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Notes For The Stalled, V16n01, August 2023, University Of Northern Iowa. Rod Library.

Rod Library newsletter: Notes for the Stalled

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Annual Report Of The Nominating Committee For The Academic Year 2022-2023, University Of Northern Iowa. Faculty Senate.

Documents - Faculty Senate

University Nominating Committee report including committee memberships, produced by the Faculty Senate of the University of Northern Iowa.

An Analysis Of Sex Trafficking Support Services In Mental Health Care For Survivors, Darian Marie Alexandria Auge

Graduate Research Papers

This study is an examination of the current mental health care services for sex trafficking survivors. Sex trafficking is a growing epidemic in the United States and the need for mental health care for survivors is growing. This study examines the mental health disorders and consequences survivors face due to prolonged trauma. This study also examines current shortterm and long-term interventions that are suggested in the literature for care for sex trafficking survivors. Additionally, this study explores any current mental health treatments and programs and looks at any current resources available to sex trafficking survivors. This study examines options for …

Motivations And Execution Of Corporate Charitable Giving, Matthew Richard Johnson

Graduate Research Papers

This research paper is a literature review with a synthesis on the topic of corporate charitable giving. The author, a nonprofit fundraising professional, completed this work as a graduate student in the Philanthropy and Nonprofit Development program at the University of Northern Iowa. This paper explores charitable giving trends, motivations, and strategies of for-profit corporations in a way that gives nonprofit fundraiser insights and recommendations for engagement. Corporate giving is a sizable pool for nonprofits to tap into, and the practices and nuances of the topic are evolving. The research was conducted keeping nonprofit organizations in mind and how they …

The Impact Of Philanthropic Stewardship On Distributions From Donor Advised Funds, Elizabeth Messerli

Graduate Research Papers

Significant attention to and criticism of donor advised funds (DAFs) has created much curiosity and scrutiny of this increasingly utilized charitable giving tool. Concerns seem to be focused on two issues: grant distribution payout rate and timeline of grant distribution. Community foundations are the largest sponsor of DAFs in the United States. In the pursuit of discovering what impact philanthropic stewardship has on the distributions from donor advised funds, this study reviews the literature to understand influences of donor-determined engagement with a nonprofit on donor giving, nonprofit stewardship methods of donors, and the criticisms and challenges of donor advised funds. …

Geometric Curves From P-Circles, Isaiah Dempsey, Bill Wood

Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Symposium

p-Circles are a generalization of the usual circle satisfying the equation |x|^p + |y|^p = 1. The 1-circle is the square with vertices (1,0),(0,1),(-1,0),(0,-1). As p goes to infinity the p-circle equation becomes max(|x|, |y|) = 1. So the ∞-circle is the square with vertices (1,1),(-1,1),(-1,-1),(1,-1). From 1≤p≤2 the p-circle smoothly transforms from a square to a circle, and from 2≤p≤∞ the p-circle smoothly transforms from a circle to a square.

Surficial Geology Of The Fulton Quadrangle, Avery Merkley, Starr Claussen, Sage Cappi, Chad Heinzel

Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Symposium

• The Fulton 7.5’ Quadrangle lies within a geographic region known as the East-Central Iowa Drift Plain.
• The East-Central Iowa Drift Plain is characterized by glacial deposits that occurred over 1.8 million years ago. These glacial deposits are part of what makes up the loose soil material, which overlays a bedrock surface that is about 360-485 million years old.
• This area experiences significant change in elevation from the highest points to the lowest points in the Quadrangle.

Synthesis And Reactivity Of Dihydrogen Diruthenium Complexes., Ryder J. Downey, Robert Chin

Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Symposium

Having two open coordination sites on the diruthenium complex makes for the ability to be able to be more precise when interacting with other compound. The side-on bonding of the bis(dihydrogen) gives it unique characteristics as well as unique capabilities. The Oganotransition Metal Chemistry book says that the dihydrogen is bonded by the donation of electrons from the H-H sigma bond as well as the back donation of electron density through the transition metal.3

In the past, many groups have studies on a mononuclear Ruthenium compound similar to the one we are synthesizing (see figure one). Our goal was to …

Investigating Gene Looping In Yeast, Abbie Bangs, Justin Peters

Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Symposium

Saccharomyces cerevisiae, also known as brewer’s yeast, is the model organism we chose to interrogate a possible length dependence of gene looping. Gene looping occurs when the promoter and the terminator regions of a gene come together in a physical interaction to form a loop. RNA polymerase transcribes the gene at an amplified rate due to the gene loop (Figure 1), but little research exists as to what factors are important for this process, including the mechanics of the underlying DNA.

Forecasting Wildfire Smoke Particulate Matter Using Hysplit Model, Kevin Du, Alexa Sedlacek

Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Symposium

Wildfire smoke can reduce visibility and affect human health. Particulate matter with a diameter smaller than 2.5μm from wildfire smoke can travel through the respiratory tract to the lungs and enter the bloodstream. PM2.5 can be especially harmful to individuals with lung conditions such as asthma, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and COPD, as well as infants and adults over sixty- five. This project uses NOAA’s Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model to forecast the transport and dispersion of particulate matter using meteorological files, wildfire location, burning areas, and starting time. Forecast data of the HYSPLIT model can be verified against …

A Tale Of Two Rivers: Unveiling Water's Secrets Across Continents, Jace Bell, Mohammad Iqbal

Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Symposium

Dry Run Creek outside of Cedar Falls, Iowa in the United States and New Town Rivulet surrounding Hobart, Tasmania in Australia are two comparable hydrological water flows. From the natural sources of the water flows to the watershed impacts from industrial, municipal, and agricultural practices further downstream, the similarities and differences of the physical, chemical, and geomorphological properties of these two hydrological systems on separate continents will permit further understanding of Earth’s comprehensive ecosystem on two continents.

Water from seven sites along the Cedar River and the Mississippi River and at Prairie Lake, Alice Wyth Lake, and Big Woods Lake …

Exploration Of Pocketlab Devices For Uni’S Campus, Classrooms, And Community, Isabel Harms, Alexa Sedlacek

Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Symposium

PocketLab devices by Myriad Sensors were acquired by UNI’s Earth and Environmental Science department in the fall of 2022 through the Carver Grant. These citizen science devices are incredibly useful in educating and exploring real life issues in the environmental sciences that we are experiencing today. Issues such as air quality and weather are increasingly important topics to examine as the climate warms. During the summer of 2023, Iowa has had multiple cases of unhealthy air quality levels due to particulate matter from fires in Canada. Southern states have experienced extreme heat indexes, pointing to the need to consider the …

Comparison Of Gut And Leg Pollen Composition In Female Halictus Ligatus With Flower Source, Sriya Kalala, Ai Wen

Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Symposium

It is commonly believed by bee biologists that wild bees visit one single flower species during each trip to make nest provision. However, the exact foraging behavior is not clear and may vary in different species of bees, and therefore the pollination patterns have continued to be studied. When a bee undergoes the process of pollination, the majority of the pollen consumed by the bee passes through the digestive tract and remains undigested. However, when the pollen is digested and used as an energy source, the pollen grain digestion occurs in the midgut intestine within the bee instead of the …

Impacts And Applications Of Vegetable Glycerin On Nanocellulose, Elise Hong-Miller, Dylan Seiffert, T. E. Kidd

Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Symposium

Nanocellulose is created by breaking down cellulose, the most common organic molecule found in nature. Nanocellulose has attractive properties, such as a very high strength-to-weight ratio, for many different applications. A major challenge is that nanocellulose has a very high shrinkage % (~90%) when it is dried, as well as a strong probability to crack. Different additives can be added in varying amounts to either mitigate or intensify these aspects, as well as affect its drying conditions. This investigation is helping the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the U.S. Army to find a use for this highly renewable …

Flow Through Processing Of Nanocellulose For Space Exploration Applications, Dylan Seiffert, T. E. Kidd

Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Symposium

Nanocellulose is synthesized from cellulose, which is the most abundant organic molecule found in nature. Nanocellulose solids are biodegradable and have a strength-to-weight ratio eight times that of steel¹. The production of nanocellulose solids is challenging due to the large volume loss that occurs during the curing process as well as the time and cost associated with ultrasonic processing. The loss of volume during curing often results in cracking and deformation of the cured solid. The issues caused by the large volume loss can be mitigated using additives that do not compromise the strength, shape, or machineability of …

Analysis Of The Role Of Gamma-Aminobutyrate (Gaba) In Drought Tolerance In Barley Using Virus-Induced Gene Silencing, Thomas Manternach, Tilahun Abebe

Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Symposium

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a messenger in cellular communication. As GABA is also an enhancer in stress tolerance, this often leads to rapid accumulation during drought. . GABA increases photosynthesis and reduces water loss through the stomata (Li et al., 2021; Xu et al., 2021). The metabolization of GABA occurs via the GABA shunt, which is produced primarily from a glutamic acid catalyzed by glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) in the cytosol. GABA is imported into the mitochondria and subsequently degraded by GABA-transaminase (GABA-T) into succinic semialdehyde (SSA) . In barley, both GABA and GAD genes are induced during drought (Abebe et …

Functional Analysis Of Spermidine Synthase (Spds) Using Virus-Induced Gene Silencing In Barley, Ammar A. Shaikh, Tilahun Abebe

Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Symposium

Polyamines are low molecular weight aliphatic nitrogenous compounds with two or more amino groups (Liu et al., 2015). Polyamines are found in all organisms. They play diverse roles in growth and development as well as environmental stress response. One of the major polyamines in plants is spermidine. Spermidine increases grain filling by increasing hormones and enzymes in sucrose biosynthesis (Luo et al., 2019). Expression of genes in the spermidine biosynthesis pathway increases during drought in barley (Abebe et al., 2010). However, the role of spermidine biosynthesis for drought tolerance has not been systematically investigated in barley. In the past, we …

Electronic, Magnetic, And Structural Properties Of Covmnsb: Ab Initio Study, Pavel Lukashev, Adam Ramker, Brandon Schmidt, Paul M. Shand, Parashu Kharel, Vagharsh Mkhitaryan, Zhenhua Ning, Liqin Ke

Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Symposium

• Spin degree of freedom in electronic devices.
• Ideal candidate – room temperature half-metal.
• Heusler compounds attractive because of high Curie temperature
• Various mechanisms altering spin polarization – mechanical strain, structural disorder, temperature, termination surface/interface, etc.
• CoVMnSb: nearly spin gapless semiconductor.

Analysis Of Biologically Active Secondary Metabolites From Fungi, Elizabeth E. Guevara, Kirk Manfredi

Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Symposium

Fungi produce secondary metabolites, which are organic compounds that allow the organism to be competitive in their environment. Secondary metabolites are not involved in growth and development, instead they affect ecological interactions to increase survivability. These compounds will often have antimicrobial properties, leading to their use in antibiotics. Isolating a compound with significant antimicrobial activity could lead to its use in therapeutic antibiotics. New antibiotics are needed to address the growing issue of antimicrobial resistant bacteria. This project explores the antimicrobial compounds produced by fungi collected Wind Cave National Park or carried by local insects. Accurate taxonomic identification of the …

Integrating External Sensors With Crazyflie Drones, Xiaowen Wang, Dheryta Jaisinghani, Andrew Berns

Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Symposium

• Drones are widely used: Mini drones such as Crazyflie 2.1 are used in a variety of fields.
• Grove Sound Sensor function: Grove Sound Sensor can capture sound, providing more application possibilities for drones.
• The potential of Crazyflie 2.1: Although Crazyflie 2.1 has the potential to be an integrated sensor platform, prior to this project, it was uncertain whether sensors could be connected on it.
• Project motivation: Our project aims to explore whether Crazyflie 2.1 can be connected to the Grove Sound Sensor and collect and process data from the sensor.
• Impact of the project: If successful, this project will open …

Assessment Of Dna Concentration And Degradation From Extracted Bumble Bee Thorax Muscle 2023, Joel Lado, Ai Wen, Kenneth Elgersma

Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Symposium

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is the foundation of an organism's ability to develop, survive, and reproduce. High genomic DNA is imperative for many scientific studies and applications such as Biotechnology, Genetics, & Pharmaceuticals. The separation of genomic DNA once purified from other cellular components (RNA, protein) can be sequenced to study entire genomes, develop antibodies, and limit genetic mutations.

Although a very stable molecule, DNA is susceptible to degradation under normal cellular conditions to various factors. Hence it is essential to properly extract genetic material from bee specimens, to better understand their population genetics.

DNA often needs to be stored for …

Forming A Comprehensive Pollen Library For The Purpose Of Native Bee Pollen Identification And Analysis, Madeline Roubik, Ai Wen

Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Symposium

The Iowa prairie is home to many species of bees who collect pollen for nutrition or nesting purposes (Real, 1983). Most bees collect pollen in their scopa, a small pollen collection pouch on their back legs or abdomen. However, the entire bee, including their thorax, can come in contact with pollen. Because of this, it is assumed that a bee’s pollen collection will be more diverse on its thorax where it unintentionally comes into contact with pollen, than its legs where it intentionally collects pollen. In this study, we created a comprehensive pollen library of native Iowa prairie flowers, and …

Molybdenum Disulfide (Mos₂) As A Nanocellulose Substrate, Mariana Torres, Dylan Seiffert, Elise Hong-Miller, T. E. Kidd

Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Symposium

Cellulose is a substance abundant in nature, found in fruits and vegetables, plant cell walls (National Center for Biotechnology Information, 2023), and wood (Sjostrom, 1993). The abundance of cellulose is attributable to its linear chemical structure, as it is composed of long strands of glucose molecules linked together by hydrogen atoms, which enable the substance to withstand significant pressure without breaking (Rongpipi et al., 2019). This property—known as high tensile strength—is joined by its non-toxicity and sustainability, given cellulose may be degraded and renewed naturally (Kaur, 2021). These various properties indicate versatility, and its resultant current and desired uses—such as …

Iowa’S Agricultural Landscape: Is Tef A Viable Option?, Kyran Hines, Tilahun Abebe

Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Symposium

Tef (Eragrostis tef Zucc.) Trotter is a significant grain crop in Ethiopia, occupying over 30% of the country's total cultivated land. Tef is known for its long shelf life, drought resistance, natural pest resistance, versatility in food, beverages, and cattle feed. The crop has recently gained popularity in the United States for its nutritional qualities. Tef has a high content of minerals, amino acids, and is also gluten-free. In the context of climate change and the need for sustainable agriculture, exploring alternative crops to ensure food security is crucial. This research focuses on identifying tef accessions that are well-adapted to …

Investigation Of A Magnet Falling Through A Copper Pipe, Brianna Williams, Paul M. Shand

Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Symposium

• The goal of this research is to explore the effects of wall thickness and temperature on the rate at which a magnet falls through a copper pipe.
• A magnet is not attracted to copper. Copper is not magnetic; however, it is a great conductor of electricity.
• Due to Faraday’s law and Lenz’s law, we know that a changing magnetic flux will produce an electric current that opposes the change in magnetic flux that produced it. These laws together explain why a magnet will fall slowly in a copper pipe even though it is not attracted.

2023 Summer Undergraduate Research Program, University Of Northern Iowa. Sumer Undergraduate Research Program.

Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Symposium Programs

The program for the Summer Undergraduate Research Symposium of the College of Humanities, Arts and Sciences.

Irvine Prairie Ornithology Guide, Tallgrass Prairie Center, University Of Northern Iowa

Open Educational Resources

A guide to the birds found in the Irvine Prairie, a prairie-in-progress in Benton County, Iowa.

Irvine Prairie Grass Guide, Tallgrass Prairie Center, University Of Northern Iowa

Open Educational Resources

A guide to the grasses that can be found in the Irvine Prairie, a prairie-in-progress in Benton County, Iowa.

Irvine Prairie Wildflower Guide, Tallgrass Prairie Center, University Of Northern Iowa

Open Educational Resources

A guide to the flowers that can be found in the Irvine Prairie, a prairie-in-progress in Benton County, Iowa.

Keepers Of The Earth Lessons Overview, Tallgrass Prairie Center, University Of Northern Iowa

Open Educational Resources

Lessons adapted form the book Keepers of the Earth : Native American stories and environmental activities for children by Michael J. Caduto and Joseph Bruchac with different activities for grades Kindergarten through 12th grade.