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Colorblind Attitudes And Religious Fundamentalism As Predictors Of Racial And General Campus Climate Perceptions, Jeongbin (Jenny) Song, Cindy Miller-Perrin Mar 2017

Colorblind Attitudes And Religious Fundamentalism As Predictors Of Racial And General Campus Climate Perceptions, Jeongbin (Jenny) Song, Cindy Miller-Perrin

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

The present study aimed to understand the racial differences in perception of general and racial campus climate in college students, and investigate if colorblind attitudes and religious fundamentalism help explain these differences. A sample of 2,101 undergraduate students (MAGE=19.59, SDAGE= 2.33) attending a private, Christian college in Southern California served as participants in this correlational survey research. The sample consisted of 37.9% male (n=796), 62% female (n=1303), and 0.1% other (n= 2). The following racial/ethnic groups were represented in the sample: 3.4% Black (n= 72), 18.7% Asian ( …


Genetic Effect Of Drought On The California Newt, Taricha Torosa, Madeleine M. Perrault, Samantha Fiallo, Alero Arueyingho, Cindy Kim, Laiken Ritchie Mar 2017

Genetic Effect Of Drought On The California Newt, Taricha Torosa, Madeleine M. Perrault, Samantha Fiallo, Alero Arueyingho, Cindy Kim, Laiken Ritchie

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

Droughts are now a common occurrence in Southern California and are known to cause population declines in many species, and such bottlenecks can cause a loss of genetic variation. Genetic variation was examined in a population of the California newt located in Arroyo Sequit Creek in the Santa Monica Mountains. Genetic data from animals examined prior to the current drought were compared to similar data collected from the population after it experienced several years of severe drought. We hypothesized that the drought impacted population should show less genetic variation in comparison to the pre-drought population. Nevertheless, there were no genetic …


The Relationship Between Instagram Photo Editing And Undergraduate College Women's Body Dissatisfaction, Madeline R. Wick, Cindy Miller-Perrin, Jennifer Harriger Mar 2017

The Relationship Between Instagram Photo Editing And Undergraduate College Women's Body Dissatisfaction, Madeline R. Wick, Cindy Miller-Perrin, Jennifer Harriger

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

The current study examined the correlation between Instagram self-photo editing and body dissatisfaction (n = 136), in addition to using an experimental method that randomly assigned participants to either view edited photos of others on Instagram (n = 35) or a series of control photographs (n = 34) to assess how viewing edited photos of others on Instagram affects body dissatisfaction. Findings suggested a positive correlation between Instagram self-photo editing and body dissatisfaction and no significant differences in body dissatisfaction of the two experimental groups. Self-perceived changes in body dissatisfaction as it relates to Instagram photo editing …


The Effectiveness Of Coloring Methods For Anxiety Reduction, Laura Ashlock, Cindy Miller-Perrin, Elizabeth Krumrei-Mancuso Dr. Mar 2017

The Effectiveness Of Coloring Methods For Anxiety Reduction, Laura Ashlock, Cindy Miller-Perrin, Elizabeth Krumrei-Mancuso Dr.

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

Anxiety is one of the most prevalent mental health concerns in the United States according to the National Institute of Mental Health. A popular nonprofessional approach to managing anxiety is coloring. While mandala patterns have long been considered meditative and anxiety reducing, adult coloring books bring a new possibility to anxiety treatment. The present study compared the effects of four different coloring methods on state anxiety scores to determine whether adult coloring books are similar to other coloring approaches in impacting anxiety. Participants included 160 undergraduates (96 female, 64 male) attending a private, liberal arts university who were randomly assigned …


Marital Satisfaction: The Role Of Post-Formal Thought And Partner Blame, Kendall Jory, Cindy Miller-Perrin, Dr. Janet Trammell Mar 2017

Marital Satisfaction: The Role Of Post-Formal Thought And Partner Blame, Kendall Jory, Cindy Miller-Perrin, Dr. Janet Trammell

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

Post-formal thought, a recently identified fifth stage of developmental cognition, is a type of complex cognition initially present in emerging adulthood. It is more practical, flexible and dialectical than previous stages of cognition. Research has suggested the benefits of enhanced post-formal thought in intrapersonal functioning, as well as interpersonal functioning. In interpersonal functioning, social relationships provide an opportunity to think using post-formal cognition because two people often share different “truths” in a relationship which creates logical conflict that must be resolved to continue the relationship (Griffin et al, 2009). Using this framework, the current study aimed to further examine the …


Seeking The Shield Of Faith: The Influence Of Defensive Theology On The Development Of Religious Fundamentalism Following Mortality Salience, Brian Lammert, Cindy Miller-Perrin, Steven Rouse Dr. Mar 2017

Seeking The Shield Of Faith: The Influence Of Defensive Theology On The Development Of Religious Fundamentalism Following Mortality Salience, Brian Lammert, Cindy Miller-Perrin, Steven Rouse Dr.

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

This study examined religious fundamentalism in a sample of 88 undergraduate students attending a private, Christian university. After completing a measure of defensive theology, participants were randomly assigned to either a mortality salience or control condition and then assessed using a religious fundamentalism measure. A moderation analysis was performed in order to test the hypothesis that defensive theology moderates the relationship between mortality salience and religious fundamentalism. Results indicated that only defensive theology significantly predicted post-manipulation fundamentalism (p


Stacking 2d Materials, Michael Hernandez, John C. Mann Mar 2017

Stacking 2d Materials, Michael Hernandez, John C. Mann

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

Monolayer Transition Metal Dichalcogenides are atomically thin semi-conductors that are considered quasi 2D materials due to their extremely small thickness. It has been observed that atomically thin crystals exhibit different physical properties than their bulk counterparts due to quantum confinement effects. We are attempting discover new physical properties by developing a technique to stack two different monolayer crystals, MoS2 and MoSe2.


A Comparison Of Water Potential, Photosynthetic Rate, Electron Transport Rate, And Stomatal Conductance Between Native Malosma Laurina And Exotic Schinus Molle, Karagan L. Smith, Agatha C. Heng, Viridiana Hernandez-Lopez Mar 2017

A Comparison Of Water Potential, Photosynthetic Rate, Electron Transport Rate, And Stomatal Conductance Between Native Malosma Laurina And Exotic Schinus Molle, Karagan L. Smith, Agatha C. Heng, Viridiana Hernandez-Lopez

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

A Comparison of Water Potential, Photosynthetic Rate, Electron Transport Rate, and Stomatal Conductance between Native Malosma laurina and Exotic Schinus molle

Karagan L. Smith, Agatha C. Heng, and Viridiana Hernandez-Lopez

First-year Students as Scholars Program

Mentors: Natalie M. Aguirre, Kaitlyn E. Sauer, and Stephen D. Davis

Schinus molle is a relatively new invasive species in chaparral shrub communities of the Santa Monica Mountains, and has only recently been observed to displace native species of shrubs, such as Malosma laurina. To investigate the probably cause of S. molle’s invasiveness and mechanisms of competitive displacement of M. laurina, we compared …


Comparison Of Leaf Water Potential, Stomatal Conductance, And Chlorophyll Fluorescence Between An Invasive Weed, Schinus Molle, And A Native Chaparral Shrub, Ceanothus Spinosus, In The Santa Monica Mountains, Adam L. Fahey, Harry Zhou, Katie Callahan Mar 2017

Comparison Of Leaf Water Potential, Stomatal Conductance, And Chlorophyll Fluorescence Between An Invasive Weed, Schinus Molle, And A Native Chaparral Shrub, Ceanothus Spinosus, In The Santa Monica Mountains, Adam L. Fahey, Harry Zhou, Katie Callahan

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

The Peruvian peppertree, Schinus molle, is an invasive species in California that has escaped cultivation to competitively exclude native species in the landscape. One example of such competition is between a dominant member of the chaparral shrub community, greenbark ceanothus (Ceanothus spinosus), and S. molle. The mechanism of competitive displacement of chaparral by S. molle is not understood nor has it been previously studied. We hypothesized that during severe drought, such as occurred during the sumer/fall of 2016, S. molle would have a more favorable water balance then its native competitor C. spinosus, eventually leading to higher survival and species …


Hydraulic Mechanisms Of Fungal-Induced Dieback In A Keystone Chaparral Species During Unprecedented Drought In California, Natalie M. Aguirre, Marissa E. Ochoa, Helen I. Holmlund, Frank E. Ewers, Stephen D. Davis Mar 2017

Hydraulic Mechanisms Of Fungal-Induced Dieback In A Keystone Chaparral Species During Unprecedented Drought In California, Natalie M. Aguirre, Marissa E. Ochoa, Helen I. Holmlund, Frank E. Ewers, Stephen D. Davis

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

Between 2012-2016, southern California experienced unprecedented drought that caused dieback in Malosma laurina, a keystone species of chaparral shrub communities. Dieback was especially severe in coastal exposures of the Santa Monica Mountains, leading to whole plant mortality exceeding 50% at some sites. We hypothesized that the endophytic fungus causing the dieback, Botryosphaeria dothidea, was successful in invading the xylem tissue of M. laurina because of protracted water stress, carbon starvation, or a combination of the two. We tested these possibilities in a controlled pot experiment by comparing three treatments, each inoculated with the fungus: (1) irrigated controls (2) …


The Effect Of Water Levels On Crayfish Aggression, Emory B. Johnson, Sarah E. Blase Mar 2017

The Effect Of Water Levels On Crayfish Aggression, Emory B. Johnson, Sarah E. Blase

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

Crayfish are a very prevalent invasive species that affect many different environments all over the world. Crayfish, specifically Procambarus clarkii, are an invasive species that have currently taken a foothold in the Santa Monica mountains and are threatening native stream species. There is currently a severe drought occurring in the Santa Monica mountains. The drought has been reshaping many aquatic environments by limiting space and resources such as food and shelter. Crayfish are a very aggressive species and adversely affect the habitat they inhabit by rapidly colonizing, burrowing, and their voracious diets. Due to the adverse effects crayfish can have …


Prevalence Of Airborne Spores Causing The Spread Of Fungal Disease In Laurel Sumac, Malosma Laurina, In The Santa Monica Mountains, Cristian M. Garcia, Alexandra N. Case, Bashir J. Chuma Mar 2017

Prevalence Of Airborne Spores Causing The Spread Of Fungal Disease In Laurel Sumac, Malosma Laurina, In The Santa Monica Mountains, Cristian M. Garcia, Alexandra N. Case, Bashir J. Chuma

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

At the trailing end of California’s historic drought in 2012-2016, we investigated the spread of spores from the fungal pathogen in the native chaparral plant laurel sumac, Malosma laurina, in the natural landscape of the Pepperdine University campus in Malibu, a coastal exposure of the Santa Monica Mountains. We predicted that the fungal disease would spread by way of spore dispersal from a previously studied dieback site above the Dresher Campus, to an intermediate site above the Law School Housing, and to a healthy control site receiving indirect water supplements from adjacent irrigated lawns. We hypothesized that that the average …


Effect Of Drought On Resin Production In Woody Stems Of Rhus Ovata, Sydney T. Adams, Melody Young, Moriah Hall Mar 2017

Effect Of Drought On Resin Production In Woody Stems Of Rhus Ovata, Sydney T. Adams, Melody Young, Moriah Hall

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

Resin production in stems of woody plants is generated from resin canal secretions and is thought to play a significant role in protection from fungal infection and spread. This may be one of several factors associated with fungal infection and fungal induced dieback in plants during severe water stress or drought. We set out to determine if reduction in resin production in a chaparral shrub, Sugar Bush (Rhus ovata), was associated with severe drought in southern California. We hypothesized that dehydrated R. ovata would produce less resin than hydrated plants. Our null hypothesis was that there is no …


Plant Water Relations During Drought-Induced Dieback In Greenbark Ceanothus, Ceanothus Spinosus, In The Santa Monica Mountains, Christopher F. Ross, Andrew Palaski Mar 2017

Plant Water Relations During Drought-Induced Dieback In Greenbark Ceanothus, Ceanothus Spinosus, In The Santa Monica Mountains, Christopher F. Ross, Andrew Palaski

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

This experiment investigated Ceanothus spinosus dieback in the natural landscape of Pepperdine University’s campus in Malibu, California. We measured midday water potential, gas-exchange rates (photosynthesis and transpiration), chlorophyll fluorescence, and native embolism levels of stem xylem, comparing irrigated controls on campus to plants undergoing severe water stress in the natural landscape of our campus. The water potentials for naturally occurring C. spinosus (-6.6 MPa) was much lower than for irrigated controls (-3.4 MPa). Water stressed plants experience 47.2% embolism in their stem xylem that blocks water transport to leaves compared to 12.6% embolism in irrigated controls. This high embolism level …