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Inaugural Address By Dr. Edward Montgomery, Edward Montgomery

WMU President Edward Montgomery

Inaugural address by Dr. Edward Montgomery, Ninth president of Western Michigan University. Leveraging the power of partnership, embracing our strength through diversity.

Western News, September 7, 2017, Western Michigan University

Western News (1972-2018)

Story highlights: Presidential inauguration set for Sept. 15, Make a Difference staffers to be feted at convocation, Meeting set to gain input on updating valley housing, Seita program named finalist for award, Magazine yet again lauds WMU with top-100 ranking, Interim provost is among high-level appointments, Montgomery hits the ground running as WMU’s ninth president, On Campus with Catherine VanDerMaas

2017-2020 Agreement Between Western Michigan University And The Wmu Chapter Of The American Association Of University Professors, Western Michigan University, Wmu Chapter Of The American Association Of University Professors

Agreements between Western Michigan University and the WMU Chapter of the American Association of University Professors

No abstract provided.

September 2017 News Items, Office Of Vice President For Research

Research and Discovery News

• Undergraduates Discover Discovery
• WMU researcher awarded $2.1 million to study evidence-based registers
• Leading scientists and treatment practitioners slated for Michigan Autism Conference

Connections, 09/2017, College Of Health And Human Services

College of Health and Human Services Newsletter

• 2017 Outstanding Alumni Academy Inductees
• PA students reckon with Hurricane Irma
• Faculty and staff changes at CHHS
• Researchers team up for concussion app development
• Registration open for 14th annual Barbara Rider Colloquium

September, 2017 Global News, Haenicke Institute

Global News

• Students, Public invited to 2017 Study Abroad Fair
• Speaker Series celebrates diversity, encourages cross-cultural interaction
• WMU Dedicates Space Honoring the Memory of Dallas Rauker
• WMU honored for diversity, inclusion efforts for fifth year in a row
• Numerous WMU Events Slated for Hispanic Heritage Month
• Political Economy of Inequality Examined During Sichel Series
• Gilman Scholarship winner seeks adventures abroad
• Kalamazoo's Three College Leaders Make Statement On DACA
• Take Advantage of Global Engagement Opportunities in September

Cio Updates - 09/2017, Office Of Information Technology

Tech Talk

• New Technology Help Desk Chat service
• Computer Lab H Drive is being decommissioned
• Broncos4Broncos
• Scholarship phishing
• Video phones
• Elearning copyright materials
• Director of Communication and Collaboration

15-06 Integrated Crowdsourcing Platform To Investigate Non-Motorized Behavior And Risk Factors On Walking, Running, And Cycling Routes, Ala Al-Fuqaha, Sepideh Mohammadi, Jun-Seok Oh, Valerian Kwigizile, Fadi Alhomaidat

Transportation Research Center Reports

There are several factors on the roads that impact bicyclists’ safety. This research aims to find the most important risk factors on roads, mainly in infrastructure facilities, to improve the safety for walkers, runners, and bicyclists. Most mobile cycling applications currently used by cyclists and runners were reviewed in this study in order to gain insight about the features that users care about. Features, such as speed, cumulative elevation gain, and connectivity to Google Fit, were found to be the most common features in the widely-used cycling apps. In this research, we developed and launched a mobile application for crowd-sourcing …

15-01 Effect Of Cycling Skills On Bicycle Safety And Comfort Associated With Bicycle Infrastructure And Environment, Jun-Seok Oh, Valerian Kwigizile, Kapseong Ro, Ahmad Feizi, Brent William Kostich, Raed Abdullah Hasan Hasan, Fadi Abdallah Mousa Alhomaidat

Transportation Research Center Reports

This study seeks to improve the methodology for determining the relationship between cycling dynamic performance and roadway environment characteristics across different bicyclists’ skill levels. To achieve the goal of this study, an Instrumented Probe Bicycle (IPB) equipped with various sensors was built. A naturalistic field experiment, including intersections, roundabout, alignment changes, and different road surface conditions, was conducted. Two self-reported questionnaires were used in order to obtain each participant’s skill level as well as perception on the level of cycling comfortability. The Cycling Comfortability Index (CCI) was derived from the probabilistic outcome of an Ordered Probit Model, which describes the …

Addressing Common Mental Health Issues Prevalent Among Honors College Students, Steven Pham

Honors Theses

The prevalence and severity of mental health disorders on college campuses has been increasing nationwide. This review aims to address some of the prevalent mental health issues that continuously plague college students today. Recent trends in college student mental health are analyzed as well as literature regarding common disorders including depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder. A comparison of honors and non-honors students is provided to contribute to an otherwise lacking area of research surrounding honors student populations. Effective practices and policies for colleges and universities to incorporate into their counseling services are also considered, with viable goals centering on the …

15-10 Development Of Multi-Class, Multi-Criteria Bicycle Traffic Assignment Models And Solution Algorithms, Seungkyu Ryu, Anthony Chen, Keith Christensen, Keechoo Choi

Transportation Research Center Reports

Cycling is gaining popularity both as a mode of travel in urban communities and as an alternative mode to private motorized vehicles due to its wide range of benefits (health, environmental, and economical). However, this change in modal share is not reflected in current transportation planning and travel demand forecasting modeling processes. The existing practices to model bicycle trips in a network are not sophisticated enough to describe the full cyclist experience in route decision-making. The purpose of this paper is to develop a multi-class and multi-criteria bicycle traffic assignment model that not only accounts for multiple user classes by …

Symptoms, Infectious Pathway, Treatment, And History Of Rabies In The United States, Paul Beckman-Ellenwood

Honors Theses

Rabies is a virus of the Lyssavirus family that is endemic to almost all parts of the world and claims over 55,000 lives every year. The virus is capable of being vectored through any warm-blooded animal and has a variable incubation time in its hosts. Once the disease finishes incubating and symptoms appear in the host, the disease is always fatal to humans. To prevent this there are several treatments available, but they can be expensive or difficult to obtain in parts of the world that have the most problems with rabies. To solve this vaccines have been created to …

Scholarworks Annual Report 2016-17, Maira Bundza

ScholarWorks Repository Information

The fiscal year report on WMU's institutional repository ScholarWorks includes statistics, projects, status of journals published in the IR, colleges served, usage statistics, staffing, decision making, connection to university and library strategic plans.

Connections, 08/2017, College Of Health And Human Services

College of Health and Human Services Newsletter

• Progress in the Department of Physical Therapy
• Bronson School of Nursing receives HRSA grant to improve workforce diversity
• Nursing Assembly Day and Skills Day take over CHHS
• Speech and OT clinics accepting clients for fall
• AHEC fall 2017 newsletter
• Common read event at WMU School of Medicine

August, 2017 Global News, Haenicke Institute

Global News

• Area families needed to host international visitors
• Back-to-school events planned for new and returning students

Fluid Manipulations Using A Piezo Electric Transformer For Sensing And Spray Generation Applications, Zeinab Ramshani

Dissertations

A steady effort has been made on the development of fluid manipulation techniques for sensing and actuating systems. Conventional techniques of fluid manipulation for sensing and spray generation purposes, often need trained staff or high input power and they are complicated, time consuming and expensive. Therefore, it is necessary to develop new systems which can overcome these drawbacks.

In this dissertation, the author has developed piezoelectric-based systems for fluid manipulation. The focus of this dissertation involves novel approaches of enhancing the sensing and actuating systems using the piezoelectric devices. This includes designing a system, which theoretically can overcome the limitations …

Effects Of Early Adolescent Exposure To D-Amphetamine In A Rodent Model Of Nicotine Reward, Eric Louis Harvey

Dissertations

Previous studies with rodents have found that adolescent exposure to psychoactive drugs can alter neurophysiology and produce behavioral effects that persist into adulthood. While several studies have examined the effects of adolescent exposure to nicotine on the subsequent rewarding value of various drugs of abuse in adulthood, to date, no known studies have examined the converse of this relationship. d-Amphetamine (i.e., dextroamphetamine, ProCentra®) is a potent psychostimulant that is commonly used in the treatment of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in adolescents. The present study assessed the effects of adolescent exposure to d-amphetamine on the rewarding value of nicotine in …

Development Of A Novel Printed And Flexible Surface Enhanced Raman Specopy (Sers) Substrate For Detection Of Cocaine, Farah Mazin Aljanabi

Masters Theses

In this thesis, the author focuses on the design and fabrication of a novel surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) substrate that could potentially be employed for the detection of illicit drugs. Raman spectroscopy based optical detection has been extensively employed as a qualitative and quantitative analytical method.

The author has worked on two research projects, which are both focused on the development of printed SERS substrate for the detection of cocaine. The first project is based on gravure printing of silver nanoparticle (AgNP) based ink on flexible and stretchable thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) substrate. The fabricated substrate dimensions are 1.5 × …

Implementing The Primary Care Behavioral Health Model In A Pediatric Setting: Description, Satisfaction, And Potential Economic Outcomes, Rachel A. Petts

Dissertations

There is growing support for the value of integrating behavioral health consultants (BHCs) into primary care medical offices to address mental and behavioral health concerns; however, the actual practice of BHCs in pediatrics and associated patient and provider experience is largely unknown. Descriptive data from patient contacts with three BHCs in a large pediatric primary care practice examined the nature of, and patient and provider satisfaction with, the integrated behavioral health services provided. Over the course of 6 months of data collection, 109 patient contacts were recorded. The mean age of the patients served was 9.51 (SD = 4.38, …

Education And Nutrition Problems In Rural China, Rong Shi

Dissertations

The increasing inequality between rural and urban China has raised many concerns for Chinese scholars. A large gap exists not only in income but in health and education. The rural-urban disparities in health and education may contribute to greater income inequality in the future, thus leading to a vicious cycle. This study explores the factors that contribute to the increasing inequality in health and education between rural and urban China.

Using a randomized controlled trial in Shaanxi province, the first chapter studies the effectiveness of a supplemental meal program in improving students’ development outcomes. This study also compares the impact …

Dangerous Deals: A Case Study Of Nafta As A Criminogenic Policy, Daniel J. Patten

Dissertations

This study examines the creation of a criminogenic policy, NAFTA, and its subsequent social harms that primarily impacted poor rural farmers and indigenous people in Mexico. Previous research into state-corporate crime has focused on crimes committed by one state and one corporation, while little research has investigated the commission of crimes by more than one state operating in collusion. Previous research on human rights violations has emphasized genocide and physical integrity rights, while this study raises attention to “lesser” human rights violations such as abusive working conditions, lack of political participation in policy formation, and limited access to clean air …

Investigation Of A Mindfulness-Based Intervention With Survivors Of Interpersonal Violence, Laura Elise Stayton

Dissertations

Interpersonal violence is a widespread problem that includes intimate partner violence, sexual violence, and stalking. The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control in 2010 reported that approximately 1 in 5 women and 1 in 59 men have suffered sexual assault in their lifetime (Breiding et al., 2014). In addition, 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men have been a victim of physical violence perpetrated by an intimate partner (Breiding et al., 2014). A number of potential negative consequences of interpersonal violence exposure include the development of posttraumatic stress disorder, substance …

From The Arab World To The American World: Transition And Adjustment Experiences Of Muslim Women, Nancy Hammoudah

Dissertations

This qualitative study explored the experiences of Muslim women from the Arab world who came to live and study in the U.S. This study gave voice to their daily lived experiences of transitioning to and adjusting to life and study in the American world. Nine bilingual women provided in depth responses to interviews and follow up phone calls. Women were raised in predominantly Muslim countries and attended institutions of higher education for the first time in the U.S. as international or domestic students, including refugees. Interviews were in English. Any spontaneous Arabic that was used by participants was immediately translated …

Sex Differences In Serotonergic And Dopaminergic Mediation Of Lsd Discrimination In Rats, Keli A. Herr

Dissertations

After decades of opposition, a resurgence of interest in the psychotherapeutic potential of LSD is gaining acceptance in the medical community. Future acceptance of LSD as a psychotherapeutic adjuvant may be predicated on knowledge about its neural mechanisms of action. Preclinical drug discrimination assay offers an invaluable model to determine the neural mechanisms underlying LSD’s interoceptive stimulus effects. Unfortunately, current preclinical literature on LSD discrimination is based on results obtained exclusively in male subjects. The present study represents the first known preclinical assessment of possible sex differences in the discriminative stimulus effects of LSD.

Adult female (n=8) and male (n=8) …

Lived Experience Of College Students Who Reduced Their Alcohol Consumption, Devin L. Jordan

Dissertations

Research has indicated that college students who experience alcohol-related problems may reduce their alcohol consumption without treatment (Alexander & Bowen, 2004; Barnett, Goldstein, Murphy, Colby, & Monti, 2006; Blume, Marlatt, & Schmaling, 2000; McNally & Palfai, 2001). However, the literature regarding their overall experience before, during, and after this self-initiated change process is limited. This qualitative study investigated the lived experience of eight college students between the ages of 18 and 25 who reduced their alcohol consumption for a period of at least 30 days after experiencing alcohol-related problems. Participants had never met the diagnostic criteria for a “severe” substance …

Bicultural Identity Integration And Individual Resilience As Moderators Of Acculturation Stress And Psychological Wellbeing Of Asian Bicultural Immigrants, Hartini Abdul Rahman

Dissertations

This research builds upon scholarship that explores the unique immigration-related experiences of self-identified Asian bicultural immigrants born in and outside of the United States of America (USA), complementing other research on immigrants in the country. Previous research suggests immigrants experience multiple challenges that contribute to acculturation stress, which in turn takes a toll on their psychological wellbeing. This study aims to examine the impact of personal and socio-cultural factors on the psychological wellbeing of Asian and Asian American bicultural individuals. Based on the existing biculturalism literature, it was hypothesized that the strength of identification with both cultures (heritage/origin and mainstream/host …

Employing Multivariate Logistic Regression Analysis To Better Understand The Relationship Between Individuals’ Anthropogenic Climate Change Acceptance And Belief In Anti-Climate Change Dissenter Messages, Andrew Phillip Keller Bentley

Dissertations

Organized climate change dissention groups spend a considerable amount of time and energy developing messages designed to convince the public that anthropogenic climate change is neither a reality nor a threat. These messages work against the efforts of climate educators and can be divided into two categories; messages that provide alternative explanations for warming, or messages that attack the work of scientists studying anthropogenic climate change. There has been a lack of research regarding any correlation between individuals’ agreement with these messages and their rejection of anthropogenic climate change. Establishing a correlation would be an indication that educators should take …

Examination Of The Effects Of Computer Assisted Mindfulness Strategies With Adolescents In An Alternative High School Setting, Justin A. Moore

Dissertations

Based on growing evidence that suggests mindfulness practices may improve psychological functioning, recent decades have seen a surge in mindfulness interventions and the use of technology as a means for teaching them. The primary purpose of this study was to examine the effects of four weeks of (twice weekly) training sessions using two computer-based strategies for teaching mindfulness-related skills to adolescents. The strategies included Breath Counting Training (BCT; Levinson et al., 2014) and Self-Compassion Training (SCT; Weng et al., 2013; Alberston, Neff, and Dill-Shackleford, 2014). Twenty adolescents (M age = 17.30; 40% male, 55% female, 5% gender neutral; 60% …

Coping And Africultural Adolescents, Britne R. Amos

Dissertations

The present study explored approaches to coping among Africultural, college students between the ages of 18 and 22 years. Coping strategies applied to Africultural adolescents and young adults have been studied from a majority culture, adult lens. In this context, Africultural is used to refer to people of self-identified African descent including and not limited to people who identify as African American (e.g., parent(s) were born in America, individual was born in America), of African descent and living in America (e.g., parents were born in Africa, individual was born in Africa), mixed African American and another ethnic group including Latino/a, …

Lgbt Microaggressions In Counselor Education Programs, Sarah Bryan

Dissertations

Many lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people report they experience microaggressions, small daily insults and indignities that affect their well-being. For LGBT students, microaggressions have been shown to affect well-being and academic engagement. In order to serve LGBT students and model affirming behaviors, counselor educators must be able to recognize and address LGBT microaggressions when they occur; however, there is currently a paucity of research on LGBT microaggressions in counselor education programs. Most studies on attitudes toward LGBT people in such programs neglect the experiences of LGBT students. Moreover, the few existing studies of the experiences of LGBT …