Digital Commons Network^™

Characterizing The West Antarctic Ice Sheet Dynamics During Marine Isotope Stage 5 Using Analysis Of Iceberg Rafted Debris, Madelyn Krischer, Natalia Freedman, Trevor Williams

Making Waves REU

• The West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) is vulnerable to ocean warming because much of the ice rests on bedrock below sea level. Studying past warm periods helps improve our understanding of WAIS response to future climate change (Hopkins et al., 2024).
• Marine sediment cores from three sites around Antarctica (Figure 1) were analyzed, IODP Site U1533A (Amundsen Sea near Thwaites Glacier), IODP Site U1537 (Iceberg Alley), and ODP Site 1101 (west of the Antarctic Peninsula), allowing us to compare regional responses to ocean warming (Barker et al., 1999; Hopkins et al., 2024)
• Previously published magnetic susceptibility (MS) and Ba/Rb records …

Pitfalls Of Multiplied 3d Landforms Projection: Mapping Deep Multilevel Cave Systems In The Alps (Gamssteig Cave System, Göll Massif), Mateusz Golicz, Jacek Szczygieł

International Journal of Speleology

Cave mapping represents one of the most complex challenges in geomorphological cartography, as it must convey the true three-dimensional geometry of subterranean spaces such as overlapping passages, irregular cross-sections, and variable ceiling and floor morphologies, within a two-dimensional framework. This study examines the methodological and interpretive challenges of cave mapping, utilizing the Gamssteighöhle cave in the Austrian Alps as a case study. During the 11 years of exploration, over 10 km of passages were surveyed using the DistoX vector survey method. Yet, the complex morphological forms necessitated deviations from the standard symbology recommended by the International Union of Speleology. Several …

Correlation Analysis Of Factors Associated With Students’ Numeracy Skills Using Decision Tree Algorithms, Yenita Roza, Arisman Adnan, Zul Indra, Tuti Alawiyah

Numeracy

Numeracy is a critical competency for academic and everyday functioning. This study investigates the key factors associated with students’ numeracy skills by employing decision tree algorithms as a data mining technique. The dataset used in this study is educational assessment data from Indonesia. Utilizing a dataset comprising 6,953 entries and 60 variables from Education Report, the research adopts an exploratory approach involving data preprocessing, exploratory data analysis, and decision tree model construction. The findings reveal that students’ literacy skills serve as the most dominant predictor of numeracy proficiency, emerging as the root node in the decision tree structure. Additional associated …

Exploring Abundance Of Symbiotic Cyanobacterial Nitrogen Fixers On The West Florida Shelf, Julia Kiplinger, Emma Graves, Kristen Buck, Salvatore Caprara, Christa Baranowski, P. Dreux Chappell

Making Waves REU

• Nitrogen is essential for building DNA, RNA, and proteins
• N gas is the most abundant form of nitrogen, but it is unusable by most organisms
• Marine diazotrophs fix dissolved N in the ocean to make it bioavailable for other organisms to create amino acids and DNA
• The West Florida Shelf (WFS) is an oligotrophic yet highly productive region where nitrogen fixation is especially important for nutrient cycling
• Symbiotic cyanobacterial nitrogen fixers like UCYN-A1, UCYN-A2, and HET-2 have been previously shown in coastal waters but we are lacking general knowledge of them on the WFS
• This research will expand the understanding …

Abundance Of Free-Living Cyanobacterial Nitrogen Fixers On The West Florida Shelf, Ashley Gielazyn, Emma Graves, Christa Baranowski, Kristen Buck, Salvatore Caprara, P. Dreux Chappell

Making Waves REU

• Bio-available nitrogen is scarce in the ocean. An important source of bioavailable nitrogenisnitrogen fixation, which can only be done by select organisms.
• Trichodesmium is a cyanobacterial nitrogen fixer.
• T. thiebautii and T. erythraeum are considered the representative species of the two major clades of Trichodesmium.
• Trichodesmium can be found on the West Florida Shelf, which is a highly productive, yet oligotrophic environment.
• There is limited research on the abundance of nitrogen fixers such as Trichodesmium on the WFS, especially at the clade level.
• This project looks at where and in what quantities the two major clades of Trichodesmium can be …

Determining The Sources Of Aerosols Delivered To The Subtropical North Atlantic Using Stable Isotopes, Khloe E. Coffie, Zach B. Bunnell, Dylan J. Halbeisen, Peter N. Sedwick, Tim M. Conway

Making Waves REU

Atmospheric deposition of aerosols is a source of bioavailable trace metals1.

• Fe - Required by primary producers for photosynthesis and nitrogen fixation in the oceans2.
• Zn- Required for enzymes, carbonic anhydrase & alkaline phosphatase3.
• Cd- Found within phytoplankton, high quantities can become toxic 4.

Stable isotope ratios can be used as a tracer for source attribution.

• Anthropogenic-sourced metals have distinct isotopic composition compared to lithogenic dust sourced metals.
• Lithogenic Saharan dust signatures5 : δ⁵⁶Fe = +0.1‰, δ⁶⁶Zn = +0.3‰, and δ¹¹⁴Cd = +0.0‰.

Aerosols are deposited by two mechanisms1:

• Dry Deposition: The settling of …

Oxygen Isotopic Signatures Of Neogloboquadrina Pachyderma From Last Glacial Maximum In Subarctic Waters, Abel Zuniga, Kevin Sosa, Mackenzie Cole, Hannah Burd, Alana Buffardi, Alexis Vargas, Calyn Crawford, Patrick Rafter

Making Waves REU

• δOxygen-18valueswere investigated withmass spectrometry
• Pre-existing and newly generated data were plotted to observe isotopic δ18O signatures during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM)
• At 16,100 cal BP, the measured oxygen isotopes imply a transitional warming state of the global ocean

Changing High Water Exceedances In The Southeast U.S., Xavier Willis, Ian Kahn, Steven Meyers, Mark Luther

Making Waves REU

Sea level rise increases the likelihood that water levels will exceed flooding thresholds. This is particularly true for low-lying areas such as Florida. The rate of change of these exceedances is a topic of research, and important for planning community resilience to climate change. Data from NOAA coastal tide gauges for the Southeast U.S. were used to determine the annual 95th, 98th, and 99th percentile exceedance levels from 1975 to 2022, for each year and with Summer and Winter segments. Exceedance levels were on average 5-10% higher during Summer compared to Winter. The tide gauge station at Fernandina Beach had …

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).

Making Waves: Students Transform Research Experience Into Engaging Story, Xavier Willis, Saneru Williams, Yanori Ferguson, Stephen Song, Mark Walters, Ana Arellano

Making Waves REU

Understanding integrative science and communicating it effectively is increasingly important in our society. We stress science literacy and communication as an integral part of the Making Waves REU program and advocate for the dissemination of research projects through public channels and student-led podcasts on REU experiences.

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 …

Making Waves Podcast: Exploring Stem Through Undergraduate Voices, E. Langer, K. Sosa, N. Barber, A. Vázquez Marrero, A. Zuniga, J. Malloy, J. Gutierrez-Paiz, A. Ingraham, C. Campbell, M. Walters, A. R. Arellano

Making Waves REU

• Engage, train, and educate students in the discipline of oceanographic research and science communication.
• Provide an immersive ocean science Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU).
• Effectively communicate interdisciplinary marine science subjects.

Teaching Numeracy For Social Justice: Educational Equity, Esther Isabelle Wilder, Crystal C. Rodriguez, Caterina Shost, Eduardo Vianna, Frank Wang

Numeracy

The special collection, “Teaching Numeracy for Social Justice: Educational Equity,” focuses on how quantitative reasoning (QR) can function as a vehicle for equity, empowerment, and democratic participation. Building on a longstanding tradition that treats numeracy as inseparable from social justice, these contributions highlight how progressive pedagogies (e.g., active learning, authentic research, and equity-oriented assessment) have the potential to broaden access for students historically excluded from quantitative fields. The studies span a variety of conceptual frameworks, introductory and advanced quantitative instruction, and interdisciplinary applications, showcasing how inclusive QR practices can build confidence, agency, and real-world understanding. These articles demonstrate that when …

Quantitative Reasoning In Calculus Iii: Advancing Student Engagement, Confidence, And Aspirations At An Hsi, Tanvir Prince

Numeracy

This study examines the impact of integrating Quantitative Reasoning (QR) into a Calculus III course at a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) on student engagement, confidence, and aspirations. The course is offered at Hostos Community College in the South Bronx. It incorporated QR-focused projects on economic inequality, environmental pollution, and access to healthcare. These projects allowed students to apply advanced calculus concepts to real-world social issues. A pre- and post-survey design was employed to assess changes in students’ mathematical confidence, perceptions of relevance, and career and educational goals. Results showed statistically significant gains in confidence and in the belief that advanced math …

A Comparison Of First- And Continuing-Generation Students Completing A Project-Based Introductory Statistics Course, Susan A. Dumais, Naomi J. Spence, Lisa Dierker

Numeracy

Traditional introductory statistics courses that focus on techniques are not engaging for many college students; this may be especially true for first-generation college students, who generally have more difficulty engaging in the college environment than continuing-generation students. We study first-generation college students’ experiences in a course-based undergraduate research experience called Passion-Driven Statistics. Passion-Driven Statistics is a multidisciplinary, project-based introductory statistics course where students develop their own research topics, analyze publicly available quantitative data, and focus on conceptual understanding of statistics rather than hand calculations. Using pre-course and post-course surveys from students taking Passion-Driven Statistics in colleges throughout the United States, …

The Roles Of Mathematics In Teaching For Social Justice: A Framework For The College Classroom, Vivian Lim, Daniel Libertz

Numeracy

In this paper, we present a framework for understanding the multiple roles that mathematics can serve in the classroom towards social justice goals, developed through an analysis of 36 social justice mathematics curricular modules in college settings. The framework is grounded in Patricia Hill Collins's matrix of domination and consists of seven themes that represent the different roles mathematics can play: measuring inequality, illuminating conditions resulting in inequality, understanding the mechanisms of phenomena, challenging stereotypes and misconceptions, generating and evaluating solutions, communication and action, and criticizing quantification. Our framework supports the perspective that mathematics can serve important and distinct roles …

Review: Mountains Of Blame: Climate And Culpability In The Philippine Uplands., David Gowey

Journal of Ecological Anthropology

No abstract provided.

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 …

Ai In Ocean Traffic Monitoring, Tyler Hawkins, Steven D. Meyers, Aishlin Ingraham, Mark E. Luther

Making Waves REU

The Maritime Automatic Identification System (AIS) produces over 100 terabytes of data annually. offering vital insights into globaJ vessel traffic, identity, and navigation patterns. However, the massive volume and inconsislent quality of AIS data introduce challenges for researchers seeking to extract reliable and applicable information. This study investigates the, effectiveness of Julius Al, an off-the-shelf data science platform, for streamlining the analysis of a ilarge AIS dataset, spanning 2015 to 2019 and covering over 42 million messages from Florida's five busiest ports. The results were compared to a previous human analysis. By leveraging only natural language prompts, we explore how …

Tampa Bay Mycobiome, Alyssa L. Fischer, Yanori M. Ferguson, Ojas Natarajan, Larry J. Dishaw

Making Waves REU

The marine mycobiome is a largely unexplored area of research despite its importance to the environment as a carbon sink, nutrient manager, and as a symbiont of various marine life. With rising temperatures, there is a need to identify the fungi present in these environments to monitor changes in biodiversity and their effect on climate change. Along Tampa Bay, six sites were chosen to collect samples from surface water using a CTD rosette system. The collected water was filtered, and DNA was extracted in order to classify and catalog species of both bacteria and fungi through 16S and ITS sequencing, …

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.

Making Waves Through Expedition, Jenna Malloy, Natalia López-Figueroa, Ana Arellano

Making Waves REU

No abstract provided.

Designing For Engagement: A Comparison Of Canvas And A Visual Peer Review Dashboard, Alon Friedman, Md Dilshadur Rahman, Ly Dinh, Paul Rosen

School of Information Faculty Publications

Peer review is an underutilized yet potentially powerful strategy for fostering evaluative judgment and design literacy in visualization education. Critiquing visual work requires domain-specific competencies that extend beyond generic peer feedback; however, widely adopted platforms such as Canvas provide limited support for the cognitive and visual demands of visualization critique. We introduce VisPeerReview, a visualization-specific learning analytics dashboard (LAD) designed to scaffold peer feedback through an integrated visualization display, rubric-guided prompts, and inline annotation tools. We evaluated VisPeerReview through a three-phase mixed-methods study conducted in an undergraduate data visualization course, comparing it with Canvas’s default peer-review workflow. Drawing on interaction …

13.01.01. Osprey, Pandion Haliaetus, A. Tringali, Ann Hodgson, Florida Ornithological Society

13.01. <em>Pandionidae</em> - Osprey

The Osprey is the only member of its genus, Pandion, and family, Pandionidae.

08.01.01. Black-Necked Stilt, Himantopus Mexicanus, Z. B. Holmes, Ann Hodgson, Florida Ornithological Society

08.01. <em>Recurvirostridae</em> - Stilts and Avocets

The Black-necked Stilt is a conspicuous shorebird that is easily identifiable, with its black and white body and long pink legs.

08.04.01. American Woodcock, Scolopax Minor, B. H. Anderson, Ann Hodgson, Florida Ornithological Society

08.04. <em>Scolopacidae</em> - Sandpipers and Allies

Most often seen in Florida in winter when resident American Woodcock, with numbers augmented by migrants from the northern United States and southern Canada, leave their nighttime feeding areas at dawn for nearby woodlands where they roost during the day.