Alcohol-Related Sexual Risks among University Students and Community-Dwelling Adults in Rural Limpopo, South Africa Angela Caldwell Faculty mentors: Karen Ingersoll and Margie Tucker The University of Virginia's College at Wise A mixed methods study was conducted to explore the relationship between alcohol consumption and associated sexual risks. The focus of this presentation is the results of an individually-administered structured epidemiological (EPI) survey assessing participant demographics, alcohol use, sexual history and behaviors. Adults aged 18-44 enrolled at the University of Venda and/or residing in local communities within 45 minutes of Thohoyandou, Limpopo were recruited through convenience sampling. 210 women and 196 men were surveyed. Chi-square tests comparing alcohol consumption between men and women showed that men reported drinking more frequently than women (X2df=2 = 72.99, p < .00001) and reported drinking more alcohol (X2df=2 = 89.65, p < .00001). Male binge drinkers had a higher rate of having 3+ sexual partners in the past six months than non-binge drinkers. Binge drinkers had higher rates of STI infection than non-binge drinkers, only among men. Angela Caldwell is a senior biochemistry major and public health minor from Wise, Virginia. Her future plans are to pursue a career in the medical and public health fields.
Beta Cepheid and Mira Variable Stars: A Spectral Analysis Jesse Harris Faculty mentor: Lucian Undreiu The University of Virginia's College at Wise The purpose of this project is to investigate and compare the spectra of several variable stars, belonging to two classes, Beta Cephei and Mira, while correlating our observations with the photometric survey maintained by American Association of Variable Star Observers. We used a camera in conjunction with a spectrograph that was attached to a telescope to achieve a resolution of 0.49 Å/pixel. The short pulsation periods (0.1 – 0.3 days), and bright magnitude of the hot Beta Cephei variables enabled us to follow their evolution through the entire cycle of pulsation. In contrast, Mira variables are cool, red giants pulsating slow (>100 days) while having large fluctuations in brightness. We have observed molecular bands throughout multiple phases of a variety of Mira Variables. Jesse Harris is from Big Stone Gap, Virginia and is a math major at UVa Wise. Harris will be going to UT Knoxville in the fall for graduate school in physics.
How Contextual Factors Influence Learning in Two Rural Southern Title I Schools Carrie Brazell, Jahnina Lovette Smith-Azango, Darius Ross, and Kayla Sigwald Faculty mentor: Judith Collazo University of South Carolina Aiken
Through school-based research of community/district, school, classroom and student contextual factors, four student researchers determined that contextual factors influence instruction and learning in two Title I (low socioeconomic status) elementary schools in the Southeastern United States. A variety of factors impact students’ achievement depending on the learning culture established within the school and community. Each student presenter will focus on one aspect of contextual factors and how schools have positively impacted students’ opportunities to thrive in seemingly deficit environments. The following factors will be discussed: parental/community involvement in two rural SC Title I schools (high poverty) that have found means to continuously thrive with limited resources, cultural competence and culturally responsive instruction for ESL students (creating a diverse learning environment for immigrant students), differentiating and accommodating instruction for students with exceptionalities (GT and identified SPED students), and capitalizing on the potentiality of students from low income backgrounds.
This is a group of four elementary education majors in the professional program at USC-Aiken School of Education. The students all plan to teach in high poverty (Title I) schools upon completion of their degree program and licensure and their contextual factors research will serve them well in those future contexts.
Influence of Varying Sand Albedo on Sea Turtle Nest Depth Temperatures Mackenna Jensen Faculty mentor: Sandra Gilchrist New College of Florida
Sea turtles are sexually determined by temperature and see higher ratios of females produced with warmer temperatures. Albedo—the reflection of radiation by a surface—plays an important role in sand temperatures of nesting beaches, however, the specific variation necessary to alter nest temperatures has not been well investigated. By setting up individual samples, when the first 20 cm of sand largely varies in albedo, the surfaces, heated by solar radiation and convection, were significantly different (p < 0.05), but sand depths heated through diffusion, left depths of 20 cm and 50 cm statistically similar in temperature. It was also determined that surface temperatures predicted sand depth temperatures stronger than air temperature did. These data support the notion that minor changes to surface sand albedo through nourishments or weather events would not likely alter sea turtle nest temperatures significantly.
Mackenna Jensen is from Norwalk, Ohio and is finishing up an undergraduate degree in Marine Biology. Jensen will be pursuing marine conservation and community education after graduation.
Mobile Application Design Research to Improve Quality of Work for Taxi Drivers Claire Crowe Faculty mentor: Abraham Abebe Georgia College & State University The steadily growing popularity of instant ride hailing services like Uber and Lyft have suffocated the transportation industry’s marketplace, creating declining working conditions for drivers. After six driver suicides in one year, New York and others have started to take steps towards equalizing the market, but legislation can be slow acting. Through research of application design, user interface, and an examination of the transportation ecosystem, the application “Xi” provides a quicker solution for drivers who are suffering right now by giving them a platform through which they can easily be connected with consumers seeking rides. Riders will be incentivized to choose taxis for their added safety, lack of surcharges for busy hours, and the value of years of experience. Simultaneously, riders will also have all the great features of other ride hailing apps like an automatic price estimate, quick requests, and an estimate of when your driver will arrive. Claire Crowe is from Cartersville, Georgia and is studying Graphic Design. She plans to pursue a master’s degree in Design after graduation.
On the Enumeration of Certain Classes of Hamiltonian Paths and Cycles in the Complete Graph Defined on the Vertices of a Regular Polygon Samuel Herman Faculty mentor: Eirini Poimenidou New College of Florida We use Burnside’s lemma to enumerate geometric classes of Hamiltonian paths and cycles in the complete graph defined on the vertices of a regular n-gon. Samuel Herman is an undergraduate mathematics student at New College of Florida. His primary interests are in discrete math and algebra.
Parental Gender Beliefs and Attitudes Involving Child’s Toy Play Amelia DuBose Faculty mentor: Tsu-Ming Chiang Georgia College & State University
Parental gender beliefs play a major role in forming gender identities. A study found that children raised by single mothers had less gender-typed knowledge and had more of an androgynous view during play time. This study aims to explore parental beliefs and attitudes in endorsing gender related behaviors and toys in relation to the sex of their child. The data was collected from preschool programs in the Southeastern US. Over 50 parents with children aged 3-5 years old filled out a parental survey to endorse a list of activities they are comfortable for their child to engage in. Parental explicit attitudes about what toys they would purchase for their children were compared with their attitude about what toys they were comfortable having their child play with. Results showed parents were more likely to reinforce male children with masculine toys. Implications will be discussed at conference. Amelia DuBose is from Thomasville, Georgia. She is a junior psychology major planning to pursue a master’s degree in either clinical psychology or school psychology.
Synthesis and Characterization of the Zinc and Manganese Complexes of 5,10,15,20-Tetra[3,4-dibenzyloxyphenyl]Porphyrin Erin Hutchens Faculty mentors: Cynthia P. Tidwell and Prakash Bharara University of Montevallo The objective of this research was to synthesize and characterize the zinc and manganese complexes of 5,10,15,20-tetra[3,4-dibenzyloxyphenyl]porphyrin. They were synthesized and purified using conventional methods. Upon metallation, the UV-Vis spectra exhibited a shift in the Soret band and disappearance of some of the Q bands as was expected. The zinc complex exhibited a Soret band at 426 nm and Q bands at 552 and 594 nm. The zinc complex gave an emission at 606 nm upon excitation at 426 nm and the quantum yield was determined to be 0.08 upon excitation at 515 nm. The manganese complex exhibited a Soret band at 482 nm and Q bands at 587 and 625 nm but did not fluoresce upon excitation. Additional characterizations are currently underway. Erin Hutchens is a chemistry major from McCalla, Alabama. She will be attending pharmacy school at Samford University in the fall of 2019.
The Effects of Sleep Efficiency and Duration on College Students’ Performance on the Stroop Test Kayla M. Mullins Faculty mentor: Alexandria M. Reynolds The University of Virginia’s College at Wise
The current study examines the relationship between sleep and cognition in college-aged students. Ten undergraduate students (4 males), average age M = 19.30 years, wore actigraph sleep monitors for one week to measure their normal sleep habits. After one week, the participants performed cognitive tasks on the computer, including the color-word Stroop test. The Pearson correlation indicated that there was a significant positive, moderate association between sleep efficiency and Stroop incongruent errors, r(8) = .714, p = .020; sleep duration and incongruent errors were not related. Surprisingly, preliminary results suggest that as sleep became more efficient, the cognitive errors increased. Furthermore, the Pearson correlation indicated that there was a significant negative, moderate association between sleep duration and Stroop congruent errors, r(8) = -.621, p = .055; sleep efficiency and congruent errors were not related. These preliminary results confirm previous studies, suggesting that as sleep duration decreased, participants made more errors.
Kayla McKenzie Mullins is a third-year psychology major from Clintwood, Virginia. After she graduates from the University of Virginia’s College at Wise, she aspires to earn her doctorate in experimental cognitive psychology with a concentration in psycholinguistics and eventually become a college professor.
The Relationship between Personality and Social Media Communications Yi-Shan Chen Faculty mentor: Tsu-Ming Chiang Georgia College & State University Social media has become an indispensable source for communication. However, public debates about the benefits and potential issues of the social network are polarized. Social media is suggested to be correlated with increased negative emotions, such as depression. These results reflect that the functions of social media are multifaceted. Forms of social media include electronic communication to share information in public or send personal messages in private. The popularity and frequent usage of social media have emerged to become an interesting topic. The present study is designed to explore the relationship between a person’s personality and communication styles through online social media. The study examined three types of personalities: introverts, extroverts, and ambiverts. Data (N=529, Female = 442) were collected from college students through an online survey. The results showed statistically significant differences between the Face to Face Communication and Interact Virtual scores. Implications will be shared. Yi-Shan Chen was born in Taiwan and studies at Georgia College & State University as an exchange student from the University of Taipei. She is a Counseling Psychology major and bilingual. After graduating from college, she would like to pursue graduate studies in cultures and international relations, potentially as an interpreter and translator between Chinese and English languages.