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  Are Bone Fractures Related to Vitamin and Mineral Deficiencies in College Basketball Athletes at the University of Dayton?

  Conor M. Coyne, Devin Anderson Fedele, Lindsey Michelle Paniszczyn

  The purpose of this study is to gain a broader knowledge and understanding of the relationship between vitamin supplementation and bone fractures among college student-athletes. Both men and women athletes from the Division I and club basketball teams at the University of Dayton will be asked to participate in this case-control study. The goal is to collect at least 60 survey responses. Athletes will be sent a Google form survey in which they will answer both closed-ended and open-ended questions. These questions will address potential vitamin supplementation, knowledge and beliefs surrounding supplementation, and the prevalence of bone fractures among athletes. Participants will also be asked information such as year in school, sex, ethnicity, if they've previously had a fracture, currently have a fracture, what supplements they currently use, and ingredients found within those supplements. The participation will take approximately five to ten minutes. In alignment with research ethical standards, athletes will be asked to read and electronically agree to take the survey and provide their consent. They will be made aware that all answers are anonymous and no personal information will be shared outside of the conductors of this research study. Data collection and results are forthcoming.

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  Are Exercise Habits Related to Mental Health in College Students?

  Lauren M. Banke, Anna Terese Coghlan, Jayne Elise Lawson, Jessica Ann Moore, Brianna Marie Tersigni

  Mental health is an umbrella term that refers to mental, cognitive, and psychological factors. Physical activity is a way to heal and improve a person’s health both mentally and physically. The purpose of this study is to measure the correlation between exercise habits and mental health in undergraduate college students attending the University of Dayton. It is essential to find if there is a positive relationship between the two that can improve the overall well-being of college students. The participants will be undergraduate college students from the University of Dayton, 18-22 years old. They completed a 20 question survey that included their demographics, current exercise habits, and their mental health status. The exercise questions include, frequency, time, and type of exercise, as well if they exercise in groups or individually. The survey will ask the participants if they ever feel stressed, anxious, overwhelmed, depressed, have low self esteem, body dysmorphia, never experience any of these feelings, or may experience other feelings. There will be questions asked using a scale from 1 being the lowest/worst to 5 being the highest/best about how exercise affects their mental health. Data collection will occur between March 28th and April 4th, therefore the results will be forthcoming.

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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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  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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  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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  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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  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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  Does a Required Nutritional Education Course Improve Overall Health in Undergraduate Students?

  Alexys N. Kidd, Gillian Losey, Clayton Richard Mathile

  The objective of this study is to investigate the nutritional knowledge of undergraduate students at the University of Dayton and how it affects their overall health. The study will be conducted through a survey that will be sent to undergraduate students at the University of Dayton. The participants will receive an electronic consent form and survey that contains questions about nutritional knowledge and personal prioritization of nutrition. Analyzed data will be used to answer questions like if a nutrition CAP requirement would be beneficial to students in college. The survey will be completed through a Google Form that will make it fluid for the researchers to quickly formulate the survey as well as distribute it to students in a timely manner. The questions that will be utilized in this study are to allow the researchers a better understanding of what undergraduate students at the University of Dayton know about the subject of nutrition. Ultimately, this study will show if there is a need for a nutrition curriculum to be added to course requirements. Data collection and results are forthcoming.

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  Does the Level of Caffeine Intake Relate to the Risk of Developing the Signs and Symptoms of Anxiety in College-aged Students?

  Laurel Catherine Bird, Brandon James Christopher, Haley Kate Gama, Marie A. Gross, Madeline Sarah Nichol

  Background: Caffeine consumption is common among college students for various reasons such as increasing studying time or partying situations. The consistent use of caffeine has been found to elicit the “fight or flight” response in the body which causes stress and can stimulate anxiety. This research investigates whether caffeine use is related to the signs and symptoms of anxiety in college students.

  Purpose: The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between caffeine consumption and signs and symptoms of anxiety in college students.

  Methods: Methods include the collection of data on caffeine intake and the signs and symptoms of anxiety. This information will be obtained via a self-report survey to college students at the University of Dayton to gauge what their caffeine intake habits are and what their levels of anxiety are during a typical two week period. Questions will be formulated based on GAD-7 for the anxiety portion of the survey. Additional questions about caffeine were formulated by the researchers based on previous studies and inquiries.

  Results: Data collection occurred March 28-April 4. Results are forthcoming.

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  Effects and Prevalence of Depression and Anxiety on University of Dayton Upperclassmen Students

  Charles Vincent Bova, Catherine Aleta Fay, Grace Elizabeth Lewis

  The purpose of this study is to determine how upperclassmen at the University of Dayton develop depression and anxiety. This study aims to discover the prevalence of depression and anxiety amongst junior and senior undergraduate students, and what symptoms they predominantly exhibit. A thirteen-question survey will be distributed to each researcher's neighborhood block group chat. Participation will be confidential anonymous. Participants will only need to indicate their grade level to ensure all participants met the age criteria of third or fourth years at the University of Dayton. Data collection and result analysis will be occurring between March 22 and April 4.

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  Exploring Academic, Financial, and Behavioral Barriers First-Year Students Face

  Mario Sanchez

  First-year students are some of the most vulnerable college-aged students. Existing research highlights that first-year students will likely encounter academic, financial, and behavior barriers. This study explores the barriers first-year students face at the University of Dayton. Data for this study emerges from a sample of 55 University of Dayton first-year students who completed an online survey. The results demonstrate evidence that some of the students are experiencing more academic anxieties than anything else. Student affairs practitioners can use this study's findings to inform working with and supporting first-year students.

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  Helping ADHD students achieve in the education system

  Logann P. Jackson

  This project highlights different strategies for classroom management and academic instruction for students who are identified with ADHD. To address challenges and highlight strengths of students, the role of the classroom environment, the perceptions of the teacher, and engagement with peers are discussed. This holistic perspective allows us to think about the all encompassing school environment and what students with ADHD need to succeed in school.

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  Implementation Factors of the Social Emotional Learning Language Arts (SELLA) Curriculum: Impact on Teachers’ Social-Emotional Competence

  Maddie Ann Gronotte

  In recent years, evidence supporting a whole-child approach to education—one that considers not only academic proficiency but also development of social-emotional competence (SEC) as important outcomes of education for students—has mounted. As the benefits of supporting student SEL skills have become more widely known, recognition of the value of supporting teachers’ SEC has surfaced, too. Research indicates a range of positive classroom implications for teachers’ having high SEC, including more effective management of student behaviors and higher quality implementation of evidence-based practices. Existing research demonstrates that schools can support teachers’ SEC directly through SEL-focused professional development opportunities, but it is unclear if teachers’ delivery of student-centered SEL programming indirectly results in similar improvements in SEC. Using a program evaluation with a comparison group design, the present study examined the impact of classroom delivery of the Social Emotional Learning Language Arts curriculum on teachers’ SEC and whether factors such as implementation quality and perceptions of the curriculum predicted SEC levels. Results of a survey of (n = 64) K-6 teachers revealed no significant relationship between SELLA implementation and self-reported SEC level, and neither perceptions of the curriculum nor implementation quality significantly predicted teacher SEC. Nonetheless, the findings of this study contribute to an emerging research base exploring practical, effective, and efficient ways that schools can support teacher SEC. Implications for practice and suggestions for future research are discussed.

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  Institutional Prestige and Sports Publicity: The Effects of Sports Publicity on U.S. Higher Education Institutions’ Prestige

  Leslie Terlizzi

  Colleges invest millions of dollars in sports programs; however, I would like to explore if the investment in these programs goes beyond sports revenue. The U.S News & World Report (USNWR) college ranking is based on a multidimensional methodology utilizing a weighted combination of nine broad indicators. Student retention, acceptance rate, and number of applicants are USNWR indicators which continue to fluctuate every year, but what if we took a closer look at external factors that could be affecting college ranking. Students attend a specific institution for a multitude of reasons, but USNWR college ranks play an important role as students select their preferred institutions. The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between the quality of an institution’s sports program and institutional prestige. More specifically, we aim to find if there is a correlation between sports publicity and institutional prestige, and if a national championship win affects the USNWR college rankings. This quantitative study includes national championship winning institutions as a sports publicity indicator and seeks to determine the impact on a successful sports program and college ranking. Insights from this study can be used to inform higher education institutions as they evaluate the advantages of investing in a sports program and assist administrators in predicting an increase or decrease in factors that affect college rank.

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  Investing in Yourself: The National Collegiate Sport Sales Championship

  Matthew Joseph Green

  This presentation will highlight the 2022 National Collegiate Sport Sales Championship hosted by the Atlanta Hawks. It will cover how you can get involved next year. Why it is only for graduating senior in Sport Management. How long is the the trip to the preparation involved by the four individuals and the coach. Most important the benefits of attending this competition. This results of this presentation is to show the outcome of pushing yourself to take the next step towards a career in sports sales.

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  Is a plant-based diet related to diabetic markers in adults with diabetes?

  Emma Katherine Collett, Margaret Elise Ferrara, Nicholas Joseph Ferritto, Rianna Corrinn Greene, Sofia Andrea Hernandez

  Diabetes is very prevalent in the United States. According to the CDC, 37.3 million people have diabetes in the US and it is predicted to get worse within the next decade. Diabetes mellitus is a common metabolic disorder defined by hyperglycemia, which results in adverse effects in chronic carbohydrate, fat, and protein dysfunctions. Many studies have supported that a change in diet is a way to help improve those dysfunctions and diabetic markers. The purpose of this study is to determine if there is a correlation between a plant based diet and improving diabetic conditions. This will be determined through a secondary analysis of pre-existing diabetic prevalence data and dietary screening questionnaires. The participants to be recruited for the study will be men and women from the United States of America between the years of 2009 and 2010, which were taken from pre-existing diabetic prevalence data and dietary screener questionnaires. Data collection will occur between March 28th and April 4th, 2022. Results are forthcoming.

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  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.

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  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.

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  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.

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  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.

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  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

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  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.

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  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.

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  Meaning-Making in Virtual Community Engagement Programming

  Meaghan Crowley

  Research shows that community engagement programming has a deep impact on students and community partners. However, the Covid-19 pandemic has deeply altered the ways in which community engagement is done. Programming was forced into a virtual space, and has yet to fully return to pre-pandemic models. This study explores how undergraduate students at the University of Dayton describe their participation in and the impact of virtual community engagement programming for partners. The research questions asked in this study are twofold; How do students at the University of Dayton who participated in virtual community engagement program articulate and describe their experience? And, how do students articulate what they learned from participating in virtual community engagement programming? Through interviews with students, this qualitative study aims to better understand the student experience and articulation of impact, as well as how students make meaning from virtual engagement. It is critical that practitioners understand how students are making sense of virtual programming in order to determine what will remain from this virtual world, what needs changing, and how we can better walk with students throughout the process.

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  Montessori Beyond Sixth Grade

  Mary Koonce

  Montessori methods of education stretch beyond formal teaching strategies to incorporate age-appropriate attributes of students into the curriculum. Montessori philosophical methods of education include a hands-on, self-guided approach to learning. Montessori schools typically range from pre kindergarten to the sixth. However, many students make the transition to non-Montessori schools at the start of the sixth grade. Some Montessori schools extend to middle and high school. This paper examines the experience of a Montessori middle and high school education and the impact on older students.