Digital Commons Network^™

On Good Terms: Pathways To Decolonizing Science-Appropriated Indigenous Terminologies In Arctic Research, Stanislav Saas Ksenofontov, Vera Kuklina, Alexander Kholodov, Andrey Petrov

Faculty Publications

Many western scientific disciplines adopted Indigenous Knowledge and terminology without deference to or understanding of the original meanings and values attached to Indigenous terms and concepts. This form of scientific appropriation has become a serious barrier to efforts of decolonizing Arctic research. The notion of Alaas is an example of such appropriation by the western science-based system of Indigenous knowledge about human–nature relations. This paper aims to discuss the term Alaas as it is conceptualized in both western science and Indigenous knowledge. The paper will explore the development of “alas” as an international permafrost science term and Alaas as an …

University Of Northern Iowa Graduate Council Minutes, September 11, 2025, University Of Northern Iowa. Graduate Council.

Documents - Graduate Council

Meeting minutes from the Graduate Council of the University of Northern Iowa.

Minutes Of Graduate College Committee On Curricula, September 5, 2025, University Of Northern Iowa. Graduate Curriculum Committee.

Minutes - Graduate Curriculum Committee

Minutes of the committee that oversees the development of the curriculum of the University of Northern Iowa Graduate Studies.

Viola Festival 2023 [Program], University Of Northern Iowa. School Of Music.

Music Recital Programs

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

Emily Clouser, Mezzo Soprano & Noah Fredericksen, Baritone, In A Student Recital [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.

International Panther Monthly, September 2025, University Of Northern Iowa. Office Of International Engagement.

Office of International Engagement newsletter

Contents:

--- From the Director’s Desk
--- September Recap
--- Student & Scholar Highlights
--- Did You Know?
--- World Window
--- Behind the Scenes
--- October Activities
--- Additional Activities
--- Volunteer with Us

Community Engagement Newsletter, September 2025, University Of Northern Iowa. Office Of Community Engagement.

Community Engagement Newsletter

Contents:

--- Fall Volunteer Fair
--- The Cedar Valley Collaboration Forum
--- Community Engagement Hours
--- Events
--- Engagement Opportunity
--- National Credential

Iowa Waste Reduction Center Newsletter, September 2025, University Of Northern Iowa. Iowa Waste Reduction Center.

Iowa Waste Reduction Center Newsletter

Contents:

--- Meet our Energy Efficiency Extraordinaire
--- Where’re having a party! Will you be there?
--- Textile Brewing Company joins the Platinum Green Brewery Certification Family
--- Iowa DNR composting rules now open for public comment
--- Free Assistance Available
--- Industry News

Uni Scholarworks Readership Snapshot, August 2025, Bepress

Library Documents & Reports (entire collection)

No abstract provided.

Youth Comorbidity Patterns And Research Domain Criteria (Rdoc)-Informed Factors: A Scoping Review Of Person-Centered Psychopathology Research, June Yung Kim, Wenxing Wei, Liat R. Johnson, Sarah Balser, Anne Marie Gruber

Faculty Publications

Purpose: High rates of comorbid psychopathology have driven a growing body of person-centered research to understand the grouping structure of youth comorbidity by identifying meaningful comorbidity patterns and validating them with neurobehavioral factors. The National Institute of Mental Health’s Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) offers an etiological framework for systematically identifying constructs organized around major functioning domains. This scoping review study mapped person-centered comorbidity studies and synthesized the RDoC-informed factors of comorbidity patterns. Materials and

Methods: We followed Arksey and O’Malley’s methodological framework. Five databases (e.g. PubMed and CINAHL) were searched. Twenty-five peer-reviewed studies examining comorbidity patterns in youth up to …

University Of Northern Iowa Faculty Senate Meeting Minutes, August 25, 2025, University Of Northern Iowa. Faculty Senate.

Documents - Faculty Senate

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

University Of Northern Iowa Faculty Senate Meeting Agenda, August 25, 2025, University Of Northern Iowa. Faculty Senate.

Documents - Faculty Senate

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

Working Group Report: Developing A Playbook Of Equitable Grading Practices, Stephen H. Edwards, David L. Largent, Ben Schafer, Debarati Basu, Amy Csizmar Dalal, Dan Garcia, Brian Harrington, Kevin Lin, Dan S. Myers, Christian Roberson, Giulia Toti, Brett Wortzman

Faculty Publications

Traditional points-based grading can have negative impacts. As a result, many educators are experimenting with alternative grading practices that are more equitable for students. However, educators often face challenges in implementing equitable grading practices due to a lack of clear, practical descriptions of techniques and the fact that not all techniques are universally applicable. This working group addresses this problem using a three-pronged strategy: conducting a systematic literature review to gather documented techniques, compiling ''recipes'' or concrete descriptions of these techniques, and publishing them in an open-source, online ''playbook'' of equitable grading practices as a community resource for educators. This …

“I Feel Like A Lot Of Times Women Are The Ones Who Are Problem-Solving For All The People That They Know”: The Gendered Impacts Of The Pandemic On Women In Alaska, Marya Rozanova-Smith, Andrey N. Petrov

Faculty Publications

The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and post-pandemic recovery in urban communities in the Arctic have been substantial, but their gendered aspects remain largely unknown. The goal of this study was to enhance the understanding of the gender-based impact on women in the urban areas of Alaska by exploring strengths and constraints to resilience in the social and economic domains of gender equality during and in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing on grounded theory methodology, this study is based on 29 in-depth, semi-structured interviews. The study methodology utilized a conceptual framework that integrated deficit-based and strength-based analytical perspectives. …

Bovine Neutrophil Migration, Cd11a/Cd18 Expression, And Cytokine Response To Co-Culture With Mammary Gland Endothelial Cells And Epithelial Cells, David J. Mcclenahan

Faculty Publications

Movement of leukocytes from the circulatory system into a site of inflammation is a highly complex process. The migration of neutrophils into the lumen of the mammary gland during mastitis is no exception. There is information about the involvement of bacterial-produced products during this process, but less is known regarding the role of host products. Two bovine cell lines, a primary mammary gland endothelial cell line and an immortalized bovine mammary gland epithelial cell line (Mac-T), along with freshly isolated bovine neutrophils, were used to study this further. The cell lines were grown on inserts and in wells of tissue-culture …

Measurement And Analysis Of Nitrogen Dioxide And Particulate Matter In Iowa, Kevin Du, Regan Mays, Ben Lynch

Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Symposium

This study investigates air quality in Iowa by combining 20 years of satellite-based nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) data with real-world measurements of fine particulate matter (PM_2.5). Using NASA’s Giovanni system, we compared annual average NO₂ maps from 2005 and 2024 and analyzed trends over two decades. Results show a clear decline in NO₂, especially in urban areas, likely due to cleaner technologies and regulations. In parallel, PM_2.5 was measured using a MiniVol TAS Sampler and a portable Temtop air monitor. The highest PM_2.5 level (151μg/m³) was recorded while driving on a gravel road near a crop field, …

Tracking The Ice Age: Applying Facies Changes And Grain Size Variability To Trace Environmental Shifts Linked To The Laurentide Ice Sheet, Abigail Mandick, Laura Comstock, Alexa Clements, Dylan Ward

Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Symposium

Reconstructing past ice sheet margins is critical for modeling future environmental change under a warming climate. The Laurentide Ice Sheet (LIS) was a large glacier that covered much of North America during the Pleistocene Epoch (2,580-11.7 thousand years ago) (Head, 2019). Process associated with advances and retreat of the ice are responsible for many modern landforms. Here, we present a detailed stratigraphic column and measured section of the Paddison Run outcrop near Cincinnati, based on field observations and measurements. By reviewing sedimentary characteristics, we provide a detailed record of environmental changes linked to the ice sheet margin. High resolution records, …

Eclipse, Nebraska: An Astronomical Event In Middle America, Maxwell Crees

Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Symposium

I used documents and interviews to determine how the name, belonging to the once-populated town of Eclipse, Nebraska, originated. I concluded that it was the result of a real, astronomical event.

Magnetic Coercivity And Exchange Bias Of Mn2ptin Heusler Alloy, Salar A. Ghumman, Paul M. Shand, Pavel V. Lukashev, Mason Pulse, Alec Venner, Parashu Kharel

Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Symposium

We investigated the resistance properties of thin film gold deposited on a 3D-printed cantilever using a sputter coater. We used current-voltage (IV) curves to measure the resistance of the film as a function of thickness. The results exhibited classic behavior in thicker films and quantum behavior in thinner films. Additionally, we analyzed the change in resistance as the cantilever was flexed. A linear relationship was found between the resistance of the gold film and the displacement of the cantilever. Only the 8 nm film deviated from the trend, showing erratic behavior when bent downward.

Silent Hazards: Safety And Risk Protocols Of Potential Hazardous Museum Specimens, Madelyn Wilson, Alexa Clements, Nathan Arndt, Lee S. Potter

Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Symposium

Museum collections can contain a range of materials including rock and mineral specimens. However, the ability of museum curators to correctly identify geological samples and assess associated risks is largely dependent on their background. Exposure, which can be thought of as a combination of the concentration of a hazardous material and the amount of time that material is in contact with living tissues, should be minimized to ensure the safety of museum staff and visitors. While best practices for minimizing exposure to radioactive or toxic minerals are widely available, it is challenging to find similar recommendations for the safe handling …

A Temporal And Spatial Analysis Of Agricultural Impacts On Water Bodies In The Cedar River Watershed, Erin Kennedy, Clair Taylor, Mohammad Iqbal

Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Symposium

Water quality in Iowa has a direct impact on the health of humans, the environment, and the economy. This is why pollution of surface water in northeast Iowa is not only a local, but also a regional and national concern. Agricultural runoff from Iowa has an impact on water bodies as far as the Gulf of Mexico. Excess nutrients, particularly phosphorus and nitrogen, enhance phytoplankton growth and lead to the eutrophication of stream water. It also contributes to the hypoxia zone, also known as the “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico. In Iowa, excess nutrients have severely damaged lake …

Tooth Brushing Technique Detection With Deep Learning On The Edge, Anthony Teal, Dheryta Jaisinghani

Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Symposium

Non-communicable gum disease affects about 42%_[4] of adults aged 30 years and older. Developing a robust model to detect brushing techniques on a smartwatch can help reinforce good brushing habits and prevent gum disease.

The likelihood of someone owning a smart watch compared to a smart toothbrush is staggering. There were around 66,051_^[3] smart toothbrushes sold in 2022, with smartwatches shipping about 150,000,000_[2] units. It is important to have an alternative on a smartwatch, because it will reach far more users.

Data privacy has become a large issue worldwide. With a pre-trained model that is systematically fine-tuned …

Tooth Brushing Pressure Detection Using Only A Smartwatch, William Spielbauer, Dheryta Jaisinghani

Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Symposium

• Roughly half (46%) of American adults aged 30 or older show signs of gum disease.^₁
• Improper tooth-brushing technique – in particular, excessive pressure when brushing – can cause inflammation and recession of the gums due to abrasion (gingivitis).^₂
• While there are ways to track and prevent excessive pressure (smart brushes have this feature built in), these are expensive solutions that require specialized equipment.

Whole Genome Sequencing Of Bumblebees With Varied Tissue Quantity, Extraction Methods, And Bioinformatic Inquiries, Halle Hoefing, Ai Wen

Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Symposium

Bumblebee populations are a key source of pollination in many local prairies across Iowa, and genetic diversity among these populations is essential to their health. In order to study the variation, it needs to be examined at the genomic level. However, the current method for bumblebee DNA extraction is lethal, and involves removing tissue from the thorax of captured bees. To find a non-lethal method, procedures were adapted from reference literature that used tarsal clippings of bees rather than capturing and freezing the entire bee. DNA was extracted from 18 previously captured Bombus impatiens individuals, among which four bees were …

Building Countably Many Disjoint Stat Sets In Ω1, Jordan Mills

Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Symposium

The first uncountable ordinal is ω₁. Here, we will describe the process for partitioning ω1 into countably many disjoint stationary (stat) sets. We first partition ω₁ into 2 disjoint stat sets, and then describe the process for continuing to partition ω₁ into infinitely many disjoint stat sets.

Computational And Experimental Study Of Nearly Half-Metallic V2coga, Caden Sadler, Parashu Kharel, Cole Brown, Mohd Anas, Paul M. Shand, Pavel V. Lukashev

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.
• V₂CoGa – nearly half-metallic material.

Duality Of Quadrilaterals Via Quaternions, Parker Sjomeling

Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Symposium

A quaternion is number which is hyper-complex, it has the form,

Where a₁, a₂, a₃, and a₄ are real “scalars”. Then i, j, and k are imaginary numbers which have the following properties:

q = a₁ +a₂i + a₃j + a₃k

Relevant operations on these quaternions include taking the conjugate and the norm (or commonly described as the distance).

The norm of q is equal to:

(a₁)² + (a₂)² + (a₃)² + (a₄)²

The conjugate of q is:

¯q = a …

Implications Of Plant Clonality For Nutrient Pollution In Grasslands And Wetlands, Sydney Aird, Kenneth Elgersma

Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Symposium

No abstract provided.

Does Woody Encroachment In Eastern Iowa Crp Fields Depend On Age Or Surrounding Forest Cover?, Drew Denotter, Tyler Evans, Laura Jackson

Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Symposium

Historically, tallgrass prairie covered approximately 85% of Iowa’s landscape. Today, Iowa has experienced the most extensive land conversion and destruction of native habitats, with nearly all of the biodiversity from the native prairie converted to private cropland. This transformation has led to declines in water and soil quality, as well as losses in plant and animal genetic diversity. The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) incentivizes farmers to remove land from production and restore it to tallgrass prairie, but these restorations face a growing threat: woody encroachment. Invasive woody species can expand rapidly, with densities increasing over a relatively short period of …

Developing A Dna Extraction Method For Mineral Abundant Limestone Cave Samples, Treytun Garcia, Marek Sliwinski

Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Symposium

Caves offer a unique environment to study microbial life that survives under extreme nutrient limitation. To this extent, 16s metabarcoding serves as a sort of “DNA fingerprint” that allows us to identify and study the microbial composition of these environments, but there are hurdles that must be overcome to obtain enough DNA for effective and reliable 16s sequencing. It is important to maximize the amount of DNA that can be extracted from the Wind Cave samples because it is an extremely low biomass environment and sufficient DNA for sequencing can be hard to get. Wind Cave National Park serves as …