Digital Commons Network^™

Max Weber's Living Legacy, Hermann Kurthen

Peer Reviewed Articles

June 14, 2020 was the hundred-year anniversary of Max Weber's death. He died in Munich at age 56 after most likely contracting the Spanish flu. He is often considered one of the founding fathers of sociology next to Marx and Durkheim, despite Weber resisting this label. Given Weber's worldwide reception, his enduring relevance for sociology and beyond is unbroken, even though he left a huge unfinished work not intended as a conventional sociological grand theory but as a historical-comparative attempt to understand how humans interact within their social environment and how they construct a social reality of their own making. …

Teaching Materialism Through Storytelling: A Collection Of Short Stories And Learning Materials, Zoie Zvonar, Katherine Arnold

Honors Projects

This collaborative projects seeks to combine the disciplines of psychology and writing into a collection of short stories and learning materials dedicated to teaching young students the psychological concept of materialism. In order to accomplish this goal, Zoie Zvonar and Katherine Arnold have designed and created a set of materials that seek to inform, educate, and instill in those young students what materialism is, how to recognize it in our own lives, its consequences, and potential strategies to lower high materialistic tendencies. Zoie Zvonar created the companion guide, learning activities for both students and instructors, and an additional resources list …

Michigan Sex Offender Registry: Implications And Effects, Heather Damuth

Honors Projects

This paper discusses the Michigan Sex Offender Registry Act (SORA) and the ways that it affects offenders, the public, and society. It also discusses the conveniences and the challenges in relation to the SORA including discussions about public safety, and offender rights. The impacts on offenders, victims, and the general public are also discussed. The research was done through the Grand Valley State University Library, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Michigan Legislation. Sources were examined and combined to form an integrative research paper about the sex offender registry in Michigan.

Stuck In The Middle: An Illustrated Essay On Covid-19 And Other Past Pandemics, Amanda Pszczolkowski

Honors Projects

The project is a visual essay, in a graphic novel-esque style, exploring how the coronavirus compares to other illness outbreaks of the past century and how the associated restrictions have impacted me at an individual level. The creative nonfiction essay intertwines historical perspectives as a way to inform, contextualize, and reflect my own experience with COVID-19. The project began with extensive research on illness outbreaks of the past century, current developments in the Coronavirus pandemic, and genre conventions of graphic novels and memoirs. The intent was to provide a cohesive whole that illuminates themes in the linguistic essay.

West Michigan Food Deserts And How We Can Help, Raquel Racette

Honors Projects

This project discusses what a food desert is and the food desert issue in West Michigan. Food deserts are not given the attention they need, and this brochure sheds light on the problem of food deserts, as well as how to help the issue in our own community.

Is2020 A Competency Model For Undergraduate Programs In Information Systems: The Joint Acm/Ais Is2020 Task Force, Paul Leidig, Hannu Salmela

Peer-Reviewed Publications

The IS2020 report is the latest in a series of model curricula recommendations and guidelines for undergraduate degrees in Information Systems (IS). The report builds on the foundations developed in previous model curricula reports to develop a major revision of the model curriculum with the inclusion of significant new characteristics. Specifically, the IS2020 report does not directly prescribe a degree structure that targets a specific context or environment. Rather, the IS2020 report provides guidance regarding the core content of the curriculum that should be present but also provides flexibility to customize curricula according to local institutional needs.

Roland Breeur, Lies – Imposture – Stupidity. Vilinius: Jonas Ir Jokūbas 2019, Andrew D. Spear

Articles, Book Chapters, Essays

As the title suggests, Breeur’s project is to discuss three key ideas: lies, stupidity, and imposture. The book is organized into two parts (I. Lies and Stupidity; II. Imposture) of two chapters each, followed by an appendix. The individual chapters and sub-sections are well-written and philosophically sophisticated. However, the reader will be disappointed if they expect a sustained analysis of the relations among the book’s titular ideas or a unified account of their role in the breakdown of respect for truth more broadly. Breeur’s approach is more episodic, laying out valuable considerations and enticing formulations, but often breaking off before …

Resisting Hyper-Partisan Silencing: Arendt On Political Persuasion Through Exemplification And Truth-Telling As Action, Andrew D. Spear

Articles, Book Chapters, Essays

A central frustration of recent political discourse is the consistent reduction of politically relevant factual and critical speech to mere expression of partisan commitment. Partisans of “the other side”—members of the other tribe—are viewed as de facto wrong, because partisans, even when their speech invokes mere facts or purportedly shared political principles. Ideally, democratic political discourse operates along at least two central dimensions: a dimension of shared factual, historical, and political assumptions, and a more contested dimension of interpretation, prioritization, and evaluation that results in diverse and often competing understandings of what is good, and so of what is best …

Pre-Veterinary Medicine Advising Tips, Samantha Super

Honors Projects

This document provides tips and recommendations for advisors to better help their pre-veterinary medicine students. After reviewing numerous resources and conducting a survey with GVSU advisors and pre-veterinary students, I identified gaps in knowledge and compiled tips and information about preparing for veterinary school to increase the advisors' knowledge for the benefit of current of future GVSU pre-veterinary students. This document discusses the general path of veterinary school, how to advise students on obtaining experiences, regional and national symposiums that students and advisors can attend, things to consider when preparing for and applying for veterinary schools, specific advice for students …

Neural Correlates Of Social Pain In Psychological Disorders: Implications For Educational Settings, Skye E. Johnson

Honors Projects

Pain has long been defined as a multidimensional construct; in past research, not only have the physical and sensory aspects of pain been investigated, but also the cognitive and emotional aspects, which include the experience of social pain. This experience is generally accepted to be very distressing and can have adverse effects on one's mental health, especially for those with neurological disorders. In my paper, I examine the effects of social pain on brain activity in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and borderline personality disorder (BPD) as compared to those who are neurotypical. This research finds that while neurotypical …

Genomics Education Partnership F Element Annotation Report, Amanda Moy

Honors Projects

The Genomics Education Partnership (GEP), headquartered at the University of Alabama, is a collection of over 100 universities that provide training and resources in order to provide students experiential learning in bioinformatics and genomics. The GEP hosts numerous research projects, including the F element project. The F element project has the main focus of annotating the F element genes of the fruit fly species D. ananassae, D. bipectinata, D. kikkawai, and D. takahashii. The Muller F element is the smallest chromosome in Drosophila species. However, the four species listed above have a notably larger F element than other …

An Exploratory On Partial Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Return (Papvr), Gabriella Pitingaro

Honors Projects

This exploratory gives insight into Partial Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Return (PAPVR). The paper goes into depth explaining more detail about the congenital heart defect, the embryology surrounding it, and how much is still left to be discovered. With PAPVR's rarity (0.4-0.7% of the population), not much is known. Hypocritically, since PAPVR often goes undetected, our numbers for cases are estimated to be an underestimated value. The paper also goes into a specific case study regarding the celebrity Amy Grant and her experience with PAPVR and how it has affected her life and career.

Analysis Of Racial/Ethnic Disparities And Language Barriers In Radiation Therapy, Carrie Warner

Honors Projects

It is important for every patient within healthcare to have access to and receive quality care no matter their race, ethnicity, and/or primary language. Focusing on cancer care in the United States, there are racial and ethnic disparities as well as language barriers, both within the English language itself and with foreign languages, that prevent patients from receiving high quality care. This meta-analysis provides evidence of current disparities within healthcare that can be applied to the radiation oncology department and reveals suggestions for advancements including the use of language-concordant physicians and medical interpreters. Some of the policies, plans, and resources …

Advance Care Planning Barriers For Young Adults, Emily K. Songer

Honors Projects

According to the CDC, 40.6% of young adult deaths occur from unintentional injuries, which is the leading cause of death for this age group (Heron, 2019). When accidents occur, they sometimes result in a loss of the ability to make medical decisions, and young adults most likely have never had the opportunity state their wishes regarding their medical care. This is why advance care planning is important, because it allows the opportunity to express those desires before it is too late. Many people often confuse advance care planning as a process that is only needed for the elderly and those …

Resource Allocation In Healthcare, Sydney Sprau

Honors Projects

The overall purpose of this research was to find ways that resources are allocated throughout the healthcare system. Resources are not always what we think of when it comes to healthcare. While it does include personal protective equipment, ventilators, and beds, it also includes the personnel that are required to deliver the care essential to survival. It is well known that many ethical issues revolve around the allocation of such resources in healthcare, but it is unknown what the best solution to sharing these resources is during pandemics such as COVID-19.

Review: Influence Of Meteorological Conditions And Algal Community Composition On Hypolimnetic Hypoxia, Ian P. Stone

Honors Projects

Hypoxia has been a central focus of research regarding water quality impairments throughout the world in the past century. The fresh and coastal marine waters affected by hypoxia are of great importance due to the ecosystem services and species habitat they provide, and because of the regional economic activity spurned by these waters in return. As such, a great deal of research effort has been devoted to elucidating the causes and ecological effects of hypoxia with the hopes of remediating the issue. The bulk of this effort has been directed at the role of anthropogenic allochthonous nutrient loading and algal …

Gap Junctions In Stem Cells Provide An Essential Conduit For Cell-Cell Communication, Jacob M. Gunn, David L. Geenen

Student Summer Scholars Manuscripts

Introduction: Myocardial infarction (MI) results from the death of cardiomyocytes (CM) following obstruction of blood flow and diminished oxygen supply to the tissue (hypoxia). Human adipose tissue-derived stem cells (hADSCs) used in pre-clinical models can replace damaged CM, however, this has not been replicated in human clinical trials due to early loss of hADSCs. We hypothesize that coupling of hADSCs to dying CMs may account for part of this loss. Furthermore, cell culturing is essential aspect of any in-vitro experiment. Through multiple trials we sought to maximize the efficiency of our culturing procedures in order to best facilitate the …

When Technology Works: A Case Study Using Instructional Rounds And The Samr Model, Gregory Warsen, Richard Vandermolen

Peer Reviewed Articles

Billions of dollars are spent each year in the United States on technology for schools, and researchers in this case study wanted to determine the degree to which individual computing devices (ICDs) enhance the learning experience of students in grades six to twelve. The leadership practice of instructional rounds (City, Elmore, Fiarmen & Teitel, 2011) combined with the SAMR model (substitution, augmentation, modification and redefinition) (Puentadura, 2014) of technology integration was utilized in this case study to capture how ICDs are being used and the impact this use is having on learning. This method detected use rates far above what …

Economic Impact Study: Grand Rapids Public Museum Proposed Redesign And Expansion, Christian Glupker, Paul Isley, Julie Cowie, Grand Valley State University

Other Faculty Publications

The Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) has formalized a proposal to renovate and expand the current building (built in 1994). The proposed redesign and expansion include:

• A $39.8M addition to the south end of the building;
• Expanding rental space to accommodate larger groups and allow multiple events simultaneously;
• Different pricing strategies for each floor of the museum.

Gender Expansive Students In The Choral Classroom: Awareness & Practices Of Secondary Music Educators, Emma E. Taranko

Honors Projects

In an age of growing diversity, it is essential for educators, both pre- and in-service, to seek out strategies that will assist them in creating a welcoming classroom environment for all learners. It is incumbent upon choral music teachers and community leaders to educate themselves in the diversity that presents itself in their classrooms in order to better service all students. In this study, twenty-five secondary music educators shared their awareness of gender expansive students in their choir classrooms and any strategies they have used to better service their singers. This study was conducted in order to assess which strategies …

Improving Health Care Accessibility Among Geriatric Patients In Rural Communities, Capriana Calvachi

Honors Projects

The following literature review and analysis compiles information regarding ways to improve rural geriatric healthcare accessibility through the use of interprofessional care and outreach. I also wish to bring to light the various deficiencies often seen in this realm of care, and the reasons behind the inadequate rural physician retention rates. Using this background information, I compiled various collaborative approaches which seek to ease the strain faced by the healthcare system and its elderly patients.

Improving healthcare accessibility through the use of interprofessional care and outreach is an essential facet in geriatric medicine. By exploring the deficiencies of geriactric healthcare …

Descriptive Exploration Of Overdose Codes In Hospital And Emergency Department Discharge Data To Inform Development Of Drug Overdose Morbidity Surveillance Indicator Definitions In Icd-10-Cm, Leigh M. Tyndall Snow, Katelyn E. Hall, Cody Curtis, Allison L. Rosenthal, Emilia Pasalic, Sarah Nechuta, James W. Davis, Bretta Jane Jacquemin, Sherani R. Jagroep, Peter Rock, Elyse Contreras, Barbara A. Gabella, Katherine A. James

Peer Reviewed Articles

Background: In October 2015, discharge data coding in the USA shifted to the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM), necessitating new indicator definitions for drug overdose morbidity. Amid the drug overdose crisis, characterising discharge records that have ICD-10-CM drug overdose codes can inform the development of standardised drug overdose morbidity indicator definitions for epidemiological surveillance.

Methods: Eight states submitted aggregated data involving hospital and emergency department (ED) discharge records with ICD-10-CM codes starting with T36-T50, for visits occurring from October 2015 to December 2016. Frequencies were calculated for (1) the position within the diagnosis billing fields where …

Social Support During Covid-19 Social Distancing, Josiah P. Stryd

Honors Projects

This pilot study measured emotional affect, social support, and use of digital communication technologies during the early 2020 COVID-19 stay at home order in Michigan among 65 Grand Valley State University Alumni Association members. The study used an online survey and was designed to examine the relationship between digital communication and social support during physical social distancing, and how this impacted emotional affect. Overall, the pilot study found largely unchanged reported emotional affect and social support before and during the stay at home order. A future study with larger sample size would aim to find if these results are replicated …

Investor Behavior In The Midst Of A Global Pandemic, Abigail N. Bates

Honors Projects

Investors partaking in portfolio and asset management through the stock market and other avenues do so with certain reasoning and methods in hand. Each investor may have different interests and risk tolerances that guide their choices for investment. Behavioral finance allows for an in-depth look at an investor’s actions and the influencing psychology behind it. Before this approach was popularized, early studies of finance assumed that investors were always rational in their decision making and put resources only into opportunities that would increase their utility or happiness. The behavioral finance approach takes a more comprehensive look at these behaviors and …

Understanding And Motivating Salesperson Resilience, Valerie Good, Douglas E. Hughes, Alexander C. Labrecque

Peer Reviewed Articles

Prior research has shown that approximately half of salespeople fail to achieve their targets each year. Not only is the role difficult but also sales jobs are often marked by high levels of stress, rejection, and burnout. Thus, salesperson resilience is critical. However, a gap remains in our understanding of how resilience influences performance and how managers can motivate salespeople to be more resilient. To answer these questions, we collected survey data from 110 salespeople from a large firm based in the Midwest, along with objective effort and performance data provided by the company prior to and following a poor …

Evaluating The Microbial Experience Influence On Anti-Tumor Immune Response, Jessica A. Ensing

Student Summer Scholars Manuscripts

Despite the steady increase of hygienic standards, the CDC continues to report an increase of immune-mediated diseases such as allergies and asthma. Human avoidance of microbial exposure and subsequently less experienced immune systems may be the cause for this increase. We investigated if increased microbial exposure results in increased immunity to cancer (B16 melanoma) by measuring activated lymphocytes between two groups of C57Bl/6 mice: specific pathogen free (SPF) mice (which had little microbial exposure) and cohoused (COH) mice (which were exposed to numerous microbes). Previous research shows that the CoH mouse model mimics a human adult’s immune system, while the …

Characterizing Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Associations In Corn Inoculated With Soil From Till Or No-Till Farmlands, Catherine Defouw

Student Summer Scholars Manuscripts

Many crops have mutualistic arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi(AMF) associations that positively affect plant and soil health. AMF likely mitigates agricultural problems like topsoil depletion and compaction from tilling. The literature review on AMF associations under different practices showed the need for more studies. This project studied an AMF community's impact on soil quality and plant health in conventional till(CT) and no-till(NT) managed corn and soybean plants. Data was gathered from these fields in West MI, using field soil to inoculate greenhouse plants in normal/drought conditions. Three types of data were collected for each case: 1)AMF community via spore type and presence, …

Roadmap To Improved Accessibility For The Gvsu Libraries’ Institutional Repository And Library Publishing Services, Grand Valley State University Libraries

Library Reports and Communication

This roadmap outlines the context of accessibility needs for digital materials published through the University Libraries’ institutional repository and/or library publishing (IR/LP) services, and identifies priority areas for improving the accessibility of IR/LP content.

Given available resources and constraints, making all new and legacy content fully accessible is not feasible. However, the GVSU Libraries have identified specific priorities for making content accessible, and commit to providing accessible versions of IR/LP content on request.

Teaching Amid Covid-19 School Closures: Key Findings From The Spring 2020 Gvsu Educator Survey, Kiel Mcqueen, Olivia Rau, Grand Valley State University

CSO Research Reports

Executive Order (EO 2020-35) mandated all Michigan districts and schools provide distance learning opportunities amid COVID-19 school closures. As part of EO 2020-35, school districts submitted Continuity of Learning Plans (CLP) to continue receiving state aid for school operations. Districts’ completed applications – including assurances documents, CLPs, and budget outlines – were submitted to intermediate school districts and authorizing bodies for approval.

In April 2020, the Grand Valley State University (GVSU) Charter School Office (CSO) partnered with Basis Policy Research (Basis) to analyze CLPs and describe how districts would support students’ learning and well-being. The present study extends prior work …

Understanding Heath Viscerally: The Role Of Kinesthetic Experience In Defining Health, Lisa M. Perhamus

Peer Reviewed Articles

This article examines how health promotion is experienced by students, their families, and their teachers. Experiential aspects of health point to the embodied and sensory dynamics of health meaning-making. Findings of this qualitative study indicate that (1) people make sense of health kinesthetically, and (2) when needs are high and resources are low, schoolbased health promotion takes the shape of crisis management. The first finding foregrounds the role of viscerality, illustrating the intimacy of health; the second finding points to the importance of context, demonstrating the contingency of health. Also introduced are the theoretical frame of kinesthetic circuitry (the somatic …