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George C. Roberts Award Recipients

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

96th Annual Iass Conference Call For Papers

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

Author Biographical Notes

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

Reviewers And Referees

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

Spartan Daily, April 30, 2025, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily, 2025

Volume 164, Issue 36

Production Of Potassium-Rich Biofertilizer From Composted Banana Peels And Watermelon Rinds, Neema O. Msuya

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

This study investigated the production of biofertilizer from composted banana peels and watermelon rinds, focusing on the mineral content and its impact on plant growth. The process involved characterizing raw materials, producing biofertilizer, analyzing mineral concentrations (potassium, nitrogen and phosphorus), and evaluating its quality through Spiny Amaranth seed growth. A compost bin with three compartments was designed, testing three composting ratios of banana peels to watermelon rinds (2:1, 1:2 and 1:1). Composting was monitored on moisture content, pH, organic matter, and temperature for 37 days. The 1:1 ratio had the lowest temperature (33.45°C) and highest pH (7.08), while the 2:1 …

The Impact Of Religiosity And Violence Prevention Programs On Violence Amongst Adolescents In The U.S., Ngoc Nguyen, John Paulson, Quentin Maynard, Thu T. Ha

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

Youth violence is a societal concern in the United States due to its negative consequences on individuals and communities. The current study aimed to examine the potential mitigating factors of violence prevention programs and religiosity in reducing youth violence among African American, White, Hispanic, and Asian American adolescents in the United States. It also tested the moderation effects of sex on religiosity and violence prevention programs with youth violence. Results of the main effects revealed that adolescents who attended violence prevention programs were generally less likely to engage in violence than those who did not; and that adolescents who were …

Assessment Of A New Rigid Wall Permeameter For The Slurry Like Barrier Materials: Zeolite Example, Gökhan Çevikbilen

Journal of Sustainable Construction Materials and Technologies

Areas vulnerable to catastrophic disasters such as hurricane, landslide and earthquake require ready and sustainable solutions for the post-pollution scenarios. Clinoptilolite type zeolite re- sources of Türkiye can serve economical and sustainable solutions as a quick response. While the studies on compacted zeolite-bentonite mixture at optimum water content for the landfill liners applications or dry zeolite-sand mixtures in permeable reactive barrier (PRB)s are com- mon, the slurry form of zeolite emplacement at subsurface reactive barriers has not received an attention by the researchers. In this context, this experimental study presents the prelimi- nary findings on one-dimensional consolidation and hydraulic conductivity …

Properties Of Glass-Ceramics Foam Based On Granite Dust-Clay-Maize Cob Composite As A Sustainable Building Material, Peter Oluwagbenga Odewole

Journal of Sustainable Construction Materials and Technologies

In this study, samples of glass-ceramics foam were obtained from granite dust-clay-maize cob composite and chemical additives at low temperature. Effects of the addition of maize cob as the pore-forming agent as well as the chemical additives on the performance properties of the samples of the glass-ceramics foam were investigated. The result of the prepared glass-ceramics foam showed water absorption, apparent porosity, bulk density, compressive strength and thermal conductivity of 25.6-46.7%, 43.5-75%, 1.45-1.9g/cm3, 0.7-9.7MPa and 0.11-0.53W/m.K. respectively. The mechanical and thermo-physical properties as well as microstructural properties of the glass-ceramics foam synthesized in this study provide a feasible indicator that …

Plaster Of Paris Containing Zero Valent Iron Particles: Designing A Permeable Reactive Barrier, Used For Remediation Of 4-Nitroaniline Pollution, Saliha Boudıa, Farida Fernane, Patrick Sharrock, Marina Fiallo

Journal of Sustainable Construction Materials and Technologies

Permeable reactive barrier (PRB) containing zero valent iron (ZVI), plaster and additives to make a porous composite structure, was tested to remove an organic nitro compound as model pollutant. An aqueous solution of 4-nitroaniline (PNA) was passed through a porous plaster column and chemical degradation quantified by UV-Vis spectroscopy. PNA was reduced to p-phenylenediamine and the rate of the reduction was strongly related to ZVI amount, pollutant volume, and the contact rate with the metal particles. The PBR could be controlled by design and operation. Test columns were made to evaluate the materials for making precast plaster blocks containing ZVI. …

From The Ground Up: Community-Based Participatory Research Reclaiming The Science Of Lead, Juan Manuel Rubio, Bavisha Kaylan, Anthony Diaz, Patricia Flores, Maya Cheav, David C. Bañuelas, Ashley Green, Annika Hjelmstad, Ariane Jong-Levinger, Tim Schütz, Maya Carrasquillo, Alana M. W. Lebron, Jun Wu

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

For decades, the dominant approach to lead poisoning has been to focus on homes affected by lead paint and to treat children who are already suffering from lead poisoning. This individualizing approach developed in the context of the defunding and deregulation of government agencies in the 1980s. In recent years, however, community–academic partnerships have reframed lead as an environmental issue produced by the development of the lead industry in the twentieth century and connected to overlapping histories of exploitation, discrimination, and inaction. These community-based projects have contributed to shifting research agendas (by emphasizing historical analysis and the study of the …

The Utah Statesman, April 28, 2025, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Bgsu Emergency Management Plan, Hailey Hendrix, Hailey Hendrix

Honors Projects

This project is about the complications that Bowling Green State University (BGSU) would encounter if a tornado were to occur. This report discusses the complications before, during, and after the natural disaster. This report was achieved through knowledge that was obtained from an emergency management professional development course by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Geological Complications And Environmental Hazards Of The Cement Raw Materials Quarry Sites In Yemen, Ahmed M. Al-Anweh, Mohammed Ibrahim El-Anbaawy, Mohamed Mahmmoud Abu-Zeid, Ibrahim Al-Akhaly, S:17:"Sana'a University", } N/A

Sultan Qaboos University Journal For Science

Extensive field and site investigations were conducted to assess and evaluate the situation in the presently exploited quarries of cement raw materials in Yemen. These quarries have several geological complications represented mainly by high elevations, steep slopes, rugged topography, heterogeneity in bed thickness, lithologic composition and quality, presence of igneous sills and dykes, intensive fracturing and jointing and abundance of karstification features. Moreover, the processes of quarrying and related operations have several negative environmental impacts the most important of which are soil failure, overburden and land sliding, toppling and rock falls (which result in considerable mass wasting) and emission of …

Archaeo-Geophysical Investigation Of Simulated Settlement: Case Study In A Part Of Basement Complex Of Nigeria, Saminu Olatunji, Isaac Onimisi Lawal

Sultan Qaboos University Journal For Science

We have used the 2D Vertical Electrical Sounding method and Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) method to map buried artifacts in a simulated settlement, and have shown how the geographical information system could aid future research. Stones, bones, metals, cement bricks, and cement-and-sand mixtures were locally constructed to fit into an African-archaeological setting. Parameters such as the materials’ composition, width, electrical resistivity, height, age, and depth of burial were taken into account before this investigation. The integrated methods employed collected data over the study area along with a pre-calculated dense network of parallel profiles. A total of eight (8) VES points …

Living And Dying With Rats (Essay), Trent Mcfury

The International Journal of Ecopsychology (IJE)

It is unlikely that a dystopian work would begin with, “Rats have not been seen for centuries, even in Venice.” [...]

Although many species disturb our peace, destroy our crops, and/or are outright dangerous, the eco-existential scaling of a rat (and mice), broonie or pixie-like, makes it a convenient analogical and projective emblem of invasion and subsequent extermination. That which abundantly reproduces, keenly clusters, transforms our bodies, challenges our wits, follows and then remains, travels and then stays, is also a psyche-mirror.

The Way Of The Woods: Interview With Greg Weiss, Greg Weiss

The International Journal of Ecopsychology (IJE)

Mr. Weiss shares invaluable experience and wisdom of bushcraft and his sense of place in the northern Wisconsin woodlands. His local experiences are also informed by years of travels to the Amazonian forest and many other locations. Mr. Weiss heads and co-runs an outdoor adventure business in the Northwoods and organizes and leads primitive skills workshops off Lake Superior (Cornucopia, WI). He has been an extremely valuable member of the Northland College community for more than twenty years.

Table Of Contents Vol 10(1) May 2025

The International Journal of Ecopsychology (IJE)

No abstract provided.

Editorial: Vol 10(1), May 2025

The International Journal of Ecopsychology (IJE)

No abstract provided.

Who Carries Bear Spray? Reducing Risk In The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem Through Leave No Trace Communication, Anna B. Miller, Clara-Jane Blye, Jennifer Newton, Lauren Miller, Jacob Richards

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

As bear populations increase in areas like the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE), human-bear interactions are rising, with grizzly bear encounters more than doubling in the past decade. To reduce conflicts, land management agencies promote Leave No Trace (LNT) behaviors, emphasizing bear awareness, proper food storage, maintaining distance from wildlife, and carrying bear spray. However, a survey of 566 visitors across the GYE found that 27% of respondents report never carrying bear spray. Non-carriers were often first-time visitors, traveling in larger groups, or day-use visitors to front-country areas. They also viewed the message to carry bear spray as less important than …

Mālama I Ka LoʻI Kalo: Kānaka HawaiʻI Health And Wellbeing Within The Continental U.S. Hawaiian Diaspora, Isabel Kanoelani Handa

Research Symposium

Among diasporic Kānaka Hawaiʻi born and raised in the continental United States, many experience isolation and imposter syndrome about Hawaiian heritage, due to a lack of accessibility to traditional practices, cultural education and ways of knowing; and isolation from the Hawaiian community. While not unique to Diasporic Kānaka Hawaiʻi, many of these issues occur more prominently as a result of migration away from familial, cultural, spiritual, and educational support networks, and increased proximity to U.S. settler culture. In the Hawaiian health and wellbeing model titled, The Ahupuaʻa Model (Daniels et al. 2022), these support networks are supposed to serve as …

Sampling Avian Biodiversity In Ecuador: Impacts Of Fragmentation And Explorations Of Diet, Anna Kryder, Mackenzie Alderson

Science Seminar

Under the direction of Dr. Renee Godard Ecuador has on of the most biodiverse ecosystems in the world including more than 1,650 bird species. In this study we examined the impact of human development on avian species richness in Ecuador and explored the role of tropical species in the ecosystem by comparing dietary patterns of identified tropical birds to a representative sample of birds found in Virginia. In 2024 and 2025 bird biodiversity was surveyed at four sites in Ecuador. For each survey, five individuals identified birds by sight and sound for 30-minutes. Each site was surveyed at least twice …

Human Settlement Impacts On Moth Diversity In Ecuador, Lauren Lassere, Frank Matter, Annika Gulling

Science Seminar

Moths play a vital role in the overall health of any ecosystem as they are important pollinators and food resources for multiple species (particularly birds and bats). Human habitat disturbance in the temperate zone has been shown to negatively impact moth biodiversity and population size through a reduction in moth food resources and light pollution. Our study examined the impact of habitat disturbance on moth populations and diversity in the tropics (Pastaza Province, Ecuador). Significantly fewer moths were found during trapping sessions in disturbed habitats compared to those with less disturbance. Moreover, a higher diversity of moths were found in …

Diurnal And Nocturnal Patterns Of Leaf Cutter Ants (Atta Spp.), Mateo Rivera, Elizabeth Kagarise, Sophia Maurer, Selena Wolfe

Science Seminar

Under the direction of Dr. Renee Godard Leaf cutter Ants (Atta spp.) form highly complex colonies and play a key role in moving nutrients from the canopy to the forest floor in Central and South America and are considered pests in agricultural regions. In order to provide fodder for their underground fungal garden, worker ants will forage during the day and night, though they are considered to be heavier night time foragers (1). In this study, we compared leaf delivery, worker activity, and minim activity along marked foraging trails during the day and night. Activity along 11 foraging trails from …

Hashtags, Influencers, And Ethical Eating, Astrid Van Baba

Science Seminar

Media is known to be able to influence people’s opinions and attitudes on a variety to topics (Kat & Lazarsfeld, 2017), everything from their lifestyle, perspectives towards the environment, and the food to consume. To better understand the media’s influence on people’s food choices, this study explores social media and its role in young adults’ perception of their food choices. Specifically, looking at how social media influences Hollins University students’ perceptions and understanding of their diets concerning environmental awareness. Through a cross-sectional survey design administered through Microsoft Forms in Spring 2025, participants were asked about their dietary choices, social media …

Worry About The Impacts Of Climate Change Among Youths In Ecuador And The U.S, Ti-Shawn Wellington

Science Seminar

Under the direction of Dr. Renee Godard and Dr. Kaila Thorn Climate change remains one of the most urgent global challenges, with its impacts increasingly felt across diverse communities. Public perception, particularly among youth, plays a pivotal role in driving environmental policy and collective action. This study explores the levels of concern among young adults (ages 18–29) in the United States and Ecuador regarding the impact of climate change on personal and global issues. A Qualtrics survey in English and Spanish was distributed via social media platforms in both countries, yielding 33 U.S. and 35 Ecuadorian responses from this age …

Behavioral Responses Of Magellanic Penguins At Their Breeding Colony On Magdalena Island, Holly Hylton, Gabriella Demaria, Charlie Dobson, Lukas Hanson, Finley Webb

Science Seminar

Under the direction of Dr. Glenda Hevia, School for Field Studies, Chile Coordinated by Dr. Renee Godard Magellanic Penguins (Spheniscus magellanicus) are culturally and ecologically significant seabirds that are found in southern South America. Our study aimed to observe the behaviors of Magellanic penguins in a small breeding colony located at Magdalena Island in the Strait of Magellan, Patagonia, Chile. We observed 81 penguins over three continuous days in November 2024 to analyze how environmental and anthropogenic factors impact adult penguins. Behavioral metrics included time spent in burrows, proportion of time active, and vocalizations. Statistical analysis showed a significant positive …

A Comparison Of Behavioral Activity And Spatial Relationships In A Captive Populations Of Western Lowland Gorillas (Gorilla Gorilla) And Common Chimpanzees (Pan Troglodytes), Samantha Hahn

Science Seminar

Under the direction of Dr. Renee Godard

The fundamental mission of most modern zoos is conservation, research, and education, with a strong focus on animal welfare that provides adequate space and enrichment for species to maintain natural behaviors. We compared the behavioral activity and spatial relationships of two ape species (lowland gorillas - Gorilla gorilla and common chimpanzees – Pan troglodytes) maintained in separate large natural enclosures at the North Carolina Zoo. In the wild, lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla) are typically found in small harems with a dominant silverback male, several females and juveniles, while chimpanzees are commonly found in …

Scaredy Cats: Domestic Cat Responses To Audio Stimuli, Jennalee Williams

Science Seminar

Under the direction of Dr. Renee Godard Predators can detect prey by a variety of mechanisms with auditory cues being of importance particularly in nocturnal animals. Previous studies have shown that domesticated cats can track potential prey by sound. In this study, I compared the responses of nine domestic cats (Felis catus) to different sounds, two mimicking prey (a rodent death scream and crinkly noise) and a neutral beep tone. Sounds were projected from undercover and the distance the cat spent within 1 m of the speaker was recorded at 10 second intervales before (2 min), during (2 min) and …

The Opportunity To Make A Splash: Urban Pond Management In Missoula, Mallorie Dale

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Before the city was gridded with pavement and storm drains, Pattee Creek flowed openly through what is now Missoula, Montana. The Salish and Pend d’Oreille peoples lived in close relationship with this watershed, honoring its rhythms and relying on its abundance. Their word for Pattee Canyon—Sloʔté, “two valleys coming together to make one little valley”—reminds us that places carry memory, even when reshaped.

Now mostly buried beneath development, Pattee Creek briefly resurfaces at Bancroft Ponds, a 5-acre constructed basin nestled within a neighborhood. Here, water pauses. Birds gather. Children play. Life continues in quiet, often unnoticed ways. This project is …