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University Honors Program Newsletter, Honors College, Georgia Southern University

Honors College: News & Publications (2008-2020)

• Congratulations Spring Graduates!
• A Clear Path on Cumberland Island
• A Coney Island of the Mind
• Lacey Dennis Wins Leadership Award

University Honors Program News, Georgia Southern University

Honors College: News & Publications (2008-2020)

• From Classroom to Conference
• Head-Scratching Research

Dagum-Poisson Distribution: Model, Properties And Application, Broderick O. Oluyede, Galelhakanelwe Motsewabagale, Shujiao Huang, Gayan Warahena-Liyanage, Marvis Pararai

Mathematical Sciences: Faculty Publications

A new four parameter distribution called the Dagum-Poisson (DP) distribution is introduced and studied. This distribution is obtained by compounding Dagum and Poisson distributions. The structural properties of the new distribution are discussed, including explicit algebraic formulas for its survival and hazard functions, quantile function, moments, moment generating function, conditional moments, mean and median deviations, Bonferroni and Lorenz curves, distribution of order statistics and R\'enyi entropy. Method of maximum likelihood is used for estimating the model parameters. A Monte Carlo simulation study is conducted to examine the bias, mean square error of the maximum likelihood estimators and width of the …

Teaching For Higher Levels Of Thinking: Developing Quantitative And Analytical Skills In Environmental Science Courses, Adriana Bravo, Ana Porzecanski, Eleanor Sterling, Nora Bynum, J. Michelle Cawthorn, Denny S. Fernandez Del Viso, Laurie Freeman, Stuart Ketcham, Timothy Leslie, John Mull, Donna Vogler

Biology: Faculty Publications

Professionals with strong quantitative and analytical skills are essential to understanding and responding to current environmental challenges. The goal of this study was to promote and evaluate the development of data analysis (DA) skills in undergraduate students through targeted interventions in environmental science courses. We developed materials to promote practice, instruction, and assessment of four core DA dimensions: the ability to make appropriate calculations, convert data to graphical representations, interpret graphical or mathematical information, and draw conclusions based on the analysis of data. We integrated two conservation exercises as pre/post assessment tools, flanking differentiated teaching interventions, into selected science courses …

2016 Armstrong Students Scholars Symposium Program, Armstrong State University

Armstrong Student Scholars Symposium (Archive)

2016 Armstrong Students Scholars Symposium Program

Perceptions Of Adults With Intellectual Disabilities On Experiences At A Weeklong Camp, Erica P. Teilhaber

Honors College Theses

This study was conducted to attempt to understand the perceptions of a weeklong camp experience for adults with Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities. A survey was administered to campers from two of the three locations, asking questions pertaining to their time spent at camp. Specifically researchers asked questions related to the conceptual, social, and practical domains. Additionally, researchers sent a follow up survey to make sure the data they summarized was correct. Results showed positive feedback, and convey the participants perceived improvements in aspects related to the conceptual, social, and practical domains.

Drawing Numbers And Listening To Patterns, Loren Zo Haynes

Honors College Theses

The triangular numbers is a series of number that add the natural numbers. Parabolic shapes emerge when this series is placed on a lattice, or imposed with a limited number of columns that causes the sequence to continue on the next row when it has reached the kth column. We examine these patterns and construct proofs that explain their behavior. We build off of this to see what happens to the patterns when there is not a limited number of columns, and we formulate the graphs as musical patterns on a staff, using each column as a line or space …

The George-Anne, Georgia Southern University

The George-Anne

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Faculty Senate Bill Fsb-2016-04-18-01: University Curriculum Committee, Armstrong State University

Armstrong Faculty Senate: Bills, Motions & Resolutions (Archived)

Faculty Senate Bill FSB-2016-04-18-01: University Curriculum Committee

My News

My News (2014-2020)

• Georgia Southern has a new electric vehicle charging station
• ICPS awards graduate research assistantships
• Martha Abell, Ph.D., wins award from MAA
• Army ROTC hosts 2016 Freedom 5K/10K this Saturday
• University’s Model UN delegation continues 45­year run of excellence

April 18, 2016 Armstrong Faculty Senate Minutes, Armstrong State University

Armstrong Faculty Senate: Minutes (Archived)

April 18, 2016 Armstrong Faculty Senate Minutes

Time Travel: Scientists And Their Contributions Towards The Discoveries Of The Atom And Atomic Properties, Austin Wright

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

The discovery of the atom and its associated components and properties paved the way for laying the foundation of chemistry related knowledge. However, the historical discoveries of each individual component are often forgotten or ignored due to the students‰Ûª innate belief of it ‰Û÷being difficult‰Ûª to remember such specific information. To assist students with grasping the properties of the atom and its components, a timeline-assisted chronology of atomic discoveries was created. Our objective is to present the scientists, with their individual contributions to atomic theory, along with the year it was discovered in an interactive manner. Using this timeline, students …

Inhalable Exposure Levels Of Airborne Mold Spores In Rural Georgia Homes, Jacquelyn Lewis, Alli Mcinerney, Errol Spence, Bushra Shah, Atin Adhikari

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

Exposure to mold is known to cause allergic symptoms. Most molds produce highly allergenic proteins or glycoproteins that can cause hypersensitivity diseases in susceptible hosts. Between 10% and 60% of genetically susceptible persons develop immediate hypersensitivity to mold. The Institute of Medicine report on Damp Indoor Spaces and Health states that there is sufficient evidence to conclude that a causal relationship exists between the presence of mold and upper respiratory tract symptoms, cough, hypersensitivity pneumonitis in susceptible persons, wheeze, and asthma symptoms in sensitized asthmatic persons. To our knowledge, no research has been conducted in rural Georgia to test the …

21st Century Reasoning Modalities In Interdisciplinary Stem Education, Bryan Gallant

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

The overarching goal of the Institute for Interdisciplinary STEM Education (iå_STEMe) at Georgia Southern University is to improve student engagement and learning outcomes in STEM courses through immersion in authentic, real-world, problem-based and place-based educational settings. To accomplish this goal, iå_STEMe has partnered with 10 middle and high schools located in Georgia to incorporate a series of reasoning modalities developed to meet the requirements of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) to develop STEM literate citizens capable of making informed decisions, and to open up opportunities to fill the growing need for STEM professionals. The reasoning modalities developed are Complex …

The Implications Of Shared Sanitation Facilities On The Transmission Of Diarrheal Pathogens Transmitted Via Environmental And Person-To-Person Routes: A Modeling Study, Matthew R. Just

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

In many low and lower-middle income countries, access to sanitation is limited for many individuals. Open defecation contaminates the environment and facilitates the transmission of diarrheal pathogens that are transmitted via the environment. The provision of sanitation facilities that are shared by many individuals, such as shared latrines in slums, are considered by many public health officials as the only short-term solution to this problem, especially in urban slums in Asia and Africa. However, epidemiological evidences have shown that shared sanitation may actually increase the prevalence of diarrheal diseases. One hypothesis that may explain this phenomenon is that many different …

Detection Of Acinetobacter Baumanniiin Human Lice, Shamta Warang

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

Background: Pediculus humanus humanus and Pediculus humanus capitis are bloodsucking human ectoparasites. Human body lice have been long known to vector several human pathogens, including Rickettsia prowazekii, Bartonella quintana, and Borrelia recurrentis. In contrast, human head lice are not typically associated with carriage of any pathogens, despite sporadic findings of B. quintana and Acinetobacter baumannii in lice collected from homeless people and children in different parts of the world. The purpose of this project is to assess the prevalence of A. baumannii in human head lice collected from school children from Georgia, USA. Methodology and Data: DNA of A. baumannii …

Investigating The Role Of Itga6 In Tumor Development, Shauntell Luke

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

Cancer research is a large topic in science, because over 14 million people are diagnosed worldwide, and of those, 8 million will die annually. Traditional therapies are the mainstays of treatment strategies, but a cure less invasive or with less side effects have not yet been identified. In order to develop a better cure, we need to understand the tumor and molecules present in its tissues. Integrins, cell surface proteins that aid in cell communication, have been found in the tumor tissues of several types of cancers, including prostate and neuroblastomas. Integrin alpha-6 (ITGA6), in particular, has been found to …

Developing Molecular Tools For Diagnosis Of Human Ehrlichiosis, Megan Mears

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

Background: Ehrlichia chaffeensis, E. ewingii, E. muris and E. canis are known to cause febrile illnesses in humans and dogs. These pathogens are transmitted by ticks, and infection is established following invasion of the human or dog white blood cells. Ehrlichia chaffeensis infections of humans have a fatality rate up to 5%. Ehrlichia ewingii displays antigenic cross-reactivity with E. chaffeensis; however, laboratory case confirmation is difficult because E. ewingii is not cultivable so antigens and genetic data are hard to acquire. Our project will develop approaches and tools to characterize E. ewingii surface protein gene homologous to the major 120 …

Airborne Bacterial Exposure At Workers' Breathing Height In An Organic Farm Of Rural Georgia, Tedd Gandy, Nabanita Mukherjee, Bushra Shah, Subhrajit K. Saha, Pratik Banerjee, Atin Adhikari

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

Organic farming has potentials to contribute substantially to future sustainable agricultural production by improving soil quality, pest control, and reduction of adverse environmental impacts in rural agricultural communities. On the other hand, application of natural farmyard manure may increase the microbial biomass in this environment and consequently microbial exposure levels among workers could be increased. To explore this possibility of excess exposure, particularly to airborne bacteria, we conducted air sampling at the vicinity of poultry and dairy sections of a large organic farm in a rural Georgia location. For air sampling, a Biostage viable cascade impactor was utilized, which comprises …

Effect Of Natural Products On Overall Microbial Activity In Household Items, Teyaijah Givens, Nosa Lloyd Nwaonumah, Brittany Loadholt, Bushra Shah, Atin Adhikari

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

Indoor contamination from microorganisms is an important health hazard issue (e.g., respiratory allergy, infections, and food contamination). Particularly, growth of molds and bacteria in damp environmental conditions could be hazardous for the occupants susceptible to microbial allergens. The growing awareness concerning the adverse effects of chlorine bleach and cleaning chemicals calls for field-testing new natural ingredients with functional properties against microorganisms. Essential oils possess a wide spectrum of antimicrobial activity, which may be of great importance for controlling indoor microbial exposure. The objective of this study was to investigate how microbial growth in different surfaces of homes reacted to the …

Microwave Assisted Synthesis Of Tri-Substituted Pyridazine Exploration, Austin Wright

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

Pyridazines are nitrogen-containing compounds that have been found to show a number of pharmaceutical applications. They exhibit antimicrobial, antifungal, and antibacterial properties to name a few. In particular: 3,4,6-triphenylpyridazine derivatives are known to possess anticancer properties. The purpose of this project is to synthesize tri-substituted pyridazine derivatives using microwave-assisted reactions, and to check its biological applications. Microwave synthesis will help shorten reaction times and produce high, efficient yields. Various catalysts, bases, reaction times, and temperatures will be explored to study the scope of the reactions.

Up-Conversion Emissions Of Er3 Doped Gd2(Wo4)3 Phosphors, Grayson Wiggins

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

Photon up-conversion is a luminescent process which changes incoming low energy light into a higher energy form of light, such as infrared into visible light. This process is very popular and applicable to TV displays, bio-labels, and solar cells. The work to be presented is about erbium's ability to convert infrared laser light in green light by photon up-conversion. The trivalent erbium is doped into gadolinium tungstate in order to research the efficiency and mechanisms involved in the up-conversion process. Although still currently being research, it has already shown promising results including low photon energies, economic synthesis, and naked-eye up-conversion, …

Effects Of Rapid Ph And Salinity Change On The Physiology Of A Local Estuarine Fish Species, Fundulus Heteroclitus, Shauna Tietze

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

Coastal Georgia offers a wide variety of unique aquatic environments, one of the most variable of these environments are salt marshes. Sapelo Island, Georgia, is a pristine environment that is home to many variable salt marshes. Throughout marshes, salinity ranges from freshwater to full strength sea water and acidity levels range from neutral (pH 7) to low pH (pH < 4.5). Fundulus heteroclitus (Atlantic killifish) is an example of an organism that has evolved coping strategies to withstand such a variable environment. Many laboratory studies have shown that F. heteroclitus exhibit a broad tolerance range of single stressors, however few have studied their ability to handle multiple stressors simultaneously. Our goal is to determine if exposure to low salinity and low pH combined is more stressful to F. heteroclitus than individual exposure to low salinity or low pH. To address this area of interest a laboratory experiment was designed. F. heteroclitus were captured from a site with neutral pH (6.8) and mid-range salinity (16 ppt) and held in the laboratory for one month at the same water conditions. The water conditions of the capture site represents similar conditions to where the fish were most commonly found on the island. Fish were then placed in tanks with four different water treatments; low salinity, low pH, low salinity and low pH combined, and a control and held at these conditions for one week. Six fish were sampled from each treatment group at 24 hours, 5 days, and 7 days post transfer. During sampling fish were euthanized, the gills were taken for gene expression analysis and the rest of the body was used for cortisol analysis. Changes in the mRNA expression levels of Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator and Na /K -ATPase were compared between treatments using qRT-PCR analysis. These genes have been shown to play an important role in ion regulation in the gills by altering cell volume and ion movement in the sodium/potassium pump. Cortisol was also analyzed using an ELISA kit (Neogen) as a general stress response measure. I hypothesize that results from gene expression and cortisol analysis will show that F. heteroclitus challenged with low salinity and low pH combined experience a higher level of stress compared to fish challenged with only low salinity or low pH, exhibited by an increase in cortisol levels and increased expression of genes responsible for ion balance The information gained from this project will provide a better understanding of the stress this species exhibits due to rapid pH and salinity change. As well as, whether fish can rapidly adapt to changing conditions. Given the ubiquity of the common killifish and its importance in estuarine food webs, these data may provide insight into how we can manage and maintain diverse fish populations and support ecosystem functioning.

Intramolecular Cross-Linking Of Beta Subunits And Pegylation Of Bovine Stroma Free Hemoglobin For Use As A Hemoglobin Based Oxygen Carrier, Gil Salazar

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

Purified Bovine Stroma-Free Hemoglobin's (BSFHb) two beta subunits where intramolecularly cross-linked (BXLHb) using bis(3,5-dibromosalicyl) fumarate (DBBF) and further modified with Polyethylene glycol (BPEGXLHb) for possible use as a Hemoglobin Based Oxygen Carrier (HBOC). Each stage of modification was characterized by size exclusion chromatography and fluorescence methods. We prepared several different molar ratios of DBBF and BSFHb to acquire the highest yield of BXLHb. Cross-linking of the beta subunits will stabilize the whole Hb tetramer from dissociation and prevent unwanted degradation of the HBOC. We prepared a sample modified with PEG (PEGylation) that had a molecular weight of 5kDa. PEGylation increases …

Inhibitory Effects Of Vinegar And Plant Essential Oils Against Airborne Molds Collected Near A Dairy Farm, Nosa Lloyd Nwaonumah, Tedd Gandy, Teyaijah Givens, Atin Adhikari

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

Mold growths are common in damp areas of a dairy farm and airborne mold spores and mold toxins could be hazardous for workers and animals. Mold growth often returns after remediation. The cleaning of molds in these situations by farm owners requires some mold cleaners such as bleach or other chemical solutions. However, researchers are now concerned about adverse side effects of these chemical solutions and their use in an organic farm is not desirable. Plant based products such as grape fruit seed extracts and tea tree oil have demonstrated promising effect against growth of mold pure cultures in our …

Microbial Activity And Airborne Culturable Microbial Concentrations In South Georgia Homes, Alli Mcinerney, Jacquelyn Lewis, Errol Spence, Bushra Shah, Atin Adhikari

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

Indoor microorganisms and microbial allergens can lead to harmful respiratory effects in the human body such as allergies, asthma, chronic bronchitis, infections, and even contamination of food stuffs. This study was conducted in order to test the indoor microbial pollutants in local Statesboro homes, and relate the findings to respiratory disease symptoms of occupants. Thus far, samples have been collected and data analyzed for 15 homes. This specific part of the study focuses on the amount of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in homes. ATP is a source of energy produced through glucose metabolism and the citric acid cycle. ATP levels can …

Effect Of Natural Products Against Growth Of Three Allergenic And Toxigenic Molds, Brittany Loadholt, Teyaijah Givens, Nosa Lloyd Nwaonumah, Bushra Shah, Atin Adhikari

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

Dampness and fungal exposures in buildings are widespread, with estimates ranging from 18% to 50% of buildings being affected. Of the 21.8 million people reported to have asthma in the USA, approximately 4.6 million cases are attributable to dampness and mold exposure in the home. Consequent national annual cost of asthma is about $3.5 billion. Several fungal genera from damp environments were reported to be associated with allergy and/or asthma and some species can release mycotoxins in the environment. Although there are several mold inhibitor or disinfectant solutions and sprays available in the market for cleaning and inhibiting mold growth, …

Ebola And Social Media, Kathryn C. Finch

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

We were interested in knowing the impact of social media during the 2014-2015 West Africa Ebola epidemic. The aim of this systematic review is to provide clinicians, public health practitioners and policy-makers with a comprehensive overview of the up-to-date literature on Ebola and social media. We critically appraised the quality and utility of these studies, and identified the gaps in our current understanding that invite further research efforts. In particular, we focused on the research questions and the methods of the studies: a) What were the research questions of a given study? b) What study design and research methods were …

Bacteriophage As An Alternative Indicator For Microbiological Pollution At Marine Beaches, Javier Gallard

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

Beaches contaminated by waterborne pathogens cause a variety of diseases. Studies show enterococci, a common fecal indicator bacteria, are not associated with emerging pathogens and bacteriophages could be better indicators for waterborne pathogens. This study examines the occurrence of two bacteriophages and their relation with enterococci in a marine beach known for high levels of pollution.

Monthly samples were collected from four sites at Saint Andrews and Clam Creek Beach on Jekyll Island. Tidal influences were investigated by collecting samples at 7 a.m., 12 p.m., 3 p.m., and 7 p.m. Temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, and pH were also collected. US …

Streamlining The Johnson-Neyman Technique For Two-Way Interactions, Stephen W. Carden

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

When trying to determine the effect of one variable upon another, it is often the case that the strength of the effect depends on a third variable. For example, it is well known that alcohol has an effect on reaction time, but the size of that effect depends greatly on the body mass of the individual. These types of situations are the subject of moderation analysis, also known as interaction analysis. One of the techniques for studying these interactions is the Johnson-Neyman technique. While the statistical concepts are fairly simple, the computations are tedious and involved, and most software packages …