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Crow's Nest, February 23, 2026, Crow's Nest Staff

Crow's Nest

The February 23, 2026 issue of Crow's Nest.

Monitoring Strategies In Cave Microclimate Studies, Nenad Buzjak, Dalibor Paar, Aurel Persoiu, Christos Pennos, Franci Gabrovšek, Valerija Rossi

International Journal of Speleology

Cave atmospheres are spatially confined but dynamical systems that influence subterranean ecosystems, geomorphological processes, registration and preservation of climatic signals in sedimentary archives, cultural heritage, and conservation management. Despite major advances in cave climatology, methodological approaches to microclimate monitoring remain fragmented and are in some cases still shaped by the long-standing assumption that cave air temperature simply reflects the mean annual surface temperature. This paper revisits that assumption and develops an experience- and literature-based methodological framework for cave microclimate research. Key terminology is addressed by distinguishing between cave climate, cave microclimate, and cave meteorology, and by situating microclimatic variability within …

Improving Quantitative Support Across An Institution Using An Ecosystem Framework, Laura Muller, Melissa Eblen-Zayas

Numeracy

In our keynote address at the 2025 National Numeracy Network Annual Meeting, we introduced the framework we developed for considering four domains of an institution’s quantitative skills/reasoning support ecosystem that includes bridge programs with a quantitative component, approaches to assessing readiness, curricular on-ramps, and supplementary support. We believe this ecosystem framework has the potential to help campus leaders coordinate institutional efforts around student success in areas connected to students’ quantitative preparation. This keynote highlighted the idea that coordination of stakeholders and their engagement with domains of the ecosystem fall along a spectrum. We provide approaches for using this framework to …

Crow's Nest, February 9, 2026, Crow's Nest Staff

Crow's Nest

The February 9, 2026 issue of Crow's Nest.

Making Waves In Tampa Bay: Experiential Learning On The R/V F.G Walton Smith, Madelyn Krischer, Hannah Harrison, Emma Graves, Sarah Campbell, Ana Arellano

Making Waves REU

The field of marine science is vast and constantly growing. There are a number of ways an individualmay benefit from experiential learning, whether in education or in their career.

Association, Affect, And Material Reading Practices Of Anna Laetitia Barbauld, Renee Harris

ABO: Interactive Journal for Women in the Arts, 1640–1830

At the end of the eighteenth century, reading practice was shifting from an embodied, affective exercise to a detached cognitive one. This essay examines how debates about truth and knowledge diverged along disciplinary and gender lines during this critical transition. The essay traces the influence of association psychology—particularly the theories of David Hartley and Joseph Priestley—on Romantic-era poets including Anna Laetitia Barbauld and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Through Feminist Formalist Analysis attuned to affect and cognition, this essay demonstrates how Barbauld's poetic montages challenge the period's scientific discourse. Her "Inventory of the Furniture in Dr. Priestley's Study" and two "Hill of …

The Gendered Duality Of Coldness In The Portrayals Of Eliza Hayley, Francesca Blanch-Serrat

ABO: Interactive Journal for Women in the Arts, 1640–1830

In the eighteenth century, coldness was defined, on the one hand, in relation to the body and the senses (a body that is lacking in heat) and on the other, to emotion (an individual lacking in passion). It was linked to illness and disability (Turner, 2012), equated to death, seen as both a cause and effect of physical decline and older age, and used as a synonym for low libido and infertility (Toulalan, 2015). In contrast to these negative connotations, coldness was also regarded as a remedy to temper the passions and to ensure longevity (Yallop, 2015), and taking cold …

A Novel Approach To Characterizing The Plastisphere In The Marine Environment, Hannah E. Harrison, Lucas Morais De Abreu, Ojas Natarajan, Susanne L. Gibboney, Larry J. Dishaw

Making Waves REU

• The rise in plastic consumption and production has also created a rise in plastic pollution. This plastic waste breaks down into smaller particles over time called microplastics (MPs).
• These plastics move through the environment (and through the food chain), often ending up in our bodies(see Fig. 1) (Cindrella& Rinjith, 2025).
• In 2013, Zettler et al. found that microbes often colonize MPs and form biofilms on the surface. This ecosystem is referred to as the plastisphere.
• The effects of MPs on the environment and human health is not well understood, and studying these effects is challenging.
• One of these challenges is …

Do Upside-Down Jellyfish Influence Marine Macrofauna Assemblages?, Juleika Y. Vega Pérez, Natalia B. Lopez-Figueroa, Sebastian Digeronimo, Michael J. Schram, Milton Muñoz Hincapie, Elizabeth Stoner, Pamela Hallock

Making Waves REU

• Estuaries are essential ecosystems for many organisms as they serve as spawning areas and nurseries
• Macrofauna are crucial members of estuarine ecosystems
• Many estuary macrofauna are considered of commercial importance
• Jellyfish blooms can alter nutrient cycling and modify habitat
• Little is known about how other macrofauna respond to Cassiopea blooms
• This study documents composition and diversity of macrofauna associated with Cassiopea blooms in Jobos Bay, Puerto Rico

Assessing The Impact Of Visitors On Airborne Particle Deposition In The Giant Gypsum Geode Of Pulpí (Se Spain), Ana Camila Mendoza, Ángel Fernández-Cortés, Fernando Gázquez, Jesús Morilla, Milagros Carretero, Jose Maria Calaforra, David Benavente

International Journal of Speleology

The Giant Geode of Pulpí is a unique mineralogical phenomenon worldwide, remarkable for its large selenite gypsum crystals. Its recent development as a tourist site and inclusion on UNESCO’s Tentative World Heritage List, highlight the need to assess the impact of visits on its conservation. This study investigates airborne particle dynamics inside the Geode, focusing on tourist activity and natural ventilation. We measured deposition rates and composition of airborne particles using passive traps and a continuous laser-optical particle counter. Microenvironmental variables linked to ventilation, such as temperature and radon gas concentration (²²²Rn), were simultaneously monitored. Results show a predominance of …

Long-Term Trends In Harmful Algal Blooms And Key Environmental Variables Off Southwest-Central Florida, Zayna Sampson, Digna Rueda Roa, Lilly Verrill, F. Muller-Karger

Making Waves REU

• We analyzed long-term trends in satellite Sea Surface Temperature (SST), Chlorophyll-a (Chl-a), and Algal Bloom Index (ABI). We compared them with in-situ Harmful Algal Blooms (HAB) counts in Southwest-Central Florida.
• Our statistics were based on anomalies to remove the seasonal signal, making it easier to observe inter-annual changes.
• The region experienced significant long-term increases in SST, with offshore areas warming faster than nearshore (offshore: >0.06 °C/year, close to shore: <0.05 °C/year).
• Both Chl-a and ABI showed weak but significant long-term decreases offshore.
• There were no significant correlations between HAB and satellite anomalies of SST, Chl-a, or ABI (p>0.1).

The Distribution Of Cadmium And Its Isotopes In The Subarctic Pacific, J. M. Malloy, H. R. Hunt, M. Sieber, S. Takano, H. Obata, T. M. Conway

Making Waves REU

• Cadmium (Cd) is a bioactive trace element that can act as a micronutrient, driving large scale chemical processes like photosynthesis and cellular respiration [1,2].
• The uptake of major nutrients is limited by dissolved iron (Fe) availability in high nutrient low chlorophyll (HNLC) surface regions like the subarctic Pacific [2,4].
• Upwelling of Cd-rich deepwater is a Cd source, in addition to riverine, atmospheric, and anthropogenic inputs [1].
• Dissolved cadmium isotopic compositions (δ114Cd) provide insight into the biogeochemical processes controlling Cd distributions throughout the water column, including biological uptake in surface waters, regeneration, and water mass mixing at depth.
• Here we present …

Biogeochemical Cycling Of Dissolved Zinc And Zinc Isotopes In The Arctic Ocean, Elise Langer, Dylan J. Halbeisen, Ruifeng Zhang, Seth G. John, Tim M. Conway

Making Waves REU

• Dissolved Zinc (dZn) is an essential micronutrient that supports primary productivity in the ocean (Morel & Price, 2003).
• Dissolved zinc isotope ratios (δ⁶⁶Zn) help us understand the sources, sinks, and internal cycling of dZn (Bermin et al. 2006; Conway and John, 2014, Horner et al. 2021).
• The background deep ocean has a largely homogenous δ⁶⁶Zn composition of +0.45‰ (Conway and John, 2014), thus deviations away from +0.45±0.05‰ suggest dZn input, loss, or alteration (Fig. 1).
• We hypothesize that margin sediments and freshwater input deliver isotopically light dZn to the coastal Arctic (Jensen et al. 2019).
• Near the North Pole, We …

Antimicrobial Resistance Of Cultivable Bacteria Isolated From Sorcerer’S Cave In Texas, Jennifer R. Huddleston, David E. Sanderson, Braden J. Smith, Joshua M. Brokaw, Evan M. Babb, Jeffrey T. Wooliscroft

International Journal of Speleology

Studying caves with minimal human contact offers insights into antimicrobial resistance before human influence. In this study, we isolated 315 bacterial strains from Sorcerer’s Cave in Texas and evaluated their resistance to seven common antimicrobials. Under half (41.4%) of the Gram-positive isolates and 68.4% of the Gram-negative isolates were resistant to three or more antimicrobials. The two most common genera identified were Pseudomonas and Bacillus. Compared to bacteria isolated in previous cave studies, Sorcerer’s Cave bacteria exhibited more extensive antimicrobial resistance. This study underscores the importance of minimally disturbed cave environments in advancing our knowledge of antimicrobial resistance present …

Environmental Factors Associated With Heatwaves Affecting The Growth Of Harmful Algal Bloom Species Pyrodinium Bahamense, Ketzia Garcia, Camiyah Blanchard, Lydia Ruggles, Lauren D' Amore, Margaret Mars Brisbin

Making Waves REU

• Pyrodiniumbahamenseis a harmful algal bloomdinoflagellate that forms blooms in subtropical and tropical estuarine waters, includingalong Florida's coasts
• The species formsintense harmful algal blooms in theOld Tampa Bayand Indian River Lagoon regions, producing toxins that cause paralytic shellfishpoisoning (PSP)
• Marine heatwaves (MHW), periods of time where ocean temperatures rise 1–3°C or more above the normal, have intensified over the years
• Marine heatwaves may influence microbial interactions and harmful algal blooms (HABS)

Exploring In Vitro Interactions Of Core Microbes From The Ciona Robusta Gut, Yanori M. Ferguson, Alyssa L. Fischer, Ojas Natarajan, Larry J. Dishaw

Making Waves REU

The disruption of homeostasis in the gut microbiome is linked to various host immune and metabolic imbalances. Therefore, there is a need to elucidate the roles of microbes in maintaining homeostasis in the gut microbiome.

Fungi are often overlooked components of gut flora. Here, we investigate in vitro interactions between core microbiota genera from the C. robusta gut: Candida (a yeast), Pseudoalteromonas (bacteria) and Vibrio (bacteria).

Sediment Grain Size Distribution And Composition From Coastal Enviroments At Jobos Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Puerto Rico, Xiomara Cruz-De León, Angelique Rosa Marín, Natalia B. López-Figueroa, Pamela Hallock

Making Waves REU

• Grain size analysis is an essential technique in sedimentology, providing vital information on sedimentary processes and depositional environments in coastal and marine systems.
• This study focuses on the Jobos Bay National Estuarine Reserve (JBNERR) in Guayama, Puerto Rico, an estuary significantly influenced by both natural and anthropogenic factors.
• The objective of this research is to compare the composition and textures of sediments collected from 16 sites across various habitats at Jobos Bay in December 2023.
• This study aims to support ongoing research initiatives and contribute to the effective management of the estuary.

Relationship Between Foraminiferal Assemblages And Cassiopea Coverage Across A Gradient Of Human Influence In Jobos Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Puerto Rico, Nylah Barber, Angelique Rosa Marín, Natalia López-Figueroa, Darma Ramos-Negrón, Xiomara Cruz-De León, Andrea Acevedo Colón, Pamela Hallock

Making Waves REU

Ecological Relevance: Foraminifera and Cassiopea (upside down-jellyfish) are symbiont-bearing organisms that respond rapidly to environmental changes in tropical systems, hence potential candidates as bioindicators to support ecological monitoring at JBNERR. Purpose: By using foraminiferal assemblages and Cassiopea as potential bioindicators, we can assess environmental conditions and contribute to management needs in the reserve. Hypothesis: Foraminiferal assemblages and the percent coverage of Cassiopea will reflect the habitat conditions of sites with varying levels of human influence at JBNERR.

No Groundwater, No Fish: The Critical Role Of Groundwater In Supporting Non-Glacial, Salmon-Bearing Rivers In South-Central Alaska, Tyelyn Brigino, Kai Rains, Edgar Guerron-Orejuela, Jacob Argueta, Syverine Bentz, Coowe Walker, Mark Rains

School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications

Groundwater discharge plays an important role in the hydrologic and ecologic functioning of rivers including sustaining streamflow and related habitat year-round. Simultaneously, groundwater supports the increasing demands of people as the global population continues to grow. Balancing the needs of users becomes increasingly important as climate change introduces greater uncertainty in water resources and fisheries, especially for economically important anadromous species that depend on freshwater resources. We investigated the seasonal and regional variability of groundwater contributions to six non-glacial mainstem salmon-bearing rivers in south-central Alaska. We hypothesized that groundwater contributes more than half of the annual streamflow, and nearly all …

Non-Destructive Characterization Of Variously Colored Gypsum And Aragonite/Calcite Speleothems From The Cigalère Cave (Ariège, France), Martin Vlieghe, Johan Wouters, Gérald Fanuel, Jean-François Drion Du Chapois, Anne Gallez, Stéphane Pire-Stevenne, Gaëtan Rochez, Johan Yans

International Journal of Speleology

The Cigalère Cave is a 21 km-long karstic cave located in the Ariège Department, in the French Pyrenees, and underlies directly the Bentaillou Pb-Zn-Fe sulfide ores. The cave hosts abundant gypsum mineralizations, some of them exhibiting various colorations including blue, yellow, purple, orange and black. Due to strict preservation policies, these colored mineralizations have not been studied much. Here we propose a non-destructive characterization of five distinct gypsum or carbonate speleothem structures from the Cigalère, exhibiting different colorations. To comply with the preservation policies, no sample was taken from the cave, and all speleothems were analyzed in situ using portable …

Pluralism And Critique In A Renewed Environmental Anthropology, Helen Kopnina

Journal of Ecological Anthropology

Environmental anthropology has evolved from early ethnographic traditions that emphasized the interplay between culture and ecology to a field increasingly influenced by ideological perspectives across the political spectrum. Traditionally, anthropologists examined how human societies adapted to their environments through cultural practices, laying the groundwork for ecological anthropology. However, in recent decades, the field has increasingly been shaped by political and theoretical shifts that prioritize critiques of capitalism, colonialism, and environmental injustice—sometimes at the cost of empirical diversity and democratic debate. There are critiques of the broader trend in academia where intellectual discourse becomes dominated by elite-driven ideological conformity. Critics warn …

Hydrothermal Vents In Sulfuric Acid Speleogenesis Karst: Isolated Feeders With Pristine Hypogenic Water Or Interconnected Conduits With Rapid Flow And Recycled Water?, Jakub Mareš, Marek Audy, Serban M. Sarbu, Jan Kukačka, Romeo Eftimi, Jiří Bruthans

International Journal of Speleology

Underwater connectivity and flow paths in the saturated zone of hypogenic sulfuric acid speleogenesis (SAS) karst remain unclear, despite sustained research over the past 30 years. Being regarded as sources of pristine H₂S-charged water, narrow inflow conduits called "feeders" are typically considered primary sources of water and hotspots of speleogenesis. In southeastern Albania, there is a newly discovered active SAS karst system comprising numerous caves and springs. Tracer tests were conducted to investigate the connection of these caves to the surrounding springs and to characterize the flow paths. The results show that water flows from cave lakes to …

Guiding Principles For Teaching About Genocide And Other Difficult Pasts, Kerry E. Whigham

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

This article outlines guiding principles for teaching “difficult pasts”—episodes of large-scale, identity-based violence such as genocide, crimes against humanity, colonialism, and enslavement—in ways that promote peace, human rights, and the prevention of future atrocities. Drawing from the fields of Holocaust and Genocide Education (HGE), Global Citizenship Education (GCED), Peace Education (PE), and Human Rights Education (HRE), it argues that instruction should move beyond the memorization of historical facts toward developing students’ socio-emotional and behavioral capacities to recognize and resist processes of othering, discrimination, and violence. The brief presents three main areas of guidance: curricular content, emphasizing conceptual understanding over rote …

Biologically Motivated Algorithms And Backpropagation, Yusra Rasool, Tasnia Mahsin Simin, Shion Matsumoto, Ankur Mali

Bellini College REU Symposium (BCREUS)

Backpropagation (BP) relies on biologically implausible mechanisms like global error transport. This project investigates two alternatives: Error-Driven Local Representation Alignment (LRA), which utilizes local error loops, and Predictive Forward-Forward (PFF), which employs forward-forward algorithm and "goodness" optimization to eliminate backward passes. We quantify the trade-off between biological plausibility and efficiency by measuring the convergence lag inherent to localized updates. Theoretically, we analyze how PFF and LRA resolve the weight transport problem and enable local credit assignment, positioning these frameworks as viable candidates for energy-efficient "mortal computation" on neuromorphic hardware.

Evaluation Of Deep Learning Approaches For Protein Function Prediction, Mohamed Elwaei, Isfahan Juboraj, Osama Abdeljabbar

Bellini College REU Symposium (BCREUS)

Protein function prediction is of high importance when it comes to applications such as bioinformatics, of which drug discovery and disease research, in particular, are key components. Experimental methods for determining protein function are accurate but typically cumbersome and expensive, and this is why computational approaches are needed for this. This study specifically explores, through a research-based approach, different deep learning methods to predict protein functions using amino acid sequences, structural information, and protein interaction data. The proposed framework combines Convolutional Neural Networks to capture local sequence patterns with Graph Neural Networks to model global structural relationships and protein interactions. …

Sharks On The Move: Investigating The Link Between Climate Change And Rising Shark-Human Encounters, Keira E.B. Blakey

USF St. Petersburg campus Honors Program Theses (Undergraduate)

Sharks have long captivated the public imagination, evoking fascination and fear through enduring myths and media portrayals of negative interactions with humans. In recent years, an increase in shark sightings and attacks along the U.S. coastline has prompted scientific inquiry and public concern. This literature review explores the relationship between rising global temperatures and the frequency of shark attacks, focusing on how climate change affects shark behavior, migration patterns, and habitat distribution. Sharks move into warmer waters as ocean temperatures rise, altering migration routes and prolonging active seasons. This increases the likelihood of shark-human encounters, particularly in coastal regions that …

Career Readiness Competencies Among First-Generation Undecided Students And Their Parents In The United States, Nicole M. Kotlan, Evan W. Faidley

Journal of Global Education and Research

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between first-generation status and the value of career readiness competencies of first-generation undecided students (n = 106) and their parents (n = 178), explored through social cognitive career theory and Bourdieu’s theory of habitus and social and cultural capital. A non-experimental design using a non-random sample revealed, through an independent t-test, statistically significant differences in global/intercultural competency among students based on their first-generation status. The results of a multiple linear regression analysis suggest that parents’ values are associated with students’ values and professionalism/work ethic; however, no relationship was …

First Report Of A Bat Guano Fire From A Cave In Southeast Asia, Sopark Jantarit, Martin Ellis, Pruet Kalasuwan, Neeranuch Phusunti, Pimonsri Mittraparp-Arthorn, Jiranan Pattano, Arnon Chukamnerd, Turdtun Tong-In, Natthawut Khrueaaunruean

International Journal of Speleology

Fires occurring in cave guano are a rare and unusual phenomenon and the occurrence of such events in Southeast Asia is particularly novel. In this study, we document the first recorded instance of a bat guano fire in a tropical cave at Tham Chao Ram in Sukhothai province, northern Thailand. A bacteriological analysis was made of the guano at the fire site and from a control site within the cave. We give a comprehensive review of global reports on bat guano fires in caves, conduct an initial investigation of the physical factors at the fire site and discuss the potential …

Does The National Benchmark Quantitative Literacy Test Predict Performance In Stem Programmes In Commerce, Engineering And Science?, Robert N. Prince

Numeracy

In South Africa, university completion rates remain low, with only 23% of students finishing within the regulation time (three or four years). These completion rates continue to reflect racial inequalities, with ‘White’ students significantly more likely to complete degrees in professional fields such as engineering and commerce compared to their ‘African’ counterparts. To address these challenges, the South African higher education institutions, through their umbrella body, introduced the National Benchmark (NB) tests to assess students’ academic literacy skills—including quantitative literacy, academic literacy, and mathematics—to identify those most at risk of struggling with the curriculum. The NB tests aim to evaluate …

“For Haitian Culture, Being Older [Is] A Blessing”: Perceptions Of Aging, Elderhood, And Dementia In A Haitian Born Sample, Melissa K. Eustache

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates how first-generation Haitian immigrants in the United States understand and interpret dementia within the intersecting contexts of culture, migration, and biomedicine. While dementia is constructed as a pathological “loss of self” and a public health epidemic, in American biomedical and popular discourse, this study examines how Haitian-born individuals—socialized within a non-Western cultural and spiritual framework—make sense of cognitive decline and impairment in ways that diverge from Western biomedical narratives. Guided by theoretical orientations from medical anthropology, including Mark Nichter’s idioms of distress, Margaret Lock’s local biologies, and neuroanthropology, this research explores how cultural models of illness, aging, …