Poster Presentations

Understanding social connections among older women residing in diverse living environments is important to understand in order to better address the needs of the growing older adult population. This exploratory case study used semi-structured interviews with three women aged 75 or older to explore social connections. Each participant lived alone in one of three environments. Thematic analysis revealed four main themes contributing to social connection experiences: physical abilities, relationships, activities, and life contentedness. Implications for occupational therapy practice include the need to include a focus on the occupations of health maintenance, social participation, leisure, and instrumental activities of daily living.

Abstract

The primary focus of this study was meant to analyze the difference between stressful versus non-stressful testing environments and how well students were able to correctly answer questions under both conditions. This paper will provide background information on various factors that could affect test performance such as stress, anxiety, and high standards. This study also analyzed preferred study methods among a specified group of seventh grade students in hopes of gaining insight on how to accommodate in-class study methods that will promote student participation, confidence, and overall test performance. This study and the research methods associated with it produced results that were not initially predicted, leaving little room for interpretation but multiple indications of future research ideas. This paper will discuss the limitations, flaws in methodology, as well as future research ideas that arose from the data collection.

Key words: Stress, Anxiety, Study Methods, Performance, Limitations

Building student motivation and interest in the classroom can be challenging for teachers, but putting the students into groups with a tutor can help them. This study investigated the importance of Literacy LEAPS and the effect it had on the students learning. I was a tutor for a group of five students that were assigned based on their learning level. The lesson instructions are based on their STAR Reading test scores and applied in their group setting.

My analysis has shown that Literacy LEAPS has helped students’ confidence and motivation in the classroom through whole-group discussions and individual work. The majority of my group has improved their STAR Reading score. The improved scores range from 65 being the lowest and 137 being the highest. The school district should continue to use this program to help students learning growth.

Documenting Mammal Diversity among Microhabitats in Shawnee State Forest

Baseline knowledge of faunal and floral richness and abundance within systems is useful for system management and conservation. We report findings from an ongoing mammalian survey in riparian associated microhabitats within Shawnee State Forest. Survey objectives are met by documenting mammals among three microhabitats using a variety of live and noninvasive trapping protocols. Trap types include mechanical and game cameras. Mechanical trapping is currently being conducted six times monthly during the late winter and spring of 2023. Camera trapping occurs continually within this survey window. Current efforts are a continuation of trapping regimes extending backwards into 2021 for the same locations. To date, eleven mammal species have been captured. As primary consumers and prey, mammals play a role in the regulation of plant communities, as well as vertebrate and invertebrate populations. As our current field season extends through April of 2023, preliminary findings will be highlighted.

The micro-textures that developed on a variety of karstic rocks pre- and post- dissolution in a controlled laboratory setting were investigated. The micro-textures of these samples were examined using a Scanning Electron Microscope. By examining these micro-textures, it will allow us to better understand the rate at which karstic rocks are dissolving and help determine what components will remain in the rock after dissolution has occurred. This research has implications for understanding karst cycles, climate change, and the development of our landscapes.

Abstract

This action research paper will be diving into the BARR (Building Assets and Reducing Risks) Program. This program strives to help students become the best they can be in school. They try to reach kids on a level of understanding that sometimes teachers do not reach. They try to incorporate motivation, different types of interventions, the community, parents, and other things to push the students. This program stands out because the teachers are focused on every student’s ability individually. In this research data will be collected by the teachers and BARR coordinator at North Adams high school. As the data is observed, the question is whether the program is working efficiently for this specific school and grade level. I hope this study is used by other teachers and administrators to look and possibly use the BARR program at their school so they can effectively assist students strive in the classroom.

The parasitic weed, Dodder (Cuscuta gronovii.), is a holo-parasitic vine that does not perform photosynthesis, yet it invades a number of potential host species. The mechanisms responsible for ensuring tight adhesion to the wide variety of host surfaces have yet to be identified. It is understood that Cuscuta gronovii must attach to a host within 10-15 days of sprouting to survive. This research study aims to investigate host selection preferences of Cuscuta gronovii seedlings when presented with plants, both preferred hosts and non-hosts, that have been subjected to prior Cuscuta parasitism and plants that have not. The goals from this analysis, are to bring a greater understanding to the competition mechanisms behind Cuscuta parasitism host selection and how the presence of other previously established individuals influences those.

At-risk youth demonstrate decreased occupational performance, and limited research addresses use of occupation-based interventions for this population. This pilot study examined the impact of an occupation-based intervention for six students enrolled in an alternative school. A quasi-experimental pre/post design examined changes in occupational performance, measured by the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure, for a ten-session intervention. Descriptive data from the Youth Quality of Life and session fieldnotes was also analyzed. Average increases on COPM performance (1.86) and satisfaction (0.69) scores were noted. Combined with descriptive data, results broadly indicate a positive impact for these six participants. Further research is needed to understand mechanisms of change of the intervention.

When developing a probabilistic model for independently sampled data, good estimates for the parameters of the potential models are critical. One method for finding good estimates is the maximum likelihood estimator (MLE), which uses calculus techniques to maximize the probability of obtaining the observed data for varying values of the underlying parameter. Time scales, closed subsets of the real line, have recently arisen and provide a means to understand classical probability distributions as special cases of more general distributions on time scales. So, while the classical exponential distribution is valued on , and the geometric distribution on , both can be seen as special cases of a more general “time scales exponential” distribution. We find general formulas for the MLEs for the parameters of the time scale exponential and time scales uniform distributions and see how their MLEs compare both algebraically and computationally to the MLEs of the classical distributions.

Occupational therapy educational programs require fieldwork for application of classroom knowledge to clinical settings. Fieldwork is categorized as traditional or role-emerging, in which occupational therapy services are being developed within the setting. This scoping review explores research addressing occupation therapy masters (OTM) student perceptions of role-emerging fieldwork placements. Fifteen databases were searched, and 13 articles met inclusion criteria. Three themes and ten sub-themes emerged from the thematic analysis of the articles. The results from this study indicate that students experience both challenges and personal and professional opportunities in their setting, and reveals the limited research on OTM students' perceptions in role-emerging placements.

This paper will be looking at two different types of instructional style approaches, online formats and traditional style, and using the collection of data to determine what style is best for this school. This generation of students being raised in a world where new technology is being discovered and produced at a rate we have never seen before. Every aspect of life is changing with every new innovation, including school systems and instructional strategies. This paper will be reviewing the methods that have been exposed to a group of high school students and coming to a conclusion that contradict what most people think. I hope that this study will be used to inspire teachers to take a closer look at what their students need to effectively learn the material to put their students in the best possible position to succeed in their lives.

Parental Involvement in Education

The purpose of this research project is to identify the discrepancy of parental involvement in the success of children's education. Those who have more parental involvement in their education thrive in all aspects compared to those who do not. Students' completion of homework with parental signatures were recorded. Parents' attendance in person or by phone for parent teacher conferences were recorded. My analysis has shown a strong correlation between high academic performance and high parental involvement along with a strong correlation between low parental involvement and low academic performance. I concluded that higher parental involvement in education increases children's academic success.

Keywords: Socioeconomic status (SES)

This paper will be looking into the impacts that students’ opinions of the classroom and teacher have on their willingness to cooperate, achievement, and mathematical understanding. The study will mainly focus on gathering information, both qualitative and quantitative, from students to better understand what they believe their needs are in the classroom and what they think the teacher has done to positively and/or negatively impact their classroom performance. There are a plethora of studies out there that describe what best helps students and how opinions of students affect students in various ways. The classroom is meant to benefit the students as much as possible, and a great way to facilitate the best environment for the students is to collect information about what the students believe they need most from the classroom environment. The study will attempt to address what specifically occurs in a classroom that affects students’ willingness, achievement, and mathematical understanding, as well as what specific characteristics of the classroom teacher positively and negatively affect students.

Most galaxies have a massive black hole at their center, and these black holes grow through accreting gas from the galaxy. So we can expect there to be a relation between galaxy mass and black hole mass. Using the spectra of several galaxies, we have measured the masses of their black holes. The gas orbiting the black holes moves at speeds related to the black hole mass, and we can measure the speeds spectroscopically from their Doppler shift. In addition to this, we have observations of the galaxy as a whole with Integral Field Spectroscopy, in which every pixel in the image has a spectrum. This way, we can measure the Doppler shift of each part of the galaxy as it orbits the center, allowing us to measure the mass of the galaxy.

The purpose of this project is to determine whether preschool attendance has an effect on students' kindergarten readiness. This topic is important because it shows how influential a child’s early learning experiences are on their academic career. The objective of my research was to investigate the achievement gap between children who had attended a high-quality preschool setting and those that did not. Assessments were given to the six students that were chosen as participants. These assessments were given at the end of every nine week period, along with a baseline assessment, given before the students began kindergarten. The analysis of data shows that students who attended a high-quality preschool setting have higher achievement on assessments throughout each nine week period compared to those that did not. This project concluded that children who attend preschool will have a higher rate of achievement, entering and completing kindergarten than those that did not.

This study investigates the effectiveness of using The Science of Reading in reading and phonics instruction to teach students how to read. The Science of Reading is a relatively new concept and idea to my placement, as they are currently in its second year of implementation. The Science of Reading is used to assist students in decoding words, learning phonics, and helping them read more effectively. This idea is currently in its “development” stage in my placement. Informal assessments, running records, and anecdotal notes were taken from three students (one low, medium, and high-level reader) to determine the effectiveness of its usage. Limitations could be attendance and class size. My current findings are that the use of The Science of Reading has and will continue to help grow a student’s reading strength in the classroom.

Keywords: The Science of Reading, effectiveness, phonics, decoding

This paper examines how the Covid-19 Pandemic effected students and their academic success in school. Covid-19 took a toll on many people, but it took a toll on students and their success in school, many children were facing problems in the classroom and at home when it came to their schoolwork during this time. This study investigates whether the Covid-19 pandemic effected students with their learning. Structured interviews were conducted with 14 participants plus an anonymous survey for teachers to take involving teaching in the pandemic. The participates were asked a series of questions involving from working at home and then returning to school when schools were back in person. My analysis has shown a strong connection between how the students’ academic success and the Covid 19 pandemic has affected their overall learning in a classroom. I concluded that many students since being sent home because of the pandemic struggled immensely when they came back to in person classes at the school.

Keywords: Pandemic, Covid-19, classroom, academic success

Metabolism suspension, otherwise known as cryptobiosis, is used by certain species that have adapted to survive in extreme environments. Despite the rare benefit of this process, little is understood about its advantages in Tardigrades; resilient microorganisms also known as water bears. To better understand the ways in which Tardigrades respond to their environment we’ve devised several approaches to prepare for the results of our final experiment in conjunction with the High Altitude Research Project (HARP). We will test the local Tardigrade populations susceptibility to freezing, drying, and the condition of a vacuum in order to predict their response to the exposure of near space-like conditions.

This retrospective cross-sectional analysis of descriptive survey data (n=27) from a previous study examined common practice patterns among occupational therapists working with adults with a traumatic brain injury in post-acute rehabilitation settings. Descriptive statistics illustrate practice patterns, and Chi-square analysis examined relationships between level of education, years in practice, and implementation of evidence-based practice resources. Statistically significant relationships were noted between practitioner level of education and number of years in practice (p=0.000059), and level of education and frequency of accessing evidence-based practice resources (p=0.024). In this sample, level of education and number of years in practice influenced evidence-based practice patterns.

Literacy is a broad range of skills essential for future school and life success that most students struggle to completely comprehend if not given the correct tools to support them. This research study evaluated the effectiveness of Literacy Leaps tutoring on three students’ literacy skills and performance. Students were identified as in urgent need of intervention at the beginning of the schoolyear and placed into this program for extra supports. Tutoring interventions occurred three times a week for thirty minutes each session with the three students.

Preliminary results indicate that Literacy Leaps has been significantly beneficial for improving students’ literacy skills, performance, and scores. I conclude that school districts should continue using this program to help better support students’ literacy learning.

Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) and Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) are two of many cancer types that exhibit the Warburg Effect. This effect is characterized by cells utilizing glycolysis for ATP production even when oxygen is present. Dichloroacetate inhibits aerobic glycolysis by activating pyruvate dehydrogenase, forcing the cell to go through oxidative phosphorylation, which allows mitochondrial functions in apoptosis to be restored. HL-60 cells, an AML cell line, and BT-20 cells, a TNBC cell line, were used as model systems in this study. Treatment dosage was determined by treating the cells with various concentrations of dichloroacetate. To investigate the mechanism of toxicity, a protein involved with cell cycle regulation will be examined. CDC20 is involved in mitotic spindle assembly. Expression levels of the protein will be measured with and without treatment to provide a basis for a potential mechanism of action and prospective novel treatments for these deadly diseases.

The paper explores the northern Kentucky variety of the Appalachian dialect spoken in the South Shore area of Kentucky in terms of its grammatical system such as phonetics/phonology, morphology, syntax, pragmatics, and vocabulary. The empirical data was collected in the natural environment with the two speakers of the dialect with all characteristic features that distinguish this variety from the Standard dialect of American English. The research confirms the earlier hypotheses that non-standard dialects are rule-governed the same way as the standard. The results also show that the pedagogical approach to the non-standard dialects should be modified in schools and instead of the Deficit Approach teachers should exercise the so called Difference Approach in teaching children speaking non-standard. The important outcome of such teaching is that the different dialects will be retained and facilitated as part of local identity and culture.