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Undergraduate Research, Volume 2, Issue 2 Table Of Contents

Undergraduate Research

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Income Distribution In Elementary Schools, Caitlyn Watson

Undergraduate Research

This paper first analyzes previous research on the importance of early education and related consequences of child poverty. The presentation of a theory, hypotheses, and testing follows. The paper introduces new research on the relationship between economic status and the academic and social success of elementary school students. Furthermore, the implications of such findings are explored.

Optimization Of Sds Page Analysis Of Parvalbumin Protein In Fish, Nguyen Le

Undergraduate Research

SDS PAGE technique plays an essential role in the study of protein. However, this analytical method occasionally suffers from limitations such as poor separation, signal reduction, or total absence of target bands. This research aims to develop a protocol to improve the consistency of the technique while quantifying 10-12kDa parvalbumin proteins. It is a major fish allergen associated with neurodegenerative diseases, yet, the amount of parvalbumin in different kinds of fish has not been published. In this research, proteins in flounder, white, catfish and tilapia were extracted with PBS and quantified with Bradford assay and SDS PAGE. The results supported …

Outsmarting Monsters And Murderers: An Examination Of Métis In Horror Literature, Evan Marshall

Undergraduate Research

No abstract provided.

A Comparative Study Of European Christian Democracy And Hindu Nationalism In India: The Birth Of Hindu Democracy, Nirav Mehta

Undergraduate Research

No abstract provided.

Atomic Culture And Cultural Industry: Their Spread And Acceptance In America During 1940s And 1960s, Iuri Piovezan

Undergraduate Research

No abstract provided.

Ethicality Of Data Mining And Predictive Analytics, Sophie Roper

Undergraduate Research

No abstract provided.

Fueled By Plants: The Effects Of Vegetarianism On Overall Health, Celia Imhoff

Undergraduate Research

No abstract provided.

Undergraduate Research, Volume 1, Issue 2 Front Matter

Undergraduate Research

No abstract provided.

Non-Reductionist Science: Assessing Metabolism And Entropy With Systems Theory And Hegelian Logic, Tre Schumacher

Undergraduate Research

This paper will offer Hegelian logic, its connection with systems theory, and how it can serve as a replacement for reductionism in the sciences. First, the connection will be made between formal logic and reductionism. Second, systems theory will be introduced as an alternative to reductionism. Third, Hegelian logic and its connection with systems theory will be demonstrated. Fourth, a non-reductionist mode of science will be offered, wherein Hegelian logic and systems theory can work alone or together, in replacement of reductionism and formal logic. Last, a brief sample of this mode of science will be shown in an examination …

The Future Of Forensic Psychology, William J. Lasala

Undergraduate Research

Throughout my years at La Salle University as a dual Psychology and Criminal Justice major, I have had the opportunity to study and learn about a variety of different topics regarding these two fields. The specific field that I was drawn towards the most was the field of forensic psychology, which is why it is the topic of my research project. My project’s main goal is to ensure that forensic psychology, with some new improvements, continue to be a leading force in both the field of criminal justice and psychology. Specifically, my project focuses on the future of forensic psychology …

Is Social Media Worth It? Investigating The Relationship Between Social Media Use And Exposure And Eating Attitudes And Behaviors., Gabriella R. Marrero, Beth Bradford

Undergraduate Research

The aim of this study was to investigate whether exposure and usage of social media sites (Instagram and Pinterest) were related to eating disorder behaviors and attitudes. A sample of female undergraduate students at La Salle University completed an online survey which measured social media exposure, media manipulation, and thoughts and behaviors related to eating disorders.

Breaking Up Or Backing The Blue: A Content Analysis Of Individual's Views Of The Police Abolition Movement, Domenico Anthony Varone, Brian Wyant Phd

Undergraduate Research

In the wake of the death of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and countless others there has been increased discussion regarding the scope and scale of policing in the United States. The defund the police movement has gained a substantial amount of traction in recent months as country wide protests and unrest has sparked the conversation of whether the police are fulfilling the sworn duties and more broadly what the public expect of the police. While individuals increasingly debate the merits of defunding and abolishing the police, what is less clear is whether people support the police abolition movement in the …

Time To Get In The Game: Opportunities For More Involvement In Sport-Related Concussion Management, Karle M. Linden, Ryan S. Husak, Evelyn Klein, Meredith Kneavel

Undergraduate Research

Many college athletes who have a sport-related concussion experience changes in cognitive-communication abilities. Unfortunately, nearly half of all sport-related concussions go unreported. Information on why collegiate athletes report or conceal their symptoms is important for improving reporting rates and increasing athletes’ access to services for cognitive-communication impairments. This study examined whether changes in cognitive-communication abilities affected college athlete’s intentions to report a sport-related concussion. Findings showed that approximately two-thirds of the college student-athletes who participated in the research were unlikely to report that they had a sport-related head injury. The study found that participants’ concerns for cognitive-communication deficits differentiated student-athletes …

Texting To Maintain Relationships During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Madeline Jupina

Undergraduate Research

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many college students saw shifts in their relationships. As a result, many turned to texting to maintain these relationships even in a stressful time. Sixty-nine participants responded to a survey about texting family members, friends, and romantic partners during the coronavirus pandemic. They responded to survey items based on the five relational maintenance strategies created by Stafford & Canary (1991). College students used texting somewhat more than before the pandemic to maintain relationships across every relationship type. Depending on the type of relationship, different relational maintenance strategies were emphasized. Although this study examines texted relational …

Undergraduate Research, Volume 1, Issue 1 Front Matter

Undergraduate Research

No abstract provided.

Defeat But Not Ignominy: The New Orleans Afro-Creoles Behind Plessy V. Ferguson, Paul Kinny

Undergraduate Research

No abstract provided.

Parental Relationship Quality, Shyness, And College Academic Success, Nathan M. Fields

Undergraduate Research

The goal of this study was to investigate how positive parental relationships and shyness affect the academic performance of college students. A total of 123 first year college students reported on the quality of their relationships with a father and mother figure and their shyness during the fall of their first year. The students’ cumulative grade point average (GPA) and retention information (graduated versus not graduated) was provided by the college registrar’s office five years later. Positive relationships with fathers predicted higher GPA and greater likelihood of graduation. In contrast, shyness and positive relationships with mothers did not significantly predict …

Covid-19 And Stay-At-Home Orders: An Application Of Routine Activity Theory In Philadelphia, Jessica M. Brain

Undergraduate Research

The coronavirus pandemic changed the routines of people all over the world. Because of the implementation of government stay-at-home orders, people started doing more of their daily activities from home. This explores the impact coronavirus had on burglary counts in Philadelphia. Data were used from OpenDataPhilly to compare both non-residential and residential burglary counts from April through June 2019 and April through June 2020, a latter time frame, a period when routine activities were likely significantly altered as many more people stayed at home. It was anticipated that as more people stay at home and Philadelphia would experience fewer residential …

The Relationship Between Emotion Regulation And Video Games, Charlotte J. Splendido

Undergraduate Research

64% of homes have at least one person who plays video games regularly (The ESA, 2018). With the continuously growing popularity of video games comes debate about the potential detriments that gaming may have on people’s health, particularly children. On the news, video games are often painted as unhealthy, claiming that gaming is addicting and leads people to become antisocial. The media also quickly points to the violent content of some video games as the cause for violent acts. Studies have been conducted to analyze negative effects of video games, such as violence or addiction, but fewer studies have researched …

Disclosing Mathematics, Tre Schumacher

Undergraduate Research

According to Heidegger, phenomenology is critical of purely metaphysical thinking insofar as the history of Western metaphysics has discounted the significance of physis. For Heidegger, Western metaphysics has lost its way by ‘forgetting’ being, and likewise so has logic. This paper will argue that if mathematics aims to investigate the truth of being, then ontology has been divorced from the investigation of mathematical truth in a similar fashion that ontology has been divorced from logic and the history of Western metaphysics for Heidegger.

An Examination Into The Factors Of Stigma Toward Help Seeking Attitudes In College Student Athletes, Amanda Chapin, Kelly Mcclure Ph.D.

Undergraduate Research

Meeting the demands of a rigorous schedule for a student athlete can be challenging. The appearance of perceived public stigma and self-stigma may interfere with the student athlete’s attitudes toward help seeking, creating a negative relationship between attitudes toward seeking help and the action of seeking help. This study examined college student athlete attitudes toward seeking mental health help in association to perceived public stigma, self-stigma and athletic identity. The sample consisted of 39 college student athletes who participate in a team sport within the Atlantic 10 conference in Division 1 of the NCAA. The cross sectional approach used the …

Women And Crime, Samantha M. Caimi

Undergraduate Research

This paper examines the role of gender in three high profile criminal cases involving women. Each case highlights different circumstances of women involved in crime and the consequences of a justice system that does not acknowledge and address the role of gender in women’s criminal involvement. First, Cyntoia Brown’s case demonstrates the challenges specific to poor girls of color. Second, the case of Yeardley Love delineates the danger women face in their relationships with male intimate partners. Finally, the highly controversial case of Casey Anthony illustrates the societal pressure on women as mothers and the need to address potential biases …

Ico As Mainstream Method Of Capital Raising, Eduard Yelagin

Undergraduate Research

We develop a theory of financing entrepreneurial ventures by Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs). We show how distributed ledger technology (Blockchain) allows ventures to significantly decrease the price of issuance of new types of securities relative to a traditional venture capital (VC) approach. In addition, we discuss several types of new securities, called tokens. We explore the source of their value and benefits (and negative qualities) for entrepreneurial ventures and investors. We find that, in general, different types of tokens can provide unique benefits and additional information about a tokens’ issuer market sentiment. The following information would become available with the …

Stirling Numbers Of Sunflower Graphs, Jose Garcia, Jessica Longo, Matt Phad, Page Wilson

Undergraduate Research

A Stirling number of the second kind, S(n, k), is the number of ways to take all of the elements from an n element set and put them into k subsets, so that the subsets are non-empty and pairwise disjoint. To get the graphical Stirling number for a graph G, we add the restriction that any two vertices that are adjacent in G cannot be in the same subset. The traditional Stirling numbers are the graphical Stirling number where the graph is empty. We find graphical Stirling numbers for sunflower graphs, which are powers of paths …

The Dynamic Developers Innovation Portfolio, Carrie Warner, Rosalie Gagnon, Brianna Newcomb, Hannah Samaan, Tyler Mckarge

Undergraduate Research

We appreciate your interest in the work of our team, The Dynamic Developers. We take great pride in the work we have done over the course of four months. Our research consisted of reading numerous scholarly articles, interviewing multiple stakeholders, and collecting feedback on our work through collaborator debriefs. From this portfolio, you will be able to see the Design Thinking Process we followed to develop a solution that will better student engagement at the Frederik Meijer Honors College. Our team consisted of five Honors College Students with diverse backgrounds and areas of study. Each team member brought different perspectives …

Readability Levels Of Speech-Language Pathology And Audiology Online Patient Education Materials In English And Spanish, Astrid Olivera, Sarah Gallagher, Dana Bitetti

Undergraduate Research

Clinicians have role in educating patients and their families about communication disorders. Therefore patient materials must have an appropriate level of readability. Studies are needed that investigate the readability of online patient education materials. This study investigated 30 online patient handouts in English and Spanish using several readability indices. The results indicated that few handouts met the recommended readability levels.

The Faculty Landing Page: Easy Access To Both Faculty Administrators Schedules, Ryan Vanoss, Sydney Sprau, Charity Foster, Rachel Mckay, Madelyn Conklin

Undergraduate Research

Despite the obvious successes that the Frederik Meijer Honors College has enjoyed in recent years, there are noticeable ways in which it can grow, the most visible of which, is the current agency that the students claim in the Honors College. Lack of student agency, or governance, is likely the manifestation of a deeper problem, however. We seek to solve the inability for the Honors College students and faculty/administration to develop rich and meaningful relationships, through which the students will be able to voice their concerns and thus help govern the Honors College. We believe that effective governance is built …

Preparing Fmhc Students For Life After Graduation, Emily Ruth Driscoll, Emma Kolar, Hannah Rojas, Carly Sutkewicz, Sam Ventocilla, Nathan Wagner

Undergraduate Research

The pages you have before you are a complete chronicle of our journey through the design thinking process. We were asked a pressing question: “how can Honors students better prepare for life after graduation?” This question launched a four-month journey, for which we were given the map of the design thinking process. This map was unique in that it told us what terrain we would be navigating, but not how to get to the next destination. Not directly, anyway. Every section of terrain had many paths, and plenty of open space to forge our own.

From the rolling moors of …

Innovating To Help The Students Of Fmhc Transition Into The Real World, Bee Fink, Leo Brisita, Kate Hubbard, Alex Broek, Kelsey Bredeweg, Reilly Olson

Undergraduate Research

We appreciate your interest in our team, and all of the work we put into creating a solution for the future leaders of the Frederik Meijer Honors College. Over the span of four months, we conducted hours of research, interviews, team collaboration, thinking critically, prototyping, and designing. Through this portfolio, an overview will be provided of how we developed our final innovation to assist students of the Frederik Meijer Honors College to comfortably transition to life after Grand Valley.