Digital Commons Network^™

A Change Is Gonna Come: Renewing Information Workers' Commitment To Social Justice, Rhonda Rosen, Elisa Acosta, Aisha Conner-Gaten, Desirae Zingarelli-Sweet

Librarian Publications & Presentations

Libraries have always tried to uphold the Library Bill of Rights but are we just a neutral bridge to information or something more? In an era increasingly defined by socioeconomic and educational inequalities, resurgence of white supremacy, and “fake news”, we as information workers must challenge how we have understood our roles in the library. In response to this charge, the William H. Hannon Library staff development committee created and facilitated a day-long examination of social justice for librarians and library staff at Loyola Marymount University. Our presentation will reflect on this day including the development of materials and active …

Bioaccumulation Of Zinc In Bermuda Grass (Cynodon Dactylon), Drew Fisher, H. Marie Surratt, Louise Gebauer, Andrew Palaski

Featured Research

Phytoremediation is the plant based process to remove toxins such as heavy metals from the soil. In this experiment, we hypothesized Bermuda grass (Cyndon dactylon) will absorb a detectable level of zinc, a nontoxic metal, from the soil. We grew two separate groups of grass: the control and the experimental, which was watered with zinc acetate. Neither of the groups produced enough yield within the weeks given to the experiment, but if it went according to plan, we would have used flame atomic absorption spectroscopy to evaluate the relative concentrations of zinc. Significant uptake of zinc could reveal a possible …

Visualizing Grief: An Exploration Of The Stages Of Grief Through Image And Design, Audra Rygh

Liberty University Research Week

Studio & Digital Arts

One From The Beginning, Doug Taylor

Liberty University Research Week

School of Divinity

Graduate

How To Make It As A Maker: Maximizing Customer Experience To Increase Brand Value In The Saturated Marketplace Of Paper Goods And Gifts, Hannah Lynch

Liberty University Research Week

Studio and Digital Arts

Graduate

Application Of Narrative Principles To Effectively Communicate Through Graphic Design, Joseph Wright

Liberty University Research Week

Studio & Digital Arts

Graduate

Made In The Image Of God Who Speak, Shows, And Stays: The Theological Anthropology Of Carl F. H. Henry, Isaac Seo

Liberty University Research Week

School of Divinity

Graduate

Effects Of Condensed Project Life Cycles In The U.S. Consumer Ready Meat Industry, John Johnson

Liberty University Research Week

School of Business

Graduate

Evaluating Fms Performance And Injury Visibility In Ncaa Division 1 Football Players, Jared Feister

Liberty University Research Week

Health Sciences

Graduate

Virtual Reality And Speech Anxiety, Lauren Blitz, Olivia Adams

SCOM Undergraduate Research Conference

Exploring the use of virtual reality therapy as a method of desensitization and inoculation for student's with public speaking anxiety.

The Effects Of Soil Suffused With Cool-Fire Ash On The Germination And Early Growth Of Radish Seedlings, Ryan Dalforno, Braden Ritchey, Jay Ogle

Featured Research

In this study, the effects of cool fire ash in soil with varying amounts of water were observed in terms of the germination and early growth of garden radish (Raphanus raphanistrum subsp. sativus) seedlings. Measurements regarding plant growth, field capacity, and seedling leaf quantum yield were taken and compared between four (4) trios of pots separately containing radish seedlings planted in ashy and frequently-watered soil (A_w), ashy and infrequently-watered soil (A_d), normal unmodified garden soil that was watered frequently (N_w) and normal soil that was watered infrequently (N_d). While the …

A Comparison Of Electron Transport Rate, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Light-Adapted Fluorescence, And Dark-Adapted Fluorescence Between Stipa Pulchra And Pennisetium Setaceum, Sydney Adams, Brandon Chuck, Agatha Heng, Amelia Vento, Stephen D. Davis

Featured Research

The purpose of this investigation was to provide an explanation into how the invasive species Pennisetium setaceum, Fountain Grass, is able to outcompete the native California grassland species Stipa pulchra, Purple Needle Grass. We used a light adapted and a dark adapted fluorometer to measure the photosynthetic radiation (PAR), leaf temperature, alpha (α), light adapted fluorescence (Fv’/Fm’), dark adapted fluorescence (Fv/Fm), and the electron transport rate (ETR) on young Fountain Grass and Purple Needlegrass. After collecting and analyzing the data, we concluded that the dark adapted fluorescence (Fv/Fm) was the only statistically significant measurement where the Fv/Fm of …

Read Stricted: The Dilemmas Surrounding Reading, Censorship, & Challenged Books, Sandy Avila

Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Please join us for a lively and thought provoking discussion regarding reading, censorship, and the history of challenged books to commemorate the start of National Library Week 2018. UCF Research and Information Services Librarian, Sandy Avila will discuss the American Library Association’s Top Ten Frequently Challenged Books of 2017 while providing some background regarding the history of challenged books from around the world. This session is open to students and faculty and no RSVP is required. Meet us at the John C. Hitt Library (main campus) Room 223 to learn more about banned books and the dilemmas surrounding their censorship.

Recent Incidences And Trends Of The Top Five Cancers In Northeast Appalachian Tennessee, Adekunle Oke, Sylvester Olubolu Orimaye, Ndukwe Kalu, Faustine Williams

Appalachian Student Research Forum

Introduction: Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States (U.S.), after cardiovascular disease. Although there has been a continuous decline in cancer mortality rates in the U.S. over the past two decades, the Appalachian region, which extends through 13 states and 420 counties in the southeastern part of the U.S., has seen a lower decline in cancer mortality. From 1980-2014, cancer deaths decreased by almost 45%, but cancer mortality rates in rural Appalachia was 36% higher than for urban non-Appalachian counties. In terms of cancer-specific, although breast cancer mortality rates have also decreased significantly nationally, a …

The Varying Implications Of Metaphor Usage In Discourse, Azaria Brown

Student Scholar Showcase

Metaphors are all around us; they are the paintbrush with which our world is created. Though we do not often take heed to the metaphors that are created around us, their presence is guaranteed. Simply put, metaphors are created when we understand one thing in terms of another thing. We use metaphors whenever we need clarity in understanding a concept or idea; in some cases, metaphors are used in different areas of discourse for different purposes. Metaphor use is driven by communication purposes and goals such as the desire to make concepts accessible, to make concepts relatable, in order to …

Effects On Exposure Of Symbols Of Political Affiliation And Race On Perceptions Of White Privilege And Anti-Black Discrimination, Hannah Knechel

Student Scholar Showcase

Research has shown that the race of experimenters can affect perceptions that participants have, but political affiliation has not been studied. It has been found that the higher someone’s denial of white privilege is, the less likely they are to advocate or support moves towards racial equality. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of symbols of political affiliation and race on a perceptions of white privilege and anti-black discrimination. Participants were undergraduate students, age 18 or older. To manipulate the variables, experimenters were either black or white females who wore either a Black Lives Matter shirt, …

Diane Di Prima: A Beat Poet?, Shelby K. Miller

Student Scholar Showcase

The Beat Poets were a group of men who wrote counterculture poetry that committed on society. They embraced themes of open sexuality, Buddhism and Eastern religions, and activism. Diane di Prima, called by most literary scholars but not by her contemporaries, was one of those Beat Poets who embraced those themes. Her focus on motherhood and female empowerment is what caused her contemporaries to reject her as an equal. A second focus will the continued rejection of di Prima from the literary canon.

The Importance Of Home Style To Congress Today, Stephen Ruppel

Student Scholar Showcase

In this research I will revisit Richard Fenno's 1970 analysis on the home style of members of the House of Representatives. In "Home Style" Fenno observes members of Congress and how they work in DC as well as in their district and with their constituents and he analyzes how important home style is to each member. In this analysis I will use electoral margin, terms served, distance from DC to district, amount of money spent on franking, and amount of money spent on travel to compare how each member deals with his or her home style. I will be using …

Girl Power: Recovering The Female Stage Voice In Ben Jonson’S The Masque Of Queens, Sara Severens

Student Scholar Showcase

The Masque of Queens by Ben Jonson was written in 1609, and is a play about chaos and order. My research focused on the significance of royal women as lead roles in a play when society did not allow females to be employed as actors, the juxtaposition of royal high class and the witches who open the play in an “anti-masque,” and the role masques played in the greater order of the literary canon.

I chose this topic because masques are a neglected genre of English literature and theatre that could be better utilized in classrooms, as well as in …

Effects On Recovery And Neuroplasticity In Brain Injury Patients, Rebekkah Mclellan

Student Scholar Showcase

Abstract

According to the Centers for Disease Control, approximately 1.7 million people sustain a Traumatic Brain Injury each year, making the topic of brain plasticity and patient recovery an important area of study. An added element is understanding whether biological, social, and environmental factors can impact the recovery and plasticity of the patient’s brain.The purpose of this literature review was to evaluate if the environment surrounding an individual who has sustained a brain injury affects their recovery and neuroplasticity. The databases used for the scope of this review included LC OneSearch, Medline, EBSCOhost, and Google Scholar. Keywords included brain injury, …

Effects Of The Environment On Recovery And Neuroplasticity In Brain Injury Patients, Rebekkah Mclellan

Student Scholar Showcase

According to the Centers for Disease Control, approximately 1.7 million people sustain a Traumatic Brain Injury each year, making the topic of brain plasticity and patient recovery an important area of study. An added element is understanding whether biological, social, and environmental factors can impact the recovery and plasticity of the patient’s brain. The purpose of this literature review was to evaluate if the environment surrounding an individual who has sustained a brain injury affects their recovery and neuroplasticity. The databases used for the scope of this review included LC OneSearch, Medline, EBSCOhost, and Google Scholar. Key words included brain …

Effects Of Daily Forced Exercise On Anxiety Of Zebrafish (Danio Rerio) Living In Impoverished Environments, Meagan L. Collins

Student Scholar Showcase

The purpose of this research was to investigate the effects of daily forced exercise on the anxiety of zebrafish (Danio rerio) living in structurally-impoverished and structurally-enriched environments. Previous research shows that environmental enrichment decreases anxiety whereas living in an impoverished environment increases anxiety. Zebrafish were randomly assigned to the following aquarium tank environments: Group 1 lived with brown gravel and 3 green plastic plants (enriched environment), and Group 2 lived in a barren tank (impoverished environment). Twenty days later, fish received daily exercise or no exercise (control group) for another 14 days. Fish in the exercise group were …

Perceived Stress And Perceived Empathy Reported By Athletic Training Students, Lauren Harris

Student Scholar Showcase

Context: Previous research has been conducted on perceived stress related to perceived empathy within the medical field. About 40% of nurses have self reported occupational burnout, 25% of physicians have multiple factors related to burnout, and over half of psychologists have admitted that they practiced while being distressed to the point of affecting their clinical practice.1,1316 However, there is limited research on how perceived stress affects empathy within athletic training students.

Objective: To examine the perception of stress and the level of empathy towards patients by athletic training students.

Design: Case report.

Setting: Online survey.

Participants: Seventeen professional level athletic …

A Socioeconomic Valuation Of Urban Wetland Ecosystems And Policy Recommendation For College Lake, Michael Dunmyer

Student Scholar Showcase

The current dilemma of College Lake offers a unique case study for how urban ecosystems can not only subsist within cities but provide pivotal functions for them as well. With the potential for a dam-breaching storm event increasing in possibility with each passing year, concerns regarding the structural integrity of the College Lake dam in Lynchburg, VA have arisen. Such concerns have led the City of Lynchburg to consider reinforcement or removal of the dam in order to mitigate flood risks along the Blackwater Creek floodplain. Since its formation following the installation of the Depression-era dam, however, College Lake has …

No Such Thing As A Slave Narrative: Abba, Coobah, And Sally, Shelby K. Miller

Student Scholar Showcase

Within history, there is a push to combine and generalize individual experiences into a single narrative. However, individual slaves lived massively different lives even when they lived on the same planation. My presentation will focus on three specific slaves from Thomas Thistlewood’s sugar cane plantation in Jamaica. These three women lived in the same place, experienced the same brutality, and yet all responded differently to their trauma. I will agree that historians cannot create a comprehensive slave narrative because of these varying and greatly contrasting lives.

Summer Of Sidewalks: Accessing Lynchburg's Walkability And Planning Within Community Development In Lynchburg, Virginia, Lauren Fishbein

Student Scholar Showcase

For an urban community to be sustainable, it must also be accessible to community members across all socio-economic groups. Due to the current trends in development, communities are beginning to re-evaluate their transportation options. Urban planners are beginning to discourage ‘single family vehicular' reliance and explore other facets such as; public transportation, safe bike lanes and safe sidewalks. Safe, connected and maintained sidewalks can have many benefits including public health, environmental and economic advantages. I interned with City Planning, a department within Community Development in Downtown Lynchburg, and aided their goals to edit the zoning ordinances to make sidewalks a …

Not All Art Belongs In The Living Room: The Tale Of Robert Mapplethorpe, Shelby K. Miller

Student Scholar Showcase

Following the death of Robert Mapplethorpe in 1989, a group of scholars put together a retrospective exhibition of his life’s work with the help of a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. The subject matter, namely those in Mapplethorpe’s X and Z portfolios that included male nudes and depictions of sadomasochism, caused major controversy across the country. The presentation will cover Helms Amendment of 1990 and the obscenity trial that took place in Cincinnati in 1990 with a specific focus on the lasting impacts that these events have had on the NEA and the art world.

Adding Fuel To The Fire: Sexual Harassment And Male Chauvinism On Tinder, Sarah E. Irby

Student Scholar Showcase

Abstract

Since its inception in 2012, the dating app Tinder has become notorious for its hookup culture. It has also garnered much attention for instances of sexual harassment and inappropriate male behavior toward women, with the rise of Instagram pages that exploit this behavior. With an increasing number of people using this platform to meet potential partners, it is important to understand why people communicate in the ways they do. This paper explores patterns among male interactions with women on Tinder in regard to sexual harassment and male chauvinism. To conduct this study, I examined screenshots of Tinder conversations that …

Emergence Of Zoos In The U.S. And A Search For The Exotic, Austin M. Hutchinson

Student Scholar Showcase

The emergence of zoos in twentieth century America had many factors that contributed to their mission, success, and overall exotic nature. Zoos have been a part of human civilization for centuries, but it would not be until 1876 when the first zoo would appear in the United States. Individuals craved excitement and the use of exotic animals from all over the world became an important component of what zoos would become. This era coincides with the European colonization of Sub-Saharan Africa, known as the Scramble for Africa. Animals were brought from the so-called “Dark Continent” to be put on display, …

Examining Manganese Oxidation In Bacteria Through Bioinformatics And Environmental Sampling, T'Onna Collins

Student Scholar Showcase

The study’s focus is the manganese oxidation mechanism. This mechanism is crucial, especially in bacteria, because manganese is very active and is abundant in most of these organisms’ environments.Pseudomonas putida is the positive control that will be used to compare the DNA and amino sequences of specific genes in other organisms to see similarity and conservation of the mechanism. The top five organisms that is not part of the Pseudomonas genus and are similar to P. putida in each specific loci of the genes for manganese oxidation were found by a microbial database. These organisms were sequenced and aligned to …