The Importance Of Education: A Comparison Of Educational Systems In The United States And South Sudan, Allie Haughenbury, Faith Defenbaugh, Emma Randecker, Hadley Farrell, Haylea Tillman

INSPIRE Student Research and Engagement Conference

The significance of education in creating opportunities for individuals has been established as important to both individual growth and national development. The purpose of this project is to assess the role of education by comparing the educational system in the United States with that of South Sudan in terms of structure, accessibility, and barriers. The U.S. has a well developed educational system with access to public education for (almost) all children, whereas children in South Sudan face significant challenges to receiving an education. These challenges include a lack of infrastructure, a lack of trained educators, a lack of resources, and …

Youth Social Media Access: Comparing The U.S. And Australia, Maddie Otto, Alyssa Dieckhoff, Brinley Cleveland, Katie Vandewoestyne, Jacey Rugg

INSPIRE Student Research and Engagement Conference

Up to 95% of young people aged 13-17 report using a social media platform; this population encompasses over 38 million youths in the U.S. and 2 million youths in Australia. Reports show that this practice has a detrimental impact on the mental health and well-being of those who have access at a young age. Globally, a primary concern is that youth who have access to social media platforms that are not developmentally appropriate for their age level have issues around declining mental health, socialization, and self-esteem or body image concerns. Therefore, the main objective of this project is to examine …

Feminization Poverty: Comparing The United States And Afghanistan, Molly Cue, Carly Henrickson, Lauren Classen, Swarupa Evans, Lauren Huston

INSPIRE Student Research and Engagement Conference

Feminization poverty is a prevalent worldwide issue containing many layers such as societal norms, single-mothered household, the gender wage gap, unpaid care work, and cost of childcare. When comparing the United States and Afghanistan, there are similarities in these issues. Both countries live in primarily patriarchal societies, which heavily contributes to feminization poverty. In the United States, over 14.8 million women are currently living in poverty compared to roughly 25 million women in Afghanistan. There are some strategic interventions utilized to fight feminization poverty in both countries. Therefore, the objective of this project is to compare the effectiveness of these …

Women's Access To Education: A Global Perspective, Olivia Clausen, Lillie-Kay Colby, Ellie-Lynn Colby

INSPIRE Student Research and Engagement Conference

Access to education for women has been restricted in various ways across the globe throughout history. Many of these restrictions have led to gender disparities in access to work, which pushes women into more vulnerable situations, such as poverty, abuse, or forced marriages. The goal of this research is to raise awareness and knowledge about women’s and girls’ education in South Sudan, given its 93% illiteracy rate among women. According to UNESCO, among the 84% of countries that legally protect the right to education, only 57% explicitly guarantee it without discrimination on the basis of sex and/or gender. Education for …

A Computational Assessment Of Halobacterium Salinarum Glutamate Dehydrogenase Enzymes, Maaz Abdalla

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

Glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) is a hexameric enzyme. GDH is involved in several pathways and cellular processes such as oxidation-reduction homeostasis, ammonia metabolism, lipid biosynthesis, insulin and lactate production, and acid-base equilibrium. The main objective of this thesis is to understand the structural and biochemical properties of this enzyme and why some organisms, for e.g., Halobacterium salinarum, have more than one GDH with different coenzyme specificities. The catabolism of glutamate is linked to NAD+-specific GDHs, meanwhile, NADP+-specific GDHs play an anabolic role in ammonia assimilation. Molecular docking and binding free energy calculations were employed followed by long-scale (500 nanoseconds) comparative molecular …

Comparative Performance Of Polymeric Membrane-Catalytic Combined Module Systems For Efficient Co2 Capture, Yamna Saif Alshamsi

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

Effective carbon dioxide (CO2) capture is crucial for mitigating climate change. Membrane-based gas absorption systems, particularly those utilizing monoethanolamine (MEA), offer a modular, scalable, and energy-efficient alternative to conventional methods. However, challenges such as membrane wetting, solvent degradation, and mass-transfer limitations hinder their performance.This research investigated the efficiency of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and polyethersulfone (PES) polymeric membrane contactors for CO2 absorption using MEA under simulated flue gas conditions. A novel approach involved incorporating nanocatalytic material into the absorbent solution to enhance CO2 absorption. Characterization included SEM, FTIR, XRD, permeability, tensile strength, and contact angle measurements, alongside CO2 absorption performance evaluation. …

Synthesis, Characterization And Field Application Of Date Palm Biochar, Raed Sameeh Raja Hussain

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

Date palm cultivation generates large quantities of lignocellulosic residues as a part of orchard management and regular pruning activities. Total date palm biomass produced in the UAE has been estimated at around 1.2 million tons per year. These residues are usually burned or disposed of in open areas or used in compost pits which in turn create waste management and environmental issues. This study investigated the conversion of date palm fronds into biochar and evaluated the feasibility of using it as a soil amendment for arid and saline agricultural systems. Biochar was produced using a locally fabricated double canister pyrolysis …

College Student Perceptions Of Death, Shelby Brubaker, Melinda Heinz

INSPIRE Student Research and Engagement Conference

The purpose of this study was to understand college student perceptions of death. Undergraduate students were invited to participate in a focus group about their perceptions of death. Three focus groups were held and a total of nine students participated, all of whom had majors in the social sciences. All participants were women and approximately 55% were non-religious and 55% reported they were spiritual. Braun and Clarke’s reflexive thematic approach was used to code focus group transcriptions. Three themes were identified: 1) Family and Religious Influences: One participant said, “I think it is less of how religion has shaped …

State-Corporate Crime In Agricultural Markets: The Lynch Livestock Fraud Case, Leah Blaine

INSPIRE Student Research and Engagement Conference

• Livestock dealers connect farmers to markets
• Dealers control weighing and classification
• Farmers rely on dealer-reported measurements

Peeling Back, Katelynn M. Humbles

KUCC -- Kutztown University Composition Conference

KUCC

Kutztown University Composition Conference

Kutztown University Composition Conference (KUCC)

Theme: “Writing Your Way Home”

Monday, April 14, 2025

Call For Presentations

For many, the most significant place in life is their home. It is where we withdraw and rest. It is where we feel safe and loved. But home is more than just a physical space—it's an idea, a feeling, a crucial part of one’s identity. Writers have spent their careers envisioning different ideas of home, just as we do. We also have the power to shape the kind of home we create for ourselves and others.

This year, …

Landscaping Of Mcp: An Overview Of Mcp Mitigations And Tools, Arden Michel

Cybersecurity Undergraduate Research Showcase

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) has quickly become the standard for enabling agentic AI systems to interact with external tools, data sources, and services. Since its debut in 2024, MCP has been adopted by companies such as Google, Apple, Meta, and IBM. While this integration greatly improves the capabilities of large language models (LLMs), it also creates a new attack surface that the security community is only beginning to understand systematically.

A key architectural challenge is MCP's fundamental reliance on implicit trust: servers often run locally with high privileges, tool descriptions are accepted without question, and external servers are presumed …

A Comparative Study On Performance Of Iot-Driven Ml-Enabled Forecasting Models For Efficient Air Quality Monitoring, Bara Ksiksi

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

Air pollution is one of the most important and devastating environmental issues that heavily affects public health around the world and it’s the cause of approximately 4.2 million early deaths. This thesis focuses on further improving forecasting models by introducing a zonal approach and satellite-based spatial validation. The main objective is to explore a zonal approach with the ground station data and to add a spatial component using satellite imagery to improve the accuracy of the results. It follows a four-stage evolution framework while focusing on the three different zones chosen. The four stages introduced different aspects which include a …

The Impact Of The Space Science Steam Enrichment Program On Grade 11 And 12 Gifted Students' Content Knowledge, Design Thinking, And Problem-Solving Skills In The United Arab Emirates, Nada Ali Mubarak Obaid

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

This study examines the impact of a Space Science Enrichment Program grounded in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) education and designed for gifted secondary students in the Elite and Advanced Science Streams of UAE government schools. Informed by problem-based learning, project-based learning, and design thinking frameworks, the program aimed to enhance students' content knowledge, academic achievement, and design thinking and problem-solving skills. Over a two-month period, students participated in blended online and face-to-face theoretical and practical sessions introducing space science topics such as satellite missions and applications, CubeSats, rocket motion, thermal and vibration simulations, 3D modelling, and additive …

Wellness Center, Alisa Friday, Davan Smith, Nikola Szlachta, Favian Zaragoza

INSPIRE Student Research and Engagement Conference

A wellness center shaped by natural light and gentle biophilic cues creates an inviting sense of calm from the moment visitors arrive. For this wellness center, we wanted to create a welcoming and biophilic space where patients and caregivers can come to a community setting and feel connected to each other. A bright atrium anchors daily movement, while also providing enough spaces for rest. The wellness center blends wellbeing, inclusivity, and ease with architectural elements that tie our concept together.

The Role Of Google Translate In Supporting Writing Accuracy And Classroom Expectations Among Esl Students: A Qualitative Case Study, Thi Thu Ngan Ho

INSPIRE Student Research and Engagement Conference

Google Translate Use in Intensive English Programs

• Widespread but Informal Use
  • Google Translate is widely used by English as Second Language learners, but often privately and without explicit classroom discussion.
• Benefits and Challenges
  • Students rely on Google Translate in different ways during writing, yet little is known about how they use it in real time.
• Critical Research Gap
  • Most studies examine Google Translate's outcomes, but very few explore how students actually use it during real-time writing.

Conversations On The Wall: Using Public Art To Destigmatize Discussions Of Death, Hope Thurm, Melinda Heinz

INSPIRE Student Research and Engagement Conference

Starting as a participatory mural in New Orleans, Candy Chang’s Before I Die project has been recreated in over 75 countries. Inspired by her work, the purpose of this project was to encourage students to reflect on mortality and life aspirations publicly. A temporary mural on a college campus was built as part of an honors gerontology class, Families and End-of-Life Issues to encourage interactive reflections about mortality. The mural was up for one week, each side was stenciled with “Before I Die, I Want To ___” and blank white lines for the public to fill in their aspirations with …

The Impact Of Teacher Burnout On Learning Ability In Elementary Children With Aces, Kassidy Lake Patterson

INSPIRE Student Research and Engagement Conference

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) impact individuals both psychologically and physically into adulthood. Children with ACEs often face challenges in learning, emotional regulation, and behavioral outbursts. Consequently, teachers supporting these students may experience Secondary Traumatic Stress and burnout. This examines the relationship between teacher burnout and students' ACEs. Using a mixed-methods approach guided by the Transactional model, the research discusses Allostatic Load and Toxic Stress theories. Teachers in the Waterloo area (n=10) completed the Professional Quality of Life Survey and the Trauma Informed Education Knowledge Survey. Findings indicate that teachers exhibit moderate burnout levels and possess high trauma knowledge, particularly those …

Examining Burnout In Early- And Late- Nurses, Emily Forsyth

INSPIRE Student Research and Engagement Conference

Burnout from one's job due to chronic stress at work and is common in helping professions (Maslach, 2001). Burnout is categorized as experiencing emotional exhaustion, depersonalization (cynicism) and reduced personal accomplishment (inefficacy). (Maslach, 2001). Early-career nurses (i.e., < 20 years of experience; Berlin et al., 2023) and post-master’s counselors (Cook et al., 2021) experience burnout at higher levels than those in their late-career.

Geotree Center Drone Photography, Modeling And Analysis Across Uni Campus, Tim Conlon, Harriet Quarshie, John Degroote

INSPIRE Student Research and Engagement Conference

No abstract provided.

Academic Ai Use And Willingness To Pay For Premium Subscriptions, Haley Ceruzzi, Tucker Langenberg, Mojtaba Alfardan, Jiuqing Cheng

INSPIRE Student Research and Engagement Conference

This study examines how college students use AI tools for academic purposes and how usage patterns influence willingness to pay for premium AI services. Using survey data from 75 students at the University of Northern Iowa, results show that perceived value of AI tools is the strongest and most consistent predictor of willingness to pay. Academic AI usage frequency predicts short-term subscription intent, while academic workload and employment hours are not statistically significant predictors. These findings indicate that AI companies should prioritize premium features that clearly improve academic productivity and performance.

We Don't Get Our Voices Heard, We Work: Power, Perception, And The Working-Class, Jadin Grieser

INSPIRE Student Research and Engagement Conference

What dynamics influence the working-class to vote against their economic interests?

By performing thirteen interviews with working-class Iowans about their perceptions of politics and feeling of power over politics, this project found a pattern of powerlessness caused by a disconnect with government officials. Through examining how the dimensions of power with people’s internal feelings of powerlessness, this project offers a look into how the working-class has become powerless and how this powerlessness interacts with their perceptions of politics.

My main finding was that people perceive business interests have power over politics, with this being the same for conservatives, moderates, and …

Predictors Of Prejudice Towards People With Tattoos, Jordan Smith, Helen Harton

INSPIRE Student Research and Engagement Conference

Tattoos continue to hold negative connotations, despite the increasing popularity of tattoos. In this study, we investigated potential correlates of negative attitudes toward tattoos to better understand this bias. Perceptions that people with tattoos were a threat and different from participants were better predictors than personality, similar to research on correlates of other prejudices.

Watershed Studies Institute: 17th Annual Research Symposium, Watershed Studies Institute

Scholars Week

Wednesday, April 15, 2026

Barkley Room, Curris Center

Session Chair: Dr. Howard Whiteman

Interest In Training Certifications Within The Horticulture Industry, Bradley S. Peiffer

Scholars Week

When it comes to post-secondary education, less than half of Americans hold a college degree. While certain industries don’t necessarily need college-level education, they can still have a lot to learn beyond hands-on education and training. Horticulture, for example, can have a large knowledge gap from people with a secondary education only. Oftentimes, a certificate in a field of work can significantly improve knowledge in the workforce without such an extreme time or cost expense. This study investigates whether there is a potential interest in training certifications within the Horticulture Industry. Specifically, this research was conducted to determine if Horticulture …

Maternal Glow And Family Solutions Organization, Catherine Wanyana, Maud Gladys Quaye, Mawora Plaxcedes

INSPIRE Student Research and Engagement Conference

No abstract provided.

Impact Of Climate Change Factors On Physiological And Biochemical Alterations In Some Uae Native Plants, Khalfan Mohammed Alnaqbi

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

The worldwide effects of climate change on ecosystems are glaring because rising environmental stresses from UV radiation and elevated CO₂ and temperature variations make it difficult for plants to grow and sustain productivity. In this study, we compared how these four species, i.e., Calligonum crinitum, Juncus rigidus, Pulicaria glutinosa, and Senna artemisioides, respond to UV radiation exposure alongside elevated CO₂ levels and their combined effect. These species were selected due to their ecological importance and resilience to extreme desert conditions. The study focused on key morphological and physiological responses, including plant height, fresh and dry weight, chlorophyll content, and other …

Perceptions Of Money In Politics: Analyzing The Connection Between Knowledge Of Congressional Campaign Fundraising And Political Trust In The United States, Trina Schmadeke

INSPIRE Student Research and Engagement Conference

This study focuses on the link between knowledge of campaign finance and trust held by Americans in political institutions and members of Congress. Political trust makes a significant impact on political support and democratic stability. The existing literature on the topic suggests that knowing that a congressional candidate has accepted large donations harms political trust. I used a self-administered online survey to examine the connection between perceptions of congressional campaign funding and political trust. My survey results demonstrate a significant relationship between trust and perceptions about campaign fundraising. Specifically, the more money that the average congressional candidate was believed to …

Effects Of Race & Tattoo Status On Criminality Judgements, Gabriella Haddad, Madelyn Wells, Helen Harton

INSPIRE Student Research and Engagement Conference

310 Prolific participants viewed eight AI-generated images of men who appeared to be Asian, Hispanic, Black, or White who were "suspects in an ongoing investigation." Participants viewed one of the two targets for each ethnic group, one with an arm tattoo and one without. Participants rated each target on characteristics such as intelligence, competency, and trustworthiness, and rated how likely they think it was that the target was the perpetrator. Men without a tattoo were rated more positively than those with a tattoo across all four racial/ethnic groups. Hispanic men, with or without a tattoo, were rated the most negatively. …

Portrait Of A Lady On Fire: Female Directors Subverting The Male Gaze, Josephine Ebersole

KUCC -- Kutztown University Composition Conference

No abstract provided.

The Combahee River Collective’S Influence On Modern Feminism, Josephine Ebersole

KUCC -- Kutztown University Composition Conference

No abstract provided.