing and internalizing problems in early childhood were found to significantly predict math and reading achievement at age 13/14. Math and reading achievement at age 5/6 were found to significantly predict externalizing and internalizing problems at age 13/14. Support was found for the adjustment erosion and academic incompetence hypotheses. These findings suggest that addressing academic deficits could aid later adjustment and addressing adjustment problems could improve academic performance.

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  Blend Prediction Model for Freezing Point of Jet Fuel Range Hydrocarbons

  Allison Ann Coburn

  Sustainable aviation fuels are a near-term solution for aviation greenhouse gas emission reduction. To become a sustainable aviation fuel, a synthetic fuel derived from a renewable source must have specifications written into ASTM D7566 as an annex to regulate its quality. However, before a sustainable aviation fuel can be added, it must be thoroughly evaluated and approved by all stakeholders through an time and volume intensive, as well as expensive process described in ASTM D4054. For this reason, the prescreening process is being developed. Prescreening is a process to measure or predict, from very small sample volumes, key fuel properties that are crucial for operability of an aircraft. The intention of the prescreening process is to inform suppliers of possible risks to passing the evaluations of ASTM D4054. Freezing point is one of the critical safety stipulations that require fuel to remain in liquid state under severe weather conditions. Methods to predict the freezing point of hydrocarbon blends are scarce in current literature. These pre-existing blend prediction models are either not validated within the typical temperature range for jet fuel standards, or they contain an interaction coefficient which is only obtained experimentally. The goal of this study is to develop a blending rule to accurately predict the freezing point of combinations of jet fuel range hydrocarbons. To do so, blends of hydrocarbons with freezing points varying from one another were tested. Binary and ternary blends containing bicyclohexyl, cis-1,2-dimethylcyclohexane, and an alternative jet fuel (POSF 12968) were tested along with separate tests including binary and ternary blends of tridecane, cis-1,2-dimethylcyclohexane, and trans-decahydronaphthalene. The experimental values obtained were compared with linear predictive blending model results. A new model based on Gibbs free energy is reliable for neat molecules, however, is currently being developed to predict the freezing point of hydrocarbon blends.

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  Breaking Cryptography with Quantum Computers and Shor's Algorithm

  Thomas C. Lehmenkuler

  Many current encryption schemes rely on the difficulty of factoring large numbers. Shor's Algorithm is a quantum factorization method. This presentation will motivate the ideas and methods behind Shor's Algorithm, as well as the mathematical theory behind using quantum computing to practically use Shor's Algorithm.

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  Bring Me Everyone except for You

  Dylan Read Eckhart

  As a country we present ourselves as a land for people to come and seek refuge but we make it very difficult. As a country we are very hypocritical when it comes to immigration. The statue of liberty stands with its accepting words written on it but we do not live by those words as a country. I will explore the Artistic responses to the border crisis and the impact it has on both sides of the border. I will also be looking at the contrast between the border crisis in Ukraine compared to our own. I will be looking at Tanya Aguiñiga and Tom Keifer's work.

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  Building Social Cohesion and Collective Efficacy among Students in Off-Campus Neighborhoods

  Thomas Glen Bobick-Braybrooks, Kaylin G. Florentino, Benjamin Russell Ronald Jones, Christian D. Kelly

  This research is a semester-long course project in SOC 324: Communities & Crime. As part of this project, we have identified a crime-related problem in our neighborhoods/living spaces and apply community-building and environmental design approaches to offer recommendations and solutions that address the problem. Our work emphasizes the importance of social cohesion and sense of community in preventing crime and fostering feelings of safety on and around campus.

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  Building Stress Resilience in Undergraduates: An Examination of Self-Affirmation and Stress Resilience in Students

  Lindsey Young

  While a student’s time in higher education is expected to be a little overwhelming at times undergraduate students are facing stress and anxiety at alarming rates. The purpose of this qualitative study is to investigate how a simple daily practice of self-affirmation could potentially influence shifts in undergraduate college students’ social and mental well-being. Over a six-week time span, eight students practiced self-affirmation practices and completed bi-weekly virtual reflections regarding the current state of their stress and stress management. Results show students experiencing better overall resilience when stress occurs. The intent of this study is to advance knowledge regarding how to best promote holistic well-being in the lives of undergraduate students.

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  Bumblebees in Solar Prairies

  Nicolette A. Engelmeier, Grace A. Janszen, Morgan E. Mieland

  Bumblebees (Bombus Latreille) are an interest of many ecologists today due to the increasing decline of pollinators. A pollinator, such as the bumblebee, provides a large amount of service to an ecosystem since they aid in the survival and nutrition of plants and animals in their area. The data collected will help to understand if the solar prairie is being used by pollinators in the area and if it is beneficial to their survival. The goal of our research is to study areas in which a bumblebee may hibernate, between man-made or natural areas. We dug 10cm holes near both man-made and natural structures and searched through the soil to look for a singular queen bee. We used natural structures such as trees and plants that would provide protection. Man-made structures that we focused on were fences and mainly the solar panels in the solar prairie. We were not able to find any bumblebees during our search. We believe the main obstacle in our search was due to the warm weather patterns during a typically cold season, which may have caused the bumblebees to come out of hibernation early. As a result of this weather, we began searching for evidence of the bumblebees using the solar prairie as an ecosystem to survive in. We conducted bumblebees patterns of flight and foraging patterns inside of the solar prairie, which is important for the pollination of native plants in the area and the survival of other species in the ecosystem.