Digital Commons Network^™

Working Memory Capactiy And Speech Perception With Hearing Aids, Ethan Watson

Student Research Symposium

This presentation covers an ongoing literature review that is asessing the relationship between working memory capcity and speech percpetion with hearing aids. It will provide a brief overview of the ELU model and how hearing aids create mismatch in our neural coding process of speech. Current results of what hearing aid signal stratgies relate to WMC will be provided.

Curricular Adaptations By Paraprofessionals During Their Computer Lab Instruction Using Block-Based Coding, Prasina Parameswaran

Student Research Symposium

Classroom adaptation is one of the key elements in filling the gap between understanding and application of knowledge in the real world. Our work emphasizes upon the classroom adaptations in the Math classroom. We are studying 5th grade students and computer science (CS) paraprofessionals in the Western United States. Paraprofessionals are provided professional development (PD) to familiarize them with CS and Scratch. Scratch is a block based coding program which uses visual interface and is used for making animations, games, digital stories etc. As paraprofessionals are not certified teachers, this PD works towards helping them understand the Math content and …

Social Media's Impact On Mental Health In Teenagers: Evaluating How Different Groups Are Affected, Maren Jacobsen

Student Research Symposium

There are patterns of discrimination and comparison on social media that contribute to minority groups and females having worse mental health. These teenagers are experiencing depressive symptoms and anxiety as well as body image issues and decreased self-worth. This project aims to evaluate which groups of teenagers have more severe mental health problems because of social media. Research was conducted using library and online databases and evaluating primary and secondary sources. I paid close attention to studies connecting mental health issues with social media use among different groups of teenagers. Through my research, I found that females, LGBTQ+ teens, teenagers …

Creating Calming Healthcare Environments, Abbey Oborn

Student Research Symposium

Going to a healthcare facility can make anyone feel stressed and anxious, so what can these facilities do in order to improve their sense of calmness and reduce anxiety in patients? The overall brand of healthcare facilities improves the sense of calmness and reduces anxiety in patients and staff members when these facilities consider and implement specific elements in the following categories: Interior Design, Exterior Design, Wayfinding Experience Design, Gathering Areas for Patients, Staff, and Families, Efficient Spatial Design, Universally Understood Infographics, Noise Reduction, Visual Privacy, Positive Distractions, Biophilia, Reduce Medical Smells. When healthcare facilities consider and implement these elements, …

Public Education V. Deaf Children: The Benefits And Downsides Of Public Education For Deaf Children, Esther Christensen

Student Research Symposium

My research was focused on the benefits and downsides of public education on deaf children. This research aims to find the best solution for the education of deaf children in American society, and inform others of the results. I used a library database to find primary and secondary sources from the Deaf community and other communities that are influenced by this topic. Through my research I found that it is possible for deaf children to succeed in public schools, they are far better off in schools for the deaf. The results that I found indicate that there are some benefits …

The Effects Of Snapchat On Young Adults, Mckena Morrison

Student Research Symposium

In my research, I was trying to find out the good and bad effects of Snapchat on young adults. I wanted to know the effects it could have on me so I could reassess my daily use of this popular app. This research aims to show that the effects of Snapchat depend on how you use it. When used in a good way the benefits on young adults’ communication and other aspects in their life, outweigh the negative outcomes. In my research, I looked at articles from primary and secondary sources, interviewed some friends and family to get their opinion …

Can Superoxide-Responsive Co Delivery Molecules Be Developed?, Taylor Dittmar

Student Research Symposium

Although known for its toxicity, carbon monoxide (CO) has now been identified as producing beneficial health effects when present at low concentrations. CO is generated in the human body during the breakdown of heme. It is known for its anti-cancer, cardioprotective, and anti-inflammatory effects. To enhance these therapeutic effects, CO delivery molecules have been developed. Fluorescent flavonol-based CO delivery molecules are gaining broad interest due to their triggerable, trackable, and targetable properties. Flavonols can also be used as dual functioning molecules, with additional capabilities such as the detection of reactive oxygen species (ROS) being possible to incorporate in addition to …

The Relationship Between Isometric Strength And Time To Stabilize, Parker Carroll

Student Research Symposium

Forward falls are the most common fall direction and pose a safety concern for adults. To assess individuals’ balance recovery response, we analyzed how individuals stepped on a forward force plate. Multi-joint, lower limb isometric strength may provide additional insight to balance recovery after a forward, unanticipated perturbation. Gender indicates reaction time differences in the time to stabilize, with males more likely to produce greater isometric strength. Our research question was does maximal, isometric strength, and gender predicts the time it takes to stabilize after a perturbation. We hypothesize that maximal, isometric strength and gender would predict the time to …

A Systematic Review Of Group Contingencies In Alternative Education Settings, Milad Najafichaghabouri

Student Research Symposium

Previous reviews show that group contingencies (GC) are an effective intervention for improving student outcomes in school settings. However, those reviews do not specifically examine the effects of GCs in alternative education settings. Given that these settings typically support individuals who are displaying severe challenging behaviors or are diagnosed with specific behavior disorders, synthesizing the evidence for GCs will be a useful contribution to the literature on how effective these procedures are in reducing problematic student behavior. In addition, this review will assess how relevant stakeholders in these settings rate the social validity of GCs. The quality of the studies …

Modeling Of The Engineered Production Of Curcumin In Escherichia Coli, Ellie Siddoway

Student Research Symposium

Curcumin is the major bioactive natural product in turmeric (Curcuma longa), which is commonly used as a food additive (flavor and colorant) and traditional medicine for thousands of years. This polyphenol has a variety of biological activities, such as antioxidant, anti-cancer, anti-allergic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-Alzheimer’s effects. The current production process of this promising natural product is not environmentally friendly or cost-effective. However, microbial production represents a great alternative because of the significantly reduced production time and reproducible production process. Our group has previously introduced the required enzymes into Escherichia coli to construct an artificial curcumin production pathway in the bacterium. …

Women's Postpartum And Postnatal Clinic, Savannah Fellows

Student Research Symposium

A Women’s Postpartum and Postnatal Inpatient Clinic in Logan, Ut is carefully designed to promote comfort, healing, and nurturing. Mental health effects of labor and delivery aren’t always immediately apparent to nurses or doctors. Some include baby blues, postpartum depression, and postpartum psychosis. Government resources are often unknown to low-income and homeless societies. The clinic takes care of them after labor and delivery to properly heal, bond with their baby, and feel safe. Aftercare the patients will leave with knowledge of resources and references that’ll help them find the help they need.

“Me Adjacent”: Alternate Personas And Virtual Worlds, Nichole Bresee, Katie Snow, Whitney Hall, Gracie Wilkinson, Leah Downey

Student Research Symposium

Research shows that people who engage in role-playing games (RPG), from video games to tabletop games, can derive feelings of achievement, as well as social and immersive experiences which can help them reach eudaimonic and hedonic states (Snodgrass et al. 2019). However, gaming has also been linked to negative emotions related to “problematic” and “addictive” play, related to toxic communities and compulsive gameplay. In this project, we examine how avatars — digital and imaginary representations of players — shape emotional states. Through free listing and pile sorting interviews, our results show how gamers relate to their avatars, and how these …

Roman Baths And Water Gods: The Syncretic Merging Of Roman Sacrality With Celtic Religion In Britannia, Alexis Hutchinson

Student Research Symposium

As a result of the merging of cultures and religions, the Romans left their mark on Britain, seen in many other provinces throughout Europe. One location that decidedly represents Roman influence is the Roman baths in Bath, England. Not long after the Romans arrived in Britain, they happened upon the underground hot springs, located in the modern-day city center. They settled and built a 'centre of healing and recreation, naming it Aquae Sulis.' (Bath City Council) A particular artifact of the baths, the Gorgon Head from the later first century AD,is situated at the top of a temple pediment. Often …

The Effect That Parents Expectations Have On Their Students, Molli Esplin

Student Research Symposium

Parents in this modern world have been causing their children more stress and in turn their mental health has been suffering. I wanted to see what can be done to help young adults and parents through this challenge. What I discovered was that a big cause of the increased stress was the parents' high expectations that they put on their kids. I used the library and internet databases to complete my research. I was able to use primary and secondary sources. In these sources I tried to be diverse in my source selections. This helped as I looked for different …

Antimicrobial Activity Of Sagebrush Roots, Lauren Mcfadden

Student Research Symposium

Plants produce secondary metabolites for a variety of functions, one of which is for antibiotic reasons. Sagebrush has historically been used by Native Americans for a variety of medicinal purposes, suggesting that it may have secondary metabolites that would make good antibiotics. The purpose of this study is to continue previous research on antimicrobial activity of sagebrush by specifically testing the root extract against a handful of bacteria. Six BSL 1 bacteria were tested: Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus cereus, E. coli DHSα, Agrobacterium tumefaciens, Pseudomonas syringa pv. Tabacia, and Pseudomonas syringa pv Tomato DC3000. All of the bacteria tested had some …

The Connections Between Musculoskeletal Injury And Global Reaction, Keaton Reel

Student Research Symposium

The peripheral effects of severe musculoskeletal injury are a well-studied phenomenon, but less well studied are the neural deficits. Past research has demonstrated that such severe injuries, specifically torn and reconstructed anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), may increase cognitive burden due to lack of afferent feedback from damaged nerves. This has previously shown to lead to delayed voluntary reactions in the lower extremities, but global neural changes are currently unknown. The goal of the conducted research was to determine whether neuromuscular deficits due to ACL injury and reconstruction in one limb influences motor behavior on a global level. Simple reaction time, …

Why Write The Ride? Exploring Writing In The Bikepacking Community, Zackary Gregory

Student Research Symposium

While bicycle touring generally denotes multi-day trips ridden on paved routes, bikepacking emphasizes riding unpaved roads and narrow single track to out-of-the-way destinations. Bikepackers will often spend all day scrambling up and down rocky mountain trails and desert roads. Many Bikepackers recount their trips on social media, in personal journals and in publications like The Bikepacking Journal. This study investigates the relationship between writing and bikepacking, and considers what bikepackers gain by putting their experiences into words.

A Tale Of Two Textbooks: 1960s And 2020s, Taylor Wyatt

Student Research Symposium

Composition and Writing studies courses have changed significantly in the wake of the Dartmouth Seminar in 1966. The Dartmouth Seminar was a meeting of English and American scholars, shifting from a product orientation to teaching writing to one based on process. Textbooks are an often-forgotten aspect of composition/writing studies classrooms. This research is a mixed method approach that considers the pedagogical and wider discipline implications of two distinct textbooks used in different times: one from before the Dartmouth Seminar, Communication Skills: The Basic Course, and the second a contemporary example, Focus on Writing: What College Students Want to Know.

Dietetic Student Perceptions Of Interdisciplinary Teams, Mckenna Voorhees

Student Research Symposium

Introduction: Interdisciplinary/interprofessional collaboration (IDC) is an important component of healthcare delivery through which providers can efficiently and effectively meet the diverse and complex care needs of patients/clients. Interprofessional education (IPE) enables the acquisition of skills needed for IDC. Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs) function as important members of interdisciplinary teams; as such, shifts in dietetic program accreditation standards currently require the incorporation of IPE in curricula. A broad exploration of interdisciplinary dietetic student attitudes is needed to pinpoint target areas of improvement in IPE to promote effective participation in future IDC among RDNs. Objectives: To examine overall dietetic student attitudes of …

Rayleigh Scattering Is The Reason The Sky Is Blue, Samuel Monson

Student Research Symposium

In this experiment what is examined is light scattering. What was done was taking a spectrometer and taking in the sunlight over long periods of time. The goal here is to both identify and determine when Rayleigh or Mie Scattering is taking place. In Rayleigh scattering what should appear is blue light, and in Mie other kinds of light should be observed.

Broken Film Narratives: The Invisibility Of Latinx Women In Education Through Film And Literature, Virginia Hernández, Lisset Delgado

Student Research Symposium

Our research aims to explore the lack of Latinx women being portrayed in films with education as the central theme. Although there are Latinx women in films today, they are not portrayed in an entirely positive light. They are commonly represented in an oversexualized manner compared to latinx men who are portrayed as hard workers and commonly seeking education. A good example would be the film McFarland USA by Niki Caro in which young male adolescents are a part of a cross country team. Although the film does a great job of portraying their lives as latinx adolescents living in …

Eco-Architecture, Mary Larkin

Student Research Symposium

Humans negative impact on the environment has been detrimental. If we continue to ignore the issue of climate change and don’t take action to improve the way we live we will hit a point of no return. Eco-architecture seeks to minimize the negative environment of of buildings. Implementing Eco-Architecture into our society is essential and can help protect the earth and the future and health of its inhabitants by significantly reducing carbon emissions and slowing down global warming. https://youtu.be/BYUtxgbXrt4

The Effects Of Absorbed Water On Electrostatic Breakdown Testing, Megan Loveland Dewaal

Student Research Symposium

A critical property of electrical insulators is the breakdown voltage. When exposed to a high enough voltage, the insulator will be permanently damaged and unable to block significant current flow which can lead to the compromise of important electrical equipment. This becomes a concern for applications like spacecraft missions, high voltage direct current power, and microelectronics, as well as many others. Recent preliminary tests suggested that water vapor on the surface of insulators may increase their breakdown voltage and influence phenomena observed during breakdown testing, such as partial discharges, partial breakdowns, and surface flashovers. In this study, thin film PEEK …

In Service To The Narrative: The Buried Giant Through A Folklore Lens, Vinn Mcbride

Student Research Symposium

Kazuo Ishiguro’s 2016 novel The Buried Giant has a history of causing contention over how it should be read. Literature, fiction, fantasy, historical fantasy, and other forms have all be the jumping off point for many analysts, but this paper argues that perhaps the best way to read this work is as an analysis of Western literary canon and violence through the lens of oral folklore. Using Axel Olrik’s Epic Laws of Folk Narrative or sagenwelt offers insights into how the novel functions as an examination of characters bound up in predestined narratives due to the nature of their original …

Modeling The Effects Of Surface Roughness On Electron Yield, Trace Taylor, Matthew Robertson, Jr Dennison

Conference Proceedings

Surface conditions—including surface morphology, composition, contamination, and oxidation—can significantly affect electron yields and consequently spacecraft charging. The effects of surface roughness on electron yield are modeled in this study by considering four aspects of electron yield calculations: (i) simple models of rough surface geometry, (ii) the angular distributions of electrons emitted from various points on these surfaces, (iii) the likelihood of these emitted electrons escaping the rough surface, and (iv) the relative fractions of smooth and rough surfaces. Three simple periodic one-dimensional surface profiles were considered—namely rectangular, triangular, and sawtooth features; each surface profile was characterized by an aspect ratio …

Educational Policies Committee Minutes, April 7, 2022, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Approval of 3 March 2022 Minutes
• Subcommittee Reports
• Curriculum Subcommittee (Chad Simon)
• Academic Standards Subcommittee (Renee Galliher)
• General Education Subcommittee (Lee Rickords)
• Other Business
• Adjourn: 3:27 pm

Say Gay, Miranda Wiener

Student Research Symposium

The HB-1557 bill, deemed the 'Don't Say Gay' Bill by critics, has officially passed in the Florida Senate and will be enacted into law. The law targets discussion in the classroom towards LGBTQ issues and dynamics, eliminating these discussions all together. This bill will eliminate a potential safe space for LGBTQ students and will reinforce the idea that LGBTQ issues are a 'taboo' subject. By only eliminating LGBTQ discussions, the mental and physical health of youth apart of the LGBTQ community will decrease and students who are not apart of the LGBTQ community will lose the opportunity to create an …

Docosahexaenoic Acid May Reduce Risk Factors Of Cancer Development In A Mouse Model Of Colitis-Associated Colorectal Cancer, Eliza Stewart, Marcus Hayden

Student Research Symposium

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most prevalent cancers worldwide and has increased incidence in developed countries. There is a close link between CRC and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). A main symptom of IBD is colitis, which is inflammation of the colon. Diet plays a key role in the development of CRC, specifically a Western-type diet, which is characterized by energy dense and nutrient deficient foods. This dietary pattern is associated with both increased inflammation and dysbiosis of the gut microbiome, two factors that contribute to the development of CRC. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is an omega-3 fatty acid that …

Protein Time Machine: Creating An Ancestral Voltage Gated Sodium Channel Of Thamnophis Sirtalis, Jennie Cordingley, Nicole Cook, Kaleb Hamann, Shauntel Johnson

Student Research Symposium

A central goal of evolutionary genetics is to understand how contingency and constraint shape evolutionary trajectories of protein evolution. There is considerable evidence that the fitness consequences of mutations are dependent on the genetic background in which they occur. This context dependence means that understanding the effects of putatively adaptive mutations as well as the evolutionary history of novel protein function can be difficult. An ideal approach might be a “protein time machine” in which mutations of interest are inserted into ancient ancestral gene sequences and their effects quantified. When multiple mutations are thought to be important, the order of …

Paying The Pied Passer: Discussing The Appropriate Contract To Award Nfl Quarterbacks, Alex Gohr

Student Research Symposium

No NFL team has ever won the Super Bowl while simultaneously paying their starting quarterback more than 13% of the maximum budget allowed for player salaries. This paper explores the effects of quarterbacks on an NFL roster and the consequences of the size of their contracts have on the performance of the team as a whole entity. This research was derived from databases of NFL statics and expert opinions on the matter of player contracts. From the research conducted, it is concluded that quarterbacks must voluntarily take less money for the opportunity to continue to compete for championships or, alternatively, …