Original Research

Kalle Allison, Samantha Thomas, "Coping Strategies"

The purpose of this study is to investigate the ways in which high levels of stress affect college students’ choice of coping strategies. Thus, the study aims to build upon previous research by analyzing stress levels after previous successful matches between coping strategy and social environment; specifically, to a turning point in the relationship between coping strategies/techniques and academic burnout. Furthermore, this study extends prior research by not only examining levels of stress in a turning point of these students’ everyday lives but also coping strategies and academic burnout within a corresponding social context.

Ryan Ankersen, John Jennings, Bennett Sigue, Julian Sparks, Joshua Shelton, "Measuring Partisan Bias in Redistricting"

Our research looks at measuring partisan bias in the US House of Representatives district maps, and how it relates to redistricting states. Our research aims to quantify biases in these maps, commonly referred to as partisan gerrymandering.

Trevor Doucet, Joshua Griener-Hickey, "A Perception of the National Football League"

To build a championship caliber team in the National Football League, a general manager and his scouting department must be able to evaluate players and then value each prospect’s attributes properly. Unfortunately, for most general managers, valuation is hard, if not close to impossible. Our research attempts to bridge the gap between evaluation and valuation by using data analytics to find important attributes for success. Once a general manager properly values a player’s attributes, he will have to pay the player. We also attempt to bridge the “valuation gap” by using analytics to determine which positions are more important to pay and how much each should be paid. By using analytics, we will project future success, bridge the gap between evaluation and valuation, and offer a new approach at building a franchise in the National Football League.

Raquel Galiano, "Effects of Priming National Egalitarianism and Dominance in the Presence of a National Symbol and its Effect on One’s Moral Judgments, Gender Role Beliefs, and Interpersonal Connectedness"

The overall purpose of the current study is to examine the way in which primed attitudes of egalitarianism and dominance in the presence of the U.S. flag (or with no flag exposure) will affect an individual’s moral judgments, gender role beliefs, and interpersonal connectedness to minority groups. It is hypothesized that participants exposed to dominance words as well as the U.S. flag will display more conservative views including harsher moral judgments, stricter gender roles, and less of a connection to groups whose background differ from their own. Contrastingly, it is hypothesized that participants shown egalitarian words without the U.S. flag will demonstrate more liberal social views such as more lenience with moral judgment, less conformity to gender roles (i.e. higher levels of feminism), and a greater sense of connectedness with people of minority groups and people who differ from them. Based on a power analysis of 80% power using the program G*Power 3, 158 participants (i.e. undergraduate students at Spring Hill College) were needed in order to achieve a medium effect size. Participants were randomly assigned to groups that were primed with either egalitarian-related or dominance-related words in addition to either the U.S. flag or no flag before beginning the questionnaires. Control groups lacked the U.S. flag, dominance/egalitarian-related words, or both. Participant responses were measured using the Moral Foundations Questionnaire, the Gender Roles Beliefs Scale, and the Inclusion of Self in Others Scale. A 2x3 factorial analysis of variance will be used to analyze data. Predicted results smaller effects caused by the independent variables, but larger correlations shown between participant responses and participant demographics.

Taylor Glattke, "Analysis of an Unknown Spice Mixture"

An unknown mixture of spices was analyzed using a variety of methods, including High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), GC-MS (Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry), and Solid Phase Microextraction (SPME). The purpose of this research project was to determine the identity of the individual spices that were contained within the unknown mixture. This first required research of common spices typically found in the same type of mixture (pork rub). An identifying compound of each spice was then determined. For example, the common spice, cinnamon, has an identifying compound of cinnamaldehyde. Store bought versions of the individual spices were analyzed using HPLC and GC-MS in order to develop useful methods for identifying the spice in the overall mixture. These results were then confirmed by testing the pure standards of the identifying compound. Analysis of the unknown mixture showed the presence of cinnamon, turmeric, and cumin. Further research includes the use of SPME to sample the headspace of the mixture for additional volatile compounds.

Lizzie Griffith, "How Does the Sex of the Victim and Type of Trauma Impact Attitudes and Trait Assessment of the Victim?"

his study assessed social factors that influence responses to trauma victims. Specifically, this study aimed to determine if the type of trauma or sex of the victim affect how participants evaluate the victim and how participants respond emotionally to victims. Previous research offers that culture and environment greatly affect social attitudes towards others with adverse experiences or situations (Bunis, Yancik, & Snow, 1996). Further, personal biases and degree of understanding of a situation are key determinants in any assessment of the situation (Tobin, Osika, & McLanders, 2014). As such, it was first hypothesized that participants would rate female victims more favorably than male or unspecified-gender victims; second, it was hypothesized that ratings would be more favorable for victims of criminal violence than for victims of natural disaster or sexual assault. It was further hypothesized that participants would report more negative affect in response to victims of sexual assault or criminal violence than to victims of natural disaster. A power analysis revealed that 196 students were needed to achieve 80% power at a medium effect size. 200 participants responded to a pen-and-paper questionnaire; participants first read a short vignette about a trauma victim and then responded to measures that assessed victims’ perceived likeability and participants’ positive and negative emotions towards victims. A 3 (sex of trauma victim:male /female/unspecified) x 3 (type of trauma:criminal violence/natural disaster/sexual assault) between-subjects factorial analysis was conducted to determine how social factors influence responses to trauma victims. Results revealed no significant main effect of trauma type or victim sex on overall evaluations of victims. There was also no significant main effect of trauma type or victim sex on positive affect. There was a significant effect of trauma type on reported negative affect; that is, participants in sexual assault conditions reported more feeling more negatively than participants in criminal violence or natural disaster conditions.

Ben Spotswood, "Possible Determinants of the Federal Funds Rate in the New Era: A Closer Look After The Great Recession of 2008"

The Federal Funds Rate (FFR) is perceived to be the benchmark short-term interest rate that affects all other interest rates in the U.S. economy. Ben Bernanke (former Chairman of the Fed) and Alan Blinder emphasized the critical influences the FFR has on the economy, and in their words, “The Federal Funds Rate is markedly superior to monetary aggregates and to most other interest rates as a forecaster of the economy” (1992). That is to say, it affects the stock market, causes fluctuations in overall price-levels, and plays a prominent role in the Fed’s determination of monetary policy, among other things. The target FFR is directly linked to price stability, which is one of the three primary goals of the FOMC; others include achieving maximum employment and moderate long-term interest rates.

In short, the Taylor rule was considered as a systematic way of determining the FFR by the Fed. The rule has been utilized to adjust the nominal FFR in response to the gap between real and trend gross domestic product (GDP) and the difference between the inflation rate and the target inflation rate set by the Fed (Kohn, 2007). The purpose of this research is to illustrate that the rule is no longer a viable tool in determining as well as explaining the FFR, especially after the Great Recession of 2008. No one is exactly sure what the Fed utilizes when determining the FFR; however, this research attempts to find which variables the FOMC closely monitors when agreeing on a target FFR.

Molly Magrath, Mauna Rao, "Potential Targets for Ebola Virus Infection"

The hemorrhagic fever which follows infection by Ebola virus has a jarring lack of treatment options despite a 50% fatality and an incidence of >100 cases per 100,000 population (CDC). Currently there are not approved treatment options for Ebola, though vaccines and medications are being researched. Ebola is contracted from animal to human contact, and then via human-human interactions. Ebola spreads throughout the body when receptors on a cell membrane attach to glycoproteins on the Ebola virus allowing it to be enveloped by the cell. Once inside the cell, the virus replicates and is released to infect new cells. The virus evades immune detection due to the human cell coat around the virus. The primary problem with treating or controlling Ebola is that there are no current treatments – the only defense against Ebola at the moment is intervention. These include isolation of the infected, safe burials, good laboratory services, and strict surveillance of affected communities. In the future, there is hope that the replication mechanisms and the glycoproteins involved could be targeted to impede viral replication.

Elinor Mallon, Jacob Morris and Joseph Nolan, "Ecotoxicology of BPA and its effect of chara stonewort"

A toxicology study was conducted to test the effects of Bisphenol A (BPA) on the net primary productivity of light and dark reactions of Stonewort (Chara stonewort). The research was under controlled environments and occurred during the 2017-2018 academic year. The effects of BPA was observed by measuring dissolved oxygen. A 66% and 30% decrease in productivity was observed in light and dark reactions, respectively. A decrease in cellular respiration and photosynthesis was observed as a result of exposure to BPA. This provides many environmental implications and further testing opportunities

Kenny Ross, "Differences in Attitudes and Perceived Dangerousness based on Labeling High or Low Functioning Individuals as "Intellectually Disabled" or "Mentally Retarded"

The purpose of the current study is to examine differences in attitudes and perceived dangerousness based on whether an individual with intellectual disability has their illness referred to as "intellectual disability" or "mental retardation" when describing them. It is hypothesized that attitudes would be more positive and perceived dangerousness would be lower toward an individual who is labeled as "intellectually disabled" than towards an individual who is labeled as "mentally retarded." It is also hypothesized that attitudes would be more positive and perceived dangerousness would be lower toward individuals exhibiting a high-level of functioning than individuals exhibiting a low-level of functioning. Finally, it is hypothesized that the more prior exposure to and the more positive experiences with individuals with intellectual disabilities, the higher the attitudes and the lower the perceived dangerousness a person would have toward individuals with intellectual disabilities. Intellectual disability has recently replaced mental retardation as the term to describe individuals with developmental disabilities (Ford, Acosta, & Sutcliffe, 2013). Individuals with intellectual disability started the movement, with some individuals citing that the word "retard" derived from mental retardation was used as a form of mockery towards them (Friedman, 2016). However, according to Salvador-Carulla and Bertelli (2008), there is still an ongoing debate on using the term intellectual disability, as there is no information on whether or not "intellectual disability" is less stigmatizing than "mentally retarded." Therefore, the current study plans to explore the attitudes and perceived dangerousness towards the two terms from an experimental perspective.

Eleanor Seiter and Hannah Soileau, "Eating Disorders: An Archival Analysis of Male Symptomatology"

Most of the research on Eating Disorders focuses on the experiences of women. Given that both women and men suffer from Eating Disorders, we conducted research to investigating whether Eating Disorders present differently for men. The overall goal of this study is to uncover any trends among males diagnosed with Eating Disorders. An archival analysis was conducted examining personal narratives of men who disclosed their experiences online. We assessed recurring trends in pre-indicators, current symptoms, and manifestation. It should be noted that the maladaptive thoughts and behaviors among Eating Disordered males might manifest differently due to gendered socialization, especially around well-being and mental health concerns.

Courtney Willamor, "Christmas Jubilee Demographic Segmentation"

This study examined the Facebook analytics and collected the event demographics of the Junior League of Mobile’s 33rd Annual Christmas Jubilee. Social media has become a significant platform used for advertising and demographics have been used to help organizations target a specific audience. The purpose of this study was to collect and compare the demographics from the event to the Facebook analytics in order to determine if the analytics are an accurate representation of the actual event demographics. It was examined through the lens of Altman and Taylor’s (1973) social penetration theory to determine answers to this research question: how will the Facebook page analytics and the event’s actual demographics compare? Once paper surveys were collected from the event, the researcher analyzed the data through the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The results from this study showed that the event demographics did not directly reflect the Facebook analytics.