Digital Commons Network^™

Outdoor Classroom And Wildlife Habitat Development, Patricia Sowell, Deborah Sherfey, Kandy Fear

Education for Sustainability Summer Institute

No abstract provided.

On The Ethical Possibility Of Sustainability: A Challenge For Higher Education, Eric Bain-Selbo

Education for Sustainability Summer Institute

At the heart of the sustainability movement are two questions central to its viability: Are human beings capable of treating the Earth ethically? Are human beings capable of acting morally responsibly for the benefit of distant future generations? Answers to both questions are unclear. This paper draws upon the work of 20^th century critical theorists to identify the ethical core of these questions. In the process, the paper will show what would be necessary for us to answer these questions affirmatively. The paper concludes with reflections about how higher education, and interdisciplinary inquiry in particular, can be critical to …

Global Climate Change International Collaborations Through Stem And Ee, Teddie Phillipson-Mower, Laurie A. Henry

Education for Sustainability Summer Institute

No abstract provided.

Enhancing Student Learning And Retention With Community Partnerships, George Kontos

Education for Sustainability Summer Institute

No abstract provided.

Education For Sustainability As A 21st Century Literacy, Nancy Givens

Education for Sustainability Summer Institute

No abstract provided.

Encouraging Sustainability Ideas With Mammoth Cave Field Experiences, Lauren Bell, Cheryl Messenger, Jeanine Huss

Education for Sustainability Summer Institute

No abstract provided.

Gps Workshop, Education For Sustainability Summer Institute, S. Kay Gandy

Education for Sustainability Summer Institute

No abstract provided.

Art Gardens To Create Sacred Earth Connections, Education For Sustainability Summer Institute, Jim Embry

Education for Sustainability Summer Institute

No abstract provided.

2011 Schedule Of Events, Education For Sustainability Summer Institute

Education for Sustainability Summer Institute

The WKU College of Education and Behavioral Sciences and Center for Environmental Education and Sustainability hosted the first Education for Sustainability Summer Institute (EFSSI 2011) for Kentucky and the region on July 21-22, 2011. Participants learned about model programs, practical strategies, and resources for integrating sustainability into classes, schools, and districts. This event is the first of its kind in Kentucky and the region. It is being hosted by the WKU College of Education and Behavioral Sciences and WKU Center for Environmental Education and Sustainability.

Click on Download button for full Schedule of Events.

Education For Sustainability Summer Institute 2011 Conference Program

Education for Sustainability Summer Institute

EFSSI 2011 is designed for pre-K-12 teachers, university faculty and staff, non-formal educators, and administrators. Come to learn about successful program models and practical strategies for integrating sustainability into classes, schools, and districts.

Click on the Download button for full Conference Program.

Operation Comics: The Story Continues, Bruce Kessler, Janet Tassell, Tressa Tullis

Mathematics Faculty Publications

During the 2008-2009 academic year, the author K. wrote three issues of Operation Comics, a comic book with embedded mathematics content appropriate for 4th through 6th grade students. Several printed comics were placed in Cumberland Trace Elementary in the Warren County School System in Bowling Green, Kentucky, US. The author Ta. was enlisted to measure the impact of the comics on the attitudes and motivation of the students using the comics. A preliminary report was given by K. at the 2009 Bridges Banff Conference, and the written report appeared in the proceedings. Since then, data has been collected on the …

Full Conference Program With Abstracts, Jason S. Polk, Leslie A. North

International 2011 Conference on Karst Hydrogeology and Ecosystems

No abstract provided.

From Sink To Resurgence: The Buffering Capacity Of A Cave System In The Tongass National Forest, Usa, Chris Groves, Melissa Hendrikson

Earth, Environmental, and Atmospheric Sciences Faculty Publications

The Tongass National Forest of Southeast Alaska, USA, provides a unique environment for monitoring the impact of the cave system on water quality and biological productivity. The accretionary terrane setting of the area has developed into a complex and heterogeneous geologic landscape which includes numerous blocks of limestone with intense karstification. During the Wisconsian glaciation, there were areas of compacted glacial sediments and silts deposited over the bedrock. Muskeg peatlands developed over these poorly drained areas. The dominant plants of the muskeg ecosystem are Sphagnum mosses, whose decomposition leads to highly acidic waters with pH as low as 2.4. These …

Pcr Amplification Of Trypanosoma Cruzi - Specific Dna From Raccoon Blood Samples, Colin Moss

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The parasitic protist Trypanosoma cruzi is the causative agent of Chagas Disease. Chagas Disease causes greater than 15,000 deaths each year, and nearly 28 million people are believed to be at risk of infection in Central and South America. This parasite has been described in many mammalian host species and has also been described in the United States. The purpose of this study was to attempt to use PCR to amplify T. cruzi-specific DNA directly from blood samples obtained from raccoons (Procyon lotor) trapped in Warren and Barren Counties of Kentucky in 2007 and 2008. DNA was …

Chemistry - Acs Certification, Daniel Hinson

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Heterocyclic organic and organometallic compounds (e.g. polypyrrole, Figure 1A) and their derivatives have been of great interest for conductive polymers due to their novel properties, such as their versatile structure and ease of synthesis. In addition, these molecules have a great environmental stability compared to non-aromatic analogs (e.g. polyacetylene, Figure 1B). We have been interested in synthesizing organometallic pyridazyl (Figure 1C) complexes for polymer research. Figure 1. Structures of A–D. Pyridazyl complexes of rhenium were synthesized in three steps beginning from 1,2-diacylcyclopentadienes (aka, fulvenes, Figure 1D). Synthesis, characterization and molecular structure of [Mn(CO)3{1,2-C5H3(CC4H3ON)(CC4H3ON)}] (4A), [Re(CO)3{1,2-C5H3(CC4H3ON)(CC4H3ON)}] (4B), and their precursors are …

Assessing Social Benefits Of Domestic Rainwater Harvesting In Southern Kenya, Lindsey M. Filiatreau

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

In the Kasigau location of the Voi District of Kenya, severe rainwater shortages closed fourteen water collection stations in 2008 and 2009, leaving ten water sources to service 15,000 people in the region. Few families in the area have domestic rainwater harvesting systems which are an easily implemented, low-cost means of water collection. I investigated the ability of rainwater catchment systems to modify family time budgets (by reducing water collection time) and lessen the severity of water scarcity (by supplying families a significant amount of water). Forty families participated in the research, 20 of whom received free installation of a …

Predictability Time Of Chaotic Cosmologies, John Max Wilson

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

We examine the predictability time scales for a cosmological model from the Einstein field equations coupled to the Klein-Gordon equations for a spin zero scalar field with an interaction potential V(φ). The cosmological equations resulting from this coupling are nonlinear in the scale cosmic parameter and scalar field, thus exhibiting characteristics of chaos. The equations can be linearized in the neighborhood of equilibrium points and then diagonalized to yield its Lyapunov exponents. One e-folding time of the system is then found to estimate the predictability time. This time is compared to the Big Rip time theorized by Yurov, Moruno, and …

The Proliferation Of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells Depends On Thioredoxin 1 Protein In A Model Of Pulmonary Hypertension, Viktoria Nelin

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a disease which manifests itself in the lungs of both adults and children. Vascular proliferation and remodeling are the hallmarks of PH and are found mainly in the pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells (PASMC). The cause of PASMC proliferation and vascular remodeling in PH is poorly understood. Hypoxia, or low oxygen content, underlies many forms of PH. Hypoxia results in alterations in the redox balance of the PASMC. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the role of the thioredoxin system, an antioxidant system in the cell, in hypoxia-induced proliferation in PASMC. Protein was …

Screening Rnai Transformants Of Chlamydomonas For Reduced Expression Of The Photoreceptor Cryptochrome, Jeremy Webb

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is a unicellular green alga. In C. reinhardtii, three types of photoreceptors are known to be present: rhodopsins, phototropins, and cryptochromes. The single cryptochrome is the most likely photoreceptor for adjusting the circadian clock to the daily light/dark cycles, because cryptochromes are involved in clock entrainment in higher plants and insects. In this segment of the research, C. reinhardtii strains, which were genetically modified through transformation with a RNA interference construct, were screened for reduction in cryptochrome compared to the control strain. After C. reinhardtii cultures were harvested in complete darkness, all soluble proteins were extracted from the …

Dna Sequence Variation In The Wingless Gene Product In Buckeye Butterflies (Genus Junonia), Bonnie Mccullagh

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Wingless is a highly conserved gene important to cell determination in development. In Drosophila, the wingless gene product has been identified as responsible for wing patterning. In Bicyclus anynana and Junonia coenia, wingless gene product is expressed in a fashion that suggests that it is involved in butterfly wing color pattern development. The wingless gene product has been implicated as a potential focal signal for patterning the eyespot of Junonia butterflies. I have shown that extensive DNA sequence variation (26.04% of the sequenced region) exists in 402 bp of wingless coding sequence among 338 specimens of Junonia from …

Assessment Of Prenatal Care And Perinatal Outcomes In Kasigau, Kenya, Allison Smith

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The World Health Organization (WHO) implemented the Millennium Declaration in 2000 to establish global health goals to be achieved by 2015. Two of these Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s) are directly related to maternal, neonatal and child health. Healthcare during the prenatal period can help achieve the WHO MDG’s for maternal health and child mortality. Evidence has shown that women in Kenya have limited access to prenatal care. This study focused on the prenatal care and postnatal outcome trends of the women in Kasigau, Kenya. Participants were surveyed in three villages (Rukanga, Makwasinyi, and Bhuguta) to determine if prenatal care was …

Implementation Of An Inexpensive 3d Scanner, Robert Michael Sivley

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The purpose of this project was to make 3D scanning technology accessible to the general public at an affordable price. To accomplish this, a scanner was designed that utilized structured-light projection. Coupled with triangulation, this provided an inexpensive, image-based modeling technique. Software was developed to analyze the required images and generate a 3D model. Users can edit analysis parameters during runtime to better optimize results for specific images. The 3D models generated are stored according to the .obj standard and can be opened in any commercial 3D modeling software. Results were positive, but several issues exist with the chosen scanning …

The Formation History Of Layered Chondrules In Acfer-139 (Cr2), Matt Downen

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Chondrules are spherical grains made of silicates and metal that represent some of the oldest materials our solar system. Acfer-139 (CR) is a carbonaceous chondrite with large multilayered chondrules. The multilayered chondrules are composed of a silicate core surrounded by alternating layers of silicates and metals. Serial sectioning was used to analyze the sample in three dimensions. EMPA and LA-ICP-MS were used to create elemental maps of Acfer-139 (CR2) and determine the geochemistry of different layers in each thick section cut. XRCMT was used to construct a 3-D model of a large multilayered chondrule named Ch-1 with concentric layers of …

Human-Wildlife Conflict On Small, Subsistence Farms In Kenya, Christopher B. Colonna

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

As human populations expand, wildlife suddenly competes with humans for resources and confrontation arises as a result. Rural Africa is typical of this problem. We surveyed local owners of small farms within the five villages surrounding Mount Kasigau in Southeast Kenya to quantify losses due to wildlife depredation on both subsistence and cash crops as well as to discover the patterns and variables influencing farmer-wildlife confrontations in the region. We found no statistically significant correlations among the value of damage per acre, the distance from the bush, or the distance to the nearest water source. We did find statistical significance …

Effective And Affordable Novel Arsenic Removal Technology, Benadin Varajic

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Arsenic contaminated drinking water is a serious worldwide issue faced by millions of people every day. Long term exposure to arsenic levels above the World Health Organization’s (WHO) standard of 10 ppb has been associated with severe detrimental health effects including cardiovascular disease and cancer. Although current water purification technologies exist, their implementation is an unrealistic goal by many third world nations for a variety of reasons, the most common being the cost associated with what are typically complicated procedures. This study strives to discover an effective and affordable novel arsenic removal technology.

The first step of this study was …

Examining Type Ia Supernova Progenitors From Local Event Rates, Schuyler Wolff

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

We present the recalculation of the rates of supernovae in local, low redshift (z ≤ 0.1) from the Nearby Galaxies Supernovae Search Project (Strolger, 2003) using an improved baseline designed to maximize SNe yield. Approximately 15 additional SNe of various types and ages have been discovered from the dataset and added to the 42 SNe already detected. This sample is sufficient to obtain an accurate rate of SNe in the local universe. The rates are weighted by volume, total light, and host galaxy type. Further spectroscopic data for the progenitor galaxies of each event will allow us to compare the …

Empirical Methods For Predicting Student Retention- A Summary From The Literature, Matt Bogard

Economics Faculty Publications

The vast majority of the literature related to the empirical estimation of retention models includes a discussion of the theoretical retention framework established by Bean, Braxton, Tinto, Pascarella, Terenzini and others (see Bean, 1980; Bean, 2000; Braxton, 2000; Braxton et al, 2004; Chapman and Pascarella, 1983; Pascarell and Ternzini, 1978; St. John and Cabrera, 2000; Tinto, 1975) This body of research provides a starting point for the consideration of which explanatory variables to include in any model specification, as well as identifying possible data sources. The literature separates itself into two major camps including research related to the hypothesis testing …

Empirical Methods-A Review: With An Introduction To Data Mining And Machine Learning, Matt Bogard

Economics Faculty Publications

This presentation was part of a staff workshop focused on empirical methods and applied research. This includes a basic overview of regression with matrix algebra, maximum likelihood, inference, and model assumptions. Distinctions are made between paradigms related to classical statistical methods and algorithmic approaches. The presentation concludes with a brief discussion of generalization error, data partitioning, decision trees, and neural networks.

Deterministic And Stochastic Bellman's Optimality Principles On Isolated Time Domains And Their Applications In Finance, Nezihe Turhan

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The concept of dynamic programming was originally used in late 1949, mostly during the 1950s, by Richard Bellman to describe decision making problems. By 1952, he refined this to the modern meaning, referring specifically to nesting smaller decision problems inside larger decisions. Also, the Bellman equation, one of the basic concepts in dynamic programming, is named after him. Dynamic programming has become an important argument which was used in various fields; such as, economics, finance, bioinformatics, aerospace, information theory, etc. Since Richard Bellman's invention of dynamic programming, economists and mathematicians have formulated and solved a huge variety of sequential decision …

Development Of Fractional Trigonometry And An Application Of Fractional Calculus To Pharmacokinetic Model, Amera Almusharrf

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

No abstract provided.