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Pursuing Sustainability In Campus Dining Services, Nick Ventrola, Emily Zito

Sustainability Research & Practice Seminar Presentations

Nick Ventrola, WCU Dining Services Resident District Manager, and Emily Zito, WCU Dining Services Registered Dietitian, present "Pursuing Sustainability in Campus Dining Services".

Midweek Memo, Georgia Southern University

Midweek Memo

• Applaud
• Remember
• Share
• Experience
• Around the Nest

Lasting Impact Of Friendship: A Group Manual For Meaningful Connections In Adolescence, Kristen M. Hull

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Adolescence brings profound changes in physical growth, emotions, and social interactions. The friendships formed during this time of life play a crucial role in shaping a young person’s sense of self, emotional health, and ability to navigate social relationships well into the future. This group manual examines the importance of friendships in adolescence, offering a research-based approach to understanding how these relationships influence mental well-being, academic success, and personal development. Designed for school counselors and other trained professionals, it provides practical strategies to help students build and maintain meaningful, supportive friendships during this pivotal stage of life.

Keywords: adolescence, friendship, …

Elizabeth Sanchez V. Elizabeth Board Of Education

2025 Decisions

USDC for the District of New Jersey

In Re: Esml Holdings Inc

2025 Decisions

USDC for the District of Delaware

In Re: Abrahim Fata

2025 Decisions

USDC for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

Usa V. Nickolas Passineau

2025 Decisions

USDC for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

Usa V. Monte Barry

2025 Decisions

USDC for the Western District of Pennsylvania

Usa V. Constance Stobert

2025 Decisions

USDC for the Western District of Pennsylvania

Rewiring An Enzyme: K135f Mutation In Malate Dehydrogenase, Lauren Ratz, Kaci Schmoll

Undergraduate Research Symposium 2025

Malate Dehydrogenase (MDH) is an enzyme that catalyzes the reaction of malate to oxaloacetate by reducing the cofactor NAD+ to NADH in the citric acid cycle, playing a crucial role in cellular metabolism. Alterations in the MDH structure have been linked to metabolic diseases and cancers, though its overall structure remains poorly characterized. To better understand MDH, we manipulated its structure by inserting a point mutation into the flexible loop region at position 135, exchanging a lysine (Lys) to a phenylalanine (Phe). We hypothesized that mutating a positively charged amino acid (Lys) to an aromatic amino acid (Phe) would cause …

The Hidden Carbon Footprint Of Ai Models: Gpu-Aware Carbon Modeling, Youzhi Li

Undergraduate Research Symposium 2025

The rapid growth of AI technology has sparked transformative innovations but also increased carbon emissions. Recent research found that computer systems' carbon emissions are shifting from operational carbon to embodied carbon, but they did not fully capture the rapidly evolving AI landscape. Most recent research focused on operational carbon, neglecting the long-term environmental impact of embodied carbon. We found two gaps that persist in recent research. First, current carbon modeling focused on Central Processing Units (CPUs), neglecting the carbon modeling of Graphical Processing Units (GPUs). Second, it focused on primary components, neglecting significant contributions from peripheral components to the embodied …

Masculinity As Capitalism: Abuse, Control, And Domination Of The Earth In The Construction Of Gender Identity, J Guadalupe Dimayuga

Undergraduate Research Symposium 2025

This presentation explores the intersection of masculinity, capitalism, and ecological domination, arguing that hegemonic masculinity cannot be dismantled without addressing the capitalist system perpetuating it. Western feminist literature critiques masculinity and its manifestations but often overlooks capitalism as the root cause, thus failing to dismantle it and provide meaningful alternatives. Through an analysis of ecological and Marxist feminist texts, this presentation argues for a feminist philosophy that integrates the two for a more nuanced understanding of masculinity. This philosophy is supported by highlighting the ways in which capitalism enforces exploitation, control, and domination within gender identity. By integrating Indigenous perspectives …

April 16, 2025 Blazer Weekly, University Of Alabama At Birmingham

Blazer Weekly (student newsletter)

No abstract provided.

Sigma Zeta National Math And Science Honor Society Inducts 31 New Members, Office Of University Communications

Gardner-Webb NewsCenter Archive

The Beta Tau Chapter of Sigma Zeta National Honor Society held its induction ceremony recently. A group of 31 students were honored as new members, and the new officers were installed. Graduating seniors were also recognized.

April 16, 2025 (Vol. 109, No. 26), Daily Easten News

Daily Eastern News: 2024-2025

No abstract provided.

Preventing Loneliness And Increasing Student Engagement In First-Generation College Students, Kya Cousino, Paige Hammarstrom

SPARK Symposium Presentations

As higher education institutions work to diversify and expand their student populations, one topic that requires ongoing consideration is retention rates. First-generation college students make up a significant portion of undergraduate classes (Skomsvald, 2015); however, they are also the population least likely to see their degrees to completion (Radunzel, 2021). This suggests there may be barriers keeping these students from collegiate success, which we predicted to be loneliness and a lack of student engagement (Barreto et al., 2021; Peplau & Perlman, 1982). This study investigated several predictors of student engagement via loneliness in first-generation college students. First-generation college students (N …

The Lumberjack, April 16, 2025

Cal Poly Humboldt's Student Newspaper

The student newspaper of Humboldt State University.

A Qualitative Investigation Of Middle School And High School Students' Perspectives On Their Cultural Identities, Jasmine Blake

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Adolescence is a critical period for identity development. Previous research highlights the challenges related to having an unclear conception of one’s identity. Importantly, qualitative research on using student voice and student perspectives of their cultural identities to improve overall school climate and teacher-student relationships has been overlooked. To improve culturally responsive practices, researchers should account for the voices of primary stakeholders that may be missed in quantitative research methods. Thus, the current study aims to use qualitative interviews of middle and high school students to use student voice to improve culturally responsive practices and further our understanding of cultural humility. …

A Daily Diary Study To Investigate Self-Compassion And Loneliness: Implications For Students And Connection, Elizabeth S. Wells

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Understanding self-compassion is essential for psychologists seeking to address mental health concerns, particularly among students and young adults. Loneliness, which refers to the perceived quality rather than the quantity of relationships, has a significant impact on the well-being and social connections of adolescents and young adults (Bluth et al., 2017; Holt-Lunstad, 2017; Office of the Surgeon General, 2023, May; Taylor et al., 2023). Daily self-compassion practices may help alleviate loneliness, foster a sense of belonging, reduce feelings of exclusion, and improve individual well-being and overall school climate (Baker & McNulty, 2011; Bluth et al., 2022; Liu et al., 2020; Neff, …

The Impact Of Antidepressant Uses On Community-Dwelling Older Adults In The Us, Easter Protiva Gain

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Mental health is a vital component of the overall well-being across the lifespan and is the third leading cause of disability globally. One in seven US adults aged 65 or older reported some anxiety and/or depression symptoms, but one in four older adults use some antidepressants and the prescriptions were steadily increasing. This study investigated the impact of antidepressant uses focusing on discontinuation of antidepressants and the risk of medication resumption, inconsistency of antidepressant prescription, and increased healthcare uses by self-reported anxiety and depression symptoms among community-dwelling older adults in the US. Our study conducted a longitudinal study using Medicare …

Exploring Potential Barriers To The Fragile X Syndrome Cascade Screening Process, Austin Corsmeier

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Cascade screening, the systematic process of performing genetic screening in at-risk blood relatives of individuals who have been identified with specific genetic mutations, is vital to ensure that Fragile X Syndrome (FXS) is identified and diagnosed accurately and that early intervention services are provided to support the clinical symptoms associated with FXS. Cascade screening leads to identification of both male and female premutation carriers and those with full mutation FXS leading to early diagnosis, prompt treatment and awareness of potential medical, psychosocial, and/or neurodevelopmental issues, and improvement in the affected individual’s quality of life. Despite the clear clinical benefits of …

Examining The Impact Of Student Engagement On Academic Persistence And Academic Performance Among First-Generation College Freshman Students At Four-Year Public Institutions, Destin Barcroft Tucker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

This study examines the impact of student engagement on academic persistence and academic performance among first-generation college freshman students at four-year public institutions. With approximately 50 percent of college students identifying as first-generation, this demographic faces unique challenges that contribute to lower retention rates and academic outcomes compared to their continuing-generation peers. Utilizing secondary data from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) collected in 2016, 2019, and 2021, and institutional student records from a large, public, urban R2 Doctoral University in the Southeast, this quantitative study employs multiple regression and binary logistic regression analyses to assess the relationships between …

(Un)Becoming-Scientist-With: Mapping Material-Discursive Forces That Shape Undergraduate Student's Science Identity Development Across The Stemm Learning Ecosystem, Katherine Ayers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

This dissertation examines the material and discursive agents that shape undergraduate students’ science identity development within a science, technology, engineering, math and medicine (STEMM) ecosystem in the Southern United States. Using Karen Barad’s agential realism as a theoretical framework, the study conceptualizes science identity as a dynamic process of (un)becoming-scientist-with, emphasizing the intra-actions of material and discursive agents across formal and informal STEMM learning spaces. Drawing on narrative inquiry methods and graphic elicitation (ecomaps) interviews, this postqualitative study maps the entanglements of racism, discrimination, and systemic barriers that affect science identity construction. Four undergraduate participants engaged in STEMM programs affiliated …

The Influence Of Network Based Technologies On Modern Applied Trumpet Pedagogy, Dennis Anthony Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, focus has been drawn to the efficacy of synchronous applied music instruction in the networked environment. In March of 2020, all university faculty in higher education across all disciplines were suddenly forced to adapt pedagogy to a co-present networked environment, many with little knowledge or training in the current technologies. Poor audio and video quality, cold unwelcoming video teaching atmosphere, and frustrating user experience created a difficult networked environment for traditional applied studios. The pandemic accelerated the need for both quality online instructional experiences and formalized training for faculty within the areas of …

Transnational Childcare Labor And The Politics Of Affect In Contemporary Black Women’S Fiction, Gul Deniz Hos

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Neoliberal globalization has stimulated a continuous rise in migrant women’s domestic work in industrialized Western countries. In the global North, a growing number of female immigrants have supplemented precarious, low-waged, unprotected, unstable, or even unwaged care labor undertaken by mostly female residents as cleaners, caregivers, nurses, babysitters, or domestic service workers. Thus, ironically, non-migrant women’s participation in the public workforce is enabled by migrant women’s mostly devalued, underpaid domestic work in private households. It also upholds the perception that childcare is a private rather than public responsibility. The exploitation of women’s reproductive labor and the feminization of childcare has a …

Family Perspective On The Opioid Crisis: A Qualitative Exploration Of Responsibility, Prevention, And Treatment Access, Stella Ukaoma

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

ABSTRACT The opioid epidemic has inflicted a terrible toll on communities and families across the United States for decades. Family members with loved ones who misuse opioids have an especially intimate view of the initiation and progression of addiction, as well as the factors that lead to recovery. Perspectives from this population are underrepresented in the literature and may provide unique and valuable insight. The present research draws from in-depth interviews with twenty-seven individuals whose loved ones (i.e., children, spouses, siblings, etc.) either currently or historically had misused opioids. This study explored family members’ experiences and perspectives on key topics …

Act Bad But Keep It Respectable: How Respectability Influenced My Professional Identity, Tracy Nicole Pappin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

This autoethnographic study explored how culture and upbringing influenced my approach to respectability politics professionally, the coping strategies I used to deal with microaggressions regarding respectability politics in the workplace, and how the demands of respectability expectations affected my personal life. This autoethnographic study also explored how the normalizing influence of the dominant culture played a role in my professional identity development. It used personal narratives and reflections to examine how these expectations shaped professional identity, coping strategies, and the emotional and physical toll of workplace respectability politics. This study contributes to current research on respectability expectations in professional spaces. …

A Dual Perspective On Fault Mechanics: Insights From Laboratory Acoustic Emissions And Induced Seismicity, Roshan Koirala

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Earthquakes occur across multiple spatial scales depending on fault zone characteristics and mechanics. Fault failure, the mechanism responsible for earthquakes, is driven by the complex interaction of stress, material properties, fault structure, and fluids. Understanding how these factors impact fault stability is key to seismic hazard assessment. Seismological observations provide crucial information about fault mechanics. However, directly measuring the influence of fault properties on earthquake nucleation and fault rupture remains a significant challenge. This dissertation investigates the multi-scale processes of earthquake nucleation and fault failure. This involves integrating high-precision locations of acoustic emission events (AEs) in laboratory fault gouge experiments …

The Impact Of Belonging On Tennessee's Infant And Early Childhood Mental Health Workforce And Their Intent To Stay, Keena Denise Friday

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Many infant and early childhood mental health organizations are facing difficulties retaining professionals to provide high-quality services to infants, young children, and families in Tennessee. When professionals do not experience consistent and responsive connections and healthy interpersonal relationships, they are often prepared to seek alternative employment, which can disrupt the relationships and services they provide to families. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact that a sense of belonging has on an infant and early childhood mental health (IECMH) professional’s intent to stay in their role and its associations with the perception of organizational belonging, psychological safety, …

Household Composition And Its Influence On Youth Mental Health And Violence Outcomes: A Systematic Review, Comparative Analysis, And National Survey Findings, Clarion Jamil Harris

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Youth mental health and violence have emerged as critical public health concerns, with increasing rates of anxiety, depression, behavioral problems, and youth violence in recent years. Household composition plays a crucial role in shaping child mental health outcomes, yet research has largely focused on single-parent and stepparent households, with limited attention to grandparent-headed households. This dissertation explores the relationship between household composition and child mental health, with a particular focus on anxiety, depression, behavioral problems, and experiences with violence. Using data from the National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH) 2018-2019 and 2021-2022 (n=53,267), this research employs logistic regression models to …