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Arora Receives $3.7 Million Grant To Study Precision Treatment For High Blood Pressure, Anna Jones

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No abstract provided.

Researchers Pioneering Long-Read Sequencing Studies Explain Why Long Reads Matter, Matt Windsor

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No abstract provided.

Service-Learning In Undergraduate General Chemistry: A Review, Emily Faulconer, C. J. Y. Kam

Publications

Background: Service-learning is gaining recognition as a valuable pedagogy for students to gain both academic and psychosocial benefits. This high-impact practice allows students to achieve course learning objectives while contributing to their community's needs. A review from 2007 revealed a lack of research focused on the topic in the prior decade, despite the interest that was shown by the American Chemical Society in 2000. Purpose: This review of recent case studies on the topic provides future researchers and practitioners with an understanding of the current state of service-learning in undergraduate chemistry courses. Methodology/Approach: To create a representative sample of recent …

Exploring The Educational Impact Of Academic Field Trips Over Time, Tara Parrello, Colby L. Valentine

Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

Experiential learning can be in the form of internships, field trips, service learning, and research projects. The practical nature of criminal justice is a logical fit for experience-based learning. Specifically, academic field trips may be viewed as examples of short-term experiential education. However, do experiential learning trips have an academic impact over time? Using survey data, the current study examines if students acquire and retain knowledge after a prison tour of Eastern State Penitentiary. Pre- and post-tour surveys of student learning outcomes showed a statistically significant gain between the pre- and post-tour survey results. A follow-up survey explored if students …

Advocating For Experiential Learning Programs As Change Agents In Higher Education: Imagining A Justice Orientation That Centers Students And Partners While Enriching Practice, Patrick M. Green, Theresa Castor, Dale J. Leyburn, Don Demaria, Andres Jaime

Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

Excerpt

The National Society for Experiential Education (NSEE) Fellows are academic professionals who engage in a community of practice and explore their practitioner-scholar identity through research and scholarly inquiry into experiential education. During some monthly meetings, the discussion focused on how to infuse equity, diversity, and inclusion in internship programs. The fellows ruminated on strategies to create quality internship programs and how to embed experiential learning opportunities into the curriculum so more students could access them. Collectively, these comments highlight what is not always stated but ever-present; that is, the fellows’ justice orientation. The monthly meeting of NSEE Fellows consistently …

Frequency Of Genetic Variants At The Mc1r Locus In A Student Population, Emmalea K. Dowdy, Grace C. Stubblefield, David K. Peyton

2022 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

The Melanocortin-1 Receptor gene (MC1R) encodes a protein that is associated with pigmentation in vertebrate animals. An extraordinary number of variations in this gene have arisen over time due to the importance of pigmentation in camouflage, photosensitivity, vitamin D production, and other evolutionary factors. Variations in the MC1R gene sequence became important to survival as humans migrated out of Africa and into cooler climates with less sun exposure, where lighter skin pigmentation (and therefore more vitamin D production) was key to survival. These genetic variations (alleles) continue to exist in modern humans. Recent research into the MC1R gene variations shows …

Novel Gain-Of-Function Mutations In The Telomerase Rna Of Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Keenan Conley, Madison Frazier, Melissa Mefford

2022 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

Yeast are eukaryotic organisms that contain liner chromosomes. At the ends of these chromosomes, there are special regions known as telomeres. Telomeres are composed of non-coding nucleotides that serve to protect the vital coding DNA found throughout the rest of the chromosome. During the process of DNA replication, however, telomeres become progressively shorter which can lead to cellular senescence. To solve this issue, yeast express the enzyme telomerase. Telomerase is composed of a telomerase reverse transcriptase protein (TERT) and telomerase RNA (TLC1) in yeast. When telomeres become too short, telomerase extends telomeres by adding to the 3’ overhang. Telomeres shorten …

Fungi In A Warmer World: Fungal Diversity In The Tropical Miocene Climate Optimum Of The Clarkia Region Of Idaho, Usa, J. Fairchild, L. Lennex-Stone, T. Horsfall, L. Tarlton, S. Jones, A. Caldwell, O. Vanderespt, L. Smallwood, A. Patel, J. O'Keefe, I. Romero, N. Nunnez Otano, M. Pound

2022 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

A knowledge gap associated with how fungal communities change in response to climate was identified in the 2018 State of the World Fungi report (Willis, 2018). While it is virtually impossible to test in the present, fungal assemblage changes can be studied in sediments from a warmer-than-present period such as the Miocene Climate Optimum (MCO) (Romero et al. 2021; O’Keefe 2017). The Fungi in a Warmer World project aims to generate and analyze a global-scale data set of fungal biodiversity, ecology, and associated flora from MCO sediments. This dataset will be used to model past fungal assemblage changes across the …

Morphometrics Of The Rare Earwigfly Merope Tuber, Nicholas Finch, Sean O'Keefe

2022 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

Merope tuber Newman (Mecoptera: Meropeidae) is a rare North American species of earwigfly, which is closely related to common scorpionflies. “Earwigfly” refers to three different species: the Western Australian Austromerope poulton, the South American Austromerope brasiliensis, and finally, the Eastern North American Merope tuber. This last species was the focus of our study. Johnson’s 1995 study was based on 160 earwigflies, where he measured the female abdomen length, male and female forewing length, and male basistylus and dististylus length. In their 2014 study, based on 82 earwigflies, Skvarla, Hartshorn, and Dowling measured head width, pronotum width, forewing length, abdomen length, …

“The Never Ending Story:” Circularizing Ch. Viii In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Chisom Iloegbunam, Melissa Mefford

2022 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

Chromosomes are molecules of DNA that hold large quantities of genetic material in an organism. Generally, in nature, eukaryotic chromosomes are linear while prokaryotic chromosomes are circular. Since they are linear, eukaryotic chromosomes possess telomeres, or repetitive nucleotide sequences, on their ends. This significant difference in structure requires different additions to the basic replication process. In prokaryotes, replication starts at a single point on the chromosome and continues until the whole chromosome has been copied. In eukaryotes, replication happens in fragments with multiple starting points. Because of this more complicated replication process, the free 3’ ends of our DNA cannot …

A New Colorimetric Assay Of Apurinic/Apyrimidinic (Abasic) Sites Of Deoxyribonucleic Acid (Dna) Using Bicinchoninic Acid [, Isaiah O. Stephens, Elizabeth M. Thomas

2022 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

Apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP or abasic) sites are DNA lesions that result from the loss of a nucleobase by hydrolysis of the N-glycosyl bond. It is estimated that AP sites are the most frequent lesions in cells with about 10,000-50,000 times per day per cell under typical aerobic conditions [2]. The formation of AP sites is caused by environmental and cancer therapeutic genotoxins such as alkylating agents, oxidizing agents, ionizing radiation, and ultraviolet radiation.

Beetle Diversity Within Ecosystems; Insight Of The Order Coleoptera In The Eastern Kentucky Region, Blake Branham, Hannah Pyles, Charles Lydeard, Sean O'Keefe

2022 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

Having a multitude of definitions, biodiversity can most commonly be seen as the variety and diversity of life within an ecosystem. Its relevance is crucial for species survival and resource availability; a lack of biodiversity sets an ecosystem up for failure, reducing its productivity, species richness, and increasing organismal vulnerability. Measuring biodiversity is crucial for the understanding of an ecosystem’s health, giving scientists knowledge of its stability, productivity, and persistence. This collected information can be implemented in various ways outside the scientific field as well, such as with policy decisions and legal regulations. Biodiversity is most commonly analyzed through quantitative …

A Meta-Analysis Of Quantitative Collecting Techniques For Spiders, Eliana Eldridge, Joshua Hicks, Sean O'Keefe

2022 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

Quantitative sampling of organisms is often used to provide information in ecological studies, monitor populations, and aid in biodiversity projects. Many studies involve the quantitative sampling of spiders. In this meta-analysis study, 207 peer-reviewed journal articles formed the basis of an initial data set for a quantitative analysis of spider collection techniques. Data collected included country of study, mode of study, trapping techniques used, spider diversity, and number of specimens collected. Our meta-analysis gathered research articles that included 33 different countries of study. Trapping techniques greatly vary depending on the habitat in which spiders dwell. These were divided into aerial, …

A Preliminary Survey On The Biodiversity Of Wasps In Eastern Kentucky, Lorien Molstad, Zoe Baker, Julia Fitzpatrick, Bethany Lucio, Sean O'Keefe

2022 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

Biodiversity is the measure of variability of interactions between living organisms within an area. Biodiversity contributes significantly to the production of different life sustaining resources and supports a diversity of ecological life. A greater biodiverse area can help maintain environmental balance and maintain ecological diversity and health. There are multiple economic, cultural, and scientific reasons as to why biodiversity is important. When assessing biodiversity, mammals and birds are commonly used as surrogates. The problem with mammals and birds is that there are relatively few species and relatively few individuals in an area, so quantitative assessment can be difficult. However, insects …

Survey Of Spiders Within Eastern Kentucky, Mercy Hailu, Bailey Bullock, Joshua Hicks, Eliana Eldridge, Sean O'Keefe

2022 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

Biodiversity is known to be the variation of living organisms compromising several levels, beginning from genes, then species, communities, then finally ecosystems. Biodiversity is crucial in maintaining ecological balance, boosting ecosystem productivity, and determining the quality of ecosystem services such as pest management in agriculture. Being aware of biodiversity's importance can also help with the prevention of continuous threats to biodiversity and be best prepared to manage conservation challenges. Typically, mammals, birds, and plants are used to assess biodiversity. However, spiders may be effective in indicating environmental change because they are taxonomically quite diverse, species fill a variety of ecological …

Creating The First Genetically Engineered Eukaryote With Circular Chromosomes, Duncan Mcginnis, Melissa Mefford

2022 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

Prokaryotes and eukaryotes differ in their chromosome structure; prokaryotes have a single circular chromosome, while eukaryotes have multiple circular chromosomes. Linear chromosomes are more complex than circular ones and create problems for eukaryotes. Many of these issues are solved by telomeres—long, repetitive sequences of DNA found on the ends of most eukaryotic chromosomes. They protect the ends from harm and limit how many times a cell can divide. Two of our greatest medical challenges, cancer and aging, are closely related to telomeres; most cancers upregulate telomerase, and aging human cells display shorter telomeres. To investigate the evolution and function of …

Fungi In A Warmer World: Middle Miocene Fungal Assemblages And Diversity From Alum Bluff, Florida, Savannah Jones, Taylor Horsfall, Laikin Tarlton, Abigayle Caldwell, Liberty Smallwood, Jolene Fairchild, Libby Lennex-Stone, Alyssa Patel, Olivia Vanderespt, Ingrid Romero, Jennifer O'Keefe, Noelia Nunez Otano, Sophie Warny, Matthew Pound

2022 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

Fungi play a key role in the terrestrial carbon cycle, soil formation, and overall plant growth as terrestrial decomposers (1, 2). Thus, the study of fungi, especially in the fossil record, is critical to understanding how fungal assemblages will react to future warming events. Fossil fungi provide a large-scale, long-term dataset unavailable from modern records, allowing for the generation of viable paleoclimate reconstructions and predictions (3, 4). Despite their importance and advantages in forming ecological and climatological interpretations, deep-time fungi have been underutilized (3). The Fungi in a Warmer World (FiaWW) project aims to deliver the first global view of …

Taylor: A Magazine For Taylor University Alumni, Parents And Friends (Spring 2022), Taylor University

The Taylor Magazine (1963-Present)

The Spring 2022 edition of Taylor Magazine, published by Taylor University in Upland, Indiana.

Telomerase Activity Enhancement In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Mackenzie Neal, Hailey Rietz, Melissa Mefford

2022 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

Telomeres are located at the ends of eukaryotic linear chromosomes and are composed of repeated nucleotide sequences. One of their main functions is to protect chromosomal ends from being damaged. Telomeres cannot be completely copied during DNA replication so they gradually shorten during each replication cycle in what is known as the “end replication problem”. To counteract this problem, the RNA dependent enzyme complex telomerase works to extend telomeres and help protect the ends of chromosomes. Telomeres and the telomerase enzyme are heavily involved in the aging process and cancer progression. Telomeres gradually shorten with age and eventually become so …

Development Of Anti-Cancer Small Molecules To Inhibit The Base Excision Repair (Ber) Pathway By Binding Apyrimidinic/Apurinic (Ap) Sites In Dna, Ellen S. Ledford, Robert M. Tackett, Elizabeth M. Thomas

2022 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

Two of the main treatments available to patients with cancer are radiation and chemotherapy which both rely on the ability to induce DNA damage. One reason cancer deaths perpetrate is due to cancer resistance towards current cancer therapies. The Base Excision Repair (BER) pathway is involved in therapeutic resistance by utilizing DNA glycosylases that recognize and remove the damaged DNA base to leave the aldehyde. Apyrimidinic/Apurinic (AP) enzyme 1, APE1, then recognizes the aldehyde to trigger DNA repair. Alkoxyamines function to competitively covalently bind the aldehyde generated from the AP site. Once the aldehyde is covalently bonded with the alkoxyamine, …

Seasonal Abundance And Sex Ratio Of Earwigflies (Merope Tuber) In Eastern Kentucky, Abigal Fagan, Sean O'Keefe

2022 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

The earwigfly is a rarely seen insect in the family of scorpionflies. There are three species total, one in Brazil, one in Australia, and the third (Merope tuber), widespread throughout the eastern United states. In a 1984 study, Chris Maier collected 69 earwigflies between 1977 and 1982 from New England. Most of these were collected in July using sticky traps. He collected 43 females and 26 males (sex ratio 2.4:1). In a 2014 study, Skvarla, Hartshorn, and Dowling collected 77 earwigflies from Arkansas, mostly in August using malaise traps, pan traps, Lindgren funnels, and pitfall traps. They collected 58 females …

What Majors Are Chosen By Undergraduate Students Leaving Accounting? A Review Of The Literature, Sarah E. Lager, Kimberly Fatten

2022 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

Undergraduate accounting retention research has focused primarily on why students choose an accounting major, but less is known about what programs students go to when they exit an accounting major.

Quantifying Ant Populations To Measure Biodiversity In Morehead, Ky, Alyssa Turner, Jude Hall, Tayla Lee, Charles Lydeard, Sean O'Keefe

2022 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

To effectively conduct conservation efforts, we can use biodiversity to assess the condition of our environment. Biodiversity has been commonly defined as the variety and variability among living organisms within an area. When our ecosystems are at their best, they clean water, purify air, maintain soil, regulate climate, recycle nutrients, and provide food. Everything within an ecosystem is interdependent, so biodiversity is an important factor and indicator of environmental health. Indicators help us to measure and monitor pressures or threats in land and water use, habitat loss or invasive species, the state of species and ecosystems, the conservation response, and …

Economic Feasibility Of Rainwater Harvesting:A Case Study At Morehead State University, Riley Q. Williams, Vijay Subramaniam

2022 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

Rainwater harvesting (RWH) was primarily considered as a source for freshwater supply or a conservation practice for over coming water shortages in drought prone areas. By retaining storm-water run-off for on site use, harvesting systems reduce the runoff volumes and pollutant masses entering waterways. Consequently, using roof-top RWH as a best management practice has been encouraged by many state and local governments. Some of the most interesting aspects of RWH are the methods of capture, storage, and the use of this natural resource at the place it occurs.

Genes Repressed After Dna Damage In Acinetobacter Baumannii Are Co-Regulated By Umudab And Ddrr, Mollee Flannigan, Xiaohong Li, Eric Rouchka, Deborah Cook, Janeele Hare

2022 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

UmuDAb and DdrR coregulate error-prone polymerases in the multi-drug resistant opportunistic pathogen, Acinetobacter baumannii, by repressing polymerase expression until after DNA damage. New evidence indicates that these proteins may also regulate other genes that are repressed following DNA damage. We performed an in silico analysis of RNA-Seq data from wild-type, ddrR, and umuDAb mutant strains to examine the expression levels of genes repressed after DNA damage. We used two different algorithms to analyze Cuffnorm- and HTSeq normalized gene counts. This analysis revealed nineteen (CuffDiff) or twenty-nine (DESeq2) genes repressed in wild-type cells that were derepressed after DNA damage in either …

Analytical Method Development For The Analysis Of E-Liquids, Calista Dean, Charlotte Gabbard, Emma Schmittzehe

2022 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

Electronic cigarettes are one of the most commonly used methods of nicotine delivery, especially among the adolescent population. Due to the lack of regulation in manufacturer labeling of refillable nicotine solutions (e-liquids), the actual concentration of nicotine and other additives is variable as compared to the reported values. Misreporting of nicotine content is a contributor in the development of nicotine dependency and potentially tobacco product dependency. The objective of this research is to develop reliable analytical methods to study the variations in nicotine levels in e-liquids, and to identify and quantify other potentially harmful additives in e-liquids. In this research …

A Case Study In Resiliency: How A University Survived A Pandemic, Mary Ellen Stewart

Dissertations

This case study was conducted to investigate how the COVID-19 pandemic affected the campus of a small private university in central Mississippi, where traditionally, relational community and interaction were key contributors to campus culture. Through document analysis, individual interviews with campus leaders, and focus groups consisting of members of key departments, the role of resiliency was examined during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Emerging from the data were the four thematic categories of leadership, campus culture, engagement and interaction, and challenges. Key components in each category revealed the significance of resiliency of university leaders, faculty, and staff as …

Office Of Research, Grants And Sponsored Programs Newsletter, Spring 2022, Lincoln Memorial University, Office Of Research, Grants, And Sponsored Programs

Office of Research, Grants and Sponsored Programs Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Uni Schedule Of Classes, Spring 2022, University Of Northern Iowa

UNI Schedule of Classes

A listing and schedule of the courses being taught as well as policies and procedures concerning attending classes at the University of Northern Iowa.

Gold & Blue, Spring 2022, St. Mary's University- San Antonio, Texas

Gold & Blue

This is the Spring 2022 edition of Gold & Blue which is St. Mary's University's official school publication.