Digital Commons Network^™

The "Green Gals" Podcast And Website, Courtney Perkins

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Professional Projects

This is a series of three podcast episodes under the series name "Green Gals" with a companion website of the same name. Each episode focuses on a different aspect of sustainable living with the goal of providing valuable tools, tips and information that everyday people can use to integrate sustainability into their everyday lives. The episodes ("Reduce, Reuse... Recycle?"; "Food Waste" and "Composting 101") are hosted by myself and a co-host, discussing the topic along with pre-recorded interviews which I conducted with experts in the field. The material is presented in a casual, engaging manner, employing music intros, transitions and …

Ethical Ai Use And Classroom Integration Training Modules, Daniel Boudon

Open Educational Resources

This project focuses on developing comprehensive training modules to equip students and faculty with the knowledge and skills necessary to ethically and effectively use AI tools in academic settings. The training consists of interconnected modules that cover a wide range of topics, including the ethical use of AI, evaluating AI-generated content, integrating AI tools into curriculum design, and creating AI-enhanced classroom activities. Additional modules emphasize fostering digital literacy, staying updated with AI advancements, and collaborating on best practices for AI in education.

Designed for flexibility, the modules cater to diverse academic disciplines, making them suitable for undergraduate and graduate courses, …

Leads Data Insights: Learning — Spring 2025, University Of North Dakota

LEADS Implementation Documents

Spring 2025 Data Insights presentation for the LEARNING core value of UND LEADS. The slides analyze currently available data as of March 2025, including levels of achievement for Learning strategic priorities, Activity Inventory summaries, and strategic-priority-level metrics related to experiential learning, global perspectives, digital technologies, student support, learning spaces, advising, mentoring, and credential pathways.

Leads Data Insights: Equity — Spring 2025, University Of North Dakota

LEADS Implementation Documents

Spring 2025 Data Insights presentation for the EQUITY core value of UND LEADS. The slides update the October 2024 Equity edition and include Activity Inventory items by status, originating unit, and key words, along with data on student retention, degree completion, textbook and course-resource costs, and student subpopulation trends.

Exploring Student Success At Fresno State – What Is Working? What Did Not Work? And, What Is A Work In Progress?, Bernadette T. Muscat

eJournal of Public Affairs

Over the past decade, Fresno State has engaged in numerous efforts in support of Student Success. Some of these efforts are a result of systemwide initiatives (e.g., Graduation Initiative 2025 and Equity Priorities) while others are developed in response to grants received (e.g., SSEI, PALS, and APLES). We closely examine our extensive data on areas of concern to develop campus pilots with the hope of closing equity gaps and improving student outcomes. This presentation will explore these various efforts and provide an overview of what is working, what did not work, and what remains a work in progress.

Multipronged Practices To Diversify Faculty Ranks And The Academic Leadership Pipeline, Kenneth Sumner, Emily J. Isaacs, Junius Gonzales

eJournal of Public Affairs

This poster describes three programs that we implemented across the university to diversify faculty and leadership ranks at our university. One programs provides opportunities for faculty develop into senior leaders in academic affairs. A second program focuses on best practices to hire a diverse faculty workforce and has demonstrable impactful results. A third program helps nontraditional doctoral students develop strong credentials to move into academic positions other roles in academia.

Developing Scholarship Of Teaching And Learning (Sotl) On A Regional Campus, Shawn Boyne, Rosemary Erickson Johnsen

eJournal of Public Affairs

How can academic affairs administrators foster robust Scholarship of Teaching and Learning practices on a regional baccalaureate campus? Fulfilling tenure-system faculty requirements for scholarly research at a teaching institution alongside 4-4 teaching loads is a challenge, but supporting faculty in SoTL engagement shows them how it draws on their expertise to yield meaningful benefits for themselves as teacher-scholars and for their students. To lay a solid foundation for a new programmatic emphasis on SoTL, academic leadership at the Crookston campus of the University of Minnesota harnessed system resources available through the Center for Educational Innovation to a supportive cohort model. …

The Effects Of Dexmedetomidine On Nausea And Vomiting In Intraabdominal Surgical Patients, Sarah Mann

Scholars Week

Abstract

Purpose: Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) affect a significant number of surgical patients. This Doctor of Nursing Practice project aimed to assess PONV rates and evaluate the effects of dexmedetomidine on PONV incidence in intraabdominal surgical patients. Additionally, the project sought to inform Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) about dexmedetomidine and assess the perceived value of this information through a survey.

Methodology: The retrospective analysis of 9,035 patients was conducted from January 2023 to July 2024. Data were divided into four datasets, and comparisons were made between the datasets to determine PONV rates and the effects of dexmedetomidine. The …

The Advantages Of Being A Nurse Extern, Raylynn Broaddus, Elle Covington

Scholars Week

New graduate nurses experience low confidence levels and increased anxiety due to the limited exposure in the hospital. Nurse extern programs allow nursing students to get more hands on experience in the hospital. Is their any advantages to this? Three different research articles show advantages that arise when students complete one of these programs.

The Importance Of Nurse Involvement In Hospitalized Patient Smoking Cessation, Eudora Larson

Scholars Week

No abstract provided.

Benefits Of Nursing Touch In Neonates, Lacy Baldwin, Camila Canedo Muzevic

Scholars Week

This paper explores the benefits of nursing neonatal soothing techniques, focusing on their short- and long-term effects in reducing stress and their influence on development. It emphasizes the nursing role through Kolcaba’s Theory of Comfort in providing proactive non-pharmacological care. Neonates, particularly preemies, face significant amounts of stress in the clinical setting which can impede proper growth and development, as well as immediate well-being. It is part of the nursing duty to alleviate stress and promote comfort. This project analyzes evidence-based research on soothing techniques, including tactile, kinesthetic, gentle human touch, interactive newborn bathing, etc. It demonstrates the positive outcomes …

Evidence Based Practice Presentation: Proper Use Of Personal Protective Equipment Protecting Health Care Workers, Bella Batts, Kristine Puckett, Jimena Calderon

Scholars Week

Personal protective equipment (PPE) is essential in safeguarding healthcare workers from exposure to infectious agents, hazardous substances, and physical risks in clinical environments. PPE includes a variety of items such as gloves, masks, face shields, gowns, and respirators, each designed to provide a barrier between healthcare workers and potentially harmful pathogens or environmental hazards. The use of PPE is particularly crucial in settings where healthcare workers are at heightened risk, such as during the treatment of patients with infectious diseases, surgical procedures, or when handling hazardous materials. The importance of PPE extends beyond individual protection, as it helps reduce the …

Improving Recovery Nurses’ Satisfaction With Postoperative Transfer Of The Anesthetized Patient With The Utilization Of A Standardized Handoff Checklist, Gemma Nilsson

Scholars Week

Aim: To evaluate the effectiveness of using a standardized tool during patient handoff, addressing the lack of an organized structure for patient transfers and the risk of miscommunication. Poor communication is a leading cause of medical errors in the hospital and the transfer reports of postoperative patients in the post-anesthesia care unit are often inaccurate or incomplete (Milby, 2014; Salzwedel, 2012).

Design: A handoff tool was developed for anesthesia providers to use during postoperative patient transfers. Using descriptive statistics, the project evaluated subjective survey responses from registered nurses before and after the implementation of the tool. Perception of the tool’s …

Advancing Provider Knowledge On Precedex Use To Prevent Postoperative Delirium Through Targeted Education, Brian Gibbs

Scholars Week

Postoperative delirium (POD) is a serious and multifactorial complication commonly affecting elderly surgical patients. POD is associated with increased morbidity, longer hospital stays, and higher mortality rates. The use of benzodiazepines and opioids during the perioperative period is a significant modifiable risk factor for POD. Despite the potential of Dexmedetomidine (Precedex) to reduce POD incidence due to its sedative, and analgesic properties, it is not widely available in many operating rooms (OR). This project aimed to educate anesthesia providers on the benefits of Precedex and its role in reducing POD in patients over 65 years old. A quality improvement project …

Implementation Of A Mental Health Wellness Toolkit For Student Registered Nurse Anesthetists, Mckenzie Lawson

Scholars Week

There is significant evidence that proves that Student Registered Nurse Anesthetists score exceptionally high on stress and anxiety scales. Research has demonstrated that high levels of anxiety and stress can lead to burnout and mental health concerns, including depression, fatigue, substance abuse, and suicidal ideation. A PICOT question was developed for this problem and is as follows: For first-year student registered nurse anesthetists starting clinicals in the operating room, how does participating in a wellness program where students are taught stress-reduction techniques affect their stress and resiliency scores one month and three months following the implementation of the program? This …

In-Situ Density Measurement For Enhanced Electrorefining Material Accountancy, Edward Mercado, Carlos Mejia, Ranon Fuller, Devin Rappleye

Student Works

To further enhance the proliferation resistance of electrorefining (ER) processes, precise and reliable analytical methods are essential for determining the inventory of fissile material. This can be achieved by electrochemically measuring the salt concentration and converting it to mass using its density. However, the density within the refiner is not fixed, and small variations in salt composition can significantly impact its thermophysical properties. While an ideal mixing model provides reasonable density estimates (with errors up to 2-3%), such errors are unacceptable when precise material accountancy of fissile material is crucial. This study developed a methodology to measure density in situ …

Making Connections To Content: Giving Students Choice And Autonomy In The Classroom, Dr. Lisa Pennington

Faculty Research Events

No abstract provided.

How Does Honey Make Gold Nanoparticles? Optical Analysis Of The Effects Of Temperature And Composition, Lydia Alvarnaz, Davon Ferrara Phd

SPARK Symposium Presentations

In recent years, with an increasing interest in green chemistry, there has been an effort to find and understand synthesis methods using biologically-produced reducing and capping agents to produce stable gold nanoparticles (GNPs). Previous research using honey has shown this substance is a viable reducing agent in the formation of nanoparticles but have not looked at the stability of the colloidal gold nanoparticles. In this work, gold nanoparticles were reduced from an aqueous solution of gold chloroauric acid and a solution of varying concentrations of honey and water. The formation of NPs was analyzed using UV-Visible transmission spectroscopy to confirm …

Myofibrillar Proteomics Of Sustained Load-Carriage Hiking, Rachel Perez, Mahalakshmi Shanakaran, Hussein Mohammed, Marc Hellerstein, Walter Hailes, Brent Ruby

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

Load-carriage hiking is a popular recreational activity and an integral part of daily tasks for military personnel and wildland firefighters. Investigation is therefore warranted into myofibrillar responses to such activities. PURPOSE: To evaluate myofibrillar adaptations to acute load-carriage hiking. METHODS: Thirty-two recreationally active adults (12M, 20F; 28±6 yr; VO₂_peak: 47.7±8.2 mL･kg^-1･min^-1) participated in a 5-day load-carriage study. Participants consumed 50ml deuterated water(²H₂O) thrice daily for the 10 days prior to and twice daily during the five consecutive days of hiking for the measurement of fractional protein synthesis rates …

Immigrant Generational Status, Late-Life Social Support And Mental Well-Being, And Cognitive Change In The Kaiser Healthy Aging And Diverse Life Experiences Cohort, Joya Deb Lucky, Chelsea Kuiper, Kazi Sabrina Haq, Shelli Vodovozov, Oanh L. Meyer, M. Maria Glymour, Paola Gilsanz, Elizabeth Rose Mayeda, Rachel A. Whitmer, Rachel Lee Peterson

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

Title: Immigrant generational status, late-life social support and mental well-being, and cognitive change in the Kaiser Healthy Aging and Diverse Life Experiences cohort

Presenting Author: Joya Deb Lucky

Co-Authors: Chelsea Kuiper, Kazi Sabrina Haq, Shelli Vodovozov, Oanh L. Meyer, M. Maria Glymour, Paola Gilsanz, Elizabeth Rose Mayeda, Rachel A. Whitmer, Rachel L. Peterson

Word count: 300/300

Background: Social support and mental well-being may differentially provide risk/protection for late-life cognition among different immigrant generations of U.S. older adults.

Methods: In a longitudinal (KHANDLE) cohort, Asian and Latino participants were categorized as 1st-generation arriving age(n=73); 1st-generation arriving age≥18 (n=282); 2nd-generation (n=279); or …

Science In The Studios: Communicating Science On Social Media Using On-Campus Resources, Danielle Airola M.A.

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

Social media platforms offer powerful tools and spaces in which to communicate science to the general public. However, these platforms are equally available for the sharing and spread of pseudoscience and anti-science content. The widespread use of these platforms means an audience of people already exists who use social media as a source of news and information. The burden is on us as scientists and researchers to understand how to use these platforms. To aid in this process, the University of Montana’s Mansfield Library offers spaces in which to create content for social media that are free for us to …

Mitochondrial Protein Dynamics In Response To Repeated Load Carriage In Men And Women, Josey Walker, Shubha Shankaran, Hussein Mohammed, Marc Hellerstein, Walter Hailes, Brent Ruby

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

PURPOSE: To evaluate the early stages of adaptation in response to repeated load carriage on mitochondrial protein dynamics.

METHODS: Over 15 days 32 subjects (12 male, 20 female; age 28±6 years; VO₂ peak 47.7±8.2 mLkg-1min-1) consumed a loading dose of deuterated water (²H₂O), and completed a 5-day load carriage hiking protocol. ²H₂O enriched the amino acid pool for observation. Muscle biopsies from the vastus lateralis were taken on days 10 and 16, assessing protein fractional synthesis rate (FSR) pre- and post-hiking. During the hiking period, participants completed two laps on an out-and-back …

A Century Of The Irish Border: Revisiting Militarization In The Post-Brexit Era, Carolyn E. Crowder

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

Since Irish independence in 1923, the border between Ireland and the United Kingdom has undergone periods of militarization and demilitarization; but has been effectively demilitarized since 1998. Amid increases in border conflicts worldwide, crucial questions emerge: What caused these periods of militarization and demilitarization, and why has the border sustained its demilitarized status, even with Brexit’s destabilizing effects? Will the border be remilitarized in the future? To answer these questions, I apply and test two international relations theories, structural realism and social constructivism. In the absence of publicly available data, I gathered and coded an original dataset of Irish border …

Understanding Inter-Agency Decision Making Processes Of Prescribed Fire In Western Montana, Cassandra A. Mendoza

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

Fire suppression, climate change, and increasing human presence in wildland-urban interfaces challenge land managers in implementing prescribed fire. This study examines the temporal and spatial dimensions of prescribed fire decision-making, current information sources, and gaps in knowledge. Limited understanding exists regarding the specific information needs of wildfire managers to determine timing and location. Decision-making insights can inform risk reduction and fire mitigation strategies, including when and where to burn and its impact on human well-being. We will conduct qualitative, semi-structured interviews with prescribed fire decision-makers in Western Montana, using a chain referral sampling approach to reach at least 30 participants. …

#Seahorsedad: A Study Of Metaphors In Transmasculine Birther’S Instagram Posts, Alexa Anne Runnion

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

For my master’s thesis, I am examining the narratives of transmasculine birthers, or trans men who have given birth. Specifically, I focus on how these individuals navigate and redefine their reproductive bodies within the context of dominant discourses that say only cisgender women bear children. Recently, there has been a rise of online communities that offer transmasculine individuals who become pregnant a space to share their stories. “Seahorse dad” is a label that transmasculine birthers commonly adopt, and these digital platforms offer a space for seahorse dads to narrate their birthing experiences and find community. At the core of this …

Impacts Of The Coastal Aquaculture Authority (Amendment) Act And Adaptive Capacity In The Social-Ecological System Of Chilika Lagoon, India, Adyasha Nayak

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

The growing demand for seafood in the global North has led to transition of capture fisheries to aquaculture to meet the demand. While this growth has been considered a success for livelihood development, its negative impacts on small-scale and traditional fisheries offset the benefits.

This is evident in the case of Chilika lagoon on the east coast of India. Chilika lagoon is a natural habitat for Indian prawn (Penaeus indicus) and thus attracted commercialization during the aquaculture boom. Starting in the 1980s, encroachment of aquaculture and proliferation of commercial fishing has led to loss of traditional fishing areas …

The Impacts Of Ambient Air Quality On Asthma Outcomes In California: A Longitudinal Analyses, Abigail Obour

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

This study investigates the relationship between ambient air quality and asthma-related health outcomes in California, focusing on emergency department visits and hospitalizations from 2005 to 2022. Despite California’s strict air quality regulations, many urban and rural communities still face significant pollution challenges that contribute to poor respiratory health, particularly among vulnerable populations. Using panel data from specific counties, this research examines the effects of key pollutants like nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO), and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) on asthma outcomes. A fixed effects regression model is employed to control for unobserved heterogeneity and time-specific shocks ensuring robust estimates of …

Water Scarcity In The Bitterroot Valley, August W. Guenthner

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

Abstract

Water scarcity is an increasingly pressing issue in Montana's Bitterroot Valley due to the dual pressures of climate change and rapid population growth. This research explores how agricultural producers in the region experience and adapt to water scarcity, a challenge exacerbated by decreasing and unpredictable precipitation patterns and rising residential water demand. Using semi-structured, long-form interviews with experienced farmers, the study examines the specific impacts of water scarcity on agricultural operations and the adaptive strategies employed to ensure resilience. By centering the experiences of local producers, this research aims to contribute to the broader literature on agricultural adaptation while …

Coaching While Mothering In Ncaa Division I Volleyball, Allison Lawrence

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

NCAA Division I Volleyball is the most competitive level of volleyball in the United States outside of recent emerging professional leagues. The sport of volleyball has grown exponentially since the enactment of Title IX and NCAA DI membership has increased to 96% (DeBoer, 2021). While significant efforts in recruitment and retention have been made to increase opportunities for women coaches at the NCAA DI level, the percentage of women head coaches in women’s volleyball has seen declines and steady stagnation (LaVoi, 2020). Coaching while mothering is a unique and fraught process that remains unsupported due to a number of social, …

Predictive Power Of Metalinguistic Skills In Children With Developmental Language Disorder, Melissa Phelan

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

Children with developmental language disorder (DLD) have difficulty understanding and using spoken language, which negatively impacts their academic outcomes and psychosocial wellbeing. DLD is highly prevalent, affecting approximately two out of every 25 children, but less than 40% of children with DLD are ever identified to receive services. Currently, we rely on parent and teacher referrals to find DLD, which is clearly insufficient. Additionally, 50% of children with DLD will also develop the reading disorder dyslexia, meaning they will struggle with both spoken and written language. Given schools’ limited time and resources, we need an efficient method for (a) identifying …