Life Sciences Commons^™

Evaluation And Improvement Of The Design 4 Every Drop Course, Kenzy Fogle

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

Utah and the greater Intermountain West are experiencing a water crisis. Many factors are contributing to this situation, including an arid climate exacerbated by climate change, rapid population growth, and a high-water-demanding landscape typology. Landscapes currently consume an estimated 60-80% of Utah’s potable water, representing a significant opportunity for water savings. However, changing the traditional water-dependent landscape typology requires educating the public regarding water-wise landscape design processes, best practices, and implementation approaches. Utah State University is the land grant university for Utah and home to one of the oldest Landscape Architecture departments in the Intermountain West. Utah State University’s community …

Exploring Pedagogical Approaches: A Comparative Analysis Of Information Delivery Methods In Fish Dissection Instruction, Kiara Smidt

Honors Projects

The Covid-19 pandemic prompted a global shift to remote work and education, challenging traditional teaching methods. This research explores the effectiveness of audiovisual versus visual-only guides in teaching perch dissection anatomy, safety, and procedure. The study involves a cross-sectional experiment with students from an Introduction to Biology course at Bowling Green State University. Participants were divided into groups using either a video or a written guide, and their knowledge was assessed before and after the dissection. Results calculated through a Student’s t-test indicate no significant difference in overall effectiveness between the two methods, apart from labeling an anatomy diagram and …

Simulated Patient Case Development For Cultural Competency Training Of Genetic Counseling Students, Makenzie Woltz

Human Genetics Theses

One of the Accreditation Council for Genetic Counseling (ACGC) practice-based

competencies for genetic counselors is “Apply genetic counseling skills in a culturally

responsive and respectful manner to all clients.” Yet, the extent and approach in which cultural competency training is incorporated into genetic counseling training programs varies greatly. Simulated patients have been increasingly used in genetic counseling training to help students practice foundational skills in a low stakes environment. The goal of this project is to develop a clinical case for simulation that can be used as an intervention for cultural competency training of genetic counseling students. Christensen’s workbook and …

Analysis And Installation Of A Demonstration Agroforestry Orchard For Californian Mediterranean Plant Communities, Brandon Hurd

Master of Science in Environmental Sciences and Management Projects

Climate-appropriate agroforestry can provide low-input food security and ecosystem services for local Californian Mediterranean climates, while conserving natural resources (e.g., water, nitrogen, etc.). This project showcases a variety of agroforestry methods for five common plant communities of California and other analogous Mediterranean climates at the CAFES Experimental Farm on the campus of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Plant community species and their ethnobotanical uses were analyzed to mimic and incorporate aspects of native flora. Agricultural plants were also characterized to represent each of the five selected plant communities. GIS was used to assess the project site for soil, slope, and …

Impact Of Self Determination Theory Amongst Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorder And Physical Activity: Modifying A Survey, Ruben Guillermo Diaz

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Prior research has expressed concern for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), who may be at risk regarding exercise and physical activity due to lack of interest, delays in motor skill development, and/or social impairment. Self Determination theory (SDT) has been suggested as an effective approach for supporting individuals with ASD across a variety of domains. SDT expresses that with the satisfaction of three fundamental psychological needs (autonomy, competence, and relatedness), higher levels of intrinsic motivation will develop which will lead to enhanced development and well-being. While SDT is an effective approach to promoting motivation, it has been suggested that …

Middle Savannah River: An A/R/Tographic Ecopedagogical Ethnography Experimenting With Rhizomatic Perspectives, Lisa Augustine-Chizmar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research is an experiment in perspective. Using the four commonplaces (Schwab, 1978), I practiced letting the Savannah River teach me what there is to know about the water, the land, the people, and the other entities that depend on ki through artistic, ethnographic, and ecopedagogical lenses. The ethnographic findings describe the social actors that depend on ki and give a voice to the River. The a/r/tographic findings display the River on a canvas map through two hundred years using paint, clay, photography, video, abstract acrylics, and fabric. Together, these methods contribute to a unique ecopedagogical journey. This word cloud …

Assessing Virtual Free-Choice Agricultural Learning: A Mixed Methods Approach, Richard John Kennedy

Theses and Dissertations

Since the mid-19th century, agricultural museums and living history sites, first in Scandinavia and then in the United States and Canada, have provided historical, cultural, and, sometimes, scientific information about farming to visitors. Many of these visitors have been school children on field trips. Assessment of this learning, however, has been scant, particularly within the free-choice style inherent in these types of educational venues. At the same time, assessment of free-choice learning, often analyzed through the Contextual Model of Learning (Falk & Dierking 2000), has taken place at educational sites like zoos, natural history museums, and science centers. This study, …

Genetics And Genomics Education Among Physician Assistants, Wesley Patterson

All Dissertations

This dissertation comprises five chapters to describe genetics and genomics education among physician assistant/associate (PA) students and practicing PAs. Chapter I introduces the gap in supply and demand of genetic services, the need for non-genetics healthcare providers to fill the gap, and the PA profession as a solution.

Chapter II is a rapid literature review that summarizes the available literature regarding genetics and genomics education for PAs. A paucity of literature exists to describe the current state of PA genetics-genomics education. The few studies retrieved describe content being taught in PA programs, the number of genetics-genomics contact hours PA students …

School Farms And Stem: Using Institutional Resources To Promote Deeper Learning, Catherine Clare Knowlton

Food Systems Master's Project Reports

Given the structural problems in education laid bare by the recent pandemic, we as a community of educators need to re-evaluate goals for secondary science education. Specifically, classrooms and course content must evolve to become more socially responsive, inclusive, and interdisciplinary. Agricultural education is a demonstrably effective way to boost STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) comprehension as well as SEL (social-emotional learning) skills building. In this study, I use qualitative interview methods to assess current agricultural coursework at independent schools around New England. Results show intriguing themes stemming from designing and implementing farm-based courses, although there are logistical barriers …

Eat Well, Be Well: Basic Needs Initiative's Online Hub For Nutrition Education, Misha Moseley

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Basic Needs Initiative at California State University, Monterey Bay is a department that provides students with food, housing, and wellness resources. Over half of the university's students experience food insecurity, and over 85% use non-academic resources to learn about nutrition. This project adds a dietary health section to the department’s website to increase students’ access to nutrition education. It addresses the micro-level agency problem that too few students eat a healthy, balanced diet. Unhealthy eating is a risk factor for food insecurity, so the project indirectly addresses the macro-level health problem that too many college students in California experience food …

Impact Of Movement Breaks On Student Focus, Marissa Malyszek

Master's Theses

This action research study focused on the impacts that movement breaks had on student focus during math lessons. This was a mixed-methods study with data collection occurring over a time period of three weeks while in a third grade classroom. Students were given 60-180 second movement breaks during math lessons over the course of the study. Movement breaks were classified in this study as any activity that required movement of one or more parts of the body. Data was collected in the form of observational analysis as well as through the use of student surveys. The findings of this study …

Social Justice And The Us Food System: A Critical Course On The Human Dimensions Of Food, Ali Brooks

Food Systems Master's Project Reports

Our world is made up of overlapping political, environmental, and economic spheres that engender social injustice and inequality. Though separate societal issues can seem divergent and unconnected, they are all linked together by one universal necessity: food. Because everyone eats, everyone is connected to—and dependent on—food and the systems that govern it. However, the impacts of our industrial food system are not felt equally among people who hold different positions of power within it.

Today’s industrial food complex operates on the capitalist principle of profit accumulation through exploitation, commodification, and extraction. This set of relations is not defined by scale …

Identifying Effective Teaching And Recruitment Strategies Used By Efnep In Reaching Limited Income Audiences In The United States, Alexandria Mcleod

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The two articles presented in this thesis used a researcher-developed literature-based survey instrument to collect data on the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) in the United States. Data was collected on methods of teaching, communication technologies used, recruitment strategies, barriers to attending classes, and program assistant demographic data. There were 803 program assistants working during the 2018-2019 program year. There were 346 program assistants who completed the 35-question survey instrument during data collection.

The first article focused on identifying effective teaching strategies used to increase program engagement by collecting data on program characteristics, methods of teaching, and educational …

The Fear Of Reptiles And How To Change It, Maxwell Lyman

Honors Projects

Reptile fear is prominent across many cultures. Anti-reptilian attitudes can lead to anti-conservation attitudes towards reptiles. Person-animal interaction has been shown to decrease fear desensitization and increase positive attitudes towards "unpopular" animals. My project demonstrates the effectiveness of live animal presentation in dispelling negative attitudes of reptiles. However, due to the sample size of the project, further research is highly suggested.

A Snapshot Semester: Students’ Reflections Of Performance And Mental State Throughout A Graduate Course, Bradley D. Borges

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Graduate students are anecdotally reputed to be among the most stressed groups of young adults. Common sources of stress for graduate students have included coursework, assistantships, finances, career preparation, and family (Wyatt & Oswalt, 2013; Mazzola, Walker, Shockley & Spector, 2011; Oswalt & Riddock, 2007). Guided reflection can be used by educators to assist students in both learning (Boud, Keogh & Walker, 2013; Kolb, 1984) and managing stress (Shoulders, Whitehead, & Morrison, 2018). By understanding how students’ progress through a semester in terms of both their learning and their management of stress, instructors and academic advisors can better anticipate times …

Predictors Of Student Success In An Upper Division Agriculture Chemistry Class, Maddison V. May

MSU Graduate Theses

To attempt to find what made students successful within a higher division class at Missouri State University’s (MSU) Darr College of Agriculture, de-identified academic records of 172 students enrolled in AGR 300 - Food and Agriculture Chemistry were studied over four semesters. Deidentified data were collected and compared to final letter grade received at the end of the class using correlation coefficients, analysis of variance, and stepwise regression. Analysis of variance was used to evaluate the influence of semester on letter grade. Correlation coefficients were used to determine and evaluate relationships between the variables and final grade. Stepwise regression was …

Becoming Agricultured: Creating An Agriculture Literacy Podcast For Consumers, Madalyn C. Souza

Agricultural Education and Communication

Today’s consumers want to become more aware of where their food comes from. There is a need and a desire to bridge the gap between consumers and production agriculture. One way to reach consumers is through audio podcasts. Podcasts are digital audio recordings that are streamed online. The podcast Becoming Agricultured will be a platform to show the relationship between agriculture and the environment, food, fiber and energy, animals, lifestyle, the economy and technology. The podcast is aimed to tell agriculture's story through factual research and personal accounts of those involved in different sectors of the agriculture industry and cultivate …

Use Of Embark Database And An Active Learning Protocol In A High School Classroom, Landon Goodreau

Honors Theses

With advances in technology, personal genome sequencing has become more affordable than ever before. With this wealth of genetic information come new individualized approaches to medicine and pharmacology, along with moral, legal, and ethical issues to carefully consider. Yet studies suggest that most members of the general public do not have the genetic literacy required to understand the implications of genomic data. It is important that today’s students are able to grasp concepts relating to their own genome to make informed medical decisions in the future. Here I describe an active learning-based activity designed to enhance high school students’ understanding …

Social Media Use Among 4-H Extension Agents In Kentucky, Misty D. Wilmoth

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A capstone submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in the Ernst and Sara Lane Volgenau College of Education at Morehead State University by Misty D. Wilmoth on April 13, 2020.

Rezistance: Diné Grassroots Organization And Modes Of Activism, Eric Robert Dougherty

Senior Projects Spring 2020

This ethnography looks at themes of Indigeneity and activism as it exists in the everyday realities of young people living in or around the Navajo reservation in the southwest United States. Through work-related projects of hogan construction, land reclamation, watershed management, and language restoration Navajo youth are given opportunities to take control of their present circumstances and imagine a different future for themselves and their families. Besides work, youth and activism are constituted through other mediums and spaces that allow people to express who they are, what they care about, and why these things are important to them. The consistent …

An Investigation Of Problem-Based Learning On The Advanced Placement Exam Scores And Interest Of Ap Biology Students, Tia Hohler

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

This study reports the effectiveness of problem-based learning (PBL) on the interest and Advanced Placement (AP) Biology exam scores of high school students. The experimental group was exposed to a constructivist PBL environment using an overarching unit problem, inquiry style lab investigations and white board discussions while the comparison group received direct instruction in the same curriculum. AP Biology exam scores were collected for two years with direct instruction and two years with PBL instruction. An interest survey was given to a subset of the experimental group and included students enrolled in the course during the 2019-2020 school year. Analysis …

Developing A Hands-On Food Science Curriculum With Bilingual Elementary-Aged Hispanic Heritage Students, Jaime Leia Ragos

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Critical Embodied Praxis For Social Justice And Peace Educators: A Story Of Personal Transformation Through Analysis Of My Jewish And Settler Identities, Cara Michelle Silverberg

Capstone Collection

In this paper, I examine definitions of and relationships between violence, oppression, peace, liberation, and embodiment in the context of critical pedagogy in order to construct a theory of critical embodied praxis for social justice and peace educators. Considering the body to be a tangible vessel through which narratives and mechanisms of violence are expressed and maintained, I explore the potential of the body to be a vessel through which liberatory narratives may be generated and shared. After constructing a theory of critical embodied praxis, I illustrate this framework in action through a personal narrative that explores the intersections …

Tanglewood Trail Walking And Voucher Program, Kelci Marie Mchugh

Theses and Dissertations--Nutrition and Food Systems

Rural Appalachian populations have greater rates of obesity and chronic diseases attributed to lesser consumption of fruits and vegetables (F/V) and physical inactivity. Barriers to F/V consumption and physical activity include poor access and affordability. To help overcome these barriers, a community-initiated walking and farmers market F/V voucher program was implemented.

Participants were encouraged to walk (1.2 miles roundtrip) to the local farmers market to redeem a $10 voucher which could only be spent on F/V. The 16-week program (June – Sept) included 121 participants. Data was analyzed by creating two groups, low-engagers and high-engagers that differed significantly in the …

Effect Of Process-Oriented Guided-Inquiry Learning (Pogil) On Preservice Elementary Teachers' Understanding Of Biological Classification, Mackenzie Volz

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This study examined preservice elementary teachers’ biological classification conceptions and whether process-oriented guided-inquiry learning (POGIL) or traditional pedagogies affect preservice elementary teachers’ understanding of biological classification conceptions. A literature review was completed to determine common biological classification conceptions that exist among all researched populations, what misconceptions are present regarding biological classification, and whether POGIL was an appropriate pedagogy to use in the experimental study. The findings from the literature review were used to develop a mixed-method research study. Both quantitative and qualitative data was gathered through the use of pre- and posttests and post-instruction clinical interviews. Participants (n = 47) …

Agricultural Sciences Outreach Program, Maghan Lea England, Sophie Lorraine Johnston

Agricultural Education and Communication

The College of Agriculture, Food, and Environmental Sciences (CAFES) mission statement and vision of the Agricultural Education and Communication Department is to develop future leaders, educators, and communicators to advance and advocate for the agricultural industry in a global economy (AGED, 2018). Student organizations, such as Agriculture Ambassadors and Agriculture Leadership Society, facilitate several outreach events to engage and excite prospective students in pursuing their higher education goals in agriculture at Cal Poly (CAFES Ag Council, 2018). In order to maintain growing student numbers, the Agricultural Education and Communication Department, specifically, the Agricultural Science major needs revamped recruiting efforts and …

Soil Science In Precision Agriculture Lesson Plan, Carson Ellis Cronkright

Agricultural Education and Communication

Due to the increasing demands for the American agricultural industry to provide exceptional products at an increasing rate of production, as well as implement the practice of sustainable farming, it is imperative that more modern concepts be taught at a younger age (Ray, 2013). In order to inform students of advancements and the future of agriculture in the United States, curriculum and lesson plans should reflect this movement in industry in order to provide relevant information and maintain the highest quality of education possible. This project will provide a constructed lesson plan as one example of adopting more progressive methods …

Radical Social Ecology As Deep Pragmatism: A Call To The Abolition Of Systemic Dissonance And The Minimization Of Entropic Chaos, Arielle Brender

Student Theses 2015-Present

This paper aims to shed light on the dissonance caused by the superimposition of Dominant Human Systems on Natural Systems. I highlight the synthetic nature of Dominant Human Systems as egoic and linguistic phenomenon manufactured by a mere portion of the human population, which renders them inherently oppressive unto peoples and landscapes whose wisdom were barred from the design process. In pursuing a radical pragmatic approach to mending the simultaneous oppression and destruction of the human being and the earth, I highlight the necessity of minimizing entropic chaos caused by excess energy expenditure, an essential feature of systems that aim …

Success Rates Of Second Semester Anatomy Students In Online And On-Ground Classes At A Community College In East Tennessee, William Sproat

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Educators expect the number of institutions offering online courses and the number of students enrolling in these courses to increase as many students, particularly nontraditional students, discover the advantages of online content delivery. Online courses require new methods of communication between students and faculty as well as discovering new ways to build relationships, earn student trust, conduct appropriate assessment, and deliver useful course content. Many institutions—public, private, and for-profit—offer a wide variety of online coursework but faculty, employers, and the public have expressed concerns about the quality of online course content. In particular, online delivery of coursework in the natural …

Walking As Ontological Shifter: Thoughts In The Key Of Life, Bibi (Silvina) Calderaro

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

With walking as ontological shifter I pursue an alternative to the dominant modernist episteme that offers either/or onto-epistemologies of opposition and their reifying engagements. I propose this type of walking is an intentional turning towards a set of radical positions that, as integrative aesthetic and therapeutic practice, brings multiplicity and synchronicity to experience and being in an expanded sociality. This practice facilitates the conditions of possibility for recurring points of contact between the interiority perceived as ‘body’ and the exteriority perceived as ‘world.’ While making evident the self’s at once incoherence with it-self, it opens to a space beyond the …