Digital Commons Network^™

Preparing The Younger Generation For A Better Future With Wildfire, Elizabeth Riddle, Rory Mclaverty, Katherine Wendeln, Lillian Hollibaugh, Mackenzie Weiland, Aubrey Frissell

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

The frequency and severity of wildfires have increased around the world within the last two decades due to shifts in land management practices, climate change, and other factors. The effects of these fires have led to an inaccurate public perception of wildfire as a whole. This overly-simplified, vilified perception of wildfire obscures the role that it has played in shaping landscapes for thousands of years, and how indigenous peoples have applied fire to take care of landscapes.

We sought to empower future generations to better coexist with wildfire by changing this public perception through a children’s book. Over the course …

Music And Mood Regulation: The Effect Of Upbeat Music On Moods, Abiola Adebayo

Student Academic Conference

Research suggests that emotional regulation plays a vital role in mental and physical health and that music is often used for mood regulation. This research explored how music is used for mood regulation and the general effect of music on moods. This study examined the adaptive and maladaptive use of music for mood regulation. Two groups of participants were used; half of the participants were randomly assigned to melancholy music, and the other half were randomly assigned to upbeat music. A questionnaire containing The Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS) was used to measure current mood states before and after …

“Sharenting” And Child Privacy: A Content Analysis Of Parent Bloggers’ Instagram Posts, Abiola Adebayo

Student Academic Conference

In this age of artificial intelligence and identity theft, there is an increasing concern for online safety. In recent years, there has been an increase in parents sharing more of their children's lives on the Internet, a trend known as "sharenting”. Beyond posing potential security risks, many of these children do not or cannot consent to publicly sharing their lives. This study used content analysis methods to explore how primary caregivers share information about their children's lives in ways that may compromise their privacy or safety. Fifty public Instagram posts were randomly selected and coded for several aspects of a …

Brave Spaces, Radical Openness, And Youth Loneliness, Riese Munoz, Mariah Thomas, Taylor Curry

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Brave Spaces, Radical Openness, and Youth Loneliness

Global Leadership Initiative

Globally, young adults face potentially isolating social pressures. Today’s youth feel frequent anxieties about fitting in, finding success, and uncertainty of the future, and these anxieties are exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Young adults worldwide report feeling more anxious, more depressed, and more lonely. However, deliberate community building, the creation of art and writing as a means of self-exploration, and the creation of spaces designed for acceptance fend off these feelings of loneliness. How might we acknowledge social pressures on young adults and create a brave space to build community …

Medical Waste Awareness Day, Lauren Tucker, Wyatt Walters, Savannah Withrow, Kayla Leavell

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Healthcare facilities are generators of large amounts of waste, leading to global environmental impacts that negatively impact both human health and natural systems around the world. Medical waste is usually defined quite broadly, encompassing any waste generated by a healthcare facility. Increasing use of single use plastic and single use devices has led to a large uptick in medical waste globally, especially since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Globally, 4.7 billion tons of healthcare waste is produced each year, which is approximately thirty-three pounds per hospital bed per day (Overstreet, 2021). The generation and disposal of this waste leads …

Stories From The Clark Fork: Empowering Community Watershed Advocacy Through A Multi-Media Film Project, Kelsey Stansberry, Caroline Kane, William Smyth, Wyatt Day, Melissa Brand

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

The study explores the relational character of human interactions with the Clark Fork watershed in order to better understand the watershed’s contemporary issues, history, and to provide recommendations towards improving human-river interactions. Through a multi-media film project, we highlight the voices of those whose lives have been influenced by the Clark Fork watershed and analyze a collection of writings about the Clark Fork watershed from the past two centuries. Our project is an experiment in ecocentric storytelling (Erten 2008); we aim to support greater local awareness of the Clark Fork’s importance and contribute to community knowledge about opportunities to support …

Women Of Missoula: Menstruation And Refugees, Bella Spencer, Samantha Boutte, Emmily Valencia, Brooklyn Grubbs, Holly Sudol

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Abstract

Stigmatization, lack of accessible menstrual products, and an overall misconstrued sense of menstruation impact menstruators at a disproportionate rate. When diving into the literature, we found that refugee women not only faced stigmas and a lack of access to menstrual products and education, but also ran into cultural barriers and differing attitudes on menstruation. To address this issue, we formulated the idea of a menstrual drive. Instead of focusing on refugee menstruators as a whole, our focus will be the refugee population in Missoula, MT. We recognize that the stigmatization of menstruation is an ongoing global issue that affects …

The Proud Boys Raging Righteously At The U.S. Capitol On January 6th, 2021: A Hate Group In Action, Daniel Rothbart

International Conference on Hate Studies

Righteous rage constitutes an expression of political power for many hate groups operating currently in the United States, enticing them toward emotionally charged aggression against their adversaries. We offer a case study of one such group—the Proud Boys—in the context of their violent attack of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. Rather than a momentary feeling, their righteous rage is a potent force for forming, defining, and organizing their mission to overpower their adversaries. In particular, their righteous rage is defined by (a) behavioral manifestations, (b) the emotional contagious impact of such manifestations, and (c) the centrality of raging …

Community Outdoor Recreation Realization Pilot Review And Recommendations, Grace Friend, Ashley Castro, Jazzelle Elias, Lisa Spang, Grace Walhus

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Community Outdoor Recreation Realization, or CORR, was created through collaboration of Montana Access Project, University of Montana, and the US Forest Service. This program is intended to help rural Montana communities realize recreation assets and plan for their development. A pilot of the CORR process was implemented in two Montana communities: White Sulphur Springs and Columbia Falls. Researchers interviewed CORR facilitators and community members who participated in the CORR process. From the feedback received in these qualitative interviews, researchers presented recommendations to improve the CORR process and created an initial toolkit to be used by future communities. This report covers …

Addressing Eco-Emotions: An Initiative For Coping With Climate-Induced Emotional Distress, Kaitlyn M. Blume, Cassie Berg, Sylvia Wood, Jack Person, Sylvia Luceno, Alis Auch, Siena Cysewski

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

"Addressing Eco-Emotions: An Initiative for Coping with Climate-Induced Emotional Distress" is a research project aimed at tackling the growing challenge of eco-emotions, such as eco-grief or eco-anxiety, brought about by the impacts of climate change. Despite the complex and widespread nature of the issue, and the limited training of the group in the field of mental health, the goal is to raise awareness about eco-emotions and provide a supportive space for individuals to process their feelings related to the climate crisis. Through hosting a week-long series of events, each tailored to a different coping mechanism for eco-emotions, the project aims …

Critical Concerns In Indian Country: Arizona V. Navajo Nation, Monte Mills

Presentations

No abstract provided.

Go Forth With Wisdom & Leadership, Kristen Montgomery

Epsilon Sigma at-Large Research Conference

see attached pp

Implementing An Acute Stress Disorder Screening Tool In The Trauma Intensive Care Unit Setting, Sierra Bridgers

Epsilon Sigma at-Large Research Conference

This is a quality improvement project that focuses on implementing screening for acute stress disorder using the Acute Stress Disorder Structured Interview–DSM-IV tool in a Trauma Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at a Level 2 Trauma Center in Nashville, TN. Currently, at this hospital there is not a screening process implemented for these patients. Every trauma patient meets the criteria for acute stress disorder. Starting the process early aims for patients to be properly educated about their trauma and gets them the resources they need to heal mentally from the trauma.

During the 6-week implementation period of this project, the trauma …

Visualizing The Spread Of Western Music Throughout The World Using Big Data, Dakota C. Cookenmaster

Campus Research Month

Music, perhaps the most prevailing form of art throughout the ages, has impacted the world in countless ways. Due to the vast magnitude of published musical compositions, it is difficult to comprehend the full extent of how Western music has spread from Europe to the rest of the world. Our contribution is a presentation of the history of music throughout the ages, highlighting the countries of publication by year since the 15th century. Our visualization also exhibits the top 10 most prevalent composers within the British Library, with additional information such as the composers’ number of works and lifespan.

How Lifestyle Implementations Affect The Health Of Obese Women Compared To Women Who Are Not Obese, Chloe Hensley, Callie Marshall, Adela Robles, Adrianna Winseman

Epsilon Sigma at-Large Research Conference

Obesity is a major risk factor for many health problems, including cardiovascular disease and diabetes. It is anticipated that the prevalence of obesity in the United States will grow as time passes. The objective of this study is to compare the health of obese women who engage in regular exercise to that of nonobese women. This literature review is drawn from eight library-based research articles at East Tennessee State University (ETSU). The search engine covers topics such as obesity, postmenopausal women, physical activity, nutrition, health, fitness, and lifestyle. Taking nutritional supplements and increased physical exercise minimizes the likelihood of health …

Animal-Assisted Green Care Farming For Patients With Traumatic Brain Injury, Alex Sargsyan

Epsilon Sigma at-Large Research Conference

Animal-Assisted Green Care Farming for Patients with Traumatic Brain Injury

Purpose

To examine the effects of Animal Assisted Therapies with Farm Animals (AATF) with domesticated ducks on depression and anxiety.

Aim

The proposed study will use single-group time series design and collect survey data to explore the changes in anxiety and depression in patients exposed to AATF. The study will be guided by the Self-Efficacy Theory. The study will involve 30 patients with TBI living in The Crumley House Rehabilitation Center in Limestone, TN.

Hypothesis. Engaging in AATF with domesticated ducks will be associated with decrease in anxiety and depression. …

Applying Bioactive Glass Beads For Long-Term Drug Delivery, Marie O. Sykes, Rashi Sharma

Physics and Astronomy Presentations

Bioactive glass beads have been used to distribute medicine over extended periods of time in limited uses. They can be engineered to have a porous and hollow structure, and using Mo-Sci's OL-GL 1756b (1756b), the fundamental notion of dosage distribution can be tested in preparation to design the optimal glass for medicine distribution. A few key factors in this is how long does it take the liquid to release from the beads, how do the beads decay, and how well the glass can bond to human tissue. This research demonstrates the capacities of the 1756b type as a promising start …

Nviz: Unraveling Neural Networks Through Visualization, Kevin Hoffman

Mathematics, Computer Science & Statistics Presentations

The growing utility of artificial intelligence (AI) is attributed to the development of neural networks. These networks are a class of models that make predictions based on previously observed data. While the inferential power of neural networks is great, the ability to explain their results is difficult because the underlying model is automatically generated. The AI community commonly refers to neural networks as black boxes because the patterns they learn from the data are not easily understood. This project aims to improve the visibility of patterns that neural networks identify in data. Through an interactive web application, NVIZ affords the …

R Text Analysis For Adam Smith Cie Selected Works, Charlotte Grahame

Mathematics, Computer Science & Statistics Presentations

Text mining and text analysis is a way of understanding text documents using r coding that is more frequently used for numbered data. It helps with understanding portions of the text and drawing conclusions from there. This research looks specifically at the Adam Smith required documents that are used in the CIE course designated for freshmen. It looks at sentiments of the documents, including word sentiment, sentence sentiment, page and overall document sentiment as well. It provides visuals of word clouds to portray word frequency, tf-idf (which is explained in the presentation) and bigram analysis.

Cie Text Analysis: Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass, The Declaration Of Independence, And The Declaration Of Sentiments, Arianna Knipe

Mathematics, Computer Science & Statistics Presentations

Our STAT-451 class has worked with analyzing the words from CIE texts and assigning them to a sentiment or feeling and comparing them with one another using RStudio. This project analyzes texts from three sources: The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, The Declaration of Independence and the Declaration of Sentiments.

Special Needs In Pediatric Dentistry, Emma Kail

Health Sciences Presentations

Over the summer of 2022 I got the chance to work on my internship at a special needs and non special needs focused dentistry. Through this presentation I focus mainly on the pediatric special needs aspect of the dental care given to patients. Throughout the poster I speak about the importance of special needs care within dentistry and the field of dental health itself, where I worked and how they accommodated and worked with those with special needs to give the best care possible, and finally how this experience has changed my goals set for my future, especially within the …

Do Perceptions Of Guilt Vary As A Function Of Defendant Race And Crime Type? A Mock Crime Experiment, Elizabeth Murken, Rochelle Bergstrom

Student Academic Conference

Much past research has studied racial discrimination in the criminal justice system. Past research in 1983 by Sunnafrank and Fontes studied facial images and crimes and matched faces and crimes to correlate stereotypical crimes. Later research in 2003 by Jones and Kaplan furthered this research by comparing stereotypical crimes and non-stereotypical crimes. This study furthers Jones and Kaplan’s study by comparing different stereotypical crimes for the black defendant and not comparing a non-stereotypical crime.

Study Of Protein Extraction Techniques For M. Foliorum Phages, Lola Sibaud, Anna Elgersma

Student Academic Conference

Characterizing phages is becoming increasingly important in biochemistry and biotechnology due to their potential to treat bacterial infections without need for antibiotics. Last year, students attempted to isolate proteins from Microbacterium foliorum infecting phages Babydotz and Rosadiaz. Proteins were successfully extracted; however, after further analysis it was shown that the obtained proteins belonged to the host bacteria and not the phages. The purpose of this study was to find a method to separate phage from host bacterial debris to successfully isolate phage proteins and analyze them later. Isolating phage proteins could help us characterize more phages and know more about …

Combating Climate Change And Increasing Tribal Co-Management, Monte Mills

Presentations

This concurrent session provided an overview of how Tribes are working to combat the ever present threat of climate change and the move toward increasing Tribal-co management of lands and waters throughout the country. The session included a discussion of the Department of the Interior’s work to implement Secretarial Order 3403 on Fulfilling the Trust Responsibility to Indian Tribes in the Stewardship of Federal Lands and Waters.

Bringing Important, And Often Marginalized, Primary Source And Special Collections Into The Research Workflow, Bruce Heterick, Carolyn Allen, Michele Gibney

University Libraries Librarian and Staff Presentations

Academic and cultural institutions around the world are stewards of valuable digitized primary source and special collections content that are of great use for teaching, learning and research. More and more faculty want to teach with digitized primary source/special collections, and more and more students need to conduct their research using these same materials, particularly early career researchers. Libraries, community archives, and museums hold vast collections of primary sources, and so what is currently available to users is a proverbial drop in the bucket. A key challenge to realizing much more value from these materials is scale - there needs …

The Gender Minority In Early Childhood Education: Being A Male Teacher, Alonzo Cruz

Student Academic Conference

This study discusses the importance of a male’s role in childhood classrooms, challenges and issues male teacher candidates face in the education field and makes suggestions for higher education faculty, administrators, and teachers.

The Effects Of Verbal Fluency Interventions: Phonemic Versus Semantic Fluency Outcomes In Parkinson’S Disease, Brian Connelly

Student Academic Conference

•Relevant Literature and Background –Verbal Fluency Tasks –Parkinson’s Disease •Practice Activity –Phonemic and Semantic Trials •Discussion of the Study –Methods –Results –Discussion

Robert Hall Merrill: An American Engineer In China, Annie Benefiel

Scholarship and Professional Work

Presented at the 2023 Archival Kismet Conference "Thinking About Stuff," this presentation explores historical documents found in the Robert H. Merrill papers in the Grand Valley State University Special Collections and University Archives.

In 1920, Robert Hall Merrill, a young civil engineer from Grand Rapids, Michigan, traveled to China to serve as Assistant Principle Engineer on a reconstruction project of a portion of the Grand Canal. The Grand Canal is the longest and oldest canal system in the world. Merrill's work produced a comprehensive survey report of the Grand Canal construction area near the Yellow River. The report contains numerous …

Triple Negative Invasive Ductal Carcinoma In A Young Pregnant Patient, Sonakshi Vatsa, Joseph Kastrenakes, Joseph Migliozzi, Patricia Rose

InterLACE Research Showcase

No abstract provided.

Assessment Of Brain Function And Putting Performance Of Collegiate Golfers, Marissa Bonsangue, Pradeep Vanguri, Valerie Starratt, Amani Khan

InterLACE Research Showcase

No abstract provided.