English

Compassionate Visibility: Reimagining Disability in Sarah Scott's Millenium Hall*

In this presentation, I argue that Sarah Scott’s portrayal of disability in Millenium Hall offers an empathic, humanized treatment of disability by combining emotional care with logic and reason rather than portraying sentimentalized suffering. Although many eighteenth-century novels portray extreme suffering of persons through sentimental techniques, Scott notably refuses to emphasize the suffering of the disabled persons at Millenium Hall. The portrayal of disabled person’s extreme suffering in the sentimental novel can further isolate them from society because emphasis on suffering emphasizes their physical difference and turns the focus onto able-bodied people pitying the disabled person. To reform the sentimental perspective, Scott shows how ladies of Millenium Hall use a combination of logic and care to advocate for equality for the disabled. However, the narrator of Millenium Hall, Sir George Ellison, shifts the scene to focus on his admiration of the ladies’ “very extraordinary humanity” rather than the equitable treatment of disability the society creates. Ellison’s perspective questions the true nature of equality in the text since the focus seems to still remain on the women giving charity; however, I contend that Ellison’s character provides an example of the outside observer rather than the model viewpoint towards disability. The women of Millenium Hall more strongly understand the social position of the disabled persons than Ellison does, especially because many eighteenth-century beliefs thought of the female body as a deficient male body. This presentation will discuss Scott’s equitable treatment of disability through care, reason, and the women’s connection to the disabled persons, as well as the larger implications for eighteenth-century body politics.

Presenter(s): Anna Van Holland

Department/Division/Area: English

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Lisa Ann Robertson

Presentation Time: 9:00-9:15

The Writing Center as a Response to Anti-intellectualism and College Unpreparedness

An increasing number of students enter college unequipped to write and research at the level expected in their field of study. Students should not be blamed, however; current educational standards and sociopolitical climates do not encourage curiosity, searching for answers, and expressing understandings. Some K–12 systems tells students what and how to think without leaving room for disagreement. One answer is presented as the only possible solution, so students do not feel the need to interrogate and search for any other conclusions. Further, current culture encourages anti-intellectualism; that is, education, history, science, and literature are incredibly devalued and considered unnecessary because of their alleged impracticality. Through the deprecation of these subjects, anti-intellectualism further deems writing skills such as precision, argument structure and thought articulation as superfluous. When students begin to write in college, they feel attacked at multiple levels—not only do they feel unprepared to meet writing and research expectations, but they also lack confidence in themselves because they face these obstacles. Therefore, the Writing Center is charged to bridge the gap between high school and college-level writing and research standards. Writing Center consultants offer attention and care beyond the classroom through direct one-on-one sessions. These sessions cultivate critical skills, so students find confidence in acquiring, developing, and expressing knowledge. Neither excellent writing without good research, nor excellent research without good writing can stand alone. The Writing Center aids in finding balance and strengthening curiosity within students. It also remedies the disparity between present and expected skills and challenges anti-intellectualism.

Presenter(s): Ashley Knudtson

Department/Division/Area: English

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Michelle Rogge Gannon

Presentation Time: 9:15-9:30

From Page to Print: The Journey of Writing a Novel*

This presentation will chronicle the journey of writing and completing my debut fantasy novel, City of Beasts and Monsters, as the final thesis of my English-Creative Writing master's program. My oral presentation will briefly explore the process of crafting the novel, from its initial conception to its development into a fully realized manuscript. I will discuss the challenges and milestones encountered throughout this creative journey, shedding light on the complexities of writing a novel within the context of a graduate program. In addition to detailing the writing process, the presentation will reflect on my ongoing efforts to seek literary representation and navigate the often intricate path to publication. I will explore the steps I have taken to move beyond the confines of academia, emphasizing the practical and emotional aspects of transitioning from a student writer to an aspiring author. To provide a deeper connection to the novel, I will read an excerpt from City of Beasts and Monsters, offering insight into the world and characters that form the foundation of the story. This presentation aims to give a comprehensive overview of my creative journey, from thesis to manuscript, and the ongoing pursuit of literary representation, all while reflecting on the broader realities of entering the publishing industry. Ultimately, this work serves as both a personal reflection and a broader commentary on the persistence required to succeed in the literary field.

Presenter(s): Rebekah M Bahn

Department/Division/Area: English

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Leah McCormack

Presentation Time: 9:30-9:45

History

The Legacy of Creole and African Influence on Jazz in New Orleans

The multiple cultural influences among the community of New Orleans have laid the groundwork for the foundation of jazz through many distinctive characteristics within each culture. The multicultural influences created a unique dynamic within music. The culture within New Orleans has played an important role in shaping the genre of jazz to help serve as a cultural crossroad for diverse musical perspectives. To understand the concept of jazz music one must first begin to appreciate and recognize the abundant concepts among the diverse community of jazz musicians. Many historians have written books and articles regarding the creation of jazz through the intermixing of cultures. However, the Creole influence is often overlooked and overshadowed due to the common stereotypes of jazz being “black music.” The historiography of the effect of multiculturalism on jazz in New Orleans is important to understand the growth and development of the genre in America through the blending of cultures. I base my argument off of authors such as Henry A. Kmen, Sybil Kein, LeRoi Jones, and Ted Gioia. These authors and scholars provided me with the context of European, African, and Creole influence on music in New Orleans. I used my findings from the information found on the growth of jazz through the Africanization of American/European music, and continued my research into the more hidden Creole influence. The combined analysis allows for historians to understand the deep musical appreciation in southern communities through means of adaptation and resilience in the face of oppression.

Presenter(s): Isabella Purzol

Department/Division/Area: History

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Elise Boxer

Presentation Time: 9:00-9:15

Cowboy Image, Homomasculinity, and Community Building at the Gay Rodeo

While mainstream rodeo culture has traditionally reinforced white, heteronormative masculinity, gay rodeo emerged in the 1970s as a subversive yet celebratory space. Featuring events like steer decorating and wild drag race alongside traditional rodeo competitions, gay rodeo uniquely blends hypermasculinity with queer expressions of gender, playfully queering the cowboy archetype. Central to this study is the concept of homomasculinity, wherein gay men adopt exaggerated masculine traits to navigate societal expectations while simultaneously rejecting associations with femininity. This precarious balance between subversion and reinforcement of gender norms underscores the complexity of identity formation within queer spaces. Drawing from historiography, oral interviews, and cultural analysis, the paper explores how gay rodeo provided a haven for LGBTQIA+ individuals—especially during the AIDS epidemic when the community faced intensified discrimination and loss. The rodeo's community building efforts offered solidarity, joy, and resilience during a devastating period, transforming the rodeo into both a performance and a refuge. However, as societal acceptance of LGBTQIA+ identities has grown, the relevance of gay rodeo has waned, highlighting generational shifts in gender conceptualization and community needs. This study contributes to rodeo and queer historiography by emphasizing the gay rodeo's unique role in challenging and redefining masculinity within the American West. It examines not only the tensions between tradition and queerness but also the enduring legacy of gay rodeo as a space where marginalized identities could thrive, fostering kinship, identity, and resistance.

Presenter(s): Phoebe N Smith

Department/Division/Area: History

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Elise Boxer

Presentation Time: 9:15-9:30

“Wrapped in the American Flag”: Liberal Activism and Queer Political Organizing Post-1940s

Queer theory has taken on an intersectional, multidisciplinary approach. Immigration studies have embraced this approach, where academics discuss the role that sexuality plays in determining who is deemed worthy of being included in popular conceptions of the nation. How does this repression of immigrants influence the advocacy that Queer rights organizations engage in? By analyzing the United States Lavender Scare of the 1950s, this paper attempts to shed light on how the distinction between “American” and “Un-American” remains at the center of Queer rights advocacy. The heightened fear over the survival of the nation, along with the view of Queer immigrants as threats to the nation was used to tighten immigration restrictions, heightening scrutiny of Queer people entering the nation. This restriction, however, is complicated by existing prejudices against racial minorities and women. Queer rights groups began to rise to prominence during this time and mobilized against claims that they were anti-American or subversive deviants, working through the court system to achieve constitutional rights. What this strategy highlights, however, is that their advocacy for rights was based on a discourse of entitlement as patriotic citizens, which resulted in Queer immigrants, who were by their nature non-citizens, being neglected by these organizations. Even when rights groups did champion the cause of Queer immigrants, they selectively chose their cases to defend white men. Reflecting on publications from the Mattachine Society and One Magazine, the article argues that while early homophile organizations championed the cause of Queer rights, they were distinctly championing the cause of white male gay rights. This analysis reflects on the long-term implications of the shortcomings of liberal Queer rights discourses, the modern co-optation of Queer rights as a tool of Western hegemony, and the implications for the long-term staying power of recent Queer rights victories in the United States.

Presenter(s): Sam Markley

Department/Division/Area: History

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Elise Boxer

Presentation Time: 9:30-9:45 

Catch Rate of Prone Medicine Ball Drop Test in NCAA Division I Swimmers and Divers

Background/Purpose: The prone medicine ball drop test (PMBDT) has been used as a performance test in upper extremity athletes. This test counts the number of catches achieved from a prone position using a weighted ball over 30 seconds. Recently, the literature has proposed investigation of a shorter testing duration. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of time on catch rate for the PMDBT to determine optimal test duration.

Methods: Fifty-nine NCAA Division I swimmers and divers (mean age 19.46, SD 1.43, 54.2% female) completed the PMBDT. Individual sport history information was collected, and BMI was calculated from measured height and weight. Participants were positioned prone with their tested shoulder in 90° of abduction, elbow fully extended, and palm facing the floor. The number of catches were documented via digital lap counter and video recording. Catch rate was calculated every 5 seconds of the 30 second test duration. Descriptive statistics were utilized to define the population with one-way ANOVA and t-tests applied to compare participant demographics. A general linear model with repeated measures ANOVA was used to examine changes in catch rate across the six-time intervals between males and females.

Results: Participant age (p=.81), BMI (p=.87), and years of experience (p=.58) were not significantly different by sex. Catch rate changed significantly over the six intervals (p <.001), with a significant difference seen by sex (p<.001) and no interaction of time by sex (p=.34). Female participants demonstrate significant declines starting at 20 seconds (p=.01) while males demonstrate a more graded, yet significant decline between 10 seconds and 30 seconds (p=.01).

Discussion/Conclusion: These findings reveal that PMBDT performance is significantly influenced by time and athlete sex, with a 30 second duration necessary to capture fatigue effects.

Presenter(s): Cassidy Sayler, Brandon Fischer, Abbigail Badger, Brianna Johnson

Department/Division/Area: Physical Therapy

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Jed Droge

Presentation Time: 9:00-9:15

Reliability of RunScribe Inertial Measurement Units

Background: Running related injuries are common in running and are a reason for cessation for many athletes. Wearable inertial measurement units (IMUs) have increased in popularity for athletes, clinicians, and researchers. Wearable IMUs are capable of measuring various biomechanical factors including cadence, breaking forces, impact forces, contact time, vertical ground reaction force (GRF), pronation excursion, and maximum pronation velocity. Test-retest reliability is important to ensure that these variables are accurately and consistently reported from wearable IMUs. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the test-retest reliability of RunScribe IMUs based on the coefficient of variation (CV). Methods: Cross-country athletes at the University of South Dakota were invited to participate in research during the first week of training camp. Athletes were orientated to RunScribe IMU use and the team athletic trainer provided injury information weekly. CVs were used to assess test-retest reliability of RunScribe variables. Results: Ten subjects completed the study and were included in the final data analysis. The CV of cadence was 5.99 (95% CI 4.46-7.51), peak vertical GRF 17.31 (95% CI 10.62-24.01), braking forces 18.66 (95% CI 16.07-21.26), impact forces 23.31 (95% CI 19.71-26.90), pronation velocity 26.20 (95% CI 20.26-32.14), pronation 32.91 (23.84-41.97), and contact time 38.23 (95% CI 24.00-52.46).The only variable that was classified as having excellent reliability was the cadence. Braking forces and peak vertical GRF had very good reliability. Impact forces and maximal pronation velocity had acceptable reliability. While contact time and total pronation excursion had low reliability. Discussion: The RunScribe IMU can be trusted for the test-retest reliability of cadence, braking forces, and peak vertical GRF, while the other variables should be considered skeptically.

Presenter(s): Julie Fischer, Macy Schroedermeier, Jack Antonson, Parker Beers

Department/Division/Area: Physical Therapy

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Matt Dewald

Presentation Time: 9:15-9:30

Post-partum Sexual Function in Women with Delivery-Related Injuries to the Pelvic Floor

PURPOSE. The purpose of this research was to investigate the impact of intrapartum pelvic floor muscle trauma (PFT) on sexual function. The study analyzed the differences between groups of postpartum women with and without PFT, as well as changes over time. METHODS. This cohort study used validated surveys to gather information about the postpartum effects of PFT on domains of sexual function. Responses from 57 Midwestern women (27 with and 30 without PFT) were analyzed at T1 (2 months ± 1 week post) and T2 (6 months ± 1 week post). RESULTS. No between-group differences existed with placental issues, postpartum hemorrhage, prolapse, vaginal wall laceration, procedures/adjunct treatments, and lengths of hospital stay and labor. Sexual activity resumption increased from 70% to 89% (PFT) and 73% to 93% (no PFT) over time. Although PFT women reported lower sexual function and greater discomfort in almost all domains at both timepoints, the only between-group significant difference (P=0.006) was greater discomfort during sexual intercourse experienced among PFT women at T2. Over time, sexual function and discomfort associated with lubrication during intercourse significantly improved for all postpartum women. Women with no PFT also reported improvements over time in vulval and sexual activity discomfort. CONCLUSIONS. The data indicate that women with and without PFT experience impacts on postpartum sexual function. While sexual function and discomfort improved for all postpartum women, PFT women consistently reported lower sexual function and greater discomfort. Over time, women without PFT experienced improvements in a greater number of sexual function domains. The findings suggest that while PFT may influence postpartum sexual health, most measures improve with time, regardless of PFT status. PFT may affect the rate of return for aspects of overall sexual function over time. Further research is needed to explore contributing factors and potential interventions.

Presenter(s): Lexie Larsen, Peyton Groft, Hailey Pullman

Department/Division/Area: Physical Therapy

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Patti Berg-Poppe

Presentation Time: 9:30-9:45

Curriculum & Instruction

Connecting National and State Educational Standards to Minnesota K-12 Social Studies Learning Kits

Educational standards for K-12 curriculum provide a road map for student journeys through K-12 education. Standards allow for consistency across educational institutions by providing summaries of student learning in different content areas. These standards are important to prepare students for civic life through learning how to read, write and think critically. Educational standards allow students to engage in collaboration and problem-solving skills. I am currently interning at the Minnesota Historical Society in the Education Department. A team of educators has created learning kits (Dred and Harriet Scott, Ojibwe Shoulder Bag, American Indian Termination and Relocation, Data of the Progressive Era, Letters of the 19th Century, Mapping Community Change, Native Minnesota: Dakota & Ojibwe Homeland, Setting the Stage for Civil Rights, and War Photographs 1861-2011) for implementation in Social Studies, English Language Arts, Science and/or Arts classes. I am responsible for reading state and national standards in Social Studies, Language Arts, Science and Arts, and then aligning them with the learning kits. For the 2025 IdeaFest, I would like to highlight one learning kit and the process of aligning state and national standards to the lessons. This presentation will show all the education major students at USD how to create effective lessons by incorporating appropriate content standards.

Presenter(s): Sam Goldsmith

Department/Division/Area: Curriculum & Instruction

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Jing Williams

Presentation Time: 10:00-10:15

School of Education

The Power of a Meal

This presentation is seen as a way to teach children about food hunger across the world. It has been developed by future teachers in the School of Education working in the social science classroom. The Power of a Meal lesson plan addresses the real-world challenge of global hunger, and issues highlighted by the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal to end hunger, achieve food security, improve nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture. The lesson explores how food security is influenced by social class and status, particularly in relation to access to nutritious meals. With over 10% of the world’s population facing hunger in 2023, students will examine the causes of world hunger, such as conflict, gender biases, and food waste, while considering how environmental impacts, like waste and unsustainable agricultural practices, exacerbate the issue. Students will be tasked with researching this global issue, identifying potential solutions, and collaborating to develop a project that raises awareness about food security. This presentation and lesson is completed using the STEAM education approach.

Presenter(s): Haley Boulware, Teegan Henderson, Charles Schroeder, Jacob Squires

Department/Division/Area: School of Education

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Jing Williams

Presentation Time: 10:15-10:30

Counseling & Psychology in Education

ImPerfect Fits: Using Curvilinear Models to Investigate the Nuance of Perfectionism and Well-being*

Perfectionism is often conceptualized as encompassing perfectionistic strivings (PS) and perfectionistic concerns (PC), yet this division has often been criticized for oversimplifying how perfectionism is experienced by individuals. Partitioning perfectionism into its different components can be useful. However, to best gauge its impact on outcomes like well-being, we must consider the interplay between perfectionism dimensions (PS/PC), as their combined effects can provide a more comprehensive understanding of how perfectionism influences overall well-being. This study looks at the intricate dynamics between PC and PS (APSR) and their influence on well-being (PERMA).  It juxtaposes two analytical perspectives: a conventional linear interaction model and a nuanced curvilinear analysis.

Presenter(s): Hannah Faiman

Department/Division/Area: Counseling & Psychology in Education

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Harry Freeman

Presentation Time: 10:30-10:45

Rural Revolutionaries: How South Dakota Women Impacted the Legal Field and Changed Divorce Laws*

In the late nineteenth century, South Dakota gained a national reputation for being a leader in migratory divorce, due to a combination of liberal divorce grounds and a very short required residency period. Though the thoughts and experiences of the wealthy, high class women who came from out of state have been incorporated into the historical narrative, the stories of rural, South Dakota women have been ignored. The purpose of this project is to fill the holes in the narrative and determine the relationship between rural South Dakota women and divorce law. Through analyzing the Complaint, Answer and Opinion of the Court, we are able to grasp nineteenth century women’s understanding of the legal system, and the cultural factors, social norms, and religious customs by which it was framed. Additional analysis of newspaper articles, legislation, and cultural discussion of divorce demonstrate the impacts and opinions of divorce in South Dakota during this time period. These additional sources create the context needed to determine what women thought about the divorce process, and court, and how women may have positioned themselves in a legal system that was not created for them. The goal is to be able to demonstrate that South Dakota women framed their stories and positions in the legal system to purposely show themselves as in line with social expectations, and that this framing benefited the outcomes of their cases, as well as women's usage of the system influenced South Dakota divorce laws. This research will greatly contribute to women’s history, rural history, and midwestern history.

Presenter(s): Casey Abfalter-Dial

Department/Division/Area: History

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Molly Rozum

Presentation Time: 10:00-10:15

From Machines to Mass Media Magazines: The Construction of the Feminine Ideal in the Postwar Period

During the aftermath of World War II, parents were concerned with the rhetoric of progress and fostering of growth for their children. Embedded within women’s home magazines, paper dolls served as an educational tool for young children to enhance their relationship between society and self. For children, play served as a “pathway of experience” in which children could better comprehend their socially constructed self in relation to the larger situated culture. Playing with toys—specifically paper dolls—encouraged children to engage in construction, imagining, testing, refining, and tearing down structures or possibilities of identity. Such exploration and reconstruction of the self inherently forced adults to re-evaluate the normative values often imposed upon them by society. By examining McCall’s Magazine and the Betsy McCall paper doll collection within the context of the postwar period, construction of the female self may be explored. This paper explores and reveals the role magazines and consumer culture had on the construction of the sense of self. This research informs how institutionalized systematic forms of culture worked to suggest to women a particular ideal of womanhood: one that was often unattainable, submissive, and paradoxical to the mobilization efforts of women in the forties, fifties, and sixties. The media consumed by women and young girls’ toys suggest to developing girls a particular kind of submissive or “normative” subscription to the overarching civic norms of the era. Ultimately, popular women’s magazines, media advertisements, and paper dolls embedded within them offer an opportunity to converse about then popular culture and its influence on the socially constructed categories of girlhood and womanhood.

Presenter(s): Elisabeth G Kluin

Department/Division/Area: History

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): David Burrow

Presentation Time: 10:15-10:30

What is this Mud?: Women and their Pursuit of a Clean Cup of Coffee*

In 1896, women across the Great Plains engaged in a dialogue concerning the safety of manufactured food and methods for protecting their families. This uniquely recorded conversation within the agricultural newspaper, the Nebraska Farmer, demonstrates local women did voice concerns about food purity and were aware of the implications their self-education efforts and strategic boycotting could have on businesses and local agricultural economies. By examining and contextualizing the Nebraska Farmer newspaper and the women’s “Household” section within it, this research seeks to show the development of the Pure Food and Drug Movement on a local level in the U.S. West and deepen the historical narrative surrounding the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906. Historians exploring the 1906 Act have given much consideration to leadership at the national level, the process of passing the act through the U.S. Congress, and the lobbying efforts of individual industries; however, scholars have given less attention to the perceptions and development of the legislation in western states and from the point of view of the general public. When looking at women’s involvement in the movement, historians have only examined urban areas and the sentiments of national organizations. This limited examination of women’s concerns reflects mostly upper-class women’s ideas and leaves out the worries of women of lower socio-economic classes who could not just buy the safer and more expensive products like their wealthier counterparts could. The 1896 Nebraska Farmer dialogue provides a specific example involving the developing chicory refining business in Nebraska, which can be used to explore the fears and solutions women of lower socio-economic classes in rural areas had for dealing with manufactured food safety problems and how the desires for regulation within agricultural industries stemmed from both a want to reform markets and from consumer concerns at home.

Presenter(s): Rebecca H Hupp

Department/Division/Area: History

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Molly Rozum

Presentation Time: 10:30-10:45

Physical Therapy

Factors Impacting Student Success During Full-time Clinical Education Experiences From the Perspectives of Students, Recent Graduates, and Clinical Faculty

Background: Clinical education is essential for student physical therapists (SPTs) to develop key skills and competencies, with success relying on numerous factors such as preparedness, confidence, and effective communication. Clinical instructors (CIs) play a critical role in fostering student success; however, there is limited research from the perspectives of multiple stakeholders on what makes a clinical successful. Purpose: The purpose was to explore factors that influence student success during full-time physical therapy clinical education experiences from the perspectives of SPTs, recent graduates (RGs) from 2022-2024, and CIs. Methods: A non-experimental survey (invitation and 2 reminders) was administered to SPTs, RGs, and CIs across the U.S. Preliminary data analysis included descriptive statistics. Results: Of the surveys initiated, a total of 99/107 (92.52%) CIs and 58/79 (73.42%) SPTs/RGs completed the surveys. The average age of the SPTs/RGs and CIs was 25.83 and 42.02 years, respectively.  For the SPTs/RGs, the highest rated factor of importance for a first full-time clinical was “demonstrate polite, personable, engaging, and friendly behaviors” (9.50/10) and for a final clinical was “compliance with regulations related to patient privacy, confidentiality and security” (9.86/10). For the CIs, the highest rated skill of importance for a first clinical was “compliance with regulations related to patient privacy, confidentiality, and security” (9.63/10), while the highest rated skill for a final clinical was “adheres to ethical and legal standards of practice” (9.83/10). The top two ranked skills (1=highest; 10=lowest) regardless of the clinical timing were “interpersonal skills/communication” (3.33) and “ professionalism/ethical/legal” (3.36) for the SPTs/RGs. The CIs had the same 2 skills in reverse order with “professionalism/ethical/legal” (2.71) followed by “interpersonal skills/communication” (3.22). Discussion/Conclusion: The results of this study revealed the importance of several factors influencing SPT success and highlighted similar outcomes between CIs and SPTs/RGs regarding essential skills needed successful clinical education experiences.

Presenter(s): Madison Anderson, Chase Harmon

Department/Division/Area: Physical Therapy

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Joy Karges-Brown

Presentation Time: 10:00-10:15

The Impact of Cognitive Flexibility and Balance Training on Postural Control in Parkinson’s Disease.

People with Parkinson’s disease (PD) often experience both cognitive and motor impairments that contribute to balance deficits and increased fall risk. This study evaluated whether combining cognitive flexibility and balance training leads to greater improvements in postural control than either intervention alone. Additionally, it examined whether cognitive flexibility training alone could enhance balance in individuals with PD. Twelve participants were enrolled, with four assigned to one of three home-based training conditions: (1) cognitive flexibility and balance training, (2) cognitive flexibility training only, and (3) balance training only. Training occurred four times per week for six weeks. Cognitive flexibility and balance were assessed pre- and post-intervention using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Trail Making Test Part B, and the Mini-BESTest. Program adherence and participant satisfaction were also recorded. It is expected that the combined cognitive and balance training condition will produce the greatest improvements in both cognitive flexibility and postural control, highlighting the benefits of a multimodal approach. Additionally, it is anticipated that cognitive flexibility training alone will positively impact balance, reinforcing the connection between cognitive and motor function in PD. These findings will contribute to the growing evidence supporting integrated training strategies for fall prevention and functional independence in individuals with PD. Future research should explore long-term outcomes and optimal program design for incorporating cognitive training into balance rehabilitation.

Presenter(s): Madison Sundvold, Rylee Boyd, Grace Schuch, Jocelyn Krouse

Department/Division/Area: Physical Therapy

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Matt Leedom

Presentation Time: 10:15-10:30

Performance Outcomes of Older Racewalkers Associated with the Sustained Athlete Fitness Exam (SAFE)

Background: Increased participation in older adult competitive sports has led to a greater need to understand variables contributing to sport performance in this population. The purpose of this study is to identify subscales within the Sustained Athlete Fitness Exam (SAFE) associated with successful sport performance in National Senior Games (NSG) racewalkers. 

Methods: SAFE results from NSG racewalkers who completed testing between 2013-2024 as part of a larger study were compiled and aligned with publicly available race results for each participant. Participants were all registered as athletes in racewalking events (1500 m or 5K), consented to participate, were aged 50 years or older during the year of participation, and had publicly available competition results. 

Data Analysis: Descriptive statistics were used to report SAFE scores and subscales as well as performance success. Success was defined as a percentage of the NSG record by age and gender groups with multiple linear regression used to relate SAFE scores to performance success.

Results: Event success ranged from 49-106% (mean .79, SD .11). No significant difference in success was seen between event distance (p = 0.89). Composite SAFE scores ranged from 6-19 out of 20 with a mean (SD) of 13.08 (3.27). Higher SAFE scores were associated with greater success (p=.04). Cardiovascular fitness subscales (p&lt;.001), and muscular fitness subscales (p&lt;.001) were significantly associated with higher performance success particularly in the subset of muscular power (p&lt;.001). SAFE subscales of flexibility (p=.64), and balance (p=.25) were not associated with performance outcomes.

Discussion: Older athlete performance outcomes in competitive race walking are positively associated with SAFE scores and suggest that training focused on cardiovascular and muscular fitness may be most beneficial though further studies are needed to determine optimal training.

Conclusion: Older athlete racewalkers with superior cardiovascular fitness and muscular power are more likely to be successful in sport competition.

Presenter(s): Rachel R Brady, Tessa Burnham, Joseph Goetz, Mikhayla Haider

Department/Division/Area: Physical Therapy

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Becca Jordre

Presentation Time: 10:30-10:45

Curriculum & Instruction

A Case Study of Ungrading on Student Learning in Higher Education‡

While points or grades can be an external factor motivating students to learn, authentic learning happens when students are internally encouraged to pursue new knowledge and the unknown. Ungrading prompts students to become intrinsically motivated learners. Rather than grading students numerically, ungrading focuses on providing rich feedback and creating a partnership between students and educators in assessment; further, ungrading permits students with a stress-free environment that promotes exploration and engagement with course materials. With few classes currently offered through this model at the University of South Dakota (USD), what are some benefits for students enrolled in courses that adopt an ungraded system? Many teachers and researchers have reported positive impacts of ungrading in education, and these impacts fall into the following categories: (a) feedback-based assessment; (b) positive student-teacher interactions; (c) increased intrinsic motivation; and (d) mental health in an academic setting.

To analyze whether USD students have felt the benefits of ungrading, interviews have been conducted with professors and students currently participating in ungraded courses. These semi-structured interviews will reveal the results to be shared at IdeaFest 2025.

Presenter(s): Brooke Creviston

Department/Division/Area: Curriculum & Instruction

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Jing Williams

Presentation Time: 11:00-11:15

Exploring Sustainable Cities through the Finnish STEAM Model

STEAM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics. This presentation introduces the Finnish STEAM Education Model guided toward social studies content. This model establishes a pedagogical approach by “merging diverse subjects into broad, multidisciplinary learning entities with the help of technology” (STEAM in Oulu, n.d., p. 5). The main idea of the Finnish STEAM Education Model is to create a collaborative, experiential way of learning encompassing all subjects. This model incorporates a global integration into an educational model for all students. STEAM guides student inquiry and cultivates critical thinking in the classroom. The Finnish STEAM Model is centered around a learning objective and promotes student exploration of a given topic. The model can be broken down into interchangeable steps: tasks, background, ideation, planning, execution, and sharing. Students are able to build on collaboration with peers, real-world application, hands-on learning, and critical thinking skills. This study encompasses a lesson based on sustainable cities and communities, a United Nations Sustainable Development Goal. The primary focus of this lesson is a current project known as The Line, a futuristic sustainable city being built in Saudi Arabia. This lesson captures the essence of STEAM, inhibits student creativity, and contains real-world environmental considerations and practices.

Presenter(s): Hannah Tramp, Caidynce Woodley, Ranisha Gurung

Department/Division/Area: Curriculum & Instruction

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Jing Williams

Presentation Time: 11:15-11:30

Promoting Equitable STEAM Opportunities for Middle School Students Using Culinary Club as a Platform

Ample research has shown that, in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) field, females and non-white students are highly underrepresented. In order to bridge the gap in representation of students interested and well-versed in STEM, I redesigned my culinary club at my middle school by incorporating the Finnish STEAM education principles: inquiry-based, multidisciplinary approaches that aims to cultivate students’ innovative and critical thinking skills. The club's focus was to recruit underrepresented STEM groups to engage in a cooking competition while using STEAM principles. At this presentation, the audience will learn about STEAM education, its principles and how I applied it in my teaching endeavors.

Presenter(s): Ryan Rozeboom

Department/Division/Area: Curriculum & Instruction

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Jing Williams

Presentation Time: 11:30-11:45

Philosophy

Who’s Got Bureaucracy: A Comparison Between Max Weber’s and Friedrich Nietzsche’s Philosophies

Great philosopher’s ideas always come in threes. Hegel’s theory of alienation, Plato’s tripartite soul, and Descartes’ claims about what we get from the soul. However, there is little comparison or study comparing Max Weber’s three types of legitimation and Frederich Nietzsche’s three species of history. Despite their coexistence in Germany during the same time period and the likelihood that Weber did read Nietzsche’s works there is little comparison between the two great thinkers. This presentation, through readings of Nietzsche and Weber, attempts to bridge this academic gap by comparing them as theorists of social life. Nietzsche and Weber’s popular works are primarily concerned about different philosophical problems, however, Weber’s three types of legitimation and Nietzsche’s three species of history actually compliment each other. They both are interested in the means of gaining power and sustaining power. Similarly, when comparing their concerns regarding bureaucracy, while concerned for different reasons, ultimately their worry is founded on similar grounds. Both Nietzsche and Weber are highly concerned about human autonomy and the ability to live one’s life to the fullest potential. Hence their reprehension and fear surrounding the world becoming too bureaucratic. The result of this study and comparison is a presentation that gives an account of Nietzsche’s three species of history, Weber’s three types of legitimation, and their complementary theories on bureaucracy. A conversion that is highly topical regarding the combination of social sciences and the humanities.

Presenter(s): Peter J A McSparron

Department/Division/Area: Philosophy

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Joseph Tinguely

Presentation Time: 11:00-11:15

Psychology

Emotional Attention Bias in Predicting Perceived Emotions During the Performance of Activities of Daily Living: Further Validating the Emotional Experiences in Activities of Daily Living Scale (EEADLs)

Occupational therapists have long used various assessments to measure clients’ performance in activities of daily living (ADLs). Here we test the emotional experiences during activities of daily living scale (EEADLs), which investigates perceived emotional valence of 5 typical emotions during ADL performance (Hebert & Ricker, 2022). The EEADLs data was compared to measures of emotional attention bias acquired using a dot-probe task. This study aims to test whether attentional bias towards negative or positive stimuli on the dot-probe task is predicted by perceived emotional valence during a range of daily occupations classified by complexity. Fifty-four college students volunteered to take the EEADLs and dot-probe task for extra class credit. The dot-probe paradigm involves presenting emotional and neutral images on the screen concurrently, followed by a neutral probe which requires a speeded response. Emotional bias is calculated as the response speed following an emotional image compared to neutral (Sutton & Lutz, 2019). We predicted that emotional bias on the dot-probe would be related to daily emotional ratings such that positive or negative perceptions of a daily occupation would be associated with a bias toward the corresponding emotional stimuli on the dot-probe. We found a significant emotional bias effect in the dot-probe task. Complex daily tasks were rated the highest in both positive and negative emotions on the EEADLs. Furthermore, a strong bias towards positive stimuli on the dot-probe task was associated with positive ratings of complex ADLs. These results suggest that individuals with emotional biases for rewarding stimuli in the environment are more likely to perceive complex activities of daily living as engaging or exciting. This study contributes to understanding how individuals perceive emotions during typical daily life.

Presenter(s): Nathaniel Y Mungunkhet

Department/Division/Area: Psychology

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Karen Hebert, Timothy Ricker

Presentation Time: 11:15-11:30

Curriculum & Instruction

South Dakota's Path Forward: Education Professionals on SEL Competency Standards*

This study employed a reflexive thematic analysis and a phenomenological study approach to explore South Dakota education professionals' current perspectives and practices on Social-Emotional Learning (SEL). Given the absence of formal, free-standing SEL competency standards in South Dakota's kindergarten through twelfth-grade education system, this research aims to inform future educational reform efforts. A literature review highlighted the critical importance of SEL skills for young people's growth and preparedness for careers, higher education, and overall life readiness in the 21st century. The absence of formal SEL competency standards necessitated a comprehensive analysis to gather insights from education professionals. Using convenience sampling, the researcher engaged third-grade general education teachers, through a semi-structured interview to collect rich, qualitative data. Several strategies were employed to ensure the study's credibility, including methodological congruence, triangulation, prolonged field engagement, thick description, and rigorous data management techniques. Data were systematically coded and analyzed to identify key themes regarding the experiences and perspectives of South Dakota education professionals related to SEL frameworks, curricula, and initiatives. The findings offer valuable insights for educators, researchers, stakeholders, and policymakers, emphasizing the significant benefits of incorporating formal, free-standing SEL competency standards into South Dakota's official content standards.

Key Words: social-emotional learning, SEL, social-emotional, SEL curricula, SEL standards, SEL competencies, teacher perspective, teacher beliefs, teacher experiences, state standards, content standards, policy, and South Dakota.

Presenter(s): Kirsten K Biersbach

Department/Division/Area: Curriculum & Instruction

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Monica Iverson

Presentation Time: 11:30-11:45

Physical Therapy

Relationships between Parental Involvement and Awareness, Early Specialization, and Overuse Injuries in Youth Sports Participation

The earlier onset of sports training in the U.S. has been linked to increased risks of overuse injuries. While many risk factors have been studied, the role of parental involvement and awareness of early specialization and overuse injuries remains under-researched. This study examines the relationship between parental influences, overuse injuries, and specialization in youth sports.

A cross-sectional survey was distributed to U.S. participants aged 18-28, asking them to recall their organized sports experiences before 18. The survey covered demographics, overuse injuries, specialization, and parental involvement, using the Parental Involvement in Sports Questionnaire (PISQ). Descriptive statistics were used to analyze participant data. Chi-square and correlation tests (Spearman or Pearson Correlation test, depending on the data type) assessed associations between variables. Statistical significance was set at p &lt; 0.05.

The study’s participants averaged 22.7 years old, with 69% female, 29% male, and 2% non-binary. Responses came from 32 states, predominantly the Midwest, with 61% from rural areas. Basketball, track, volleyball, soccer, and softball had the highest participation, and golf, tennis, cheerleading, and cross country had the most hours of weekly practice. Of 304 respondents, 34% specialized in one sport, 27% specialized while playing others, and 38% did not specialize. The average age of specialization was 13.

Of 299 respondents, 179 experienced an overuse injury, with 20% of specialized athletes reporting mental health issues and 65% continuing to train despite injury. Level of specialization and parental awareness of the link between early specialization and overuse injuries is significantly associated with overuse injury risk. No significant correlation was found between parental involvement and overuse injury risk. There was a mild positive correlation between specialization level and parental praise and active involvement. The study suggests that a lack of parental awareness of early specialization’s association with overuse injuries may increase overuse injury risk.

Presenter(s): Taylor A Eggers, Jett McGirr, Janai Crawford, Kendra Jensen

Department/Division/Area: Physical Therapy

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Tanya Liu

Presentation Time: 11:00-11:15

Consumer Preferences for Physical Therapy versus Traditional Medical Treatments

In September 2023, the American Physical Therapy Association released an economic value report highlighting the cost effectiveness of physical therapy (PT) over traditional physician-directed treatments for a variety of common health conditions. Four of the musculoskeletal disorders discussed within the report include knee osteoarthritis, acute low back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, and lateral epicondylitis. In an effort to better understand consumer behavior, our study explored the frequency with which individuals choose physical therapy over traditional medical treatment, as well as investigated factors that appear to impact these decisions. Participants in our study, recruited through ResearchMatch, were asked to select their preferred provider to evaluate hypothetical symptoms consistent with the previously described medical conditions. Next, participants were given hypothetical diagnoses and asked to choose between physical therapy and the most common medical alternative. A total of 411 participants completed the survey. The results revealed that participants overwhelmingly desired to be initially evaluated by a physician; however, once diagnosed, physical therapy was selected as the preferred treatment option for three of the four diagnoses. While these results confirm the notion of physicians as gatekeepers to the profession, physical therapy appears to be viewed as a preferred treatment option once diagnosis is made. An investigation into factors potentially influencing decision-making revealed no statistically significant differences in participant decisions based on gender, age, geographic location, household income, or academic background. Population, however, did appear to influence decisions, with individuals living in urban metro settings selecting physical therapy more often than rural participants. Concerns about the time commitment required for physical therapy and preferences regarding needles also emerged as significant factors. These findings may be useful in designing marketing strategies to help increase referrals to physical therapy.

Presenter(s): Tess Zevenbergen, Tiana Rupp, Luke Olson, Micah Conner

Department/Division/Area: Physical Therapy

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Adam Ladwig

Presentation Time: 11:15-11:30

Exercise-Induced Hypoalgesia and Proprioceptive Changes Comparing Isometric to Isotonic Neck Exercises*

Chronic Neck pain is a common and debilitating type of pain that affects more than 289 million individuals worldwide. With neck pain being a significant contributor to global disability, exercise-induced hypoalgesia (EIH) and proprioception training offer a promising mechanism for pain relief and improved function through therapeutic exercise. However, current research lacks clarity on the relative efficacy of EIH effects and proprioceptive improvement in isometric versus isotonic exercise modalities in the cervical region. This study investigates the comparative effects of isometric versus isotonic cervical exercises on pain reduction through EIH and proprioception in healthy adults. This randomized cross-over trial involved 27 participants divided into two groups, each performing isometric and isotonic neck exercises in alternating sessions. Pain pressure threshold (PPT) was used to measure pain reduction and joint position error (JPE) was used to measure proprioception. Both measurements were taken pre-and post-exercise using validated tools, including a pressure algometer for PPT and a laser headlamp for JPE. The study design ensured the blinding of measurement from group allocation and minimized confounding factors by controlling exercise intensity and timing. Preliminary findings suggest differential impacts of isometric and isotonic exercises on PPT but not JPE. Further research should explore the long-term effects and applicability of these findings in clinical populations. These findings will help contribute to evidence-based recommendations for managing neck pain.

Presenter(s): Troy Wilhelm, Lexi Rust, Morgan Stahl

Department/Division/Area: Physical Therapy

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Kory Zimney

Presentation Time: 11:30-11:45

Community-based learning:  Sustainability Capstone’s project to increase native landscaping and edible landscapes at USD

Presenter(s): Haley J Anciaux, Belle Gustaf, Josie K Hamer, Rachael Holt, Emily Kahn, Paxton Roseland, Erin Smith

Department/Division/Area: Sustainability Panel

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Meghann Jarchow

Presentation Time: 11:00-11:50

Basic Biomedical Sciences

mot-1 encodes a putative molybdate transporter required for embryonic viability in C. elegans*

Molybdenum is an essential trace metal that is required for the synthesis of the molybdenum cofactor (Moco). Moco is required for animal life and is synthesized through an ancient and conserved biosynthetic pathway. In the final step of Moco synthesis, molybdenum insertase uses bioavailable molybdate to insert molybdenum into the MPT-AMP precursor, forming mature Moco. Despite well-characterized mechanisms of molybdate transport in prokaryotes, fungi, and plants, how animal cells acquire essential molybdenum for Moco synthesis remains mysterious. By searching for distant homologs of plant molybdate transporters encoded by the C. elegans genome, we uncovered a transmembrane anion transporter that we have named molybdate transporter 1 (mot-1). mot-1 is required for embryonic viability when animals are deprived of dietary Moco, suggesting a role for MOT-1 in promoting endogenous Moco synthesis. Furthermore, the embryonic lethality caused by mot-1 loss of function is bypassed by supplemental molybdate, suggesting a defect in molybdate transport. Furthermore, the embryonic lethality displayed by mot-1 mutant animals is suppressed by inactivating mutations in cth-2 or cdo-1, established suppressors of Moco-deficient lethality. Biochemically, mot-1 mutant embryos display reduced Moco content, as detected by the enzymatic activity of the Moco-requiring sulfite oxidase enzyme. Together, these genetic and biochemical data suggest the model that MOT-1 is a C. elegans molybdate transport protein that is required for promoting embryonic Moco homeostasis and viability. This is the first description of an animal molybdate transporter and lays the foundation for understanding molybdate transport in higher eukaryotes such as humans.

Presenter(s): Robin R Fettig

Department/Division/Area: Basic Biomedical Sciences

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Kurt Warnhoff

Presentation Time: 1:00-1:15

School of Health Sciences

Assessment of Long COVID-19 Prevalence and Symptoms

The COVID-19 pandemic created many challenges for the public and healthcare providers. One issue that requires additional attention is the effect of long COVID-19 and how that may affect an individual’s quality of life. To have a better understanding of the long COVID-19 prevalence and symptomatology the data was retrieved from the National Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) with a specific focus for the year 2022. Utilizing SAS 9.4 desktop, the data was evaluated through descriptive statistics of COVID-19 specific variables. Overall, 31.2% of respondents indicated that they had ever tested positive for COVID-19 either through at home tests or a test through a health professional in 2022. This number increased to 52.2% in 2023. For those who tested positive, 21.8% answered that they had had COVID-19 symptoms for three months or longer in 2022 and this dropped to 13.8% in 2023. More women than men reported that they had long-term symptoms for COVID-19 in both years. Specific symptoms of long COVID-19 were queried in 2022. The most common long-term primary symptom reported was tiredness or fatigue (26.2%) followed by difficulty breathing or shortness of breath (18.9%). Other notable symptoms included loss of taste or smell (17.0%), other symptoms (9.9%), and brain fog (difficulty thinking or concentrating or forgetfulness/memory problems) (9.8%). In 2023, a new question asked if long-term symptoms reduced their ability to carry out day-to-day activities compared with the time before COVID-19. A total of 20.1% that their ability was reduced a lot, 39.5% that it was reduced a little, and 40.4% that it didn’t affect their ability at all. Results suggest that long COVID continues to have an impact and is an area that needs further study to reduce symptoms and improve quality of life.

Presenter(s): Jeremy Batista

Department/Division/Area: School of Health Sciences

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Susan Puumala, Viviana Deleon

Presentation Time: 1:30-1:45

Computer Science

The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on the Quality of Higher Education‡

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is redefining higher education, captivating scholars with its promise to personalize learning and streamline institutions. However, underneath this assurance exists a network of ethical challenges, disparities in equity, and inquiries regarding academic integrity that require our focus. In pursuit of this goal, this research employs a mixed-methods strategy—through the implementation of surveys and semi-structured interviews—to investigate the transformative effects of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on higher education, concentrating on its repercussions for teaching techniques, learning results, and institutional processes. This study’s findings indicate that AI can personalize educational experiences to meet individual needs, ease course administrative workload, and assist with the implementation of innovative pedagogy. Some respondents, however, also expressed concerns about academic integrity, excess student dependence on technology, and expanding educational inequities. Respondent familiarity with AI was noted to be associated with favorable views regarding AI's application in education alongside a significant sociodemographic divide in both familiarity and perspective. Connections between gender, race, and sexual orientation emphasize the significant and diverse effects of familiarity and perspectives on AI, revealing further inequalities that require attention in order to promote fair AI integration.

Presenter(s): Pragati Rouniyar

Department/Division/Area: Computer Science

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): KC Santosh, Isaiah Cohen

Presentation Time: 1:00-1:15

Classification of Kidney Diseases using Deep Neural Network*

Kidney-related diseases such as tumors, cysts, and stones are common, so prompt and precise diagnosis is essential for better patient outcomes. In this work, we propose developing an automatic Deep Learning (DL) model based on various DL structures and learning techniques to create an efficient prediction model for diagnosis of kidney diseases and disorders. A publicly available dataset of Computer Tomography (CT) scan images with three kidney disease categories (tumor, cyst, and stone), as well as the normal category, are used to test our proposed DL multi-classification structures: Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), CNN with transfer learning, Vision Transformer (ViT) DL based model, and ViT transfer learningbased model. Transfer learning from state-of- the-art pretrained DL models, including VGG16, ResNet50, and ViT, are used to evaluate its effectiveness in improving performance and reducing the dependency on large training datasets. Preprocessing and data augmentation are applied to enhance image quality and ensure reliable model performance. The Vision Transformer with transfer learning achieved a high test accuracy of 99.6% on test data, with accuracy improvements of 1.13% and 1.46% compared to CNN transfer learning based and CNN classical learning based, respectively.

Presenter(s): Thoyajaksha Kashyap Kristipati

Department/Division/Area: Computer Science

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Lina Chato

Presentation Time: 1:15-1:30

Mathematics

Barycentric Subdivision

The barycentric subdivision of a triangle is a geometric process that involves repeatedly subdividing a triangle by connecting the centroid to the midpoints of the legs and the vertices. Introduced by the German mathematician August Mobius for topological purposes, the construction has reentered the attention of the mathematical community due to its symbolic dynamics properties as the action of a group on the hyperbolic plane. Using such an approach several mathematicians have proved that with probability one the process converges to a flat triangle (a triangle with all vertices on the line) and that we can approximate any triangle, up to similarity, using barycentric subdivision. Interestingly enough not all triangles become flat, and we have confirmed through new proof that the upper right triangle does not flatten, an argument which will be described in our presentation. We will show numerical investigations revealing the existence of certain patterns generated by the barycentric subdivision, processes we do not fully understand, but which we plan to continue to research. We will also show an in-depth analysis of this construction in the equilateral triangle case.

Presenter(s): Hannah Steger, Seth Fey

Department/Division/Area: Mathematics

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Catalin Georgescu

Presentation Time: 1:30-1:45

Occupational Therapy

Memory and Multitasking in Daily Occupations

This study examines the cognitive demands of multitasking in daily occupations by analyzing the relationship between memory load and task efficiency during cooking activities. Thirty-eight healthy college-aged participants performed simple and complex cooking tasks while engaging in concurrent memory recall tasks. Results highlight that increased memory load negatively impacts both cooking task efficiency and memory recall, with greater declines observed in complex cooking tasks. These findings underscore the cognitive demands of everyday activities, suggesting that dual-task performance can serve as a proxy for evaluating executive function in real-world settings. Implications for occupational therapy include the potential for developing targeted cognitive interventions that integrate multitasking and memory training to enhance functional independence in daily occupations.

Presenter(s): Megan Cotton, Danielle Hintz, Melissa Burt

Department/Division/Area: Occupational Therapy

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Karen Hebert

Presentation Time: 1:00-1:15

Biology

Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding to assess native freshwater mussel biodiversity in North America*

Biodiversity loss is one of the biggest environmental challenges facing humanity today. Described as one of the most imperiled fauna in the United States, freshwater mussels are experiencing drastic population declines with extinction rates projected up to 50% by the end of the century. In the Great Plains states (including South Dakota and Nebraska), river warming, agricultural runoff, and recurring droughts have accelerated population declines by 53%. Yet, conservation efforts to identify source populations for maintaining genetic diversity in state hatcheries, pinpoint suitable waterways for reintroduction, and assess the decline of historically common species are hindered due to the limited understanding of mussel distribution in these states. However, conventional field surveys are time-consuming, disruptive, and require taxonomic expertise. To overcome these limitations, we will use environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding approach. eDNA metabarcoding is a molecular systematics approach that will allow simultaneous detection of multiple mussel species, via analyses of water samples, using high-throughput DNA sequencing with two widely used phylogenetic taxonomic markers - cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 1 (ND1). These results, when complemented with tactile surveys, will inform (1) mussel biodiversity across large spatial scales, (2) presence of rare and federally listed species; (3) out-of-range and/or invasive species; and (4) estimates of relative mussel community abundances. Overall, this study will generate critical data to support the long-term sustainability, policymaking, and conservation of freshwater mussels.

Presenter(s): Emily M Zavacki

Department/Division/Area: Biology

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Omera Matoo

Presentation Time: 1:15-1:30

The Role of Ecology in Digestion: Measuring Specific Dynamic Action in Miniaturized Chameleons*

Miniaturization is a phenomenon seen across clades which has profound effects on organismal body plans and ecologies. Miniaturizated species experience different selective pressures than their non-miniaturized congeners including prey availability and acquisition capacity and increased mass-specific metabolic rates (MR), likely influencing their feeding ecologies. We sought to better understand how miniaturization may influence feeding frequency in miniaturized Brookesia chameleons using comparative Specific Dynamic Action (SDA). SDA, broadly defined as the overall energetic “cost” of processing prey, has been shown to vary by species feeding frequency where infrequently feeding species display greater SDA-induced peak MRs, elevated MR durations, and overall energetic cost. Following this pattern, miniaturized Brookesia species are predicted to show high cost of SDA relative to non-miniaturized chameleon species, reflecting a comparatively infrequent feeding frequency. To set the basis to test this hypothesis, Brookesia brygooi and Brookesia thieli individuals were fed cricket meals measuring 3.5 ± 0.5% of the chameleon’s body mass after a 72-hour fasting period. Changes in MR post feeding were measured overnight to avoid effects of circadian rhythm at 12-hour intervals until MR returned to basal rates (Standard Metabolic Rate). Our results suggest variability in the effect of SDA even within the Brookesia genus with significantly longer duration, higher mass-corrected peak MR, and greater SDA cost in B. thieli than in B. brygooi. Such a finding between closely related species would suggest stronger comparative power of SDA than previously believed and will lay the foundation for future work seeking to compare to non-miniaturized species.

Presenter(s): Gene N Glover

Department/Division/Area: Biology

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Christopher V. Anderson

Presentation Time: 1:30-1:45

Art

Printing the Border: An Art Historical Investigation of Immigration

"Printing the Border: An Art Historical Investigation of Immigration" is an exhibition which I have created and gathered and I will be discussing about in the presentation, not displaying. Which I am currently working on that delves into the intersection of printmaking and social movements focused on immigration, labor rights, and political struggles. Through a combination of historical and contemporary works, this exhibition will present a dialogue between 8 prints I have created in the past two years and 8 significant 20th-century prints, exploring the shared themes of injustice, cultural identity, and resistance.

The exhibition will focus on movements such as the Chicano Political Movement, which emerged in response to economic struggles and police brutality. The rise of posters and murals as tools for revolution and community-building will be explored through key works, including Ester Hernandez’s Sun Mad, which critiques environmental contamination affecting immigrant farm workers. Similarly, the exhibition will highlight the Industrial Workers of the World, or “Wobblies,” who used cartoons and comics to challenge capitalist exploitation and advocate for labor rights.

By linking my own lithographs and intaglio prints with these historical works, the exhibition will reveal the enduring relevance of art as a medium for social critique. My pieces, which often incorporate subtle symbolism and direct imagery, align with these historical movements by addressing ongoing issues of immigrant injustice and economic disparity. Together, the works in this exhibition will serve not only as an artistic exploration but also as a means of educating viewers on the power of printmaking in advocating for justice and change.

Presenter(s): Mariana B Astete

Department/Division/Area: Art

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Lauren Freese

Presentation Time: 1:00-1:15

Health Sciences

Guide Dog Education & Etiquette

Guide dogs play a vital role in enhancing the independence and quality of life for individuals with visual impairments. I’ve witnessed my mom’s quality of life improve with her guide dog and their working team has inspired this presentation. Unfortunately, I have also observed an uninformed public that has had inappropriate interactions with a working dog. This presentation aims to educate others on the importance of interacting with working guide dogs, and the extensive training both the handler and dog go through. It also highlights the benefits of a guide dog to the handler, ADA Laws, public accessibility, and media representation. In my future career, I hope to help individuals regain independence through the matching of a guide dog.

Presenter(s): Jada R Lembcke

Department/Division/Area: Health Sciences

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Jonelle Hook

Presentation Time: 2:00-2:15

Care for People with Disabilities in Long-Term Care Facilities

People with disabilities in long-term care facilities often face challenges in receiving adequate care for their unique needs. A significant barrier to high-quality care is staffing issues in long-term care facilities. Negative attitudes towards those with disabilities and a lack of person-centered approaches also contribute to this problem. These barriers lead to a decline in participation in activities of daily living and social engagement. Social isolation and loneliness are a common outcome of this barrier. Mental and physical health declines due to loneliness. The inequity of care for those with disabilities was seen from personal experiences at a local level in Iowa and initiated further research. A review of national and state statistics regarding disabilities in long-term care and an analysis of relevant literature was conducted. Intervention approaches at local, state, and national levels are discussed to further promote quality care. The presentation concludes with a call to action with proposals of personal and professional initiatives to address the challenges and promote inclusivity in long-term care. Ultimately, awareness and education surrounding this topic help to broaden the understanding of care for all individuals, including those with disabilities.

Presenter(s): Leah Langel

Department/Division/Area: Health Sciences

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Jonelle Hook

Presentation Time: 2:15-2:30

Development of the Parental School Community Scale*

School communities involve all who work, teach, and study at the school, and those providing support to the school community. Perhaps the most important supports for the community are parents. Parents are part of groups including school boards and parent-teacher organizations. Definitions of community include those who live in the same geographic area, share similar values, participate in similar activities, and have strong social ties with others in the area. Those living in communities have a sense of belonging to place and group. Shared values and activities provide social connections. The sense of belonging combined with social connections creates access to collective social capital, beneficial for advancing goals of the school community. While validated scales that assess the three identified essential components of a community exist, none are validated for parent populations or measure all three identified components of community. This study seeks to develop and validate a psychometric instrument that assesses belongingness, social connectedness, and social capital among parents within their K-12 child’s school community, the Parental School Community Scale. The study explores the inherent differences in school community experiences based on parental marital status and gender. The study will be conducted in two phases. The qualitative data collected and analyzed during the first phase will inform the quantitative development of the scale in the second phase, ensuring the content of the scale will be representative of the selected constructs within the setting where the scale is meant to be used, school communities. Expected outcomes include contextualizing what belongingness, social connectedness, and social capital mean to parents within the context of their child’s school community to produce a valid and reliable scale that measures these three aspects. Findings from the analysis of differing experiences for parents based on gender and marital status are expected to drive further research.

Presenter(s): Minga C Vargas

Department/Division/Area: Health Sciences

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Kory Zimney

Presentation Time: 2:30-2:45

Biology

Molecular modifications to pro-stress neurocircuitry in basolateral amygdala of vulnerable mice*

Exposure to aggressive social interaction manifests stress-responsive phenotypes (stress-resilient and stress-vulnerable) which produce differentially unique behavioral outputs with similar aspects of human affective disorders. These phenotypes are developed in the Stress Alternatives Model (SAM), a social defeat/avoidance paradigm, which allows mice to actively avoid social interaction (Escape; stress-resilient) or become submissive (Stay; stress-vulnerable) to the social aggressor. These behavioral outputs result from alterations to the pro- and anti-stress neurocircuits in the basolateral amygdala (BLA), a key brain region responsible for regulation of stressful experiences. The anterior (aBLA) region of the BLA contains the pro-stress microcircuit, a driving factor for stress-vulnerable phenotypes. Responsiveness and counterbalance neurocircuits in the aBLA are modulated by neuropeptides, like orexins, through orexin 1 and 2 receptors (Orx1R, Orx2R), which activate intracellular transduction pathways, like Akt and mTOR. In Orx1R-containing neurons, signaling pathways, can be associated with Akt/mToR molecular pathways during neuroplasticity and learning events, processes which are regulated by Akt2-dependent glucose metabolism in glial cells, and in some cases modulate macrophage activity and cytokine production in response to neuroinflammation, commonly found in stress-related disorders. Thus, the Akt/mTOR signaling pathway is hypothesized to promote metabolic adaptations during extensive periods of stress which alter pro-stress neurocircuitry and cause perilous or timid behaviors. Therefore, we examined gene expression of Hcrtr1 (Orx1R), Akt2, and Mtor in pro-stress neurocircuitry of the aBLA in stress-resilient (Escape) and stress-vulnerable (Stay) mice.

Presenter(s): Megan M John

Department/Division/Area: Biology

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Cliff Summers

Presentation Time: 2:00-2:15

Effects of embryonic alcohol exposure on dopamine neurons in zebrafish

In the U.S. up to 1 in 20 school-aged children may have fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs). FASDs include deficits in learning, memory and sociability that severely reduce quality of life. Since FASDs are lifelong and severe, understanding the causes of alcohol induced deficits is very important. Learning, memory and sociability are behaviors associated with the neurotransmitter dopamine, since these behaviors are impaired in individuals with FASDs it is likely that dopamine neurons are affected by prenatal alcohol exposure. In fact, previous work in zebrafish has connected a reduction in whole brain dopamine levels with impaired social behavior in fish that were exposed to 1% alcohol from 24 to 26 hours postfertilization (hpf). My goal was to use a transgenic zebrafish line that labels the dopamine transporter with green fluorescent protein to further characterize the effect of embryonic alcohol exposure on dopamine neurons. Specifically, I exposed embryos to 1 or 3% ethanol from 24 to 26 hpf and then imaged 3-, 4- and 5-day old zebrafish. My goal was to use ImageJ to count the number of dopamine neurons and characterize morphological and/or migrational changes. I expected to find changes in the number / shape / patterning of dopamine neurons in alcohol treated fish. I was able to live image larval fish, gather preliminary data and establish a protocol for future work in Dr. Fernandes’ Lab. Future studies will use pilot protocol to continue my project and provide more specific insight as to how embryonic ethanol exposure affects dopamine neurons.

Presenter(s): Kaia Olson

Department/Division/Area: Biology

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Yohaan Fernandes, Mindy Fernandes

Presentation Time: 2:15-2:30

Temperature Independent Reduction of Prodigiosin Production by Bd Metabolites*

The pathogenic fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), has been responsible for worldwide amphibian mortality events. A key defense element of the amphibian against Bd is the microbiota living in symbiosis with the amphibian. Bacterial symbionts are capable of the production of antifungal metabolites which can act in concordance with the innate immune response to stave off Bd. However, Bd also produces a full metabolite profile with which it can influence changes in the host immune response. The direct effects of these Bd metabolites on the bacterial symbionts with which it competes is presently understudied. We tested two different isolated strains of Serratia marcescens, a noted anti-Bd symbiont producing an antimicrobial pigment called prodigiosin, by growing the strains in serial dilutions of Bd metabolites grown across the temperature gradient that Bd is capable of surviving. UV-vis spectrophotometry was used to observe the relative production of prodigiosin over the course of 7 days. We discovered the reduction of prodigiosin increased in both strains as the concentration of Bd metabolites increased and that this occurred regardless of the temperature in which the S. marcescens and Bd were cultured. S. marcescens was then tested via stress assays against specific Bd metabolites that have previously demonstrated modulatory effects. The quorum sensing molecule tryptophol ultimately produced results most similar to what was seen previously in the study.

Presenter(s): Morgan Swanson

Department/Division/Area: Biology

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Jacob Kerby

Presentation Time: 2:30-2:45

Music

Illness as Metaphor for the Music of Chopin*

Taking as a start point Rosen’s essay “Morbid Intensity” (The Romantic Generation, 1998), in which he describes Chopin’s music as morbid, this paper will try to examine how the music of Chopin has been related to different notions of illness. More precisely, it will deal not directly with Chopin, the man, and his illness - it will not act on a biographical level. Instead, it aims at how Chopin’s illness was transferred to his music; how his music might, itself, be metaphorically conceived as being sick. In order to do so, an exploration of literary, cinematic, academic and biographical works - ranging from 1822 up to 2024 - will aim at shining a historical perspective in the subject matter through the examination of the use of different illness related metaphors for Chopin’s music. And in doing so, assess their continuities and discontinuities and reflect on possible influence on fields such as performance, analysis, aesthetic experience and value judgement. The list of examined works mostly comprises authors such as: Liszt (1882), Huneker (1900), Gide (1938), Abraham (1939, Rosen (1998), Klein (2012), Lee (2023). Moreover, this paper investigates ways in which the illness metaphors applied to Chopin’s music might relate to metaphors surrounding tuberculosis in the nineteenth-century, as these metaphors are studied in Sontag’s “Illness as Metaphor”(1978). And, furthermore, how the illness metaphors (when related to tuberculosis) might constitute a wider web of meaning by intertwining with metaphors of the feminine, angelical and sexual, as discussed in Kallberg (1996).

Presenter(s): Benjamim F Barth

Department/Division/Area: Music

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): David Moskowitz

Presentation Time: 2:00-2:15

Vientos y Tangos: A Wind Ensemble’s Tribute to Tango Music*

In this presentation, we delve into Michael Gandolfi's Vientos y Tangos, a piece commissioned for the Frank L. Battisti 70th Birthday Commission Project. Combining the traditional elements of tango with modern influences, Gandolfi’s composition explores various tango styles, from the staccato-driven rhythms of Juan D’Arienzo to the emotional depth of Astor Piazzolla's “Tango Nuevo” and the driving beats of Disco/Techno tango. Through dynamic instrumental combinations and thematic variations, Gandolfi creates a work that captures the essence of tango while infusing it with a contemporary wind ensemble sound.

The presentation will cover the structure and thematic development of the piece, its homage to the rich history of tango, and the composer's use of jazz, rock, and modern rhythms to evoke a spectrum of emotions, from the exhilaration of the dance to the exhaustion and revival that follows.

Presenter(s): Colton J A Schaefer

Department/Division/Area: Music

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Bethany Amundson

Presentation Time: 2:15-2:30

Music

A Comprehensive Theoretical and Practical Analysis of "Chorale and Shaker Dance" by Dr. John Zdechlik*

Chorale and Shaker Dance is one of the most well-known and most widely performed pieces within modern band literature. Despite this notoriety, there is a limited number of published analyses of the work. The most notable scholarly materials written about Chorale and Shaker Dance are Teaching Music through Performance in Band, Vol. 1 and Chorale and Shaker Dance: A Teaching-Learning Unit. These are both great sources of information on the piece but have their own limitations in analysis and are both older pieces of literature. This modern analysis of the work goes beyond that already published in Teaching Music through Performance in Band, Vol. 1 and Chorale and Shaker Dance: A Teaching-Learning Unit. It includes additional information from a newly-engraved edition of the score, information on Zdechlik’s compositional style and process from published essays written by Dr. Zdechlik. It also includes input and information from Charlie Pries, who is the current Band Director at Century Community College, where Dr. Zdechlik taught for twenty-seven years, and was a good friend and colleague to Dr. Zdechlik. This new analysis takes into account the compositional style and inspirations of Dr. Zdechlik to influence the analysis of the piece to provide a theoretical analysis of the piece. The theoretical analysis, information from Charlie Pries, and information from Dr. Zdechlik’s essays will be used to create a rehearsal analysis that will be developed during the first concert cycle of the Spring 2025 semester.

Presenter(s): Justin E Lincoln

Department/Division/Area: Music

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Bethany Amundson

Presentation Time: 2:30-2:45

Music

Embracing Repetition in Music Composition†

Music composition is a daunting but rewarding artistic undertaking. In both respects, this is because composition has “no rules.” Because one is totally free to write whatever one thinks “sounds good,” young composers will often have no idea of how to move forward with a composition. In order to prevent their work from becoming overly repetitive, they will often cram as many different ideas as possible into one piece. The result ends up becoming a medley of various, unrelated ideas that a composer had at that particular moment, stitched together into a piece of music that lacks cohesion and a deeper creative direction. Experienced composers avoid this pitfall by embracing, not shunning, repetition. I.e., they compose with the continual re-use of material throughout a composition. Indeed, a work by a skilled composer will likely be built up from a surprisingly small number of core ideas, themes, motives, et cetera. For example, the famous first movement of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 is built almost entirely from one, four-note motive. This does not lead to the piece sounding overly repetitive or boring, because the ideas are presented in differing ways (within different musical textures, with different underlying harmony, in the fore-, middle-, or background, et cetera). Instead, the piece attains internal cohesion that also rewards close and repeated listening. Alma Sejmenović’s Pernicious and Ivy Kocher’s Sigurd both demonstrate these techniques and provide insight into both composers’ working methods, casting light on one element of composing music.

Presenter(s): Ivy W Kocher, Alma Sejmenović

Department/Division/Area: Music

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Paul Lombardi

Presentation Time: 3:00-3:15

How the Cello Serves as a Means for Emotional Communication Through Music†

This presentation explores the relationship between the cello as an instrument and its ability to express and evoke emotions in listeners. The presentation begins with a brief overview of the instrument’s history and its evolution over time. Through examining the cello’s unique tonal qualities, resonance, and the physicality involved in its performance, the presentation highlights how the instrument’s deep and rich sound can convey a wide range of emotions and ideas. Additionally, this presentation investigates how composers and performers can utilize the cello's expressive potential to evoke a desired emotional response from the listener. Furthermore, this presentation briefly looks into psychological theories of emotion and music and considers how the cello’s emotive power is rooted in cultural and physiological processes. By connecting the history of the cello, music’s role in emotion, and ending the presentation with a live performance of Reinhold Glière’s 10 duos for 2 cellos, No. 3. Con moto, this presentation will demonstrate how the cello serves as a means for emotional communication through music.

Presenter(s): Grace Goeller, Will Brenden

Department/Division/Area: Music

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Paul Lombardi

Presentation Time: 3:15-3:30

Criminal Justice

Mock Trial Presentation

On April 25, 2024, infamous Midlands millionaire Avery Bancroft died while aboard the Midlands Express, leaving his fortune of $400 million dollars to his son, Taylor Hopson. Bancroft threatened to disinherit Hopson the day before Bancroft died, and it was later discovered that Bancroft died by an intentional poisoning. Bancroft’s only child, Hopson, was aboard the Midlands Express when Bancroft died. Hopson is being charged with the murder of his father.

Presenter(s): Lindsey M Grabowska , Karissa Nolan, Caden Arne, Amelia Lewison, Walt Furstenau, Christopher Branham, Ross Wegner, Hannah Hageman, Callie Hamilton, Payton A Coenen, Brooklyn Gifford, El Branham, Ava True, London Van Clease, Maxwell V Kelsey

Department/Division/Area: Criminal Justice

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Sandy McKeown

Presentation Time: 3:00-3:50

3MT

USD Three Minute Thesis Showcase*

Can you explain your research in three minutes? That’s exactly what we are asking our students to do: Condense hundreds of pages of research into a three minute oral presentation. This showcase celebrates research being done by students at the University of South Dakota by providing them with an opportunity to communicate the significance and impact of their research project to a non-specialized audience in just three minutes with only one PowerPoint slide. Join us for this presentation of theses from graduate and undergraduate students.

Presenter(s): Emily M Zavacki, Ayisha Mahama, Mahadi Hasan, El Branham, Zoe Donelan, Ella Wittmuss

Department/Division/Area: Faculty Panel

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Brittany Wagner, Hannah Faiman

Presentation Time: 4:00-4:50

Biology

Acute Paternal Alcohol Exposure Alters Activity and Risk-Taking Behavior in Juvenile Zebrafish

In the United States, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) has a prevalence rate ranging between 2 and 5%. FASD encompasses all birth defects associated with prenatal alcohol exposure. Birth defects linked to FASD include physical, cognitive, and behavioral abnormalities. Specifically, an individual with FASD can exhibit maladaptive anxiolytic and/or social behavior. Historically, the majority of FASD research has focused on maternal alcohol consumption as the primary cause, emphasizing its significant role in developmental deficits. Although the maternal side is critical, it is likely the paternal side can also have a substantial impact. While embryonic ethanol exposure is anxiolytic in juvenile zebrafish, the effects of paternal alcohol exposure (PAE) on the offspring's anxiolytic behavior remain underexplored. Previous research using the novel tank test (NTT) has shown 1% embryonic ethanol exposure from 24 to 27 hours post fertilization (hpf) reduces anxiolytic behavior and increases risk-taking in juvenile zebrafish. The NTT is a widely used assay to measure anxiety-like behavior in zebrafish. While prior NTT studies have quantified anxiolytic behavior altered by embryonic ethanol exposure, few have investigated PAE’s influence. Here, we exposed adult male zebrafish to 1% ethanol for 1 hour across 7 consecutive evenings. On the 7th night, males were set up to spawn. Embryos were collected the next day and raised to 71 days post fertilization (dpf). On day 71, offspring were tested using the NTT. We used EthoVision XT software to analyze time spent in the tank’s top, middle, and bottom zones, alongside distance moved, velocity, and turn angles. After analysis, we found an increase in average distance swam, average velocity, time spent in the top zone, and a decrease in time spent in the bottom zone compared to controls. These results suggest heightened risk-taking and reduced anxiety in PAE offspring, highlighting paternal contributions to FASD-like outcomes.

Presenter(s): Spencer D Hurst

Department/Division/Area: Biology

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Yohaan Fernandes, Mindy Fernandes

Presentation Time: 9:30-9:45

Plankton Community Structure Throughout Middle Missouri River Basin

Rivers are dynamic systems that have the potential to support various compositions of planktonic communities throughout the river and between different rivers. It is understood that the dominant plankton taxa within a river varies spatially. However, it is unclear how the composition of plankton body sizes varies spatially though their variation reflects changes in the riverine food web. Water samples were collected in June and July 2024 at seventeen sites across four rivers in the Middle Missouri River Basin. Individual plankton body sizes were measured to the nearest picogram using an automated cell counter. A generalized linear model was used to compare the individual size distribution (ISD) between sampled planktonic communities. Despite clear differences in taxonomic make-up, the size distribution was remarkably stable between the four rivers with ISD lambdas averaging -1.95 +/- 0.45. In July 2024, the communities in three rivers slightly shifted to higher frequencies of smaller individuals than in June. The similarities between planktonic communities show the apparent stability of planktonic food web, despite taxonomic variation.

Presenter(s): Staci Reynolds

Department/Division/Area: Biology

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Jeff Wesner

Presentation Time: 9:45-10:00

Variation in metabolic rates and organ masses in summer vs. winter phenotype house sparrows*

Results: Participant age (p=.81), BMI (p=.87), and years of experience (p=.58) were not significantly different by sex. Catch rate changed significantly over the six intervals (p <.001), with a significant difference seen by sex (p<.001) and no interaction of time by sex (p=.34). Female participants demonstrate significant declines starting at 20 seconds (p=.01) while males demonstrate a more graded, yet significant decline between 10 seconds and 30 seconds (p=.01).

Presenter(s): Chelsi Marolf

Department/Division/Area: Biology

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): David Swanson

Presentation Time: 10:00-10:15

Sustainability

Perceptions of Plant-Based Meat and Cultured Meat within the Northern Great Plains Region

Methods: Fifty-nine NCAA Division I swimmers and divers (mean age 19.46, SD 1.43, 54.2% female) completed the PMBDT. Individual sport history information was collected, and BMI was calculated from measured height and weight. Participants were positioned prone with their tested shoulder in 90° of abduction, elbow fully extended, and palm facing the floor. The number of catches were documented via digital lap counter and video recording. Catch rate was calculated every 5 seconds of the 30 second test duration. Descriptive statistics were utilized to define the population with one-way ANOVA and t-tests applied to compare participant demographics. A general linear model with repeated measures ANOVA was used to examine changes in catch rate across the six-time intervals between males and females.

Presenter(s): Chase Stehly

Department/Division/Area: Sustainability

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Meghann Jarchow

Presentation Time: 10:15-10:30

Biology

Mechanisms of a novel feeding strategy in chameleons*

Some organisms have evolved extreme anatomical structures which increase the performance of a specific behavior.  However, these structures may be coopted for alternate usages which can also benefit the animal. How these novel behaviors evolve from existing structures remains unanswered in many organisms, including the chameleon. Chameleons have a specialized feeding apparatus which allows them to ballistically project the tongue at high performance up to 250% of their body length. Though tongue projection is their typical feeding strategy, chameleons have also been reported to feed on slow or non-mobile prey items by directly capturing the prey item with their jaws. This direct capture strategy is minimally described in the literature and the basic mechanisms never examined. We compared the kinematics and muscle patterns of tongue projection and direct prey capture between two chameleon species feeding on different prey items to determine whether these strategies utilize the same movements and patterns, or if distinct behaviors can be performed despite the extreme specialization of the feeding apparatus. Preliminary results suggest that these feeding strategies are not constrained to the same kinematics and muscle patterns, and that the direct prey capture strategy is similar between chameleon species. Additionally, future comparisons with an agamid outgroup could help elucidate whether direct prey capture is a co-optation of ballistic projection or a reversion back to the ancestral mode of feeding.

Presenter(s): Nikole G Schneider

Department/Division/Area: Biology

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Christopher V. Anderson

Presentation Time: 10:30-10:45

Art

Medieval Allegories by and for Women: Two Illuminations in Herrad of Landsberg’s Hortus Deliciarum

This presentation calls attention to the historical use of gender norms as allegorical tropes in twelfth-century Western Europe through analysis of imagery created by Abbess Herrad of Landsberg in her Hortus Deliciarum. Rising to the position of abbess of the Hohenburg Abbey in 1167, Herrad of Landsberg took on the responsibility of educating the nuns of her convent. She gave the highest level of education available to women of her region, which could only be provided through the Catholic church. In Hortus Deliciarum, an encyclopedia collected, edited, and illuminated under the direction of Herrad of Landberg, nuns were instructed on the reformed principles of the Church. Many folios, illuminated with paintings, dealt with the spiritual struggle between vice and virtue. Through a visual analysis of two eschatological illuminations, “The Whore of Babylon” and “The Woman Clothed with the Sun,” it can be concluded that twelfth-century European ideas of womanhood were integrated into depictions of allegorical women, used to uphold the conservative values of the Medieval Catholic church. A historically informed examination of these images shows that Herrad of Landsberg was able to expressively create art as a woman while educating her nuns within the religious, social, and cultural expectations of her time. 

Presenter(s): Abigail Rockhill-Beckler

Department/Division/Area: Art

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Lauren Freese

Presentation Time: 9:30-9:45

Traditional Ties: Rural Identity and its Reinforcement of Gender Norms and Class Disparity in 20th-century American Regionalism.

This presentation examines the American art movement known as Regionalism and its role in promoting rural living and national resilience during the 20th century. While the movement aimed to celebrate rural life, it also reinforced traditional gender roles and class segregation. In response to the peak of the Great Depression, regionalist painters depicted scenes of rural America and reassuring pictures of the heartland in reaction to the country's economic status. This movement presented a modern counterpoint to the perceived elitism of European modernism. In doing so, this created what we see now as the "rural woman." Rural women are important in cultivating agriculture, food security, and resilience. However, in doing so, the rural woman becomes a social and economic symbol of domesticity and subserviency and faces barriers to economic participation and health disparities. The art community united in response to the emergence of "modern industrialized urban art," represented by artists like Edward Hopper and Isabel Bishop. In contrast, artists such as Grant Wood and Thomas Hart Benton emphasized themes of rural identity, celebrating the differences between rural and urban life and capturing what many refer to as the American spirit. As artists push to promote rural living and national identity, gender, class disparities, and religious and political backgrounds of American citizens reveal how, as Regionalism pushes for visibility, it reinforces class segregation and maintains traditional ties in rural America.

Presenter(s): Elizabeth C Wiggins

Department/Division/Area: Art

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Lauren Freese

Presentation Time: 9:45-10:00

Gothic Symbolism in Abstract Expressionist Art: A Study of Lee Krasner’s Gothic Landscape

Lee Krasner was a frontrunner in the American Abstract Expressionist movement and maintained a successful artistic career for over fifty years. This paper examines Lee Krasner’s Gothic Landscape (1961). In an artist statement from 1973, Krasner said, “My painting is so autobiographical, if anyone can take the trouble to read it.” This research includes a biographical element that will provide insight on what was happening in Krasner’s life when she created Gothic Landscape in order to understand her autobiographical references. An emphasis will be on a period of unexpected loss, grief, and renewal. In this paper I will analyze Gothic Landscape through its formal structure (visual analysis), subject matter, technique, and context in an effort to find Krasner in this piece and determine its content. I will present a formal analysis of Gothic Landscape to determine its subject matter. As it is known, Abstract art is not comprised of objective, easily discernable depictions. I will further examine the subject matter, especially the symbolism relating to traditional Gothic art and literature. Given the self-proclaimed autobiographical nature of Krasner’s work, interpreting the subject matter, its symbolism, and the effect of artistic techniques she chose to use will enrich the viewer’s understanding of this painting.

Presenter(s): Emma Hawkinson

Department/Division/Area: Art

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Lauren Freese

Presentation Time: 10:00-10:15

June Beer: Nicaraguan Artist and Poet

To address the lack of public knowledge of named Nicaraguan artists, I present the work of June Beer, Nicaraguan Creole poet, artist, and revolutionary. The focus of the research is to bring attention to the lack of physical information given about Nicaraguan culture, artists, and the large role that women had during its revolution. An artwork of Beer's that is the focus of this research is “Woman”, 1985. She connects the deep royal blue hues to her heritage of growing up in the municipality of Bluefields, known for its populace of Afro-Latinos. Through visual analysis of the piece, it can be seen as how women are presented but not named. On the alternative, it can be interpreted that the piece is about how women are integral to the Nicaraguan Revolution, and lack of true representation for the Nicaraguan Creole. There is a void of scholarly texts that provide information that does not relate to the Nicaraguan Revolution. A single war should not define a whole country, and the focus on Centra America needs to be recognized. The point of this research into Beer’s artwork is to bring attention to the people of Nicaragua and address the lack of information provided in public texts about the fine arts.

Presenter(s): Grace Frizzell

Department/Division/Area: Art

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Lauren Freese

Presentation Time: 10:15-10:30

Painting “La Violencia”: Debora Arango’s Sociopolitical Critique of Colombia

Between 1946 and 1966, Colombia underwent a period of severe sociopolitical unrest and bipartisan violence known as “La Violencia.” During this period, artist Débora Arango (1907-2005) sought to bring awareness to the brutality of this time, documenting and interpreting injustices through her art. Her work criticized the social and political realities of her time through the lens of the common people and their daily lives. She was shunned by her peers and censored by the government due to the sociocultural context of her time and the values of Colombian society in the 1940s.  Arango’s challenges of social norms and activism addressed the violence of the period. Her willingness to depict gruesome scenes and her style have led some to equate her work with that of Frida Kahlo. Unlike Kahlo, however, Arango remains unknown and largely unstudied outside of Colombia and the Spanish language. Understanding and studying her work and its impact can further the understanding of the role of women artists during the 20th century in Latin America. My analysis of Gaitan and Masacre del 9 de Abril will emphasize Arango’s efforts to push back against the inaccessible systems and social contexts of the time.

Presenter(s): Isabela Moreno Zuluaga

Department/Division/Area: Art

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Lauren Freese

Presentation Time: 10:30-10:45

 Faculty Panel

The Experience of Women of Color in the United States

Women of color have experienced barriers in professional, social, economic, and justice system contexts throughout the history of the United States. These barriers have produced severe inequities for women of color that necessitate system-level responses that women of color, themselves, are most capable to lead.

This panel will focus on the historical inequities, present conditions, and future pathways of the experience of women of color. Panelists will engage in conversation on occupational and socioeconomic disparities, violent crime victimization, the inhibited ascent to positions of power in federal, state, and local government, each of which contribute to the underrepresentation of women of color in public policy.  Following this, panelists turn their attention to indigenous solutions to reduce and remove inequalities that rely on the lived experience of women of color. The purpose is to further navigate solutions to empower, uplift, and celebrate marginalized voices and diversified experiences.

Presenter(s): Isabella Ordonez Carbajal, Elle Hoops, Tewobistya Birhanu

Department/Division/Area: Politicial Science

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Rich Braunstein

Presentation Time: 9:30-10:45

Economics & Decision Sciences

State Policies and Economic Performance: Evidence from 2000-2020†

This study examines the impact of state fiscal and regulatory policies on economic performance across U.S. states from 2000 to 2020. Using a fixed-effects regression model, the analysis evaluates how variations in taxation, government spending, and regulatory policies influence real per capita Gross State Product (GSP) and private sector GSP. Data sources include the CATO Institute’s Freedom in the 50 States report, the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), and the U.S. Census. The results indicate that fiscal policies, particularly higher state tax burdens, and increased government spending, have a statistically and practically significant negative effect on economic output. A one percentage point increase in state tax burden reduces per capita GSP and private sector GSP by more than $500 and $600, respectively, while greater state government consumption and investment are associated with declines exceeding $200 per capita. In contrast, most regulatory policies, including land use restrictions and minimum wage laws, exhibit limited or statistically insignificant effects on economic performance. These findings suggest that state-level economic growth is more sensitive to fiscal policy decisions than regulatory measures. Policymakers should prioritize tax and spending reforms that enhance economic efficiency while carefully assessing the necessity of regulatory interventions. Future research could explore alternative policy measures and sector-specific impacts to refine these conclusions.

Presenter(s): Tyson C Test

Department/Division/Area: Economics

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Mike Allgrunn

Presentation Time: 11:00-11:15

A Shiny Dashboard for Interactive Financial Ratios Visualization

Financial ratios are essential tools for analysing a company's financial health and performance offering insights into profitability liquidity solvency and efficiency. These ratios help businesses make informed decisions by simplifying complex financial data into measurable indicators. Profitability ratios, such as Return on Equity (ROE) and Net Profit Margin, assist in identifying underperforming products, evaluating cost-cutting strategies, and setting management performance targets. Liquidity ratios, including the Current Ratio and Quick Ratio, help businesses manage working capital, decide on short term debt, and plan cash flow effectively. Solvency ratios, such as the Debt to Equity Ratio and Interest Coverage Ratio, determine the company's financial stability and its ability to meet long-term obligations, guiding capital structure decisions and investment planning. Efficiency ratios, like the Asset Turnover Ratio and Inventory Turnover Ratio, help identify operational inefficiencies, optimize inventory management, and improve resource allocation. This project features a Shiny dashboard built in RStudio, allowing users to dynamically explore financial ratios through interactive visualizations and data-driven insights. The main objective of this project is to bridge the gap between traditional financial reporting and modern data visualization techniques. Built using the R and Shiny package, the dashboard enables the creation of visualizations for financial computations' powerful data analysis capabilities make it an ideal tool for automating key financial ratio calculations, such as the Current Ratio and Debt to Equity Ratio. Users can input financial data or select preloaded datasets to generate realtime visualizations of financial ratios including liquidity solvency efficiency and profitability ratios. By transforming financial ratio analysis into a dashboard, this project aims to improve accessibility and support data driven decision making. This project can be further expanded by adding more details, such as Return on Assets (ROA) Return on Equity (ROE) etc, which can provide a more complete view of a company's financial health.

Presenter(s): Arzaana Aslam Babu, Kunjan Dodani, Sarbagya Rayamajhi

Department/Division/Area: Economics & Decision Sciences

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Shraddha Gawankar

Presentation Time: 11:15-11:30

The Impact of Referee Bias on NCAA Basket Tournament*

In the evolving landscape of sports analytics, data-driven insights are increasingly shaping decision-making beyond player and team performance evaluation. While analytics has traditionally been used to measure athletic performance, predict market value, and enhance game strategies, its potential extends to officiating decisions, a relatively unexplored domain. This study investigates the impact of referee travel distance on officiating decisions in the NCAA Men’s Division I Tournament. By collecting and analyzing data on game officials, we employ statistical models to examine whether referees who travel long distances exhibit different decision-making patterns compared to those officiating closer to their home regions. Specifically, the research seeks to determine whether travel fatigue or unfamiliarity with the game environment influences officiating accuracy and game outcomes. Findings from this study are expected to provide valuable insights into optimizing referee assignments to enhance fairness and consistency in decision-making. The results could have broader implications for sports organizations in structuring referee contracts and travel policies to improve game integrity.

Presenter(s): Satkar Karki, Lujala Maharjan, Ivy Darko

Department/Division/Area: Economics & Decision Sciences

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Chad Birger

Presentation Time: 11:30-11:45

Chemistry

Gated Targeted Drug Delivery by Calcium Carbonate Microparticles for Oral Diseases and their Anti-bacterial Activity

Dental diseases are mostly caused by bacterial infections of the teeth, forming biofilms that release acids, which decay the enamel of the teeth. More than half of the world's population is affected by oral diseases, including periodontitis (gum disease), dental caries (cavities), and oral cancer. Chlorhexidine (CHX) is the most commonly used antimicrobial drug for dental diseases, but overexposure to the drug in healthy teeth causes many side effects, such as tooth staining, taste alteration, and more. Taking advantage of the acidic environment of infected teeth, we designed a targeted drug delivery system using calcium carbonate microparticles  (CCMP) as a drug carrier, coated with different sources of casein—pure casein, skim milk, and diluted skim milk. Casein acts as a gatekeeping element, holding the drug at a normal pH of 7.4 and releasing CHX only at a low pH of 5.5. In this work, the drug release profile of two different forms of CHX was evaluated at pH 7.4 and pH 5.5. Further, the antibacterial activity of our particles was examined using Streptococcus mutans (the most common bacteria causing dental decay) through the standard plate count method. Our preliminary results showed that skim milk and diluted skim milk hold the drug better than pure casein at pH 7.4. In addition, CHX coated with casein exhibited greater antibacterial activity at pH 5.5 than at pH 7.4. For future work, we are designing and fabricating a tooth-on-chip microfluidic device to evaluate the penetration efficacy of the released drug through the dentinal tubules, and for modeling of  Streptococcus mutans – affected tooth inside the device.

Presenter(s): Hem R Joshi

Department/Division/Area: Chemistry

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Grigoriy Sereda

Presentation Time: 11:00-11:15

Developing therapeutic approaches using mesoporous silica nanoparticles-based targeted drug delivery against human colorectal cancer*

Despite considerable advances to improve colorectal cancer (CRC) survival over the few decades, challenges remain due to rapid metastatic dissemination and poor mortality rate associated with the metastatic form of CRC. Another rising challenge in CRC is the significant elevation of CRC incidence in individuals below 50 years of age, which has shown a significant rise in the last two decades, resulting in related deaths due to the metastatic form of CRC in this early-onset population. Therefore, there is an urgent need for more effective and safer therapeutic agents that target cancer invasion and metastasis without affecting normal cells. In recent decades, mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) have gained wide attention for targeted drug delivery studies in treating colorectal cancer. MSNs have properties like facile surface functionalization, elevated drug loading, robustness and excellent biocompatibility, making them a good candidate as a nano-carrier in cancer treatments. The recent progress in MSN-based drug delivery methods is mainly oriented toward designing stimuli-responsive, biocompatible mechanisms and pore-blocking agents. Studying the biological actions of nanocarriers in the blood vessel has also earned a lot of interest. My research aimed at exploring the anti-cancer activity of the drug veratridine (VTD) as a cargo for mesoporous silica nanoparticles. In Vitro MMP-7-triggered drug release studies of casein-coated MSNs have shown promising results. In CRC cells, MSNs can selectively deliver VTD and release the payload in the presence of the MMP-7 enzyme secreted by the metastatic cancerous cells. This strategy offers the double benefit of increasing the anticancer effects while mitigating potential side effects on healthy cells and maximizing the overall therapeutic efficacy. Future studies will focus on improving the colloidal stability and drug-loading capacity of MSNs through PEGylation and designing the nano-cargos with calcium carbonate nanoparticles.

Presenter(s): Mahadi Hasan

Department/Division/Area: Chemistry

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Grigoriy Sereda, Khosrow Rezvani

Presentation Time: 11:15-11:30

Lanthanide-Based Upconversion Nanoparticles with Multi-Level Security Features for Anti-Counterfeiting*

Counterfeiting remains a significant threat to the global economy, with counterfeit and pirated goods affecting global trade to the tune of trillions of dollars in sales annually. Traditional anti-counterfeiting technologies often rely on luminescent materials; however, these materials typically have simple features, making them susceptible to illegal replication. To address this challenge, there is a growing need for advanced luminescent materials with intricate, multi-level security features. Lanthanide-doped sodium yttrium fluoride (NaYF₄) upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) have gained considerable attention over the past decade for applications in information encryption and anti-counterfeiting. However, most existing studies focus on single or dual-doped UCNPs, with limited research on the effects of multiple dopants. Moreover, the interactions among dopants and their influence on overall optical performance remain insufficiently understood. In this study, we synthesized NaYF₄: Yb-Er-Tm tridoped UCNPs and systematically investigated how Tm doping concentration affects luminescence behavior. When excited with a 980 nm laser, the synthesized UCNPs exhibit green, red, and near-infrared (NIR) emissions. Our results show that increasing the Tm concentration enhances red and NIR emissions while suppressing green emission. This phenomenon is well explained using the proposed energy transfer mechanism within the tridoped NaYF₄ nanocrystals. Furthermore, we demonstrate that these UCNPs can be used to fabricate anti-counterfeiting labels with multi-level security features, which can be revealed under different optical conditions. The unique optical properties of these triply doped UCNPs present a promising approach to significantly enhancing the security of next-generation anti-counterfeiting technologies.

Presenter(s): Gopala Krishna Murthy Kalapala

Department/Division/Area: Chemistry

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Chaoyang Jiang

Presentation Time: 11:30-11:45

Musical Theatre

USD Musical Theatre Showcase: Seeking Creative Research to Professional Careers

Join us for the senior's to showcase how to bring individual careers as well as how to shape the USD Musical Theatre department for the better.

Presenter(s): Jamie Lennon, Meg Cook

Department/Division/Area: Musical Theatre

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Matt Nesmith

Presentation Time: 11:00-11:45

Communication Studies

Evolution of Prostitution Culture in Bengal: Analyzing from Ancient Era to Present

In this article, we will get to know about the ancient era of prostitution, how they led as performer, singer, dancer, used to have a powerful status in the society and how it has changed after the British colonialism, how they are treated like poor slaves in current brothels and how the new term call-girl replaced the thousand-year-old prostitution profession. With the analysis of evolution of prostitution in Bengal, I want to show that prostitution was a reputed profession giving prostitutes strong power and status in the society which changed drastically over time to powerless and loathsome profession where prostitutes are ostracized by the society. I used Rhetorical Method with Narrative Analysis and Critical Discourse Analysis to explain historical storytelling, language, politics, power dynamics and the new version of ‘call girl’ in the society. To analyze the gender, I applied Feminist Rhetorical Criticism which will give the reader a proper idea of every section. I found that society used to give the prostitutes the power and status and it is the society that deprived them from their fundamental rights, status, respect, power. Also, if I talk about the gender analysis, women are always judged for their profession as prostitutes but men who are involved with the prostitute women they were never judged by the people or society, and they never lost their position or reputation in the society. In conclusion, I think there is a lot of opportunity to do further research on current situation of prostitution, comparing this profession and the condition of prostitutes with different countries, why the society never found any solution to end prostitution though they are against it and why men are not questioned and judged while they play an important role for the establishment and continuation of prostitution.

Presenter(s): Iftila Jannat Mow

Department/Division/Area: Communication Studies

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Kristina Lee

Presentation Time: 1:00-1:15

Political Science

A Comparison of Educational Policies Between the United States and Yugoslavia from 1953 to 1963‡

From 1953 to 1963, the United States of America and the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY) faced similar educational challenges in providing equal education for all its citizens. Due to the growing polarization among public education policies influencing schools’ curricula, school funding, student representation, and necessary accommodations, a comparative study has been conducted on the equitable educational policies of the U.S. and Yugoslavia. The research uses the most different system design (MDSD) framework to compare governmental approaches to public education and their overall influence and outcomes. The study found that Yugoslavia and the U.S. shared similar approaches to unifying ethnic groups through public schools to promote strong and unifying citizenship, including those of different religious backgrounds and socioeconomic classes. The United States approached unity within schools by desegregating white and black schools, Brown v. Board in 1953 and the removal of prayer, Engle v. Vitale in 1963. While the world felt the pressures of the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, independent from the Soviet and Western influences, passed the General Law on Education, which introduced new reforms and integrated a new public school system for its diverse population, covering a scope of rights. The comparison concludes that both countries struggled to unify a diverse population through their intended approaches to education policy; however, tolerance within schools gained notoriety, providing space for diversity and inclusion within school communities. Moreover, a closer look at the historical precedence of both countries concludes that while conflicts between groups of people will continue to emerge, school policies can incubate successful civic duties.

Presenter(s): Emily M Gheorghiu

Department/Division/Area: Political Science

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Sandy Mckeown

Presentation Time: 1:15-1:30

Finance

News Vacancy and Stock Movement: Undercovering Trading Opportunities With Idiosyncratic Price Changes‡

This study examines whether stock price movements without accompanying news partially revert to prior levels. While traditional trading relies on financial statements and public information, unexplained price changes may also predict future market behavior. Using daily stock prices and scraped news data, this research quantifies trading opportunities from idiosyncratic price shifts. Results show that news accelerates price corrections, while its absence delays reversals, especially for large gains. Stocks with sudden increases and no news sustain elevated prices longer before correcting, whereas declines exhibit weaker, less predictable reversals. This suggests public information plays a key role in market efficiency by shaping investor reactions and price adjustments. The study enhances understanding of price discovery and short-term market inefficiencies. Findings highlight how investors react differently to news versus its absence, offering insights for both academic research and trading strategies. Future work can explore sentiment, macroeconomic effects, and investor psychology in stock price movements.

Presenter(s): Nick Diersen

Department/Division/Area: Finance

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Nick Wilson

Presentation Time: 1:30-1:45

Chemistry

Ion binding in Metal Organic Supercontainers (MOSCs) for wastewater treatment*

Access to clean and safe drinking water is a public health priority, yet 40 percent of the world's population is affected by water scarcity due to costly wastewater treatment. Many pollutants in wastewater are ions such as phosphates, fluoride, methylene blue, cesium etc. which potentially disturb the aquatic ecosystem and endanger human water resources when left untreated. Current technologies for the removal and recovery of ions include precipitation and adsorption which tend to be expensive and inefficient. Therefore, the overarching goal of this study is to develop new materials that can remove ions from wastewater with more efficiency. Our research focuses on the study of container molecules known as “Metal-Organic Supercontainers (MOSCs)” for various applications including ion binding.  MOSCs are synthetic container molecules formed by the self-assembly of precursors, linkers and metal ions through coordination bonds and exhibit distinct multi-architectural domain (i.e., endo and exocavities) suitable for targeting guest species such as ions. Prototypical MOSCs displayed promising binding with cations such as methylene blue. To further expand the chemical space of our MOSC, we have designed a new family of MOSC which feature similar multicavity architecture but are anionic in nature. This anionic nature of new MOSCs provides additional feature to target ions. Preliminary results reveal that these new MOSCs can bind to anions such as fluoride, chloride, phosphate and cations such as potassium and cesium. Future work will further explore the potential of MOSCs in wastewater treatment.

Presenter(s): Kriti Chitrakar

Department/Division/Area: Chemistry

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Rick Wang

Presentation Time: 1:00-1:15

Designing Functionalized Fluorescent Metal-Organic Supercontainers for Chemical Sensing Applications of Illicit Substances

Illicit substances seriously affect the human body, which can create long-term mental and physical health issues which could lead to fatalities. Today’s methods for detecting illicit substances include instruments like gas chromatography (GC), high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and mass spectrometry (MS) known for high accuracy and sensitivity;  but these large bulky instruments are costly and require trained personnel. Chemical sensing technologies and techniques have been growing in popularity for being user-friendly and portable with desirable selectivity and sensitivity for detecting illicit substances, hence overcoming limitations of current detection methods. By employing nanostructured molecule-based chemical sensing technologies that are user-friendly, portable, and cost-effective with the sensitivity for detecting illicit substances. One attractive approach is to utilize metal-organic supercontainers (MOSCs) for their unique versatility, synthetic ease, and controllability. MOSCs represent a new class of synthetic container molecules that self-assemble to form well-defined nano-cavities with diverse topologies, tunable chemical properties, and controllable size and shape of their nano-cavities. MOSCs have demonstrated multiple functionalities that provide a wide range of promising applications in chemical sensing, drug delivery, and catalysis. This research is focused on designing fluorescent MOSCs as a key component for detecting and monitoring illicit and hazardous substances such as methamphetamine. By functionalizing MOSCs with known fluorophores such as pyrenyl groups provide multifunctionalities including deeper nano-cavities for more targeted analyte binding, and stronger fluorescent properties. In this work, a new family of fluorescent MOSCs have been designed and characterized, demonstrating promising applications in chemical sensing with fluorescence properties.

Presenter(s): Robyn Cook

Department/Division/Area: Chemistry

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Rick Wang

Presentation Time: 1:15-1:30

Phosphorescent Carbon Dots Doped Silica Nanomaterials via Microwave-Assisted and Modified Stöber Methods for Anti-Counterfeiting and Biosensing

Phosphorescent materials are essential in bioimaging, anti-counterfeiting, and other applications due to their prolonged light emission. However, current phosphorescent materials face challenges such as complex synthesis, high costs, and instability. Carbon dots (CDs) are a promising alternative due to their biocompatibility, tunable optical properties, and simple synthesis. We explores the synthesis of CDs using ethylenediamine (EDA) and phosphoric acid via a microwave-assisted method, followed by silica encapsulation using a modified Stöber process to form CDs@SiO2, aiming to enhance their stability and optical properties. Optical characterization showed a slight blue shift in the excitation wavelength of CDs@SiO2, with emission wavelengths remaining nearly identical to uncoated CDs. Neutral CDs@SiO2 samples were chosen for further experiments due to their practical suitability and comparable performance to acidic samples. The phosphorescence time of neutral CDs@SiO2 solution was up to 10 s. The presence of a peak at 1074 cm⁻¹ in the IR spectra confirmed successful silica coating, supported by zeta potential measurements indicating enhanced colloidal stability. Additionally, doping CDs@SiO2 with various dyes using a modified Stöber process resulted in dye-doped particles retaining fluorescence and phosphorescence properties while exhibiting additional fluorescence peaks. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) and zeta potential measurements indicated changes in size and surface charge, suggesting successful doping and potential for Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET). In conclusion, this study demonstrates the successful synthesis and silica coating of CDs, leading to improved stability and distinct optical properties. These advancements highlight the potential applications of these nanomaterials in anti-counterfeiting and biosensing. Future work will focus on shifting phosphorescence from green to the near-infrared (NIR) region using FRET mechanisms, enhancing their applicability in advanced technological and biomedical fields.

Presenter(s): Weichao Liu

Department/Division/Area: Chemistry

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Steven Wu

Presentation Time: 1:30-1:45

Anthropology

English Language Learning and Daily Life among Migrants of South Dakota

South Dakota holds a rich tapestry of people from a variety of cultural backgrounds. New migrants to the state only add to the state’s cultural diversity. Current figures estimate 4% of the state’s population are foreign-born individuals (American Immigration Council). Although there is a wealth of data that explores migration in the state at a macro-level, there are not many studies that focus on the micro-level. Namely, how are foreign-born individuals adapting to life in South Dakota. The findings in this presentation stem from a collaborative qualitative project conducted in Spring 2024 for the course, Ethnographic Methods. The objective of this project was to utilize a micro-approach to understand foreign-born individuals’ experiences with migration in the state. Our roughly 32 participants were adult English Language Learner (ELL) students enrolled in English classes through Cornerstone Career Learning Center in Yankton, SD. Many of our participants were from Cuba, while others were from other Latin American countries and China. To gather our data, we utilized qualitative methods, such as participant observation and interviews. In this presentation, we discuss our findings from this collaborative project. Primarily, we uncovered our participants’ experiences with living in South Dakota, as well as how our participants negotiated feelings of isolation and disconnection related to homesickness and language barriers by building a sense of community among fellow ELL students enrolled in the English classes.

Presenter(s): Jon Hoefs, Angel Vazquez

Department/Division/Area: Anthropology

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Crystal Sheedy

Presentation Time: 2:00-2:15

Sociology

Digital Access, Digital Skills, and Academic Success: Rethinking Digital Capital in Higher Education†, ‡

Recent scholarship has suggested that Digital Capital (DC), encompassing digital access and competency, may play a critical role in processes of social reproduction by limiting upward mobility. However, limited evidence exists to explore this phenomenon within the context of higher education, where increasing digitalization may exacerbate educational inequality by disadvantaging students with low DC. Conversely, DC may positively influence academic performance by providing key advantages, but few studies have directly examined this relationship. Using a survey of 235 students at two institutions of higher education in the Midwest, this study is among the first to empirically investigate the relationship between sociodemographic factors, DC accumulation, and academic outcomes in a higher education setting. The findings reveal that DC across Midwestern institutions is relatively homogeneous, with only some stratification along sociodemographic lines. Moreover, digital access significantly predicts digital competency, aligning with prior literature on digital inequality. However, DC does not significantly predict cumulative GPA, raising questions about DC’s broader impact on educational and life outcomes. The findings challenge prevailing assumptions about the academic advantages of DC and suggest that improving digital access and digital competencies alone is insufficient for enhancing academic outcomes.

Presenter(s): Guo Ming Nicholas Boon

Department/Division/Area: Sociology

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Louisa Roberts

Presentation Time: 2:15-2:30

The Dark Triad: Are There Differences in Personality Traits by Region?

This study sought to determine if there were any patterns in personality traits related to where a subject lived by region in the United States. We hypothesized that depending on which region a person is from, that they will have significantly different personality traits. One sample group was from a sociology class at a University in South Dakota. The other sample group was from college/university students from various locations in Oregon. This study was to specifically look at the three Dark Triad personality traits (Psychopathy, Machiavellianism, Narcissism) to see if there was any pattern based on where a person lives and their personality traits. Subjects from both samples took the Big 5 Model personality test, and the results were compared between the Oregon and South Dakota college students.

Presenter(s): Jessie Knight , Morgan St. Aubin, Isabella Nath

Department/Division/Area: Sociology

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Cheryl Hartman

Presentation Time: 2:30-2:45

Regional Personality: Comparing University Students in Oregon and South Dakota

This study explores the differences in personality traits among university students in Oregon and South Dakota using the Five-Factor Model traits (Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism). Based on the cultural, economic, and demographic differences between the regions, we hypothesized that there would be significant differences in personality traits between college students in Oregon and South Dakota. We obtained our participants through convenience sampling. College participants in South Dakota were from a Sociology class at one university, whereas college participants from Oregon were from various universities. We examined the self-reported personality assessments from university students in both Oregon and South Dakota. These findings contribute to a better understanding of personality differences within different regions of the United States.

Presenter(s): Xanady F Schlotter, Karena Schultz, Elliott Morehead, Veda Allen, Gunner Wilson

Department/Division/Area: Sociology

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Cheryl Hartman

Presentation Time: 3:00-3:15

American Society Perspectives on AI and its Applications‡

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been transforming nearly every facet of our society, ranging from customer service and finance to law and education. Integration of AI solutions and workload migration towards AI has raised significant societal concerns regarding the ability to trust AI. This work utilizes the AI Trust Framework Maturity Model (TFMM) to investigate how to balance intelligence and interpretability within AI systems to foster public trust. It also explores societal attitudes towards AI adoption through the lens of the diffusion of innovations theory, contextualizing contemporary concerns toward AI within historical patterns of technological change. This project employs a multidisciplinary approach to explore how Americans perceive AI, highlighting both its benefits and challenges in the modern world. Initial results indicate there are many similarities in attitudes toward AI, with some comparing the AI wave to previous technology revolutions and broader historical patterns of resistance to rapid social change—often referred to as “futurephobia”. Many respondents expressed a general eagerness to adopt and embrace AI, though their enthusiasm was somewhat tempered by concerns about transparency, data privacy, accountability, job loss, and dehumanization of labor.

Presenter(s): Muhammad Danish Aheed

Department/Division/Area: Sociology

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Isaiah Cohen, Rodrigue Rizk

Presentation Time: 2:45-3:00

Art

The History of Art and Design in Hand Lettering & Food

This project is about the art of lettering and how it has evolved over years and has integrated into various art forms and visual aspects, primarily on food. An analysis of designs by Lauren Hom can help us understand lettering as a functional and aesthetic tool for designers and artists. Through this I can focus on the visual aspect of how color plays a big role in design, food, and type as well as how each piece is made and set in a specific way. This will help people understand it better and reinforce the message the artist wants to convey. It shows us how lettering can be legible and still be enhanced by the color and composition. Lettering & Type: Creating Letters and Designing Typefaces by Bruce Willen and Nolan Strals, explains how lettering has developed throughout history and has facilitated personal and artistic expression. This will help me analyze Hom’s work and show how her work of food and type lettering brings together many traditional design principles, as well as many new playful aesthetics that have all been integrated into communication. This can help people engage more with the art and help create a more impactful meaning for audiences. This project shows a new way to understand how art and design have evolved together within different mediums, and how marketing these forms in food have given broader responses to new social and creative changes. It's a great way to combine typography, design, and food together to create something more unique that has a bigger impact in the visual marketing culture, as well as the world in general.

Presenter(s): Jade S Bendewald

Department/Division/Area: Art

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Lauren Freese

Presentation Time: 2:00-2:15

Exploring South Dakota's Beautiful Small Towns†

Ever increasingly in our modern times people have become more and more isolated in our Cities, as communities centralize and move online. Common social grounds such as malls, parks, bars, and other areas have been receiving significantly less traffic as people drive themselves further online. Small towns, which often rely on this traffic, are significantly impacted by these changes in our behavior as people visit those towns cornerstones less. Those cornerstones are often places like Theaters, Bowling Alleys, Resturaunts, Parks, Pools and other Venues, which are often places for people to unwind, gather, and socialize outside of Work and Home. These places are referred to as Third Places. My aim with this project was to highlight these cornerstones of small towns in South Dakota, and bring greater attention to them so that people will think instead to visit them rather than stay home. But I had to get my feet on the ground there first to understand, Exploring South Dakota’s Beautiful Small Towns is a photography project, and I did research by visiting many small towns in the area and photographing their main streets and their cornerstones. What I hoped to find while taking these photographs was Third Places for people to visit that are not getting the attention they deserve, but also need as the proverbial distance between cities and small towns grows.

Presenter(s): Jerrod T Bauder

Department/Division/Area: Art

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): John Banasiak

Presentation Time: 2:15-2:30

Critiquing Quakerism: Halos, Humanity, and Heaven in The Lantern Bearers

My presentation utilizes visual analysis and historical context to argue that The Lantern Bearers by Maxfield Parrish is a representation of the artist's religious beliefs, or lack thereof. The painting features symbolism that aligns with values and ideas associated with Quakerism, the religion he was brought up in. The painting is identifiably referencing Christianity through it's use of Christian iconography like halos. By utilizing a character called Pierrot, a pantomime clown character, he references the silence Quakers practice in while simultaneously critiquing them as foolish. By utilizing many Pierrot he highlights the value of community and cooperation as it relates to Quakerism, in contrast to how Pierrot is typically portrayed as lovesick and alone. Despite the painting's emphasis on community, The Lantern Bearers offers a deeply personal perspective of Parrish's own spirituality, which can even be seen in how the artist painted the heavenly realm in his own personal shade of Parrish blue.

Presenter(s): Kayli Stiles

Department/Division/Area: Art

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Lauren Freese, Heather McDonald

Presentation Time: 2:30-2:45

Analysis of Sports Trading Cards and Women's Work: Yes, it's Art!

Trading cards have been around for a long time but have been a primarily male-centered activity. Beginning in the 1980s, sports cards were popular when Michael Jordan and basketball started taking hold. Lauren Rizzo Shaffer is a sportswriter who writes about basketball, card collecting, and other sports collectibles. She has her own personal collection of basketball sports cards, and she makes art with sports trading cards as a base. Specifically, Rizzo Shaffer’s work, Allen Iverson 2, where she uses cotton embroidery on a Prizm silver base card, will be discussed. Rizzo Shaffer is a third-wave feminist artist that uses textiles in her work. She uses the centuries-old craft of needlepoint to hand-embroider on NBA sports cards, while also exploring the dynamics of card collecting and sports, which are traditionally a patriarchal world. Third-wave artists such as Rizzo Schaffer and their art reflect on the process, meaning, and strength found in the traditions of working with textiles. Feminist art often considers the political importance of women’s work and gives it a place for development and exhibition outside of the world of just women’s work. Feminist art also addresses the battle between the masculine-leaning public art world and the private world of women’s work by moving it out into the open. Women’s work refers to a socially constructed gender role which includes activities associated with women, such as caregiving and other domestic responsibilities. By looking at the history of women’s work, and the argument that asks if women’s work is art or craft, this discussion of Rizzo Schaffer’s work will address how textile artists address social issues and look at textiles such as embroidery, in a contemporary context.

Presenter(s): Wyatt H Dejager-Loftus

Department/Division/Area: Art

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Lauren Freese

Presentation Time: 3:00-3:15

Analyzing Judy Chicagos The Dinner Party: The Empowering use of Genitalia Imagery

This research paper examines Judy Chicago’s The Dinner Party, an iconic feminist installation created in 1979 and currently housed at the Brooklyn Museum. The piece consists of a triangular table with 39 unique place settings, each designed to honor a significant woman from history, both real and fictional. Central to the installation is the controversial use of genital imagery, as the plates and other table elements are crafted to resemble vaginas. This choice has sparked significant debate within the art world, with critics arguing that the depiction of female genitalia is sexualizing and degrading, undermining the feminist message of the piece. Conversely, others interpret the use of these forms as an empowering statement, reclaiming the female body and forcing viewers to engage with and confront its representation in art.

This paper will explore the symbolism behind the genital imagery in The Dinner Party, analyzing its role in celebrating and reclaiming the female body. By critically engaging with scholarly perspectives, this research will assess whether the depiction of female genitalia in The Dinner Party serves as an empowering and transformative act or if it perpetuates harmful stereotypes. Ultimately, the paper aims to contribute to the broader discourse on feminism, gender, and the body in contemporary art history, while exploring how The Dinner Party challenges traditional representations of women’s bodies. Through this analysis, the research will illuminate the ways in which the installation redefines the relationship between art, feminism, and the representation of the female form.

Presenter(s): Mia L Jones

Department/Division/Area: Art

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Lauren Freese

Presentation Time: 2:45-3:00

Biology

The scaling of metabolic rate through ontogeny in a viviparous chameleon (Bradypodion ventrale)*

Metabolic rate (MR) is a metric that summarizes an organism’s energy expenditure over a given period. While many factors influence MR, body size is a primary determinant. Therefore, considerable research has focused on the allometric scaling relationship between MR and body mass in adult animals. However, much less is known about the relationship between MR and body mass in neonates and juveniles, which is an important distinction given that growth represents a significant energetic cost that is not present in adult animals. Additionally, little work has investigated the metabolic differences between juveniles from the same clutch, although body size can vary between littermates and often impacts neonate survival. Such research could shed light on the characteristics of a successful neonate in species, such as chameleons, in which many neonates do not survive to adulthood. The present study examined the scaling relationships of resting metabolic rates in ten juvenile Southern dwarf chameleons (Bradypodion ventrale) over the first five months of life. Resting metabolic rate was measured using stop-flow respirometry in postabsorptive animals. There was significant variation in growth rate and metabolic scaling among individuals; scaling exponents ranged from 0.62 to 0.95. However, there was no correlation between scaling exponent and individual survival, suggesting that MR is not a reliable predictor of individual survival in neonate B. ventrale. This work will help to characterize the most energetically costly stages of growth, which can be applied towards increasing survival outcomes of neonates and juveniles in other chameleon species and other reptile taxa.

Presenter(s): Etti Cooper

Department/Division/Area: Biology

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Christopher V. Anderson

Presentation Time: 2:00-2:15

Acclimation effects on cutaneous evaporative water loss in chameleons living in dynamic hydric and thermal environments

The underlying mechanisms by which organisms are capable of rapidly acclimating to their environments are of particular interest as the global climate becomes more extreme and unpredictable. Squamates are an ecologically diverse group, inhabiting a wide range of environments which fluctuate to varying extents over annual, seasonal, and daily shifts in aridity and temperature. Thermoregulation and hydroregulation are closely coupled mechanisms necessary for survival and both are dependent on the integument which drives transport of heat and water between internal and external environments. We measured acute changes in cutaneous evaporative water loss (CEWL) rates over a 12-hour period (day vs. night) in three chameleon (Bradypodion and Chamaeleo) taxa from diverse thermal and hydric environments. We evaluated differences in CEWL within and between species from measures taken across the body on field-fresh individuals. We found that some species experience greater shifts in CEWL rates due to daily shifts in temperature whereas others experience greater shifts due to humidity. After chameleons were acclimated to a controlled lab environment, there was reduced variation in CEWL rates based on temperature and humidity. Short-term acclimation effects over a 12-hour period illustrates the chameleon’s ability to rapidly and reversibly change CEWL in response to environmental conditions. Longer-term acclimatization effects to a stable lab environment revealed species differences in CEWL rates which could be a result of phylogenetic, environmental, and physiological effects.

Presenter(s): Madison G McIntyre

Department/Division/Area: Biology

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Christopher V. Anderson

Presentation Time: 2:15-2:30

School of Medicine

Examining the relationships between work environment and stress coping mechanisms with burnout in medical students

Throughout the duration of medical training, learners are oftentimes overworked and faced with high levels of stress and pressure; this can decrease quality of life for many individuals. The goal of this study was to gain an understanding of how work environments and stress coping mechanisms play a role in the amount of burnout experienced by medical students. This IRB approved study collected data from medical students at the University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine by using a 22 question Qualtrics survey. The Q12 survey by The Gallup was used to evaluate work environment perceptions, a question from the Mini Z Burnout Survey by the AMA was used to evaluate burnout, and a few questions pertaining to the CDC’s recommendations for healthy living were used to evaluate general stress coping mechanisms. A 5-point Likert scale was utilized for the survey questions. The results of the survey were analyzed by using 2-sample t-tests and ANOVA tests as appropriate. The score on the survey was inversely related to burnout, meaning that higher survey scores correlated to lower feelings of burnout. There was a slightly stronger positive correlation found between intrinsic factors (coping mechanisms) ratings and overall score on the survey (r= 0.868, p &lt; 0.001) compared to the correlation between extrinsic factors (work environment perception) and overall score on the survey (r= 0.849, P &lt;0.001). There was no significant difference between medical cohorts for the reported intrinsic factors (p= 0.745) or extrinsic factors (p= 0.876). Students who had healthier behaviors, such as following CDC recommendations or practicing meditation and mindfulness, had lower levels of burnout compared to those who did not. Finding effective ways to help students deal with stressors and develop coping mechanisms improves their own quality of life and can hence improve patient outcomes.

Presenter(s): Oluwafunke O Ogunremi

Department/Division/Area: School of Medicine

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Valeriy Kozmenko

Presentation Time: 2:30-2:45

Biology

Leveraging sUAS-Sentinel-2 synergy for cross-scale mapping of canopy cover and aboveground biomass across Mongolia and Kazakhstan*

Accurate assessment of grassland ecosystem structural and functional indicators, such as percent canopy cover (CC) and aboveground biomass (AGB) are crucial for sustainable rangeland management. Conventional CC and AGB mapping studies lack extrapolation robustness and induce uncertainty as they upscale limited in situ samples to broad spatial extents. Therefore, we proposed and tested a spatial cross-scale approach. We integrated small uncrewed aerial systems (sUAS) imagery as a bridge to upscale in situ data to satellite-based estimates across Mongolia (MN) and Kazakhstan (KZ). We sampled in situ herbaceous CC (%) and AGB (g/m2) and conducted sUAS overflights in 84 sites (n=252) across two states in KZ (north to south in 2022) and dominant grassland steppe types of MN (east to west in 2023). We employed a random forest (RF) regression model first to scale up quadrat-based field estimates to site level (3.5 cm) using spectral-textural-structural metrics from drone imagery and then to regional-scale (10 m) using predictor variables from Sentinel-2 imagery and environmental covariates from various satellite sensors. We derived per-pixel uncertainty estimates to quantify the reliability of CC and AGB predictions. Results showed superior RF model performance during the cross-scale approach with an estimated R2 (RMSE) of 0.83 (10.35%) and 0.83 (31.74 g/m2) for upscaling CC and AGB estimates from quadrat-to-site and 0.85 (5.14%) and 0.69 (31.81 g/m2) from site-to-regional. Notably, the cross-scale approach improved predictions over the conventional approach, with 44% and 43.7% lower RMSEs for CC and AGB, respectively. Leveraging extensive in situ sampling and robust upscaling approaches, we produced the first fine-resolution (10 m) gridded herbaceous CC and AGB estimates for KZ and MN. This study demonstrates the sUAS capability for upscaling ground data to satellite imagery across large spatial scales and estimating wall-to-wall CC and AGB across diverse regions and ecosystems.

Presenter(s): Venkatesh Kolluru

Department/Division/Area: Biology

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Ranjeet John

Presentation Time: 3:00-3:15

School of Medicine

Hepatitis Secondary to Q Fever Infection Following Unclear C. burnetti Exposure

Q fever is an infection caused by Coxiella burnetii, a zoonotic, obligate intracellular bacterium. Ubiquitous, this bacterium affects a variety of mammals, which often act as a reservoir for infection in humans. Common modes of transmission include direct contact or inhalation of contaminated aerosols, leaving veterinarians and farmers with an increased risk of exposure. It can often present with either an acute or chronic infection following an incubation period of 2-3 weeks. An acute infection is accompanied with either asymptomatic or nonspecific symptoms such as diarrhea, fatigue, fever, nausea, and vomiting. In about 15% of patients, the infection progresses to a chronic Q fever infection, which can include persistent focalized infections such as endocarditis, hepatitis, or lung fibrosis. We present a case of a 52-year-old male with a Q fever infection and a persistent focalized infection that manifested as hepatitis. The patient presented with persistent fevers that lasted about 10 days, body aches, headaches, and anorexia. Further workup included an RUQ US imaging with pericholecystic fluid and GB wall thickening that seemed similar to an acute cholecystitis presentation. The patient also experienced elevated LFTs and the formation of granulomas in liver biopsy. Although the patient maintained that he did not have contact with livestock, unpasteurized dairy products, farms, or any other clear exposure risks, it was learned that he had visited a pet store a few months earlier that could have led to his exposure. Doxycycline was recommended with a duration of 2 weeks. Furthermore, outpatient follow-up was scheduled to be done in 2 weeks.

Presenter(s): Michael Roberts

Department/Division/Area: School of Medicine

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Ibrahim Ahmed

Presentation Time: 2:45-3:00

Public Health

Analysis and Comparison of National COVID-19 and Influenza Vaccinations Rates

Since the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, noticeable differences in vaccination behavior have been observed within the United States. Persistent vaccine misinformation and hesitancy have influenced vaccination behaviors, resulting in disparities among different groups of people. Despite varying vaccine efficacy, healthcare and public health professionals still recommend COVID-19 vaccination to reduce disease morbidity and mortality. In order to understand the evolving COVID-19 and influenza vaccinations trends among different groups of people, the National Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) datasets for 2022 and 2023 were used. Overall, 78.8% of respondents had received at least one COVID-19 vaccine in 2022, which increased to 81.1% in 2023.  When responses were grouped by sex, a higher percentage of females versus males received at least one COVID-19 vaccine in both years. When comparing racial groups, those who identified as White showed a statistically significant decrease in receiving at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose from 2022 to 2023. Additionally, a majority of respondents reported receiving two or more doses of COVID-19 vaccine in both years (93.5% in 2022 and 92.7% in 2023). Surprisingly, trends in influenza vaccination rates showed mixed results. In general, a lower proportion of respondents reported receiving an influenza shot, with rates declining from 45.0% in 2022 to 42.2% in 2023. Similar to COVID-19 vaccination rates, more females reported receiving the flu vaccine. Conversely, a higher proportion of Whites reported receiving the flu vaccine, which contrasted with COVID-19 vaccination rates. It is important to understand behavioral differences towards vaccines among different demographic groups to support tailored messaging and advocacy.

Presenter(s): Nazneen Khan, Jeremy Batista, Viviana Deleon

Department/Division/Area: Public Health

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Susan Puumala

Presentation Time: 3:15-3:30

In 1971, the School of Education developed the Center Satellite Program (also referred to as the Indian Counselor Training Program). From 1971 until 1979, the Center Satellite Program graduated approximately 200 graduates that went on to work in tribal schools, communities, and organizations. The panel will feature seven former graduates of the 1971 cohort including Maurice Twiss, who served as program coordinator of the Center Satellite program. The participants will be interviewed by current Native School of Education students. Panel participants will be asked to reflect on their lives, careers, and future goals.