Making Healthy Choices in an Ultra-Processed-Food World

This presentation dives into the idea of the Finnish model for lesson planning. In the US, many people connect STEAM with a curricular approach to teaching, which uses the different standards and disciplines to guide students into thinking more deeply about the subjects, whereas in Finland, STEAM is a pedagogical approach that incorporates all subjects and skills. In the Finnish STEAM model, an objective is chosen to base the lesson on, and then students work together with the background knowledge they are provided to complete the task at hand with their peers and eventually share it with the class or small groups. In this presentation, you will be able to see the different steps that go into the Finnish model. First, it starts with an objective that students will be able to complete by the end of the lesson. It must be measurable. Throughout the slides, it is laid out in a way that can be followed for a substitute. It begins by explaining what their task will be, then it will lead into background knowledge that is important for the students to understand before they start brainstorming. After there has been a small lecture, the ideation and planning stages will begin. Students will come up with ideas on how to complete the task and then collaborate with peers to come up with a conjoined solution. Students will then be allowed to choose how they present their findings, such as in a slide show, poster, diagram, etc. Finally, students will be able to show off their work and practice using evidence and logic to defend their findings. This presentation demonstrates a lesson plan using the Finnish STEAM model, showcasing the topic of making healthy food choices in an ultra-processed food world.

Presenter(s): Parker L. Pfeifle, Brenna Dann

Department/Division/Area: Curriculum & Instruction

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Jing Williams

Presentation Time: 9:30-9:45 

Physical Therapy

Effects of Instruction on Foam Rolling: How Variations Influence Pain Reduction and Range of Motion 

Foam rolling (FR) is a form of self-massage used in athletic and rehabilitation settings to increase joint range of motion (ROM), improve tissue extensibility, and reduce pain. Although physiological mechanisms such as increased blood flow and neuromuscular modulation have been proposed, they remain poorly understood. One parameter that remains underexplored is the psychological mechanisms. Placebo and nocebo effects, driven by instructional language, may contribute to treatment outcomes. This study investigated different verbal instructions that emphasize pain reduction or ROM improvement after a standardized FR intervention. A pre-post experimental design was utilized with 19 participants (ages 18-65) randomly assigned to either a PAIN or ROM group. Baseline hamstring length was measured by a blinded investigator using a standard goniometer during a passive straight leg raise. Pain pressure threshold (PPT) was assessed on the dominant leg hamstring muscle group using a digital handheld algometer at the midpoint between the ischial tuberosity and knee joint line. Participants then watched an instructional video for their assigned group and completed a standardized bouts of hamstring FR with controlled cadence and self-selected tolerable pressure. The only difference in instructional videos between groups was the emphasis regarding FR benefits. Post-intervention ROM and PPT were reassessed by the blinded examiner. A 2x2 mixed ANOVA revealed significant improvements over time in both PPT and hamstring ROM following FR. However, there were no significant differences between groups over time. These findings suggest that while FR improves flexibility and pain measures, instructional emphasis alone did not influence short-term outcomes. 

Presenter(s):Racheal Schmitt, Bryant Haas, Noah Buss, Zane Reinert 

Department/Division/Area: Physical Therapy 

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Kory Zimney 

Presentation Time: 9:00 AM - 9:15 AM 

The Impact of Pelvic Health Literacy on Preventative Behaviors Among Young Adult Women

Purpose: This study examines the relationship between pelvic health knowledge and preventative behaviors and explores gaps in the timing of health education.  

Methods:  A cross-sectional survey was conducted with women aged 18-25 years who completed an anonymous 15-20-minute questionnaire. The 47-item survey assessed demographics, pelvic health knowledge and attitudes, preventative behaviors, symptoms, and education timing. Knowledge items were adapted from a validated pelvic floor questionnaire, and attitudes and preventative behaviors were measured using Likert scales. Descriptive statistics summarized responses, and multiple linear regression analyses examined relationships between knowledge and preventative behaviors. Bootstrapped mediation analysis evaluated whether attitudes mediated this relationship (P < .05).  

Results: A total of 108 young adult women (mean age 21.87 ± 1.90 years) were included in the final analysis. Pelvic health knowledge significantly predicted engagement in preventative behaviors (P < .001) and positive attitudes (P= .001). Attitudes did not significantly mediate the relationship between knowledge and engagement in preventative behaviors, indicating a direct effect of knowledge on preventative behaviors. Participants demonstrated high pelvic health knowledge (53.65 ± 4.68) and positive attitudes (4.25 ± 0.48). However, engagement in preventative behaviors was moderate (2.10 ± 0.40). Participants consistently reported receiving pelvic health education later than ideal across domains, particularly for pelvic pain and exercise-related pelvic floor concerns. Pelvic health symptoms were common, with menstrual pain and bowel-related concerns reported most frequently, while urinary and exercise-related pelvic floor symptoms were reported with less frequency. Most participants sought care through primary care providers or gynecologists, with only 13% consulting pelvic health physical therapists.  

Conclusion: Pelvic health symptoms are prevalent among young women, yet a gap exists between preferred education timing and actual acquisition. Results show that knowledge rather than one’s attitude is what drives preventative behaviors. 

Presenter(s):Victoria Andre, Alexis Allen, Josie Holland 

Department/Division/Area: Physical Therapy 

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

Presentation Time: 9:15 AM - 9:30 AM 

Impact of Nutrition and Physical Activity on Well-Being in Doctor of Physical Therapy Students and Recent Graduates 

Purpose: To examine the relationship between nutrition, physical activity, and well-being in student physical therapists (SPTs) and recent DPT graduates (RGs). Methods: Participants (SPTs and RGs 2022-2025) from DPT programs in the Midwest of the U.S. were invited to participate via email. Data were collected using a non-experimental Qualtrics survey assessing demographics, well-being via WHO-5 Well-Being Index (WHO5WB) (0-100%), physical activity (PA) adapted from 2020 World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, and nutrition adapted from USDA MyPlate guidelines. Data were analyzed with SPSS (α=.05). Results: 109 participants: 72.5% female, 26.6% male, 0.9% other; 65.1% SPTs, 34.9% RGs. Average WHO5WB scores were 55.12%. 33.9% had well-being below the threshold of 48%, indicating poor well-being. Following USDA recommendations, 87.2% of participants consumed 6 ounces of protein daily, while 59.6% consumed 7 ounces of regular or whole grains daily. 50.5%, 47.7% and 43.1% reported “sometimes” consuming 3 cups of vegetables, 2 cups of fruit, and 3 cups of dairy daily, respectively. 42.2% of participants felt that they met the WHO PA recommendations. Top factors (Most of the Time/Always) contributing to decreased well-being were Academic Pressures (41.3%) and School/Life Balance (32.1%), while the top coping mechanism was Exercise (56.9%). There were no significant differences in WHO5WB based on SPTs vs RGs. WHO5WB scores were negatively correlated with Academic Pressures (r=-.461) and School/Life Balance (r=-.446) and positively correlated with Exercise (r=.417). Conclusion: 33.9% had scores below the threshold for poor well-being. Participants were following/sometimes following the recommended nutrition guidelines, and 42% felt they were following the weekly PA recommendations. To promote overall well-being for DPT students, programs should consider nutrition and PA and their relationship to well-being during advisement sessions. 

Presenter(s):Abby Kortan, Brynn Dilly, Tristan Furgeson 

Department/Division/Area: Physical Therapy 

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

Presentation Time: 9:30 AM - 9:45 AM 

Sustainability Capstone's Projects to Enhance Campus Sustainability

The Sustainability Capstone class researched two areas for sustainability improvement on campus: event planning and the management of discarded food. The class will present their work, including their recommendations for a sustainable events guide, structural changes to the event planning process, a communications plan to promote food scrap collection in the Sustainability Living Learning Community, and a plan for diverting food scraps away from the landfill. These projects build on prior work by students in the Department of Sustainability & Environment and others across campus. The audience will learn how the Capstone class projects contribute to broader sustainability goals pursued by the Presidents’ Joint Committee on Sustainability.

Presenter(s): Angel Vazquez, John DePriest, Maggie Bruse, Paxton Roseland, Rachel Sadler

Department/Division/Area: Sustainability

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Anna Moore

Presentation Time: 9:00-9:50am

Art

Biblical Stories in Printmaking

Rembrandt's Descent from the Cross by Torchlight exemplifies the artist's interpretation of biblical stories. He uses manipulation of light, composition, and symbolic elements to turn a story into a powerful retelling. The use of chiaroscuro highlights the figures and creates an intimate view, allowing viewers to closely observe the scene of Christ and his followers. Through this depiction and its accompanying story, Rembrandt emphasizes themes of sacrifice, compassion, and shared human suffering. While the faces of the figures do not clearly show specific emotions, the gentle way they hold Christ, combined with the dramatic lighting, conveys an emotional tone that encourages viewers to interpret. Along with tenderness, a sense of reverence is also communicated. Even viewers unfamiliar with Christian doctrine or the story of Christ's crucifixion can see that the men handle him with great care, suggesting he is a figure of importance who deserves respect and compassion. Rembrandt lifts the act of burial to a profound and sacred act. During the time this artwork was created, the Netherlands was going through significant religious turmoil. With Calvinism gaining influence and its doctrines being introduced into the church, Rembrandt's print and its accompanying works serve as a reminder to seventeenth-century viewers of the core principles of Christianity. That faith and trust are the only two things needed to get into heaven.

Presenter(s): Aubrey B. Kellen

Department/Division/Area: Art

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Lauren Freese

Presentation Time: 10:00-10:15

June Wayne: Feminist Iconography at Tamarind

June Wayne’s Powernet and her lithograph process at Tamarind were a result of her mother's feminist philosophy and lifestyle. Powernet is a lithograph depicting a singular lace bra, representing an ode to Wayne’s mother who worked as an undergarment saleswoman, it is clear from this piece that June Wayne highly valued her mother's efforts to become a working woman in a time when it was unconventional. Her mother's feminist role helped lead Wayne to becoming a feminist herself and instilling an importance on the work women do. Wayne’s own career is another focal point because of her work in the printmaking field. Wayne was a cofounder of the Tamarind Institute, a printmaking shop that emphasizes lithography and helped bring the medium back to the contemporary art world. June Wayne also used Tamarind to elevate female printmakers and create opportunities for women to get into a space that was male dominated. Wayne also used Tamarind to educate and empower women by teaching the business side of art, something women at the time lacked access to. With Wayne being a woman in the director position she opened the door for women to become master printers and since the first female master printer in 1974, Tamarinds training program now includes many women studying lithography. This push for inclusivity within the Tamarind institute also set a standard among other institutions, allowing many women to become printmakers outside of Wayne’s own shop.

Presenter(s): Arianna Tate

Department/Division/Area: Art

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Lauren Freese

Presentation Time: 10:15-10:30

Manufactured Desire: An Application of the Iconographic Method to Richard Hamilton’s Just What Is It That Makes Today’s Homes So Different, So Appealing?

Richard Hamilton’s mixed media piece, Just what is it that makes today’s homes so different, so appealing?(1956) is often cited as the grandfather of Pop Art. Hamilton presents a humorous yet critical visual of the postwar home. This paper applies the iconographic method, particularly the framework developed by Erwin Panofsky, to demonstrate that Hamilton’s collage does more than just show us material abundance in the modern home. Instead his work visually allegorizes the our structures of consumer society, then transforming the domestic interior of the home into a symbolic shrine of desire, status, and manufactured identity. At the surface when applying iconography, the composition of the piece presents to us a seemingly familiar living room set with recognizable objects of a common mid-century consumer home. These include household appliances, packaged foods, entertainment media, and advertising imagery. A muscular male figure holding a large Tootsie Pop and a reclining female figure posed on a sofa anchor the composition, while the surrounding objects, from a vacuum cleaner and canned ham to a television and comic imagery, create this dense scene of consumer goods. At the second level, these elements are here to function as culturally recognizable symbols within the postwar expansion of consumer capitalism. Household appliances spark these ideals of women in a modern domestic home and gendered labor, processed foods call out to a wartime industrial production transformed into peacetime. This idea of convenience, and an industrial boom in broadcast technologies signal the growing influence of mass media on everyday life. The accumulation and almost theatrical arrangement of these objects ultimately presents the home less as a private space and more as a showroom of consumerism. Through iconographic interpretation, Hamilton’s collage reveals how midcentury consumer culture constructed identity, happiness, and social status through the display and consumption of material goods.

Presenter(s): Elizabeth Hopkins

Department/Division/Area: Art

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Lauren Freese

Presentation Time: 10:30-10:45

Curriculum & Instruction

Progressive Inquiry-Based Laboratories to Improve Student Understanding of Limiting Reactants in High School Chemistry

Identifying the limiting reactant in a chemical reaction remains a persistent challenge for many secondary chemistry students. Although students are often taught effective mathematical tools and procedures for solving stoichiometry problems (such as dimensional analysis), they still frequently default to superficial and often inaccurate reasoning for determining the identity of the limiting and excess reactants in the lab. For example, students often assume the reactant present in the smallest mass must be the limiting reactant. This misconception can prevent students from developing a conceptual understanding of how reactants are consumed during chemical reactions.

This project presents a progressive inquiry-based laboratory sequence designed to strengthen students' conceptual understanding of limiting and excess reactants through evidence-based reasoning and to increase levels of student autonomy. The instructional sequence consists of three laboratories that maintain a consistent chemical reaction system while varying the level of inquiry. In the first laboratory phase, students engage in structured inquiry by observing reactant consumption and identifying limiting reactants based on experimental evidence. In the second laboratory phase, students use guided inquiry to predict the limiting reactant using stoichiometric reasoning and test their predictions experimentally. The final laboratory phase shifts to open inquiry. Students pick their own reactant ratios and use those to theoretically determine the limiting and excess reactants. Students then run the experiment with their chosen ratios to produce limiting and excess conditions, comparing their theoretical expectations with their actual results.

Maintaining a consistent reaction system across increasingly open investigations helps students connect observable reaction outcomes to stoichiometric reasoning. By emphasizing observation, prediction, and experimental design, the sequence supports deeper conceptual mastery of limiting and excess reactants.

Presenter(s): Blaze T. Okerlund

Department/Division/Area: Curriculum & Instruction

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Jing Williams

Presentation Time: 10:00-10:15  

Difficult Histories in Secondary Education: The Process of Teaching About Extreme Racial Violence

Difficult histories are topics that are considered to be challenging and oftentimes uncomfortable to learn about. These include events that may involve trauma, injustice, violence, or collective suffering which may present unique obstacles when being taught to students. When going about teaching these histories, students' emotional wellbeing must be considered as teachers strive to communicate the full weight of past events and their importance while simultaneously not overwhelming their students. One of these topics that present challenges to teach is racial violence. The South Dakota standard I examined is 9-12.USH.15.L.which requires that “the student identifies the targets of the Ku Klux Klan and lynching, and explains the ways in which di􀆯erent governments did or did not attempt to protect them.” This standard requires the teaching of a time period of intense racially motivated violence. It grapples not only with the mob killings of thousands of American citizens but with the concept that these thousands of citizens were fundamentally denied their constitutional rights including due process as well as their natural rights to life and liberty. This research explores ways to communicate the scale, tragedy, and historical significance of events while not emotionally overwhelming students, to share the weight of past atrocities without crushing our students.

Presenter(s): Elle Swenson

Department/Division/Area: Curriculum & Instruction

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Jing Williams

Presentation Time: 10:30-10:45

Physical Therapy

Understanding Parents’ Participation in Youth Sports and Their Awareness of Overuse Injuries and Sport Specialization in Youth Athletes

This study examined parents’ knowledge, attitudes, and experiences related to youth sports participation and overuse injuries, as well as whether brief educational materials could improve parental awareness of injury risk factors. Overuse injuries are increasingly common among youth athletes and are often associated with early sport specialization, high training volume, and insufficient recovery. Although parents play a central role in shaping children’s sports participation and training decisions, previous research suggests that many parents have limited knowledge of injury prevention guidelines and may underestimate the risks associated with intensive training. This project aimed to assess parental awareness of overuse injuries and determine whether targeted educational materials could improve knowledge and prevention-related decision-making. A crosssectional online survey was distributed nationally to parents of children aged 3–18 who currently participate in organized sports. The survey collected information on children’s sport participation patterns, parental goals and concerns, injury experiences, and baseline knowledge of overuse injuries. After completing the initial survey questions, participants viewed brief educational materials and completed follow-up questions assessing changes in awareness and perceptions. Descriptive statistics and nonparametric tests were used to analyze responses. Results showed that most children began organized sports at a young age and that many parents expressed strong support for continued sports participation and potential advancement to higher levels. A substantial proportion of children had experienced sports-related injuries, yet initial parental awareness of overuse injury risk was relatively limited. Following exposure to educational materials, parents demonstrated significantly increased recognition of the relationship between early specialization, excessive training load, and overuse injury risk. Parents also expressed a strong need for additional resources for both families and coaches to support safe participation in sports. These findings highlight the importance of accessible education for parents and coaches and support the development of practical injury-prevention resources to reduce preventable overuse injuries in youth sports.

Presenter(s): Karissa Rasmussen, Hannah Bates, Hattie Giblin, Jordan Richardt

Department/Division/Area: Physical Therapy

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Tanya Liu

Presentation Time: 10:00-10:15

Bridging Psychology and Physical Therapy: Delay Discounting and Preference for Physical Therapy

Delay discounting, a behavioral economics concept, is the process where a future reward becomes less valuable to the individual the longer they have to wait to receive it. Although it can be a predictor of many decision making scenarios, delay discounting can provide a framework for understanding patient behaviors in healthcare settings. To date, no research has specifically examined delay discounting in relation to physical therapy utilization, despite the fact that physical therapy may require delayed gratification to achieve meaningful long-term health benefits. This study investigates the relationship between tendency to delay discount and medical treatment preference. An online survey incorporating the 21-Item Kirby Monetary Choice Questionnaire was used to measure delay discounting alongside treatment preferences using a hypothetical knee osteoarthritis diagnosis. Treatment options included injection, medication, physical therapy, and surgery. Perceived speed of symptom relief, prior physical therapy experience, and demographic characteristics were also explored. A total of 284 completed responses were analyzed. Delay discounting rates were calculated and compared across treatment preference groups. Results demonstrated significant di􀆯erences in delay discounting among treatment choices. Participants selecting injection treatments exhibited higher delay discounting rates than those selecting physical therapy, indicating a stronger preference for immediate rewards. Perceptions of treatment speed demonstrated an even larger e􀆯ect, with individuals choosing injections perceiving them as providing substantially faster symptom relief than physical therapy. These findings suggest that healthcare decisionmaking is influenced by both behavioral economic principles and patient beliefs about treatment timelines. Understanding these factors may help physical therapists develop more e􀆯ective direct-to-consumer messaging and marketing strategies, ultimately improving market capture by aligning outreach with how patients make treatment decisions.

Presenter(s): Chloe Brown, Brooke Goeden, Connor Peters, Meredith Lovell

Department/Division/Area: Physical Therapy

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Adam Ladwig

Presentation Time: 10:15-10:30

The association of the tibia angle with braking forces during pole vaulting

Background. Pole vaulting requires coordinated sprint mechanics with explosive force production during takeoff. Kinetic variables include ground reaction forces (GRFs), which are forces the ground exerts on the body at takeoff and influence performance and injury risk. Kinematic variables include tibial angles, which are defined as the orientation of the tibia relative to vertical. This angle is associated with braking force modulation and mechanical efficiency. Studies indicate a more vertical tibia angle results in less braking GRFs, leading to improved mechanics and increased upward force production. However, the relationship between tibial angle and GRFs during pole vault takeoff remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between tibia angle and braking GRFs during pole vaulting.

Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted and involved nine current Division I collegiate pole vaulters at a Midwest university. Athletes performed standardized approach-to-take-off trials on an indoor pole vault runway. GRFs were collected using a force plate embedded beneath the runway. Tibia angles at initial contact were measured in the sagittal plane using 2D video analysis application positioned perpendicular to the runway.

Results. A linear mixed-effects model with random intercepts for subjects demonstrated no significant association between tibia angle and braking GRF (β = –1.71, p = .61). The 95% confidence interval (–8.32 to 4.90) indicated substantial uncertainty around the estimate. Subject-level variance was large relative to residual variance, indicating that differences in braking were primarily attributable to inter-athlete variability rather than tibial angle.

Conclusion. Braking GRF differs significantly between athletes. Tibia angle does not predict braking GRF. There is no strong biomechanical association between tibia angle and braking when pole vaulting. Understanding the relationship of tibial angles and ground reaction forces influencing takeo􀆯 may aid rehab professionals to optimize the biomechanics of their athletes and mitigate injury risk.

Presenter(s): Lucy M. Elbers, Brendan E. Scott, Haley M. Miller, Jacob G. Svihovec

Student Award Recognition: Graduate Research and Creative Scholarship

Department/Division/Area: Physical Therapy

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Matt Dewald

Presentation Time: 10:30-10:45

All are Welcome: Sustainability as Community, Abundance, Joy, Gratitude, Innovation, and Solutions

Presenter(s): Chase Stehly, Erin Smith, Jeff Sebern, Beatrice Ogbuagu, Andy Millikan, Irene Kamau, James Jennings-Torbert, Sharad Chowdhury

Department/Division/Area: Sustainability 

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Meghann Jarchow

Presentation Time: 10:00-10:50am

Art

Distortion in art: a psychoanalysis of form and trauma

This paper examines how distortion in art can function as a formal language for representing trauma and its psychological consequences, including displacement and dissociation. Rather than treating distortion as a stylistic deviation from realism, the study argues that it provides a necessary structure for encountering experiences that resist coherent representation. Traumatic events fracture perception, time, and identity, producing forms of experience that might not always be effectively conveyed through linear narrative or realistic depiction. In this context, distortion becomes an ethical and aesthetic response to fractured perception. By utilizing the aesthetic philosophy of Theodor W. Adorno, this paper proposes that art becomes truthful not by copying reality but by revealing its contradictions. Psychological perspectives from Carl Jung and trauma theory from Cathy Caruth further frame distortion as a way of activating shared psychic structures while allowing traumatic experiences to reappear without being fully explained or resolved. Through the analysis of formal strategies such as metamorphosis, dream logic, and nonlinear narrative, the paper connects aesthetic distortion to the psychological fragmentation of human psyche when experiencing trauma. Ultimately, the study argues that distortion functions as a formal container through which art can hold irrational aspects of human experience, enabling viewers to recognize shared psychic vulnerability while confronting the persistence and return of trauma.

Presenter(s): Shirin Jafarizadeh

Department/Division/Area: Art

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Lauren Freese

Presentation Time: 11:00-11:15

Reen[sen]blaje : An Exploration of Migration, Printmaking, and Cultural Reassembly

Reen[sen]blaje intentionally modifies the Spanish word reensamblaje (reassembly) by inserting the English fragment “assemble” within it, forming a hybrid term that exists between languages. The altered spelling constructs a Spanglish expression that reflects my lived experience as a migrant who does not fully belong to either linguistic or cultural sphere. The brackets signify interruption, translation, and negotiation, visually articulating the instability of identity shaped across borders. Just as the word resists linguistic purity, immigrant identity resists singular definition. This body of work dismantles and reconstructs inherited histories of labor, displacement, and belonging through drawing, printmaking, and laser cutting. Material processes of cutting, layering, engraving, and reconfiguring function as both formal strategies and conceptual metaphors. Shaped by my Chilean heritage and my life in the United States, my identity is not fixed but continuously assembled and reassembled within social, political, and economic systems. I address the contradictions imposed upon immigrants: characterized as threats, yet relied upon for essential labor; hypervisible in productivity, yet marginalized in power. The environments depicted are ordinary spaces such as sinks, bulletin boards, and job sites, settings structured by institutions that regulate movement and belonging. Their familiarity invites entry, allowing viewers to recognize themselves within the compositions before confronting embedded tensions. Small-scale figures inhabit oversized environments or are physically cut from the surface, referencing dehumanization and the reduction of bodies to labor. These absences are not erasures but extensions beyond the frame, asserting interior lives that exceed imposed labels. Rooted in the activist lineage of printmaking, Reen[sen]blaje employs fragmentation and reconstruction as a metaphor for cultural negotiation. By merging languages and material processes, the work cultivates empathy, restores complexity, and challenges viewers to reconsider how visible and invisible borders shape identity and collective understanding.

Presenter(s): Mariana B. Astete Ashley

Student Award Recognition: Graduate Research and Creative Scholarship

Department/Division/Area: Art

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Erin Wohletz

Presentation Time: 11:15-11:30

Mathematics

Making Matrix Roots Interpretable: A Structure-Preserving Method for Upper-Triangular Models

Many real-world models represent step-by-step change using a matrix. When we want to convert a model from a coarse time scale to a finer one, we need a “matrix root,” meaning a matrix that reproduces the original change after being applied repeatedly. Standard software can compute matrix roots, but it can also produce results that are difficult to interpret because they do not preserve the structure of the original matrix. Rescaling a model from one time unit to another (for example, yearly to monthly) often requires finding a matrix S such that S^n = A, meaning that applying S repeatedly n times reproduces the original system A.

General-purpose algorithms can compute matrix roots, but they often behave like black boxes and may destroy important structures. For upper triangular matrices, which encode hierarchical or one-way relationships, losing triangular structure makes the result harder to interpret and use.

This project develops a clear, algebraic framework to compute principal nth roots of upper triangular matrices with positive diagonal entries while preserving triangular structure. The work builds from verified 2×2 and 3×3 cases and generalizes to m×m matrices using recursion and induction.

Presenter(s): Benju Karki

Department/Division/Area: Mathematics

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Ramiro Lafuente Rodriguez

Presentation Time: 11:00-11:15

A Way to Order Matrices

This project investigates whether meaningful order relations can be defined on certain noncommutative matrix groups, focusing on upper triangular matrices with positive diagonal entries. While order structures are well understood in commutative algebraic systems, extending these ideas to matrix groups presents subtle challenges because matrix multiplication does not generally commute. The research will construct and analyze candidate order relations on 2×2 and 3×3 upper triangular matrices in Partially Ordered Sets and test whether these orders are compatible with group multiplication. Through explicit examples, rigorous proofs, and carefully chosen counterexamples, the project will identify conditions under which order structures exist and explain why they fail in other cases. The proofs will be shown following mathematical reasoning before using it. The expected outcomes include concrete mathematical results and a polished written exposition designed for an undergraduate audience, contributing to a clearer understanding of how order and algebraic structure interact in non-commutative settings. Multiplication groups of matrices will be defined and proven under condition, and a noncommutative totally ordered group will be proven.

Presenter(s): Tanmoy Das

Department/Division/Area: Mathematics

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Ramiro Lafuente Rodriguez

Presentation Time: 11:15-11:30

Lattice-Ordered Groups Through Continuous Function Spaces

Lattice-ordered groups (ℓ-groups) are algebraic structures in which group operations are compatible with a lattice order, so that algebraic addition and order-theoretic comparison work together in a coherent way. Although ℓ-groups are often introduced in an abstract setting, they also arise naturally in familiar contexts from calculus. A central example is the space of continuous real-valued functions on the real line, C(R), equipped with the pointwise order: one function is less than another if it is smaller at every real number. Under this order, C(R) becomes an intuitive model of an ℓ-group and provides a concrete setting for understanding abstract definitions. This presentation investigates how key structural features of ℓ-groups can be clarified through C(R), including the decomposition of an element into positive and negative parts, the definition of an absolute value in an ordered group, and the way lattice operations interact with addition. The project also discusses how selected ideas from classical group theory appear in the ℓ-group setting and how the presence of an order structure can reshape familiar arguments. The work is carried out through proof-based study combined with explicit example construction in function spaces, with the goal of connecting abstract theory to concrete intuition. Rather than focusing on discovering new theorems, the talk emphasizes conceptual integration: it shows how continuous function examples make ℓ-groups more accessible and highlights structural connections between abstract algebra and calculus at a foundational level.

Presenter(s): Shuyun Shen

Department/Division/Area: Mathematics

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Ramiro Lafuente Rodriguez

Presentation Time: 11:30-11:45

Physical Therapy

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.

Twenty-five participants were enrolled, with each 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): Amelia Nesheim, Blake Johnson, Lexie Knievel, Quin Horstman

Department/Division/Area: Physical Therapy

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Matt Leedom

Presentation Time: 11:00-11:15

Associations Between Grip Capacity, Perceived Fatigue, and Prone Medicine Ball Drop Test Performance in Swimmers and Divers

Background/Purpose: The prone medicine ball drop test (PMBDT) evaluates upperextremity function by counting catches performed over 30 seconds. While grip performance and fatigue have been proposed as potential limiters of PMBDT performance, their specific contributions remain unclear. This study examined the relationships between grip strength, grip endurance, self-perceived grip fatigue, and PMBDT performance in collegiate swimmers and divers. Methods: Fifty-four NCAA Division I swimmers and divers (25 males, 29 females) completed bilateral grip strength and grip endurance testing using a grip dynamometer, followed by right and left PMBDT trials. PMBDT performance was recorded as total catches in a 30-second interval. After each trial, participants reported whether grip fatigue limited their performance. Associations between grip measures and PMBDT performance were assessed using Spearman correlation coefficients. Between group comparisons based on sex, PMBDT performance (high/low), and perceived fatigue (yes/no) were conducted using independent-samples t-tests or Mann–Whitney U tests, as appropriate. Results: Spearman correlation coefficients were low and showed no significant associations between grip strength, grip endurance, and PMBDT performance in either sex (all p > .05). Low PMBDT performers exhibited similar grip strength and endurance to high performers across sexes and limbs (all p > .05). Similarly, participants who reported hand fatigue during PMBDT demonstrated comparable grip strength and endurance to those without fatigue, regardless of sex or limb tested (all p > .05).

Discussion/Conclusion: These findings suggest that PMBDT performance is not meaningfully associated with common objective measures of hand grip. This may challenge conventional assumptions among clinicians who use the PMBDT and highlights the multifactorial nature of the test. Further investigation is warranted to identify factors that contribute to, and are ultimately assessed by, PMBDT performance.

Presenter(s): Aaron Fiegen, Gavin Reinert, Hayden Blitch, RJ Achterberg

Department/Division/Area: Physical Therapy

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Jed Droge

Presentation Time: 11:15-11:30

Establishing Intra- and Inter- tester Reliability of the Sustained Athlete Fitness Exam in Competitive Older Athletes

Background and Purpose: The Sustained Athlete Fitness Exam (SAFE) is a tool developed to evaluate cardiovascular (CFIT), muscular (MFIT), flexibility (FFIT), and balance (BFIT) fitness in athletes 50 and older. It consists of clinical measures with established reliability though inter- and intra- rater reliability have not been established. The purpose of this study was to examine intra- and inter- rater reliability of each subscale and composite scoring of the SAFE. 

Methods: Reliability was tested by two second year physical therapy students, and two clinicians (one early career, one late career). Researchers utilized a sample of convenience (66 athletes) from an ongoing SAFE testing event at the 2025 National Senior Games. Each participant was scored by two raters in tandem while a third researcher took digital photos of static tests and video of dynamic tests. Inter-rater reliability was determined via comparison of tester scoring. The same testers then scored athletes from collected photos and videos 5 months after initial testing to establish intra-rater reliability.

Results: Inter-rater reliability absolute agreement, single rating; variance-components mixed model demonstrated ICC values of 0.78 (CFIT), 0.98 (MFIT), 0.62 (FFIT), 0.96 (BFIT), and 0.94 (Composite SAFE). Intra-rater ICCs were 0.75-0.97 (CFIT), 0.85-0.99 (MFIT), 0.40- 0.65 (FFIT), 0.98-1.0 (BFIT), and 0.87-0.96 (composite SAFE). Standard error of measurement (SEM) median was .85 points (range 0.64-1.21) and median minimal detectable change at the 95% confidence level (MDC₉₅) was 2.35 (range 1.77-3.36).

Discussion/Conclusion: Across testers with variable levels of physical therapy experience, reliability was good to excellent for CFIT and MFIT and excellent for BFIT and composite SAFE. In contrast, FFIT demonstrated moderate inter-rater and poor to moderate intra-rater reliability suggesting some need for clearer scoring anchors or improved rater training. Overall, changes in composite SAFE scores of 2-3 points may be viewed as meaningful to this population of older athletes.

Presenter(s): Sydney Jensen, Alexa Henry, Alexa Steffl, Alexis Butterfield, Ashlyn O'Farrell

Department/Division/Area: Physical Therapy

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Becca Jorde

Presentation Time: 11:30-11:45

Counseling & Psychology in Education

Parental Impacts on Body Dissatisfaction

Body dissatisfaction is a prevalent concern for college-aged females, and many studies have found the importance of parents in the development of body dissatisfaction 

(Aparicio-Martinez et al., 2019; Steinhilber et al., 2020). However, to date, much research neglects to compare the impacts of both mother and father parenting behaviors, namely warmth and control, on body dissatisfaction. In addition, little research focuses on the direct influence, such as encouragement to lose weight, of both parents on body dissatisfaction. (Bianciardi et al., 2025; King et al., 2022). This study, consisting of 127 female college students (Mage  = 19.7 SD = 1.08), examined the associations between parental warmth, control, and direct influences on body dissatisfaction. Pearson’s correlation indicated statistically significant relationships between body satisfaction and mother warmth (r = .34, p <.001), control (r = -.25, p < .01), and direct influences (r = -.34, p <.001), along with father warmth (r = .20, p = .030) and direct influences (r = -.19, p = .038). Further, using a hierarchical regression model and ANOVA comparison, mothers’ warmth (∆F(1, 116) = 11.7, p < .001, ∆R² adj   = .08), control (∆F(1, 116) = 7.86, p = .006,  ∆R² adj  = .06), and direct influences (∆F(1, 116), p = .002,  ∆R² adj = .09) predicted body satisfaction above and beyond the father variables. Results show that the maternal warmth, control, and direct influences may contribute to the development of body dissatisfaction above and beyond father behaviors; however, given the results of this study, future research should continue to examine the significance of both relationships.  

Presenter(s): Rachael Knecht

Department/Division/Area: Counseling & Psychology in Education

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Emma Mack, Hannah Faiman

Presentation Time: 1:00-1:15

The Gendered Experience of Online Dating: Distinct Frustrations, Shared Burnout, and Gender Opposing Views on Equity

In the US, many college students dabble with online dating apps; however, not many have much luck with them and eventually delete them. A key driver of dropout is dating burnout, with 14% of app users reporting severe stress, exhaustion, depersonalization, and declines in self-esteem and self-efficacy following repeated failure (Aretz, 2024). Since Match.com's launch in 1995, online dating has shifted from a space for casual or long-term relationships toward one dominated by low-commitment hookups, particularly among the 65% of users aged 18–29 (Orchard, 2019; Rosenfeld et al., 2019). While studies have looked at general dissatisfaction with online dating, less is known about whether men and women experience these platforms differently. This study examines gendered differences in online dating by exploring the perceived shortcomings and positive features of dating apps, the particular challenges each gender reports, and how men and women perceive each other's relative success, hypothesizing that despite similarly low expectations and negative experiences, each gender assumes the other holds a significant advantage. We recruited 804 young adults from across the US (aged 18–30, 49.6% men, 44.3% women) to complete an online survey through a crowdsourcing panel hosted by Cloud Research, with participants being ethnically, geographically, and income diverse. Our study analyzes user frustrations, levels of dating app burnout, and perceptions of fairness in the online dating environment to better understand how gender shapes the modern dating app experience.

Presenter(s): Isabella A. Fallon

Department/Division/Area: Counseling & Psychology in Education

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Harry Freeman, Emma Mack

Presentation Time: 1:15-1:30

From Pencils to Peaks: How Getting Outdoors Can Boost Student Outcomes

Support of student participation in outdoor activities may be the key to addressing the growing mental health and academic concern in the United States school system. Most schools have historically concerned themselves with traditional interventions and extracurricular pathways for addressing these issues. Very few have looked at integrating support for outdoor activities as a means of increasing student outcomes. Traditional Outdoor Activities, like hunting, fishing, camping, and hiking, offer equitable remedies for students struggling with attention retention, cognitive decline, and general academic woes. They promote healthier thought patterns, self-efficacy, and build resilience and mindfulness. Elite Outdoor Activities such as climbing and ultra-running offer advanced challenges for students who enjoy overcoming high barriers. They increase academic and mental health outcomes by boosting mindfulness, reducing anxiety, improving working memory, increasing resilience, and promoting emotional stability. Both activity categories dramatically improve student well-being and academic achievement. Contrary to common belief, these activities are not dangerous, difficult to access, or in conflict with traditional instructional requirements.

Presenter(s): Jared S. Moya

Department/Division/Area: Counseling & Psychology in Education

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Christine Peterson, Kaiya Ansorge

Presentation Time: 1:30-1:45

Computer Science

Energy-Efficient Indoor Air Quality Control via Cloud-Based Reinforcement Learning and Modular IoT Sensors

Indoor air quality (IAQ) plays an important role in human health, comfort, and cognitive performance. This work presents an edge-cloud control framework that integrates reinforcement learning (RL) with low-cost air quality sensors for real-time ventilation control. A mass balance simulation of multiple pollutant measures (AQI, TVOC, and eCO2) was used to train two RL agents, Deep Q-Network (DQN) and Proximal Policy Optimization (PPO) via a two-phase curriculum that first learns pollutant regulation and later incorporates energy efficiency. In simulation, both agents achieved stable AQI control. DQN provided the best energy-performance trade-off (142Wh), reducing energy use by approximately 39% compared to the rule-based baseline (234Wh) while maintaining acceptable pollutant levels. PPO delivered the strongest pollutant tracking but at the highest energy cost (375Wh). The rule-based controller achieved low overall pollutant values but at a higher cost compared to DQN. All controllers were then deployed in the cloud and connected to a Raspberry Pi5 via MQTT. The Pi collected real-time sensor data and controlled a 775DC motor fan during alcohol induced pollutant spikes. Although pollutant dynamics were influenced by uncontrollable outdoor conditions, both RL agents showed robust responsiveness, increasing air abstraction during spikes and reducing it afterward to save energy. 

Presenter(s): Alex M. Kagozi

Student Award Recognition: Graduate Research and Creative Scholarship

Department/Division/Area: Computer Science

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Lina Chato

Presentation Time: 1:15-1:30

CropCare Al: A Deep Learning Approach to Sustainable Disease Diagnosis for crops.

Agricultural diseases pose a significant threat to global food security, often resulting in massive crop loss and the harmful over-use of synthetic pesticides. This project introduces CropCare Al, a diagnostic tool designed to move away from chemical reliance by making green farming solutions accessible to everyone. The primary goal of this project was to create a system that empowers small-scale farmers and home gardeners to treat crops using eco-friendly methods. First, users provide a photograph of a distressed leaf, which is then processed through a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN). This artificial intelligence model is trained to recognize intricate visual markers, such as the specific textures of fungal rusts or the distinct patterns of bacterial blights, that are typically difficult for nonexperts to identify. 

By breaking down images into thousands of pixels to detect subtle changes in color and leaf geometry, the model acts as a personal digital expert for the farmers. The results show that the CNN achieves a 85% accuracy rate in identification across the targeted crop categories. More importantly, the model's logic is integrated with a sustainable recommendation feature. This feature replaces traditional chemical prescriptions with green alternatives. For instance, if a disease is detected, the system suggests biological control agents, organic neem oil, or cultural practices like pruning to improve airflow and stop the spread of infection. By providing these green alternatives, the project demonstrates how technology can help users reduce their chemical footprint and protect local soil and water health. The result shows that by making professional-grade Al accessible through simple smartphone interfaces, we can provide accurate, real-time support that promotes sustainable farming practices and environmental safety for communities worldwide.

Presenter(s): Dipendra Ranjitkar

Student Award Recognition: CURCS Mini-Grant

Department/Division/Area: Computer Science

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Rodrigue Rizk

Presentation Time: 1:30-1:45

Mathematics

Barycentric Subdivision and Hyperbolic Geometry

Barycentric subdivision of a triangle is the geometrical process of repeatedly subdividing a triangle by connecting the midpoints of the sides to the opposite vertices. The transformations which determine this subdivision form a group acting on the hyperbolic plane, action which we will show is topologically transitive. We will also analyse cases leading to flat triangles.

Presenter(s): Hannah E. Steger

Student Award Recognition: Graduate Research and Creative Scholarship

Department/Division/Area: Mathematics

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Catalin Georgescu

Presentation Time: 1:00-1:15

Biology

Spicing Up Plant Defense

The continued dependence on synthetic chemical pesticides has created a damaging cycle in which pests evolve resistance, leading to increased application rates that progressively reduce treatment effectiveness. These broad-spectrum chemicals do not act selectively; in addition to target pests, they harm beneficial biological control organisms such as parasitic wasps and lady beetles, as well as essential pollinators like honeybees by disrupting their sensory and navigational systems. The decline of these organisms weakens natural pest regulation and pollination services, ultimately threatening agricultural stability and increasing the risk of colony collapse. Plant-derived bioactive compounds present a viable and sustainable alternative to conventional pesticides. Essential oils extracted from garlic, ginger, cinnamon and oregano have been widely documented to repel insects, suppress feeding activity or directly eliminate agricultural pests including thrips, mites and aphids. Among these, cinnamon - specifically its major component cinnamaldehyde— demonstrates strong antimicrobial and insect-repellent activity. Expanding research on these botanical compounds is essential to develop effective, low toxic approaches capable of deterring pests without causing the ecological harm associated with industrial chemical inputs. We are engineering the cinnamaldehyde biosynthetic pathway into plants, enabling in planta production of a natural antimicrobial and pest repellent bioactive compound. By providing a safer alternative to synthetic pesticides, this strategy aims to advance sustainable and ecologically responsible pest management practices. We will discuss the theoretical and practical advantages of employing synthetic plant episomes for the expression of a cinnamaldehyde gene cassette. By establishing this type of extrachromosomal circular DNA as a dedicated metabolic platform, we aim to demonstrate a path forward for engineering plant secondary metabolism that circumvents the unpredictability of genomic integration, potentially streamlining the development of high-yield, pest resistant specialized cultivars.

Presenter(s): Tanishka Uttam

Student Award Recognition: Graduate Research and Creative Scholarship

Department/Division/Area: Biology

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Bernard Wone, Madhavi A. Ariyarathne

Presentation Time: 1:00-1:15

Ecological and Social Determinants of Nestling Sex Ratio in a Cooperatively Breeding Species

Understanding the ecological conditions under which parents, particularly mothers, adjust offspring sex ratios is important for predicting how environmental variation shapes population dynamics, sexual selection, and long-term evolutionary trajectories. Cooperative breeding is a social system where non-breeding individuals, called helpers, assist in raising another individual’s offspring. In birds, helpers tend to be males. As such, the fitness returns of male and female offspring in cooperative species depend on local social structure and future helping needs. Because of this, cooperative systems provide a powerful framework to study how mothers adaptively adjust offspring sex ratios in response to ecological and social conditions. Here, we examined what factors influence the sex ratio of nestlings in a cooperatively breeding species, the chestnut-crowned babbler (CCB; Pomatostomus ruficeps). Across 13 breeding seasons, nestlings were monitored and sampled throughout development for mortality, morphological measurements, and blood. Because CCB are sexually monomorphic, all individuals were molecularly sexed using DNA collected from blood. We found that the sex ratio at hatching was dependent on brood size and the number of helpers present to care for offspring. However, offspring sex had no significant impact on nestling survival to fledging (~16 days). Overall, this study demonstrates that offspring sex ratios in a cooperatively breeding species are context-dependent at hatching, but not amplified through sex-biased survival, underscoring the importance of early maternal investment decisions in cooperative breeding systems.

Presenter(s): Makayla Veld

Department/Division/Area: Biology

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Andrea Liebl

Presentation Time: 1:15-1:30

Imidacloprid Effects on the Survival and Cutaneous Microbiome of Northern Leopard Frogs

Amphibians are the most threatened vertebrates. The greatest causes of population decline are habitat loss, climate change, and diseases particularly Chytridiomycosis caused by the fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis. Protection from this fungal infection stems from the composition and abundance of their cutaneous microbiome. Pesticides have been shown to affect amphibians in a variety of ways, including reducing survival, locomotor performance, and accumulation in body tissues. Pesticides may also lead to changes in the cutaneous microbiome affecting amphibians who rely on these organisms as an anti-Bd defense mechanism. To investigate the effect of imidacloprid, a neonicotinoid insecticide, 10 metamorphic Northern Leopard frogs (Lithobates pipiens) were subjected to sublethal concentrations (control = 0 ug/L, low =1 ug/L, high = 10 ug/L) in captivity for 21 days. Survival was tracked each day of the experiment and cutaneous bacterial samples were taken at three timepoints. The bacterial DNA was extracted for 16s rRNA analysis to determine abundance of bacterial species in the microbiome. Survival probability was analyzed using a Bayesian regression model, showing a statistically meaningful reduction in the mean survival time under the low dose treatment (low-dose, 5.47 days (CrI: 3.04 -10.78), high dose, 13.21 days (CrI: 8.69-17.69), and the control, 19.17 days (CrI: 13.71 – 20.93)). Alpha and beta diversity were calculated and PERMANOVA was used to analyze the effects of treatment and time on the cutaneous microbiome. There was no significant effect of treatment group on alpha or beta diversity but a significant effect of time in captivity (alpha diversity: p &lt; 0.001, beta diversity: p = 0.001). Additionally, there was a qualitative decrease in the abundance of certain bacterial species over time. These results reveal the host and microbiome level effects of pesticide exposure on amphibians and encourage further investigation into the antifungal properties of the differentially abundant bacteria in these samples.

Presenter(s): Evelyn M. Osterloo

Department/Division/Area: Biology

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Jacob Kerby

Presentation Time: 1:30-1:45

Counseling & Psychology in Education

The Suffering of Man is Not a Zero-Sum Game: Totalitarianism and the Problem of Comparison

This presentation examines totalitarianism as a distinct political form through a comparative analysis of Nazi Germany and Stalin’s Soviet Union. While these regimes are not identical in every respect, there are broad themes and methods that emerge when they are examined as expressions of the totalitarian form. Particular focus will be placed on the means by which these states pursue their ideological ends: the reduction of persons to mere political or social categories, the subordination of human life to abstract ends, and the use of terror, dispossession, and mass death in the pursuit of remade societies. This comparative approach is guided and informed by the view that totalitarianism itself, rather than any single atrocity in isolation, is the central political and historical danger. With this view in mind, it will also be argued that historical maturity requires resisting the taboo against comparing the Holocaust to other instances of mass violence. When the Holocaust is elevated beyond comparison or historical explanation, it risks becoming dehistoricized: remembered through condemnation and moral seriousness, but no longer examined as an actual human and political possibility. Such elevation does not deepen our understanding of the events and suffering that took place. It instead obscures the suffering of millions of other victims of ideological state violence, weakening our ability to recognize similar dangers in the future. Through comparing the crimes of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union without reducing suffering to a competition, this presentation argues that historical inquiry must remain both morally serious and analytically open. The suffering of man is not a zerosum game, and a refusal to compare atrocities does not protect their significance. It only risks diminishing our understanding of totalitarianism and the human cost it imposes upon the world.

Presenter(s): Zane Frisbie

Department/Division/Area: Counseling & Psychology in Education

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Kari Oyen, Kaiya Ansorge

Presentation Time: 2:00-2:15

Social Work

Midwest Street Medicine

Bringing healthcare to individuals who are unhoused or living in unstable environments is central to the mission of Midwest Street Medicine. This project examines how a contingency management program can support individuals with substance use disorders in achieving self-identified recovery goals while receiving street-based medical care. The central purpose of this project is to evaluate whether structured incentives, peer support, and consistent mood tracking improve engagement, goal attainment, and overall wellbeing among participants experiencing housing instability.

Contingency management is an evidence-based intervention widely supported in addiction research for reinforcing positive behavioral change through tangible incentives. However, its application within mobile, street-based healthcare settings remains less explored. Our program adapts established CM principles to meet the unique needs of individuals who may face barriers to traditional clinic-based treatment, including transportation challenges, stigma, and lack of stable communication.

Using a program evaluation framework, we track participant-identified goals, document progress over time, and assess self-reported mood throughout enrollment. Data collected include goal completion rates, retention in the program, and qualitative feedback regarding peer support and incentive structures.

Presenter(s): Jay Flores, Peyton Shelton

Department/Division/Area: Social Work

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Melissa Dittberner

Presentation Time: 2:15-2:30 

School of Education 

A Narrative Approach to Civic Education: Integrating Classic Children's Literature into Elementary Civics

Children’s literature can be used to teach civic values and moral lessons in early elementary classrooms. After identifying a need for more engaging and values-driven civic instruction, a text that models key civic virtues, The Little Prince was selected, and a sequence of standards-aligned lessons were designed. After revision, these lessons were taught in a first and third grade classroom. Student responses, engagement and reflections were documented throughout the process.

The next phase involves analyzing these student responses to better understand how children interpret civic ideas when embedded in a narrative. Early observations suggest that literature based civic instruction encourages students to make personal connections and engage in moral reasoning. This work also aligns with the recently adopted South Dakota Social Studies Standards, which emphasize civic dispositions, character development, and the integration of civic learning across content areas.

This integration of research and classroom practice demonstrates the potential of children’s literature to strengthen civic engagement and moral development in young learners. The work raises broader questions about how schools can more effectively align literacy instruction with democratic readiness, suggesting directions for future curriculum development and research.

Audience members will understand the rationale for using children’s literature, recognize the instructional arc, and identify applicable methods for teaching civic education with literature.

Presenter(s): Sophia I. Jerke

Department/Division/Area: School of Education

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Jing Williams

Presentation Time: 2:30-2:45

Sustainability

Exploring the relationship between physical sediment size and the individual size distribution of macroinvertebrates in North American freshwater streams

Individual size distribution (ISD) is the scaling relationship between body mass and frequency of individuals within a community. Sediment can impact the physical environment where macroinvertebrates live and can carry potentially harmful chemicals and pollutants. Previous studies have examined the relationship between the macroinvertebrate communities and chemical properties associated with sediment, yet the physical size of sediment has received less attention. This project aimed to explore the relationship between the sediment size of the substrate and the ISD of macroinvertebrates over 21 National Ecological Observation Network (NEON) wadable streams across North America from Alaska to Puerto Rico. We estimated the particle size distribution of each pebble count survey from 2017 to 2021 and the corresponding ISD values of macroinvertebrates. Preliminary results show that sediment size does not impact the ISD of macroinvertebrates on a continental level. These results support the robust communitylevel property of ISD that remains stable across a wide gradient of sediment size.

Presenter(s): Morgan D. Hrivnak

Department/Division/Area: Sustainability

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Jeff Wesner

Presentation Time: 2:00-2:15

Leadership Under Constraint: Entrepreneurial Intention, Barriers, and Strategic Agency in Tough Environments

Entrepreneurship research often emphasizes opportunity recognition and individual motivation while under examining how institutional constraints shape leadership and enterprise formation. This study investigates how entrepreneurial intention develops in resource-limited environments characterized by structural barriers, market isolation, and limited access to capital. Using semi-structured interviews with established and aspiring entrepreneurs in resource-challenged communities of the Northern Great Plains, this exploratory qualitative study examines how leaders interpret feasibility, desirability, sustainability, and social entrepreneurship under conditions of constraint. 

Extending Shapero’s Entrepreneurial Event model and the Theory of Planned Behavior, the study integrates structural and contextual barriers as central explanatory forces in the intention - action process. Findings highlight how perceived behavioral control, community-oriented motivation, and institutional friction interact to shape strategic decision-making and leadership orientation. Rather than treating constraints as background conditions, results suggest they function as core moderators of entrepreneurial intention and enterprise viability.

Practically, findings inform enterprise development strategies and leadership training initiatives in underserved markets. This research advances understanding of how leaders build viable organizations in high-constraint institutional environments.

Presenter(s): Glen Marshall

Department/Division/Area: Sustainability

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Rand Wergin

Presentation Time: 2:15-2:30

Power-With: How We Speak, Work, and Decide Together

Shifting narrative language from “power-over,” which suggests hierarchical, to “powerwith”, a collaborative mindset, is key to more efficient and resilient communication. Sociocracy governance is a consent-based model for transformation and offers a practical decision-making framework for higher-education systems. This framework is consistent, transparent, and inclusive, providing the structure needed for systems to evolve. This research project aims to define sociocracy governance, including the circle structures, while introducing “Sociocracy for One” as a foundational tool for individual leadership. Using the USD Sustainability Department as a case study, the research explores how principles might be interwoven into Sustainability classrooms, clubs, and department operations. I hypothesize that integrating these concepts, beginning with the individuals, will foster more creative and inclusive solutions without sacrificing efficiency. This presentation explores how sociocracy is a form of social sustainability, creating systems that are long-lasting while adaptive. The goal is to provide a roadmap where faculty members can model sociocracy decision-making, while students gain the personal language and tools to advocate effectively with peers, faculty, and future employers. Through this shift, USD can move toward a campus-wide culture that is consistently transparent, inclusive, and empowered.

Presenter(s): Sonja Braucht

Department/Division/Area: Sustainability

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Meghann Jarchow

Presentation Time: 2:30-2:45

Biology

Mitonuclear Incompatibility Impairs Cellular Protein Homeostasis in a Drosophila disease model.

Mitochondrial diseases (MDs) are characterized by disruption of essential cellular processes, including oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) and mitochondrial protein synthesis. MDs associated with protein synthesis deficiency can arise either from mutation in the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) itself (maternal inheritance) or from mutation in the nuclear DNA (nDNA) products required for the translation of mRNAs (Mendelian inheritance). As such, mitochondrial function relies on coordinated interactions between mtDNA and nDNA, and incompatibilities between these genomes can compromise cellular protein homeostasis. However, the molecular mechanisms of mtDNA X nDNA interactions (henceforth mitonuclear epistasis), particularly its effects on protein homeostasis (proteostasis), remain poorly understood. To investigate this, we utilized four novel (mtDNA);nDNA genotypes generated by substituting divergent mtDNA between closely related Drosophila sister species. One genotype, (simw501);OreR, exhibits MD disease phenotype, especially elevated reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reduced mitochondrial membrane potential which are hallmarks of mitochondrial dysfunction. This genotype also shows downregulation of the E3 ubiquitin ligase PARKIN gene, which mediates the tagging of damaged mitochondria for degradation, suggesting impaired mitochondrial quality control in MDs. The three other genotypes serve as matched genetic controls. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that in (simw501);OreR proteostasis is disturbed due to altered enzymatic activity of ubiquitin-proteasomal system (UPS) pathway, which is responsible for selective degradation of damaged, misfolded, or short-lived proteins. Using fluorescent-based assays, we specifically measured enzyme activities of three UPS enzymes (1) chymotrypsin-like, (2) caspase-like, and (3) trypsin-like activities in both the disease mutant and healthy controls. Our results demonstrate that the (simw501);OreR mutant exhibits significantly reduced activities UPS enzymes compared to healthy controls, indicating compromised protein degradation and turnover capacity associated with mitonuclear epistasis in MD. This study provides insight about clinical phenotype of MD and new candidate pathways to inform molecular diagnostics of MD, which currently lack U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved therapies.

Presenter(s): Brianna Deaver

Student Award Recognition: CURCS Mini-Grant

Department/Division/Area: Biology

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Omera B. Matoo

Presentation Time: 2:00-2:15

It’s In The Rice; Characterizing Environmental Toxin + Ethanol Co-exposure In Larval Zebrafish

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) is caused by ethanol (EtOH) consumed during pregnancy resulting in facial and growth abnormalities. Aside from EtOH, numerous substances in our environment may influence the severity of FASD. Maternal consumption of contaminated food products increases the risk of prenatal exposure to the environmental toxin Glyphosate (Gly) (a pesticide). Previous studies demonstrate EtOH’s role in FASD and the adverse effects of embryonic exposure to Gly; yet the combined effect of co-exposure to GLY + EtOH is unclear. To address this gap in literature, Mindy Fernandes, in the Fernandes lab, has been developing a model of co-drug exposure using zebrafish. Zebrafish are an established animal model for developmental research and FASD due to their external fertilization, high fecundity, and genetic homology (70% of all genes & 80% of disease-causing genes). I have been working with her to characterize the effect of embryonic exposure from 6-24 hours post-fertilization (hpf) to water, EtOH alone, GLY alone, and GLY + EtOH on 3-day old zebrafish. At 72 hpf, we imaged ~100 live fish per group and quantified body length; head length, width, and area; intraocular distance; and eye area using ImageJ. We found synergistic effects in body length and head size. We did not find differences in the distance between eyes. Interestingly, our results suggest that EtOH, GLY and GLY+EtOH have negative effects of offspring health, and that the synergistic effects are not universal but localized to a physiological structure. Overall, our work suggests that GLY may be an additional contributor to FASD severity. Further work is necessary to understand the complex relationship between FASD and environmental toxins.

Presenter(s): Duncan R. Snethen

Department/Division/Area: Biology

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

Presentation Time: 2:15-2:30

Physiological Consequences of Mitonuclear Genome Incompatibility: Body Size and Feeding Behavior in Drosophila During Development

Mitochondria are not only the powerhouses of the cell producing ATP, but also key signaling hubs that integrate metabolic, growth and stress signals. Genetic mutations in either mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) or nuclear DNA (nDNA) or both disrupt mitochondrial function and cellular homeostasis. However, whether the failure of mitochondrial processes scale up to affect developmental physiology is poorly understood and at best remains contradictory. Because growth and feeding behavior are highly energy-dependent processes, disruptions in mitochondrial energy metabolism may alter these critical traits during development. We tested the effects of mitochondrial dysfunction using a panel of (mtDNA); nDNA genotypes created by asymmetric substitution of divergent mtDNA between Drosophila melanogaster and its sister species D. simulans. Two genotypes - (ore); OreR and (ore); Aut - carry coevolved mitochondrial-nuclear genomes from D. melanogaster, whereas the other two - (w501); Aut and (w501); OreR- harbor D. simulans mitochondrial DNA introgressed onto a D. melanogaster nuclear background. Previous work in this panel showed that the mismatched (w501); OreR genotype has a genetic incompatibility between mitochondrial mt-tRNATyr gene and the nuclear-encoded mitochondrial tyrosyl-tRNA synthetase gene (Aatm), resulting in mitochondrial dysfunction, bioenergetic defects, delayed development, and extensive metabolic remodeling of biochemical pathways favoring survival over larval growth. Here, we tested the hypothesis that mitonuclear incompatibility resulting in mitochondrial dysfunction would scale up to reduce body size and feeding in (w501); OreR. We quantified stage-specific larval body size using standardized length measurements and assessed feeding behavior using dye-based feeding assays that allowed visualization and comparison of food consumption across genotypes during development. The collected data are currently being analyzed using statistical modeling. The findings from this study will provide critical insights for linkage between mitochondrial-nuclear genome interaction (or epistasis), mitochondrial (dys)function and organismal fitness during development.

Presenter(s): Ariana Edwards

Student Award Recognition: CURCS Mini-Grant

Department/Division/Area: Biology

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Omera B. Matoo, Akansha Singh

Presentation Time: 2:30-2:45

Music

Collaboration Through Chamber Music

This project presents a collaborative performance of chamber music works prepared by undergraduate musicians at the University of South Dakota. Chamber music is a certain type of music written for smaller ensembles in which each performer plays an individual musical part, creating a setting that relies on communication, balance, and shared interpretation. Because each instrument has its own role, performers are required to listen closely and respond to one another to shape the overall musical result. Through the performance of selected repertoire, this project highlights how composers use small ensembles to create interaction between instruments and explore a range of textures and musical ideas. By performing these works, the ensemble aims to give audiences a clearer understanding of how chamber music functions and how individual musical lines come together to create a unified performance. Before each piece, one presenter will announce the title and composer.

Presenter(s): Abigail Stevens, Clara Maloley, Grace Goeller, William Brenden

Student Award Recognition: CURCS Mini-Grant

Department/Division/Area: Music

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Paul Lombardi

Presentation Time: 2:00-2:15pm

Music while Abroad: Options for Students Studying in Foreign Countries

Studying abroad is an amazing opportunity to learn more about everything the world has to offer. My experience of studying in Italy last year was life changing. And although my main focus of study was history, I knew I needed to keep practicing trombone while abroad. Through my study abroad program, USAC, I was able to get in contact with a music school in my host town. Even though my host university lacked music studies, I had found a way to take trombone lessons. For those wanting to study music abroad, there are many options. For example, SAI Programs offer studies focused in performing arts throughout Italy as well as Paris. Some universities offer incoming study abroad students the ability to audition for ensembles regardless of their field of study. Finding instrument rentals can be difficult, but university band/orchestra directors know where to go. While it might seem impossible to do for most music students during the fall and spring semesters, programs like USAC and SAI offer programs during summer and winter breaks. Scholarships, like the Gilman and the FEA, are a great way to help cover the cost of any study abroad program. Preparing to study abroad takes time. But no matter who's wishing to go abroad, the opportunity is there for anybody willing to find the program that fits them best. And while it can be difficult, studying music abroad isn't as hard as it seems. To end the presentation, I'll perform a piece that I started learning when I was abroad. Cavatine, composed by Camile Saint-Saens, was made for George W. Stewart. They met while Saint-Saens was touring abroad for the World Fair of 1915 in San Francisco, California. The piece is now standard repertoire for the trombone, despite its higher level of difficulty.

Presenter(s): Zack Boeding, Camden McKenney

Department/Division/Area: Music

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Jessica Winterringer

Presentation Time: 2:30-2:45pm

Curriculum & Instruction

Understanding English Learner Teachers' self-efficacy in South Dakota's Rural and Town Schools

This study explores the lived experiences of teachers who work with English Learners (ELs) in rural schools in South Dakota, with a particular focus on how teachers interpret and develop their sense of self-efficacy when supporting linguistically diverse students. The population of ELs continues to grow in rural districts across the United States. Existing research has largely focused on urban and suburban contexts, leaving rural environments comparatively under researched. Additionally, while teacher self-efficacy has been widely studied, limited research has investigated how it shapes the experiences of teachers working specifically with ELs in rural settings. This study seeks to address this gap by examining how rural teachers perceive their abilities when supporting EL students, and what factors contribute to their degree of self-efficacy.

This study uses a phenomenological research design to investigate teachers lived experiences through qualitative data collection methods. Participants include educators assigned to teach ELs in rural and town districts across South Dakota. Data is being gathered through in-depth interviews and analyzed to identify common themes related to instructional practices, perceived effectiveness of EL instruction and programming, professional preparation, and challenges encountered in their teaching contexts.

Expected findings suggest that rural teachers may face unique structural and professional challenges, including limited training opportunities, a lack of resources, and evolving student demographics. Teachers may demonstrate depth in instructional strategies and varying levels of confidence shaped by their preparation and professional development. The findings aim to provide insights into factors that influence teacher self-efficacy and highlight areas where targeted professional development and further support could strengthen EL education in rural areas.

Presenter(s): Laura Nelson

Student Award Recognition: Graduate Research and Creative Scholarship

Department/Division/Area: Curriculum & Instruction

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Daniel Mourlam

Presentation Time: 3:00-3:15

Mathematics 

Machine Learning Exploration of Basic Feelings Induced with Music

Music plays a critical role in expressing and regulating human emotion, holding significant potential for therapeutic settings and affective computing. However, most existing computational emotion-recognition systems treat audio purely as visual or numerical data, creating black-box models that ignore the foundational musical structures that fundamentally drive human emotional response. This research presents a novel framework bridging artificial intelligence and computational music theory to create an interpretable, mathematically verifiable emotion-recognition model. We focus on a restricted emotional spectrum between sadness and happiness, utilizing 10-second audio samples. Operating under the hypothesis that basic emotions are dictated by a combination of harmonic structure and tempo, we utilize Z12 oriented Cayley graphs to define musical chords algebraically as directed mathematical paths. Specifically, we map major triads as +4, +3 step sequences and minor triads as +3, +4 sequences. For our baseline, we curated a dataset of over 6000 spectrograms and trained a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) that achieved 76 percent accuracy across four emotional categories. Concurrently, we developed a deterministic signal processing pipeline using the Constant-Q Transform to successfully extract these Z12 paths directly from raw audio footprints. To overcome the limitations of standard neural networks, this project proposes a Late Fusion architecture that combines the CNN's visual acoustic feature extraction with our explicit harmonic and temporal mathematical vectors. By gating the neural network's probabilistic estimations with deterministic music theory, this project lays the groundwork for interpretable, emotionally aware intelligent systems.

Presenter(s): Shishir Kaphle

Student Award Recognition: CURCS Mini-Grant

Department/Division/Area: Mathematics

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Gabriel Picioroaga

Presentation Time: 3:15-3:30 

School of Medicine

Case Report: Abnormal Presence of Cholesterol Crystals within Poroma

This case study presents a 70-year-old male patient who had a mass on his hand that was found to contain cholesterol crystals. The diagnosis of the mass was later defined as a poroma. The study details the patient’s clinical presentation, diagnostic process, treatment, and outcome. The case is discussed in the context of existing literature, exploring any potential causes or associations that contribute to the development of cholesterol crystals in poromas. A review of the underlying pathophysiological process of poroma formation will be reviewed as well.

Presenter(s): Brant Hannahs

Department/Division/Area: School of Medicine

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Robert Van Demark Jr.

Presentation Time: 3:30-3:45

Curriculum & Instruction

Addressing Disproportionate Representation of English Language Learners in Special Education: A Practice-Focused Narrative Review

English Language Learners (ELLs)—also described in some contexts as multilingual learners—represent a substantial and diverse share of U.S. public school enrolment. Schools routinely make high-stakes decisions about whether ELLs’ academic or behavioural difficulties reflect second-language development, limited opportunity to learn, disability, or some combination. Research continues to document uneven patterns of special education identification and service delivery for ELLs across states, grade levels, and disability categories. This narrative review synthesizes literature on educational practices that contribute to ELLs’ misrepresentation in special education, with emphasis on three practice “pressure points”: (a) language-integrated core instruction and the quality of multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS); (b) prereferral and evaluation routines, including the use of English language proficiency (ELP) data and multiple sources of evidence; and (c) structural conditions that fragment language-development services from disability supports. The review also summarizes evidence-informed practices that reduce inappropriate referrals while improving access to services for ELLs who do have disabilities, including strengthened Tier 1 instruction, true-peer comparisons in progress monitoring, culturally and linguistically responsive multidisciplinary evaluation, and coordinated planning between ELL and special education teams. Implications are provided for school and district leaders focused on professional learning, data monitoring, and routine collaboration with families.

Presenter(s): Raju Madagari

Department/Division/Area: Curriculum & Instruction

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Jing Williams

Presentation Time: 03:45-4:00

Dental Hygiene

A Comparative Molecular Analysis of the Antibacterial Effects of Chlorhexidine and Coconut Oil on the Oral Microbial Community for Therapeutic Optimization

Chlorhexidine remains the clinical gold standard for chemical plaque control, yet its well documented drawbacks such as tooth staining, altered taste perception, and mucosal irritation have prompted growing interest in natural alternatives. Coconut oil has demonstrated promising antibacterial activity against Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) and other periodontal pathogens, with several studies reporting reductions in plaque and cariogenic bacteria following consistent oil pulling. However, existing research has largely focused on single-species outcomes and not characterized the broader ecological impact of these treatments on the oral microbiome. This gap limits our understanding of how each agent affects beneficial commensals essential for maintaining oral health. This study proposes a comparative molecular analysis of the effects of chlorhexidine and coconut oil on the oral microbial community using metatranscriptomic sequencing. Saliva samples will be collected from participants before and after treatment, alongside several pH measurements as an additional indicator of oral health. I hypothesize that coconut oil will selectively reduce pathogenic taxa while preserving beneficial bacteria and fungi, whereas chlorhexidine will produce a broad-spectrum reduction in both commensal and pathogenic organisms. By integrating microbial community profiling with pH changes and existing literature on healthy oral flora, this research aims to identify which treatment better supports therapeutic optimization in periodontics and contributes to a more holistic understanding of oral microbial ecology.

Presenter(s): Lillian N. Heisinger

Department/Division/Area: Dental Hygiene

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Katie Pudwill

Presentation Time: 3:00-3:15

Educational Administration

Beyond the Screen: What K-2 Teachers Value Most in Blended Learning

The integration of digital technologies has significantly reshaped instructional practices in primary education, yet screen time in K–2 classrooms remains a contested and often inconsistently guided component of blended learning. Although much of the existing research has focused on developmental and academic outcomes, less attention has been paid to how teachers themselves make everyday decisions about technology use— particularly in the absence of clear or consistent policy. This session foregrounds teacher voices to explore how K–2 educators navigate screen time in blended learning environments. Drawing on preliminary findings from a qualitative dissertation study, the presentation examines how teachers’ internal beliefs—such as instructional philosophy, understandings of child development, and comfort with technology—interact with external influences, including curricular demands, administrative expectations, resource availability, and family perspectives. Using reflexive thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews, the study highlights how educators continuously balance competing priorities: using digital tools to support engagement and personalization while also moderating screen use to maintain developmentally appropriate limits. The analysis is guided by three complementary frameworks: Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK), the Interactive, Constructive, Active, and Passive (ICAP) model of student engagement, and the Goldilocks Principle of moderation. Together, these frameworks help illuminate not only how much screen time teachers use, but how they think about the quality, purpose, and timing of technology integration. By centering teachers’ lived experiences and professional judgment, this session offers practical insights for professional learning, administrative support, and future policy development. The findings contribute to ongoing conversations about thoughtful, intentional, and responsible technology use in early elementary classrooms—particularly as blended learning continues to evolve.

Presenter(s): Cameryn Ronspies

Department/Division/Area: Educational Adminisstration

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Daniel Mourlam, Kirsten Biersbach

Presentation Time: 3:15-3:30

Occupational Therapy 

Occupational Engagement and Emotional Regulation: An Occupational Approach Examining Daily Activities

Occupational engagement includes how individuals experience and regulate emotions during daily activities that vary in complexity. Occupational therapists need to identify emotional experiences during occupations to facilitate meaningful participation and promote emotional well-being. This study examined the relationship between positive and negative emotions during daily occupations and emotional regulation using both self-report measures and performance-based tasks. Thirty-one college students completed the Emotional Experiences in Activities of Daily Living Scale (EEADLs), the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), and the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS). Participants also completed a leisure-based craft task under varying auditory conditions (no music, calming music, and stressful music) to examine the influence of emotional context on occupational performance.

Results indicated moderate relationships between occupation-based emotional experiences and broader measures of affect. Higher engagement and excitement during occupations were associated with greater positive affect, while fatigue and excitement were related to higher negative affect on the PANAS. Emotional regulation difficulties were significantly associated with increased frustration, overwhelm, and fatigue during daily occupations. Emotional clarity emerged as a key factor related to both positive and negative occupational emotions. The auditory emotional manipulation did not significantly impact task performance, though trends suggest that individuals worked faster when listening to stressful music. This study benefits occupational therapy by reinforcing the importance of addressing emotions as an integral part of practice, highlighting how emotional awareness and regulation directly influence occupational engagement, and supporting the need for therapists to intentionally consider emotional factors when evaluating and intervening with patients.

Presenter(s): Kelsey Dahme, Alexandra M. Stallinga, Fionualla R. Rigg, Macey A. Nielsen, Madison M. Aldrich

Department/Division/Area: Occupational Therapy

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Karen Hebert

Presentation Time: 3:30-3:45

Independent Literature Review

Digital Media and the Developing Brain: A Neuroscientific Review

Neuroplasticity enables the brain to adapt structurally and functionally in response to repeated experiences and environmental demands. During adolescence, a period of heightened developmental neuroplasticity, frequent engagement with highly stimulating digital media environments may shape the maturation of cognitive and neural systems. This thematic literature review synthesizes psychological and neuroscientific findings to evaluate whether digital engagement is associated with alterations in attention, reward processing, and socioemotional development. Across the literature, excessive social media use among youth has been associated with increased anxiety, emotional exhaustion, greater fear of missing out (FoMO), increased multitasking behaviors, and potential declines in academic performance (e.g., Jain & Dangi, 2025). Cognitive assessments further suggest that the rapidly shifting, socially reinforced structure of online environments correlates with reduced sustained attention and alterations in memory processes (e.g., Firth et al., 2019). Although longitudinal studies show limited evidence of widespread macrostructural brain changes, subtle, region-specific developmental variations have been observed (e.g., Nivins et al., 2024). Overall, current evidence indicates that digital media exposure is more consistently linked to functional and cognitive forms of neuroplastic adaptation rather than broad structural brain alterations. Continued longitudinal research using behavioral measures and developmentally sensitive neuroimaging is needed to clarify how repeated digital stimulation may shape neuroplastic development.

Presenter(s): Haya N. Al. Shraideh

Department/Division/Area: Independent Literature Review

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Jake Kraft

Presentation Time: 3:00-3:15 

Counseling & Psychology in Education

The Link Between Social Media and Adolescent Mood: A Systematic Review of EMA Studies

Adolescents and emerging adults now spend more time on social media than any other age group, a pattern that has coincided with growing concerns about youth anxiety and emotional well being. Although a large body of research attempts to link social media use (SMU) to changes in affect, findings remain inconsistent. One likely reason is that most studies rely on cross sectional surveys and broad screen time metrics, which cannot capture the moment-to-moment dynamics through which SM experiences might influence how young people feel. In contrast, ecological momentary assessment (EMA) provides real time data on both SMU and affect, offering a more precise lens on these short term processes. The present study is a systematic review to synthesize within person EMA evidence on this topic.

EPSY 743 identified 21 EMA studies published between 2019 and 2025 that measured SMU in real time and assessed immediate emotional states among participants ages 13–25. SMU was operationalized in varied ways to include passive browsing, active posting, emotionally positive or negative interactions, and phone-based logs with affect measured with both single item and multi item mood indicators. To estimate moment-to-moment associations, our group extracted within-person slope estimates from each study and pooled them using random effects models. Across studies, social media exposure showed no consistent short term association with either positive or negative affect. Some SM experiences were followed by small mood increases, others by slight decreases, but overall effects were highly variable. This substantial heterogeneity suggests that average, one size fits all conclusions obscure important contextual and individual differences. Together, these findings indicate that the emotional impact of social media is not uniform but may depend on what adolescents are doing online, the nature of their interactions, and their personal and situational characteristics. The results support a shift toward more person specific approaches to understanding youth social media experiences.

Presenter(s): Aleksandra Durnyak

Department/Division/Area: Counseling & Psychology in Education

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Harry Freeman

Presentation Time: 3:15-3:30

Curriculum & Instruction

Social Studies Soundtrack: Music and Teaching Strategies for the 7-12 Social Studies Classroom

Music is a powerful civic tool to express opinions, share knowledge, and push for social change. This session will examine how different songs relate to Social Studies themes,

grades 7-12. Music often reflects and challenges democratic ideals such as freedom, equality, and justice, as well as economic principles. Get ready to learn a variety of songs

and discuss strategies of using music in your Social Studies classroom!

Presenter(s): Sam S. Goldsmith

Student Award Recognition: Graduate Research and Creative Scholarship

Department/Division/Area: Curriculum & Instruction

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Jing Williams

Presentation Time: 3:30 - 3:45

Criminal Justice

Mock Trial: State of Midlands v. Charlie Martin

On Season Two of hit reality show, The Saboteurs, Charlie Martin was betrayed and humiliated on live television by Rob Armstrong. Martin suffers years of social media abuse until they have the chance to salvage their reputation on Season Ten, the All-Star Season. Also back on set is Rob Armstrong. Tensions between the contestants rise until the season finale is finally being filmed. The final challenge is set to be a land-water obstacle course, with a grueling land challenge followed by a thirty foot dive. In the middle of his dive, Rob Armstrong is seen struggling, before he rips his diving mask away. The rescue team is sent in too late, and Rob Armstrong drowns. Charlie Martin is the prime suspect; as one of the titular "Saboteurs", they've been accused of tampering with Armstrong's equipment and causing his death. But with safety protocols in question, negligence from the producers, and problems on set, Martin's guilt is far from certain.

Presenter(s): Christopher Branham, Amelia Lewison, Brooklyn Gifford, Claire Wegner, Gabe Grant, Karissa Lahr, Liz Lohman, Maxwell Kelsey, Payton A Coenen, Tamia Oliver

Department/Division/Area: Criminal Justice

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Sandy McKeown

Presentation Time: 3:00-3:50

Join us as President Sheila K. Gestring, Vice President for Research Dr. Dan Engebretson and special guest Regent Randy Frederick recognize recipients of the 2026 President’s Research Awards. Awardees will be celebrated for Research Excellence: Establish Faculty, Research Excellence: New or Mid-Career Faculty or Staff, Research Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and Research Creativity.

English

The Reliance on Wealth in Relationships in Pride and Prejudice

This essay examines how money affects the relationships and proposals within Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Throughout the novel, money is a continuous driving force for the characters and relationships. I argue that Charlotte Lucas did not have autonomy in her decision to marry Mr. Collins, Mrs. Bennet’s anxiety about her daughter's marital prospects reflects the financial constraints of women in society, and Lady Catherine De Bourgh’s reaction to Mr. Darcy's marriage proposal reflects the expectations of unwealthy women. The Lucases are not a wealthy family, and Charlotte did not have any marriage prospects. The only way Charlotte could have a financially stable and somewhat happy life was to marry Mr. Collins. Mrs. Bennet worries about her family’s financial stability through her endeavors to find the Bennet daughters a suitable husband. The Bennets are not a wealthy family, and the Bennet daughters do not have the freedom to choose a marriage solely based on love according to their mother. Mrs. Bennet tries to find her daughters a husband based on financial stability. Lady Catherine De Bourgh shows a disdain toward the Bennet family, especially Elizabeth, according to their lack of wealth. Ms. De Bourgh does not believe Elizabeth could be a suitable match for Mr. Darcy because she does not come from a wealthy family. My analysis conveys how unwealthy women face a disadvantage in marital prospects, and it conveys how these women face societal pressures to find a relationship with a wealthy partner throughout the novel Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.

Presenter(s): Katie M. Bruinsma

Department/Division/Area: English

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Lisa Ann Robertson

Presentation Time: 9:00-9:15

The Language of Sense: How Jean Rhys Explores Alienation, Emotion, and Physical Reaction in Voyage in the Dark

In this conference paper I will discuss the use of sensory language and bodily reactions in Jean Rhys’ Voyage in the Dark (1934). This novel uses a number of rhetorical devices that represent the idea of feelings as not only emotional, but tied to bodily reaction and decision making. Throughout the book, sensory language is used intentionally to illustrate Anna’s feelings of alienation in England, and the comparisons of the language she uses to describe her life in the colonial setting of the Caribbean. My argument expands upon the examples of Anna's emotional dysfunction as expressed through Rhys’ language surrounding the senses. I will explore the use of sense memory in direct relation to processes in the brain that inform decision making, and how this is evident within the descriptions that Rhys uses. This presentation explores how this hyper-focus on the emotional turmoil that Anna experiences manifests itself in the physical reactions and decision making that Anna engages in throughout the book. I analyze the physical reactions and regulation that Anna’s body experiences, as her body experiences this alienation through physical reaction and sensation. This paper discusses the ties to colonial history, consciousness, and alienation as innately bound to the language of sense used by Jean Rhys.

Presenter(s): Lily H. Koch

Department/Division/Area: English

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Lisa Ann Robertson

Presentation Time: 9:15-9:30

Patriarchy Doesn’t Equal Horses: A Kate Manne Feminist Analysis of the Kendom Takeover in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie 2023

This essay and presentation is an analysis of the Kendom takeover in Greta Gerwig’s 2023 film Barbie through the lens of Kate Manne’s definitions of patriarchy, sexism, and misogyny found in her 2017 book, Down Girl: The Logic of Misogyny. Manne’s definitions explains that patriarchy is a political structure; sexism is the ideology within that political structure; misogyny is the enforcement to uphold the ideology within the political structure. My argument is built upon how Barbie is a feminist movie that uses Manne’s definitions as satire commentary: matriarchal Barbie Land versus the patriarchal Real World. After joining Barbie, played by Margot Robbie, to explore the Real World (the patriarchy), Ken, played by Ryan Gosling, brings sexism (its ideology) back to Barbie Land in order to teach the other Kens misogyny (enforcement) to change Barbie Land into Kendom Land. Barbie Land is fully restored when Gloria, played by America Ferrera, and her daughter Sasha, played by Ariana Greenblatt, teach the Barbies how to identify and overcome patriarchy, sexism, and misogyny. My close analysis of the failed Kendom takeover aims to teach my audience that misogyny will not be disappearing any time soon; moreover, we as a society must identify and overcome misogynist ideology and mindsets.

Presenter(s): Tara Rolph

Department/Division/Area: English

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Lisa Ann Robertson

Presentation Time: 9:30-9:45

English 

Eight-Elk Jaguar Claw, a feature screenplay

Over ten centuries ago, the legend of a hero was forged. Son of Lord Five-Gator and Lady Thirteen-Spring, EIGHT-ELK JAGUAR CLAW was begotten in a convulsing era when rival chiefs of a fragmented empire battled relentlessly in a cruel and unending rush to power. Ancient oracles marked Eight-Elk as the unifier of the Ñuu Savii Nation, yet his path forward was derailed by a series of misfortunes and betrayals that tore him away from the throne. Under the guidance of the almighty Four-Jaguar Nocturnal Face, Eight-Elk must embark upon a fantastic odyssey that will reveal the truest measure of his courage and ultimately restore the celestial edict. Inspired by a rich folklore of mythologies, this original work envisions the heroics of Eight-Elk Jaguar Claw, bringing an incredible epic into contemporary prose and inscribing a legacy rendered anew.

Presenter(s): Carlos D. Lopez

Department/Division/Area: English

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Duncan Barlow

Presentation Time: 9:15-9:30 

Native American Studies

Winnebago Ho-Chunk Ethnomusicology: A study of Indigenous musicology by a Winnebago youth scholar

This presentation is based off of a collaboration project with The National endowment for the Arts and a Winnebago Ho-Chunk youth culture teacher and knowledge keeper for the Nebraska tribe. This presentation addresses the histories of unethical documentation and recordings of Indigenous music, the fallacies regarding Native American music,

Instruments utilized in Winnebago music, The structure of Ho-Chunk music in music theory contexts, Endangered language revitalization through music and Indigenous people

in contemporary music environments. 

How non-natives can better collaborate with Indigenous people when developing tools and research methods in Indigenous musicology will also be addressed during this presentation.

Presenter(s): Tyler F. LaMere

Department/Division/Area: Native American Studies

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Megan Redshirt-Shaw, Elise Boxer

Presentation Time: 9:30-9:45

 Chemistry

Segmented Correlation Consistent Basis Sets for the s-Block

Quantum chemistry is an indispensable component of numerous fields, from drug development to materials science. Central to any chemical calculation or modeling process is the selection of a good basis set. However, many existing basis sets are not designed for computational efficiency, resulting in calculations that can take days to even weeks to complete. In the present work, segmented correlation consistent basis sets are developed, which can be used to perform calculations exponentially faster compared to the existing general contraction while retaining comparable accuracy. For example, clusters of 10 calcium atoms using the largest basis sets we developed (quadruple-zeta, QZ) can see speedups from 5142 seconds to 373 seconds per iteration of calculating the Fock matrix going from the general to the segmented contraction. In addition, the first ionization energies obtained for calcium were found to be within a two kcal/mol of the results obtained with the existing generally contracted basis sets. For the QZ, our segmented basis sets even yielded a first ionization energy closer to the experimental result than can be obtained with the general contraction. We expect that these segmented basis sets will drastically reduce the amount of time and resources used in performing quantum chemical calculations. While results for calcium are presented, these basis sets are being developed for all of the s-block elements.

Presenter(s): Alexis Ung

Department/Division/Area: Chemistry

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): George Schoendorff

Presentation Time: 9:00-9:15

pH and Enzyme Responsive Drug Delivery for the Oral Diseases

Oral diseases remain a major global health concern, driving the need for safer and more targeted treatment options. Many patients worry about drug overexposure and side effects associated with commonly used dental medications, including antibiotics, anesthetics, opioids, and steroid-based drugs. Dentists also note drawbacks of traditional antimicrobial agents such as chlorhexidine, which can alter taste and stain teeth. This study introduces an environmentally friendly drug-delivery platform using calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) microparticles coated with casein. In this system, we load the drug into CaCO₃ particles coated with casein to achieve targeted release specifically in acidic, bacteria-rich environments typically found at infection sites. In our experiments, we use chlorhexidine as the model antimicrobial drug, and in vitro studies show significantly increased release under acidic conditions, while the microparticles safely dissolve in the affected area. Current work also explores enzyme-responsive systems that activate in inflamed tissues with elevated levels of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), enabling even more precise targeting. Integrating these non-toxic microparticles into oral-care products may help reduce overall drug exposure and improve localized treatment in the oral cavity.

Presenter(s): Nuwina S. De. Silva

Department/Division/Area: Chemistry

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): George Schoendorff

Presentation Time: 9:15-9:30

Relativistic Effects and Their Implications for Superheavy Elements

A review of the current electronic theories for the super heavy elements (Z &gt;= 104). The “Island of Stability” and its hypothesized location at Z = 120 is also examined. The challenges associated with the periodic placement of these elements due to deviations from group trends are investigated. Dominant relativistic effects including, but not limited to, quantum electrodynamics (QED), orbital contractions, and spin-orbit splitting are discussed in relation to their influence on chemical behavior and the resulting breakdown in periodicity.

Presenter(s): Madelyn Ehler

Department/Division/Area: Chemistry

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): George Schoendorff

Presentation Time: 9:30-9:45

Humanities Alumni Roundtable 

USD alums who majored in the humanities will talk about their career paths after USD, the skills they rely on most, and their advice for job searchers. There will be plenty of time for Q&A. Students majoring or minoring in Communications, English, History, Languages, Native Studies, and/or Philosophy are especially encouraged to attend.  

Presenter(s): Kristyn Ward, Elisabeth Kluin, Maddi Kallsen, Gina Mairose O'Connor 

Department/Division/Area: English

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Prentiss Clark

Presentation Time: 9:00-10:15am

English

Character’s Reactions to Social Class and Love in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice

This presentation examines how characters in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice responded to the perceived social differences between Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett. I will discuss how different characters such as Lady Catherine De Bourgh and the Bingley sisters responded to Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth’s relationship. Why did they disapprove if they were in the same social class? Mr. Darcy is a gentleman and Elizabeth a gentleman’s daughter so why was their relationship a point of contention for them? Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth both belonged to the class of the landed gentry, meaning income earned was earned passively, not by working. Their difference is in the fact that they exist on opposite ends of the very large class. Mr. Darcy is wealthy with an aristocratic family. Elizabeth does not have much money, and a family who has to do a trade to earn an income. Austen uses this as a point of contention in the novel to show how even though they had significant differences they were still the same to highlight how society controls our relationships. The relationship between Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy was a point of interest for characters in Pride and Prejudice, whether they supported the relationship or vehemently opposed it. I argue that society has unspoken rules in which we are expected to follow and its efforts to control our relationships further cements its control over every aspect of our lives.

Presenter(s): Kristina Dorsett

Department/Division/Area: English

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Lisa Ann Robertson

Presentation Time: 10:00-10:15

Transmisogyny: Covert Victims of the Patriarchy’s Division of Gender

Kate Manne’s Down Girl explores the history and reasoning behind misogyny, and more importantly how misogyny and sexism work in tangent, continuing to fuel the paternalistic society we find ourselves in. She defines misogyny as the driving actions that oppress women, and sexism as the ideals and anti-feminist beliefs that breed misogyny. However, while the separation of the two concepts is important, there are still cracks in her argument that leave certain aspects of misogyny unexplained and foreign to most readers. The primary point I want to focus on is Transmisogyny, which she comments on saying how she feels is something she is unqualified to discuss further. With the majority of trans women already being oppressed, especially trans women of color, it makes it hard for these voices to be heard in a ceaseless sea of bigotry. It leaves us asking: what makes transmisogyny different from the typical discussion of misogyny and the rest of patriarchal society? What in recent years has left so many people in heated debate over the morality of transness as a whole, and in what ways does it stem from the same roots of sexism? I will be further developing this discussion as I take a closer look at Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, a story seen as a feminist novel, but itself is littered with heteronormative messaging and the empowering of gender roles. A deeper look into Julia Serrano's Whipping Girl is also crucial, as she gives firsthand accounts of the discrimination and aggressive treatment trans women face by simply existing.

Presenter(s): Carol Smith

Department/Division/Area: English

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Lisa Ann Robertson

Presentation Time: 10:15-10:30

Irene Redfield’s Contradictory Identity in Nella Larsen’s Passing

This paper examines the contradiction between Irene Redfield’s identity as a supporter of Black rights and her occasional passing as a white woman in Nella Larsen’s novel Passing. Irene sees herself as racially secure and confident. She also presents herself as committed to the Black community through her involvement in social events that support Black causes. Irene chooses to pass in certain situations where it personally benefits her. This creates a clear contradiction between her identity as a loyal member of the Black community and her actual behavior. At first, Irene’s behavior can seem hypocritical since multiple people in the early twentieth century resisted racial injustices without passing. But instead of accepting that judgment, this paper examines what Irene’s actions reveal about her character and motivations. By closely examining Irene’s thoughts and actions, this paper looks at why she feels the need to pass even though she considers herself loyal to her race. I argue that her passing reflects her strong desire for stability, respectability, and control. Passing supports the stable life she wants to maintain, even when it goes against the identity she presents. By analyzing the contradiction between Irene’s identity and actions, this paper shows how Passing contributes to a wider range of representations of Black characters in early twentieth-century literature. Irene is a complex character, suggesting that racial identity in this period was not uniform or simple but was shaped by personal choices, social expectations, and internal conflict.

Presenter(s): Arianna R. Rodriguez

Department/Division/Area: English

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Lisa Ann Robertson

Presentation Time: 10:30-10:45

History

Why Wording Matters in Commemoration: How Roman Epitaphs Expose Relationship Dynamics

Analyzing Latin Epitaphs found in the city of Rome dating to the Early Roman Empire proposes several opportunities to identify trends of remembrance in common Roman culture. This project focused on the analysis of the textual evidence found in funeral memorials. Many other studies have surveyed Latin inscriptions dated to the Roman period. There are thousands of inscriptions that have been published across multiple collections specializing in Latin inscriptions. This project differs from previous studies because effort and intention was placed on examining the epitaphs of a diverse population as opposed to focusing on people from a select class, gender, or occupation. The choice to look at epitaphs representing a wide range of Roman residents was purposeful in an attempt to pull greater conclusions about overarching trends of remembrance across all social classes in Roman society. After careful consideration of dozens of epitaphs, it was found that memorial inscriptions do differ depending on context, but do present common themes of relationships. One of the most important relationships expressed on Roman epitaphs is that of the deceased and the individual(s) who provided the funerary memorial. Factors such as who, in relation to the deceased, funded the project and how they represent themselves have the potential to expose hierarchies that existed within different types of relationships in the city of Rome during the Early Roman Empire.

Presenter(s): Emma Geisel

Department/Division/Area: History

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Sara Lampert

Presentation Time: 10:00-10:15

A War on Two Fronts: Soviet Women in America’s Cold War Memory

This project examines how United States media outlets contributed to the erasure and reframing of Soviet women’s military service during and after the Second World War. During the war, Soviet women served extensively as snipers, pilots and frontline soldiers, and figures such as the Ukrainian sniper Lyudmila Pavlichenko were publicly celebrated in the United States as symbols of Allied unity and antifascist resistance. However, as wartime cooperation gave way to Cold War hostility, American representations of Soviet women soldiers shifted dramatically. Through analysis of major newspapers like the New York Times, magazines like Life and Ladies’ Home Journal, and propaganda materials from the 1940s through the early Cold War period, this study traces how Soviet women were recast from heroic combatants whose service and sacrifices were considered paramount to the War effort, to propaganda tools or victims of the Soviet state and communist ideology. Situating this transformation within the broader context of Cold War ideological rivalry and the United States’ postwar redomestication campaign, this study argues that American media representations of Soviet women helped construct a gendered ideological contrast between the two superpowers. As U.S. culture elevated domestic femininity and consumer prosperity as markers of democratic stability, Soviet women’s successful and visible wartime participation in combat as well as industry became politically inconvenient. Thus, the United States’ media actively minimized and depoliticized Soviet women’s wartime and industrial achievements. By reframing them in ways that aligned with domestic ideals of femininity and anti-communist rhetoric, U.S. outlets ultimately helped erase Soviet women’s legitimacy as soldiers and contributed to the culture of silence around their service until the collapse of the U.S.S.R. in 1991.

Presenter(s): Elizabeth Franken

Department/Division/Area: History

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Sara Lampert

Presentation Time: 10:15-10:30

Coercive Sterilization and Institutional Practices Affecting Black Women in the United States

From experimentation on enslaved women to the development of systems that treat Black women’s bodies as sites of control, the history of reproductive medicine in the United States shows how racial hierarchies have shaped healthcare institutions. This presentation, drawn from my honors thesis, examines how coercive sterilization practices in the mid- to late-twentieth century informed Black women’s distrust of reproductive healthcare in the United States. Drawing on the legal precedent of Buck v. Bell, Fannie Lou Hamer’s biography, and historical scholarship on reproductive control and medical racism, this study investigates how policies and institutional practices enabled these abuses. While sterilization is often thought of as a voluntary public health service, medical institutions frequently pressured Black women into these permanent reproductive procedures using misleading information and financial incentives tied to welfare and public health programs. One prominent example is the experience of civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer, who entered a Mississippi hospital for minor surgery in 1961 but was subjected to an involuntary hysterectomy. This incident was common in the state, and was coined the “Mississippi Appendectomy”. These practices were reinforced by broader eugenic ideas that framed reproduction among African American populations as a public problem that required medical intervention. Activism and legal challenges in the 1970s eventually exposed widespread abuse and prompted federal reforms requiring consent for sterilization procedures. This research argues that coercive sterilization was the product of institutional incentives, welfare policy, racialized assumptions about motherhood and poverty, and weak oversight within the healthcare system. Understanding this history helps explain persistent mistrust of reproductive healthcare institutions among Black women, and highlights the importance of ethical safeguards and reproductive justice in modern medicine.

Presenter(s): Rheya Wilk

Department/Division/Area: History

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Sara Lampert

Presentation Time: 10:30-10:45

Biology

Waterbending chameleons: Evaporative water loss shifts with acute temperature and humidity changes

The ability to hydro- and thermoregulate to maintain performance in environments with extreme daily, seasonal, and annual temperature and humidity fluctuations are critical resilience strategies underlying survival of organisms. Ectotherms, and particularly squamates, are ecologically diverse groups with the potential to provide examples of adaptation and/or acclimation to environmental extremes. While short-term (acclimation) responses to temperature variation is well-studied, organismal response to changes in humidity remains relatively unexplored. We collected total evaporative water loss (TEWL) data from three chameleon taxa that naturally inhabit disparate environments with exposure to varying daily environmental temperatures and humidities. We placed individuals in a temperature and humidity-controlled respirometry system with nine low, medium, or high humidity and temperature combinations (20%, 50%, 80% RH; 15ºC, 25ºC, 35ºC temperature) and collected three samples per individual over a 144 minute period per combination. Our preliminary results illustrate short-term acute exposure to increasing water vapor pressure deficit increased chameleons TEWL rates. Notably, two taxa (two Bradypodion melanocephalum populations from a 1000 m elevation gradient) absorbed water when exposed to moderate humidity and temperatures, suggesting a physiological mechanism by which water can be absorbed from the air. Such a mechanism may explain how individuals are able to maintain hydration status throughout the year and particularly during extended periods of low precipitation.

Presenter(s): Madison G. McIntyre

Student Award Recognition: Graduate Research and Creative Scholarship

Department/Division/Area: Biology

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

Presentation Time: 10:00-10:15

Scaling of resting metabolic rate through ontogeny in the chameleon Bradypodion melanocephalum

Metabolic rate is a performance metric that can be shaped by various aspects of species ecology and life history. Because body size is the greatest predictor of metabolic rate, the relationship between the two is particularly notable. Squamate reptiles encompass a range of body sizes but are poorly characterized from a metabolic perspective, especially neonates and juveniles. We used stop-flow respirometry to collect resting metabolic rate (RMR) relative to body mass measurements on neonate Bradypodion melanocephalum every two weeks beginning on the day of birth for 150 days. Neonates were from clutches from three females collected from two localities that differ in climate. Non-linear modeling revealed a stark increase in RMR from the first to second measurements. Reanalysis of the data excluding the first-day measurements yielded linear models with comparable predictive performance to non-linear models, indicating that first-day data drove early scaling variation in the dataset. Extracting scaling coefficients (b) from the linear models produced values of b=1.011 from the complete dataset and b=0.828 when modeled without the first-day measurements. Both values are consistent with b values from the literature in scaling of metabolic rate through ontogeny in reptiles (b approaches 1.0) and interspecific comparisons of adult reptiles (b=0.80 and 0.89). We detected meaningful differences between clutches but not based on locality. We suggest that the difference between the first and second measurements is a result of the transition from metabolizing yolk to exogenous food sources. Our results support non-linear modeling as a means to understand RMR variation through development.

Presenter(s): Etti O'Copper

Student Award Recognition: Graduate Research and Creative Scholarship

Department/Division/Area: Biology

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

Presentation Time: 10:15-10:30

The Relationship between Bite Force and Gape Angle in Chameleons

Bite force is widely used as a functional performance metric linked to prey capture, feeding, and intra- and interspecific competition across vertebrate clades. Although muscle force production provides the basis for bite force, other aspects including bite point and gape angle mediate how much force is amplified via mechanical advantage. These aspects of bite force performance are ecologically relevant and vary significantly amongst clades of differing feeding ecologies. While bite point has been extensively examined, the effect of gape angle on force production remains relatively understudied in squamates. We collected bite force data from three chameleon species (Chamaeleo calyptratus, n = 6; Chamaeleo dilepis, n = 11; Bradypodion melanocephalum, n = 8) across gape angles ranging from ~5° to 55°. Bite force peaked at lower gape angles and declined significantly at angles above ~20°. Further analysis revealed that, when modeled as a simple lever system, force production significantly outperformed predictions at wider gapes based on lever mechanics alone. This pattern suggests that muscle sarcomere lengths and muscle architecture may be adapted to mitigate length-tension constraints as muscles are stretched to wider gapes. In particular, the maintenance of relatively high force production at intermediate and high angles may reflect diverse fiber orientations that approach optimal mechanical advantage at different gape angles, helping to conserve force output as gape increases. Our findings demonstrate that gape angle substantially alters bite force production and should be standardized in comparative studies. More broadly, this research provides a framework for understanding how muscle mechanics and lever dynamics are tuned to and interact to shape feeding performance.

Presenter(s): Gene N. Glover

Student Award Recognition: Graduate Research and Creative Scholarship

Department/Division/Area: Biology

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

Presentation Time: 10:30-10:45

English Graduate Student Scholarship on Early American Novels led by Prof. Prentiss Clark 

Presenter: Emma Eber

Identity and Society in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and James

I will explore how the vernacular and intentional language in James by Percival Everett and Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain depict the authority white society had over Black identity in the 19th century. Through the perspective of the uneducated, white child Huck and the self-educated, enslaved adult James, the audience can better understand language’s ability to dictate identity and reconfirm social status for both the speaker and who they speak to. Additionally, I wanted to look at how Twain as a historical author wanted to depict the reality of both conversation and social order in his time, doing so by personal observation, but, importantly, not in a racially motivated way. I also wanted to show how Everett, a contemporary author, uses language to help give agency back to Black characters to function in their own social spheres in his novel, which takes inspiration from Twain’s novel. Both novels address how language and identity are resolutely tied together, showcasing how dialects and code-switching perform changes to identity and help individuals, like James in Everett’s novel, to navigate different social spheres.

Presenter: Eliasu Yusuf Ibrahim

Who Speaks for Ruth? Judgment, Praise, and Female Identity in Ruth Hall

So much research has already been done on Fanny Fern’s Ruth Hall. Most of these works focus on Ruth’s work life (Julie Wilhelm), Fanny Fern’s anger toward the literary marketplace (Karen A. Weyler), or the larger sentimental style of the novel (Laurent Berlant). However, less attention has been given to the voices surrounding Ruth and how these voices define her through gossip, criticism, and praise. The novel is filled with conversations, side comments, and harsh judgments, especially from Ruth’s in-laws, alongside public admiration from outsiders. This paper asks two main questions: (1) What happens when we compare how Ruth’s in-laws talk about her with how outsiders like townspeople, and strangers talk about her? and (2) How does this difference show the heavy expectations women faced in the mid-nineteenth century? To explore these questions, I argue that Fern uses the sharp contrast between private family judgement and public praise to show that family scrutiny, not public opinion, can be the main barrier that shaped women lives in the mid-nineteenth century. This mix of voices creates two completely different “public versions” of Ruth, and none of these versions come from Ruth herself. Instead, everyone around her tries to define who she is.

Presenter: Ashley Knudtson

Can a Happy Woman Ever Write?: The Written Word as Place of Expression in Fanny Fern’s Ruth Hall

Abstract: Linda Grasso notes the reception of Ruth Hall concerned itself ultimately with “whether a woman had the right to publicly express anger at men and still be deemed ‘womanly,’ respectable, and capable of rational authorship” (253). In the nineteenth century, American society tied women’s emotional expression to contradictory cultural expectations. The ideology “True Womanhood” confined middle-class white women into the domestic sphere where their moral authority depended on restraint, emotional softness, and piety (DeBois & Dummenil 255–7). As a result, women were required to carefully regulate the expression of emotions such as anger, grief, ambition, joy, and intellectual curiosity in order to maintain respectability. Magazines, journals, and newspapers articulated proper decorum and behavior for women. These widely read and circulated periodicals would have been part of Fanny Fern’s own cultural milieu, and Ruth Hall initially reflects these prescribed values. However, Fern utilizes these discourses to challenge the limitations of emotional and authorial expression for women of any class. This presentation argues that by framing Ruth Hall as both a popular fiction of its time and as a “blueprint for survival” and by considering periodicals of the mid-nineteenth century in conjunction with the novel, one can see how the novel critiques the current social place of women and further argues for a space for women to articulate themselves freely (Tompkins xvii).

Presenter: Md Kutub Uddin

The Paradoxes of Empathy: A Racialized Reading of Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Abstract: This paper examines the idea of empathy in the contexts of racism and slavery in Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Empathy is generally defined as our ability to understand another person’s state of mind and to be emotionally affected by their feelings. The idea of empathizing thus requires that one put oneself in other people’s places. To do so, people depend on their own perspective to see others showing little recognition for the empathized subject’s suffering and struggles. Empathy, thus, becomes problematic when it is used as a means to recognize the “humanity” of the formerly enslaved people as such empathetic identification puts the white master’s perspective at the center and pushes the slaves’ struggles and perspective further away. Drawing on Saidiya Hartman’s theorization of empathy in her book Scenes of Subjection: Terror, Slavery, and Self-Making in the Nineteenth-Century America and Elaine Scarry’s concept of “counterfactual empathy,” I study the relationship of Huck and Jim and the former’s attempts to empathize with enslaved Jim to show how Adventures of Huckleberry Finn exposes the idea that reliance on empathy as a means to advocate the abolition of slavery and racism could perpetuate the very existing hierarchy it seeks to dismantle.

English

Gossip’s Impact on Messaging Found within Pride and Prejudice

This presentation examines how gossip found in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice surrounding marriage differs when marriage either goes along with or defies social norms, analyzing it through the lens of Elizabeth Bennet. This allows further insight into Austen’s thoughts on womanhood, and how these thoughts take form with this novel. The social lives of the women found in Pride and Prejudice largely focus on the marriage and the courting process leading up to it, and will serve as the focal point of my argument, as it is an active part of many character’s narrative arcs. Elizabeth serves as a unique perspective to examine the marriage process due to her rejection of marriage for herself throughout the novel, as well as her role as the protagonist. I will be examining two marriages that form during the events of the novel, that of Charlotte Lucas and Mr. Collins, as well as Lydia Bennet and Mr. Wickham due to the close nature of her relationships with these women. These serve as examples of typical and atypical marriages for the setting, leading to vastly differing responses by Elizabeth. By looking at Elizabeth’s reactions to these marriages, we can learn about Austen’s perspective on womanhood, as well as in what ways Elizabeth’s own opinions either align or reject those we see Austen holding.

Presenter(s): Annika Malsom

Department/Division/Area: English

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Lisa Ann Robertson

Presentation Time: 11:00-11:15

The Price of Romance”: Voyage in the Dark’s Transactional Relationships and what they Reveal about Gender Norms in the Modernist Era

I will examine Jean Rhys’ novel Voyage in the Dark, a modernist work of fiction which follows Anna, a poor Creole woman, and how she navigates her new life in 20th century England. I am interested in analyzing the position that women faced in this period regarding romantic relationships and financial dependency and how Rhys illustrates and connects these themes in her novel to paint a broader critique on the role of gender during this period. The expectation for women during this time is conveyed through Rhys’ characterization of Anna, who narratively acknowledges the reality of her situation which exemplifies the passivity and dependency often required from women in her position. Anna’s reliance on relationships to get by, especially those which are male centered, provides an important perspective on romance attached to monetary resources, and how they reveal the limited opportunities available for women in the modernist era. Based on Anna’s financial situation, and the relationship she endures throughout the novel with Walter, the narrative that unfolds in Voyage in the Dark depicts realistically what a women might’ve faced against the patriarchy in the 1910’s. Rhys elicits complexities surrounding what it means to be financially dependent and passive in a romantic relationship, which o􀆯ers insight into the history of gender expectations for men and women during this time. To identify these expectations, I will analyze gender norms in the modernist era and determine how they effect the condition of Anna and Walter’s romance and how it defines the “transactional relationship”.

Presenter(s): Brooke Hilding

Department/Division/Area: English

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Lisa Ann Robertson

Presentation Time: 11:15-11:30

Clare Kendry & Passing

This presentation examines Nella Larsen’s novel Passing (1929) and the psychological impact that the character Clare Kendry experiences throughout the novel, as a Black woman passing as white. The term passing in this context relates to race. My argument revolves around a close analysis of the scenes throughout the novel where Claire is impacted by her ability to pass as white in white spaces, and the effects this has on her and those around her. Clare’s friends Irene and Gertrude illustrate the different societal attitudes and outcomes that arise from passing. Irene uses her ability to pass sparingly, being generally content in how she expresses her race socially. While Gertrude uses passing to help her earn money from white customers. The act of passing can have adverse effects on the individual in terms of psychological, physical, and sociological ramifications. We see the psychological toll on Clare as she begins to realize the danger, she has put herself in by marrying and having a child with a racist. Claire has doubts about whether her ability to pass as a white person in society is worthwhile. This internal conflict is driven by her desire to rejoin the communities of her youth and be comfortable with her own race like others present in the novel. I argue that Clare’s ability to pass is not wholly beneficial to her, and that these observed ramifications call into question the meaning of race and whiteness. My close analysis of the psychological e􀆯ects experienced by Clare Kendry’s passing reveals the flimsy definitions of race in society.

Presenter(s): Solomon Miner

Department/Division/Area: English

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Lisa Ann Robertson 

Presentation Time: 11:30-11:45

Chemistry

Refrigerant Separation and Recycling via Nanoporous Containers

Air conditioning has become increasingly essential for indoor temperature control; however it uses cooling mixtures/refrigerants made of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) that have extremely high global warming potentials (GWPs). Thus, replacing high GWP HFCs and separating them into individual components and recycling them is essential. Conventional refrigerant reclamation uses distillation, which is energy intensive and ineffective at separating refrigerant mixtures since HFCs are often azeotropic (i.e., the components have close boiling points). Hence, this work aims to address the problem by designing a new class of nanoporous structures called Metal-Organic Supercontainers (MOSCs). MOSCs are robust, highly tunable containers consisting of metal ions, dicarboxylate linkers and precursors with multiple binding sites that can target specific guest molecules such as HFCs. Functionalization of MOSCs with Lewis acidic metal ions (Aluminium), suitable counter-cations, and linear dicarboxylate linkers (fumaric acid) enhances selective uptake of high GWP HFCs. Hence, MOSCs provide new opportunities for refrigerant separation and recycling.

Presenter(s): Kriti Chitrakar

Student Award Recognition: Graduate Research and Creative Scholarship

Department/Division/Area: Chemistry

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Rick Wang

Presentation Time: 11:00-11:15

A comprehensive study of electrically switchable adhesives: Bonding and debonding on demand

To bond dissimilar substances together, adhesives are a common choice. Adhesives are crucial components of cutting-edge technological devices used in fields as diverse as transportation, communications, aviation, and renewable energy generation and storage. Their strength, versatility, and stability are crucial throughout the device’s development and maintenance, but they can pose significant challenges during disposal, particularly when recycling metals essential for technological advancement. Materials, methods and applications of electrically debondable adhesives (EDA), out of several debonding techniques, have been covered in this review. This paper discuss the key mechanisms of EDAs, including faradaic reaction, phase separation, anodic and cathodic detachment, gaseous emission and mechanical stresses, which have been explored in relation to environmental benefits. It also identifies potential future research directions and sheds light on the challenges involved in developing electrically debondable adhesives. Overall, this review offers helpful insights into the design, development, and potential applications of electrically debondable adhesives in fields like electronics, automotive, and biomedicine.

Presenter(s): Iqra Bibi

Department/Division/Area: Chemistry

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Rick Wang

Presentation Time: 11:15-11:30

Calcium-Based Nanomaterials Loaded with Eugenol for Targeted Drug Delivery

Conventional drugs for treating colon cancer and dental infection suffers from poor target specificity resulting in harmful systemic toxicity. Stimuli-responsive nanomaterials offer a promising targeted drug delivery system. This study explores the use of calcium-based nanomaterials to deliver eugenol (EU), a natural anticancer, and antibacterial agent. The calcium-based nanomaterials are engineered for selective, controlled release of EU triggered by the acidic microenvironment characteristic for colon cancer tissue and infected teeth. Calcium citrate nanoflakes (CCNF) were synthesized in the presence of EU via coprecipitation. EU release from this system was significant at neutral pH (7.4). This leakage was successfully contained by coating the surface of CCNF with casein. A more advanced, dual-therapeutic system was then developed based on amorphous, mesoporous calcium phosphate citrate (CPC) particles synthesized through the sol-gel method. These nanoparticles are readily soluble in an acidic environment and release a high concentration of Ca2+ ions, which can cause apoptosis in cells. The nanoparticles were loaded with EU and capped with a DOTAP and DOPC lipid layer. This system showed good pH selectivity, releasing 87% of the EU at an acidic pH of 5.5 while leaking only 3.5% at a neutral pH of 7.4. This amorphous CPC-based system is a promising platform for targeted, pH-sensitive and enzyme-sensitive drug delivery, integrating the therapeutic effects of EU with potential ion overload-triggered apoptosis.

Presenter(s): Yinit R.Lamichhane

Student Award Recognition: Graduate Research and Creative Scholarship

Department/Division/Area: Chemistry

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Grigoriy Sereda

Presentation Time: 11:30-11:45

Chemistry

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 a􀆯ecting 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 nanocarrier 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. Ongoing studies focus on improving the colloidal stability and drug-loading capacity of MSNs through PEGylation and designing the nano-cargos with calcium carbonate sub-microparticles. This project will provide a foundation for determining the drug-likeness of NPs-VTD as a potent anti-growth targeted therapy in early- and late-onset CRC.

Presenter(s): Mahadi Hasan

Student Award Recognition: Graduate Research and Creative Scholarship

Department/Division/Area: Chemistry

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Grigoriy Sereda

Presentation Time: 11:00-11:15

Inkjet Printing of Physically Unclonable Silver Droplets for Security Applications

Counterfeiting has negatively affected our society and has been on the rise over the generations. Counterfeit items are usually manufactured with poor quality materials that can be toxic and lack safety precautions. These unregulated goods pose health risks, endanger citizens, and impact brand reputations. To combat counterfeiters, many anticounterfeiting approaches have been developed, including holograms, watermarks, and fluorescence tags. However, some of these approaches can be illegally reproduced. One approach to address these illegal reproductions is to utilize physically unclonable functions (PUFs), which have shown great promise to impede counterfeiting. PUFs exploit random patterns that are generated in an uncontrollable manner, which is very difficult to reproduce. Due to this, fabricating the PUF patterns themselves can be challenging as well. In this work, we propose a new method to make anti-counterfeiting labels by inkjet printing silver ink solution with a controlled droplet formation. Using a commercially available inkjet printer, we can tune the ink droplet formation by modifying experimental parameters. Multiple printing parameters were investigated in our work, including printing substrates, drying temperature, co-solvents, print intensity, and polymer additives. Our preliminary results showed that size and morphology of ink droplets can be manipulated by adjusting these parameters. The relationship between the droplet formation and ink properties is currently under investigation. In the future, we plan to continue exploring parameters and utilize the controllable droplet inks for the fabrication of advanced PUF-like anticounterfeiting labels.

Presenter(s): Mary Tran

Student Award Recognition: Graduate Research and Creative Scholarship

Department/Division/Area: Chemistry

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Chaoyang Jiang

Presentation Time: 11:15-11:30

Green Chemistry Synthesis of Germanate Phosphors for Luminescence-Based Data Encryption

The phenomenon of luminescence and the materials that exhibit it rose in attention due to their applicability in many fields such as anti-counterfeiting, biosensing, and light emitting devices. Inorganic phosphor materials such as zinc germanate (ZGO) contain stable chemical structures which can be used as an excellent host material for various luminescent applications. ZGO has been previously synthesized using solid-state reactions and hydrothermal methods. These methods are limited by time consumption, energy costs, and the harsh conditions they require. It is thus necessary to explore new methods for ZGO synthesis, especially those involving green chemistry approaches. In this work, we adapted a new methodology in ZGO synthesis, using ball milling, a mechanochemical method that is less time and energy costly. Through the optimization of the milling conditions, we developed manganese-doped ZGO phosphor materials that exhibit strong green fluorescence and phosphorescence. By tuning dopant concentration into the ZGO materials, we could control the luminescent properties for luminescence-based data encryption. We have successfully developed covert 2D data matrices that require specific UV excitation for decoding. Additionally, we made dual-data matrices that enhance both their level of security and data capacity. With further optimization, ZGO phosphor materials show amazing potential as functional materials for next-generation information encryption.

Presenter(s): Zachary Burmood

Student Award Recognition: Graduate Research and Creative Scholarship

Department/Division/Area: Chemistry

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Chaoyang Jiang

Presentation Time: 11:30-11:45

English

Self Expression in Passing by Nella Larsen

In this paper, I am focusing on the importance of self expression in Passing by Nella Larsen. In this novel, Larsen follows the lives of two childhood friends after their happenstance reconnection. However, the two are utterly different from one another. Former friends Irene Redfield and Clare Kendry lead very di􀆯ering lives. Irene Redfield is considered comfortable in her racial identity as a black woman. On the other hand, Clare Kendry chose to do what is known as “passing.” Passing is when one individual chooses to be known as another race. However, Clare Kendry ultimately regrets her decision to pass as white. As the novel progresses, she desires to return and be around the Black people of her youth. This desire even puts the stability and comfort of her adult life in danger. I am focusing on this topic because I am interested in understanding how Clare Kendry’s decision to pass as white, when in reality she is of Black descent, affects her personal self perspective, emotions, and identity. By examining what the novel says about true self expression, I will be able to teach my audience that acknowledging one’s genuine background is important. More specifically, I want to direct this knowledge into ways to teach my future students to appreciate their ancestry. This will be done by looking at the negatives of lacking cultural competence, examining the benefits of genuine self expression, and finding examples as to how one can hone in and take pride in where they are from.

Presenter(s): Paige M. Norris

Department/Division/Area: English

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Lisa Ann Robertson

Presentation Time: 1:00-1:15

Love, Pride, and Prejudice

This paper examines how pride, prejudice, and preconceived notions act as barriers to finding genuine love in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. As the relationship between protagonists Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy progresses, Austen demonstrates how their own biases and first impressions distort their perceptions of one another and prevent them from initially falling in love. This essay demonstrates that genuine connection cannot exist without personal growth. By analyzing Elizabeth Bennet’s initial prejudice toward Darcy and Darcy’s pride, or feeling of superiority over others, it shows how each character must understand their own flaws in order to form a meaningful connection. As the characters become more emotionally intelligent, by the end of the novel, Austen suggests that emotional maturity and open-mindedness are needed in order to form genuine connections. This allows the characters to have more than a bare minimum marriage of convenience. In love, they can find true happiness. As Elizabeth and Darcy get to know each other further, they gain a deeper understanding of one another, and their motivations, proving that love can transform people in unexpected ways. Austen utilizes the characters’ emotional changes to convey the idea that strong relationships should not simply be based upon social status, but a mutual understanding of one another and how they choose to carry themselves.

Presenter(s): Chloe Denney

Department/Division/Area: English

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Lisa Ann Robertson

Presentation Time: 1:15-1:30

History

Senator Francis H. Case and the development of Interstate 29

The Interstate Highway system was a transformative project for the nation and South Dakota. South Dakota Senator Francis Case recognized the magnitude of the project early in its conception, and leveraged his position on the Senate Commerce Committee to ensure the interests of South Dakotans were represented. Senator Case was a pivotal figure in securing extra additional miles of interstate highway for South Dakota, and coordinated the highway project between North Dakota and South Dakota that eventually became Interstate 29. Acting as an intermediary between South Dakotans and the Federal Bureau of Public Roads, Senator Case guaranteed that the concerns of his constituents were answered and taken into account as the Interstate Highway project advanced and construction began in South Dakota. Senator Case never saw the result of this work due to his untimely passing in 1962, but his work to push Highway legislation from 1954 until his death resulted in one of the most lasting impacts on South Dakota, its economy, and its people.

Presenter(s): Ryan Burdge

Department/Division/Area: History

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Sara Lampert

Presentation Time: 1:00-1:15

Silences of Benevolence: Reexamining the Cherokee Gift to Ireland in the 1840s

My thesis examines the relative absence of the Cherokee Nation’s 1847 famine-relief donations in Irish and American historiography, compared with the widely commemorated contribution of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma during the Great Irish Famine. While the Choctaw gift has become an internationally recognized symbol of Indigenous solidarity with Ireland, the donation made by the Cherokee Nation, despite occurring within a similar post-removal context, has received significantly less scholarly and public attention until recently. Both nations have endured forced displacement, along with the Irish, yet only one act of generosity became central to Irish-Native American memory narratives. Drawing on archival research, nineteenth-century Native newspapers, missionary records, and emerging scholarship by historians such as Christine Kinealy and Anelise Shrout, this thesis reconstructs the historical record of both donations. It traces their divergent trajectories in public memory. By employing frameworks from memory studies and decolonial historiography, this thesis argues that selective remembrance shaped the elevation of the Choctaw gift as a singular emblem of solidarity. At the same time, the Cherokee contribution was marginalized due to historiographical trends, diasporic politics, and narrative simplification. By interrogating how and why certain Indigenous acts of transnational humanitarianism are remembered over others, this study contributes to scholarship in Irish studies, Indigenous history, and the politics of historical recognition.

Presenter(s): Tara Wilbanks Kolbe

Department/Division/Area: History

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Sara Lampert

Presentation Time: 1:15-1:30

Examining the Occupation of Japan with Oral History

The Reverse Course refers to a shift in US Occupation policy in Japan from demilitarization and democratization to economic reconstruction and remilitarization. The changes in policy that came to be known as the Reverse Course were done officially in service to Cold War objectives, but personal motives also played a role. American occupying forces promoted both in succession and with enthusiasm. In order to understand whether the officers who supported seemed more interested in the personal motives, the ideological motives or combined the two, the extensive oral history collection from Columbia University is used. In the accounts from these officers, personal disdain for leading Progressives in the Occupation was accompanied by associations with reform and reformers and Socialism or Communism. While the rivalry between MacArthur and Tuman is fairly well-known, the rivalries between officers are not so much. Specifically, general Whitney and colonel Kades were associated with supporting the earlier, more reformist policy, while general Willoughby was associated with favoring a more Conservative approach. Hopefully, consciousness of the tension between these two motives will lead to a more nuanced understanding of the motivations of officers in the Occupation. Such understanding could be built upon to explore the more personal factors that influenced the policies that the US and Japan developed toward each other.

Presenter(s): Daniel H. Schilling

Department/Division/Area: History

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Jeffrey Liu, Sara Lampert

Presentation Time: 1:30-1:45

English

Misogynists Opinions on Abortion in Voyage in the Dark by Jean Rhys

This presentation will be representative of males’ opinions of abortion and the effects of these opinions on women and their emotions in the feminist novel Voyage in the Dark by Jean Rhys. The implications of misogyny, taken from Kate Manne’s novel Down Girl, will help convey this point to the audience and teach them how it was represented in the early 20th century, when this story takes place. Males' attitudes, specifically Anna’s lover, Walter, on abortion can affect how women view this practice, which can also change their views on it as a whole, instead of considering how it applies to them as individuals. Anna was so influenced to get rid of her baby that she aborted said child in an unsafe manner. In this novel, males’ opinions on abortion show systematic misogyny, and the novel critiques the portrayal of misogynists during the early twentieth century, considering how Jean Rhys portrays the male indifference to abortion. She does this by portraying misogyny with dismissive language, economic difference, and emotional withdrawal towards women. This leaves Anna to internalize their shame and leaves her to deal with the psychological trauma instead of making decisions for herself. This presentation will teach my audience about how men’s opinions and spoken words about abortion affect women and how misogyny is upheld by the words and actions of men, especially when it pertains to abortion.

Presenter(s): Leah Jellis

Department/Division/Area: English

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Lisa Ann Robertson

Presentation Time: 1:00-1:15

Voyage in the Dark: A Comparison of Women’s Alienation in 1920’s England and the Modern World

In this essay, I will be discussing 1920's England and how women suffered extreme alienation in society, often being disregarded. I will reference examples from Jean Rhy’s novel, Voyage in the Dark. In the novel, the main protagonist, Anna, experiences alienation as a white Creole woman from Dominica living in 1920’s London, causing her “voyage” to reflect the treatment and oppression forced upon women of this time period. Through examples of financial struggle and reliance on men, Anna struggled with alienation throughout the novel. Financial struggle drives Anna through the novel, shaping her identity, making low wages as a chorus girl and her constant anxiety and fear of poverty. Because of her financial struggle and class struggles, she becomes heavily reliant on her relationship with Walter, and once that relationship fails, engages in prostitution to make ends meet and survive, eventually leading to her physical and mental destruction. This highlights and demonstrates how women of this time period were often alienated by class and financial vulnerability, male reliance, and identity. The object of this attempt is to give my reader some perspective on the similarities and differences of treatment of women in the 1920’s, and what it looks like in modern day England.

Presenter(s): Madison A. Harris

Department/Division/Area: English

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Lia Ann Robertson

Presentation Time: 1:15-1:30

Political Science

Armed Conflict and Women's Social Marginalization in Ethiopia: Understanding How Conflict Exposure Reduces Women's Access to Education and Healthcare.

Armed conflicts often produce severe social disruptions that disproportionately affect already marginalized groups, particularly women. The paper examines how exposure to armed conflict affects women’s access to social services by impacting social marginalization, using Ethiopia as a case study. Ethiopia provides an important context for examining this relationship due to the large scale of historical and ongoing conflicts affecting regions such as Tigray, Amhara, Afar, and Oromia in recent years. These conflicts have displaced millions of civilians, destroyed infrastructure, and weakened social services. Women in these societies already face structural inequalities related to social norms, poverty, and limited institutional protection, which intensify the impact of conflict and their social marginalization. This paper argues that armed conflict deepens existing social marginalization by weakening institutions, increasing gender-based violence, and disrupting social and community networks that support access to services. These mechanisms reduce women’s ability to participate in essential social services like education and healthcare. As conflict intensifies, institutions like schools and healthcare become more inaccessible, displacement becomes more common, support networks are fractured, and insecurity limits women’s ability to move safely. To test this argument, the study uses a quantitative research design that examines regional variation in conflict exposure across Ethiopia. Individual level data are drawn from the Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) and combined with conflict event data from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED) and Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP). Regions that experience high levels of conflict, like Tigray and Amhara, are compared to regions that are relatively stable, like Addis Ababa and the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples’ Region (SNNPR). A chi-squared independence test and Pearson correlation analysis are used to evaluate the relationship between conflict exposure and women’s participation in social services.

Presenter(s): Tewobistya M. Birhanu

Department/Division/Area: Political Science

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Carly Millerd

Presentation Time: 1:30-1:45

The School of Health Sciences IdeaFest Program celebrates student and faculty award winners from the 2025–2026 academic year. The event will feature a keynote address by Dr. Natalie Lecy, the SHS Early Career Research Award from 2025, as well as an update on SHS Seed Grant initiatives presented by Dr. Allison Naber.

English

Courtship and Marriage Advice in Pride and Prejudice

Through the lens of courtship and marriage advice in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice this paper will explore the reasons behind Elizabeth’s and Charlotte’s views on these subjects. Both Elizabeth’s and Charlotte’s advice reflect their positions in society and how their upbringing has formed these views. Elizabeth has age and beauty on her side, so she is free to explore her options, whereas Charlotte is the opposite. Charlotte is approaching an unmarriageable age and is not considered conventionally beautiful. So, Charlotte chooses to marry Mr. Collins as a way to gain financial and social stability much to Elizabeth’s dismay. Over the course of the novel readers gain insight to both women’s arguments, with the eventual consensus being that both women are right in their own respects, both Elizabeth and Charlotte are able to respect each other’s choices. Charlotte follows the social expectation of finding a good marriage and trying to make the best of it, hoping that eventually she may find happiness. Whereas Elizabeth values love over stability, with her method of finding a genuine connection with her suitors guaranteeing her happiness in the future. Elizabeth chooses this alternative instead of taking the gamble of a loveless marriage despite gaining financial and social stability.

Presenter(s): Katelyn Dwire

Department/Division/Area: English

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Lisa Ann Robertson

Presentation Time: 2:00-2:15

Female Self-Determination in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice 

In this presentation, I explore female self-determination in literature as a concept that includes a woman’s right to make her own choices economically, romantically, and socially. Throughout history and still today, many women desire to have societal mobility and the same sense of individuality as men. In Pride and Prejudice (1813), Jane Austen challenges social norms by creating Elizabeth Bennet, a woman who refuses to be told by society who to marry. My argument focuses on Elizabeth’s rejection of Mr. Collins and how her choice in marriage influences the control she has over her life. Elizabeth is one of the few female characters in Austen’s Pride and Prejudice who steps outside of social norms and does not marry for money or high social standing. I argue Elizabeth’s rejection of Mr. Collins led her to have a more freeing lifestyle compared to Charlotte Lucas, who married Mr. Collins for economic and social stability. Some readers may view Elizabeth’s choice to reject Mr. Collins as a missed opportunity, but in reality, Elizabeth has created a freeing path for herself that completely separates her from Charlotte. Jane Austen exemplifies Elizabeth Bennet’s path towards female self-determination in Pride and Prejudice as a crucial determinant in women’s lives. 

Presenter(s): Ryley Nebel

Department/Division/Area: English

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Lisa Ann Robertson

Presentation Time: 2:15-2:30

The Complexities and Implications of Passing 

This presentation examines the practice of “passing” in the 1920s, in Nella Larsen’s novel Passing and through the central character Irene. I analyze the cultural context of the Harlem Renaissance in the early twentieth century and how passing is represented in the text to comprehend why and how Irene chose to pass within the narrative, in order to ultimately understand the implications of passing in the 1920s. The key themes that are present in this novel are race as a social identity, the consequences of race discrimination, and how these identities impact relationships, which contribute to the moments where Irene chooses to pass and why she’s compelled to pass. I found that “passing” for both Irene in the text and individuals in the Harlem Renaissance, functioned at times, as a convenient act to avoid discrimination on the basis of race, as portrayed in Irene’s first instance of passing in the text, where she passes to gain admission to the Dreyton. Passing also occupies a notion of rejecting one’s own “biological race” to fulfill a desire to become “white,” a result of self-hatred or internalized race discrimination, which is evidenced by Irene’s interactions with Clare. These elements are ultimately driven by Irene’s need for control over how she is perceived by others. The consequences of “passing,” as presented in the text, are interpersonal distress and conflict within relationships, evidenced through the text’s third-person narration through Irene’s perspective and her interactions with family, friends, and Clare. 

Presenter(s): Izzy Niedan

Department/Division/Area: English

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Lisa Ann Robertson

Presentation Time: 2:30-2:45

Educational Administration

Rural Special Education Teachers’ Use of AI and Perceived Impacts on Job-Related Stress: A Case Study in South Dakota 

Rural school districts continue to face persistent shortages of special education teachers, which increases workload demands and contributes to higher levels of job-related stress. As artificial intelligence (AI) tools enter K–12 classrooms and oƯer potential support for instructional planning, documentation, and communication tasks that often consume significant teacher time, little research has examined how rural special education teachers are using these tools or how such use is perceived in relation to their professional stress. This study will be a qualitative case study designed to examine how K–12 special education teachers in rural South Dakota use AI in their daily practice and how they perceive its impact on their job-related stress. Data will be collected through semi-structured interviews and artifacts such as de-identified AI prompts or materials generated with AI support. 

The proposed timeline for data collection after IRB approval is late April or early May. As such, this presentation will not report research findings. If accepted, the IdeaFest session will highlight the study’s rationale (why), research design (what), and methodological approach (how), along with preliminary insights into the practical challenges and opportunities associated with studying AI use among rural special education teachers. The session will invite discussion on technology adoption, educator workforce needs, and the ethical integration of AI in special education contexts. 

Presenter(s): Kelsey Smith

Student Award Recognition: Graduate Research and Creative Scholarship

Department/Division/Area: Educational Administration

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s):  Erin Lehmann

Presentation Time: 2:00-2:15

School of Medicine

Dermatologic Screening and Sun-Protection Behaviors in a Rural Industrial Workforce

Background: Rural communities face persistent barriers to dermatologic care and preventive skin-health education. Industrial workplaces in these regions may provide opportunities to reach underserved adult populations. 

Objective: To assess sun-protection behaviors, dermatologic risk factors, and skin examination findings among workers at a rural cheese production facility and to evaluate the impact of brief on-site education on confidence in self-skin examination. 

Methods: A cross-sectional survey and focused skin examination were conducted during six on-site visits to a rural cheese factory in South Dakota. Participants completed an anonymous survey assessing demographics, sun exposure, sun-protection behaviors, dermatologic history, and confidence in recognizing concerning skin lesions. A focused skin examination was performed, followed by brief education on skin cancer recognition and sun safety. Pre- and post-education confidence ratings were collected. 

Results: 80 employees participated (mean age, 37 years). Most participants identified as Hispanic (61%), and few had visited a dermatologist within the past 2 years (7.5%). Sunscreen use was low, with 36% reporting never using sunscreen and only 1% reporting consistent use. Childhood blistering sunburns were reported by 23% of participants. Focused skin examination identified lesions warranting primary care follow-up in 14% of participants. Mean confidence in recognizing concerning skin lesions increased from 5.89 to 8.01 following education. 

Conclusions: Rural industrial workers demonstrated limited sun-protection behaviors and minimal engagement with dermatologic care. Workplace-based dermatologic screening and education identified actionable skin findings and significantly improved confidence in self–skin examination. Such community-engaged interventions may help reduce dermatologic disparities in underserved rural populations. 

Presenter(s): Lucas Goetz

Department/Division/Area: School of Medicine

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Jason Wickersham

Presentation Time: 2:15-2:30

Communications Sciences & Disorders

Evaluation of Screening Tools to Identify Somatosensory Tinnitus

Tinnitus, the perception of sound without an external source, is one of the most common service-connected disabilities among Veterans. Some individuals with tinnitus experience somatosensory tinnitus (ST), a subtype in which the perception (e.g. loudness, pitch) is influenced by head, neck, or jaw movements and is associated with an underlying musculoskeletal dysfunction. There is no standardized clinical diagnostic tool or screening procedure to identify ST and many audiologists are unfamiliar with this subtype of tinnitus. A physical therapist (PT) diagnoses ST when the following criteria are met: 1) tinnitus characteristics change with maneuvers; 2) tinnitus changes are reproducible; 3) maneuver(s) that elicited tinnitus changes is associated with movement restrictions and/or pain. This outcome confirms the tinnitus modulation(s) corresponds with movement limitations, pain, or tissue dysfunction, indicating a somatosensory origin. This study aims to evaluate the clinical utility of two screening tools, a self-report survey screener and a guided maneuver screener to predict PT diagnosis of ST in Veterans. Participants completed two screening assessments: (1) an online questionnaire screener and (2) a guided maneuver screener. A modified standard PT exam evaluated tinnitus changes with range of motion and strength maneuvers to confirm the presence or absence of ST. Sensitivity and specificity were determined by comparing the proportion of positive and negative screener results with the PT’s results. Preliminary results reveal a higher true positive rate with the maneuver screener compared to the survey screener (87.9% vs. 48.5% respectively). This work is clinically relevant because developing tools with strong sensitivity and specificity will improve diagnostic accuracy and allow audiologists to recognize ST sooner. Findings will guide standardized tinnitus assessments and an integrated audiology-PT care pathway to improve triage, streamline management, and enhance quality of life for Veterans with tinnitus, especially ST.

Presenter(s): Mel Mikkelson

Student Award Recognition: Graduate Research and Creative Scholarship

Department/Division/Area:  Communications Sciences & Disorders

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s):  Lindsey Jorgensen 

Presentation Time: 2:30-2:45

Psychology

Exploring the Psychological Health of First Responder Women and Their Children

First responders (law enforcement officers, firefighters, paramedics, and emergency medical technicians) often face occupational stressors and may have exposure to traumatic events. As a result, they are at risk for developing mental health conditions. Although there is substantial research on first responder mental health, potential gender differences within this population have received limited attention. The existing evidence suggests that first responders who are women encounter an even higher risk for adverse mental health outcomes than first responders who are men. Additionally, few studies have explored the mental health outcomes of children with first responder parents, and even fewer have examined potential differences in parenting practices between first responders of different genders. Moreover, unexplored environmental differences between the genders may help explain other potential discrepancies. Therefore, the current study aimed to investigate how gender may influence the mental well- being of first responders and their children. Additionally, the study assessed parenting practices among first responder parents, as well as childcare responsibilities and treatment at work, to determine whether differences exist based on gender. Results indicated that there were no gender differences for parent or child mental health. First responder fathers used more authoritarian parenting practices compared to first responder mothers. There were not gender differences in how first responders reported being treated at work, but first responder women had greater childcare responsibilities. Findings suggest that there are some differences between first responder men and women; further research is needed to determine how to best support first responder families.

Presenter(s): Shelby DeSchepper

Student Award Recognition: CURCS Mini-Grant

Department/Division/Area: Psychology

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): BreAnne Danzi

Presentation Time: 2:00-2:15

Sociology

Exploring the Impact of COVID-19 on Matriculation and Student Mental Health

COVID-19 created many challenges for students who were in higher education at the height of the pandemic. Increasing and renewed prevalence of online education, along with forced social isolation, further shunted students who were still trying to find themselves into a fast, changing world. Existing literature has found that this state of active anomie led to a sense of social isolation and visible increase in reported mental health crises across the nation. These outcomes were further exacerbated for those who experienced personal and family financial hardships. Building on this research, the current study examined the impact of COVID-19 on student matriculation and mental health (broadly understood). Given that mental health is such a complex and multifaceted concept, the study utilizes a trinal approach to explore the divergent impacts of COVID-19 on student mental health— while controlling for sociodemographic factors such as political affiliation, gender, class, and race. Results indicate that COVID’s impact on mental health was not homogenous and appeared to vary by time and enrollment status at the height of the pandemic.

Presenter(s): Tarynn M. Ball

Student Award Recognition: CURCS Mini-Grant

Department/Division/Area: Sociology

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Isaiah Cohen

Presentation Time: 2:15-2:30

History

In Need of Soldiers: The Kentucky Militia's role in the Northwest Indian War 1790-1795

This paper focuses on the Kentucky militia and their role in the Northwest Indian War from 1785 to 1795. This conflict arose from the newly created United States' unquenchable thirst for Indigenous lands to the west, which pitted them against the various Native American tribes that lived in the Northwest Territory who sought to keep what was theirs. The war played a critical role in the development of the early U.S. Republic yet it is often overshadowed by other historical events. In this paper, I argue that the Kentucky militia was detrimental rather than beneficial to the American military effort during the war until Anthony Wayne took command of the army in 1792. Historical literature on the Northwest Indian War, originally focusing solely on the United States, has developed over the decades in order to properly tell the Native American side of this conflict. Scholarly works by Wiley Sword, Steven P. Locke and Colin G. Calloway showcases that the conflict was the result of greed and fear stemming from a young United States riddled with state and national problems. The United States, being illprepared, fought an enemy who was vastly superior when it came to fighting in the woods. These authors mention the Kentucky militia yet they do not fully explore their role in the conflict and lackluster performance. My paper uses the military journals of soldiers and officers from the war as well as written correspondence between key political and military figures to show that as a supplementary force to the U.S. Army, the Kentucky militia as a supplementary force, the militia proved to be more of a hindrance during the conflict because of their lack of training, impulsive behavior, and disregard for armies' chain of command.

Presenter(s): Austin Howe

Student Award Recognition: Graduate Research and Creative Scholarship

Department/Division/Area: History

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Sara Lampert

Presentation Time: 2:30-2:45

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): Nicky Apenahier, Casey Wall, Gopala Krishna Murthy Kalapala, Shelby DeSchepper, Rheya Wilk, Gwen Donner

Department/Division/Area: Faculty Panel

Faculty/Staff Advisor(s): Darin Hochstein, Hannah Faiman

Presentation Time: 3:00-3:50