Education Commons^™

The Underrepresentation Of Black Females In Cybersecurity, Makendra Latrice Crosby

Cybersecurity Undergraduate Research Showcase

The significance of cybersecurity methods, strategies, and programs in protecting computers and electronic devices is crucial throughout the technological infrastructure. Despite the considerable growth in the cybersecurity field and its expansive workforce, there exists a notable underrepresentation, specifically among Black/African American females. This study examines the barriers hindering the inclusion of Black women in the cybersecurity workforce such as socioeconomic factors, limited educational access, biases, and workplace culture. The urgency of addressing these challenges calls for solutions such as education programs, mentorship initiatives, creating inclusive workplace environments, and promoting advocacy and increased awareness within the cybersecurity field. Additionally, this paper …

Scicomm To The Rescue, Becky Sanft, Angel Kaur, Evan Couzo, Sally Wasileski, Jessica Pisano

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

Msis Kondrashov: Redesigning Calculus 1, And The Unexpected Benefits Of Collaboration, Sarah C. Bannen, Valerie A. Maciejewski

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

A Modeling Framework For Minimizing Spread Of Mathematics Anxiety In College Students, Sara Sony, Majid Bani-Yaghoub

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

Msis-Kondrashov The First Year Transition In The Covid Era: Reflections From Small Cohorts, Julie Simons

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

Modelling Impact Of Diverse Vegetation On Crop-Pollinator Interactions, Morgan N. Beetler

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

Conceptual Development: How Do Early Educators And Teachers Support Children's Early Thinking In Stem?, Marilyn Fleer

2021-2030 ACER Research Conferences

As national and state-based reforms in early education roll-out across Australia, concern for building a well-qualified workforce to meet growing demand has intensified. In parallel with the reforms, teachers and educators are reminded by the recently released 2022 Early Years Learning Framework to design programs that support intentionality in play-based learning. However, the literature shows that despite the concept of intentional teaching being around since 2009, difficulties with how to do this remains. This presentation takes up this challenge, by 1) sharing the collective findings of 6 Australian Research Council-funded research projects into play and learning in STEM; and 2) …

Mathematical Mindsets: Fostering Student Engagement And Positive Mindsets Through The Use Of Challenging Tasks, Alison Hall

2021-2030 ACER Research Conferences

This paper explores the planned use of challenging mathematical tasks. These tasks provide the opportunity for students to improve mathematical thinking by working on problems that they do not yet know how to answer. This research involved a heterogeneous class of year 3 students from a Catholic parish primary school in the northern suburbs of Melbourne. A rubric was also developed to use in conjunction with these tasks, to support discussions with students, broaden their strategies in finding solutions and thereby improve their conceptual understanding. These pedagogical approaches were found to support the improvement of both students’ conceptual understanding in …

Bringing Learning Progressions Down To 2-Year-Olds In Reading And Mathematics, Prue Anderson

2021-2030 ACER Research Conferences

ACER’s learning progressions in reading and mathematics describe growth that is mainly focused on skills students demonstrate at and beyond school. These progressions have recently been extended down to describe earlier levels of growth so we now have seamless progressions from skills and understandings toddlers might demonstrate up to highly sophisticated skills and concepts. This presentation briefly outlines ACER’s work and identifies key implications for educators. The pathways that support early reading development were described in progressions for listening comprehension and sounds and letters. Along with an early mathematics progression, these were conceptualised as embedded in an oral language progression. …

Themes, Resources And Uptake Of Acer’S Science In The Early Years Suite, Gayl O'Connor

2021-2030 ACER Research Conferences

The Science in the early years series was developed to assist preschool and Foundation to year 2 primary educators to incorporate the latest research in science learning into their programs and teaching practice. This paper focuses on the educator resources developed to support early years educators implement activities to assist children to develop science concepts and inquiry skills. The activities are underpinned by evidence-based research that revealed 4 themes in the early years’ science literature.

Transdisciplinary Stem Enactment: An Exploratory Case Study In The Queensland Context, Kristie Schulz

2021-2030 ACER Research Conferences

Enacting STEM education in Australian schools is an ambitious task, in a climate of unclear definitions and little implementation advice. Should STEM education simply refer to an umbrella-term of subjects that Australian students need to improve in, or could a cross-disciplinary pedagogy that engages students in authentic problem-solving be realised? This poster outlines a project in which Parklands Christian College designed and enacted a transdisciplinary student-centred ideology of STEM education in 2017. The program has continually evolved using a transdisciplinary pedagogical framework.

Magnetic Resonance Image-Based Estimates Of Hepatic Blood Flow In Children With And Without Obesity; Implications For Physiologically-Based Pharmacokinetic Models, Yoon Cho, Sherwin S. Chan, Chance S. Friesen, Valentina Shakhnovich

Research Days

Background: Physiologically based pharmacokinetic models for simulating drug pharmacokinetics are useful to guide drug dosing for pediatric patients. Hepatic blood flow could be a useful variable to use in these models.

Objectives/Goal: In this study, we explored 2-D phase contrast non-invasive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to measure hepatic blood flow in children with and without obesity.

Methods/Design: In this IRB-approved study, we imaged pediatric patients with abdominal MRI with 2D phase contrast imaging of the descending aorta (AO) at the diaphragm, the inferior vena cava (IVC) at the right atrium, and inferior to hepatic drainage above the renal vein confluence …

Persistent Pediatric Breast Abscesses Following Initial Treatment At Tertiary And Community Centers, Derek Marlor, Kayla Briggs-Groves, Shai Stewart Md, Nelimar Cruz-Centeno, Charlene Dekonenko, Jason D. Fraser

Research Days

Introduction: Little data exist on the management of pediatric breast abscesses that fail initial treatment. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate and report outcomes in these patients.

Methods: All patients <18-years-old treated for a breast abscess between January 2008 and December 2018 were included. Patients were divided into 2 groups: initial treatment at our institution (Group 1) and initial treatment at referring centers (Group 2). The primary outcome was disease persistence following treatment at our institution. Secondary outcomes included treatment modalities and patient characteristics.

Results: In total, 145 patients were identified: 111 in Group 1 and 34 in Group 2. Antibiotics alone were the initial treatment in 52.3% (n=58) of Group 1 patients and 64.7% (n=22) of Group 2 patients. Invasive treatment was more common in Group 1 (45.9% vs 5.8%; p<0.00001). Patients with persistent disease in Group 1 were treated with aspiration (n=7, 50%), I&D (n=5, 35.7%), antibiotics (n=1, 7.14%), and manual expression (n=1, 7.14%.), while Group 2 patients were treated with antibiotics (50%, n=17), aspiration (26.47%, n=9), I&D (17.65%, n=6), and manual expression (5.88%, n=2). Group 2 patients with persistent disease were more likely to be treated with antibiotics or a change in antibiotics (50% vs 7.14%; p=0.005). Following treatment at our institution, the rate of persistent disease was similar between groups (12.6% vs 11.8%).

Conclusions: Persistent breast abscesses may be treated with antibiotics in appropriate cases. Damage to the developing breast bud should be minimized. Disease …

Respiratory Pathogen Panel Use In Hospitalized Infants <2 Months Of Age And Impact On Patient Management., Edward Lyon

Research Days

Background: Respiratory pathogen panels (RPP) are multiplex PCR platforms able to simultaneously detect several respiratory viruses. RPP utilization is not well described in infants < 2 months of age, who frequently require hospitalization for management of acute respiratory illness (ARI) and/or fever. Detection of a viral pathogen in this age group could impact the clinician’s decision to perform additional evaluation and administer antimicrobials.

Objectives/Goal: We sought to understand predictive features and clinical management impact of RPP use in infants < 2 months of age.

Methods/Design: Between October 2017 to September 2021, participants, aged < 18 years, hospitalized with an acute respiratory infection (ARI) were enrolled in Kansas City’s New Vaccine Surveillance Network (NVSN). Eligible patients were residents of Jackson County, had symptoms consistent with ARI (e.g., cough, fever, nasal congestion) lasting < 14 days, and enrolled within 48 hours of admission. For this study, only participants < 2 months of age were included. All participants had a research RPP, but results were not available to the clinician. Per provider discretion, some infants also received a clinical RPP (cRPP). Demographic characteristics, laboratory evaluations, and antimicrobial management were compared between infants with and without a cRPP.

Results: Of the 139 participants < 2 months of age, 57 (41%) had a cRPP (table 1). A cRPP was more frequently obtained in infants < 1 month of age (n=34 [47%]) compared with infants 1-2 months of age (n=23 [35%]; p=0.17). 35 (61%) participants with a cRPP had a parental report of fever while 41 (50%) of those without a cRPP had one reported. Only 20 (35.1%) of White, non-hispanic participants had a cRPP compared to 42 (51.2%) p=0.082 who did not have a cRPP. Participants who had blood or CSF culture collected were more likely to have a cRPP obtained, 47 (82.5%) p=

Conclusions: Overall, < 50% of infants < 2 months of age hospitalized with ARI received cRPP testing. Obtaining a blood or CSF culture was associated with increased cRPP usage. The length of stay was not different between the two groups. 35 viral infections went undetected in participants without a cRPP even with accounting for positive rapid NAAT testing, further investigation is needed to understand how this may influence clinical care.

Association Between Remote Monitoring And Interstage Morbidity And Mortality In Single Ventricle Patients Across Socioeconomic Groups, Bianca Cherestal

Research Days

Background: Despite improvements in outcomes over time, morbidity and mortality for infants with single ventricle (SV) heart disease remains high. Among other risk factors for mortality, infants of low socioeconomic status (SES) are known to be particularly vulnerable following stage 1 palliation.

Objectives/Goal: We sought to determine whether use of a novel remote monitoring program, CHAMP (Cardiac High Acuity Monitoring Program), mitigates differences in outcomes by SES for infants with SV during the interstage period.

Methods/Design: Using the CHAMP database, we identified 610 infants across 11 institutions enrolled in the program between 2014–2021. All enrolled patients’ families were provided with …

Drug Metabolizing Enzymes And Transporters May Help Determineeffective Budesonide Dosing In Eoe, Laurie Mccann, Lisa Harvey, Norah Almahbub, Wendy Y. Wang, Erin C. Boone, Janelle R. Noel-Macdonnell Phd, Rachel Chevalier

Research Days

Background: Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is a chronic inflammatory disorder diagnosed in children with painful or difficult swallowing, vomiting, or poor weight gain. Current treatment models adopt a trial-and-error approach in regard EoE treatment, including restrictive elimination diets, proton pump inhibitors, and topical budesonide. This approach can delay effective treatment which increases risk of disease progression and increases medical costs to families for frequent clinic visits and endoscopy.

Objectives/Goal: The objective of this study is to determine the CYP3A5 genotype and expression of patients with eosinophilic esophagitis to discover which patients will respond to standard dosing of topical budesonide treatment (1, …

Pilot Study Using Sideline Hand-Grip Dynamometry To Assess Strength Changes In A High School Baseball Season: A Feasibility Study, Thomas Munro, Jason D. Yoderq, Brian R. Lee, Brian S. Harvey

Research Days

Background: Upper extremity injuries are common in baseball players. Objective measurements could assist in determining early signs of fatigue before injury occurs. Using HGD to measure strength changes may help identify early signs in the injury process. To our knowledge, HGD has not been tested on high school baseball players in the sideline setting. It is feasible to perform hand-grip dynamometry on-site at the high school level and HGD measurements will change throughout the season in varsity baseball athletes. Secondary aim: Asses HGD measurement in the context of injury/pain/fatigue/pitching.

Objectives/Goal: It is feasible to perform hand-grip dynamometry on-site at the …

Genes Predictive Of Aggressive Infant Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, Meghana Bhumireddy

Research Days

Background: Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) is a rapidly progressive cancer in which the bone marrow makes too many immature leukocytes that divide uncontrollably. KMT2A, or MLL, is a methyltransferase found in many types of leukemia, whose rearrangement (KMT2A-r) is present in approximately 2/3 of infants with ALL. KMT2A-r is associated with a very poor prognosis: roughly ⅔ of patients relapse within 1 year of diagnosis, and the relapsed KMT2A-r ALL is resistant to treatment (having nearly 100% morality). We explored gene expression in patient samples from three groups at diagnosis: KMT2A-r patients who relapsed, KMT2A-r patients who did not relapse, …

Degree Of Uncertainty In Reporting Imaging Findings For Necrotizing Enterocolitis: A Secondary Analysis From A Pilot Randomized Diagnostic Trial, Disa Rathore, Kira Bourrett, Sherwin S. Chan, Erin Opfer, Alain Cuna

Research Days

Background: Uncertainty in reporting of imaging findings for necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) can be challenging for clinicians and result in ambiguity, miscommunication, and potential diagnostic errors. The degree to which uncertainty complicates diagnostic imaging for NEC has not been characterized.

Objective: To determine the degree of uncertainty in diagnostic imaging for NEC.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study using data from a previously completed pilot diagnostic randomized clinical trial (RCT). The study population comprised of preterm infants with suspected NEC who were randomized to either standard imaging with abdominal radiographs (AXR) alone or experimental imaging with AXR + add-on bowel ultrasound …

Management Of Primary Spontaneous Pneumothorax In Children: A Single Institution Protocol Analysis, Shai Stewart Md, James Fraser, Nelimar Cruz-Centeno, Derek Marlor, Rebecca M. Rentea, Pablo Aguayo, David Juang, Jason D. Fraser, Charles L. Snyder, Richard J. Hendrickson, Tolulope A. Oyetunji, Shawn D. St.Peter

Research Days

Background: Primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP) affects 3.4 per 100,000 children in the United States. Regardless of the initial management, additional procedures, and prolonged hospital length of stay (LOS) may occur. There is currently no consensus in the pediatric surgical community on the optimal management of these patients, which has resulted in marked variability in management. The Midwest Pediatric Surgery Consortium (MWPSC), of which our site is a participant, suggested a management algorithm to include simple aspiration upon presentation, and if this fails, VATS should be considered.

Objectives/Goal: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of instituting a …

A Novel Approach For Laparoscopic Direct Inguinal Hernia Repair In Children, Shai Stewart Md, Charlene Dekonenko, Nelimar Cruz-Centeno, Derek Marlor, Jason D. Fraser

Research Days

Background: Inguinal hernia repair is one of the most common operations performed by pediatric surgeons, and the frequency of laparoscopy for repair is increasing. The vast majority of these are indirect hernias and therefore how to best repair a direct defect when seen during laparoscopy is still unknown. Simple high ligation of the hernia sac (as is done in an indirect hernia) does not repair the inguinal floor weakness/defect seen in a direct hernia.

Objectives/Goal: We therefore present a case of laparoscopic bilateral indirect and direct inguinal hernia repair, commonly known as pantaloon hernia, repaired without mesh and utilizing the …

Antibiotic Monotherapy Vs Dual-Drug Therapy In Perforated Appendicitis: Single Center Retrospective Review, Shai Stewart Md, Nelimar Cruz-Centeno, Derek Marlor, Dae H. Kim, Shawn D. St Peter, Tolulope A. Oyetunji Md Mph

Research Days

Background: The optimal antibiotic regimen in perforated appendicitis to reduce intraabdominal abscess (IAA) formation has not yet been agreed upon in the pediatric surgery community. We aimed to evaluate the outcomes of patients with perforated appendicitis when intravenous antibiotic monotherapy with Piperacillin-Tazobactam (PT) versus dual-drug therapy with Ceftriaxone and Metronidazole (CM) are administered. We hypothesized there is no difference in the rate of IAA formation with antibiotic monotherapy, as opposed to our once-daily dosed, institutional standard dual-drug therapy.

Objectives/Goal: The goal was to determine if our current management protocols for acute appendicitis were delivering the best possible results for our …

Institutional Outcomes Of Blunt Liver & Splenic Injury In The Atomac Era, Shai Stewart Md, James Fraser, Rebecca M. Rentea, Pablo Aguayo, David Juang, Jason D. Fraser, Charles L. Snyder, Richard J. Hendrickson, Shawn D. St.Peter, Tolulope A. Oyetunji

Research Days

Background: The Arizona-Texas-Oklahoma-Memphis-Arkansas Consortium (ATOMAC) practice management guideline (PMG) was created to standardize management of blunt liver or spleen injury (BLSI) across pediatric trauma centers. Evaluations of institutional outcomes after its adoption remain scarce. We describe our outcomes since PMG adoption at our institution.

Objectives/Goal: The purpose of this study was to assess patient outcomes and resource utilization after implementation of this protocol. We hypothesized there is no difference in length of stay (LOS) or complications regardless of grade of isolated injuries to the liver or spleen. In addition, there is limited guidance on the management of concurrent injuries to …

A Comparison Of Large Tbsa Scald Versus Flame Burns In Young Children, Ashley Daniel

Research Days

Background: It is generally accepted that of children with the same total body surface area of burns, those with flame burns seem to have longer lengths of stay and more complications than those with scald burns. Anecdotally we have seen the opposite to be true. Among a consortium of five US pediatric burn centers participating in the Pediatric Injury Quality Improvement Collaborative (PIQIC), young children with scald burns seem to experience disproportionately more frequent and severe complications compared to their older counterparts and compared to patients of a similar age with flame burns.

Objectives/Goal: In this multi-institutional study, we compared …

Relationship Between Rurality And Access To Care For Families Of Hospitalized Children, Zoetta L. Mcloughlin Md

Research Days

Background: At Children’s Mercy Hospital, greater than 1 in 5 hospitalized children are from rural areas. Rural families often travel long distances for hospitalization at free-standing children’s hospitals, a median of 70 miles according to recent work. Rural families are more likely than non-rural families to experience financial insecurity, and these baseline hardships may be intensified during hospitalization due to out-of-pocket costs, lost work, inability to meet family needs, and removal from social support. However, little is known about the differences in healthcare access and resulting burdens between rural and non-rural families.

Objectives/Goal: To describe differences in demographics, health care …

Rural And Urban Caregiver Experiences Of Financial Strain And Food Insecurity During Pediatric Hospitalizations, Rachel E. Granberg

Research Days

Background: Stress is common among caregivers of hospitalized children. In addition to stress related to their child’s illness, caregivers experience stress related to financial strain and food insecurity during their child’s hospitalization. The burden of financial strain and food insecurity related to pediatric hospitalizations may vary between rural and urban populations.

Objectives/Goal: To identify financial strain and food insecurity experienced by caregivers of hospitalized children and to describe differences between rural and urban populations.

Methods/Design: A prospective cross-sectional survey enrolled a random sample of caregivers of hospitalized children between 8/31/2021 and 12/2/2022 at a single children’s hospital. Demographic information was …

Female Authorship Concordance In Academic Pediatrics, Roxana Guggenmous, Jessica L. Bettenhausen, Jessica L. Markham

Research Days

Background: Gender disparities are well described in medicine and academia. Despite a catalyzed movement towards gender equity, female physician-scientists remain at risk for experiencing biases in hiring practices, compensation, promotion, appointment to leadership positions, and achievement of extramural funding through the National Institutes of Health. In pediatrics, the female workforce has grown consistently over time, with female physicians comprising 72.3% of the workforce as of 2021, yet prior work suggests that this growth is not fully reflected in academic publications. Achieving gender parity in academic publication may help reduce gender-based disparities impacting career advancement. Therefore, we sought to describe the …

Socioeconomic Factors And Picu Interventions In High Mortality Risk Asthmatics, Hanh Ho, Paul N. Bauer, Jade B. Tam-Williams

Research Days

Background: Asthma mortality rates are overall lower in children, but studies estimate 5-10% of asthmatics have refractory mortality prone asthma. Asthmatics with repeat pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) admissions are believed to be at high mortality risk with increased health care utilization and socio-economic challenges.

Objectives/Goal: We aim to identify patients with repeat PICU admissions for status asthmaticus and characterize the levels of interventions and socio-economic status.

Methods: A retrospective chart review was done on patients with the following inclusion criteria: age 0- 18, PICU admission between January 2010 to December 2015, and a diagnosis of status asthmaticus on admission. …

Supporting Families Impacted By Adverse Childhood Experiences (Aces), Jennifer Paumen, Laura Plencner, Jacqueline Kitchen

Research Days

Background: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) impact a majority of individuals, with approximately two-thirds of adults having experienced 1 or more ACE.1 The health consequences of ACEs are significant, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, autoimmune diseases, and mental illnesses.1 These health impacts can even start as early as childhood, leading to an increased risk of learning and behavioral concerns.2,3 Recent evidence has also identified the impact that parental ACEs may have on parenting and child development,4,5,6 which in turn may lead to an intergenerational transmission of ACEs.4,7 As a nurturing caregiver relationship is key for buffering adversity,2,8 it is imperative to address …

Influencing Influenza Immunization: Qi Project In A Pediatric Resident Continuity Clinic, Brittany Moore

Research Days

Problem Statement/Question: There have been a multitude of approaches to vaccine hesitancy in regard to childhood vaccinations. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic there was a noticeable decline in influenza vaccination among children aged 6 months to 18 years. The influenza vaccination rate in the pediatric resident continuity clinic at Children’s Mercy Hospital was below the national average for pediatric patients.

Background/Project Intent (Aim Statement): The aim of this study is to increase the percentage of patients aged 6 month and older currently enrolled in ROYAL clinic receiving at least one influenza vaccine from 38.6% to 55% by January 1, …