Digital Commons Network^™

Can Rigorous Metaphorical Thinking Improve Learning Outcomes?, Arian Dovald

Campus Research Day

Theoretical metaphors are a novel way of analyzing theories in physics. Thinking of physical models as theoretical metaphors clarifies the role of language in scientific modeling. They show how theories make connections between concepts, language, and math. I propose a study to measure the effect on learning outcomes of explicit instruction on theoretical metaphors.

A Systems-Theory Analysis Of The Relationship Between Communication, Beliefs/Practices, Religiosity, Spirituality And Expected Future Religious Practices Of College Students, Rachel Williams-Smith

Campus Research Day

This study uses systems theory to explore relationships between individual, micro, meso, and macro factors and expected future religious practices of students studying at a Seventh-day Adventist university. The study operationalizes system theory in context of both public relations and spirituality. The primary purpose is to understand relationship between each level of systems theory and students’ expectations about future religious practices. Key recommendations include the need to increase use of digital communication tools, the value of distinguishing between understanding and belief/action at the micro level, and the importance of supporting spiritual development outside the context of organized religion.

Performance Comparison Of The Filesystem And Embedded Key-Value Databases, Jesse Hines, Nicholas Cunningham

Campus Research Day

A common scenario when developing local applications is storing many records and then retrieving them by ID. A developer can simply save the records as files or use an embedded database. Large numbers of files can slow down filesystems, but developers may want to avoid a dependency on an embedded database if it offers little benefit for their use case. We will compare the performance for the insert, update, get and delete operations and the space efficiency of storing records as files vs. using key-value embedded databases including RocksDB, LevelDB, Berkley DB, and SQLite.

*That’S Just The Way I Am: Conscientiousness, Neuroticism, State-Trait Anxiety, And High-Pressure Exam Grades, Renee Hanson

Campus Research Day

The purpose of this study is to describe the relationship between undergraduate students’ personality traits (conscientiousness and neuroticism), their anxiety before a high-pressure exam (state-trait anxiety scores), and their grade on that exam.

Chattanooga Crime Over Time: An Analysis Of Police Incident Open Data, Logan Bateman

Campus Research Day

The police and citizens of Chattanooga may want to know where the most crime occurs, what time of day is crime or police incidents most likely to occur over time. This information can help them understand the crime hotspots in the area. This research work presents a dashboard built upon open data in attempt to bring understanding and insights to the police and citizens about police incidents from the city of Chattanooga over the past five years.

*Interactive Earthquake Visualization With Open Data, Matous Hybl

Campus Research Day

Because earthquakes claim thousands of lives and billions of dollars yearly, there is a great need to recognize patterns in seismic data. While some tools for analysis exist, most geological software is expensive and open earthquake visualizations are limited. In this project, we provide accessible earthquake visualizations aimed to encourage geologists, and science enthusiasts in general, to explore open data using accessible, yet powerful, tools.

Database Query Execution Through Virtual Reality, Logan Bateman, Marc Butler

Campus Research Day

Building database queries often requires technical knowledge of a query language. However, company employees, such as executives, managers, and others (outside of software research and development, generally) may not have the pre-required knowledge to accurately construct and execute database queries. This paper proposes an approach to constructing database queries using virtual reality. This approach utilizes natural hand or controller gestures which map to various components of building and visualizing database queries.

Introducing Normal Forms To Students: A Comparison Of Theory-First Vs. Project-First Educational Approaches, Dakota C. Cookenmaster, Jacob A. Bahn

Campus Research Day

One of the primary challenges instructors face when educating scientists and engineers is the introduction of important theory, both to show its essential nature in research as well as its practicality. This paper analyzes two pedagogical methods for the instruction of database normal forms. The first of these methods is a theory-based approach that relies on written works and practices to introduce the concept. The second of these focuses on a project-based approach which aligns with normal form standards as students implement a database schema. This paper compares these in a small study and advises an appropriate method for educators.

Realtime Visualization Of Kafka Architectures, Matthew Jensen, Miro Manestar

Campus Research Day

Apache Kafka specializes in the transfer of incredibly large amounts of data in real-time between devices. However, it can be difficult to comprehend the inner workings of Kafka. Often, to get real-time data, a user must run complicated commands from within the Kafka CLI. Our contribution is a tool that monitors Kafka consumers, producers, and topics, and displays the flow of events between them in a web-based dashboard. This dashboard serves to reduce the complexity of Kafka and enables users unfamiliar with the platform and protocol to better understand how their architecture is configured.

Relationships Between Sleep Habits, Anxiety, And Academic Performance In College Students, Keanne Fisher

Campus Research Day

This paper attempts to examine the correlation between sleep habits, anxiety, and academic performance.

Diversity Tolerance, Nationalism, Cosmopolitanism In College Students, Nicholas Decker

Campus Research Day

The study of a cosmopolitan frame of reference is relatively new within the social sciences and there is little known about how prevalent this frame is used in the decision of college students. More needs to be known about whether college students work off of a cosmopolitan or nationalist frame and how this in turn affects their tolerance of diversity. The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether college students possess nationalistic or cosmopolitan outlooks, and if so, how these relate to how tolerant of diversity these college students are as well as whether this tolerance correlates with any …

From Donna To Diane: Analyzing And Imitating The Art And Craft Of Suspense Fiction, Jamie Henderson

Campus Research Day

Abstract:

This study explores the art and craft of suspense fiction by analyzing foreshadowing and characterization, tracing the influence and imitation of the genre, and finally, showing the imitation of the structure and craft of a short suspense story in an original work by the author. The conclusion of the research states that, though foreshadowing and characterization are vital to the creation of suspense fiction, the most helpful tool in learning the art and craft of suspense is imitation.

Reconstructing The Confederate Widow: An Analysis Of The Wives Of Fallen Confederate Soldiers And Their Response To Reconstruction And The Post War Era, Christian Beasley

Campus Research Day

This study provides an analysis of how the post-civil war era and Reconstruction affected the financial, social, and political lives of the wives of fallen Confederate soldiers. Because men were the head of families and traditional breadwinners in the South, the widows of the 258,000 fallen Confederate soldiers had to reintegrate themselves into society and support their families without the assistance and comfort of a husband. Although this integration may seem straightforward, these widows struggled to overcome the economic and social difficulties laid before them, including the patriarchal traditions, mourning expectations, severe droughts, and unemployment that plagued these women. This …

Of Vultures, Souls, And Galen: Theology And Medical Cures In Early Medieval Europe, Christina Cannon

Campus Research Day

Examining how medical cures in early medieval Europe reflect the theology of the time is one that involves tracing and defining the emergence of a more defined field of "medicine," beginning with Galen. The work briefly examines prevailing contemporary views of the relation of body to soul, as well as what medical cures looked like. Understanding how 'pagan' thought was conceptualized and related to 'Christian' thought during the period is also helpful, and the work seeks to broadly consider these themes while noting particular examples that answer the question of how theology and medicine were related in medieval Europe.