Digital Commons Network^™

Managing The Sleeping Germ: An Experiential Narrative Of The Implications That Political Decisions Had On Exacerbating The Hiv/Aids Epidemic In South Africa, Audra Gill

Honors Projects

The HIV/AIDS epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa has been a public health crisis for decades, accounting for well over two-thirds of all HIV cases worldwide. About 13.4% of South Africa’s general population is living with HIV/AIDS, driving the purpose of this project to investigate why a country regarded by the United Nations as having a mid-to-high economic status is struggling with an issue that is widely referred to as a socio-economic crisis. Funded by the Hoskins Global Scholars program and BGSU Honors College, this project served as an experiential learning opportunity with Child Family Health International, a global partner of the …

Bridging The Generation Gap In The Lgbt+ Community Through Advocacy, Melanie Moore

Honors Projects

HEALTH is a program designed to meet the needs of LGBT+ older adults by connecting them with volunteers of LGBT+ nonprofit organizations. Through HEALTH, LGBT+ youth and older adults can form connections that can extend beyond the structure of the program. By connecting younger volunteers with older adults, HEALTH can help grow the social capital of the LGBT+ community. Fostering friendly relationships between people of all ages can influence the progress of LGBT+ rights moving forward by combining the experience of the elders with the technological and social capabilities of the youth.

A Quantitative Approach And A Qualitative Approach Towards Intersectionality Among Individuals With Lgbtq+ Identities, Viet (Mason) Trinh

Honors Projects

This is a two-parted project that integrates a quantitative approach and a qualitative approach toward the concept of intersectionality. Research about intersectionality has shown the advantages and disadvantages of both approaches. Therefore, I decided to explore the concept using both approaches. The quantitative section of this project investigates the relationship between victimization experiences due to race/ ethnicity and/ or LGBTQ+ identities and emotional well-being. The sample for this section consisted of college students from all states in the United States who identified as LGBTQ+ and were between 18 and 24 years old. The qualitative section examines salient identities, identity gaps, …

Trust, Political Participation, And Poverty: The Effects Of Poverty On Political Behavior, Melanie Cain

Honors Projects

With the upcoming 2020 election, the right to vote and otherwise participate in politics is as important as ever. In this research, I have examine the relationship between trust in government, political efficacy, participation in politics, and poverty to study why those in low-income households have lower rates of political participation and offer solutions to raise the rate of participation.

Swimming Past The Pandemic: Importance Of Evidence-Based Science, Stephen J. Langendorfer Ph.D.

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

Swimming Past the Pandemic - URL included

The Partial Immersion Aquatic Approach Using Adjustable Weight Bearing To Improve Posture And Sitting Balance Adaptation For Children With Severe Cerebral Palsy, Niv Shelef

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

The innovative ‟Partial Immersion” Aquatic Therapy Approach was developed to enhance balance and posture during sitting adaptation for children with severe cerebral palsy who exhibit deficiency in those skills on land. Stable balance during sitting posture is one of the preconditions for hands function in activities of daily living. Aquatic skills learned during aquatic therapy were then transferred to a land environment. Therapy included the use of a treatment chair that enabled adjustable weight bearing in a series of 30 mm steps. A mixed-methods design employing a multiple case study approach (n=5) including quantitative and qualitative methods investigated the effectiveness …

Linguistics Of Medical Terminology As Applied To Students Of The Medical Field, Megan O'Connell

Honors Projects

In modern times, global connectivity is prioritized especially in the medical field and related professions. A common understanding between professionals in the field is based on a shared language and terminology. As it follows that students of health sciences should be well-versed in the language of their field of study, it is beneficial for them to have an education in Latin and Greek, ancient languages which are the foundation of medical terminology. This research provides an analysis of the relevance of an education in ancient languages to students in healthcare majors. It ultimately illustrates the importance of an education blended …

Lysogeny And Use Of Mycobacteriophage Pita2, Eleanor Behling, Neocles B. Leontis, Jill Zeilstra-Ryalls

Honors Projects

The CDC has classified antibiotic resistance as the biggest health challenge of our era; every year 2 million lives are impacted and even lost due to resistant bacteria. Bacteriophages provide an alternative route to fighting infections that does not further the development of antibiotic resistance among bacterial species. A bacteriophage replicates inside a bacterial cell and then causes that cell to lyse, an event that kills the bacterial host. However, some phage can integrate their genomes into the host chromosome without causing lysis. The HHMI SEA-PHAGES program has generated a collection of bacteriophage that infect Actinobacteria species. Over 13,000 phages …

A High School Curriculum That Will Help Prepare Students For A Life Outside Of Academics, Kaitlyn Witt

Honors Projects

Current high school curriculums are detailed to push students towards a college education. However, the curriculum does not prepare students for a life outside of academics. After creating a survey, the results showed that individuals that have completed their high school education do not feel prepared to enter the adult world. The individuals that took the survey responded that they did not feel comfortable managing their finances or cooking a meal on their own. In order to help prepare students for a life outside of the education, individuals in charge of creating a curriculum need to make revisions. After conducting …

Food Insecurity And Socially Responsible For-Profit Entities, Maison Dewalt

Honors Projects

This paper explores the viability of a for-profit entity being dedicated to addressing food insecurity. Through examination of challenges associated with food insecurity, as well as through review of current, effective for-profit food distributors in the U.S. food system, this paper identifies the need for an alternative approach to resolving food insecurity. The paper posits that such an approach may exist through business model integration in establishing a new, socially responsible for-profit entity.

The Shape Of Trafficking, Abigail Shifley

Honors Projects

“Much of the popular writing on human trafficking has been anecdotal or sensationalistic, and most scholarly publications are either general overviews of the problem or critiques of the literature” (Weitzer 2014).

A 2017 report estimated 24.9 million people were victims of human trafficking globally. Of those 24.9 million, 71% are women and girls and 25% are under the age of 18. Research on human trafficking is limited, and training is lacking within organizations essential to the fight against human trafficking. Additionally, members of the public are typically ignorant of the true nature of human trafficking, which is multifaceted and much …

An Analysis Of Informational Content In A Descriptive Narrative Task Completed By People With Aphasia, Anna Marie Sulminski, Brent Archer, Jay Jones

Honors Projects

Speech and language are important tools used for communication. Communication techniques such as narrative story telling skills can be used to build relationships. People with aphasia may lack these effective communication skills. This study provides a close-up interpretation of people with aphasia telling the story of Cinderella. Two different approaches were used to analyze the elements of the participant’s stories. By using these approaches during speech therapy, Speech-Language Pathologists can help people with aphasia to build a more concise and thorough story.

Manual Dexterity: New Perspectives On Dentistry, Andrew Hibinger

Honors Projects

Having good hand-dexterity and hand-eye coordination are essential skills found in dentistry. Through the exploration of jewelry and metal making processes, a vast number of similarities can be tied to the metal casting process and dental practices used daily in nearly all offices. With a focus on effort and time devoted to the repeated processes of creation and finishing tooth shaped metal rings, an understanding of this relationship can be further understood. First shaped from wax, then casted with silver metal, realistic tooth shaped rings can be created with a correlation to improved manual dexterity. Psychomotor skills are associated to …

Swim Instruction For Individuals With Developmental Coordination Disorder, Susan J. Grosse

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

Almost every swim teacher has encountered an individual who had difficulty learning to swim, whose movements appeared dissimilar from peers, or who needed to repeat swim course instructional levels many times. That individual might have had difficulty with sport activities, handwriting, and been clumsy in gross and fine motor tasks. Difficulty with coordination and control of movement may suggest a diagnosis of developmental coordination disorder (DCD). Individuals experiencing DCD may feel left out, inadequate, unhappy, frustrated, and embarrassed by his or her ineptness. These feelings may result in an individual withdrawing or refusing to join in and participate in physical …

Staff Training In Aquatics For Individuals With Disabilities: The Quest, Susan J. Grosse

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

Trained instructors in general programs have the ability and resources to initiate and follow through with developing water safe individuals who are capable swimmers. Specific staff training to prepare individuals to facilitate aquatic participation for individuals with disabilities is currently extremely limited. The purpose of this article is to examine the barriers to specialized staff training in aquatics for individuals with disabilities, to suggest necessary staff training content, and to propose topics for further research in the area of staff training. Seeking development of quality staff training programs for those working in aquatics for individuals with disabilities is the quest.

Finding A Common Thread, Jacqueline Parkins

Master of Arts in English Plan II Graduate Projects

This portfolio investigates how the author’s personality type influences her teaching and reveals a common thread amongst four written pieces. Two of the projects are research-based; BookTubing as a form of reader response theory is explored, while abuse in Sharp Objects is analyzed. The other two papers are teaching-based; the author describes how she uses The Five People You Meet in Heaven in her classroom, and select texts from Poe are incorporated using psychoanalytic criticism.

Gender, Race, And Class In Various Aspects Of American Literature: A Portfolio, Harry Olafsen

Master of Arts in English Plan II Graduate Projects

In this portfolio, Harry Olafsen takes a closer look at various texts in American Literature, including women in 1960s country music, Us directed by Jordan Peele, and southern women's diaries from the Civil War.

Ma Final Portfolio, Jessica Puder

Master of Arts in English Plan II Graduate Projects

This portfolio features a revised syllabus for an online writing course, job application packet, and two researched papers.

It’S Time To Talk About Sexual Health Education: The Process Behind The Youtube Web Show The Confessions Of A Sex-Ed Teacher, Ashley Hendricks

Master of Arts in Media and Communication Plan II Graduate Projects

There are many topics of discussion that are considered controversial when taught in school systems. One of the most common topics is sexual health education and the material being distributed from teachers to students in a classroom setting. Although there is plenty of research that defines sexual health education as a benefit and positive outcome for lowering sexually transmitted infections and unintended teenage pregnancy, there is still concern about topics regarding sexual activity to adolescents in middle school and high school. One of the best ways to approach a sensitive and controversial topic in academic research is by applying creative …

Icebreakers And Anxiety, Sara Jurkiewicz

WRIT: Journal of First-Year Writing

This project is based on a personal experience of feeling anxious during icebreakers. It is also incorporated the idea of shyness and sociability and related these to anxiety in general and during icebreakers. A survey was created with questions based on a previous survey, common symptoms of anxiety, and other personal symptoms with anxiety during icebreakers. The survey was distributed among students at one college. The results of the survey were analyze using various functions on a spreadsheet to give each respondent an identity and to organize the data in a fashion suitable for graphs and charts. The result do …

Student Motivation And College Assignments: A Study Of The Relationship Between Academic Confidence And How Projects Are Assigned, Carollynn M. Judge

WRIT: Journal of First-Year Writing

Motivation is a universal internal force that propels people to complete tasks. Without motivation, an individual will not complete a task despite any external reward (Ngyuen, 2008). People contain both extrinsic motivation and intrinsic motivation. Extrinsic motivation is caused by an outside force such as a deadline, while intrinsic motivation is the driving force to expand one’s horizons and increase knowledge on a topic (Singh, 2011). Motivation to complete a task can also be influenced by the goals presented by an educator or authority figure. Performance-based goals assess an individual’s ability to complete a task and align with extrinsic motivation; …

The Criterion Collection, Mackenna Finley

Honors Projects

The Criterion Collection is an examination of truth in fiction and poetry. The goal of this project is not to create truth that is absolute, but instead to allow for the experience of its subjectivity. The interplay between fiction and poetry, reader and author illuminates the subtle warping of truth through human experience.

Wai Puna: An Indigenous Model Of Māori Water Safety And Health In Aotearoa, New Zealand, Chanel Phillips Ph.D.

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

Māori (the indigenous peoples of Aotearoa, New Zealand) are intimately connected to wai (i.e., water) yet are overrepresented in New Zealand’s drowning statistics each year. On average Māori account for 20-24% of all preventable and non-preventable drowning fatalities, despite comprising only 15 percent of New Zealand’s population. Drowning remains a significant issue posing a threat to whānau (i.e., families) through premature death being imminent and whakapapa (i.e., genealogy) being interrupted. There is limited research that has examined Māori and indigenous understandings of water safety within the literature and limited studies that have investigated the issue of Māori drowning from a …

Determining Ideal Swab Type For Collection Of The Microbiome For Forensic Identification Purposes, Natalie M. Wise

Honors Projects

In recent years, forensic scientists have begun looking at the microbiome as a new possible human identification method. The microbiome is made up of all the microorganisms living on or in the human body.¹ It is believed that it may be possible to use the microbiome as a unique identifier, to link cohabitating individuals, or even to connect a person with a specific location. In order to study the microbiome, we must first be able to successfully collect it, and then, release it from that collection tool for examination. This may sound simple, but this area of research is …

The Effect Of Mozart’S Music On Test Anxiety, Emma Blevins

Honors Projects

Test anxiety is a multitude of negative responses to evaluation, which can have an adverse effect on student performance on examinations and student health. Research has found that listening to slow or classical music can help reduce student test anxiety by improving spatial-temporal reasoning, improving student focus, and reducing the physiological effects of anxiety. In my classroom, listening to Mozart’s music was shown to have a positive effect on students’ emotional well-being. However, the students in my classroom did not have a significant change in performance on mathematics exams when listening to Mozart’s music.

Training Evaluation For Introductory Ocean Lifeguard Instruction: A Practical Example From California, William A. Koon, Ryan M. Gates, Jack Futoran

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

Ocean lifeguards have several responsibilities that require precise training. California State Parks is one of the largest providers of open water lifeguard services in the United States, and trains approximately 200 new lifeguards per year. As part of our lifeguard training section’s quality improvement efforts, we conducted a training needs assessment to help determine how well our introductory ocean lifeguard training curriculum prepared lifeguards to perform job related tasks upon successful completion of the training program. We surveyed both first year and seasoned lead lifeguards on operational needs, training gaps, and specific subject areas. We identified several areas where our …

Drowning Of Pet Owners During Attempted Animal Rescues: The Avir-A Syndrome, John Pearn, Amy E. Peden, Richard Charles Franklin

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

The rescuer who drowns can result from the attempted rescue of a human or an animal. We report here a total population analysis of all drowning fatalities for the 14-year period 1–July-2002 to 30-June-2016 which involved an attempted rescue of an animal. Cases were drawn from the Royal Life Saving National Fatal Drowning Database, which in turn, derived its data primarily from the National Coronial Information System (NCIS). Eight people drowned, all adults (ranging in age from 19-74 years), in the attempted rescue of an animal. Seven of the animals were domestic pet dogs, and in two cases farm animals. …

Board Of Trustees Meeting Minutes 2020-04-17, Bowling Green State University

Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes

The official meeting minutes of Bowling Green State University's Board of Trustees.

Editorial Introducing The Special Issue For Diversity In Aquatics, Angela Beale-Tawfeeq, Austin R. Anderson, Steven N. Waller

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

Introduction to Special Issue - no abstract available

How About Leisurerising The Retail Experience, Jack Samuels

Visions in Leisure and Business

This article tries to characterize the fluid retail/merchandising environments that are becoming increasingly complex and driven often by not just material needs for products but also by experiences. The marketing of products and services often is not even fully related to the attributes of the entities being sold.