Stander Symposium: All projects - 2025

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  When Students Transfer

  Nathan Seguin

  Transfer students across the US face many challenges and experiences when transferring between colleges or universities. Transfer students often encounter academic, financial, and psychological difficulties. These students may also experience a lack of social inclusion and support, which can impact their sense of belonging and academic success. The study of findings highlights the importance of support systems, such as academic advising and mentoring, to help transfer students navigate these obstacles.

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  White Collar Crime and Sentencing Disparities

  Makoro Kebe

  This research aims to explore the intricate relationship between socioeconomic status and sentencing disparities in white-collar crime. White-collar crimes, which are usually non-violent and involve deceit or breach of trust, are frequently linked to respectable and well-regarded people. However, the definition and the socioeconomic background of perpetrators remain subjects of debate. Prior studies offer contradictory findings, with some suggesting that higher-status individuals face harsher sentences, while others propose a "status shield" where privileged backgrounds lead to more lenient punishments. Some studies have found that white-collar offenders come from more average backgrounds. To determine if socioeconomic position affects sentencing results, more research is necessary given the current ambiguity and conflicting evidence. Because perceptions of sentencing discrepancies have the potential to undermine public confidence in the legal system and perpetuate systemic inequality, it is imperative that these problems be addressed. Perceived advantages for the wealthy can diminish faith in the legal system and influence crime rates by shaping perceptions of risk and punishment.

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  Wings and Watts: Butterfly Communities in Microhabitats of Solar Prairies

  Darcy Beazley, Elizabeth Miles-Flynn, Matthew Noble, Claire Qua, Leen Sawas

  Solar energy is becoming an increasingly popular alternative energy source for residential and commercial entities. Butterflies are valuable bioindicators of habitat health and are sensitive to disturbance. This study assessed butterfly abundance and species richness at two solar prairie sites: Marianist Environmental Education Center (MEEC) and Curran Place. MEEC features grass-dominated plant communities under stationary solar panels, while Curran Place has forb-dominated communities under moving panels. At each site, we established six 60-meter transects across two microhabitats: buffer zones (areas around the solar arrays) and array aisles (spaces between the panels), totaling 12 transects per site. We predicted higher total abundance in buffer zones and greater species richness at Curran Place, where nectar-bearing plants are more diverse. Our results showed a marginally significant difference (p = 0.0972), with greater overall abundance at Curran Place, supporting our hypothesis. While ANOVA tests did not confirm statistical significance, trends suggest higher species richness at Curran Place. At MEEC, buffer zones had higher abundance and species richness, while no butterflies were recorded in the array aisles. Both sites primarily hosted generalist species, which are more likely to adapt and spread to altered environments. To mitigate the ecological impact of solar arrays, managing solar prairie sites with plants that support specialists and threatened butterflies can enhance biodiversity. Overall, our study provides a framework for future butterfly population research in solar prairies and highlights the importance of buffer zones, combining flowering plants and native grasses, for habitat conservation.

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  Workforce Readiness in Education: Has It Been Accomplished

  Elizabeth Onderak

  Too often students are not prepared to succeed in the workforce. There has been a recent struggle in job hiring to find young people who are fully equipped to succeed in their positions. With the future always changing, it is important that the education system changes with it. The findings shared discuss how to cope with these challenges and suggest improvements and priorities for a focus on for the future of education.

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  Working From Internal to External, Insight Into the Lived Experience of Campus Police Officers in the Support of Student Success

  Paul Wojdacz

  Campus police officers serve in a complex role within higher education. Officers navigate complex bureaucratic environments while balancing legal mandates, university policies, and being placed between students and the university. Employing a narrative inquiry methodology, this study used semi-structured interviews with 21 sworn campus police officers from universities across the United States to understand campus police officers' lived experiences and perspectives. Findings revealed officers deviate from traditional police methods and perceive themselves as guardians and educators within the larger university. They prioritize community-oriented policing and relationship-building over traditional law enforcement. They find purpose in contributing to student development and campus safety. Collecting non-traditional methods in which officers engaged with their campus community to support learning and belonging. From these experiences, they develop a strong sense of belonging stemming from positively impacting student lives. Narratives illuminate the potential for universities to acknowledge and amplify the diverse roles of campus police. Identifying recognition and student investment opportunities can enhance campus safety and build trust within the campus community. The study challenges traditional law enforcement paradigms by highlighting the importance of relationship-building, student engagement, and collaborative educational opportunities.

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  XRD characterization of metal oxide nanoparticle embedded hydrogels

  Baji Varahagiri

  This study uses X-ray diffraction (XRD) to investigate the structural and crystallographiccharacteristics of hydrogels embedded with metal oxide nanoparticles. Metal oxidenanoparticles improve the hydrogel's adsorption, mechanical strength, and thermalstability, which makes them promising for various applications. The crystalline phases ofthe embedded nanoparticles, their dispersion within the hydrogel, and any phasechanges that occur during synthesis and application are determined using XRDanalysis. The results offer valuable information for improving the filtration performanceof nanoparticle-hydrogel composites, guaranteeing effective contamination removalwhile preserving structural integrity. Various metal oxide nanoparticles including zincoxide and iron oxide nanoparticles that show promising applications as antibacterial anddrug delivery agents are investigated in this study. They are embedded withinbiocompatible poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) gels and the hybrid nanostructures willbe attractive for biomedical applications.

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  ZFP36L1 negatively regulates autophagy to suppress murine norovirus replication

  Malabika Bhowmik, Mychaela Janzow, Tooba Ahmed Momin

  Objective: Zinc finger proteins (ZFPs) are abundant in eukaryotic cells and play critical roles in cell signalling by binding to cellular components like DNA, RNA, lipids, and other proteins. Specifically, ZFP36L1 has been identified as a regulator of RNA metabolism with antiviral activity against multiple viruses. The current study aims to examine the role of ZFP36L1 in regulating norovirus replication using murine norovirus (MNoV-1) as a model. Given that viruses often hijack the autophagy pathway to facilitate replication, we also seek to understand the relationship between ZFP36L1’s antiviral efficacy and autophagy modulation.

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  ZFP36L1 Suppresses Human Coronavirus OC43 Replication Independent of Poly(A) Tail Deadenylation

  Malabika Bhowmik, Tooba Momin

  Objective: RNA viruses exhibit high mutation rates, enhancing their survival and potential for cross-species transmission, making them strong candidates for future pandemics. Targeting conserved aspects of viral replication could be an effective antiviral strategy. ZFP36L1, a CCCH-type zinc finger protein that regulates mRNA turnover, has demonstrated antiviral activity against several RNA viruses. Our study investigates the mechanism by which ZFP36L1 suppresses human coronavirus OC43 (HCoV-OC43) replication and explores sodium butyrate as a potential enhancer of ZFP36L1 expression to amplify its antiviral effects. Methods: Wild-type (WT), ZFP36L1-overexpressing (OE), and ZFP36L1 knockdown (KD) HCT-8 cells were infected with HCoV-OC43 and analyzed for viral titers, cytopathic effects, and viral transcript levels via qPCR. To assess whether poly(A) tail deadenylation contributes to viral suppression, CNOT1 was knocked down in OE cells, and viral titers were measured. Computational RNA-protein interaction tools (RPISeq) and homology modeling identified potential interactions between ZFP36L1 and the viral genome, validated through RNA immunoprecipitation and luciferase reporter assays. Additionally, sodium butyrate was tested for its ability to enhance ZFP36L1 expression, followed by viral titer assessment. Results: ZFP36L1 overexpression significantly reduced HCoV-OC43 titers, while knockdown increased viral replication (p less than 0.05). CNOT1 knockdown in OE cells did not reverse suppression, suggesting a poly(A)-independent mechanism. ZFP36L1 strongly interacted with the HCoV-OC43 nucleocapsid protein, leading to suppressed viral replication. Sodium butyrate treatment upregulated ZFP36L1 expression, further reducing viral titers. Conclusions: ZFP36L1 suppresses HCoV-OC43 replication by interacting with the viral nucleocapsid protein, independent of poly(A) tail deadenylation. Sodium butyrate enhances ZFP36L1 expression, strengthening its antiviral effects and leading to a greater reduction in viral titers. This highlights the potential of targeting ZFP36L1 expression via biocompatible compounds like sodium butyrate as a novel antiviral strategy against human coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2.

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  Stander Symposium Artwork, 2025

  Mary Dent

  This graphic artwork was used to promote the 2025 Stander Symposium, a showcase of academic research and creative work.