Digital Commons Network^™

Teacher Becoming Of Alternatively Licensed Teachers, Erin Summerhays

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

In the 2023-2024 school year, the Iowa Department of Education listed 21 teaching shortage areas. One way that more teachers can enter Iowa’s classrooms is through alternative licensure pathways. But these alternative programs need students who are willing to pursue the teaching profession, even knowing all of the challenges that today’s teachers face. The purpose of this study was to investigate why people choose to become teachers at a later point in their lives/careers, and to explore the mindsets of alternatively licensed teachers. The theoretical framework for this study includes Bakhtin’s theory on ideological becoming, interanimated discourses (Bakhtin, 1981; Gee, …

The Next Generation Science Standards And Their Implementation In Iowa High Schools, Janell Wright

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Almost a decade ago, the state of Iowa used the Next Generation Science Standards’ (NGSS) performance expectations as the basis for its state science standards for K-12 students. Several key changes were implemented within these standards, including an increase in the amount of Earth and space science content at the high school level and a three-dimensional approach interweaving science and engineering practices and crosscutting concepts along with disciplinary core ideas. In this dissertation, I used a three-paper format in an explanatory sequential mixed methods design to explore how districts in Iowa are using scope and sequence to address the NGSS. …

Organization Communication Policy To Emphasize Student Employee Productivity, Yohan Fernando

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study explored student perceptions of organizational communication policies and their impact on student employee productivity at a mid-sized Midwestern university. In-depth interviews with student employees revealed key themes—fairness, uniformity, openness, and communication—as essential elements of transparency. Additionally, academic work-life balance and scheduling flexibility emerged as critical factors in supporting productivity. The findings show that student employees view transparency and flexibility as central to both job satisfaction and productivity. Policies that promote equitable treatment and adaptable scheduling were especially influential. While organizational vision, mission, and values were recognized, they were not seen as major drivers of productivity. Similarly, rewards and …

Censorship: Through An Iowan’S Eyes, Erin Mcrae

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This is a collection of creative work prefaced by an introduction, which gives an overview of the development of these pieces. The pieces contained in this thesis are comprised of various genres, including creative nonfiction, poetry, and short fiction.

Bumble Bee Population Genetics In Iowa And The Impacts Of Repeated Emergency Management On The Conservation Reserve Program, Michael Mellett

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

No abstract provided.

Assessing Parental Stress And Self-Efficacy: A Multisite Feasibility Study Of Parent-Mediated Physical Activity Interventions For Children With Developmental Disabilities, Luis Columna, Scott Mcnamarra, Beth A. Myers, Nienke Dosa, Ashlyn Barry, Kristi Roth, Christine E. Ashby, Byungmo Ku, Timothy Davis, Nikkia Borowski, Lisa M. Hooper

Faculty Publications

Background: Children with developmental disabilities often face barriers to engaging in physical activity (PA), impacting their health and quality of life. Parent-mediated interventions (PMIs) have shown promise to reduce these barriers, but little research explores online PMIs for parents of children with developmental disabilities. Thus, the purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility and impact of a multi-site collaborative online parent-mediated PA intervention on stress levels and self-efficacy among parents of children with developmental disabilities over a 12-week period.

Methods: Participants (n=55) were parents of children with developmental disabilities, randomly assigned to intervention (n=27) or control (n=28) groups. …

Commencement [Program], December 21, 2024, University Of Northern Iowa

UNI Commencement Programs

The program of the commencement ceremonies, including a list of institutional leadership, a list of the departments by college, awards given at the ceremonies, and a list of undergraduate and graduate degree candidates. This commencement program is not an official graduate list.

Contents:

Board of Regents --- 2
Institutional Leadership --- 2
Ceremony Symbols & Traditions --- 3
Academic Honorary Organizations --- 4
University Ambassador Organizations --- 5
University Honors Program --- 6
Graduation with Honors --- 6
Legacy Graduates --- 6
Military Science --- 7
Merchant Scholarship --- 7
Outstanding Student Leader --- 7
Commencement Student Speakers --- 7 …

Detection And Monitoring Of Stress Using Wearables: A Systematic Review, Anuja Pinge, Vinaya Gad, Dheryta Jaisinghani, Surjya Ghosh, Sougata Sen

Faculty Publications

Over the last few years, wearable devices have witnessed immense changes in terms of sensing capabilities. Wearable devices, with their ever-increasing number of sensors, have been instrumental in monitoring human activities, health-related indicators, and overall wellness. One health-related area that has rapidly adopted wearable devices is the mental health monitoring and well-being area, which covers problems such as psychological distress. The continuous monitoring capability of wearable devices allows the detection and monitoring of stress, thus enabling early detection of mental health problems. In this paper, we present a systematic review of the different types of sensors and wearable devices used …

International Engagement Newsletter, December 16, 2024, University Of Northern Iowa. Office Of International Engagement.

Office of International Engagement newsletter

In this issue:

--- Winter Break Hours
--- Immigration Updates
--- Winter Break Reminders
--- Breakfast at Threehouse

Arctic Communities In The Face Of Change: Resilience, Governance, And Well-Being, Abigail York, Andrey N. Petrov, Victoria N. Sharakhmatova, Tatiana Degai, Liza Mack, Vera Metcalf, Rodion Sulyandziga, Sean Asikłuk Topkok, Eduard Zdor

Faculty Publications

This chapter brings together insights from Indigenous scholars and experts from the North Pacific, focusing on the Bering Strait region, within a framework emphasizing multi-level governance derived from western academic literature. The chapter highlights a ground-up view of the complexities and challenges Indigenous communities face in this region. Narratives emphasize community experiences in a rapidly changing Arctic with a particular focus on the environment and economy. Yet, there is great diversity in the experiences as well as the threats, emphasizing the need to Indigenize concepts such as environment, economy, governance, and sustainable development. Highlighting local narratives, we explore both unique …

Iowa Waste Reduction Center Newsletter, December 2024, University Of Northern Iowa. Iowa Waste Reduction Center.

Iowa Waste Reduction Center Newsletter

Contents:

--- Meet Drew Miller
--- Farewell Kendall
--- IWRC Advisory Member Updates
--- Changes Coming to Online Painter Training
--- January Reporting Deadlines
--- IAEP: 30 Years of Supporting Iowa Small Businesses

The Relationship Between A Transient Scientific Phenomenon And Local Journalism At The Beginning Of The Gilded Age, Thomas Hockey

Faculty Publications

In the United States, the nineteenth century was the halcyon era for local newspapers. These publications were the primary source of public information at a time when other periodicals and books had low circulation. The purpose of this paper is to explore how local journalism in the nineteenth-century United States dealt with an occasion outside the boundaries of the commonplace: an unfamiliar natural phenomenon. My example is the total solar eclipse of 7 August 1869. Editors and journalists of the time largely were unaccustomed to covering celestial events. Nevertheless, they sensed—correctly—an interest in the solar eclipse. Articles about the approaching …

The Pagan Reception Of Judaism From The Sibylline Oracles: Insights From Pseudo-Seneca’S Octavia Regarding The Creation And Circulation Of Oral Sibylline Oracles By The Plebs, Kenneth Atkinson

Faculty Publications

According to tradition, the original collection of Sibylline Books ac­quired by the Roman monarch Tarquinius Priscus, which were kept in the Temple of Jupiter in the capital, were lost in the fire of 83 BCE. In 76 BCE, the Senate ordered the college of the quindecimviri to travel to the traditional centers of Sibylline activity in the East to find Sibylline Oracles to replace those destroyed in the fire. According to Lactantius, these officials collected many Oracles from private individuals. This reference suggests that Sibylline Oracles circulated widely. However, based on the witnesses regarding their consultation, it appears that the …

An Account Of The 1453 Ce Ottoman Siege Of Constantinople Interpreted Through A First Century Bce Jewish Text: How An Ancient Collection Of Second Temple Period Poems Changed The Course Of Western Civilization, Kenneth Atkinson

Faculty Publications

On 29 May 1453 CE, the besieged Christian occupants of Constantinople — the capital of the Byzantine Empire and the last surviving portion of the former Roman Empire — knew the end was near when they heard 50,000-80,000 angry Ottoman soldiers, including 5,000 to 10,000 of the elite Janissaries — the Sultan’s shook troops — preparing to breach its walls after a 53-day siege. The 7,000-man army defending the city knew that all was lost. The 21-year-old Sultan Mehmet II — given the sobriquet “the Conqueror” for capturing the city — leveled the roads so his army could reach Constantinople’s …

Human Capital Assessment In Indigenous Regions To Enable Sustainable Futures, Victoria N. Sharakhmatova, Elena G. Mikhailova

Faculty Publications

This study is dedicated to the economic valuation of human capital (HC) in the regions where the Indigenous peoples of Kamchatka reside. The entire Kamchatksky Krai is considered an Indigenous people’s ancestral territory. However, in this study, only municipalities whose population is more than one-third Indigenous were chosen for the assessment. This includes six municipal districts and one urban district (Aleytsky, Bystrinsky, Karaginsky, Olyutorsky, Penzhinsky, and Tigilsky municipal districts and Palana urban district). The study employs statistical analysis and integrated, situational approaches: the investment approach was deemed the most appropriate tool for the economic assessment of HC in Indigenous territories. …

Human Hnrnpa1 Reorganizes Telomere-Bound Replication Protein A, Sophie L. Granger, Richa Sharma, Vikas Kaushik, Mortezaali Razzaghi, Masayoshi Honda, Paras Gaur, Divya S. Bhat, Sabryn M. Labenz, Jenna E. Heinen, Blaine A. Williams, S. M. Ali Tabei, Marcin W. Wlodarski

Faculty Publications

Human replication protein A (RPA) is a heterotrimeric ssDNA binding protein responsible for many aspects of cellular DNA metabolism. Dynamic interactions of the four RPA DNA binding domains (DBDs) with DNA control replacement of RPA by downstream proteins in various cellular metabolic pathways. RPA plays several important functions at telomeres where it binds to and melts telomeric G-quadruplexes, non-canonical DNA structures formed at the G-rich telomeric ssDNA overhangs. Here, we combine single-molecule total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy (smTIRFM) and mass photometry (MP) with biophysical and biochemical analyses to demonstrate that heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein A1 (hnRNPA1) specifically remodels RPA bound to …

Imagination Grows A Better World: Courage, Creativity, And Fantastic Futures, Janet Croft

Faculty Publications

Our field is requiring ever more courage from us as we face challenges to our bedrock beliefs in free access to information and the value of diverse viewpoints, of representation of different ways of being and living, of higher education, and of imagination itself. Where can we find inspiration to keep going? In order to meet the challenges we face with creativity and courage, we need both the ability to imagine a better world and the determination to work to bring this world into being. I’ll talk about some inspirational examples of the pairing of courage and creativity in my …

From One-Room To Many: The History Of Iowa’S One-Room Schools And The Struggle For Consolidation, 1833 – 1966, Mandy Heeren

Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) at UNI

Iowa’s early one-room school system helped shape both the early social and physical landscapes of the state. Toward the middle of the twentieth century, mass consolidation efforts brought the end of the system and spurred a movement away from the rural lifestyle. Much to the dismay of countryside communities, state legislation mandated that all one-room schoolhouses be closed by 1966. The effects of these consolidations can still be felt throughout the state today. Fifty-eight years after the last one-room school closed, school districts continue to merge causing smaller, ofter more rural schools to close. Waterloo itself is currently facing a …

Uni Impact: Faculty/Staff Scholarly Publications And Featured Awards Newsletter, V2i2, 2023, Rod Library. Research & Sponsored Programs. Uni Foundation. University Of Northern Iowa.

UNI Impact: Faculty/Staff Scholarly Publications and Featured Awards Newsletter

Highlights the scholarship, research, and other scholarly work produced by University of Northern Iowa faculty, students, and staff.

This issue covers the period of July - December 2023.

Iowa Waste Reduction Center Newsletter, November 2024, University Of Northern Iowa. Iowa Waste Reduction Center.

Iowa Waste Reduction Center Newsletter

Contents:

--- Meet Ben Kvigne
--- IWRC Recipient of EPA's P2 Grant
--- Reducing Waste this Holiday Season
--- Keeping Tabs on PFAs
--- Industry News

What Do We Do? What We Have Always Done: Keep Fighting Together, University Of Northern Iowa. Gender & Sexual Services. Uni Proud.

UNI Proud Documents

Post election resource packet put together by UNI Proud.

University Of Northern Iowa Faculty Senate Meeting Minutes, October 28, 2024, University Of Northern Iowa. Faculty Senate.

Documents - Faculty Senate

Meeting minutes from the Faculty Senate of the University of Northern Iowa.

The Overlooked First Intercostal Ligament: Does It Help To Stabilize The Weberian Apparatus?, Jake Leyhr, Tatjana Haitina, Nathan C. Bird

Faculty Publications

The Weberian apparatus is a novel hearing adaptation that facilitates increased hearing sensitivity in otophysan fishes. The apparatus is a complex system composed of modifications to anterior vertebral elements, the inner ear, and the swim bladder. A critical piece of the system that often receives minor attention are the various ligaments that bridge these three regions. The most famous of the ligaments is the interossicular ligament, which connects the Weberian ossicle chain (scaphium–intercalarium–tripus). Several other ligaments are present, including the suspensor (tripus to parapophysis 4) and the triple ligament (tripus–os suspensorium–tunica externa). Here, by combining diffusible iodine-based contrast enhancement (DICE) …

University Of Northern Iowa Fall Faculty Meeting Program, October 7, 2024, University Of Northern Iowa

University Faculty Documents

The program of the annual Fall Faculty Meeting at the University of Northern Iowa held on October 7, 2024.

Uni Wind Ensemble And Uni Symphonic Band, October 4, 2024 [Program], University Of Northern Iowa. School Of Music.

Music Recital Programs

Program of a music recital given by faculty, students, or guest artists from the School of Music at the University of Northern Iowa.

Iowa Waste Reduction Center Newsletter, October 2024, University Of Northern Iowa. Iowa Waste Reduction Center.

Iowa Waste Reduction Center Newsletter

Contents:

--- Why Industry Events are Crucial for Your Growth
--- DNR Air Quality Fees Discussion
--- Welcome New Environmental Intern
--- Advisory Committee Update
--- Partner Events

Premier, Fall 2024, University Of Northern Iowa. College Of Education.

Premier

Contents:

From the Dean --- 3
/="/">The Real Deal: From Para to Educator --- 4
/="/">Extending Education Outdoors --- 8
/="/">Finding the Balance in Well-Being --- 10
/="/">A Unified Path for Early Childhood & Special Education --- 15
/="/">Resilience Redefined --- 18
/="/">Alumni Profiles --- 20
/="/">Foundation Focus --- 24
/="/">Center Spotlight --- 28
/="/">Scholarly Spotlight --- 28
/="/">News & Notes --- 30
/="/">Celebrating Excellence --- 34

Csbs Kudos, Fall 2024, University Of Northern Iowa. College Of Social And Behavioral Sciences.

CSBS Kudos

Contents:

--- Faculty Accolades
--- Retirements: Robert Neymeyer
--- CSBS and School of Health & Human Sciences sponsors talk by renowned biologist and writer Sandra Steingraber
--- System of Support Conference
--- Phi Alpha Theta / History Club Lecture Series
--- Women in Politics
--- Panthers Vote
--- In Memoriam: Nancy Hamilton
--- Greg Bruess featured in Northern Iowan's "Panther’s guide to studying abroad in Greece"
--- Family, Aging & Counseling's Cedar Valley Men's Shed featured in WCF Courier
--- Dementia Simulation House featured in KWWL's " Experiencing Dementia: Local Simulation Building Understanding"
--- Psychology's Carolyn Hildebrandt discusses "the psychology …

X-Ray Fluorescence Analysis Of Early Settler Artifacts Recovered From Gossman Caves And Prairie Complex, Zachry S. Poshusta, Joshua Sebree

Fall 2024 - Chemical Analysis Class Projects

Meskwaki Tribe: Lived in Jackson County, Iowa, until 1845.

European Settlers: Took over the land, building structures and forming townships.

Artifacts: Both groups left behind pottery shards, campsite remnants, and building foundations.

Study Focus: Analyzing artifacts using X-ray Fluorescence spectrometry.

Sample Sites: Gossman Prairie and Cave Complex.

Objective: Determine if both groups used local clay for crafting.

Elemental Analysis Of Luminescent Cave Formations Using X-Ray Fluorescence, Esther Farran, Joshua Sebree

Fall 2024 - Chemical Analysis Class Projects

Luminescent calcite formations (N = 21) were taken from nine karst caves in a valley in Northeast Iowa. Ten samples fluoresced bright blue under UV light and phosphoresced green. Four samples fluoresced dull pink instead of blue. Seven samples do not fluoresce as strongly as the other samples. An elemental analysis was performed on the samples using a Bruker Tracer 5g handheld XRF. Analysis shows some samples may experience fluorescence quenching by the presence of iron and some amount of fluorescence by manganese.