Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Urbanization Increases Isolation Of A Threatened Fish Species In East Texas Streams: A 20-Year Perspective, Zachary Hutchens

Undergraduate Research Conference

We conducted monthly surveys of fish and in-stream habitat conditions from August 2020 to August 2021 in reaches along Banita Creek and La Nana Creek to investigate ecology and population status of the Sabine shiner (Notropis sabinae) within these streams. On average, Banita Creek had shallow water with low flow, more diverse instream habitats, and lower values of salinity, conductivity, and turbidity compared La Nana Creek. The movements of Sabine shiners were tracked monthly using Visual Implant Elastomer tags. Over a year-long survey, we collected 267 Sabine shiners from Banita Creek and 10 individuals from La Nana Creek. Out of …

Machine Learning In Support Of Student Success, Rachel Rucker

Undergraduate Research Conference

Our goal is to predict whether a student will finish the semester on academic probation by mid-term using university data.

Aquatic Macroinvertebrates As Sentinels Of Changes In Local Stream Conditions In East Texas, Courtney Plummer, Erin Shepta

Undergraduate Research Conference

Study objective: To use aquatic macroinvertebrates to assess the habitat quality and biological conditions of a stream, La Nana Creek, impacted by different land use.

Bomb Calorimetry: A New Method Of Cec Determination, Trace Washburn

Undergraduate Research Conference

A new method of determining the cation exchange capacity (CEC) of clay minerals was examined. This method involved exchanging the smectite clay with organic cations and using bomb calorimetry to measure the energy of combustion of the material. Because the clay is noncombustible, the energy is completely dependent on the amount of organic present, which is dependent on the CEC of the clay. Two organic cations, tetrapentylammonium and octadecyltrimethylammonium , with similar size but much different shape were used. For clays with lower CECs, using the more symmetric ion yielded better accuracy (4.24%), while for clays with higher CEC, using …

Organic Chemistry Through Dance, Holly Gibson

Undergraduate Research Conference

This research project explores representing organic chemistry mechanisms using dance. Dancers represent molecules, electrons, and atoms in demonstrating the movement of electrons and bonds created and broken by the movement. It was concluded that some organic mechanisms and ideas can be easily transferred to a dance concept, while others take more time and exploration. Additionally, dancers representing the atoms and electrons were able to have a better grasp of what was occurring, regardless of chemical education background. This leads to the conclusion of a new way to implement kinesthetic learning into the chemistry classroom. The purpose of the videos are …

A Comparative Assessment Of Soil Characteristics Between Forests And Urban Lawns, Remigio Casanova, Stephanie Huerta, Lukia Kalugin, Garrison Layne, Valerie Pacheco

Undergraduate Research Conference

Objectives

• Examine the differences in soil characteristics between a recreational lawn and a forest

• Make comparisons between a forest and lawn sampling area from a visual standpoint to observe a difference in what vegetation the soil supports.

• Collect data through on on-site and in in-laboratory methods.

• Interpret the results by examining the collected data and looking for patterns.

Forgotten Stories Of The New London School Tragedy, Clayton Jones

Undergraduate Research Conference

No abstract provided.