Environmental Factors May Drive Plant Size Differences Between A Restored And A Natural Marsh In The Housatonic River Estuary, Angelina Scarpello, Latina Steele

Academic Festival

Spartina alterniflora (smooth cordgrass) provides habitat for many species and prevents erosion along coastlines globally and is a common restoration target. However, restored and natural marshes often have different traits due to genetic or environmental differences. Previous data has shown that S. alterniflora from a restored marsh in Stratford, Connecticut are consistently smaller than those from a naturally occurring marsh in Milford, Connecticut. We aimed to determine whether environmental differences such as nutrients play a role in observed size differences by performing two greenhouse experiments in which we grew S. alterniflora shoots from each location 1) in identical conditions and …

How Context Shapes Our Concerns: Investigating The Causal Effects Of Social Identity Threat Concerns Using The Sitc Inventory”, Nicholas Granja, Fabiola Millien-Faustin, Noelle Debrot

Academic Festival

The Social Identity Threat Concerns (SITC) Inventory measures people’s concerns about being devalued because of their important social identities (e.g., being stereotyped, disrespected, marginalized, etc.). So far, research examining the validity of the SITC Inventory has been correlational. The objective of the present study is to examine the causal effects of social identity and context on social identity threat concerns, as measured by the SITC Inventory. We Predicted that people exposed to threatening social contexts would report greater social identity threat concerns than people exposed to non-threatening social contexts. Participants (N=###) were placed in either a threatening or a non-threatening …

The Impact Of Social Class On Health: How To Take Control, Jaycob Castillo

Academic Festival

The common misconception is that one’s health is predetermined, when in reality there are a number of factors and ways that people can alter gene expression.

Comprehensive Analysis Of Zinc Oxide And Titanium Dioxide In Mineral Sunscreen Formulations, Jaden C. Bonfietti, Dhia A. Habboush

Academic Festival

The inorganic materials of zinc oxide and titanium dioxide were analyzed through in vitro and physical tests to show their significant role in a sunscreen formulation scope. On-market formulas and lab-made prototypes were tested together to understand the relationship of finalized products and the formulation creation process, while highlighting sustainability efforts within personal care and cosmetic formulations. With a UV Spectrophotometer, Sun Protection Factor (SPF), broad spectrum UVA/UVB protection, and critical wavelength were explored, while skin-like substrate and a UV light visualized the differences between formulas.

Visual Assessment Of A Meiofaunal Community, Ashley Guglielmi, Lilly Bove, James Moore

Academic Festival

Our goal was to determine if visual identifications of meiofauna to high taxonomic levels could be sufficient to document community changes, or if genetic identification would be required. Visual identification is cheaper, but a more time-consuming method.

Here, we used visual identification at higher taxonomic levels (e.g., phylum, class) to assess diversity, evenness, and the nematode to copepod ratio (N:C) at Seaside Park (Bridgeport, CT). Typically, diversity and evenness are expected to be high in a healthy community, and the N:C low. At Seaside Park we expect the diversity and evenness to be low and the N:C to be high …

The Forgotten Generation, Besjana Ugrinaj

Academic Festival

This study examines the acculturation discrepancies endured by first- and second-generation individuals.

•Aim 1: Identify & examine the discrepancies endured by first- & second-generation.

•Aim 2: Contribute to a body of knowledge on generational statuses & their influences on parental involvement, academic achievements, & feelings of guilt/shame.

You Look So Good For Your Age: First Steps Of Creating A Measure Of Daily Experiences Of Ageism, Francesca Davenport, Angelina M. Wargo, Angela C. White, Ava K. Bjelka

Academic Festival

Ageism refers to the combined stereotypes, prejudice, and discriminatory behaviors based on someone’s presumed age. Older adults are viewed with mixed (ambivalent) perceptions, such that they are viewed as being warm, but not very capable. Thus, there are multiple forms of ageism. Hostile ageism refers to the overtly negative ageism, whereas benevolent ageism refers to the seemingly kind form of ageism that still reinforces negative stereotypes (e.g., giving your seat to someone, assuming they are fragile or weak). Most research on ageism has referred to attitudes, both inter-and intra-group, directed toward older adults and aging. This work has found that …

The Impact Of Pronoun Use On Job Qualification And Hiring, Kerrin Silcox

Academic Festival

The study aims to analyze the effects of gender identity prejudice in the workplace environment. In addition, it works to investigate the effects of pronoun use on attaining different workplace positions.

Baseline Macroinvertebrate And Infauna Communities In An Eroding Salt Marsh Prior To Restoration, Madison Eaton

Academic Festival

Salt marsh restoration is key for resilient coastlines. Invertebrates are key components of salt marsh food webs, serve as water quality indicators, and provide ecosystem services such as nutrient cycling. This study collected baseline invertebrate community data in an eroding Spartina alterniflora marsh with unvegetated sediment seaward of the marsh cliff at Stratford Point, Connecticut as a reference point to assess future restoration. We hypothesized that the existing invertebrate community would resemble that of a mudflat more than a mature salt marsh. We surveyed macroinvertebrates in quadrats along four transects (higher and lower intertidal within the vegetated area; higher and …

Through Their Eyes: How Students View Growth Mindset Teaching In Middle And High Schools, Lauren Simak, Katrina Brown, Abigail V. Wilk

Academic Festival

Through Their Eyes: How Students View Growth Mindset Teaching in Middle and High Schools

When teachers communicate growth mindsets – or the belief that student intelligence is malleable vs. fixed – their students report greater belonging in the classroom, show increased motivation, and perform better. However, extant research on the benefits of teacher growth mindsets focused exclusively on college student samples. Thus, the purpose of the present research is to determine how teachers’ mindset beliefs affect middle and high school students in the classroom. Specifically, we examined how students perceived four dimensions of growth mindset teaching: (1) messages about success …

Relationships Between Personality Factors, Stress And Gpa, Chloe Yagy, Madeleine Pralea, Kayla Fitzgerald, Joelys Morel, Jenna Vargas

Academic Festival

•Has undergraduate stress increased over the years? •Is Conscientiousness positively correlated with GPA? •Is Neuroticism positively correlated with stress? •Investigate the correlation between neuroticism and GPA. •Investigate correlations between other traits, GPA, and stress.

Law As Literature: Within The Parameters Of Literary And Linguistic Theory, Alyssa Ednie

Academic Festival

This paper works to contribute to the discussion regarding literary interpretation and legal interpretation. Forms of literature and law offer meaning and value in its application to society and its individuals. Literary and linguistic theories offer insight to the academic approaches of interpretation.

Optimization Of A Dna Extraction Protocol For Meiofaunal Identification, Lilly D. Bove, Joanna Coreno

Academic Festival

Meiofauna are a diverse group of benthic invertebrates that range between 0.04 mm and 1mm in size. They represent 24 of the 35 animal phyla and are ideal for biomonitoring. Their fast population turnover means that community composition can indicate anthropogenic influence and environmental health. The long-term goal of this project is to determine if visual identification of meiofauna at the level of phyla is sufficient to investigate community changes along a disturbed shoreline (Seaside Park; Bridgeport, CT); or if it is necessary to identify lower taxonomic levels via DNA metabarcoding. The latter would allow for the identification of taxa …

Child Maltreatment & Juvenile Delinquents, Victoria Demercurio

Academic Festival

The poster addresses the presence of child maltreatment in juvenile delinquents. It covers four types of maltreatment including neglect, physical abuse, emotional abuse, and sexual abuse. It offers statistics regarding the commonality of each type of maltreatment and the overall existence of child maltreatment in juvenile delinquents and prison inmates.

Is It Raining Over The Hill? Microclimate On The Dingle Peninsula, Charlotte Ribaudo, Ilona Farkas

Academic Festival

Investigations into the effects of land use and cover (LULC) on ecosystem function are important in areas stressed by human activity. The conjoined Feohanagh, Milltown, and Owenmore River basins of the Dingle Peninsula in Ireland are similar in size but vary but vary significantly in LULC. Our current work focuses on understanding the effects of differences in LULC on the river water quality. Anecdotally reported differences in microclimate between river basins could be a confounding variable in our investigations. In this experiment weather parameters (temperature, precipitation) were correlated with water quality measurements (dissolved oxygen (DO), and conductivity) in the three …

Using Crispr/Cas9 Gene Editing To Test The Hotspot Hypothesis, Alexis Navarro, Mikayla Tucci

Academic Festival

Morphogenesis, or the development of form, is a universal process during development of multicellular organisms and is regulated by the precise spatiotemporal expression of genes within gene regulatory networks (GRNs). While advances have been made in mapping GRNs that control embryonic development in model organisms, we lack an understanding of how GRNs evolve and regulate post-embryonic morphogenesis. A theory for GRN evolution, known as the hotspot hypothesis, predicts that GRN architectures bias GRN evolution, such that the same genes will be repeatedly co-opted during convergent evolutionary events (i.e. the independent evolution of the same phenotype in multiple lineages). These genes …

The Relationship Between Self-Protective Factors And Defensiveness, Maria Pandolfo, Abbygail R. Michel

Academic Festival

The current pilot study tested five hypothetical scenarios that were designed to induce defensiveness. We created high and low-threat hypothetical scenarios within these domains: academic, health, romantic, alcohol use, and friendship. Participants were randomly assigned to read and respond to one high-threat scenario and one low-threat scenario. This poster will focus on the participants who received the high-threat scenario first. Post-scenario questions included open-ended questions about how they feel and would respond to the hypothetical scenario and Likert-scale questions about their level of defensiveness and sense of responsibility. This poster presents the results for two individual differences (i.e., spontaneous self-affirmation …

Social Work Students Attitude Towards Using Computerized Cognitive Behavioral Therapy With Children And Adolescents, Peter Milner

Academic Festival

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is the preferred treatment for children with anxiety. It is traditionally delivered in a provider's limiting accessibility. Delivery of computerized CBT (cCBT) by a licensed provider has been shown to be effective in treating anxiety in this population. However, little is known about social work student’s attitudes towards this method of delivery.

Feminism V. Femininity & Masculinity In The Hunger Games And Ulysses, Mackenzie Eaton

Academic Festival

In patriarchal systems, individuals are socialized to view masculinity as synonymous with success, and femininity as weakness. Yet Tantra, an Eastern philosophy, suggests the human body is a microcosm of the universe and requires masculine and feminine energies to achieve existential balance. Alisa Vitti’s novel, Women Code, propounds Tantra as a tool for women to realign and gain power in their femininity. This essay will discuss the harm the evolution of feminism has caused to the feminine. Deriving examples from works written nearly 100 years apart, Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games and James Joyce’s Ulysses provides attestation that masculine …

It's Not Just A Game: A Comparison Of Chess And Pokémon As Play, Strategy, And Art, Seth Silvestro

Academic Festival

This project was made to observe video games through the lens of art by comparing and contrasting the centuries-old game Chess and the contemporary game series Pokémon. Chess has been around since it was first prototyped in India, to which it spread across the Old World before being finalized in Europe and becoming one of, if not the most well-known game of all time. It has a simple ruleset that allows for near infinite possibilities for each game, and in recent times has grown even larger thanks to the online world. Pokémon, on the other hand, was created in 1996 …

Creating A Word Clock With An Esp 32, Devon Pope

Academic Festival

Through the use of the IDEA Lab’s equipment, an ESP 32, and Arduino IDE, a word clock was constructed that features accurate time keeping and WiFi syncing. The clock displays the exact time to the minute, and can be adjusted either manually or through an internet database with the push of a button. The clock serves as a showcase for what is possible here at SHU Idea Lab.

Roadkill, Kaitlyn Mangano, Jordan Carlucci, Mario Montuori, Jeppe Mogensen, Benjamin Agyemang, Brandon Maruri

Academic Festival

We designed a Formula SAE EV.

R Analytics Tool To Study The Performance Of The D1 Women’S Basketball Team At Sacred Heart University, Erica Juliano, Chelsea Thakkar

Academic Festival

The R Analytics tool leverages the power of the R programming language, a versatile and widely used software environment for statistical computing, to provide a comprehensive and sophisticated analysis of the team's performance. Advanced statistical techniques are employed to generate insights into the team's performance and identify areas for improvement. The tool also integrates data from multiple sources, including game statistics, player performance data and other relevant information, to create a comprehensive picture of the team's performance. The goal of the tool is to support data-driven decision making and help coaches and staff at Sacred Heart University gain a deeper …

The Effect Of Social Media On Perceptions Of Women In Sports, Grace Hand

Academic Festival

The popularity of the smartphone has led to a society where information can be accessed or shared at any time with just the tap of a finger. Social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter have capitalized on this technology to create platforms where people can be more connected than ever before. The influence has bled into all levels of society. In terms of the sports world, social media has become an outlet for teams, athletes, and fans to grow a dedicated following of like-minded individuals. However, despite the progressive nature of these sites, they have not escaped many of …

How The Damage Of Racism In Social Media Generates Social Activism, Jessica Fontaine

Academic Festival

Social media can be a positive place where people around the world can share their stories and experiences. However, it is also a cesspool of negativity. One way this negativity has manifested itself is in the form of racism. Videos of police brutality against people of color are heavily prevalent on social media.

The killings are highly publicized, especially in recent years, and this publication has changed audience’s opinions about the police. Although incidents of police violence are shared through numerous platforms, such as newspapers and television news, social media has been the most recent and vital medium of sharing …

Classifying Action Of Internet Firewall Using Machine Learning Models, Geetanjali Kakda

Academic Festival

A firewall is a type of security mostly located at the entry and exit points of a network. This is necessary to improve the security of the network and defend against cyber threats. This study aims to classify the internet traffic using different Machine Learning classification models into four categories based on 11 features. The models applied are – K-Nearest Neighbor, SGD, Decision Tree, Random Forest , XGBoost, Support Vector Machine. The XGBoost model achieved the highest accuracy, recall, precision,F1score. Decision Tree has the least time complexity.

Room 2: Building Interactive Oer Content With Twine, Stewart Baker

Open Educational Resources Symposium

Twine is an open source, web-based tool designed to create interactive text games. Although it's typically used to create fiction, Twine can also be used as an asynchronous web-based teaching tool. This presentation will dive into the basics of what Twine can do and show you how to start writing your first Twine game—whether it's as part of an OER or just for fun.

Download the html file (the blue download button!) and open it in your browser to see what Stewart has been working on!

Room 2: Creating Interactive Open Content

Zoom Link: https://lanecc.zoom.us/j/94430798683

Room 2: Impacts Of Open Pedagogy In Professional Learning, Susan Payne

Open Educational Resources Symposium

This presentation will highlight the use of open pedagogical practices in a year-long OER development project for K-12 educators that focused on integrating supports for students who are multilingual learners. Participants demonstrated their understanding by creating lessons that can be used by other educators, both in the classroom and in professional learning as models of high-quality, culturally responsive instructional design.

Room 2: Creating Interactive Open Content

Zoom Link: https://lanecc.zoom.us/j/94430798683

Room 2: Authoring To Enabling New Adopters: My Journey Creating Ancillaries For Openstax Astronomy, Andrea Goering

Open Educational Resources Symposium

It takes more than a textbook to teach a class! I'll tell you how I created OER ancillaries (including interactive lecture slides, in-class activities, and project prompts) to accompany OpenStax Astronomy. This work was supported by funding from LCC's OER Librarian. I'll briefly describe the reason for authoring this material, the collaboration process, and what we've created. I'll also discuss some side benefits of writing OER: helping to spread active and engaged pedagogies, and the chance to highlight diversity in your field that your textbook may have forgotten.

Room 2: Creating Interactive Open Content

Zoom Link: https://lanecc.zoom.us/j/94430798683

Room 1: Getting Started With Oer, Cheryl Cuillier

Open Educational Resources Symposium

Are you new to open educational resources and want to learn more? This webinar covers the basics:

• Why high textbook costs are a problem for students
• How OER differ from free resources
• How Creative Commons licenses work
• Where to find OER
• What resources are available for customizing OER
• How to incorporate open pedagogy into a class

Presenter Cheryl Cuillier shares a wealth of resources to help kick-start your adoption, adaptation, or creation of OER.

Room 1: Beginners Welcome!

Zoom Link: https://linnbenton.zoom.us/j/92808750724