Amari Allen, Morgan McQueen

This study investigates the disparities in access to critical resources, namely funding, facilities, and coaching staff, and their impact on the athletic performance of student-athletes in Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs) within the higher education landscape. To discern the nuanced experiences of student-athletes, a methodologically sound approach was employed, involving the creation of a Microsoft Form distributed to participants from both HBCUs and PWIs. Additionally, the research explores the perceived impact of resource disparities on athletes' training, competition experiences, and overall athletic performance. The integration of a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative data analysis with qualitative responses, allows for a comprehensive understanding of the multifaceted dynamics shaping the athletic landscape in higher education. This research contributes valuable insights to the ongoing discourse on equity within collegiate athletics, providing evidence-based observations that can inform policy decisions and strategic initiatives aimed at leveling the playing field for student-athletes across diverse institutional contexts.By centering the voices of student-athletes in this exploration of resource access, the study seeks to advocate for more inclusive practices, fostering an environment where all athletes, regardless of institutional affiliation, can thrive and compete on an equitable basis. 

Emily Lubag, Sarah Bergeron, Aimee Hollander, Margaret Franzen, Gina Vogt, Theodore Alivio, Abby Adams

Undergraduate chemistry students are often taught to represent three-dimensional microstructures with two-dimensional drawings, although they are often not fluent in converting between the different representations. Data has shown that when students are provided with and interact with three-dimensional molecular models, they develop a better understanding of molecules, and therefore their ability to differentiate between the various two-dimensional models improves. At Nicholls State University we sought to first establish the fundamental molecular misconceptions students have in an introductory college chemistry course. Misconceptions were evaluated through student water drawings before, during, and after instruction over the course of one semester. A rubric was created to assess and monitor student responses. Student misconceptions were divided into the following categories: the particle nature of water; atomic composition (number and type of atoms); molecular shape; and molecular polarity. Students in the Nicholls introductory chemistry courses: CHEM 105, 106, and 109 were evaluated.  For comparison, students in Biochemistry I, a 400-level class, were also evaluated. Future work aims to continue the implantation of molecular models into classroom instruction and further analyze the effects of student model use on student molecular misconceptions.

John Doucet, Christian Langlois

Speculation about the possibility of life beyond Earth dates back to antiquity.  Only in the 21st century have scientists applied sufficiently advanced chemical and spectral technology to identify with atomic certainty extraterrestrial molecules of biological significance.  Signatures of amino acids, ribose and other sugars, glycolaldehyde, ammoniated salts, dimethylsulfoxide, phosphine, various nucleobases, aliphatic molecules, and even peptides, have recently been identified from meteorites, comets, and planetary atmospheres.  Amid accelerating discovery, including anticipation of laboratory identification of molecules captured in situ from the Bennu meteor in 2023, curation of molecular information becomes paramount for both current understanding and improving (and assuring) technology and search missions.  Toward that end, we have conducted a survey of recently discovered astrobiochemicals and curated information on molecular type, biological significance, discovery locus, discovery technology, space mission, and peer-reviewed reporting.  Our work anticipates international collection of such information in a field we hereby name “cosmomics.”