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Responses Of Utah Native Plants To Saline Water Irrigation, Asmita Paudel Apr 2022

Responses Of Utah Native Plants To Saline Water Irrigation, Asmita Paudel

Student Research Symposium

Native plants are of great value in urban landscape as they are drought, disease, and pest tolerant. Use of native plants also helps to reduce air pollution and promote biodiversity. However, limited information exists for salinity stress responses of native plants. Four Utah native plants [Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (Kinnikinnick), Cercocarpus ledifolius (curl-leaf mountain mahogany), Cercocarpus montanus ‘Coy’ (alder-leaf mountain mahogany), and Shepherdia × utahensis ‘Torrey’ (hybrid buffaloberry)] were evaluated for relative salinity tolerance under greenhouse conditions. Plants were irrigated with a nutrient solution at an electrical conductivity (EC) of 1.2 dS·m-1 (control) or saline solutions at ECs of 5.0 or 10.0 …

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Analyzing Suicidal Text Using Natural Language Processing, Cassandra Barton Apr 2022

Analyzing Suicidal Text Using Natural Language Processing, Cassandra Barton

Student Research Symposium

Using Natural Language Processing (NLP), we are able to analyze text from suicidal individuals. This can be done using a variety of methods. I analyzed a dataset of a girl named Victoria that died by suicide. I used a machine learning method to train a different dataset and tested it on her diary entries to classify her text into two categories: suicidal vs non-suicidal. I used topic modeling to find out unique topics in each subset. I also found a pattern in her diary entries. NLP allows us to help individuals that are suicidal and their family members and close …

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Then And Now: The Evolution Of The Psychology Undergraduate Program At Utah State University, Abigail Hamblin, Amy Mackliet, River Mckinlay Apr 2022

Then And Now: The Evolution Of The Psychology Undergraduate Program At Utah State University, Abigail Hamblin, Amy Mackliet, River Mckinlay

Student Research Symposium

The history of Utah State University’s Psychology Department has significantly influenced the current activities and goals of the department, and this presentation will exemplify how that is so. Throughout the Psychology Department’s history, a common theme was focusing on research, teacher education programs, and instructing the individual undergraduate student to be more prepared for their life after graduation (USU Mission Statement, n.d.). This theme has continued on today through the department’s mission. For instance, the program strives to inspire scientific inquiry and critical thinking, which is done through various courses, including both undergraduate and graduate courses that focus on research …

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Ecotourism: Experience Beyond Travel, Brooke Nielson Apr 2022

Ecotourism: Experience Beyond Travel, Brooke Nielson

Student Research Symposium

The growing number of tourists each year has contributed to the economic and environmental stresses of high-visitor locations across the globe. With the development of transportation such as the car and the airplane, travel has become more accessible to individuals all around the world, especially for the elite. Appropriately, one of the most dramatic statistics related to tourism is that this very second, forty-five people just arrived at their destination. And another forty-five. Then another. And it adds up even faster. Contrary to the excitement of those vacationing, there are many tensions within the local economy and environment due to …

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Examining The Impact Of Community Racism And Classism On Human Service Organizations, Nadene Kimball, Erin Nielsen Apr 2022

Examining The Impact Of Community Racism And Classism On Human Service Organizations, Nadene Kimball, Erin Nielsen

Student Research Symposium

Racism and classism have been substantial social problems across history and are still prevalent today. Human service nonprofit organizations (HSOs) play an important role in helping people who are affected by racism and classism and are often the most marginalized, oppressed, and vulnerable in communities. A recent study encountered rural nonprofits in the South region of the U.S. that indicated racism and downward classism negatively affected their ability to provide services in their communities (Walters, 2020). To our knowledge, no studies have examined the impact of racism and downward classism on human service organizations and their operations. Thus, the current …

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Violence Experienced In Immigrant Communities, Katherine Flores Apr 2022

Violence Experienced In Immigrant Communities, Katherine Flores

Student Research Symposium

Violence is sadly not a new concept to those in immigrant communities. Many immigrants leave their home country for the United States in hopes of finding a better life, not just for themselves but for their families as well. Sadly, what awaits them here, in many cases, is the same thing that they were running from. Violence takes many faces, such as street gangs and domestic violence, and immigrants experience more injustices such as racism and economic struggles. Through these narratives, one can see the struggles of what it means to be an immigrant in the United States and the …

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Detecting Climate Change In Trilobite Time, Michelle Norman Apr 2022

Detecting Climate Change In Trilobite Time, Michelle Norman

Student Research Symposium

Trilobites are a signature marine fossil of the Cambrian explosion, which took place about 500 Ma (million years ago). By studying these fossiliferous rocks (limestone), we can get an understanding of ecological and environmental change. In fact, we can detect the ancient carbon cycle by measuring stable carbon isotopes in these limestone samples. By studying the carbon environment the trilobites lived in and which trilobite species evolve or go extinct, we can learn more about ancient climate events and constrain them to a certain period of time based off the age of radioactive zircons we find in sandy material around …

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Effect Of Partner Loss On Oxytocin Measures In The Social Brain Of Monogamous Coyotes, Blake Nielson Apr 2022

Effect Of Partner Loss On Oxytocin Measures In The Social Brain Of Monogamous Coyotes, Blake Nielson

Student Research Symposium

Oxytocin is a neuropeptide that is important in social behavior and in the formation of pair bonds between mates. One study found that oxytocin receptor levels in monogamous female prairie voles were lower in animals which had been separated from their mate for some time. In order to further study oxytocin's importance in social bond formation and to test for any possible effects partner loss could have on oxytocin in the brain, I conducted a study on monogamous female coyote brain tissue. Four brain specimens were examined from paired female coyotes, while three brain specimens were examined from widowed female …

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Exploring The Experiences Of Queer Students Of Color Within Predominantly White Institutions, Carina Linares Apr 2022

Exploring The Experiences Of Queer Students Of Color Within Predominantly White Institutions, Carina Linares

Student Research Symposium

This study will provide an intersectional analysis and consider the role of queer frameworks in order to understand the experiences of Queer Students of Color attending historically white institutions of higher education. Data will be collected through Zoom interviews and will explore how multiple marginalized identities manifest themselves and how these intersections are navigated and experienced on campuses of higher education. This research will explore both micro and macro level patterns of discrimination and racism and will attempt to reveal issues including but not limited to structural and institutional racism, homophobia and heterosexism, and erasure of minorities' identities. This research …

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Social Media's Effect On Our Mental Health, Ell Sarah Mortensen Apr 2022

Social Media's Effect On Our Mental Health, Ell Sarah Mortensen

Student Research Symposium

This research project presents information on how social media effects our mental health. Key topics include how social media correlates with depression, anxiety and other forms of mental health issues.

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Could Differences In Aerobic Capacity Between Lower Limbs Negatively Impact Mobility Among Older Adults?, Daxton Kennington, Chayston Brown Apr 2022

Could Differences In Aerobic Capacity Between Lower Limbs Negatively Impact Mobility Among Older Adults?, Daxton Kennington, Chayston Brown

Student Research Symposium

Falls are a primary cause of injury and mortality among older adults with 28.7% reporting falling each year. Previous research has found lower limb asymmetries are not strictly due to strength differences or previous injury among young, healthy individuals. Our proposed strategy will assess aerobic capacity between limbs and quantify asymmetries by comparing VO2 peak and power in single limb cycling vs. double limb cycling tests. We hypothesis that individuals with asymmetries (limb differences) will have greater fall risk and worsened mobility than individuals without asymmetries. Our sampling will include individuals 65 years of age and older. Limb dominance will …

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Military Money, Luke Hayes Apr 2022

Military Money, Luke Hayes

Student Research Symposium

With one of the largest budgets for any program in the United States, The military of the United States of America is often accused of having too much money allocated to their program. Even though the military keeps well-documented reports on their spending, the average U.S. citizen has little to no idea about how this money is spent. This project attempts to reveal that the spending is reasonable and necessary to accomplish the goals of the United States military. This was accomplished by studying many primary and secondary sources, mainly relying on official financial reports of the United States military. …

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The Importance Of Sleep, Julio Arronte Apr 2022

The Importance Of Sleep, Julio Arronte

Student Research Symposium

Many people nowadays struggle with sleep. Research has shown that 22% of people struggle with sleepand out of those, 66% have a sleep disorder. This shows how complicated the sleep process is for the vast majority of people. My research was organized in many stages, first I wrote down what I already knew about sleep (which was nothing compared to the amount of things I found after my research). Secondly, I started looking at a lot of research projects led by the best scientists and organizations about sleep. I found that sleep is divided into many sections and what happens …

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Antimicrobial Activity Of Artemisia Tridentata, David Suisse Apr 2022

Antimicrobial Activity Of Artemisia Tridentata, David Suisse

Student Research Symposium

Natural medicines with antimicrobial capabilities often contain secondary metabolites from any number of plants or fungi. These plant-derived compounds can have great medicinal or agricultural value. Artemisia tridentata is said to contain antimicrobial compounds and has been used as a medicinal herb in Native American cultural medicine. Artemisia annua, a Chinese herb, was used to derive artemisinin, a common antimalarial drug and potential anticancer treatment. Very few studies exist to research the identity of any antimicrobial compounds in A. tridentata.This study is to identify any antimicrobial compounds in A. tridentata. We collected, dried, and crushed local samples of three different …

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A Legal-Historical Exploration Of Latinx Racialization Within The United States Education System​, Carina Linares, Anavae Remetio Apr 2022

A Legal-Historical Exploration Of Latinx Racialization Within The United States Education System​, Carina Linares, Anavae Remetio

Student Research Symposium

There are only five court cases that made it to federal court that dealt with school desegregation and Latinx children before the famed Brown v. Board of Education case in 1954. We can see discrimination and racism against Latinxs in each of these cases, and this segregation and discrimination occurred throughout the entire country. These acts of racism were incredibly common, and although some of the cases were won, effective change has not yet been achieved. We see the importance of racialization for Latinos over time. The courts debate a lot about whether Latinos should be considered white or not, …

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The Benefits That Come From Moving Out Of State For College, Sadie Morris Apr 2022

The Benefits That Come From Moving Out Of State For College, Sadie Morris

Student Research Symposium

My topic is about how moving to a new state can benefit a student when starting college. Not that many students move to a different state to go to college, and there can be a lot of benefits that come from moving some where new. This poster highlights the positives that come from moving to a new state from college.

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Designing For An International Audience, Sid Schaefer Apr 2022

Designing For An International Audience, Sid Schaefer

Student Research Symposium

Almost everything that people interact with has to be designed by someone, for someone. One of the most difficult audiences to design for is a foreign or international audience. If someone does not speak the same language as you, it is very easy for a design to fail. The most common solution to this problem is to use universal symbols or design elements that are understood by a wide variety of people. These elements of a design can draw from a few universal constants. First, a design can relate to the human body. Second, a design can relate to geometry. …

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Preparation And Characterization Of Highly Insulating Granular Samples For Electron Yield Measurement, Heather Allen Apr 2022

Preparation And Characterization Of Highly Insulating Granular Samples For Electron Yield Measurement, Heather Allen

Student Research Symposium

This experiment focuses primarily on the preparation and characterization of granular samples for the eventual purpose of electron yield measurements. Highly insulating granular samples are notoriously difficult to prepare and present a myriad ofcomplications from both experimental and practical frameworks. A famous example of this was during the 1969 Apollo 11 mission when electrostatically adhered lunar dust damaged the equipment and astronauts suits and led to purported health effects. The electrical properties of this dust for charging and discharge is essential to preventing these effects. In this study, particles of varying size, shape, and composition are used to create multilayered …

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Short Term Stability Of The Electrical Stapedial Reflex, Emilee Harris Apr 2022

Short Term Stability Of The Electrical Stapedial Reflex, Emilee Harris

Student Research Symposium

Electrical stapedial reflex threshold (eSRT) is an objective measurement of the stapedial reflex triggering in response to loud electrical stimulation through the CI electrode. eSRT has been a valuable clinical tool in mapping the Cochlear Implant (CI) electrodes upper limits. The main objective of this study is to validate the changes in the eSRT within and across CI patients over one year post activation. In this study retrospective clinical data were analyzed from 44 patients ranging in age from 1-88 years, with a total of 29 left ear devices and 31 right ear devices activated in the years 2013-2020 with …

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Effects Of Life-Extension Biotechnology On Global Society, David Suisse Apr 2022

Effects Of Life-Extension Biotechnology On Global Society, David Suisse

Student Research Symposium

For much of human history, diseases and disorders ranging from tuberculosis and the flu to cancer and Alzheimer’s have appeared inevitable and unstoppable. Yet modern medicine offers remedies to many illnesses that used to be fatal and continues to make astounding steps against other disorders that experts now understand to be treatable. In the last 10 years, scientists have made remarkable progress regarding the causes of aging itself, and current trends in technological, medical, and genetic research indicate that groundbreaking lifespan-extending and vitality-extending biotechnologies will soon be developed and may be implemented within decades. Some experts suggest that “curing” aging …

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Designing For Adhd: Home For The Neurodiverse, Makenna Murray Apr 2022

Designing For Adhd: Home For The Neurodiverse, Makenna Murray

Student Research Symposium

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurological condition that is marked by differences in the brain associated with attention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity. There are key differences between people with ADHD and people without ADHD. These differences include brain structure, brain function, and brain development. People with ADHD have unique challenges. A personalized and strategic approach is required to manage ADHD. Modern residential interiors may work for much of the population; however, they can make life difficult for people with ADHD. A few of concepts that may have a negative impact on people with ADHD include open floor plans, multiuse …

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Esports Course Design: Balancing Multiplayer Gameplay Within Structured Curriculum, Daelynn Hunter Apr 2022

Esports Course Design: Balancing Multiplayer Gameplay Within Structured Curriculum, Daelynn Hunter

Student Research Symposium

There is a noticeably large interest growing across the globe for Esports expansion. Esports has grown to become an affinity space for competitive ambition/growth and a discipline of enormously varied learning techniques. Techniques to build esports into education often follow a 3 credit format, where esports can be studied in various areas (e.g., business, psychology, media/production). However, there’s been an absence in courses that are focused solely in gameplay. Traditionally, gaming has been observed to be a distraction over opportunity for growth. The course is currently centered to target said assumptions by utilizing student discipline techniques. Assignments are centered around …

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Dynamics Of Difference: Creating A Translingual Class At Utah State University, Rebecca Elle Smith Apr 2022

Dynamics Of Difference: Creating A Translingual Class At Utah State University, Rebecca Elle Smith

Student Research Symposium

With social justice topics like racial inequality on the rise, some universities are creating curriculum that emphasizes how language standardization privileges some while disadvantaging others. I propose that USU should create an English class that emphasizes linguistic justice topics like the power dynamics and consequences of utilizing languages outside of English in essays and writing projects. My research project investigates what it would take to create a linguistic justice based English class at USU through the lens of translingualism. I created a mixed methods study where I analyzed translingual syllabi and interviewed lecturers in the USU English department about creating …

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Icon Satellite Measurements, Uncertainty, And Error Calculations, Benjamin Bradshaw Apr 2022

Icon Satellite Measurements, Uncertainty, And Error Calculations, Benjamin Bradshaw

Student Research Symposium

NASA's satellite the Icon (Ionospheric Connections Explorer) is a satellite launched in 2019 to better understand the connection between Earth's atmosphere and the space environment. Though its systems were tested before launching further validation of its measurements are needed. This is accomplished through using USU's NA Lidar systems measurements over similar regions. USU's Na Lidar is a robust instrument that has been shown to be valid for many years. Through this comparison Icon's measurements have been shown to not be very precise at its lower measurements regions as it fails to measure a distinct temperature fluctuation around 92 km.

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Photochemistry Of Wildfire Derived Pyrogenic-Dissolved Organic Matter (Py-Dom) For Photodegradation Of Aquatic Contaminants, Monika Madhiyan Apr 2022

Photochemistry Of Wildfire Derived Pyrogenic-Dissolved Organic Matter (Py-Dom) For Photodegradation Of Aquatic Contaminants, Monika Madhiyan

Student Research Symposium

Erosion of wildfire-affected organic matter and/or its physical disintegration in water results in the formation of pyrogenic Dissolved Organic Matter (py-DOM), which can react with ground state oxygen to produce singlet oxygen (1O2) in the presence of light. 1O2 has a high electronegativity and oxidizing potential which influences the photo-transformation and the environmental fate of organic contaminants present in the water, hence, it is essential to quantify its production from wildfire-derived py-DOM, which is absent in the past literature. In this study, py-DOM was extracted from wildfire-affected tree portions from the Colorado Grizzly Creek Fire. Time-resolved 1O2 phosphorescence was used …

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The Impact Of Divorce On Children Of All Ages, Mckinsey Watteyne Apr 2022

The Impact Of Divorce On Children Of All Ages, Mckinsey Watteyne

Student Research Symposium

Taking inspiration for the research topic from my own personal experience with my parent’s divorce, I wanted to research the effects of divorce on children of all ages and the connection to the loss of childhood innocence. Tying my research into a quilt, many people, including me, hold onto their childhood quilts well into adulthood. In child psychology, these comfort items are referred to as “transitional objects.” They are items that comfort children as they transition through different phases in life. These transitional objects offer a sense of stability and continuity. They often help children express their emotions and handle …

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Digital Beauty: Social Media And Body Image, Dulce Tena Apr 2022

Digital Beauty: Social Media And Body Image, Dulce Tena

Student Research Symposium

Social media has created unrealistic standards of what a woman should look like through posts, videos, or ads. Research has shown that social media influences body image and poor self-esteem. Social media is known for being a platform where you can share posts that can include photos of yourself. The problem: Since women are affected by body image because of social media, they don’t feel confident in being able to share photos of themselves. Instead, they resort to long periods of scrolling through other posts and fall victim to social comparison. This project seeks to answer the question as to …

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Youth And Psychological Disorders, Charles Dvorak Apr 2022

Youth And Psychological Disorders, Charles Dvorak

Student Research Symposium

Youth under the age of 16 are underrepresented when it comes to psychological disorders and treatment. Adults tend to associate their problems with just factors of life and/puberty, and this can lead to even more problems. Recently I noticed my own mental health taking a toll from my childhood, as well as since I moved away from college, I am now an outsider to my friends who are still in high school. The problem is not that the youth do suffer from psychological disorders, it’s that people do not accept that fact and therefore, don’t give them the time of …

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Make Your (Punctuation) Mark!, Bethany Nay Apr 2022

Make Your (Punctuation) Mark!, Bethany Nay

Student Research Symposium

Punctuation marks are a part of our daily lives, and yet, we rarely take time to think about them. This presentation serves to counter that, diving deep into the histories and origins of various punctuation marks. Each student in Honors 1320 chose a punctuation mark to individually research, learning more about why we use the marks that we do. We hope that through this research, people can gain a deeper appreciation for punctuation marks and their histories. Students and additional presenters from Honors 1320: Annie Bramson, Audrey Douglas, Micaela Garcia, Erin Hamilton, Lucy Hankins, Gillian Jarrard, Eli Moss, Cynthia Narkin, …

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The Buried Giant: Unearthing The Corruption Of Organized Religion, Maryn Van Tassell Apr 2022

The Buried Giant: Unearthing The Corruption Of Organized Religion, Maryn Van Tassell

Student Research Symposium

The Buried Giant is a fantasy novel that has resurrected many of the characteristics of the medieval romance genre. Noble warriors and knights embark on a quest to slay a dragon and face other supernatural antagonists. In this resurrection of genre, what tropes and themes have been re-imagined or subverted for a modern audience? In this presentation, I will illustrate how Kazuo has taken traditional tropes of the medieval romance genre and manipulated them to send a new message about organized Christian religion. I will examine how Kazuo has swapped traditional character roles, called in biblical parallels, and used beautiful …

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