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  Race or Culture? African American Student Experiences at a Predominantly White Institution

  Kelley McClain

  This qualitative study explores the experiences of African American students who attend predominantly White institutions. Several factors could benefit, hinder and/or frustrate African American students who have decided to pursue and complete higher education at a predominantly White institution. However, the responsibility of administrators to assist African Americans with this transition continues to be of major importance as they must take into consideration student experiences and cultures. The social, cultural, and academic adjustment process for African Americans varies based on the students’ culture, personal backgrounds and individual experiences not just race. For this research study African American students attending a predominantly White Midwestern institution participated in individual interviews and focus groups to share their experiences. Findings are presented to provide an overview of how best practices and policies regarding engagement, cultural integrity, academic support, awareness, and inclusion can assist in improving the climate and culture of the institution for African American students.

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  Rapidly Locating and Accurately Tracking the Center of Mass Using Statically Equivalent Serial Chains

  Ali Almandeel

  Identifying the center of mass location (CoM) provides a significant aid in controlling the balance of humanoid robots. For human beings, the stability of motion is highly influenced by their ability to control their CoM and center of pressure (CoP). Additionally, computing the CoM can prove critical to assessing rehabilitation and in elite sports training. Human body segment parameters can be obtained from anthropometric tables. Their accuracy for a given individual is questioned due to differences in age, race, and fitness level from the sample population. This research presents an estimation technique that uses the statically equivalent serial chain (SESC). A SESC is a representation of any multilink branched chain, like a human or humanoid, whose end-effector locates the CoM. The SESC's construction during an experimental phase depends on the node positions from a motion capture system (like the Microsoft Kinect), and the total mass and CoP from a force plate (like the Wii Balance Board). Additionally, the presence of a static body in the workspace (a walker or chair, for example) to create stability in test subjects is presented. The utility of the presented method as compared to other common methods for CoM estimation is that the force plate is not needed to track the CoM after the SESC is constructed.

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  Reading Interventions in Relation to the Ohio Third Grade Reading Guarantee

  Kathryn C. Auletto

  Reading is one of the most critical skills that students learn in their first few years of education. A strong foundation in reading at the early childhood level can promote success in the rest of schooling and beyond. This is especially true for children of poverty; reading abilities and the strong education that follows provide students with opportunities to break the poverty cycle. The importance of reading achievement has a political dimension, as demonstrated by Ohio’s Third Grade Reading Guarantee. This legislation, which has many implications in education, requires that all third grade students who do not pass the Reading section of the Ohio Achievement Assessment must be retained until they are on reading level. In order to prevent this retention, teachers may choose to implement a reading intervention program with students who are at-risk of retention in third grade. The Ohio Department of Education provides districts with research-based reading instructional programs that may be implemented with these students. The list includes Reading Recovery and Orton Gillingham, two reading programs that use different approaches to literacy instruction. The research conducted in this study looks into the factors affecting a low-income school’s decision to select one of these two programs. The research follows a dual case study format, in which interviews were conducted with principals and teachers in the selected high poverty schools. The interviews, along with collected data about these schools and the two programs, provide an illustration of how the Third Grade Reading Guarantee is affecting curriculum, as well as how schools are choosing these reading programs in accordance with the new legislation. The research provides valuable information for low-income schools in this selection process for choosing the appropriate intervention for their struggling readers.

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  Reducing Structural Error in Function Generating Mechanisms via the Addition of Large Numbers of Double-Crank Linkages

  Hessein Ashour

  This research presents a methodology for synthesizing planar linkages to approximate any prescribed periodic function. The mechanisms selected for this task are the slider-crank and the geared five-bar with connecting rod and sliding output (GFBS), where any number of drag-link (or double crank) four-bars are used as drivers. A slider-crank mechanism, when comparing the input crank rotation to the output slider displacement, produces a sinusoid-like function. Instead of directly driving the input crank, a drag-link four-bar may be added that drives the crank from its output via a rigid connection between the two. Driving the input of the added four-bar results in a function that is less sinusoid-like. This process can be continued through the addition of more drag-link mechanisms to the device, slowly altering the curve toward any periodic function with a single maximum. For periodic functions with multiple maxima, a GFBS is used as the terminal linkage added to the chain of drag-link mechanisms. The synthesis process starts by analyzing one period of the function to design either the terminal slider-crank or terminal GFBS. A randomized local search is then conducted as the four-bars are added to minimize the structural error between the desired function and the input-output function of the mechanism. Mechanisms have been “grown” in this fashion to dozens of links that are capable of closely producing functions with a variety of intriguing features.

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  Relative Performance Evaluation Incentives in CEO Compensation Contracts

  Angela M. Lechermann

  Executive compensation is frequently discussed and criticized by the media, lawmakers, regulators, experts, and the public. The primary issue that companies face when compensating executives is how to align the goals of executives with the goals of various stakeholders in order to motivate executive decisions that increase the value of the company to shareholders, employees, the public, regulators, and others. Academics find that executives’ interests are often best aligned by making compensation contingent on company performance. One method of compensating executives that is frequently discussed is comparing a company’s performance to that of a peer group of companies. This type of incentive is referred to as relative performance evaluation (RPE).The use of RPE in executive compensation is appealing for both executives and shareholders. The appeal for executives is that an incentive can be earned even when performance is weak, as long as it exceeds peers’ performance. Also, when companies offer RPE incentives, shareholders are less likely to pay executives for luck. Finally, many consider RPE incentives to be fairer and more justifiable than other types of incentives.This research examines the use of RPE incentives in CEOs’ compensation contracts among large publicly-traded companies. Our sample includes more than 100 companies across several years. We use hand-collected data from proxy statements filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission to determine the extent of use of RPE incentives in CEO contracts and whether the use of RPE is increasing over time, particularly in years when company performance is depressed. We also compare the characteristics of companies using RPE incentives to those of companies not using RPE, and we collect data on the performance measures, peer groups, time horizons, and payment methods for RPE incentives provided.

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  Relative Value and Momentum Weighting for a Concentrated Portfolio of Health Care Stocks

  John P. Klinger

  A key factor in portfolio returns is the weights given to stocks in a portfolio of stocks. Capital Asset Pricing Models indicate that the weight assigned to a stock should be based on its risk premium to the market. In recent years, attention has focused on firm size, relative valuation, and earnings momentum as the appropriate weighting strategies. In this study I focus my attention on large size firms in the health care sector using a concentrated portfolio of the 10 largest holdings in the SPDR Health Care ETF. I use a combination of relative value and momentum weighting strategies to develop portfolio weights for the 10 health care stocks. The performance of the concentrated portfolio is compared to the performance of the SPDR Health Care ETF, the DOW, and the S&P 500 for 2014. Quarterly and annual performance comparisons are made assuming that the concentrated portfolio starts 2014 with a funding level of $5,000,000.

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  Research exercise: A Mathematical Model to Calculate an Animals Equilibrium Temperature based on the Environmental Temperature

  Victoria A. Wawzyniak

  Every animal’s temperature is directly correlated to the temperature of the environment that the animal lives in. The animal’s equilibrium temperature can be modeled using mathematical tools based on the temperature of the environment, the amount of solar radiation, and the heating characteristics of the specific animal. Newton’s Law of Cooling can be used to model this sort of phenomena of temperature changes. This mathematical model provides a relation between the unknown temperature and the derivative of this unknown temperature. In this work we will solve this model numerically using different techniques such as the Euler method, the three-term Taylor method, and the Runge-Kutta method. Using these three different mathematical methods, the animal’s body temperature due to the environment can be determined. We use Matlab for all numerical computations.

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  Research exercise: Animal-Assisted Intervention in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Critical Review

  Karen A. Alexander

  Animal-assisted intervention (AAI) is a general term which includes the subcategories of animal-assisted therapy (AAT) and animal-assisted activity (AAA). AAI has been implemented for several centuries within both the medical and psychology fields, but there is not yet an evidence-based consensus for its use. This literature review critically examines current research on the efficacy of AAI as an intervention method for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

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  Research exercise: Closed Loop Container Glass Recycling in the State of Ohio

  Jonathon P. Caito, David D. Carlos, Josh Obertino Norwood

  Glass recycling is one of the fastest growing recycled materials in the country; however, there is a lot that comes into play in order to determine the efficiency of glass recycling. The state of Ohio is in a unique situation due to the fact that it is in close proximity to a large amount of glass production facilities, both in state and nearby out of state. This allows glass recycling facilities to achieve a high rate of production, as well as keep a relatively high efficiency rate due to low transportation cost. That being said, there is still much that Ohio can improve upon in order to both increase its efficiency and become closer to having a "closed loop" on glass usage. Currently the glass received for recycling outweighs the current demand for glass in Ohio; due to quality issues and differences in product demands, a large portion of the the processed recycled glass is shipped out of state, while raw materials are shipped in to glass manufactures. While this is not the only thing responsible for a huge loss in efficiency, it is also responsible for the unnecessary environmental impact of the excessive use of raw materials. This research will examine possible solutions in order to increase the efficiency and quality of the glass recycling process. Such acts as separate glass curbside recycling and color separation have shown to hold a significant impact on the percentage of the glass material retained form the recycling process, as well as the overall quality.

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  Research exercise: Comparative Education System Analysis Between Finland and the United States: A Case Study

  Caroline Ann Goodill

  International student achievement tests have articulated the problem of inequitable education systems around the world. Due to the relatively recent introduction of these tests, scholarly research on the subject has developed as the tests have produced more results. A shared goal of a majority of the research regarding international student achievement is to establish quality education systems. As the United States continuously ranks at or slightly above or below average on the PISA test over the past twelve years, Finland’s consistent success has drawn worldwide attention. For this reason, Finland is the educational system benchmark for this undergraduate thesis.Many authors and scholars have claimed there have been specific Finnish innovations developed in the past decade that directly contribute to Finland’s rise in international student achievement scores. Finland looked to foreign education systems, like Japan, the United States, England, and Sweden, when building and later reforming their own system. In order to help improve American education, it can be beneficial to identify and analyze the programs of the Finnish system that have proven to be successful. The research questions thus guiding this thesis are: What changes have been made in the educational system in Finland that have contributed to improving performance on international assessments? What changes have been made in the United States educational system that are similar to the changes that have been made in Finland? What are the factors contributing to the success of the changes in Finland that could be replicated in the United States?To date, the researcher has identified and begun research on Finland’s part-time special education system, the 9-year comprehensive education system, peruskoulu, and the universal structure of the university teacher education program as three innovations supporting Finland’s educational success. Further research and analysis will continue to evolve over the next two years.

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  Research exercise: Developing A Safe Learning Environment Conducive to Comfort and Success

  Sara M. Borchers, Karin E. Forsthoefel, Victoria R. Schoen, Olivia G. Thomakos

  The goal of the EDT 110H poster is to illustrate a safe learning environment in which schools are able to serve a variety of students in order to be comfortable in the classroom and achieve academic success.

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  Research exercise: Digital Marketing and Changing Marketing Industry

  Brenna L. Frattaroli, Robert Joseph Jagielski

  The purpose of this pilot study on digital marketing/social media is to understand best practices as it applies to professional sport teams, corporations and marketing organizations. Current students and professionals could apply this information in their daily work. A literature review on digital media revealed shared practices and up-and-coming trends for those in the digital media industry. Using the information gathered from the literature review, a survey was then created and validated by a panel of experts who are currently working in the profession. The survey was conducted during the spring semester of 2015, utilizing a sample of individuals drawn from professional sport teams, corporations and marketing organizations. The survey consisted of 8 questions that focused on digital marketing, activation and potential advancements currently utilized within the marketing profession. The results will present an understanding of advancements in one of the newest and still evolving areas within the marketing industry. This study provides extensive look at digital marketing techniques on a macro level and providing the participants potential development opportunities.

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  Research exercise: Drosophila eye model to demonstrate the role of microRNA-277 in Alzheimer's disease

  Ginny Marie Long, Ankita Sarkar

  Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder associated with gradual cognitive impairment and memory decline. As the most common form of dementia, AD currently affects more than 5 million Americans and is expected to affect over 16 million Americans by 2050, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. This disease is characterized by the accumulation of Amyloid-beta 42 (Aβ-42) polypeptides, resulting from the hydrophobic nature of an improperly cleaved transmembrane protein called the amyloid precursor protein (APP). When the APP is cleaved to be 42 amino acids long instead of 40, plaques are formed that alter cellular pathways, inhibit synaptic activity, and initiate neuronal death. Using Drosophila melanogaster as a transgenic model system, we misexpressed Aβ-42 in the differentiating photoreceptors of the developing Drosophila eye. Misexpression of Aβ-42 in the eye results in a strong neurodegenerative phenotype. This project focuses on the impact of a specific microRNA, mir-277, on amyloid-beta-42 mediated neurodegeneration. MicroRNAs act as post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression and work by binding to complementary sequences of mRNA to induce effects such as target degradation, or translational repression. By doing so, microRNAs are capable of preventing protein assembly associated with specific mRNA targets. The results from our studies will be presented.

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  Research exercise: ETHOS - Appropriate Solar Technology for Bihar, India

  Mariana Lopes, Brooke C. Place

  An investigation of the potential for appropriate solar technology in Bihar, India, including solar thermal refrigeration systems. The feasibility of solar PV cells within a micro grid system was studied for applications to existing refrigerators. This is pre-work for an upcoming ETHOS immersion in Bihar, India.

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  Research exercise: Glass Recovery is Half the Battle

  Abdullah Almandeel, Anas M. Alwatban, Shanthan Reddy Kakulavaram, Daniel J. Kelley

  In an energy conscious society, all methods of saving or conserving energy become important. One such way is through recycling. The energy saved by recycling a single glass bottle could be used to light a 100-watt light bulb for four hours, power a computer for half an hour, or a television for 20 minutes. Ohio sends approximately 90% of consumed glass containers to the landfill. There is tremendous room for improvement for glass recycling. This research focuses on how to increase the glass recovery from consumer to recycling facilities by addressing the social, economical, political, and logistical aspects associated with glass recovery. Social factors that influence likelihood to recycle are investigated through a literature review. The container deposit law that a small number of states employ will be quantified through statistics and compared to Ohio’s statistics. The logistics of recycling availability for Ohioans will be assessed and displayed. The economics of incentive programs and the impacts of an increase in glass recovery will be quantified through a cost savings analysis. An integrated plan of these four aspects will be provided. The results will show what the estimated potential percentage participation increase could be by implementing this proposed plan. The paper will conclude with the impacts of various levels of participation and how much energy savings will increase.

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  Research exercise: How to Lead Your Team to a Successful Capstone Project: A Student's Guide

  Kelsey E. Diachun

  The purpose of this project is to analyze and develop a “student” guidebook to manage a senior design or capstone project. The outcome of the project will be a booklet which can be handed to the students chosen as project managers for their capstone project. This booklet will contain a step-by-step guide on leading projects. The guide will include best practices, software tools and how to use them, as well as describing exactly what steps should be taken in order to achieve a successful conclusion to the project. The booklet will also describe some personality traits which are seen in successful project managers both on real world projects and in past student capstone projects. To complete this project, recent graduates will be interviewed, as a means of learning what they felt were the strengths and weaknesses of their capstone projects. These interviews will also investigate what tools the graduates have used for project management and which ones they feel are the easiest to use while having the highest success rate. These analyses will then be used to determine which tool is best for student projects. Throughout the process, research will be done to develop a list of key personality traits shared by project managers in varying disciplines. Research will also be done to collect a listing of techniques that are used in helping to teach students the field of project management and explain which are the most successful and why they work. The final booklets will be available as handouts on the day of the presentation.

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  Research exercise: Numerical Exploration of the Spread of Infectious Disease

  Johnathan Raymond Ayers

  This study will consider a model of SARS for a closed population. The mathematical model will be solved using numerical techniques and the solutions will be compared. It is assumed in this study that the incubation period is very short and individuals who recover from the disease become permanently immune.

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  Research exercise: Numerical Methods applied to an Enzyme Kinetics Model

  Claudia J. Labrador Rached

  In this work, we study enzyme kinetics using numerical techniques, such as Euler’s Method and Taylor’s Series Method. Our system consists of four ordinary differential equations, each of them describing the reaction rate of specific compounds in reaction. We represent the numerical solution and plots of each reactant. We compared the performance of our numerical methods with methods used in Callie Martins’ Enzyme Kinetics Spring 2012 Work.

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  Research exercise: Pathway Toward the End-of-life Options for Medical Devices and Equipment

  Tyler J. Bahdasarian, Aleksandar Grocic, Julia C. Hauser, Jose C. Panameno

  At the end of life, medical equipment can follow three major paths. The first being destruction, medical equipment which cannot be sterilized and is contaminated, then are incinerated; an example of this would be surgical waste that is soaked in bodily fluids and cannot possible be re-used. Some equipment contains toxic elements such as mercury and are dealt with according to the proper regulations and standards. The second path is recycling option. For example, in the case of MRI machines and many medical devices, more than 90% by weight can be recycled for material content. The final major path medical devices take is refurbishment. Medical devices on this path are generally collected by the manufacturers, fixed, updated, supplied with a new warranty and resold to the secondary market at a large percent of the original sticker price.This research examines the current practices of incineration, landfill, reuse, and refurbishment for medical devices and how the the industry can best reduce the environmental impact of these practices, reduce costs for hospitals and consumers, and improve the humanitarian efforts which are already underway. In addition, this research will discuss the philanthropy efforts surrounding reusable medical equipment and government involvement and incentives to recycling, reuse, and donate medical devices. A trend of refurbishment rather than buying new could be emerging from hospitals due to the Affordable Care Act which often case exempts refurbishers from a new medical device tax that was implemented under the law.

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  Research exercise: Perceptions of Meaning in Liturgical Music in Christian Church Communities of Various Denominational Identities

  Molly M. Guinan

  Music is a primary part of worship in most Christian churches around the world. Music, however, holds different meaning and serves a variety of purposes and functions within each Christian denomination. As a part of an independent study course focused on topics related to contemporary liturgical music repertoire, I chose to investigate how Ministers of Music in several different denominations of the Christian faith assigned meaning and purpose to music in the context of worship, and what particular styles they found to resonate most with their own congregations. In order to do this, I interviewed Ministers of Music from the following church communities in and around Dayton, each representing a different denomination: St. Luke’s Catholic Church, Epiphany Lutheran Church, United Methodist Church, and The Vineyard. This poster will outline the factors I considered when developing relevant interview questions (e.g., cultural background of liturgical ministers and congregation members, tendencies of specific denominations, structure of liturgy in worship services) and the conclusions to which I came regarding the factors that play the most significant roles in determining the style of music utilized and the ways in which music is viewed and assigned meaning in a given church community. Additionally, examples of written and recorded music that were deemed meaningful by the Ministers of Music in each of the various church communities will be showcased with the written findings.

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  Research exercise: Research on Foundational Elements of the Education System

  Emma C. Francois, Kaitlyn E. Stanfield

  Many schools emphasize the importance of standardized tests and homework. The goal of the EDT110H1 class project was to investigate the effects of homework and the advantages and disadvantages of standardized tests, and how they affect the American schooling system.

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  Research exercise: Solving Crime Using Mathematics

  Michael Joseph Jacob

  Mathematics is used in almost every area of life. With the development of modern computers, mathematical modelling and numerical simulation is new synergy in scientific discovery. In this work nonlinear equations are solved in order to determine the time of death to solve a crime. The equations are solved with few methods and we compare the accuracy of methods.

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  Research exercise: The Implementation of Two-way Immersion Programs in Schools

  Kara Marie Jankowski

  As society becomes more global, educators are searching for models of education that provide students with the ability to be competitive in the global marketplace. Bilingual education offers students the opportunity to learn two languages while maintaining student achievement in other content areas. Two-way immersion programs, also known as dual-language programs, are a model of instruction where students receive content instruction in two languages. In addition, students and teacher speak both languages and the native languages of the members of the classroom vary. As the programs have been proven to be effective, the next step is figuring out how these programs can be implemented on a practical level (Garland 2012). It is because bilingual programs benefit both language-minority and language-majority students, it provides a positive education option for many students. In order to see if two-way immersion programs can be implemented on a wider scale, research needs to indicate the positive and negative consequences of these programs. Without this research, it will be difficult to see if two-way immersion programs are even a viable option for schools, especially ones with high populations of speakers of other languages. The purpose of this research is to examine the human and material resources necessary for the successful implementation of two-way immersion programs in the United States to determine the practicality of using this dual-language model on a wider scale.

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  Research exercise: The implications for instruction under The Common Core State Standards in Mathematics and the effect on students with Dyscalculia

  Melissa Rachel Siegel

  Dyscalculia and the new CCSS for mathematics are interconnected in regards to the second question asked about the standards. The CCSS-M have implications for instruction that correspond with instructional strategies that are suggested as modifications for students with dyscalculia. Real world applications can move the lesson from a lecture to visual, auditory and kinesthetic aspects to the lessons, depending on the topic. These aspects have shown to help these students. The conceptual focus with the CCSS-M implies a teaching strategy that moves from teaching the procedure to teaching the mathematical concepts, and the reasoning for the procedure, rather than just simply the steps. The possible connections between the implications of instructional strategies by the CCSS-M and the strategies used to support students with dyscalculia is the basis of this undergraduate research honors thesis. The results of this study will contribute to the current research by proposing a positive correlation between the implementation of the CCSS-M, and academic achievement by students with dyscalculia. Since both topics are relatively new in terms of educational practice, it is a very relevant topic in educational research because it has the potential to contribute to the literature in education and educational policy in the United States. The purpose of the study is to identify what instructional strategies using the Common Core State Standards will best support students with dyscalculia. This study could influence classroom application and practice, as well as increase awareness of dyscalculia.

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  Research exercise: Utilization of the Gordon Music Learning Theory in Elementary Classroom Music

  Hadley Gammie

  The Gordon Music Learning Theory is an example of a sight-before-sound method. It focuses on audiation, which is not just hearing the music, but comprehending it as well. There are other methods of instruction such as Kodály, Orff-Schulwerk, and Dalcroze that also use the idea of hearing first, but which do not follow the same sequential order of learning. A survey was conducted to determine which method(s) were most familiar to elementary educators in Southwest Ohio. Results demonstrated that Kodály was the most familiar method, and the Gordon Music Learning Theory was the least familiar. Additionally, the survey asserted that the Kodály method is the most widely known and used, and that the Gordon Music Learning Theory is the least known and used. Keywords: Edwin Gordon, music learning theory, audiation, sequence, elementary music