We tested the effects that red light, artificial
light, and natural sunlight has on the speed of
oxidation in leaf discs. 10 Discs of a leaf were
placed in water with the oxygen removed from the
cell. Every minute for 10 minutes we recorded how
many discs were floating. After the 10 minutes were
done we finished the experiment. We were able to
determine which light causes a faster oxidation in
leaf discs. Faculty Sponsor: DR. BARTA
Empirical Projects
Hailey Babcock, Brian Jenkins, Jackson Macwilliams, and Jake Meier. THE IMPACT OF ROUND-UP ON OCULAR DEVELOPMENT IN EMBRYONIC ZEBRAFISH.
The purpose of this study was to determine the
potential effects of Round-Up on Zebrafish ocular
development. Ocular diameters were expected to
decrease with increasing Round-Up concentration.
Zebrafish embryos were treated with a 12.5M, 25M,
50M, and 100M concentration of Round-Up starting
at 24 hours post fertilization. After seven days,
a relationship was observed between Round-Up
concentration and ocular diameter. Round-Up
exposure delayed ocular development during
embryonic development in Zebrafish.
Faculty Sponsor: DR. CSENGELE BARTA
Baker Ethan, Horn Ethan. COMMERCE IN WILDLIFE .
Our literacy review focused on regulating commerce in
wildlife. The Acts we focused on are the Lacey Act,
The Black Bass Act, and the Federal Noxious Weed Act.
We also looked at some of the major court cases
against these acts. Faculty Sponsor: DR. CARY CHEVALIER
Alicia Beckley, Dasia Stiles, Terrill Davis. THE EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE ON YEAST FERMENTATION.
In our experiment we tested the effects of
different temperatures on the the rate of glucose
fermentation by yeast to determine if temperature
has an effect on if yeast rates increase in higher
or lower temperatures. The different types of
water baths we used were 55 degree Celsius hot
water, room temperature 20 degree Celsius water,
and ice cold water, at about 10 degrees Celsius,
for the last set.
Faculty Sponsor: DR. CSENGELE BARTA
This experiment focused on the macromolecular
composition of various foundation makeups. Three
different brands of foundation makeup were tested
for lipids, monosaccharides/sugars,
polysaccharides/starches, and proteins. The intent
of this experiment was to determine which
macromolecules are present in each of the makeup
foundations and inform users on what they are
applying.
Faculty Sponsor: C BARTA
Nathan Byous, Clayton Casady, Hannah Carroll, Noah Leibrandt. LACTOSE IN DIFFERENT TYPES OF MILK.
Milk contains an abundance of the sugar lactose.
People that are lactose intolerant, can not drink
milk or any other things containing lactose.
Instead, they take a lactase pill which breaks
down the sugar into glucose and galactose, making
it safe to drink. In order to test for the
presence of lactose, and to see if lactose free
milk is really what it states, we had to conduct a
Benedict’s test. To do so, lactase pills are used
to convert lactose into glucose, followed by
heating the test tubes up, then looking for an
orange color in the tube. If there is an orange
color, this represents a presence of glucose and
lactose.
Faculty Sponsor: DR BARTA
Vincent Chavez, Glen Crane. THE EFFECT OF DIFFERENT COLORED LIGHT ON RATE OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS.
In our experiment we tested the effect of
different wavelengths of light on the rate of
photosynthesis of a spinach leaf.. In our
experiment we tested 4 different colors of light
with the control of the experiment being no light.
To conduct this experiment we used different
colored light bulbs and held them at a constant
distance to compare the rate of photosynthesis
when the leaves floated to the surface.
Faculty Sponsor: DR. CSENGELE BARTA
Davis, Athena; Hunn, Andrew; Herner, Shelby; Umphreys, Avery. ADAPTING PHAGE-ASSISTED CONTINUOUS EVOLUTION (PACE) FOR RIBOSWITCH DISCOVERY.
A riboswitch is a sequence of mRNA that can bind
with a ligand and adopt an alternative
conformation that affects gene expression by
either a transcriptional or translational
mechanism. This allows regulation of gene
expression in response to ligand concentration. We
are developing a new method for in vivo
riboswitch discovery based on Phage Assisted
Continuous Evolution (PACE), which harnesses the
impressively quick evolution of the bacteriophage.
Our plan is to use PACE to explore a very large
sequence space of riboswitches. The library may
then be subjected to both positive and negative
selection in order to discover new riboswitches. Faculty Sponsor: TODD ECKDAHL
Davis, Athena; Hunn, Andrew; Herner, Shelby; Umphreys, Avery. ADAPTING PHAGE-ASSISTED CONTINUOUS EVOLUTION (PACE) FOR RIBOSWITCH DISCOVERY.
A riboswitch is a sequence of mRNA that can bind
with a ligand and adopt an alternative
conformation that affects gene expression by
either a transcriptional or translational
mechanism. This allows regulation of gene
expression in response to ligand concentration. We
are developing a new method for in vivo
riboswitch discovery based on Phage Assisted
Continuous Evolution (PACE), which harnesses the
impressively quick evolution of the bacteriophage.
Our plan is to use PACE to explore a very large
sequence space of riboswitches. The library may
then be subjected to both positive and negative
selection in order to discover new riboswitches. Faculty Sponsor: TODD ECKDAHL
Alexander Duryee, Christina Gray, Marissa Klingseis, Chandler Gossett, Amie Haddock, Jeremy Brown, Steven Bilby, Edward Miles and Csengele Barta. DNA ISOLATION AND AMPLIFICATION FROM MISSOURI PIN OAK (QUERCUS PALUSTRIS): CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS.
To address the need for improved protocols for
genomic DNA extraction from mature oak leaf
tissue, we propose a new approach, developed to
improve the yield and quality of genomic DNA
extracts, customizing and comparing the efficiency
of two, commercially available kits, the Qiagen
DNeasy Plant Mini Kit and MoBio Power Plant Kit.
Faculty Sponsor: DR. CSENGELE BARTA
Caitlin Glore, Rebecca Prest. THE EFFECT OF 2,4-D (C8H6CL2O3 ) ON THE RATE OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS IN SPINACH LEAVES.
This experiment was performed to measure the
rate of photosynthesis in spinach leaf disks in
relation to the concentration of herbicide
solution that they were immersed in. The rate of
photosynthesis was measured by stripping spinach
leaf disks of the O2 gas in their spongy mesophyll
and stomata, and then observing how long it took
for the disks to accumulate enough O2 to rise to
the top of their respective solutions. It was
found that the presence of herbicide greatly
decreases the rate of photosynthesis, but the
results are not linear. Faculty Sponsor: DR. CSENGELE BARTA
Alyra Krugh, Amber Frost, Cassandra Mathern, Jackie Herron. RATE OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS IN EXTREME WEATHER CONDITIONS.
Following a previous experiment, our group decided
to again test the rate of photosynthesis of a
spinach leaf. This time, instead of comparing
production by leaves in light and dark
environments, we compared the rate of production
in hot and cold water temperatures. The rate of
photosynthesis can be measured by the amount of
oxygen the leaves produce, or by the visible
bubbles and floating of the leaf disks in water.
Faculty Sponsor: DR. CSENGELE BARTA
McDowell, Michelle; Brown, Steven; Stewart, Lauren. AVIAN NEST SITE SELECTION AND REPRODUCTIVE SUCCESS.
Many native bird species require cavities for
building nests and raising young, and will utilize
artificial cavities, such as nest boxes. While
wooden nest boxes are more common in the U.S.,
concrete mix boxes are popular in Europe because
they are highly durable and are known to last
several decades. We hypothesized that bird species
differ in their nest site selection. Faculty Sponsor: DR. JULIE JEDLICKA
Sam Miller, Kaitlyn Campbell, Andy Peterson. THE EFFECT OF PH ON CATALASE PERFORMANCE?.
In this experiment we tested the performance of
catalase in solutions of varying pH levels. Since
one of the products in the decomposition of
hydrogen peroxide is oxygen gas the performance
for each solution can be compared by how much foam
is created; recorded in milliliters. The more foam
created, the greater the catalase performance.
Faculty Sponsor: DR CSENGELE BARTA
Sam Miller, Kaitlyn Campbell, Andy Peterson. THE EFFECT OF PH ON CATALASE PERFORMANCE?.
In this experiment we tested the performance of
catalase in solutions of varying pH levels. Since
one of the products in the decomposition of
hydrogen peroxide is oxygen gas the performance
for each solution can be compared by how much foam
is created; recorded in milliliters. The more foam
created, the greater the catalase performance.
Faculty Sponsor: DR CSENGELE BARTA
Rosinski, Bryan. APPLIED LEARNING THROUGH PROFESSIONAL INTERNSHIPS: FISHERIES RESOURCE MANAGEMENT.
The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC)
\r\nhired me as a fisheries resource aid for the
2016 \r\nsummer season. Stationed at August A.
Bush \r\nMemorial wildlife conservation area,
MDC’s St. \r\nLouis regional office. I along with
other resource \r\naids were involved in several
ongoing research \r\nprojects taking place over
the summer period, such \r\nas the Missouri Big
Rivers research project on \r\ncatfish
populations, stream surveys, and aquatic \r\nplant
restoration. Faculty Sponsor: DR. CAREY CHEVALIER
Kaylee Sharp, Shelly Essary, Allyson Budine. THE IMPACT OF PH ON PROTEIN DENATURATION.
In our experiment, we tested the effects of pH on
the proteins in egg whites. We examined six
different solutions with different pHs to
determine their effect on the egg whites.
Faculty Sponsor: DR CSENGELE BARTA
Kaylee Sharp, Shelly Essary, Allyson Budine. THE IMPACT OF PH ON PROTEIN DENATURATION.
In our experiment, we tested the effects of pH on
the proteins in egg whites. We examined six
different solutions with different pHs to
determine their effect on the egg whites.
Faculty Sponsor: DR CSENGELE BARTA
Watson, Chris Green, Jessie. HABITAT CORRELATES TO QUANTITY AND SPECIES OF TURTLES CAPTURED IN PONDS.
As part of an eight-year study of the turtles on the campus of Missouri Western State University we investigated potential correlates to the quantity and/or species of turtles captured and marked in each of nine campus ponds. We measured the mean depth, perimeter, surface area, water temperature, and water clarity of each pond. We estimated percent cover of vegetation in and surrounding the ponds using digital images taken using a drone. Campus ponds vary greatly in size (489-9696 m2), mean depth (0.65-2.20 m), maximum depth (1.07-3.5 m), and aquatic vegetation (0 to 100%). Of the variables measured or estimated, we found none significantly correlated to the number or species of turtles captured in campus ponds. We will discuss the results and future plans for this study. Faculty Sponsor: DR. MARK MILLS
Internship/Practicum Experience
Claas, Brennan, Hayes, Olivia, Lammoglia, Gaby. THE RATE OF FERMENTATION USING DIFFERENT TYPES OF YEAST.
Fermentation is an anaerobic process in which a microorganism converts a carbohydrate into an alcohol or acid. In yeast fermentation, the glucose is converted into ethanol and carbon dioxide. For this experiment we used four different types of dry yeast yeast, because it has a fast fermentation rate when paired with glucose. The Red Star brand as advertised is the quickest rising yeast, therefore when combined with glucose the rise of carbon dioxide will increase more quickly than the others.
Faculty Sponsor: DR. CSENGELE BARTA
Hayes, Olivia. APPLIED LEARNING AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WITH FISHERIES RESOURCE SCIENCES .
What I’ve learned throughout my past summer has given me more drive and determination to become a great outdoorsman and wildlife biologist. This experience was a nonstop venture of learning and skill set building. For starters, I knew nothing about a fish or even rod-n-reel, I have soaked up the sun from a one hundred degree day and have been covered in river slime. This short paper will describe some of the experiences and knowledge I have gained throughout the summer of 2016. First, I will describe the several methods of sampling freshwater fish communities, next netting needlecraft skills, and finally my role in cleaning and dissecting of blue and flathead catfish spines. Faculty Sponsor: CARY CHEVALIER
Hayes, Olivia . APPLIED LEARNING AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WITH FISHERIES RESOURCE SCIENCES .
This past summer working for the Chillicothe, Missouri Conservation Department has given me more drive and determination to become a great outdoorsman and wildlife biologist. This experience was a nonstop venture of learning and skill set building. For starters, I knew nothing about a fish or even rod-n-reel, I have soaked up the sun from a one hundred degree day and have been covered in river slime. This poster will describe some of the experiences and knowledge I have gained throughout the summer of 2016. It expresses several methods of sampling freshwater fish communities, next netting needlecraft skills, and finally my role in cleaning and dissecting of blue and flathead catfish spines.
Faculty Sponsor: CARY CHEVALIER
Lichtenegger, Ryan . INTERNSHIP AT GLENWOOD MN.
This is an explanation about my internship at
\r\n\\r\\n\\\\r\\\\n\\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\n\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
\\r\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\nGlenwood \r\nMinnesota. This is
\\r\\ngoing to go \\\\r\\\\ninto
\r\n\\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\ndetail
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\nabout \\r\\nwho I
\r\nworked with and \\\\r\\\\nthe projects
\\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\nthat I
\r\n\\r\\n\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\nhelped
on. I was part \\\\r\\\\nof \r\nthe research
\\r\\n\\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\ndivision of
\r\n\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\nthe
\\\\r\\\\ngovernment. I \\r\\nwas \r\npart of the
\\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\nsentinal lakes
\r\n\\r\\n\\\\r\\\\n\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
\nprogram. Faculty Sponsor: DR. CHEVIER
Stalker, Jasmine and Brown, Steven. URBAN WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT THREE YEARS OF CANADA GOOSE POPULATION CONTROL.
Three years ago, at the request of the Missouri
Department of Conservation (MDC), we began a
population monitoring study and subsequent
management project involving Missouri Western
State University’s (MWSU) breeding Canada goose
population. This project was started because the
restoration of Canada Geese in NW Missouri has
not only been successful, but in some areas, like on
the MWSU campus, has been too successful.
Nesting pairs have increasingly nested near
buildings, on buildings, and by frequently traveled
walkways. Consequently, nesting geese often harass
passers-by and defecate near building entrances
and on sidewalks, thereby creating health hazards
as well a general mess. The objective of this study
was to gather data on the number of nesting sites on
the MWSU campus and their distribution on the
campus. We simultaneously began a population
control program to help keep the population at a
level that would be considered aesthetic rather than
noxious. Our goal was to maintain the goose
population slightly below its current level to 1)
prevent excess landscape damage, 2) minimize fecal
matter on public walkways, and 3) minimize human
harassment during the breeding and nesting
season.The Canada goose reproductive success on
campus for the past three years was reduced by
more than 50%. Faculty Sponsor: CARY D. CHEVALIER
Steinlage, Matthew. INTERNSHIP AT OPERATION WILDLIFE.
This is an explanation of my internship this past
summer at Operation Wildlife. It will discuss in
detail many of the different tasks I performed while
there including; Animal husbandry,capture and
restraint, lab work, food preparation, diagnosis and
treatment of injured wildlife. Faculty Sponsor: CARY CHEVALIER
Literature Reviews
Babcock, Hailey; Reynolds, Lydia . THE EFFECTS OF ROUNDUP ON LARVAL AMPHIBIANS .
Roundup is one of the most widely used
herbicides worldwide. Though they are only
suppose to harm weeds and plant pests, it
is naive to believe this is the only harm
it causes. Because of runoff, there are
large amouts of Roundup in our water
systems. Since the recent discovery of
Global Amphibian Decline, the aims of pur
research are to inform people of the
impact Roundup has on amphibians. Faculty Sponsor: DR. MILLS
Babcock, Hailey; Reynolds, Lydia . THE EFFECTS OF ROUNDUP ON LARVAL AMPHIBIANS .
Roundup is one of the most widely used
herbicides worldwide. Though they are only
suppose to harm weeds and plant pests, it
is naive to believe this is the only harm
it causes. Because of runoff, there are
large amouts of Roundup in our water
systems. Since the recent discovery of
Global Amphibian Decline, the aims of pur
research are to inform people of the
impact Roundup has on amphibians. Faculty Sponsor: DR. MILLS
Conservation is a huge part of wildlife management. Our poster explores conservation in a narrow category-that of marine mammals. Marine mammals have only recently begun to be protected by law within the last 50 years. To better understand marine mammal conservation, our poster is a literature review on conservation acts that protect these mammals as well as important court cases that these acts impacted. Faculty Sponsor: DR. CARY CHEVALIER
Brown, Jeremy Hughes, Tyler Schreck, Bree. LITERATURE REVIEW OF INVASIVE CANE TOADS IN AUSTRALIA.
We conducted a literature review to determine how introduced, invasive cane toads have impacted ecosystems and local wildlife in Australia. Faculty Sponsor: DR. MARK MILLS
DeShazo, Madi; Hayes, Olivia; Miller, Drew. CONSERVATION OF ENDANGERED SPECIES.
For our seminar poster, we looked at the history
and importance of federal laws concerning
endangered species. Our group studied the laws,
acts, and treaties dealing with the Endangered
Species Act, which include the Lacey Act, the
Endangered Species Preservation Act, the
Endangered Species Conservation Act. We also
researched the federal cases that violated these
laws. Faculty Sponsor: DR. CARY D. CHEVALIER
Doering, Branden Miller, Sam Filley, James. NATIVE AMERICANS AND WILDLIFE LAW.
This poster presents a couple of the crucial cases regarding how Native American's have to follow certain laws and acts enacted by the U.S. government. Also in this poster two acts are listed that help provide an example of an act or law that affects Native Americans. Faculty Sponsor: DR.CHEVALIER
Domann Rachael, Marks Zachary, and Marks Mackenzie. CONSERVATION LAND AND WATER.
This reviews the history of wildlife law in the
United States. The project covers the acts and cases
that developed the wildlife law that is present
today. The particular acts like the Wilderness Act
and cases such Parker vs. The United States. All of
these laws for Conservation Land and Water being
just a few of the acts and cases that make up areas
of wildlife law and laws that pretain to the US land
and water. Faculty Sponsor: DR CARY CHEVIELER
Domann Rachael, Marks Zachary, and Marks Mackenzie. CONSERVATION LAND AND WATER.
This reviews the history of wildlife law in the
United States. The project covers the acts and cases
that developed the wildlife law that is present
today. The particular acts like the Wilderness Act
and cases such Parker vs. The United States. All of
these laws for Conservation Land and Water being
just a few of the acts and cases that make up areas
of wildlife law and laws that pretain to the US land
and water. Faculty Sponsor: DR CARY CHEVIELER
Domann Rachael, Marks Zachary, and Marks Mackenzie. CONSERVATION LAND AND WATER.
This reviews the history of wildlife law in the
United States. The project covers the acts and cases
that developed the wildlife law that is present
today. The particular acts like the Wilderness Act
and cases such Parker vs. The United States. All of
these laws for Conservation Land and Water being
just a few of the acts and cases that make up areas
of wildlife law and laws that pretain to the US land
and water. Faculty Sponsor: DR CARY CHEVIELER
Hayden, Tasha Rosinski, Bryan. MULTIPLE LAND USES.
Our literature review explains the history, regulations, and important aspects of multiple land uses. These areas include National Forests and Natural Resource Lands. Both federal and state legislatures signed into law several Acts for the management of the land and the protection of the wildlife on these lands. Our research details the National Forest Management Act, the Federal Land Policy and Management Act, and the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act. We discovered several court cases that challenged certain aspects of these acts and define why we need these acts. Our goal was to gain a legal reasoning on wildlife and their habitats. Faculty Sponsor: DR. CARY CHEVALIER
Hayden, Tasha Rosinski, Bryan. MULTIPLE LAND USES.
Our literature review explains the history, regulations, and important aspects of multiple land uses. These areas include National Forests and National Resource Lands. Both federal and state legislatures signed into law several Acts for the management of the land and the protection of the wildlife on these lands. Our research details the National Forest Management Act, and the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act. We discovered several court cases that challenged certain aspects of these acts and define why we need these acts. Our goal was to gain a legal reasoning on wildlife and their habitats. Faculty Sponsor: DR. CARY CHEVALIER
Fry, Justin, Herring, Aaron, Gawley, Nick . WILDLIFE CONSERVATION ON PRIVATE LAND .
For our research we each chose an act that related
to wildlife conservation on private lands within
the United States. For the Clean Water Act of 1972
we looked at case 99-1178 in which the Solid Waste
Agency of Northern Cook County took on the US Army
Corps of Engineers. Next, we looked at the Coastal
Barrier Resource Act of 1982 in which Newbern took
on Mansbach in case 1044 and Spong challenged
Fidelity. Lastly we looked at the Food Security
Act of 1985 and Food, Agriculture, Conservation,
and Trade Act of 1990. Within this act we look at
the case 941 F. 2d 667 in which the national
Wildlife Federation took on the Agricultural
Stabilization and Conservation Service. In our
research we looked at the verdicts of each case
and look at why and how each case came to
conclusion. Faculty Sponsor: DR. CARY CHEVALIER
Hoover, Cole; Darling, Nick; Kessler, Dakota; Wischmann, Mackenzie. WILDLIFE AND WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT.
Our literature review focuses on the history of
wildlife and water resource management, certain
Acts that were developed related to this, and
court cases that challenge the Acts. The Acts
that will be discussed are the Fish and Wildlife
Coordination Act and the Federal Water Power Act
of 1920. Faculty Sponsor: CARY CHEVALIER
Krigbaum, Logan. Bryant, Will. Starman, Jared. SPECIES CONSERVATION: OCEAN FISH.
Species Conservation of ocean fish has not always been around. It used to be people could catch and keep whatever they wanted. However, now there have been several laws and acts put into place that help prevent overfishing and illegal taking of these fish. There are also several court cases that challenge the acts. Faculty Sponsor: DR. CARY CHEVALIER
Lavelle, Katie; Daldrup, Cassie; Rethorst, Kassidy. CONSERVATION OF WILD BIRDS.
This literature review focuses on the importance
of conservation of wild birds, the acts developed
under this topic, and court cases that challenge
these acts. Our poster discusses the Migratory
Bird Treaty Act, the Bald Eagle Protection Act,
and the Wild Bird Conservation Act. Faculty Sponsor: DR. CARY CHEVALIER
Thomas, Brad. Koelling, Blake. INTERNATIONAL WILDLIFE LAW.
We conducted a literature review over the topic of
international wildlife law for Bio 360. We found
many Acts, Regulations, court cases, and much more
regarding this subject. Faculty Sponsor: DR. C
DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY
Empirical Projects
Gunn, Brady; Wilson, Riley; Luke, Alex; Fergione, Sarah. GENETIC SEQUENCES RECOGNIZED BY HUMAN SRP40 PROTEIN USING NEURAL NETWORK DEEP LEARNING APPROACH .
Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) are
“biologically-inspired” mathematical models that
have been designed to mimic the sophisticated
information processing and knowledge acquisition
methods of the human brain, creating Artificial
Intelligence (AI). With the Neural Network
Toolbox™ in MATLAB®, an ANN prototype was
constructed, trained and validated in order to
test a set of genetic sequences to determine if
they promote splicing activities by human SRp40.
The SRp40 belongs to the evolutionarily conserved
family of SR proteins, playing a critical role in
regulating general splicing factors, alternative
splicing, mRNA nuclear export, as well as multiple
other factors. Faculty Sponsor: STAN SVOJANOVSKY
Stasko, Dan Bosworth, Grayson Hillebrand, Carrie. CONDUCTIVITY OF BORANE SLATS: HYDROXYLATED BORANE ION CONDUCTORS.
The robust anion dodecaborate anion can be converted into the dianionic perhydroxylated derivative, as well as the mixed animo per-hydroxylated monoanion. The perhydroxylated anion has been shown ago to be easily protonated in acidic media and be converted into a conductive acid. The conductivity of this material and a number of anhydrous alkaline metal salts will be reported. Several ionic materials derived from the perhydroxylated anion were synthesized and compared to these compounds. The conjugate acid appears to undergo a high temperature phase change that results in a 100 fold increase in conductivity. The aminoborane derivative will also be discussed. Faculty Sponsor: DAN STASKO
DEPARTMENT OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE/LEGAL STUDIES/SOCIAL WORK
This is for SWK415 (Social Work Practice III). Jana Frye is our professor. We are administering a needs assessment via churches, community centers, and the Bartlett Center itself to learn more about the demographics of the community and to understand what the community members feel the Bartlett center is lacking from their perspective. Our intent is to provide the center with this information to in turn create programs based on the community need. Our chairperson is Nora Bradley (nbradley3@missouriwestern.edu), the other three members make up the rest of the group (Lesa Brooks--Time Keeper)(Sabrina Robinson & Marissa Richardson--Note Keepers). Our survey has been reviewed and approved by the Bartlett Center board members. This was not requested by the Bartlett Center, but was an idea our class came up with to help them discover what their community wants from them. Faculty Sponsor: JANA FRYE
Chaney, Tiffany,Vick, William. SMOOTHING THE WAY.
In Western countries a considerable number of
older people move to a residential home when their
health declines. What are the characteristics
present in situations where resident have a
positive transition from home to assisted living
facilities?
There is a booming rate of the aging population
and less focus and fewer studies done on their
needs. This population needs smoother transitions
into long-term care. Many individuals struggle
with this transition so we propose to do a study
on what factors make this difficult time a lot
smoother. Smooth transition is important for the
comfort of parents and other family members.
Faculty Sponsor: MATT LOEHR
Nichols, AlexAndria. ACT AND SUCCESS.
This study is examining whether or not a student
who has a recorded ACT score is more likely to
result in success in classes from the CJLSSW
Department. Non-intrausive quantitative data were
used (N=6640). Different individual and
institutional variables were examined to find a
relationship with preceding ACT composite scores
and success. Findings indicate that students with
a recorded ACT score were more likely to get an
A,B or C than a D,F or W. More students with
recorded ACT scores completed courses rather than
those with no recorded score. Based off this
information, it may be likely that taking the ACT
may prepare students to be more successful in
courses. Future studies should be conducted to
determine the specific areas of significance
taking the ACT helps student excel in courses.
Faculty Sponsor: GREG LINDSTEADT
Ward, Jacob. Moore, Ysella.. COMMUNITY POLICING .
What is Community Policing? This question is answered differently by different people. The goal of our qualitative research proposal is to meet with MWSU law enforcement personnel, faculty and students on their personal definition of community policing as a concept. We will be conducting intensive in depth interviewing with at least one member of each of the three categories listed above. This data will be content analyzed for reoccurring themes that are present among the different perspectives. Our goal is to gain a deeper understanding of what community policing means at our University and how we might improve upon the manner in which police operate and respond to our campus community. Faculty Sponsor: DOCTOR LOEHR
Empirical Projects
Clark, Chrissy. ACCESS TO JUSTICE FOR THE VULNERABLE AND MARGINALIZED AFTER A NATURAL DISASTER.
In 2016 a grant was awarded from the Development and Peace organization to support a project to establish Mobile Legal Aid Clinics in areas of Nepal to assist survivors of the devastating 2015 earthquake.
The project was part of collaboration between project leaders from a non-governmental organization and law professors from the United States. They recruited Nepal law students, professors and pro bono lawyers to train and conduct the clinics.
These volunteers reached out to the vulnerable and marginalized communities of Nepal, who suffered most from the natural disaster by using Mobile Legal Aid Clinics to understand the communities that they were working with, distribute information to spread legal awareness and provide access to justice.
Faculty Sponsor: PROFESSOR DAVID TUSHAUS
Gawatz, jennifer, Clark,Victoria,Talley, Antwanette, Vick, William. VOICES OF COMPANIONSHIP.
In order to raise children's literacy in Missouri
and lower the percentage of depression and
loneliness in the seniors we joined with Interserv
to start a literacy program. The program will be
set to have the children read out loud to the
elderly to get better at reading and in turn
giving the elderly some companionship. Our hopes
are to raise the amount of confidence in the
children with their reading and lower the
depression and loneliness in the elderly. Faculty Sponsor: JANA FRY
Grimm, Hilda. EXPERIENCES FROM CAP/ HEAD START PRACTICUM.
This is about my practicum experience with CAP and
\r\n\\r\\nmore specifically, Head Start. I will
provide \r\n\\r\\ninformation about CAP and Head
Start, \r\nincluding \\r\\nwho they serve, my
experience while \r\nI was there, \\r\\nand then
in conclusion, what I \r\nhave learned while
\\r\\nI was there.\\r\\n\\r\\n\\r\\n Faculty Sponsor: JANA FRYE
Johnson, Jaime; Chaney, Tiffany; Franks, Rachel; Braxton, Keonte; Weigart, Kalcie. P. A. A. T. PRESCRIPTION DRUG ABUSE AWARENESS FOR TEENS.
P.A.A.T. Prescription Drug Abuse Awareness for Teens
is a brochure created for distribution in the
community to raise awareness of this growing national
epidemic. Our brochure contains common misused drug,
local statistics, legal consequences as well as
resources available for help. Through research, it
has been discovered there is a gap in the information
that is shared with the community on this topic
specifically. It is our goal to inform the community
of this growing problem to bring awareness to the
populations currently being affected.
Chairperson-Jaime M. Johnson
Time Keeper-Tiffany Chaney
Minutes-Rachel Franks
Research-Kalcie Weigart
Graphic Design-Keonte Braxton Faculty Sponsor: JANA FRYE
Johnson, Jaime; Chaney, Tiffany; Franks, Rachel; Braxton, Keonte; Weigart, Kalcie. P. A. A. T. PRESCRIPTION DRUG ABUSE AWARENESS FOR TEENS.
P.A.A.T. Prescription Drug Abuse Awareness for Teens
is a brochure created for distribution in the
community to raise awareness of this growing national
epidemic. Our brochure contains common misused drug,
local statistics, legal consequences as well as
resources available for help. Through research, it
has been discovered there is a gap in the information
that is shared with the community on this topic
specifically. It is our goal to inform the community
of this growing problem to bring awareness to the
populations currently being affected.
Chairperson-Jaime M. Johnson
Time Keeper-Tiffany Chaney
Minutes-Rachel Franks
Research-Kalcie Weigart
Graphic Design-Keonte Braxton Faculty Sponsor: JANA FRYE
McDonald, Sasha. TRENDS IN JUVENILE CORRECTIONS RESIDENTIAL PLACEMENT.
There has been a dramatic decline in youth being
\r\nplaced in residential facilities, which could
be \r\ndue to the economy, employment, age,
population or \r\nany other factor. This study
will provide \r\nliterature, policy information,
and data on the \r\ncurrent trends in juvenile
placements in \r\ncorrections. This presentation
aims to examine the \r\ndifferent factors that may
have had an impact on \r\nthe decline of the
juveniles in corrections over \r\nthe past 10
years. \r\n Faculty Sponsor: GREGORY LINSTEADT
McDonald, Sasha. SENTENCING GUIDELINES FOR THE MINK STATES.
The Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency
Prevention Statistical Briefing Book offers
research findings for the juvenile justice field.
This section will summarize changes made by states
with regard to the system’s jurisdictional
authority, sentencing, and corrections
programming. Four states will be addressed in this
section, Missouri, Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska.
Within these states sentencing policies, arrest
rates, percentage of poverty, and the amount of
funds awarded to the states will be compared.
Faculty Sponsor: GREGORY LINSTEADT
Robert Lipham, Magen Cooper, Caitlyn Taylor, Kevin Wheeler. BENCHES FOR BUS STOPS.
This is a community project to provide benches for public
\r\ntransit riders. This will improve quality of life and dignity for
bus \r\nriders, and at the same time improve safety. Faculty Sponsor: JANA FRYE
Stickley, Dana. WHEN WITHDRAWAL IS THE BEST CHOICE FOR HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENTS .
This study started with a set of cases exceeding 6000 students, all of which attempted to complete a Criminal Justice, Legal Studies & Social Work course during the academic years 2013-2016. We chose to focus on student retention and withdrawal from the student’s perspective. We found that during 2013-2016 there were around 268 course withdrawals. Using non-intrusive data collected from the Registrar we were able to determine that non-traditional female students withdrew from courses significantly more than any other group. From the large sample we chose to send an electronic survey to the students who withdrew from a CJLSSW course during the spring semester 2016, 7 responded. We found that students reported family or job issues as the top reason for withdrawal as well as issues with the course. In order to expand on these findings we developed a qualitative interview to be held over the phone with students who chose to withdraw from the University completely, 4 were contacted. These interviews revealed that students who had small children were withdrawing due to family and job responsibilities that took precedence over course work and degree attainment. The research team calls for future research to track Missouri Western student withdraws in order to better accommodate students’ needs.
Faculty Sponsor: DR. GREG LINDSTEADT
Internship/Practicum Experience
Buzzard, Ashley. PRACTICUM AT RIVERSIDE PRIMARY SCHOOL.
My poster will include information pertaining to my practicum experiences at Riverside Primary School. It will discuss the learning opportunities, challenges, and information about this site. Faculty Sponsor: JANA FRYE
Golden, Jessica. MY PRACTICUM EXPERIENCE WITH SPECIAL OLYMPICS OF MISSOURI.
I am a 31 year old, single parent of one
child. I completed a 456 hr. practicum at Special
Olympics North. At this placement, some of my
duties were setting up and running two bowling
tournaments, soliciting donations through the
mail, distributing fliers for events at local
businesses, and collecting donated items for
Trivia Night. I helped clients during bowling
league practice and helped clients ages 3 to 7
through the Young Athletes Program. During the
rest of my practicum hours I attended a Crisis
Intervention Training class to assist women who
are victims of domestic violence as well as a CEU
class Finding and Helping the Hidden Victims. This
class will help me to be able assess the needs of
children in the field of Social Work who were
exposed to domestic violence in their homes.
Faculty Sponsor: JANA FRYE
Golden, Jessica. MY PRACTICUM EXPERIENCE WITH SPECIAL OLYMPICS OF MISSOURI.
I am a 31 year old, single parent of one
child. I completed a 456 hr. practicum at Special
Olympics North. At this placement, some of my
duties were setting up and running two bowling
tournaments, soliciting donations through the
mail, distributing fliers for events at local
businesses, and collecting donated items for
Trivia Night. I helped clients during bowling
league practice and helped clients ages 3 to 7
through the Young Athletes Program. During the
rest of my practicum hours I attended a Crisis
Intervention Training class to assist women who
are victims of domestic violence as well as a CEU
class Finding and Helping the Hidden Victims. This
class will help me to be able assess the needs of
children in the field of Social Work who were
exposed to domestic violence in their homes.
Faculty Sponsor: JANA FRYE
Golden, Jessica. MY PRACTICUM EXPERIENCE WITH SPECIAL OLYMPICS OF MISSOURI.
I am a 31 year old, single parent of one
child. I completed a 456 hr. practicum at Special
Olympics North. At this placement, some of my
duties were setting up and running two bowling
tournaments, soliciting donations through the
mail, distributing fliers for events at local
businesses, and collecting donated items for
Trivia Night. I helped clients during bowling
league practice and helped clients ages 3 to 7
through the Young Athletes Program. During the
rest of my practicum hours I attended a Crisis
Intervention Training class to assist women who
are victims of domestic violence as well as a CEU
class Finding and Helping the Hidden Victims. This
class will help me to be able assess the needs of
children in the field of Social Work who were
exposed to domestic violence in their homes.
Faculty Sponsor: JANA FRYE
Gunn, Danielle. FALL SOCIAL WORK PRACTICUM .
Senior Life Solutions was my practicum site for
\r\n\\r\\nSocial work 485. It allowed me to grow
\r\nconfident in \\r\\nmy capabilites upon leaving
behind \r\nmy college \\r\\ncareer and beginning my
life long \r\ncareer of social \\r\\nwork. Senior
Life Solutions is \r\na geriatric psych
\\r\\nintensive group therapy for \r\nindividuals
over 55, \\r\\nexperiencing grief,
\r\nloss,loneliness, depression, \\r\\and more. Faculty Sponsor: JANA FRYE
This project is about my time as a practicum student at the Children's Division of Buchanan county. I will present information on what the Children's Division is, services provided, who they serve, and my experiences while there. Faculty Sponsor: JANA FRYE
Pettyjohn, Kelsey. FALL PRACTICUM: SECOND HARVEST COMMUNITY FOOD BANK.
This project encompasses my practicum experience at Second Harvest Community Food Bank. I will be discussing the agency itself and my experiences - both negative and positive. Faculty Sponsor: JANA FRYE
Schwertel, Heather. HEAD START ST. JOSEPH, MO.
This project is about my practicum at Head Start.
I will provide information about what Head start
is, who they serve, my experiences, and what I
have learned. Faculty Sponsor: JANA FRY
Stickley, Dana. PRACTICUM EXPERIENCE AT MISSOURI'S 5TH CIRCUIT CHILDREN'S DIVISION.
This project will reflect my practicum placement with Missouri Social Services at the Children's Division Circuit 5. Children's Division is an agency that investigates child abuse and neglect allegations, works with community partners to meet the needs of clientele, provides family centered services to foster children, foster families, as well as facilitates legal guardianship and adoption. This practicum showed me the many scenes of child welfare from court, to jail, across our county to multiple family homes, schools, interdisciplinary team meetings and assessments. While in my placement at the Children's Division I found a definite passion for working with children and plan to continue my career and education in this direction. Faculty Sponsor: JANA FRYE
Literature Reviews
Braxton, Keonte and Weigart, Kalcie. THE EFFECTS ON CHILDREN RAISED IN DRUG OR ALCOHOL ADDICTED HOMES.
Drug and Alcohol abuse has been a growing epidemic in our Greater Kansas City area, and with the rapid rate of growth it is beginning to show in our youth. This research is looking to gain deeper understanding of the perspective of parents who are practicing sobriety. The characteristics that are present in these family systems will be looked at using qualitative methods. Purposeful sampling techniques will be utilized along with intensive interview methods. Content analysis of the data will be conducted by this research team. Faculty Sponsor: DR. MATT LOEHR
Franks, Rachel & Richardson, Marissa. MENTAL HEALTH SOCIAL WORK RESEARCH.
When working on an inpatient adult mental health unit across the nation, you will often find a large burn out rate. We have learned that the mental health field can be a difficult place for a social worker to maintain employment. These setting bring high emotional exhaustion and high depersonalization rates. The staff deal with a stream of trauma, depression and negativity in their everyday work. Burnout can make working in a mental health unit less rewarding, interfere with the staff's wellbeing and even undermine the quality of treatment the patients receive. We want to know the following: what are the characteristics present to work on an inpatient adult mental health unit?
In our qualitative proposal we are wanting to interview social workers employed in inpatient mental health settings. We are going to interview staff from two different settings and will be utilizing an intensive technique. Through content analysis we want to examine reoccurring themes that are present in these transcribed interviews. Faculty Sponsor: MATT LOEHR
Jefferson Geornesha, Simmons Christy. BURNOUT,STRESS, AND SELF-CARE IN HOSPITAL SOCIAL WORKERS.
This paper will discuss burnout,stress, and self-
care of hospital social workers. Social work is a
tough field and research has shown that it has a
very high burnout and stress rate.(Collins, 2005)
This paper will focus on how stress and burnout
are dealt with in the professional and personal
lives of hospital social workers. There will be an
emphasis on NICU;neonatal intensive care unit,
social workers as well as other hospital social
workers.
We will be utilizing a Strengths Perspective in
conducting our research. Our proposal is to
interview in depth three or more social workers
from three different hospital locations and in two
different states.Our hope is to gain a deeper
understanding of the characteristics present in
hospital settings where social workers are viewed
as successful in their respective areas. Faculty Sponsor: DR MATT LOEHR
Clark, Victoria Talley, Antwanette. THE UNWANTED: AGING OUT OF FOSTER CARE.
Our literature review explores how foster care placement correlates with a number of negative impacts on adolescents that "age out" of the system. We explored placement instability, child maltreatment, intergenerational transmission of child abuse, and independent living that causes problems while transitioning into adulthood.
Utilizing a Strengths Perspective our research proposal will look at what are the characteristics present where adults have successfully transitioned out of foster care?
Through in depth interviewing, and purposeful sampling we hope to point out the aspects of foster care or programs that these individuals saw as helpful. This exploratory study is being pursued so that we might gain a deeper understanding of the phenomenon of successful transition from foster care to adulthood. Faculty Sponsor: DR. MATT LOEHR
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH MODERN LANGUAGES
Analytical Papers and Analyses
Gummelt, Stephanie. USE VS. UTILIZE: CORRECTNESS OR STATUS?.
This study explores the connotative and denotative uses of the words “use” and “utilize”. Arguably, these two words could be interchanged in various contexts and one could be eliminated altogether, but they have a distinct, even if it is slight, difference in definition. There is an appropriate usage for “utilize,” but a writer must choose this word carefully and with purpose. If the only defense and reasoning for choosing the word “utilize” over “use” is that the word conveys formality, this will cause an audience to be frustrated (especially an audience of writers). Faculty Sponsor: KAYE ADKINS
Hall, Kristin. BEST PRACTICES FOR COMIC-STYLE INSTRUCTIONS IN TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION.
My paper explores strategies for creating
effective comic-style instructions. Comic-style
instructions are a relevant topic of conversation
within the technical communication field. Many
companies have even presented technical
instructions in a comic-style format. Because of
the increasing relevance and many benefits of
comic-style instructions, I wanted to outline
guidelines individuals could refer to if they were
ever responsible for creating these types of
instructions. By analyzing the design and layout
of Howtoons, a popular step-by-step comic
instruction series, I was able to provide concrete
examples of practices to implement and avoid when
creating comic-style instructions. Faculty Sponsor: DR. KAYE ADKINS
Pendleton, Cami. USE OF TECHNICAL WRITING IN LOCALIZATION AND MARKETING RELEVANCE.
This qualitative analysis examines localization
and marketing relevance in iTunes’ market. In this
study, I compare and contrast methodologies used
to target specific audiences and cultures, seeing
how culture can be studied within a marketing
context. I research the use of technical writing,
localization, and marketing relevance by using
iTunes’ various international interfaces and delve
into its translation and appearances. This study
shows how technical writers communicate
effectively to a specific audience – whether
international or local – while taking into account
the geographical and cultural factors into
marketing relevance. Faculty Sponsor: KAYE ADKINS
Empirical Projects
Dennis, Meranda. DIGITAL DOCUMENTATION RECOGNITION.
My poster is about how you take a document and
\r\n\\r\\n\\\\r\\\\ntransform it into a digital
document. \r\nFor \\r\\nexample,
\\\\r\\\\nRoboHelp11 is a tool used \r\nto take
\\r\\ndocuments and \\\\r\\\\nmake them easily
\r\nread in topics \\r\\ninstead of a busy
\\\\r\\\\ntext \r\ndocument. RoboHelp11 \\r\\nalso
gives you the \r\n\\\\r\\\\nability to view the
\\r\\ndocument in \r\ndifferent ways
\\\\r\\\\nwith using mobile \r\n\\r\\ndevices. It
explains the \\\\r\\\\ndifference \r\nbetween a
\\r\\nwritten document vs a digital
\r\n\\\\r\\\\ndocument in \\r\\nterms of design
and what \r\ndifferences \\\\r\\\\npeople
\\r\\nlook for. Faculty Sponsor: DR. KAY ADKINS
Literature Reviews
Lundy, Samantha . EDITING:THE NEED TO KNOW FOR TECHNICAL WRITERS.
Editing is often a field that is taken for granted
by writers. Students preparing for their future
careers are often unaware of the responsibilities
that this career entails. There are specific
skills that an editor must be able to hone to be
successful. The purpose of my research was to
inform young technical communicators the skills
needed to be successful as a technical editor. Faculty Sponsor: KAYE ADKINS
McGrath, Taylor. UNITING THE POLICE FORCE WITH BLACK COMMUNITIES: AN ANALYSIS OF EFFECTIVE RHETORICAL STRATEGIES.
Through analysis of situational context and rhetorical strategies the police force has used to date in response to the Black Lives Matter movement, it can be determined which strategies are successful and which should be improved upon. Faculty Sponsor: DR. KAYE ADKINS
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH PE AND RECREATION
Empirical Projects
Roberts, Cooper; Rieth, Andrew, Chohon, Jordan. THE DIFFERENCE IN KNOWLEDGE ABOUT CONCUSSIONS COMPARING CONTACT AND NON-CONTACT COLLEGIATE ATHLETES.
Concussions are a growing problem as an
estimated 3.8 million sport-related concussions
take place annually. Research suggests that in
contact sports where concussions are more
frequent, athletes may be more educated than
non-contact sports where they are less frequent
in regards to knowledge of concussion symptoms.
However, little research has directly compared
these athletes to determine knowledge
differences. The purpose was to determine the
difference in knowledge of concussions between
contact and non-contact sport collegiate
athletes. Participants were 47 NCAA Division II
athletes and were comprised of 20 contact-sport
athletes and 27 non-contact sport athletes. All
participants completed a survey measuring
general knowledge of concussion signs and
symptoms, prevention, and recovery. Results
indicated a significant group difference (t
(45) =3.31, p<.002), indicating that contact
sport athletes had higher general knowledge
concerning concussions and symptoms. Faculty Sponsor: WILLIAM RUSSELL
Internship/Practicum Experience
Cairns, Melissa. ACE ADVENTURE RESORT INTERNSHIP.
This poster describes the internship I completed
at Ace Adventure Resort in West Virginia. Ace is
the largest outdoor adventure resort in North
America, and while I spent my internship as a
white water rafting guide, I also worked behind
the scenes with management to learn what it takes
to effectively run a large business. I was able to
help organize large events like Ace’s three day
music festival as well as manage everyday tasks
like creating work schedules. Working at Ace
allowed me to take what I had learned in the
classroom and apply it in the working world Faculty Sponsor: DR. OAKLEAF
DEPARTMENT OF HONORS
Analytical Papers and Analyses
Mills, Laine; Hoover, Cole; Mountain, Shane. GLOBAL AMPHIBIAN DECLINE SURVEY.
Our presentation reflects on a survey we conducted
on students' knowledge of global amphibian
decline. It includes a brief background, methods,
results, and suggestions on how to increase
awareness on this important issue. Faculty Sponsor: MARK MILLS
Literature Reviews
Watson, Chris; Macwilliams, Jackson; Berten, Hunter. CHYTRID FUNGUS AND ITS IMPACTS ON AMPHIBIANS OF MISSOURI.
This poster will describe chytrid fungus and its
effects on amphibian populations- in particular
for amphibian populations in Missouri. The
symptoms of chytridiomycosis will be discussed,
why these symptoms are deadly to amphibians, how
it affects the average individual, and the
mortality rates of amphibians in affected areas
with an emphasis on local populations. Faculty Sponsor: MARK MILLS
DEPARTMENT OF NURSING
Empirical Projects
Myers, Randi M.; Petit, Ashley M.; King, Kristin A.; Roell, Victoria R.;Black, Lauren N.. THE INFLUENCES OF PERSONALITY, AND COPING STRATEGIES ON OLDER PEOPLE??S ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION.
The purpose was to exam the influences of coping strategies and personality on older people’s anxiety and depression. There were 52 older people were recruited from community. The mean age was 68.48. The following variables had significant relationships with older people’s anxiety: depression and emotional focused engagement coping. The following variables had significant relationships with older people’s depression: emotional focused engagement coping and positive personality. The question 10 “I tend to blame myself” had significant positive relationships with Anxiety, Depression, and Suicidal Ideation. The question 8 “I tackle the problem head on” had a significant negative relationship with Depression. Faculty Sponsor: PI-MING YEH
Pace, Rachel C.; Horn, Amy B.; Alonazi, Mona T.; King, Heather D.; Reeder, Megan D. . THE INFLUENCES OF FAMILY INTERACTION AND SPIRITUAL WELL-BEING ON THE OLDER PEOPLE DEPRESSION.
The purpose of this study was to examine the influences of family interaction and spiritual well-being on the older people’s anxiety and depression. The mean age was 68.48. Spiritual Well-being was the significant predictor of older people’s anxiety. Higher score of spiritual well-being was found to predict decreasing older people’s anxiety. Harsh Discipline Family Interaction and Spiritual Well-being were the significant predictors of older people’s depression. Higher score of Spiritual Well-being was found to predict decreasing older people’s depression. Higher score of Harsh Discipline by their Family was found to predict increasing the level of older people’s depression. Faculty Sponsor: PI-MING YEH
Makenzie Ramsey, Angel Sands, Brenna Smith, Kara Streebin. THE BENEFITS OF DOG THERAPY ON VETERANS WITH POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER.
Post-traumatic stress disorder is a mental health
condition that results from traumatic exposure. It
is significantly common, especially amongst war
veterans. Animal therapy has been used for several
years to assist individuals with disabilities;
there is increasing evidence on the use of dog
therapy to improve mental health symptoms,
however, there is limited empirical evidence
supporting this area of interest currently.
Evidence suggests that contact and connection with
animals, dogs in particular, can be effective in
regulating negative hormone release during these
times of crisis. This discovery can help us
understand why dog therapy could be effective in
providing long term support for our soldiers. Faculty Sponsor: JULIE BALDWIN
Literature Reviews
Allington, Stacie; Chilton, Kimberly; King, Shannon. LIFE AFTER ZIKA: MEDICAL CARE OF NEONATES BORN AFTER AN INTRAUTERINE ZIKA INFECTION.
Using the ACE star model, a systematic review of
Zika was performed identifying the implications of
an intrauterine infection on neonates and
healthcare requirements to treat complications.
Possible complications include microcephaly,
cerebral calcifications, hydrocephalus; and vision
and auditory abnormalities. Diagnostics include
head circumference measurement; cranial imaging
and pressure monitoring techniques;
ultrasonography; and developmental, neurological,
and ophthalmic evaluations. Neonates require an
interdisciplinary team including a neurologist,
ophthalmologist, audiologist, endocrinologist; and
speech, physical, and occupational therapist.
Suggestions for improving healthcare outcomes
include advanced screening for all neonates born
to areas with active Zika infections, development
of a vaccine, and improved practice integration. Faculty Sponsor: JILL MORSBACH
Allington, Stacie; Chilton, Kimberly; King, Shannon. LIFE AFTER ZIKA: MEDICAL CARE OF NEONATES BORN AFTER AN INTRAUTERINE ZIKA INFECTION.
Using the ACE star model, a systematic review of
Zika was performed identifying the implications of
an intrauterine infection on neonates and
healthcare requirements to treat complications.
Possible complications include microcephaly,
cerebral calcifications, hydrocephalus; and vision
and auditory abnormalities. Diagnostics include
head circumference measurement; cranial imaging
and pressure monitoring techniques;
ultrasonography; and developmental, neurological,
and ophthalmic evaluations. Neonates require an
interdisciplinary team including a neurologist,
ophthalmologist, audiologist, endocrinologist; and
speech, physical, and occupational therapist.
Suggestions for improving healthcare outcomes
include advanced screening for all neonates born
to areas with active Zika infections, development
of a vaccine, and improved practice integration. Faculty Sponsor: JILL MORSBACH
Abstract
The purpose of this cross-sectional study was
to measure the prevalence of compassion fatigue
using the ProQOL 5 survey among licensed nurses
in Northwest Missouri. This study determined if
age range, length of experience in nursing, and
gender influenced compassion fatigue. Surveys
were distributed to a sample of convenience
(n=120) with a response rate of 119 (99.17%).
The participants of the study were primarily
female (n=104, 87.39%), male (n=15, 12.61%),
18-35 years old (n=51, 42.86%), >36 years old
(n=68, 57.14%), <5 years in practice (n=47,
39.50%), 5-15 years in practice (n=42, 35.29%)
and >15 years in practice (n=30, 25.21%).
Overall, the results of this study showed that
there was no statistically significant
correlation between gender, age or years of
practice related to compassion fatigue (p=.05)
indicating that all nurses are at risk for
compassion fatigue.
Faculty Sponsor: CRYSTAL HARRIS
The nursing profession requires great demand on the nurse from nursing school until they retire. After a nurse is exposed to this stressful environment for too long the nurse can experience “burnout syndrome”. Burnout syndrome is defined as a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion that occurs when work environments are continuously overwhelming (Fradelos 2014). Organizations are coming to terms with this and are working towards preventing it. Co Workers are encouraged to talk to each other about their work and go to conferences about burnout. These interventions are being started at healthcare facilities as it continues to spread. Faculty Sponsor: HEATHER KENDALL
Cluck, Katie; Corkery, Kelsey; Harr, Carsyn; Glover, Matthew. OBTAINING HEALTH INFORMATION AS AN OLDER ADULT.
The goal of this study is to recommend guidelines that give suggestions to change current practice and the research that is used for elderly to evaluate their health care knowledge to improve their health care status. With having the adequate amount of information, elderly can maintain a healthy lifestyle and live independently. Health care providers must promote sufficient communication among patients, so they are comprehending their own health. Information transmitted must be current, accurate, pertain to the individual's needs, be given by authorities who are experienced professionals, and from credible sources. Faculty Sponsor: MACHELLE SKINNER, MSN, RN, CEN ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
Scheduled vaccinations lower the chances of
mortality rates from infectious diseases. “When
children are not administered vaccinations
according to the recommended schedule, they not
only fail to receive timely protection from
preventable diseases at a time when they are most
vulnerable, but also increase their risk of never
fully completing the vaccination course.”(Guerra,
2007). We will identifying reasons why parents
delay vaccinations. These reasons can include; the
timing in which the parents receive the
vaccination information, parent preferences,
illnesses, premature infant guidelines, social
media, the fear that vaccinations are linked to
autism and where the parent education comes from. Faculty Sponsor: JILL MORSBACH
This analysis of previously documented investigations into the influencing factors that produce self-neglect in the elderly demonstrates there are several causes that lead elders to become self-neglecting and how to mitigate the disorder. Self-neglect is poorly defined and limited in research to help eradicate the problem. The articles that were reviewed had a general theme for a definition of self-neglect as behaviors that may be caused by a mental or physical inability to provide oneself with the basic needs of food, shelter, good hygiene and a safe environment, thus creating an endangerment of their own health and mortality. The study utilized both the secondary and primary methods of data collection whereby desk research was carried out. Examination of the literature shows there are numerous factors that contribute to self-neglect with the predominate factors being cognitive impairment, social isolation, depression, financial challenges, and old age. This phenomenon is increasing healthcare cost, increasing mortality rate for these individuals and is in urgent need of further research to educate the healthcare system and find a resolution. Faculty Sponsor: GRETCHEN QUENDSTEDT-MOE
Hayes, Allie;Campbell,Mikaela; Albright, Nik; Barron, Hannah; Jones, Kyra. MUSIC FOR THE MIND.
Music therapy is one method used with patients to help minimize depression and anxiety in older adults. Music expresses ideas and emotions through melody and rhythm and is something people can relate to. Case studies were done to collect data and evaluate the effects of music therapy on the older adult population depression and anxiety. In these studies, the John Hopkins model is used to help nurses make good healthcare decisions. Findings collected from the studies could help implement a non-pharmacological method that could benefit the quality of life of nursing home residents in all clinical settings.
Faculty Sponsor: CRISTI CAMPBELL
DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY
Analytical Papers and Analyses
Arthur, Kate; Hernandez, Beth; Sanders, Jasmine; Shellenberger, Jordan; Snelling, Crystal; Walter, Jessie. HOW PERSONALITY OF PARENTS AFFECTS INFORMATION SEEKKNG.
Our purpose is to explore how information-seeking behavior of
parents with young children relates to personality types. We
analyzed results from three surveys: The Big Five Personality
survey, information-seeking survey, and demographics survey.
Fifty-one parents from Northwest Missouri have completed this
survey. Multiple linear regression was used to predict
participants’ wanting information about nutrition based on their
personality characteristics. A significant regression (F (1, 42) =
4.64, p< .05) with an R2 of .102. The correlation of -.32 (p<
.01) indicates that participants lower in agreeableness
searched for more information about nutrition. Mixed-design
ANOVAs with parent age (2 levels) and parent education (2
levels) and within-subject’s information type (5), information
source (5), and ways to acquire information (5) found no
significant between-subject’s effects. All three analyses
showed significant within-subjects effects. We will present a
chart showing these differences. Our target audience were
parents of young children. Majority of our participants were
middle class, Caucasian mothers. Further research is
recommended to explore how and what parents want to know
for early childhood education by demographics and whether
personality plays a role in information-seeking. Faculty Sponsor: TEDDI DEKA
Arthur, Kate; Hernandez; Beth; Sanders, Jasmine; Shellenberger; Snelling, Crystal; Walter, Jessie. HOW PERSONALITY OF PARENTS AFFECTS INFORMATION SEEKING ABSTRACT.
In conjunction with the Education Empowers Early Childhood
Action Team, we explored what types of information parents of
young children want to know, how they seek it, and who they
turn to as resources. We also looked at their personalities and
whether this changed how much information they sought.
Using mixed-design ANOVAs (n = 51), we found that parents
wanted to know most about kindergarten readiness, used
Google as a search source, and preferred receiving
information from medical professionals. There were some
differences in information-seeking with agreeableness and
extroversion levels. Faculty Sponsor: TEDDI DEKA
Jamison Koethe, Jordan Shellenberger, Jasmine Sanders, Beth Hernandez, Kate Arthur. HOW PERSONALITY OF PARENTS AFFECTS INFORMATION SEEKING .
Our purpose is to explore how information-seeking behavior of
parents with young children relates to personality types. We
analyzed results from three surveys: The Big Five
Personality survey, information-seeking survey, and
demographics survey. Fifty-one parents from Northwest
Missouri have completed this survey. Multiple linear regression
was used to predict participants’ wanting information about
nutrition based on their personality characteristics. A
significant regression (F (1, 42) = 4.64, p< .05) with an R
2 of .102. The correlation of -.32 (p< .01) indicates that
participants lower in agreeableness searched for more
information about nutrition. Mixed-design ANOVAs with parent
age (2 levels) and parent education (2 levels) and within-
subject’s information type (5), information source (5), and
ways to acquire information (5) found no significant between-
subject’s effects. All three analyses showed significant within-
subjects effects. We will present a chart showing these
differences. Our target audience were parents of young
children. Majority of our participants were middle class,
Caucasian mothers. Further research is recommended to
explore how and what parents want to know for early
childhood education by demographics and whether personality
plays a role in information-seeking.
Keywords Personality, Parents, Information-Seeking, Children,
Big Five Faculty Sponsor: TEDDI DEKA
Empirical Projects
Sylvara, Ashley; Wikowski, Addie; Tieman, Kristen. VIOLENCE AND THE ACQUIRED CAPABILITY FOR SUICIDE IN MALE PRISONERS.
This study explored the relationship between
having a violent index crime (Yes or No) and the
Acquired Capability for suicide in incarcerated
men. Data were utilized from 343 male prisoners.
Results yielded no significant differences in any
aspect of Acquired Capability between the two
groups, except that participants convicted of
exclusively non-violent crimes had higher
Spectator Enjoyment of Violence subscale scores
than those with violent crimes. These results
suggest that being a perpetrator of violence does
not build acquired capability, and that having
been convicted of a violent crime may not be an
ideal indicator of suicide risk. Faculty Sponsor: MANDRACCHIA, JON
Autumn Waite, Abby Blackwell, Jessica McCoy, Melissa Rowlison, Tyler Hampton. VALIDITY OF SELF REPORT OF VIDEO GAMING EXPERTISE..
There is an abundance of video game research based on participants self- report. We wondered if the number of hours of play represented expertise. We engaged participants in playing a first person shooter game (Call of Duty: Black Ops). Participants played three sessions with increasing difficulty. They took a spatial cognition test, reported the number of hours they played per week and then rated their own video gaming expertise. The findings suggest that both self-report of expertise and the number of hours played per week are reliable in defining an video game playing expertise. Faculty Sponsor: DR. L. JO ELLIOTT
Waite, Autumn, Kriebs, Kathryn, Blackwell, Abby, McCoy, Jessica, Rowlison, Melissa, Hampton, Tyler. VALIDITY OF SELF REPORT OF VIDEO GAMING EXPERTISE.
There is an abundance of video game research based on participants self- report. We wondered if the number of hours of play represented expertise. We engaged participants in playing a first person shooter game (Call of Duty: Black Ops). Participants played three sessions with increasing difficulty. They took a spatial cognition test, reported the number of hours they played per week and then rated their own video gaming expertise. The findings suggest that both self-report of expertise and the number of hours played per week are reliable in defining an video game playing expertise. Faculty Sponsor: DR. L. JO ELLIOTT