Digital Commons Network^™

Mental Health Issues And Barriers To Seeking Mental Health Services Amongst College Athletes, Katelyn Przybylski

Academic Festival

In the year 2022, Sarah Shulze, Katie Meyer, Jayden Hill, Robert Martin, and Lauren Bernett all died to suicide, and they were all collegiate athletes. Sarah Shulze attended the University of Wisconsin and was on the track team, she was a part of Division I athletics. Katie Meyer played soccer at Stanford University; a Division I level program. Jayden Hill ran track at Northern Michigan University which is a Division II level program. Robert Martin played lacrosse at Binghamton University; a Division I level program. Finally, Lauren Bernett played softball at James Madison University which is also a Division I …

Does Voluntary Euthanasia Fulfill Or Contradict A Physicians’ Oath To “Do No Harm”, Sarah Margaret Carr

Academic Festival

Voluntary Euthanasia, or VE, is a practice which has been medically, and ethically, debated for decades. VE is a medical procedure in which a physician, with the explicit and informed consent of the patient, administers a lethal agent for the purpose of relieving a patients intolerable and incurable suffering (Euthanasia, 2022). The availability of this practice as an option for terminally diagnosed patients, to allow them to choose to die on their own terms, has been debated for its ethicality. Through my research, I strove to answer the question of whether VE fulfills, or contradicts, a physician’s oath to “do …

The Crossroads Of Shu Saacs, Stephanie Campbell

Academic Festival

The student Chapter of the American Chemical Society at Sacred Heart University aims to bring science to the community and bring Sacred Heart closer to chemistry.

Law As Literature: Within The Parameters Of Literary And Linguistic Theory, Alyssa Ednie

Academic Festival

This paper works to contribute to the discussion regarding literary interpretation and legal interpretation. Forms of literature and law offer meaning and value in its application to society and its individuals. Literary and linguistic theories offer insight to the academic approaches of interpretation.

The Forgotten Generation, Besjana Ugrinaj

Academic Festival

This study examines the acculturation discrepancies endured by first- and second-generation individuals.

•Aim 1: Identify & examine the discrepancies endured by first- & second-generation.

•Aim 2: Contribute to a body of knowledge on generational statuses & their influences on parental involvement, academic achievements, & feelings of guilt/shame.

Patterns Of Snail Herbivory And Phenolics In Restored And Natural Spartina Alterniflora Populations In Long Island Sound, Amanda Kailher

Academic Festival

In recent years coastal restoration efforts have been at the forefront of reestablishing resilient salt marsh environments, which are essential in preventing coastal flooding and conserving biodiversity. However, the role of snail herbivory and plant chemical defenses in salt marsh restoration has been understudied. We aimed to determine if snail grazing patterns were linked to plant phenolic content in two naturally-occurring and two restored S. alterniflora populations by collecting 20 whole S. alterniflora stems from four locations in Connecticut: Milford Point (natural), Chaffinch Island Park (Guilford; natural), Stratford Point (two restored populations, one planted in 2015 and another planted in …

Frankenediting: The Philosophical Monster Created By Editing Tools, Ava Flannery

Academic Festival

Question: Why is there such a vast difference in perception between different editing forms across different medias?

Profiting From Imprisonment, Simon Trebon

Academic Festival

Our government's presence in society is to keep the public safe, and to that end they use criminal prosecution as a means. The government has a responsibility to house the human beings it has convicted.

Relationships Between Personality Factors, Stress And Gpa, Chloe Yagy, Madeleine Pralea, Kayla Fitzgerald, Joelys Morel, Jenna Vargas

Academic Festival

•Has undergraduate stress increased over the years? •Is Conscientiousness positively correlated with GPA? •Is Neuroticism positively correlated with stress? •Investigate the correlation between neuroticism and GPA. •Investigate correlations between other traits, GPA, and stress.

The Evaluation Of Agritourism In Italy, Lucia Catino

Academic Festival

This research focused on the success of the agritourism industry within Italy. Considering the role of hospitality in the Italian tourism industry and its history as well as the need for a revival in rural areas and the agricultural sector. The results demonstrate how agritourism revitalizes the agricultural industry as well as the tourism industry and revives local ecosystems while demonstrating local goods and regionally famous products. In this paper I investigate the effect local products, farms and economics play into the agritourism business and vice versa.

Roadkill, Kaitlyn Mangano, Jordan Carlucci, Mario Montuori, Jeppe Mogensen, Benjamin Agyemang, Brandon Maruri

Academic Festival

We designed a Formula SAE EV.

The Relationship Between Attention And Working Memory In Healthy Individuals, Mia Greenberg, Jessica Longa, Erin Dobson, Sydney Collier

Academic Festival

Research Question : Does performance on tasks of non- verbal attention and non-verbal working memory impact performance on lexical retrieval for both young adults and older adults?

Hypothesis: Attention and working memory will have additive impact on lexical retrieval. The impact will be most significant for older individuals.

The Relationship Between Non-Verbal Inhibition And Lexical Retrieval, Erin Dobson, Sydney Collier, Jessica Longa, Mia Greenberg

Academic Festival

Research Question: Is non-verbal inhibition correlated with lexical retrieval speed of both nouns and verbs in healthy individuals?

Hypothesis: Non-verbal inhibition will impact performance on lexical retrieval tasks for both nouns and verbs.

Understanding The Mechanics And Flight Controls Of Drones: Challenges And Opportunities, Julia Piascik

Academic Festival

This project aims to understand the mechanics and flight controls of drones. Implementation methods included building a Raspberry Pi drone and setting up NewBeeDrones. Understanding the design and hardware (GPS, motors, ESCs, etc.) that go into building a successful drone is important. Although built, the Raspberry Pi drone has had problems with calibrating the ESC motors. It is expected to solve this issue to be able to fly the drone outside. The project's scope was changed to learning about NewBeeDrones to continue developing knowledge of drones. Current outcomes include successfully binding several drones to their radio controllers and FatShark goggles, …

Identify Acoustic Predictors Of Gender Attribution Across Various Speech Tasks, Jonah Savage

Academic Festival

Misattribution of gender occurs when the listener’s binary perception does not align with the speaker’s gender.

Gender dysphoria describes the psychological distress that results when sex assigned at birth and gender identity do not align. Voice acoustics, word choice, and pragmatics guide perception, and intervention.

Anatomical, personal, and social factors influence voice acoustics.

Unguided modification of voice acoustics can lead to functional voice disorders.3

Perception Of Visible Body Art In Healthcare: Perceptions On A College Campus, Nicolette Mascioli, Conor Duffy, Rebecca Oswald

Academic Festival

This project aims to determine if there is a relationship between visible body art on a healthcare provider and perceptions of that person’s ability to render care. During the literature review, it was clear there was a lack of research on this topic. A survey was designed by the researchers. The data was collected during social justice week on Sacred Heart University’s campus. The data was then compared to regional healthcare facilities and nursing program policies and procedures to see if they are synonymous with the survey findings.

From Marx To The Modern Day: Do The Economic And Social Impacts Of Socialism’S Myriad Experiments Discourage Future Trials?, Joseph Nowak

Academic Festival

As the length of time that has passed since the era of socialistic giants like the Soviet Union and China increases, there has been a concurrent rise in sympathy for such an ideology. The fading or non-existent memory of the threat posed by such regimes is reflected in a significant age striation in support for socialism, with each successive generation more amenable to it. But a similarly consequential reason is a fundamental misunderstanding of what “socialism” really is. Using a multi-disciplinary approach, this paper defines socialism from Karl Marx’s own writings in order to investigate the economic and social outcomes …

Rise In Vaccine Distrust As A Result Of The Covid-19 Pandemic, Katherine Sandt

Academic Festival

Since the Covid-19 pandemic began in 2020, there has been a decrease in vaccine administration due to the increased spread of misinformation and disinformation. This is a result of distrust in healthcare following the global pandemic. The spread of misinformation and disinformation in social media about the Covid-19 vaccine has caused parents to question routine childhood vaccines as well. This has increased the cases of viral outbreaks that could be prevented by vaccination and lead to reemergence of previously tamed viruses and an ultimate downfall in global health. These risks are preventable by spreading awareness of the problem of the …

Baseline Macroinvertebrate And Infauna Communities In An Eroding Salt Marsh Prior To Restoration, Madison Eaton

Academic Festival

Salt marsh restoration is key for resilient coastlines. Invertebrates are key components of salt marsh food webs, serve as water quality indicators, and provide ecosystem services such as nutrient cycling. This study collected baseline invertebrate community data in an eroding Spartina alterniflora marsh with unvegetated sediment seaward of the marsh cliff at Stratford Point, Connecticut as a reference point to assess future restoration. We hypothesized that the existing invertebrate community would resemble that of a mudflat more than a mature salt marsh. We surveyed macroinvertebrates in quadrats along four transects (higher and lower intertidal within the vegetated area; higher and …

The Importance Of The Nihss Assessment Tool For Early Detection Of Strokes In Intubated And Non Intubated Patients In The Icu, Samantha Acierno

Academic Festival

Stroke is one of the highest causes of mortality and long term disability, therefore, its critical to diagnose the patient early on and treat very quickly. It’s so important for healthcare workers to be efficient when caring for stroke patients because we want to optimize their chances of surviving and their ability to perform tasks thereafter. The NIHSS will assess the patient’s level of consciousness, speech and language, neglect, communication, the field of vision, eye movements, facial symmetry, motor strength, sensation and coordination of the patients. The NIHSS assessment tool provides a baseline score to determine the severity of the …

Exploring The Advantages Of A Four-Day School Week: ​ Improving Learning, Wellness, And Work-Life Balance​, Kaylee Bowman

Academic Festival

A four-day instructional school week will allow teachers to become more effective educators and empower students to be creative and explore their interests. In the United States, education is the second most awarded Masters degree, yet there is a nationwide teacher shortage. A four day school week should not be implemented with the intention of cutting costs, rather it should be implemented to further develop student learning and improve careers in education.

Free Will, Tyler Cramer

Academic Festival

The debate of whether or not we as humans truly are in possession of free will dates back to the earliest philosophers. This argument might never cease to exist; however, from a philosophical standpoint, it is my belief that free will is an illusion and something that humans can never be capable of. This position raises a lot of questions about the ethics and morality of humans but also prompts one to think about the possibility that maybe we are just characters in some cosmic movie. Bound to follow a script that we do not even realize exists. Although most …

Early Mobilization As A Strategy To Decrease Rates Of Ventilatorassociated Pneumonia, Grace Conboy

Academic Festival

Ventilator associated pneumonia is an infection developed in patients as a complication of being mechanically ventilated. “Ventilator-associated pneumonia is a lung infection that develops in a person who is on a ventilator” It is a hospital-acquired infection that occurs as a result of prolonged mechanical ventilation. Prevention of ventilator associated pneumonia is considered a priority when caring for patients who are on mechanical ventilation, usually in the intensive care unit. The incidence of ventilator associated pneumonia is correlated to the quality of care provided by nurses in the clinical setting. There are many interventions implemented when caring for patients who …

What Happens When Hyperactivity Turns Inward; Adhd Presentation In Females, Kaitlyn Brooks

Academic Festival

ADHD is a neurodevelopmentaldisorder most oftencharacterized by hyperactivity, inattentiveness, and impulsive behavior.Societal gender norms, misunderstandings of ADHD presentation in females, and a lack of inclusion in research and education leads to underdiagnosis of ADHD in females and results in problems in academic success, mental health, and social relationships.

Di-Butyl Phthalate Disrupts Muscle, Motor And Sensory Neuron Development In Embryonic Zebrafish, John Paul Giacalone, Michael Fumo, Evelyn Paquette, Nicole Roy

Academic Festival

Phthalates are added to plastics to enhance its flexibility, durability and transparency. Phthalates are found in a wide range of goods including household, agricultural and medical products as well as building and industrial materials. Phthalates are not covalently bound to plastics and leach into the environment. Phthalates are now pervasive and ubiquitously present in the atmosphere, soil and sediment, surface and wastewater. Phthalates are known endocrine disruptors and their effects on male and female reproduction are well noted. However, studies on the developmental effects of di-butyl phthalate (DBP) are limited. Here we investigate the developmental toxicity of DBP on motor …

Assessment Of Human Anthropometry With A Markerless Motion Capture System, Christopher Riccitelli, Jenna Mowad, James Moore

Academic Festival

In this methodological study, we evaluate the accuracy and repeatability of the Theia markerless motion capture system for determining accurate anthropometric measurements. We will assess the correlation between linear measurements from a sample of human subjects (limb, torso, shoulder, limb segment lengths, bi-illiac breadth, body height, etc) as measured by the markerless system to those same measurements as assessed by hand. We will also calculate the intra-observer error of the markerless system’s measurements by repeating measurement sessions for each subject multiple times over several days.

We hypothesize that the markerless system will demonstrate low intra-observer error and a high correlation …

Effects Of Using Continuous Endotracheal Cuff Pressure Control Systems On Rates Of Ventilator Associated Pneumonia., Hannah Galeucia

Academic Festival

The purpose of this project is to determine proper management and the effectiveness of continuous vs. intermittent endotracheal cuff pressure systems in prevention of VAP for mechanically ventilated patients in the ICU setting.

Autism Spectrum Disorder And Covid-19: How The Transition To Remote Learning Affected Students With Asd, Julia Hardesty

Academic Festival

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a complicated neurological and developmental disorder that alters the way one communicates, socializes, and behaves. During the COVID-19 pandemic, and the subsequent shift to remote learning, students with ASD experienced drastic changes in their mental health, social skills, and educational progression. While schools, teachers, parents, and other providers attempted to make this transition smooth and nondisruptive for the students, the structure and integrity of special education programs crumbled at the expense of all students with ASD and other developmental disabilities. In bringing light to the difficulties that this transition has caused, teachers, administrators, and families …

The Psychology Behind The Lack Of Female Ceos, Isabella Scarmack

Academic Festival

The most vigorous and highly regarded title in business is the CEO, the chief executive officer. When thinking of a chief executive officer, CEO, what comes to mind. Do you think of Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Warren Buffet, Tim Cook, and Mark Zuckerberg automatically? What do these individuals all have in common? They are all men. There is very limited diversity in the executive office of American corporations and an underrepresentation of women in these positions. In business school, individuals are taught to have a mindset of a CEO however, the examples that are given are of those who are …

Psychological Disorders As Seen In Film, Tiffany Kellstrom

Academic Festival

I will discuss psychological disorders and how they are portrayed in the entertainment industry, specifically in movies and T.V. shows. This topic will be examined from a psychological perspective and a media perspective. I will be using a variety of sources to assist in determining whether films are accurately portraying mental illnesses.