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Swosu Standing Committees 2025-2026, Southwestern Oklahoma State University

University Standing Committees

2025 – 2026 SWOSU Standing Committees

Masthead

University of Miami Race & Social Justice Law Review

No abstract provided.

Unsettling Settled Science: The Perils Of And Rationale Behind Blind Faith In Forensic Evidence, Jaclyn Marra

University of Miami Race & Social Justice Law Review

Science—a seemingly compelling and infallible adjudicative element—plays a pivotal role in criminal trials, serving as a cornerstone for evidence interpretation and decision-making. However, the perceived infallibility of scientific evidence often masks its inherent limitations and vulnerabilities. Forensic methods, widely regarded as objective and precise, can suffer from a plethora of inconspicuous constraints—including flawed methodologies, human error, and biases—which undermine their reliability. The American public and legal system frequently place undue trust in forensic evidence and experts, influenced by portrayals of their certainty in media and popular culture. This phenomenon has been referred to as the “Reverse CSI Effect.” This note …

Presumed Guilty By Proximity: How Geofence Warrants Undermine The Fourteenth Amendment, Radha Patel

University of Miami Race & Social Justice Law Review

Geofence warrants are utilized as a surveillance tool to gather location data on every user within a specific area and are being integrated into policing without a stable legal framework. This integration threatens individual rights and disproportionately impacts people and communities of color. While these warrants are often scrutinized under the Fourth Amendment, this note argues that they significantly undermine the Fourteenth Amendment by granting law enforcement excessive discretion. This unchecked discretion allows systemic bias and racial profiling to influence criminal investigations, creating the potential for wrongful convictions. The analysis in this note details the three-step execution process of geofence …

On The “Storied” History And Sustained Impact Of A Thriving Social Justice Journal, Mario L. Barnes

University of Miami Race & Social Justice Law Review

No abstract provided.

Separate But Equal In The Bold New City Of The South: A Shadow Of What Remains, Charity Dera

University of Miami Race & Social Justice Law Review

This project undertakes the task of analyzing the historical and contemporary landscape of Jacksonville, Florida, the “Bold New City of the South,”1 from a multidisciplinary vantage point. It argues that the spirit of the overturned “separate but equal” holding of Plessy v. Ferguson2 and its bold segregationist ideologies reverberate today in both subtle and overt ways. Yet, that reality has not come without the resilience and perseverance of pioneering natives who have resisted such ideals in bold ways. While segregation is deeply rooted in U.S. history and scholars have readily addressed the contemporary effects of landmark cases such as Plessy …

Mental Health Crisis Among Icu Nurses: A Global Study Across 65 Countries During Covid-19, Amal Mobarki, Hillary J. Dutton, Allison Squires

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic imposed heavy demands on ICU nurses, who provided patient care while facing emotional exhaustion, staffing shortages, and limited resources(Boluarte et al., 2020; Shen et al., 2020). Evidence shows that working in critical care during pandemics greatly increases psychological distress among healthcare professionals (Azoulay et al., 2020). Given the significant differences in healthcare systems across countries, cross-national research is crucial for addressing the mental health of ICU nurses.

Aim: This study examines the prevalence of mental health symptoms and evaluates organizational supports provided to intensive care unit nurses throughout the COVID-19 pandemic across multiple international healthcare settings. …

Intrinsic Motivation And Academic Achievement In College Students, Amaia Taylor, Cindy Khan-Jordan, Patrick J. Cooper

Student Publications and Presentations

This study examines how intrinsic and extrinsic motivation relate to academic achievement among college students. Intrinsic motivation, which is driven by curiosity and personal growth, is often associated with positive outcomes such as higher grades and "ownership" over one's education. The link between extrinsic motivation (being motivated by external rewards or pressure) and these outcomes is less clear. The research also explores how mental health factors, (e.g., depression, anxiety, and stress) and international student status (domestic students vs. international students) may affect these relationships. Data will be collected from Lynn University students using online surveys and objective reports of academic …

V.63-1, 2026 Masthead

San Diego Law Review

No abstract provided.

“Tolling For The Outcast”: A Therapeutic Jurisprudence Consideration Of The Relationship Between The Americans With Disabilities Act, Death Row Conditions, And Capital Punishment, Michael L. Perlin, Esq., Talia Roitberg Harmon, Maren Geiger, Chelsea Henning

San Diego Law Review

The press has regularly reported on the level of abysmal conditions on death rows in those states that have retained capital punishment. Death-row prisoners are often incarcerated in solitary confinement, and are subject to much more deprivation and harsher conditions than other prisoners. As a result, many experience declining mental health, and it has become clear that persons with mental illness are disproportionately put to death. Some litigants have turned to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as a potential source of relief; the Supreme Court’s decision in Pennsylvania Department of Corrections v. Yeskey underscored that the act’s language “unmistakably …

Long Overdue: Modernizing Virtual Currency Taxation, Matthew Tarasen

San Diego Law Review

In March of 2014, the IRS issued guidance classifying cryptocurrency as property for most tax purposes, at a time when the total cryptocurrency market capitalization was roughly 6.5 billion dollars.  Over ten years later, that figure has grown to four trillion dollars.  While taxpayers can now purchase coffee at Starbucks with certain cryptocurrencies, such purchases trigger capital gains reporting, treating the transaction effectively as a taxable disposition of property, despite its economic function as a medium of exchange.  Although cryptocurrencies have gained prevalence in commerce and have even been briefly recognized as legal tender in some foreign jurisdictions, the IRS’s …

Development Of A Preclinical Model That Can Be Used To Test Novel Therapeutics For The Treatment Of Mild And Moderate Traumatic Brain Injury, Hayden Anderson

Honors Theses

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) occurs when a foreign object induces damage to the skull and brain through a forceful blow or whiplash. It is one of the most frequent injuries in the United States, with approximately 250,000 cases of different levels occurring annually. It is well known that severe TBIs can result in persistent physical, cognitive, and socioeconomic consequences and the timing of treatment following this injury can play a critical role in the ultimate outcome. It would be beneficial to develop a safe therapeutic that could be administered rapidly after impact and improve the recovery of the patient. However, …

Animal-Assisted Therapy, Stress Regulation, And Mental Awareness, Kimberly Montenegro, Brandy Whitford

Student Publications and Presentations

Mental awareness refers to a person's ability to focus, regulate emotions, and respond to stress. When these capacities weaken, daily functioning can become more difficult. They depend on the body’s stress response system, particularly the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and brain regions such as the amygdala and prefrontal cortex. When chronic stress disrupts these systems, individuals often experience reduced attentional control and emotional instability. Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) has gained attention as a possible approach to reducing stress. Research on human-animal interaction shows that spending time with animals can lower cortisol levels and increase oxytocin, both of which influence stress responses. Studies …

29th Annual Women's, Gender, And Sexuality Studies Symposium Program, 2026, Illinois State University, Women's, Gender, And Sexuality Studies Program

WGSS Student Research Symposium

Program from the Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Symposium

Impacts On Knee And Ankle Joint Stiffness During Walk And Stair Negotiation For Individuals With Acl-R And Oa, Genavieve J. Golightly, Nicholas L. Hunt, Tyler N. Brown

2026 Undergraduate Research Showcase

Knee injuries, including those requiring anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR), are associated with numerous degenerative outcomes, including the progression of osteoarthritis (OA). Although reconstructive surgery and physical therapy are available treatment options, OA progression following knee joint injury continues to leave many individuals facing premature joint degeneration. Increased joint stiffness is a common consequence of knee joint injury and is seen in many patients who have undergone ACLR, and may be a contributing factor in the acceleration of OA by creating an environment of concentrated stress on knee cartilage, thereby promoting joint degeneration. It is unclear whether knee injuries alter …

The Impact Of Glyphosate On Parkinson’S Pathology In A Mouse Model, Katie Hettel, Kaitlyn Carver, Sabrina Wilson, Trevor Walker, Tyra Naymik, Sydney Boutros

2026 Undergraduate Research Showcase

Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is characterized by a progressive loss of dopamine neurons in the brain, leading to symptoms such as tremors, poor balance and bradykinesia. PD has a unique pathology: Lewy bodies, which are primarily comprised of phosphorylated alpha-synuclein (p-Syn), spread through synaptic connections. Yet, it is unclear how the first Lewy body starts. Recently, evidence suggests that environmental influences such as pesticides and herbicides might initiate PD pathology. The most widely-used herbicide is glyphosate, the main chemical in products such as RoundUp. Thus, we tested if glyphosate in water could lead to PD-like pathology in a mouse model. A …

Marker-Less Motion Capture Underestimates Foot Strike Angle During Walk And Run Tasks, Mikala A. Hicks, Aidan M. Thayer, Tyler N. Brown

2026 Undergraduate Research Showcase

A larger foot strike angle (FSA, shift towards rearfoot strike) during locomotion may increase risk of lower-limb musculoskeletal injury risk by resulting in larger, faster vertical ground reaction forces. Recent advances in low-cost, portable marker-less motion capture have shown promise for accurate kinematic analysis of locomotion. Yet it is unknown if marker-less motion capture can accurately quantify FSA during common walk and run tasks. This study sought to be the first to quantify FSA with marker-less motion capture, and compare accuracy of marker-less derived FSA with FSA derived with marker based motion capture (gold standard) during a battery of walk …

Identifying Mosquito Species From Gyrfalcon Nests In Nome, Alaska, Zosha Kocemba, Annastasia Waters, Michael Henderson, Kara Beer, Travis Booms, Carly L. Tolle, Anna Grimstein, Stephanie J. Galla

2026 Undergraduate Research Showcase

Climate change in the Arctic is accelerating much faster than the rest of the globe, changing the disease ecology of Arctic environments. A prime example of this are disease carrying mosquitoes (Family: Culicidae) expanding their realized habitats and interacting with new animal hosts. To understand this changing disease ecology in the new Arctic, methods to identify disease vectors- like mosquitoes- are needed. This study aims to identify mosquitoes that may carry avian malaria (Plasmodium spp.) taken from nests of immunologically naive Arctic Gyrfalcons (Falco rusticolus). This ongoing study focuses on characterizing mosquito species found in Gyrfalcon nests …

Navigating The Generative Ai Wave: Ai Literacy Instruction In Academic Libraries Today, Lili Li, Kay G. Coates

University Libraries: Faculty Presentations

No abstract provided.

Usa V. Jacob Montague

2026 Decisions

USDC for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

The Scarlet - Volume Civ, No. 11 (April 24, 2026), Scarlet Staff

The Scarlet (Student Newspaper) (2011-present)

The April 24, 2026 edition of The Scarlet (est. 1939), Clark University's student-run newspaper. The Scarlet is intellectually and editorially independent of the University.

2025-2026 Performance Forum - April 24, 2026, Amanda Rearden, Sheng Yuan Kuan, Devin Foster, Patrick Hengstler, Rebeca Sierra, Joseph Muhl, Michael Shipps

Performance Forum

No abstract provided.

Modulation: Rewiring The Self, Ryan Bridgforth

B.F.A. Practicum Exhibition (ART 498)

Inspired by the design philosophies of Dunne & Raby, Bruce Tharp, and SpeculativeEdu, my work bridges research, future thinking, and creativity through a process known as speculative design. Partially inspired by my own experience with chronic illness, as well as interest in human technology interaction through writers like Charlie Brooker, my recent work focuses on telling the story of neuromodulation. This technology uses stimulation to alter nerve activity, typically to fight drug-resistent pain and chronic conditions. Product design, advertisements, and other future objects are used to envision a world where this technology is as prevalent as smart phones.

Though the …

The Pam-1 Aminopeptidase Does Not Protect Against Ptl-1 Mediated Neurodegeneration In C. Elegans., Ethan E. Schuff

Honors College Theses

Debilitating neurodegenerative conditions are increasingly prevalent in our aging population, yet treatment options remain limited. Though neurodegenerative diseases vary in pathophysiology and clinical manifestations, these diseases are related to one another in that many involve misfolded proteins. Tau is a member of the microtubule-stabilizing MAPT/MAP2/MAP4 family, and misfolded tau proteins form the neurotoxic aggregates called neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) found in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases. Designing a study to elucidate the neurotoxic role of tau is difficult because other MAPs may have compensatory mechanisms which confound study data. Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) …

A Continuous Viral Vaccine Biomanufacturing Platform Utilizing Multiple Bioreactor Configurations, Justin Sargunas, Bradley Priem, Dylan Carman, Taravat Sarvari, Natalie Nold, Vaishali Sharma, Andrew Pekosz, Caryn Heldt, Michael Betenbaugh

Michigan Tech Publications

Scalable, continuous biomanufacturing processes have grown in importance to meet demand for smaller bioreactor sizes, lowered production costs, and improved quality attribute consistency. The Sf9/recombinant baculovirus (rBV) expression system demonstrates promise for virus-like particle (VLP) vaccine and gene therapy production. Here, we present a continuous rBV platform integrating an infection plug flow reactor (PFR) between stirred tank growth (gCSTR) and production (pCSTR) bioreactors. Cell expansion in the gCSTR included a ramp-up stage followed by continuous growth, reaching a steady state of 5×10 cells/mL and >90% viability. Péclet number-fit tracer studies confirmed near-ideal plug flow in the PFR, yielding a 10 …

A Pentadic Rhetorical Analysis Of Malala Yousafzai’S Address To The United Nations’ Youth Assembly, Alexis Rehm

Pepperdine Journal of Communication Research

This paper is a rhetorical criticism of Malala Yousafzai’s 2013 address to the United Nations Youth Assembly using Kenneth Burke’s pentad. Malala Yousafzai’s address was delivered less than one year after surviving an assassination attempt by the Taliban. The address reframes access to education as a shared moral responsibility rather than a personal or political issue. By analyzing the scene, act, agent, agency, and purpose, this analysis shows how Malala constructs rhetorical authority through personal narrative, forgiveness, and moral appeal. Her speech positions education as a universal human right and challenges global audiences to move from sympathy to accountability.

Between The Middle Kingdom And The Middle Way: An Analysis Of State Power And Sacred Authority In The Sino-Tibet Conflict, Madison M. Berry, Aimee N. Ebeling, Jayden A. Hanson

Pepperdine Journal of Communication Research

This research paper addresses the growing concerns of the Sino-Tibetan conflict by analyzing the relationship between the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) through an intercultural communication and negotiation lens. By analyzing historical relationships between the two parties and comparing them to similar contemporary situations, this paper examines the sinicization of the Tibetan people. By exploring the “Old Tibet” and “New Tibet” narratives, while acknowledging the centrality of the Dalai Lama to both parties, it also addresses territorial disagreements and the contrasting understandings of sovereignty and modernization, which fuel the conflict. Finally, a policy framework …

Partnership For Observation, Leadership, And Arctic Resilience (Polar): Strengthening Eu–Us Cooperation Through Technology, Trade, And Arctic Governance, Nikki Quartuccio, Emily White

Pepperdine Journal of Communication Research

This speech was presented at the EU Delegation to the United States’ 2026 Schuman Challenge. The Schuman Challenge is an academic competition for U.S. undergraduate students to debate transatlantic issues, judged by a panel of stakeholders. The prompt for this speech was to create a policy that analyzes a current issue area in the E.U.-U.S. transatlantic relationship and suggests ways to strengthen it in the years ahead. Our policy, POLAR, the Partnership for Observation, Leadership, and Arctic Resilience, establishes a neutral, AI-enabled early-warning and consultation mechanism hosted within the International Maritime Organization (IMO). By institutionalizing shared situational awareness, structured clarification …

Analysis Toolkit For Potential Lunar Landing Zones, Jacobo Matallana

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A thesis presented to the faculty of the College of Science and Engineering Morehead State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree Master of Science by Jacobo Matallana on April 24, 2026.

How Additive Manufacturing Is Changing The Automotive Industry, Gavin B. Schumacher

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.