Digital Commons Network^™

Video Homework: Visualizing Homework Assignments To Help Comprehension, Jorge Ramon Fonseca Cacho

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

Multimodal delivery of information has been shown to be preferred to one mode of delivery. Instead of only providing homework assignments to students as a PDF, printed paper, or a Canvas LMS text prompt, we propose augmenting the assignments with a video explaining it verbally, or conversationally, and visualizing the assignment. Not all students process information the same way and some may be more responsive and engaged to audio visual content than just text such as visual learners or individuals who struggle reading long text prompts.

Career Handbook, Unlv Career Services

Career Handbook

The job search can be daunting and intimidating, but you are not alone in this journey. As you move into the next stage of your professional career, we want you to know that you have the support of UNLV Career Services, the UNLV Alumni Association, and employers who are part of our Rebel Family. We are here to mentor, guide, and walk you through the job search process, and we are invested in your future.

The road to career success is not always as easy as we might hope. You may encounter setbacks and struggles throughout the next few years, …

Is It For Me? Alienation, Assimilation, And Ambition In Academia, Niki Fullmer, Brittany Paloma Fiedler

Library Faculty Research

Even though colleges and universities across the United States are implementing strategies to market their commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, students of color, specifically Latinx students, are graduating at a lesser rate than the national average (National Center for Education Statistics, 2019). In the academic librarian profession, only 6% of librarians are Latinx while 71% are white (Sweeney & Schonfeld, 2017). Academia and libraries are historically white, and this fact was recognized by many of the Latinx students who participated in a study conducted at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI), in the spring …

Age Diversity In The Hospitality Workplace, Cass Shum, Ankita Ghosh, Yunxuan (Carrie) Zhang, Yuang-Sheng (Ken) Chiu

Hospitality Faculty Research

Because of the large number of available positions with low-skill requirements and delay of retirement age, the current hospitality workforce is at the peak of age and generational diversity. The current hospitality industry employs employees from four generations, including Baby Boomers, Generation X, Generation Y, and Generation Z. After briefly explaining the difference between age and generation, we first describe generational values and characteristics in this chapter. Next, we critically evaluate the benefits and disadvantages of having age-diverse teams. Finally, we focus on the talent management and leadership needed to manage employees from different generations.

One Last Month, Or Clancy's Time-Box, Safiyya Bintali

Calvert Undergraduate Research Awards

One Last Month is a young adult (YA) novella of roughly forty-three thousand words aimed at readers in middle school and in early high school grades. Structurally, it is an “ensemble Bildungsroman”, wherein all the main characters—rather than just one—embark on journeys of emotional growth and are given significant plot focus. Through the characters, One Last Month focuses on the importance and influence of non-romantic love, specifically through homosocial relationships between the novella’s male characters. It also touches on the process of grief beyond the Kübler-Ross structure and, though more subtly, emotional expression in young men. Through one of the …

Municipal Waste In Southern Nevada: Understanding The Obsession With Garbage, Zachary Billot

Calvert Undergraduate Research Awards

This policy brief will analyze the current state of municipal waste, both residential and commercial, in Clark County Nevada. Southern Nevada’s reliance on inexpensive disposal of waste results in lack of support for sustainable investment in waste diversion programs. Clark County lags significantly behind the US in terms of recycling processing due to problems related to collection of materials and limited programs that divert food waste in a city reliant on casinos that dispose tons of food per day. A multifactor approach which includes education, investment in waste diversion, policy change for waste collection and cost, and management of waste …

Ronald Reagan And War Rhetoric In The 20th Century, Allister Dias

Calvert Undergraduate Research Awards

This paper contributes to a deeper understanding about the nature of Cold War-era rhetoric and how President Ronald Reagan was able to utilize it to bring about the end of the Soviet era. To analyze this particular topic, I compared various academic explorations into what rhetoric devices defined the Cold War era and how President Reagan was able to craft a unique way to appeal to the people of both West and East Germany. Additionally, I consulted historians in the field of presidential speech to identify any rhetorical constructs employed through the speech. My research points to a positive correlation …

A Tool For Digital Bibliotherapy: Fostering Emotional Resiliency Through A Visual Novel, Joy Cooper

Calvert Undergraduate Research Awards

Suicide rates among children have risen over the last three years. In Clark County specifically, the numbers doubled between 2019 and 2021. The research for this project sought to find the benefits of bibliotherapy and create a tool to be used for early intervention in children displaying signs of developmental emotional and behavioral concerns. Additionally, the research focused on determining the benefits of bibliotherapy across various mediums with a particular aim on the accessibility of digital formats. The research concluded that bibliotherapy in a digital format is not only beneficial but has a tendency to produce higher engagement among children. …

Richard Owen: A Forgotten Icon, Devan Henriott

Calvert Undergraduate Research Awards

Despite being one of the most famous naturalists of the nineteenth century, Richard Owen is an obscure figure today. This paper delves into how such an influential person to the beginnings of paleontology and biology could have been written out of history. Owen worked his way into the world of comparative anatomy by finding work at the Hunterian Museum. From there, Owen earned respect for his exciting lectures on fossil discoveries and for his research interpreting fossils and reconstructing extinct species. Owen utilized his renown to spread his theories on the creations of species, but mostly kept his evolutionary ideas …

From Crescent City To Sin City: African American Neighborhood Transportation Redlining Via Government Highway Projects, Drue Sahuc, Christie D. Batson

Graduate & Professional Student Association Research Forum

My concept of “transportation redlining” will be discussed to describe a form of predatory exclusion applied to African American communities to contain and alienate individuals along racial lines using eminent domain creating generational physical barriers to upward mobility for residents while decimating existing community cohesion.

The Registration Continuum In Personality Disorder Studies: Theory, Rationale, And Template, Stephen D. Benning, Edward A. Smith

Psychology Faculty Research

Registration is a tool to increase the rigor of personality disorder research and its ability to reduce human suffering through improving people's lives. This article details the problems that exist without registrations, which revolve around a study's outcomes' dependence on the data rather than on the theory being tested. Registrations exist on a continuum underpinned by bipolar timing and unipolar disclosure dimensions, the latter of which poses myriad points of decisions for researchers to register. The registration process provides memory aids and guideposts for researchers through the course of a study, transparently maintains public trust in the scientific enterprise, and …

Women's Research Institute Of Nevada Newsletter, Women's Research Institute Of Nevada

Newsletters

Director's Message: We began 2023 with our long-anticipated office move. We are now located in the Maryland Administrative Building (MAB1) across Maryland Parkway on Rochelle Avenue. It is a welcome change, with expanded space to adequately meet our staffing needs. Our Veterans' Voices oral history staff members are now able to work together with us in the new office space. We truly feel like a team!

We have also just launched our Barbara Agonia Empowerment Scholarship, recently renamed in honor of our first Community Advisory Board chair. Barbara served with determination and grace during the early years of WRIN's existence. …

Implementation Levels Of Electronic Health Records And Their Influence On Quality And Safety, Soumya Upadhyay

Healthcare Administration and Policy Faculty Research

Improvement in quality and patient safety outcomes have been at the forefront of the United States healthcare system. Policies advocate for implementing different electronic health records (EHR) levels to support this effort. Several studies have demonstrated mixed results on the impact of EHR on quality and safety outcomes. Our study delves deeper into gaining an understanding of this influence on hospitals that have adopted various levels of EHR, especially intermediate and comprehensive. Using a longitudinal study design for general acute care hospitals within the U.S., we examine the relationship between intermediate and comprehensive EHR on quality (readmission rates for pneumonia …

Virtual Learning: The Mentorship Model, Gabriela Zuniga

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

Students who serve as teaching assistants play a critical role in students' university experience. This reality is hightened in enry-level courses targeted to first year students. It is important that these teaching assistants play an active role in these transitionary students' university career to increase students' self-sufficiency. The mentorship model is a framework in which teaching assistants for a course targeted to first-year students create community by meeting with students, tracking their progress, and introducing them to nuances about higher education that they might have otherwise been unfamiliar with. The outcomes addressed in this research comes from a diverse student …

Auto-Grading For In-Class Flipped Classroom Exercises, Ed Jorgensen

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

For technical courses like computer programming, in-class inverted classroom style, low stakes practice exercises have been shown to help student increase skills and build confidence with the material. One of the key challenges for the use of such in-class exercises is the overhead associated with scoring and returning such materials or worksheets which can be a significant burden particularly for larger classes. When such exercises can be converted to multi-choice, an automated scoring system can be used. Conceptually similar to Scantron, the system uses standard paper and is scanned by standard copy machines.

Making Group Work Work: Constructing Groups And Assignments Based Around Relevant Assessments To Increase Student Success, James Altman

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

Helping college students get the most out of their talents, is challenging even without the ongoing uncertainty of the post-Pandemic landscape. Shyness, lack of comfort with the subject matter, and fear of having their ideas dismissed, can all keep students from expressing their ideas as fully as they, and we, would like. This can lead to non-completion or plagiarism of assignments. In group settings, it can lead to one student “taking over” the project, or the rest of the group “pushing it off” on one member. Constructing groups and/or assignments based around relevant assessments, namely Myers-Briggs and “The Six Working …

Factors Associated With Improved Outcome Of Inhaled Corticosteroid Use In Covid-19: A Single Institutional Study, A. Manfra, Claire Chen, Kavita Batra, Kyaw Min Tun, Mutsumi Kioka

Department of Internal Medicine Faculty Research

Asthmatics seem less prone to adverse outcomes in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and some data shows that inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) are protective. We gathered data on anecdotal ICS and outcomes of patients hospitalized with COVID-19, given there is literature supporting ICS may reduce risk of severe infection. In addition, we fill gaps in current literature evaluating Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) as a risk assessment tool for COVID-19. This was a single-center, retrospective study designed and conducted to identify factors associated intubation and inpatient mortality. A multivariate logistic regression model was fit to generate adjusted odds ratios (OR). Intubation was associated …

Manufactured Homes In Nevada Counties, Joshua Padilla, Annie Vong, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Housing & Real Estate

This fact sheet presents data on the share of manufactured homes in each of Nevada’s 17 counties, as reported in the June 2022 The Daily Yonder article, “With Housing Shortage Still Ongoing, Manufactured Homes are Gaining Ground,” by Kristi Eaton. The original report includes data made available by the Housing Assistance Council (HAC) for each county in the United States from 2009 and 2018.

Racial And Ethnic Categories: Impact On Medical Subject Headings, Jamia Williams, Aidy Weeks

Library Faculty Presentations

This presentation was part of the OMB Public Listening Sessions on Federal Race and Ethnicity Standards Revision. The presentation addressed the use of racial and ethnic categories and their impact on medical subject headings managed by the National Library of Medicine.

The presentation was on behalf of the Medical Library Association (MLA) comprising more than 400 institutions and 2,500 professional health sciences and medical librarians and a joint collaboration between the Latinx Caucus and the Social Justice and Health Disparities Caucus. Both Weeks and Williams shared information regarding how these medical subject headings impact indexing and searching of biomedical …

Prevalence And Predictors Of Burnout Syndrome Among Italian Psychologists Following The First Wave Of The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study, Pietro Crescenzo, Francesco Chirico, Giuseppe Ferrari, Lukasz Szarpak, Gabriella Nucera, Raffaella Marciano, Livio Tarchi, Diego Denicolo, Assunta Maiorino, Kavita Batra, Manoj Sharma

School of Medicine Faculty Research

Introduction: The main objective of this study was to assess the prevalence and predictors of Burnout Syndrome (BOS) among Italian psychologists following the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic. As a secondary objective, geographical differences in the prevalence of BOS symptoms were investigated across regional macro-areas in this category of workers. Methods: Using a non-probabilistic convenience sample, four-hundred sixty-eight participants responded to an online survey which included psychometric valid questions from the Maslach Burnout Inventory and The Big Five Inventory-10. Descriptive and inferential statistics were utilized to analyze the data. Results: The overall prevalence of BOS in the study sample was …

Focus On Top Tier 2.0: Community Partnerships, University Of Nevada, Las Vegas

Focus on Top Tier 2.0

UNLV has been an integral part of the growth of Southern Nevada, and our efforts on campus and beyond seek to enhance our communities and make them better. UNLV is proud to have earned the Carnegie Classification for Community Engagement, an important milestone on our journey that demonstrates the highest standard of recognition. This designation affirms our efforts as our faculty, staff, students, and alumni embrace the power of partnerships for the public good.

Investing In The Future: A Case Study On Demographic Trends And The Policy Implications For Clark County School District, Joshua Alexander Padilla

Student Research

Clark County School District (CCSD) is the 5th largest school district in the nation. Through the use of the United States Census Bureau’s 2020 ACS 5-year survey, demographic trends will be analyzed for CCSD. This brief will focus on three demographic trends that have direct connections to educational success. Those three demographic trends are: internet access, poverty level (households on SNAP), and school enrollment. Potential policy interventions include technology device loan programs, adopting meal programs for students and their families, and new staff recruiting plans for CCSD.

Efficacy And Safety Of Fecal Microbiota Transplantation In Treatment Of Clostridioides Difficile Infection Among Pediatric Patients: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Kyaw Min Tun, Mark Hsu, Kavita Batra, Chun-Han Lo, Tooba Laeeq, Tahne Vongsavath, Salman Mohammed, Annie S. Hong Md

Department of Internal Medicine Faculty Research

Background and Aims: Cases of Clostridioides difficile infection have been rising among the pediatric and adolescent population. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has emerged as an alternative therapy for recurrent C. difficile infection. We aim to perform the first systematic review and meta-analysis investigating the safety and efficacy of fecal microbiota transplantation for C. difficile infection in children and adolescents. Methods: A literature search was performed using variations of the keywords “pediatrics”, “C. difficile infection”, and “fecal microbiota transplantation” in PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, Cochrane, and Google Scholar from inception to 30 June 2022. The resulting 575 articles were independently screened by …

Theorizing Constructive Learning Environments For Secondary Girls' Stem Learning, Safiyya Bintali

Undergraduate Research Symposium Performances & Exhibitions

Background: Multiple studies analyze STEM learning environments, but in these studies, secondary-age (middle/high school) female students are not the focus. There is a lack of research on creating effective STEM learning environments for motivating girls to be introduced to/motivated to pursue STEM fields.

Purpose of Study: Our study in the Engaging Girls in Ubiquitous Intelligence and Computing (GUIC) summer camp, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF)'s ITEST program, aims to close that gap by investigating elements that made up a constructivist STEM learning environment, and how these elements ensured an effective and supportive STEM learning environment for secondary-age female …

Insights Into Early-Stage Inbreeding Depression In Hawaiian Metrosideros, Rosalie Chaleunsouck

Undergraduate Research Symposium Podium Presentations

Inbreeding depression is the reduced biological fitness of offspring resulting from the conception of two genetically related gametes. Selfing, the fusion of gametes from the same individual, is the most extreme form of inbreeding, common in many plant species. Inbreeding depression is most prevalently seen at the seed-development stage (Levin, 1981).

Horizontal Ladder Task: Assessing The Effect Of A Walking Intervention On Mobility In People With Lower Limb Amputation, Chelsea Domingo

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

Hundreds of thousands of people struggle with mobility due to lower limb amputation. Learning how to do something you have never done is a difficult task for anyone. Practice is important when person with amputation uses a prosthesis because each environment they encounter could vary. Across settings, different textures such as even and uneven terrain require different skills to maintain balance. The purpose of this research is to determine if practicing walking on uneven terrain will help people with amputation improve their ability to walk in different environments. We will use a horizontal ladder task (Christie et al., 2020) to …

Characterization Of Usp7 Substrates In The Brain, Jose Itorralba, Sage Boss, Shahraiz Akbar, Hayley Baker, Chinglan Chang

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

Loss of function lesions in Ubiquitin-specific protease (USP) 7 are associated with intellectual disability, speech delay, autism spectrum disorder, and seizures. While the deubiquitinating activity of USP7 has been characterized in cancer, its role in neurological conditions is not understood. Here, we show that USP7 can regulate the development of the brain by localizing to synaptosomes in the hippocampus and stabilizing neural-specific substrates.

Development Of A Novel Ionic Liquid-Coated Adsorbent For Treating Emerging Contaminants In Recycled Water On The International Space Station, Madeline Carroll, Gabson Baguma, Savanna Vacek

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

Synthesize at least 3 biobased ionic liquids. Optimize method for conducting liquid-liquid extractions. Analyze and quantify how much DMSO2 is removed by the ionic liquids. Coat biochar with the most effective biobased ionic liquids.

Dance Experience Affects Tempo Perception, Jasmine Xu, Jordan E. Hayes, Cole Smithers, Jared Leslie

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

In music, the word “tempo” refers to the speed or pace of the music (the number of beats per minute, for example). Tempo is surprisingly subjective, given that beat perception depends on age and cultural experience. Other factors besides beat (like the density of events per unit time) might influence how fast or slow people dance to music. Certain styles of music afford different speeds of dance, even when their tempos are the same.

Nuclear Power Plant In Las Vegas, Ryan W. Murray

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

This research focuses on the impact of a “Nuclear Power Plant in Las Vegas” or ‘NPP in LV’ for short. Nuclear power is clean, has no greenhouse gas emissions, and has a moderate cost of kilowatt hours. Las Vegas, or more specifically Clark County uses Gas power plants to produce a majority of their electricity. My project will show what a nuclear plant could do if built in the city of Las Vegas. What is a Nuclear power plant? The EIA’s definition is “A nuclear power plant uses the heat that a nuclear reactor produces to turn water into steam, …