Stander Symposium: All projects - 2024

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  Thermal Tolerance of Ground-Nesting Ants in Solar Panel Microhabitats

  Caroline Elizabeth Bowers, Leen Sawas

  This research investigates the thermal tolerance of ground-nesting ant colonies inhabiting solar panel microhabitats. With increasing popularity of solar panels as a renewable energy source, understanding their impact on local ecosystems and small organisms inhabiting them becomes essential. At our study site, Curran Place, solar panels create three distinct microhabitats with different temperatures. Microhabitats are differently shaded due to the positioning of the panels and the types of vegetation present: (1) directly under the panels is almost entirely shaded (2) aisles between panels are partly shaded during the day; (3) the buffer zone surrounding the panels, which is planted with tall prairie plants, gets direct sunlight. To understand how these microhabitats impact small organisms, such as ground-nesting ants, we collected live ants from each one and tested their ability to tolerate increasing temperatures. We hypothesized that ants living directly under panels would exhibit the lowest tolerance to increasing temperatures. After locating colonies of five different ant morphospecies throughout all three microhabitats, we collected live worker ants and brought them back to the lab for thermal tolerance testing. Ants were subjected to gradually increasing temperatures until their mobility ceased. This temperature was deemed the critical thermal maximum (CTmax), or the highest temperature that the ants could withstand. Utilizing ANOVA and Tukey HSD pairwise comparisons, we observed significant differences in average colony CTmax among ant morphospecies. We found no significant differences in average colony CTmax based on microhabitats that colonies were found in, however, the observed trends aligned with our initial hypothesis. Our research contributes valuable insights into how ground-nesting ants adapt to temperature fluctuations associated with solar panels and provides essential information for understanding and managing the impacts of renewable energy development on local ecosystems.

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  The role of CodY in regulating Listeria monocytogenes lactate dehydrogenase activity in response to propionate

  Angelina Rose Giannetto, Lauren E. Piper

  Listeria monocytogenes is a bacterial foodborne pathogen that can cause severe enteric infections with high mortality rates. During transmission, L. monocytogenes is exposed to propionate both as a common additive in food matrices and as a metabolic byproduct of our intestinal microbiota. However, how L. monocytogenes adapts to propionate exposure is not fully understood. In this study, we investigated how propionate exposure regulates the activity of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). LDH activity is critical for bacteria to maintain redox homeostasis and therefore can be a good indicator for bacterial fitness. Therefore, bacteria grown under different conditions with or without propionate were harvested and lysed. LDH activities were quantified in the resulting lysates using Pierce LDH Cytotoxicity Assay Kit. Moreover, to explore the molecular mechanism underlying the regulation of LDH activity, I compared the results between wildtype L. monocytogenes and a mutant strain lacking the transcription factor CodY. We found that while propionate didn't significantly change LDH activities, the lack of CodY resulted in a significantly lower LDH activity. These results highlight the potential role of CodY in activating LDH production.

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  The Role of Nutrition in an Individual's Physical Activity Levels and Sleep Patterns.

  Megan Marie Perri

  Maintaining a balanced and nutritious diet provides our bodies with essential nutrients that promotes good overall health and well being. Nutrition has the vital rule in all different systems of the body as well as providing fuel for additional exertion throughout the day. Research has shown that diet patterns can change when students go off to college and students may attempt to try different diet plans. The goal of this research project is to better understand the role nutrition can play in physical activity levels and sleep habits in college students.

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  The Role Violent Victimizations Play in Gang Involvement

  Kimberly Alyson Cleveland, Kaliana M. Keyes

  Many individuals have looked into how gang involvement can affect the rates of violent victimization experienced. Knowing why people join gangs is essential to understanding why there are so many victimizations. There is no one defining reason why people join gangs. Instead, many reasons can lead an individual to join these gangs. Many of the reasons people give for joining a gang include giving them an identity within society, a sense of belonging, independence from parents, protection, and loyalty. Gangs offer many opportunities for prospective gang members and then provide them for members when they join the gang. Individuals go to gangs because they provide so much that they do not feel they are getting anywhere else, which increases the likelihood that individuals will join a gang. When we ran a binary logistical regression, we found that violent victimizations are a predictor in an individual's gang involvement.

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  The Semiotics of the Holy Lance

  Austin Lloyd, Connor Roy, Lenny Zaleski

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

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  The Underdog Story: Women in Sports Films

  Samuel Michael Good

  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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  THR/VAR 250 Diversity in the Creative and Performing Arts Poster Presentations

  Nadine Olivia Ayers, Emily J. Bryan, Caroline Anne Cochran, Ellana Rose Davis, Jillian R. Fahey, Ava Paige Forrest, Vaegus Mykul Gallimore, Samuel Michael Good, Haleigh Melina Gross, Jacob Russell Hausler, Achille Kpeya, Reagan Marie Lloyd, Katherine J. Moreira, Kailey Patricia Peppard, Guadalupe Sanchez-Salvador, Sarah Katherine Theewis, Katharine G. Tucker, Ella Tamara Widau

  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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  Too Many Men: Investigating online harassment toward women-identifying hockey fans in a male-dominated space

  Yana Crossland, Zoe Kalen Hill

  The world of sports is traditionally a masculine space, and professional hockey perpetuates these gender boundaries because of its aggressive nature. Despite this, women-identifying hockey fans exist, and make space for themselves as a fandom on social media platforms. This research explores the online harassment received by women-identifying hockey fans in a male-dominated space. Through a content analysis of social media posts from both Facebook and X (Twitter), we take a quantitative approach, with the quantity of instances of verbal abuse (operationally defined as the use of written language directed towards another person with the intent to degrade, invalidate, or otherwise disrespect them) being measured and compared between different social media platforms. This study aims to provide evidence to the prevalence of online harassment toward women-identifying hockey fans and its impact on the sports space in the context of the inaugural Professional Women's Hockey League season.

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  Topology on Infinite Dimensional Spaces

  Gabriel Paul Gray, William Thomas Hach, Joseph Michael Kopp

  We will be discussing our research into topology, looking at infinite dimensional spaces, and exploring the problems it generates when working from an analytical or algebraic perspective.

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  Tracing Groundwater Recharge in the Great Miami River Watershed through Isotopic Analysis

  James Joshua Lambert

  Understanding groundwater recharge and the degree of surface and groundwater interaction is essential to maintaining aquifer health and sustainable use of freshwater resources. As such, establishing water movement in the hydrologic system helps constrain water fluxes, estimate groundwater recharge rates, monitor pollutant migration, and allocate water resources in watershed management. This study used environmental isotopes as a tracer to understand the source of seasonal groundwater recharge in the Great Miami River Watershed. The use of water isotope as a tracer is based on the unique isotopic endmember composition of different reservoirs due to spatial and temporal variation of precipitation isotope and atmospheric and hydrologic processes. A year-long precipitation, surface water, and groundwater samples were used for this study. Precipitation samples were collected daily and weekly, surface water was collected throughout the watershed, and groundwater well samples were acquired from the Miami Conservancy District monitoring wells twice a year (Fall and Spring). The samples were then analyzed for hydrogen and oxygen isotopes in the Department of Geology Environmental Isotope lab at the University of Dayton. Our result shows that Dayton’s precipitation and river water isotope exhibit seasonal variation, depleted in the winter and enriched in the summer. On the other hand, groundwater shows a small seasonal variation but shows higher spatial variation and proximity to rivers. The outcome of the spatial and temporal isotope analysis in the watershed suggests the importance of groundwater recharge from both directly from precipitation as diffused recharge and localized focused recharge from rivers. While groundwater recharge is biased towards the wet season due to melting snow, the Great Miami River also provides groundwater recharge downstream of Dayton.

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  Transit Equity: Analyzing, Innovating, and Designing for Social Justice

  Keely Nicole Hopp, Makenna R. Korzan, Regan Maureen Smith, Camilla L. Sullenger

  Education students are designing a STEM lesson that incorporates social justice. Students will be analyzing data of two public transit systems, comparing cost benefits, resources used, and routes taken. They will use this information to change one of the routes or design their own that would benefit the city the most. Finally they will design the route, taking into account the route, resources, and stops needed, and compare to the other groups in the class.

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  Two-Dimensional Temperature Map of a Melt Zone

  William Thomas Hach

  A Grey-Body is an imperfect Black-Body that does not perfectly emit all absorbed energy as radiation,but still behaves similarly. In this presentation, we will discuss three things: (a) a method of using twocameras and wavelength filters to create a two-dimensional temperature map of a heated Gray-Body, (b)the equations we are using to calculate temperature from the strength of emitted wavelengths, and (c)potential applications of the temperature mapping system.

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  UD COMICON 2024: Ideologies and Conventions of the Superhero Film Genre

  Natalie Grace Bowers, Lauren Christine Clayton, Rose Gwendolyn Combs, Reanna N. Croasmun, Timothy J. Duvic, Kellyn Marie Hall, Alayah Danyelle Harris, Mary Horrigan, Isabella Jayden Jeck, Lucas Peter Johnson, Anna Lousie Kijovsky, Nathan Alexander Klanderman, Clara Elizabeth Kolaczkowski, Caedon Michael Kollin, James Stephen Larger, Erin Ann Lavelle, Christopher Thomas Reali, Evan Thomas Shannon, Harrison Joseph Smith, Michael J. Tomes

  For over two decades, superhero movies were the dominant film form in U.S. cinema, with only recent years seeing this phenomenon abate. How did we get here, and what is the continuing effect of these superhero films on American film culture and global popular culture? The presentations for this panel will explore the superhero genre, considering how their films adhere to or defy genre conventions, challenge predominant American ideologies, and function as works of political economy.

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  ULeaD Emerging Leaders Program: Cohort Final Projects

  Olivia Sue Anthony, Sha'maria M. V. Barton, Nathan Paul Bender, Connor Patrick Carr, John Patrick Currin, Lillian Elise Dartt, Shannon Lynn Dennemann, Abigail Violet Dent, Treazure Jazlynn Edwards, Avery Carson Everidge, Eleanor Rae Forrest, Emma Rose Gaglione, Michelle Gianna Hickey, Matthew Robert Himes, Jackson Arron Karban, Abigail Grace Lambert, Sophia Nicolette Lambros, Karlie J. Lucas, Camryn Ellie McKenzie, Ethan William Moeller, Claire Therese Monahan, Kathleen Therese Moore, Zachary William O'Connor, Rachel Catherine Panko, Erin Elizabeth Reed, Chancelon J. Rice, Morgan Elizabeth Schulze, Cara Donna Thiemann, Drayton Elizabeth Willey

  The ULeaD Emerging Leaders Program, sponsored by the Student Leadership Programs Office, is a cohort-based initiative for first-year students that brings participants together for monthly sessions to develop a range of leadership skills and abilities such as effectively leading change, inclusive leadership, building meaningful relationships, inspiring others to act, and building resilience. For the first time, this cohort of first-year students will be presenting their final projects for the program at the Stander Symposium. Students' final project posters will include their leadership philosophy, how they have grown as leaders, what they have learned from the ULeaD program, and how they hope to impact the UD community.

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  Understanding Autism and Beneficial Strategies

  Kathryn Madison Hall

  My project focuses on Autism spectrum disorder and supports that have been highly beneficial for children. Strategies commonly used in an academic settings with primarily elementary-level students in subjects from mathematics to social skills are explored.

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  Understanding Calcium Signaling in Invasive GBM Cells in a Microfluidic Model

  Jenna Abdelhamed

  Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) is one of the most common, aggressive, and deadly types of brain cancer. Its high malignancy is attributed to its surrounding environment, consisting of a great amount of blood vessels, neurons, and astrocyte processes, allowing tumors to reproduce and evade quickly. Upon diagnosis, GBM patients have a median survival time of 12-15 months, even with available treatment modalities such as surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. To explore new treatment modalities, it is important to understand the oncogenesis, invasion mechanisms, and cellular characteristics unique to GBM. The tumor’s microenvironment can promote migration as GBM interacts with components in the brain's extracellular matrix, triggering intracellular cascades such as the calcium signaling pathway, which has caught the attention of numerous researchers. Calcium signaling pathways are a key step in signal transduction, linking external stimuli into cellular response, and are implicated in GBM proliferation and metastatic-related processes. This work displays the invasion of GBM cells through our established 3D tumor models, which consist of GBM spheroids placed into a Polydimethylsiloxane) microfluidic device to mimic the tumor microenvironment of GBM. With these 3D tumor models, two phenotypes of the cancer can be established, an invasive and noninvasive phenotype, which allow for the comparison of intracellular calcium concentrations, and of migration patterns and lengths. This research provides data regarding the relationship between the two phenotypes and calcium signaling activity. This is important because it will allow further research on mediators of the Ca2+ pathway such as Ca2+channels and their roles in mediating invasion, potentially laying groundwork for new therapies that limit GBM migration.

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  Understanding Modern Environmental Controls of Biogenic Carbonate Formation for Paleoclimate Reconstruction

  Samantha L. Zullo

  Paleoclimate reconstructions play a pivotal role in understanding the drivers for environmental change and climate variability. In order to reconstruct the paleoclimate, it is necessary to understand the relationship between the isotopic values of the water, carbonates, and the temperature during the time of their formation. To do so, shell and water samples were collected from seven locations: five in the Great Miami River Watershed, one from the Little Miami River Watershed, and one from the Scioto River Watershed. Four of the locations were lacustrine, while the remaining three were fluvial environments. The growth increments in the shells preserve valuable seasonal to interannual environmental signals, enabling the reconstruction of paleoclimate variables such as temperature and isotopic values. The stable isotope values of δ¹⁸O from the water and shells and δ¹³C from the shells were analyzed using mass spectrometry. The temperature was calculated using the classic paleothermometry equation: T(℃) = 15.73 - 4.30 (δ¹⁸OC - (PDB) - δ¹⁸OW - SMOW) + 0.141 (δ¹⁸OC - (PDB) - δ¹⁸OW - SMOW)2. The equation, δ¹⁸OCarbonate = 1.75 (δ¹⁸OWater) + 5.65, was obtained through the calibration of the carbonate and water isotopes; the trend that was observed for each location showed the lacustrine environments as being more enriched in δ¹⁸O compared to the fluvial environments. One location, Doctor Bowers Lake, fell in between the two, attributed to 18O-depleted groundwater sources for the lake. This study is significant in serving as a baseline and interpretive framework for biogenic carbonate formation and interpretation of paleoclimate and paleohydrology for the Great Miami River Valley and Midwestern region.

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  Understanding Physical Activity and Stress Levels in College Students

  Minna R. Burkhardt, Amy M. Doyle, Sarah M. McDonnell, Maryann Elizabeth Smith, Anna E. White

  Introduction: College students face a stressful challenge of navigating the transition from adolescence to adulthood with the added pressure of performing well in classes and taking care of themselves. There have been many studies conducted that examine the relationship between physical activity and stress levels, but few have investigated this relationship among a college population. A previous study indicated that objectively vigorous physical activity was associated with decreased stress assessed with the Perceived Stress Scale, but moderate physical activity was not. With the rise in mental health issues in this population it is important to identify ways to reduce stress responses. Many studies have identified an inverse relationship with physical activity and stress levels. The importance of this study is to investigate and bring light to how college students handle stress levels with physical activity. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate how physical activity is related to stress levels in college students. Specifically, looking at the mode and frequency of physical activity in relation to overall stress levels.Methods:We are collecting data from students at the University of Dayton to determine if students' anxiety levels are impacted by physical activity. This data will come from students of various backgrounds and will give us insight into how physical activity impacts students and their everyday lives. We will also be using secondary data to gain more information about the correlation between anxiety levels and physical activity in college students. Conclusion: While this study is still under investigation, our results will show the relationship between physical activity and stress levels in college students. As results are collected it will demonstrate the significance between physical activity and stress putting into consideration how often students exercise, what type of exercise they partake in, and if they have any barriers that prevent them from exercising.

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  Understanding the Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition of Glioblastoma Multiforme on a Microfluidic Model

  Khadija Fatima

  Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) is one of the most aggressive and fatal forms of brain cancer. Despite the multiple advances in treatment, median survival is only about 15 months upon diagnosis. Hence, multiple studies have been conducted to further our understanding of GBM tumor biology and the mechanisms underlying its malignancy. I am particularly interested in the Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) of GBM cells that have been shown to enhance its migratory and invasive capabilities. In this study, I aim to investigate the specific effect of TGFβ inhibitor, SB-431542, on the EMT as well as other aberrant outcomes. Using the non-adherent method and microfluidic technology, I can generate a model of three dimensional GBM spheroids surrounded by physical constrictions, which mimics the GBM tumor microenvironment. The TGFβ inhibitor will be introduced and the resulting sprouting and migrating behaviors of the invasive cells will be quantified. I hypothesize a detectable decrease in the level of invasion among the treated spheroids compared to the control. Furthermore, I plan to isolate the cells for transcriptomic analysis, particularly on the mRNA expression of EMT-related genes. The findings of this proposed study will broaden our knowledge of the complexity of EMT and its role in GBM cancer development and metastasis. Moreover, I hope my work will provide the means to improve therapies that can inhibit cancer cell dissemination in GBM patients.

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  Understanding the Focus on Multicultural, Spiritual, and Ethical Education in Religious Curricula

  Evanson Joseph Good

  In recent years, religious educators have developed a diverse spread of foci for religious education from multiculturalism to spirituality and ethics. These foci were formulated with the goal of a more widespread constituency for religious education and updating religious teaching to be inclusive of various religious and cultural practices.

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  Unhappy Endings: Queer Time in Evelyn Waugh’s "Brideshead Revisited"

  Caitlin Grace Spicer

  This thesis examines Evelyn Waugh’s 1945 Catholic novel, "Brideshead Revisited", through the lens of queer theory. My work focuses on reproductive heteronormativity and queer time and how these concepts can be used to analyze Waugh’s text. I argue that Sebastian, among other characters, steps out of the traditional—or heterosexual—timeline in a way that queers temporality. I examine Sebastian to understand how his lonely yet holy life contributes to a larger tradition of unhappy endings in queer and Catholic fiction. In this thesis, I define reproductive heteronormativity as the assumption that people will follow a heterosexual and reproductive lifestyle. This lifestyle is often associated with the common timeline of finding a job, dating someone of the opposite sex, getting engaged and then married, having children, buying a house, retiring happily, and so on. Following theorists like Jack Halberstam, Sara Ahmed, and Hil Malatino, I define queer time as the failure to replicate the timeline of reproductive heteronormativity. I utilize Ahmed’s definition of happiness, in particular, to revalue Sebastian’s sad story in Waugh’s queer and Catholic novel. Ultimately, my thesis aims to bridge the gap between queerness and Catholicism, creating a space for inclusion and the opportunity to celebrate the unhappy ending.

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  University of Dayton Department of Music: Woodwind Area Performers

  Joseph Robert Barnett, Judy Calo, Alana Jeanne Connolly, Matthew M. Craft, Makayla E. Cripe, Dominic Michael Delligatti, Rachel Gleberman, Mark R. Gordon, Celia Suzanne Koch, Francis Albert Kosir, Ashleigh Rose Muir, Tristan David Quach, Alex James Reffner, Hannah Jean Scheuller, Anna Smith

  Woodwind students will be performing a variety of chamber pieces for you. These include pieces from the baroque period (Telemann), the Classical period (Mozart), and 20th century (Albeniz, Schickle, Gordon Jacob). You will hear student performers that cover all of the 5 members of the woodwind family: flute, oboe, clarinet, saxophone, and bassoon.

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  Unmatched: We're So Fire Portfolio Show

  Alazhar Ahmed Hamed Mohamed Al Hinai, Khalid Abdulaziz N. Alqahtani, Skylar S. Barlow, Morgan Nicole Bevins, Isabelle R. Blondin, Caroline Elizabeth Bowers, Lauren E. Carr, Makynna J. Crowl, Jenna Rose Eggleston, Maeve E. Fleming, Abigail Marie Grant, Grace A. Harrison, Eleanor J. Keelan, Aleczander W. Keith, Brooke N. Keller, Bailey P. Papesh, Lucy L. Reed, Chloe M. Reilly, Collette E. Roth, Shahd M. A. A. Salem, Kennedy M. Smith, Caleb T. Snoddy, Abigail L. Swensen, Aaron Michael Swerlein, Brayden R. Vaughan, Erin O. Wagner, John Stanley Wardzala

  This Capstone event includes all 27 seniors graduating with a degree in Graphic Design presenting the culmination of their coursework within and beyond the Department of Art and Design. Students will share their portfolios—research, creative process, and outcomes—in the context of a formal presentation of both classroom and real-world projects. Work will be shared simultaneously.

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  Unraveling the Impact: Mental Health and Independence in Traumatic Brain Injury Patients

  Ryan Cummings, Anne Marie Hart, Kathleen Renee Hunter

  People who experience traumatic brain injury (TBI) have significant negative impacts to their physical health, mental health and independence. TBIs also add significant cost to public health systems and can create financial, mental and emotional challenges for families caring for TBI patients (CDC, 2022). This study is carried out in collaboration with the UD Brain Health Collective Student Workgroup to examine mental outcomes and experiences of patients who have experienced a traumatic brain injury. We use the public-use Traumatic Brain Injury Model System data from the National Data and Statistical Center to examine the relationship of patient independence, represented by employability and mobility, to mental health outcomes including anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation.

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  Unstable Homes and Juvenile Delinquency

  Noa M. Seward, Aniyah Kaylin Thomas

  Many children commit various crimes, raising concerns about the role of their home environment in shaping their behavior. Extensive studies have explored the link between children's behavior and their home environment, considering multiple variables that contribute to youth delinquency. Variables such as home stability, single parent homes, abuse, high school dropouts, and low income houses were used in this study. Using these factors to find out whether there is an association between juvenile delinquency including breaking in to steal, selling marijuana, and beating someone up to serious injury. This study will show various theories that support the link between a child's home environment and youth delinquency. We used the Pathways to Desistance data of youth offenders to take these factors into account and to see if there is any association between the participants' home environment and their delinquent behavior.