Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Commons^™

Doppler Free Laser Spectroscopy, Luis F. Ayala

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

Using Doppler Free laser spectroscopy we observed ground state and excited state Hyperfine structure of Rb atoms Isotopes 85 and 87.

Are The Vibrational Modes Of Molecules Quantized, Aniol Majoral Obradors

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

In electron scattering from N2 molecules we observe quantized vibrational levels of N2-. These vibrational levels are well suited for energy calibration when electron transmission of unknown molecules is performed.

Resurrecting The Past: Engineering Ancestral Enzymes For Modern Bacterial Applications, Gregory M. Gladkowski Iii, Masa Watanabe

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

Ancestral Sequence Reconstruction (ASR) is a computational technique that infers and resurrects ancient protein sequences to explore molecular evolution and enable protein engineering. By integrating phylogenetics and statistical modeling, ASR produces stable, mutation-tolerant enzymes ideal for directed evolution. This poster presents a workflow for reconstructing enzymes from pathogenic bacteria and highlights ASR’s value in uncovering novel functions and advancing applications in drug discovery and synthetic biology.

Understanding Microsoft's Qubit, Alexander Escobedo, Eric Deyo

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

In this presentation, we attempt to understand the device that was recently developed by the Microsoft Azure Quantum group that creates, manipulates, and measures qubits using Majorana Zero Modes (MZM).

Patterns Within The Collatz Conjecture, Kiel Harrison

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

The Collatz Conjecture, also known as 3n+1, one of the most famous unsolved problems in mathematics, has been forever out of reach of being truly solved. However, through the application of traces, there is now a new pathway forward to working out a potential solution. This study shows how this pathway was found, and what steps need to be taken to follow it.

Predicting Battery Efficiency: A Theoretical Approach, Haiti Schafers

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

The Kansas ElectroRally Races continuously demand faster electric vehicles (EV). When designing a vehicle one of the most important components is the battery. This study was designed to find the following; What is the optimal throttle percentage to run a 36V 20Ah (768Wh) LiFePO4 Rechargeable Battery Pack[1].

The optimal throttle percentage was found with methods detailed in a different section. Based on the performance of the older cars this study choose to focus on 50% and 70%, while obtaining other relevant data to further that inference.

Measuring Cosmic Rays With Muon Detectors (Quarknet), Aiden Burton, Jack W. Maseberg

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

We report measurement of atmospheric muon particles originating from cosmic rays. Using four QuarkNet project scintillators in an unstacked geometry, we are counting muons in coincidence with each other. We are currently refurbishing a second detector apparatus and will soon be capable of measuring coincidence events for larger shower surface areas using a total of eight scintillators.

Experimenting With Machine Learning Using Diabetes Datasets, Wyatt Mcdonnell, Hongbiao Zeng

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

The purpose of this research is to understand how to implement machine learning in a practical scenario. There were two diabetes datasets[5][6] used for testing the machine learning models. These datasets contain information relevant to a person’s health, as well as whether that subject had diabetes. I used a total of four models, and three of those models were manually programmed. The model which was not manually programmed was used for comparison with a similar model. This research directly compares and shows the factors which affect the efficiency of each machine learning model.

Coastal Erosion In Ireland, Brian Nguyen, Jeanne Sumrall

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

Ireland's approach to managing its coastlines focuses more on a short-term solution method rather than long-term, eco-friendly solutions. Their coastal defenses are created upon an immediate need without clear policies and sufficient research. As a result, beach ecosystems are frequently damaged, and the erosion is only reduced to a certain extent. To reduce erosion and protect both the environment and Irish culture, this study suggests that Ireland should implement national policies focused on regularly monitoring coastal erosion, researching nature-based solutions, and implementing them to address the problem. Moving forward, it’s important for research to focus on understanding the overall impact …

Collaborative Ai: Oer Materials For Exploring Ai As A Partner Rather Than A Tool, David Smith

Open Educational Resources

The Collaborative AI Open Educational Resource (OER) explores how artificial intelligence can act as a creative and analytical collaborator rather than a tool. Centered on the Balanced Blended Space (BBS) framework and the philosophy of the Center for Holistic Integration (CHI), the OER includes curriculum materials, theoretical models, and live research environments. It offers an interesting approach to blending physical, virtual, and conceptual spaces through shared human–AI agency and invites ongoing participation in interdisciplinary meta-projects.

Easternmost Limit Of Sevier Orogeny, East-Central Utah Revisited, Kenneth R. Neuhauser

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

Integrative field mapping combined with published and unpublished seismic profiles, support an inferred, easternmost limit of Sevier thrusting during Late Cretaceous foreland deformation in east-central Utah. East-verging thrust faults, drag folds, and chatter marks within Jurassic and Late-Cretaceous exposures at Ketobe Knob along the western margin of Cedar Mountain in the northwestern and central parts of the San Rafael Swell and within the western zone of the Colorado Plateau provide evidence for a more easterly expression of the Sevier Thrust Front. Offset is accomplished by bedding-parallel slippage along less competent shales and siltstones and by oblique ramping across more competent …

Quality Control Of Transportation Construction Aggregate Using Laser Scanning – Kdot Part 1, Kenneth R. Neuhauser

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

Laser scanning of transportation aggregate materials provided a means to identify aggregate types, sources, and quality in near-real time. A multi-state project led by the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) and facilitated by Chesner Engineering (Coeymans, New York) used laser ablation breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) to determine whether the technique could be used to predict durability (D)-cracking aggregate susceptibility and whether LIBS could be evaluated to ensure that the source materials were all derived from approved materials. This poster focuses only on the Kansas portion of the project. Six years of study indicates that LIBS may be used as a quality …

A Bibliometric Study Of Astronomy And Geoscience Doctoral Dissertations, Nora Boyle, Mary Schlembach

Faculty Journal Articles

A bibliometric analysis was conducted over the bibliographies of astronomy and geology doctoral dissertations written between 1970 and 2020 in order to review the document types that are utilized and cited. An investigation was made of various cited reference ages and how cited references in dissertations have evolved with the advent of electronic resources and preprint services. Our study examined 50 astronomy and 50 geology dissertations with 10 dissertations selected from each decade (n = 100). Results measured included 13,475 total references and the study found that references to journal articles increased, and book citations have decreased in both …

In Memoriam - Nora Sabelli: Master Orchestrator Of Grant Programs And Mentor For Advancing The Interdisciplinary Learning Sciences Field, Eric Hamilton, Jeremy Roschelle, Roy Pea, Barbara Means, Louis Gomez, Kim Gomez, Nancy Butler Songer

Education Division Scholarship

On Friday, September 6, 2024, the learning sciences field lost a giant in Dr. Nora Sabelli, 87 years old, a personal mentor to many researchers and an inspiration to so many learning scientists and STEM leaders. Nora’s first professional career was as a computational chemist, and later she became a passionate leader in research for improving STEM education. Nora’s time as a senior program officer at the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Education and Human Resources (EHR) directorate was legendary; she was a force of nature who reshaped funding priorities for stronger science and a stronger connection of science to education …

Chalkboards To Chatbots: Helping Faculty Harness Ai For The Future Of Higher Education, Justin C. Grace

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

Integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into nursing education presented significant opportunities yet posed challenges due to varied faculty readiness. This Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) quality improvement (QI) project evaluated an educational intervention aimed at enhancing nursing faculty's AI proficiency and confidence at Regis University’s Rueckert-Hartman College for Health Professions. Using a mixed-methods, pre- and post-intervention design, validated surveys assessed changes in faculty perceptions, knowledge, and skills related to AI. The intervention included a digital toolkit with nine instructional videos demonstrating practical AI applications using FreedAI’s large language model, ChatGPT, supported by voiceover narration and closed captioning. Data analysis involved descriptive …

Ally With Ai: An Icebreaker To Unlock Career Aspirations For Online Or Hybrid Organizational Behavior Cohorts, Jyro B. Triviño

Leadership and Strategy Faculty Publications

Modern organizational behavior classroom, which are increasing in size, diversity, and complexity, are shifting to online and hybrid learning environments, challenging the use of traditional icebreaker activities. This paper introduces a 15-minute icebreaker designed to address these issues while integrating the principles of Kolb's experiential learning theory and fostering social capital through peerr engagement in an online setting. By leveraging the availability of generative AI, students prompt a template code to unlock their career aspirations and stimulate social connections among their classmates. This provides an innovative teaching model for meeting the foundational icebreaker goal while serving a suitable tool for …

Developing Mathematical Maturity By Solving A Given Quadratic Equation, Armando A. Amador, Nieves Angulo, Juan B. Lacay

Publications and Research

This article explores the instructional challenges faced by mathematics educators when addressing students’ limited background knowledge and underdeveloped mathematical maturity, two critical barriers to success in college-level algebra. Using the quadratic equation 2x2+x−3=0, which is reducible over the field of rational numbers ℚ ⊂ ℝ, we analyze how diverse solution methods—factoring, completing the square, and the quadratic formula—can support learning. An additional strategy, “Slide and Divide,” was introduced to promote procedural fluency and conceptual flexibility. To gain insight into students’ evolving mathematical maturity, an online survey was conducted to students at various levels of mathematics. The survey captured their perspectives …

Uso De Herramientas De Inteligencia Artificial Generativa Por Parte De Docentes En Una Escuela Del Suroeste De Puerto Rico, Glorimar N. Rodríguez Guiliani

Theses and Dissertations

Esta disertación aplicada fue diseñada para investigar el nivel de conocimiento, uso y dificultades que enfrentan los docentes de quinto a duodécimo grado en una escuela privada del suroeste de Puerto Rico respecto a tecnologías emergentes las cuales presentan desafíos significativos para los docentes y los estudiantes. Se exploró la utilización de herramientas de inteligencia artificial generativa (GenAI) como ChatGPT dentro y fuera del aula para actividades pedagógicas y administrativas.

Los hallazgos revelaron una notable carencia en el conocimiento docente sobre el uso y habilidades de la inteligencia artificial. Se identificó, también, una deficiencia en la capacidad de los docentes …

Fitting Quality Of Nmr Relaxation Data To Differentiate Asphalt Binders, Rebecca M. Herndon, Kevin Lai, Magdy Abdelrahman, Klaus Woelk

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Asphalt binder performance grades (PGs) are important metrics in designing pavements for effective transportation infrastructure. the PG system relies on the binder's stiffness and is determined through energy- and time-intensive physical testing. Physical properties, like stiffness, can also be determined by spin–lattice NMR relaxometry, a non-destructive chemical method. NMR relaxometry can quantify the molecular mobility of materials by determining relaxation times from exponential decays of excited nuclear magnetization. While relaxation times have been used to determine physical properties of materials, a quantitative relation to the PG grades of asphalt binder is yet to be established. in this study, T1 NMR …

Leveraging Ai Tools In University Writing Instruction: Enhancing Student Success While Upholding Academic Integrity, Daisuke Akiba, Rebecca Garte

Publications and Research

The emergence of AI-powered Large Language Models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT and Google Gemini, presents both opportunities and challenges for higher education, particularly regarding academic integrity in writing instruction. This exploratory study examines a novel pedagogical approach that integrates LLMs as required feedback tools in a university-level psychology writing assignment. The exclusive online approach emphasizes improvement through revision, requiring students to obtain AI-generated feedback on ungraded initial drafts based on an instructor-provided rubric, with final assessment focused on the quality of subsequent revisions. Analysis of survey data from 39 undergraduate students, incorporating both quantitative measures and qualitative responses, revealed several …

Scholar Perspectives On The Impact Of A Scientific Community Program For Neurodivergent Undergraduate Stem Scholars, Dylan Sullivan, Fernando Zavala, Derek Hidalgo, Jacob Stolle, Rebecca Matte, Christin B. Monroe

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

Despite the adaptive strengths and unique problem-solving skills demonstrated by neurodivergent (ND) individuals, they remain underrepresented in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields. High unemployment rates among individuals with disabilities emphasize the need for addressing barriers to entry and persistence in the workforce. This study introduces a program designed to enhance opportunities for neurodivergent STEM scholars with financial needs, supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The program involves: 1) a weekly cohort course to engage in professional development, 2) use of the Birkman Method® survey to help scholars identify and communicate strengths, fostering self-awareness and growth, and 3) …

Hell You Talmbout: Mixtapes As Method For Online Environmental Justice Pedagogy, Elspeth Iralu, Caitlin Grann

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

This paper takes on the mixtape as a pedagogical method for approaching urgent and critical topics within the undergraduate online classroom. Drawing on two case studies from different sections of an introductory course on environmental and social justice taught in an American studies department, we demonstrate how mixtape-inspired assignments offer a method for theorizing and enacting the connections between popular culture and critical scholarship around injustice in the humanities and social sciences while also altering the space of the classroom to promote deeper student engagement, comprehension, and reflection. We argue that introducing popular culture as both content and method within …

Asphalt-Binder Mixtures Evaluated By T1 Nmr Relaxometry, Rebecca M. Herndon, Jay Balasubramanian, Magdy Abdelrahman, Klaus Woelk

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Asphalt pavements make up a majority of the essential transportation systems in the US. Asphalt mixtures age and degrade over time, reducing the pavement performance. Pavement performance critically depends on the aging of asphalt binder. the aging of asphalt binder during construction is traditionally modeled by rolling thin film oven (RTFO) testing, while aging during service life is modeled by pressure aging vessel (PAV) testing. Comparing these models to the aging of binders in actual pavements is limited because, to be used for current testing, binders must be separated from the pavement's aggregate by solvent extraction. Solvent extraction will, at …

Using Student Interests To Explore Inclusion In Undergraduate Chemistry, Sonja Hoversten

CSB and SJU Distinguished Thesis

For students who are not chemistry majors, but who are on a career track requiring four chemistry courses, taking the final reactivity chemistry course (CHEM 251) for pre-health students can be daunting. For this reason, this research is focused on the CHEM 251 course at The College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University (CSBSJU) which is one of the four required chemistry courses for pre-medicine and some pre-physician assistant students, and all chemistry and biochemistry majors. Student perception of inclusion in the course increased through the implementation of group assignments including prompts for individual application of the material. The …

What Students Have To Say On Data Privacy For Educational Technology, Stephanie Choi

Cybersecurity Undergraduate Research Showcase

The literature on data privacy in terms of educational technology is a growing area of study. The perspective of educators has been captured extensively. However, the literature on students’ perspectives is missing, which is what we explore in this paper. We use a pragmatic qualitative approach with an experiential lens to capture students’ attitudes towards data privacy in terms of educational technology. We identified preliminary, common themes that appeared in the survey responses. The paper concludes by calling for more research on how students perceive data privacy in terms of educational technology.

Glacial Resource Analysis – Castner Glacier, Alaska, Logan Erichsen

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

Glaciers cover much of the 49th U.S. state of Alaska. While many of these are deep blues, just as many are “rock” glaciers which means the glacier is covered in sediment. This sediment can be transported many miles through the mountain ranges. With the current climate melting these glaciers they are receding. Sediment and rock samples can now be safely collected from different locations where glaciers have released sediment that was locked in the ice for an untold number of years. Much of the USGS data comes from the 1940’s through 1960’s due to the size and remoteness of Alaska. …

Volcanic Ash In Lincoln County, Kansas, Logan Erichsen

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

This report outlines the analysis of Pearlette volcanic ash in Lincoln County Kansas. Both field and lab methods were used to compile this report. Fort Hays State University alumni Dr. Ron Whitmer allowed use of his property on which the ash is found. Auguring was utilized as the main form of field work which allowed mapping of the subsurface ash layer. The ash was analyzed by UMKC using their scanning electron microscope (SEM). At Fort Hays, the SEM reports were compared to thin sections of the ash using plane and cross polarized light in petrographic microscopes. The ash is comprised …

Climatology Of Tornadoes In Kansas, John P. Wasinger, Todd Moore

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

Recent studies report changes to the climatology of tornadoes in the United States (US). Changes with the most supporting evidence include an increase in the intra- and inter-annual variability, increased concentration of tornadoes in bigger outbreaks, and a geographic shift of the densest tornado activity away from Tornado Alley in the Great Plains and toward the Great Lakes and Southeast regions of the US. Broad, national-level changes are valuable, but they can mask changes occurring at the state and sub-state levels where mitigation efforts are most effective. Kansas is of interest due to its reputation as a hotbed of tornado …

Computational Modeling Of Retinal Damage Thresholds, Payton Hoffman, Eos Shapland, Alan Enriquez

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

The Scalable Effects Simulation Environment(SESE), is the computational Biophysics software contracted by Nanohmics we used for our research. The goal was to find the minimum energy necessary to damage the retina from 2 laser sources, a 532 nm He-Ne source, and Supercontinuum Laser(SCL) source at 400-1400nm. We needed a 10 times damage ratio for significance. Our data did not show this trend.

Simulating Continuous Gravitational Waves, Ivan Mihael Villalba Moran

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

Using a table-top Michelson Interferometer to replicate Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) arrangement, we use sound waves to simulate Continuous Gravitational Waves (CWs). Using the NumPy package in Python programming, we recover the frequency of the injected sinusoidal signal using the mathematics of the Fourier Transform. Currently, we are trying to implement the Hidden Markov Model along with the Viterbi Algorithm as a method to detect Wandering Continuous Gravitational Waves.