University Presentation Showcase: Undergraduate Poster Gallery

Appalachian Foodways and Industrial Foraging

Appalachian foodways, the cultural practices of obtaining, preparing, and eating food in Appalachia, have evolved alongside the various cultures that have lived in and around the region. Appalachian foodways are steeped in Native American...

Unraveling Job Disengagement: Exploring Causes and Solutions

Job disengagement poses a significant challenge within organizational settings. Employees exhibit emotional detachment and diminished commitment to their job responsibilities. Addressing job disengagement is imperative for fostering a...

Examining the relationship between the use of vaccines, personal protective equipment, and sanitation and their effectiveness: A review of literature

In 2020 infectious diseases became a global event with health officials dictating methods to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Infectious diseases are prevented using measures like vaccines, personal protective equipment, and sanitation. To...

Death and Drugs: Exploring Grief and Addiction Among College Students

Grief and addiction are typically associated with death and drugs. However, there are many types of non-death losses and behavioral addictions that are overlooked in both research and daily living. These factors affect everyone, often at...

Adaptive Kayaking & Canoeing

Adaptive kayaking and canoeing is just one of many sports that have been modified to suit individuals with disabilities. The adaptations are the use of specialized equipment that promotes inclusion and accessibility for everyone...

Dietary Restrictions and Specialized Diets on College Campuses

Although the number of people who eat a specialized diet (i.e. food allergy, vegan, religious diet, etc.) has been increasing with every new generation, there is a noticeable lack of literature about this community’s experiences on college...

International Adoption: Navigating Health Care

International adoption emerged as a critical need when wars created an impact on every family living in war-torn nations. Orphans of many international countries are institutionalized causing medical concerns in the area of mental health...

The Effect of Taboo Words in American Sign Language and English

Researchers have found that listeners respond more intensely to taboo words when hearing them than when reading them. Our goal is to investigate whether this effect extends to American Sign Language (ASL) and to determine whether ASL...

The Effects of Regional Terms and Accents When Identifying Words

While research on dialect comprehension has received substantial attention, there is a notable gap in the literature concerning regional words in the United States. While linguistic studies have delved into the comprehension of dialects on...

The Impact of Label Choice on the Perceptions of Stigmatized Populations

Language is one of many mechanisms that reinforces social stigma. Prior research has found that the label used to describe a stigmatized population can have serious consequences for people’s perceptions of those populations. A person’s...

Using GIS to Analyze Tree Cover and Carbon Sequestration on EKU's Richmond Campus

Trees on campus provide important urban canopy cover and numerous economic, social, and environmental benefits. In 2020, spatial and attribute data were collected for 3,024 trees on EKU’s Richmond campus. The objectives of this project are...

Tourism Impact of the Bourbon Industry in Kentucky

Tourism is an essential part of Kentucky from history and outdoor adventure to horse country and bourbon. Bourbon is a multibillion dollar industry in Kentucky. The Bourbon Industry in Kentucky got its commercial start in 1783 when Evan...

ADA Compliant Playgrounds Aren't Enough

ADA Compliant Playgrounds Aren’t Enough Is ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant enough when it comes to our public and city parks? Parks are to be ADA compliant but that just means the equipment must be accessible to those in...

An Honest Discussion about Current DEI Legislation in Kentucky

DEI refers to diversity, equity, and inclusion, which are three closely linked values. These three values work together to support different individuals and groups including different races, religions, abilities, genders, and sexual...

Ground Penetrating Radar at White Hall State Historic Site

White Hall State Historic Site, the former home of prominent abolitionist Cassius Marcellus Clay, is an important historical landmark in Madison County, Kentucky. Before Cassius Clay and his wife, Mary Jane Warfield Clay, built White Hall...

Do Stress and Sun Exposure Alter the Rate of Squamous and Basal Cell Carcinoma Diagnoses?

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States with about 9,500 people diagnosed every day.1 Basal and squamous cell carcinoma affect more than 3 million Americans per year.1 Past studies determined that chronic stress...

MTHFR C677T Polymorphisms

Methylenetetrahydrofolatereductase (MTHFR) is an enzyme that plays a significant role in methylation— one of the most important metabolic pathways in the human body. This pathway controls various processes, such as DNA synthesis and the...

Differences in Acceptance of Refugees among College Students

There are many refugees coming into the United States from a variety of countries, but it is unclear if Kentuckians perceive them differently based on the country of origin. The purpose of the current study was to examine how college...

How Do First-Gen Students Succeed? Grit!

An undergraduate student survey was conducted at the end of the Spring 2022 semester. Anonymous links were shared with all undergraduate students at EKU through email invitations. Of the 1047 students who completed a survey, 417...

Assessing Recent Climate Change and Variability in Kentucky Using the Kentucky Mesonet

The Kentucky Mesonet is recognized as the official provider of climatological observations in the Commonwealth. Meteorological data from the Kentucky Mesonet are used to show how Madison and Fayette County’s climates have varied since...

Building a Geodatabase for Facilities Services at EKU

This project involved collecting the locations and attributes of various features across EKU’s campus using the Global Positioning System. These features were then used to create a Geodatabase of campus. High-end GPS units were used to...

Sociological Analysis of Omicron's Influences on Kentucky Counties

This study explores sociological explanations for Covid-19 incidence rates among Kentucky counties. The authors examine how incidence rates varied pre/post-Omicron variant based on a county’s educational attainment, poverty rates...

The effects of resting membrane potential and synaptic transmissions by Doxapram at the Drosphila Neuromuscular Junction

The resting membrane potential of most cells is maintained by potassium K2p channels. The pharmacological profile and distribution of various K2p channel subtypes in organisms are still being investigated. The Drosophila genome contains 11...

Ground Penetrating Radar at White Hall State Historic Site

Identifying Discrepancies in a Local or Regional Parks Department in Kentucky

Kentucky, like many other lower-Appalachian states, are experiencing a bourgeoning recreation and tourism industry growth. A staple of many communities is a healthy and growing parks program. To achieve a popular and successful local or...

Does linguistic background influence academic anxiety in Latino students?

College students are likely to experience academic anxiety. There is an increasing number of Latinos/as attending universities in the United States, but few studies have focused on levels of academic anxiety in Latino populations. The...

Do Foreign Accents Influence the Perceived Difficulty of a Sentence?

Everyone has an accent. Accents that are perceived as foreign can influence listeners’ ease of understanding and empathy. We examined whether a speaker's accent influenced the perceived difficulty of a sentence. In particular, whether...

Darkness and Light: The Connection Between Personality and Conspiracy Beliefs

Conspiracy theories are becoming a large part of the modern cultural zeitgeist. Past research has shown connections between conspiracy belief systems and several types of personality traits, from the Big 5 Personality Traits to HEXACO...

ADHD and Young Adults

Exploring referral bias for Girls with ADHD provides value to current and future stakeholders who work with students with ADHD. It is important to acknowledge the way ADHD can manifest during different stages of life and the potential bias...

How Do Accents Influence a Speaker's Credibility?

There are around 1 billion people in the world who speak English as a second language and accents are likely to be acquired when a person learns a second language later in life. In this study, we examined accent prestige and the effects...

How Do People’s Perceptions of Stigmatized Individuals Change Based on Word Choices?

(Emergent research) Labels can shape the image we have of a person. When charged with social stigma, labels become self-reinforcing agents that guide views and expectations of certain qualities. For this study, we will ask participants to...

Nutrient and Fecal Microbe Contamination in the Otter Creek Watershed, Madison County, Kentucky

Contamination by nutrients and fecal microbes is a widespread, chronic problem for surface streams. The Otter Creek watershed covers over 168 square kilometers of north-central Madison County, Kentucky. Contamination sources include urban...

Situational and Motivational Factors that Influence Enjoyment in Sport

The purpose of this study is to examine the situational and motivational factors that influence enjoyment in sport. Several surveys asked participants to rate their enjoyment level, motivation level, and athletic identity level. In...

The Children's Hour: a Poem, a Song, a Study

My project is an examination of various vocal settings of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem, The Children’s Hour (1860). From the time of Longfellow’s death, there have been many composers who have set this poem to music. These composers...

Pathways to Educational Attainment for Latinx Students

The achievement gap for the educational attainment of underrepresented populations has been the subject of study for decades. According to the Kentucky School Report Card data for school year 2018-2019, the Latinx community has an...

Eastern Kentuckian’ Knowledge on Freshwater Conservation and Perception of the KDFWR

It is vital to assess the attitudes and knowledge of the general public towards a natural resource and its conservation in order to ensure the success of any management activity undertaken by state and federal agencies. It is also...

The Role of DTCA in Healthcare

Direct-to-consumer advertising is the marketing of prescription drugs directly to a consumer population by means of advertisements in media. The research shows that direct-to-consumer advertising plays a major role in the delivery of...

The Motivation of Mentorships: How Personal, Relational and Controlled Motives Predict Scholarly Outcomes

Mentorship experiences involve a variety of motives at work simultaneously, and some of those are more effective than others. We hypothesized that personally-autonomous reasons (PARs, “for me”) and relationally-autonomous reasons (RARs...

Exploring the Challenges of Biracial & Multiracial Latino/as in the U.S.

This research project aims to inform about the challenges that biracial/multiracial Latino/as face growing up in the United States. The U.S. has historically maintained a monoracial view of race, in contrast to Latin America, which...

Influence of various meteorological conditions on the movement of White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) at the Taylor Fork Ecological Area, Madison County, Kentucky.

The objective of this study is to assess how white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) activity is affected by multiple meteorological variables. Six wildlife camera traps were deployed at Taylor Fork Ecological Area (TFEA) in August...

The Effects of High Participation in School-Based Instrumental Music Classes on STEM achievement.

In the present body of literature, there are many studies that indicate that participation in school-based instrumental music classes has a positive association with academic achievement. However, there is an apparent gap in the literature...

The Future of Human Trafficking Legislation: A Policy Analysis

Current legislation and policies are not effective enough to fight human trafficking as it continues to change and evolve worldwide. Human trafficking is not just sex trafficking; labor trafficking, organ trafficking, people smuggling, and...

Addressing Misconceptions in the Classroom

In many classrooms, teachers face the challenge of addressing misconceptions. A misconception is a view or opinion that is incorrect based on faulty thinking or understanding. A misconception can follow a student throughout their education...

Factors that Influence Academic Satisfaction in University English as a Second Language Students

English as a Second Language (ESL) students are a growing population in U.S. universities. Previous research has been conducted on general students’ satisfaction as well as ESL students’ academic success. However, not many studies have...

VAS in VAS: Visual Activity Schedules in Various Applicable Settings

All students can experience challenges based on having to transition from activities, with different people, or setting. The evidence-based practice, visual activity schedules are a tool for parents, professionals, students, and peers to...

The Influence of Creating Art on Depression

The purpose of this study is to examine the potential relationship between the amount of time spent creating art and reported depression levels. A literature review of the subject area, art and depression, was performed. A survey that...

The LGBTQ Health Disparities Gap: Access to Healthcare for LGBTQ Individuals in the United States and the Impact it Has on Their Health

Within the United States, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) individuals statistically face a higher health disparity rate than heterosexuals. Studies show that LGBTQ individuals are often hesitant to seek care, or do...

Modeling Assault from Touch DNA

Touch DNA is playing an increasingly role in solving assault related crimes. Touch DNA, is biologically material left behind when an individual has handled an object. In assault cases, the area of skin-to-skin contact between victim and...

Reduce Screen Time KY

Abstract: Reduce Screen Time KY Anne Goodman Children, on average, spend 2,000 hours a year in front of screens. The act of binge-watching television releases dopamine in the same way that drug usage does. It is theorized that increased...

Who I Am and How I've Changed

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of prejudice on self-concept change and self-esteem. Participants were 90 juniors and seniors enrolled in introductory psychology and research methods courses at Eastern Kentucky...

Understanding Student Food Insecurity on Our Campus

Food insecurity is an issue that affects the world both on macro and micro levels and even at our own university. Studies conducted across universities nationwide suggest a wide range of estimates of food insecurity, these numbers ranging...

Oral history Service Learning: Veterans Studies and SOSA

As professionals it is important to promote interprofessional education and collaboration as it fosters learning and understanding among various disciplines. The purpose of my project was connecting the department of Veteran Studies and...

A Novel Flavor-Pairing Tool to Create New Craft Brews in the Beverage Industry

Food and beverages are necessities of life and consumer goods companies dedicate significant resources to develop innovative concepts that consumers prefer. In a space where consumer has few choices, it’s easy to understand why they prefer...

Incorporating occupational therapy’s scope of practice to life activities: Legislator as an Occupation

Occupational Therapy is a health-based profession that uses physical, and social-emotional considerations to provide quality of life and health and well-being to individuals. Using skills to enhance everyday living needs makes the...

Does Appearance Affect the Ratings of Foreign Accents?

First impressions can oftentimes dictate the overall judgment of a person without one knowing anything else about them. This study analyzed the effects that the appearance of a speaker had on the participants’ ratings of their accent...

Bee abundance as influenced by shade cover and agroforest type

Wild bees are an indispensable part of neotropical ecosystems because of their role in agriculture and native flora pollination. Despite their importance, wild bees are threatened throughout their distribution by pesticides, habitat loss...

LGBTQIA Youth Experiences with Stigma in Urban and Rural School Settings: A Retrospective Study

School is considered an essential element in the development of children academically and socially. The experiences that children have while in elementary and secondary school impact their future academic success both positively and...

Spatial and Temporal Acoustic Analysis of Bats Across Four Central Kentucky Nature Preserves.

As disease and destruction of habitat continuously cause the dwindling of bat populations across the landscape it is imperative that studies are conducted to determine the behavior of bats and that this data incorporated in management...

Ethnic Identity Influence On News Selection

American news networks have been known to push a positive biased agenda towards the white population, which in turn leaves minorities displayed in various negative forms. News stations have different ways of reporting on the same story...

Measuring Neurite Degeneration in an In Vitro Model of Parkinson’s Disease using an Automated and Optimized Method

Neurite degeneration is the process in which the axons and dendrites of a neuron undergo deterioration and is associated with the progression of various neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease (PD). Further studies are...

Raccoon Den Tree Characteristics in The Daniel Boone National Forest detected using a Coonhound

Little is known about raccoon den tree characteristics in The Daniel Boone National Forest. In this study, 25 raccoon den trees were found within McCreary and Pulaski counties from May – August 2020 using a Coonhound (“Coon Dog”). For each...

MapReduce Based String-Matching Algorithms for Malicious Domain Detection

The existence of malicious websites scattered throughout the Internet calls for a method to prevent network users from involuntarily accessing them. Every day, there are innocent users that come into contact with malicious websites and...

How Does Stress Relate to Loss of Consciousness and Headaches?

There have been numerous studies investigating the link between stress and neurological disabilities. Stress can be defined by physical or emotional. One specific neurological disorder that stress affects is Epilepsy. It has been found...

"Relentless": The Social Identity of Chronic Illness and Disability

Despite the steady growth of rights and acceptance of people from other minority groups, the significance of the issues faced by people with chronic illnesses and disabilities have not enjoyed the same public endorsement. This population...

The Effects of Video Gaming Habits on Attentional Control

We analyzed the effects of gaming habits on attentional control. We examined gaming habits along a continuum, rather than dichotomizing them between gamers and non-gamers. We investigated the effects of gaming habits on attentional control...

Effectiveness of Scientific Weight Loss Studies

The obesity epidemic has lead to myriad physical and mental health problems. Correspondingly, the weight loss industry promotes a wide array of products that are marketed to help people lose weight, including glamorous images of impressive...

Mental Health Related Benefits and Barriers of Exercise among College Students

It is very clear that college can be a very stressful time. These high levels of stress can lead to negative coping mechanisms. However, there is a positive coping mechanism: exercise. The purpose of this study is to examine mental health...

The Effects of Language History and Mood State When Processing Emotional Words

The purpose of this study is to investigate whether language history (age of English acquisition) and mood state (reporting feeling positive/negative emotions at a particular moment) influence how efficiently participants process written...

Perch Site Characteristics of Red-Tailed Hawks at Simon Kenton Wildlife Management Area, KY

Perch Site Characteristics of Red-Tailed Hawks at Simon Kenton Wildlife Management Area, KY Bekah Keating and Dr. Stephen Sumithran, Eastern Kentucky University, 521 Lancaster Avenue, Richmond, KY 40475, USA ABSTRACT Red-tailed Hawks...

Trading Addiction: An Analysis of Prescription and Non-Prescription Opioid Abuse

Opioid abuse, addiction, and overdose is a serious public health concern that has plagued the healthcare system for the last thirty years. The compiled research in the following paper explores the rise of the opioid epidemic, the...

Isolation of a Single Novel Mycobacteriophage from Soil in the Environment

A novel bacteriophage isolated from soil samples collected in Richmond, Kentucky was characterized. Soil was obtained from a site that was mapped using GPS coordinates. Enrichment of the soil for mycobacteriophages was performed by adding...

The Relationship Between Being Known by School Personnel & School Connectedness, GPA, & Well-Being

This study tests the hypotheses that the relationship between being known by high school personnel and higher levels of well-being and a higher GPA is mediated by higher levels of school connectedness. Participants (n = 120) from...

What Would Happen if the 1811-1812 New Madrid Earthquakes Occurred Today?

The New Madrid Seismic Zone is a seismically active region bordering the states of Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, and Missouri. Typically, several hundred earthquakes occur within the New Madrid each year, though most are...

Influence of Information Processing Framework and Voice on Cognitive Trust and Recall

As computer-generated speech becomes a more widely used way to access information, it is important that we examine how voice-rendering type and users’ information processing framework may influence recall performance and cognitive trust...

Home Range and Habitat Use of Breeding Brown Thrashers

Across North America, habitat loss has led to declines in songbird populations, including Brown Thrashers (Toxostoma rufum), a common species in Kentucky. The objective of this study was to test the effects of land cover dominated by...

Big Five Factor Personalities and COVID-19 Compliance

It is commonly understood that the personality types of conscientiousness, agreeableness, and neuroticism have an impact on compliance. This being said, the relationships between conscientiousness, agreeableness, and neuroticism and...

Who I Am and How I Cope

Many studies have looked at the connection between different self-construals and the individual’s overall well-being. People define themselves in many different ways. The four types of self-construals that are found in this study are...

Human Perceptions on Nature, Wildlife, and Conservation in Rural Appalachia

Understanding human attitudes are critical for the successful implementation of wildlife conservation and management strategies. However, there have been no studies conducted in Eastern Kentucky to assess human attitudes towards wildlife...

Who I Am and Who I Used to Be

Past research regarding self-concept change has inconsistent definitions. However, one framework, the Three Elements of Change Model, was developed to fix this issue. The first element is the rewards element, which involves the perception...

In the Mood - Choosing a Style

The purpose of this presentation is to provide insight into music history and its musical eras’ styles. It explores both how each musical style evolved throughout time, as well as the mixing of individual styles. This project takes various...

"Foreign" Language: Examining systemic attitudes, xenophobia, and foreign language anxiety

With the focus on the systemic attitudes, this study examines previous background in foreign language, attitudes about language in general, and the relation of language to identity. This study stresses the defining process in the making of...

Quantifying Climatic Controlled Variation of Groundwater Recharge with a Water Budget Approach for Isolated Ridgetops in the Daniel Boone National Forest

Calculating a water budget for a ridgetop wetland is an essential step in defining the amount of groundwater recharge in a system such as the Daniel Boone National Forest. However, water is a dynamic substance and its variability across a...

Meta-Analysis Anxiety and Depression Measures in Online Therapy Treatment

Online therapy is becoming more and more popular among people who seek a newer modality of mental health treatment or cannot travel to a treatment center. The purpose of this research was to explore the effectiveness of online therapy for...

Big Bone Lick State Park, A Land Lost in Time

Big Bone Lick State Park is located at Big Bone in Boone County, Kentucky. The park is home to many educational attractions such as; a herd of bison, a museum, hiking trails, recreational events, campgrounds, and a lake. Big Bone has also...

Feelings of Connectedness, Attachment, and Spiritual Intelligence

There has been quite a bit of research investigating the impact of connectedness and a secure attachment on children, adolescents, and adults. As examples, connectedness to parents influence feelings of connectedness in adulthood (Hagerty...

How Animal Assisted Therapy Benefits the Geriatric Population

The purpose for research describes the benefits of animal-assisted therapy for the geriatric population. Animals can assist in creating a better quality of life for any person by increasing their emotional, physical, and mental well-being...

Home range size and movement of Northern Bobwhite in relation to cattle at the Blue Grass Army Depot, Madison County, Kentucky.

Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) are a grassland bird that have shown declines in distribution and population size across their native range, primarily because of habitat loss. Cattle pastures are a dominant landscape feature in the...

High-resolution lithology and stratigraphy of an outcrop within the Grundy Formation, Breathitt Group (Pennsylvanian), southeast Kentucky

Thick sequences of stratigraphically continuous exposures of rock occur within the Pennsylvanian section of the Appalachian Mountains that provide opportunities for detailed stratigraphic analysis. During uplift, large amounts of sediment...

Effects of Relationship Quality on Body Self-Esteem

There has been a gap in research that studies the correlation between relationship quality and a person’s satisfaction with their body. This current analysis is seeking to answer the question "How strongly related are romantic relationship...

Does Mood Affect Listener's Ratings of Foreign Accents?

For every one native speaker there are two foreign-accented speakers of English. Using MouseTracker, we randomly assigned 108 participants to view a happy, a sad, or to not view a video. Then, we asked them to rate the accents of the...

Evaluating Trends & Issues Within Municipal Parks

Technology is permeating our culture, including if anyone has ever texted someone an emoji or taken a selfie stated Jenkins (2017). Many actions that were once considered “childish” are now mainstays in culture. Fox and Edwards (2015...

Kentucky Reptile Zoo

The research we conducted was about the Kentucky Reptile Zoo. The Reptile zoo houses many kinds of reptiles, including snakes, lizards and even a crocodile. The zoo opens its exhibits to the public during the day and by appointment during...

Cellular Uptake and Targeting of Pt-Mal-LHRH toward Metastatic Ovarian Cancer Cells

Every year in the United States an estimated 22,000 women will receive an ovarian cancer diagnosis and 14,000 women will succumb to the disease. Due to the nature of the disease, ovarian cancer is difficult to detect in its early stages...

Midnight Woods

The purpose of this project is to learn more about pleating methods, and how to achieve them. When planning the concept for our design, my team and I created a more couture looking black, paper pleated dress. We wanted to make the design...

Estimating artificial roost use of Indiana bats using standardized guano surveys

Artificial roosts are increasingly installed for the conservation of at-risk bats. It is important that artificial roosts are effectively monitored to gauge efficacy and frequency of use so that more informed decisions can be made for...

Red River Gorge: Economic Impact of Destination Resort

The Red River Gorge is a canyon system located in Slade, Kentucky within the Daniel Boone National Forest. The “Gateway to Red River Gorge” better known as the Nada Tunnel, leads visitors to the Red River Gorge area. It has been designated...

The Art of Collecting: The Vascular Flora of the Central Kentucky Wildlife Management Area (CKWMA)

The Miller Welch-Central Kentucky Wildlife Management Area (CKWMA) in Madison County, Kentucky, is 747.5 ha (1847 acres) with roughly 60% open land and 40% forested with scattered streams and ponds (Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife...

Comparing the characteristic moisture curves of natural, constructed and experimental ridgetop wetland soils

The expansion of agriculture and urban development throughout Kentucky’s history as led to the loss of wetlands. This prompted the construction of new wetlands to restore ecosystem services, such as nutrient cycling and flood control...

How Narcissism & Self-Esteem Explain Attachment Styles

Narcissism and self-esteem are highly correlated yet distinct constructs, which requires researchers to exercise caution when examining psychological outcomes of the two. One of those outcomes is how people become attached to others, or...

Irresistibly Ivory

For Dr. Amber Chatelain’s ADM 313 Apparel Design and Quality class, we had to create a dress or garment made of paper and apply a specific pleating method. The purpose of this project was to practice different pleating techniques and...

The Relationship Between Traumatic Brain Injuries and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Veterans

Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are injuries that cause physical damage to the brain tissue. But are there other consequences to a TBI? Does the injury extend beyond just simply damage to the brain tissue? We researched the link between TBI...

What Influences Listener’s Perceptions of Foreign Accents?

In today’s world there are more non-native than native English speakers, making it current and important to understand how the way a person looks influences listener’s perception of the speaker and their accent. A sample of 100 Eastern...

Making and Characterizing Polymers for Organic Electronics

Organic electronics, devices constructed from electronically active small molecules and polymers, are promising candidates for energy efficient consumer electronics (OLED lighting and OLED televisions), medical applications (pacemakers...

Effect of DE-ODORASE® 2X supplementation on blood markers of antioxidant status

Oxidative stress occurs when there is an imbalance of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and antioxidant defenses in cells. Superoxide and hydrogen peroxide, both ROS, are natural by-products of metabolic pathways. Antioxidant...

Efficient Clustering for Users’ Brand Sentiment Analysis on Online Social Media

Brand-themed user-generated content on online social media impacts public opinion about brands through the way brands are portrayed. Visual sentiment expressed in images, a dominant format for online content, affects how content is...

The Benefits of Using Music Therapy and Outdoor Recreation in Treating Patients with Depression

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the suicide rate in the United States increased by 33% from 1999 to 2017, from 10.5 per 100,000 to 14. Tragically, suicide was the 10th leading cause of death in the US in...

Drug Metabolism of Pt-Mal-LHRH

A novel compound entitled Pt-Mal-LHRH was recently developed and synthesized to combat reproductive cancers that overexpress the LHRH receptor. Previous research conducted with Pt-Mal-LHRH has shown that there is increased cellular...

Hydrogeomorphic Classification of Ridge-Top Wetlands in the Daniel Boone National Forest

Ridge-top wetlands occur throughout the Daniel Boone National Forest (DBNF) and provide valuable ecologic services; they are rich in biodiversity, and play a key part in nutrient cycling. Ridge-top wetlands are classified as...

Spatial Distribution of Amur Bush Honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii) Across the Contiguous United States.

This project investigates the ability to map distribution patterns of invasive plant species by focusing on the Amur bush honeysuckle, Lonicera maackii, which is the most common bush honeysuckle species found in Kentucky. It was introduced...

Metal and antibiotic cross-resistance among bacteria isolated from the Kentucky River

Little is known about metal and antibiotic cross resistance among bacteria in aquatic settings. Water samples were collected from six locations along the Kentucky River. Plate counting was used to quantify metal-resistant bacteria. Control...

An Analysis of Individualism and Collectivism in Kentucky High School Football

Two different groups of individuals from two separate counties in Kentucky were observed at high school football games in order to evaluate specific cultural concepts representative of collectivistic and individualistic societies. The two...

Pilot 3: How does sentence difficulty impact understanding?

Foreign accents can make the processing of difficult information particularly challenging. When presented with a difficult sentence spoken by a native speaker (as opposed to a foreign speaker) listeners might be more likely to understand...

Pilot 1: How do listeners distinguish between foreign and native speakers?

At the Multilingual Laboratory we have created a corpus of sentences designed to help identify the components involved in listeners’ ratings of foreign accents. Pilot 1 focused on whether listeners are able to distinguish between foreign...

Pilot 2: Who looks like a foreign and who looks like a native speaker?

The environment in which we interact with other people greatly influences how we perceive one another. Two-thirds of English speakers have a foreign accent, so understanding how visual information influences listener’s perception of...

Habitat Suitability Analysis of Castanea Dentata in Kentucky

The Appalachian region is a vast mosaic of nut bearing woodland carpeting coal rich and ancient mountains. The American Chestnut (Castanea denata) reigned supreme in the ancient mosaic, dominating the forest and building the economy of the...

Analysis of the immune response’s effect on the regeneration of photoreceptors in gosh mutant zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Recently, a cone-blind photoreceptor zebrafish mutant named gold rush (gosh) was reported (Iribarne, et al 2017), and it has been suggested that Müller cell proliferation can be modified by the activity of microglia in the retina (Wang ...

Correctional Recreation: The Benefits of Recreation While Incarcerated

The researcher examined different aspects related to correctional recreation with the intent of establishing that recreation is a valuable tool for rehabilitation and should be continually implemented in prisons. When individuals have free...

Isolating Novel Phages Using Mycobacterium smegmatis

Bacteriophages are viruses that infect and lyse host bacteria. In the 19thcentury, bacteriophages were one of the only available treatment options for infections. However, for the past 100 years, antibiotics have been the prevalent source...

The Importance of Graduate Degrees in Education

There is much speculation today as to the benefits of educators obtaining graduate degrees and whether or not higher education is necessary for being an effective educator. However, the completion of a graduate degree has a distinctive...

Ronald L. Jones & Ralph L. Thompson Herbaria at EKU

The Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) Herbaria are located in a new, state-of-the-art facility and contain the largest collection of vascular plants in Kentucky and the second largest in the Kentucky-Tennessee region. Since the inception...

Two Sides of the Same Coin: Panpsychism as a Solution to the Mind-Body Problem

In his Meditations on First Philosophy, René Descartes set the framework for the Mind-Body problem in philosophy. Descartes suggested that humans are composed of two distinct substances: a physical, non-thinking Body, and a non-physical...

How Need for Power Explains Why Narcissists are Antisocial

Past research has found that narcissists engage in antisocial behavior. Some past research has even looked at reasons why narcissists engage in antisocial behavior. However, no research has looked at Need for Power as a factor to why...

Acquisition, Accessibility, and Cataloguing: Considering the Implications of ‘A Room of One’s Own’ in English Education

Virginia Woolf argues in A Room of One’s Own (1928, 1929) that women writers need a designated space; however, her premise applies to any group engaged in critical and creative inquiry. John Staunton argues in Deranging English / Education...

Seasonal Harvesting of Donax variabilis at the Tomoka Mound and Midden Complex

Analysis of faunal remains in archaeology is used to determine dietary and cultural practices and human-environment relations through time. At the Tomoka Mound and Midden Complex in Northeast Florida, several mounds and ridges dating from...

Bacteriophage Genomic Traits

Bacteriophage are viruses that have been around on planet Earth since the existence of bacteria. Phages are found in almost every area of the world and are the most abundant life form on earth. Due to this extremely high abundance, there...

Faculty expectations of critical reading

Critical reading requires a deep and active engagement with the text that can be accomplished through multiple behaviors. Research has shown that the specific reading behaviors that undergraduate students engage in are different across...

Communication Disorders and Classroom Behavior

A communication disorder (CD) is an impairment in the ability to receive, send, process, and comprehend concepts or verbal, nonverbal, and graphic symbol systems. An estimated 40 million Americans have CD, and among children aged 3 - 17...

Creativity and Madness: The Misunderstandings Behind Mental Health

Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” is a short story centered around a woman with a creative, writer’s mind, an active imagination, and a nervous disorder (depression). This poster presentation attempts to analyze several...

Urban Wildlife Land Use Mapping Using Camera Traps in Taylor Fork Ecological Area, Richmond, KY

This study will focus on the use of camera traps to collect data determining the presence of urbanophobic, urbanophilic, and urban-neutral species at Taylor Fork Ecological Area in Richmond, KY, and then mapping and spatially analyzing the...

The Effects of Cognitive Training on Individuals with Neurodegenerative Diseases

The effects of cognitive training on individuals with neurodegenerative diseases Roughly 1 in 8 older adults are affected by neurodegenerative diseases. Can anything be done to mitigate the loss of cognitive function as we age? Research...

Estrus cycle Facilitates Resistance to Listeria monocytogenes infection

Listeria monocytogenes, an opportunistic enteric pathogen, remains a significant cause of foodborne illness worldwide. L. monocytogenes is the causative agent of listeriosis, a potentially fatal condition characterized by bacteremia and...

Current Training Effectiveness for Law Enfoecement Officer Interaction with Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder in the Commonwealth of Kentucky

The purpose of this study was to examine current training experiences as well as the knowledge and confidence that Kentucky law enforcement officers (LEOs) reported with regard to interacting with individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder...

The Effects of Technological Reliability and Supervisor Supportiveness on Stress

Participants in the experiment were undergraduate psychology students from Eastern Kentucky University (n=79). This experiment examined the relationship between technological reliability, supervisor support, and stress. Reliable and...

Heart Rate, Weight Loss, and RPE Response to Submaximal Walking Test

Introduction: Fire protection gear holds a singular function for protecting fire fighters in the field, but there is limited research on the metabolic cost when wearing the equipment. Being unaware of how taxing the gear is could put fire...

Effects of Fire Gear on Predicted VO2 Max

INTRODUCTION: Fire protection gear holds a singular function for protecting fire fighters in the field, but there is limited research on the metabolic cost when wearing this equipment. Being unaware of how taxing the gear is could put fire...

Investigating the Potential of Supratrochlear Foramen Frequency to Distinguish Between Lineage and Community Cemeteries Among Prehistoric Groups in Northeast Florida

The supratrochlear foramen (STF) is a genetic-linked physical anomaly present in human populations from all parts of the world. This phenomenon is a formation of a foramen between the two lateral condyles of the humorous. Amateur...

Gas Model Investigation of Titan Tholin Precursors

Titan, Saturn’s largest natural satellite, is unique in the Solar System. It is the only moon with a dense atmosphere. This atmosphere is similar to the atmosphere of primordial Earth. It contains a class of chemicals known as tholins...

How does sentence difficulty impact understanding?

Teacher Immediacy and the Effects on Student Motivation

Student motivation is a crucial aspect of student success, but what affects student motivation? The purpose of this meta-analysis is to determine if teacher immediacy affects student motivation. Using PsychInfo and EPSB, we located 15...

Hydrogeological Properties of Natural and Constructed Wetlands in Kentucky's Daniel Boone National Forest

Ephemeral wetlands dry seasonally and are found throughout the Daniel Boone National Forest (DBNF), including on remote ridgetops. Recent research suggests some wetlands constructed in the past few decades in DBNF remain wet year round...

The Ecological Importance of Perched Aquifers and Their Hydrological Connectivity to Ridge Top Ephemeral Wetlands in Daniel Boone National Forest

Interactions between surface and ground water in wetland areas can provide a number of functions within the ecosystem it is contained in. Quantifying the extent of these interactions allows for a better understanding of the specific...

An Analysis of Human Trafficking in Southeastern United States: Improving Law Enforcement Training and Techniques

Human trafficking is an international criminal phenomenon that disregards human morals and beliefs. The United States is not immune to these heinous acts that unfortunately remain largely unseen by law enforcement and legal authorities...

Empowered to Marginalized: Cultural Standpoints on Public Displays of Affection

According to Littlejohn and Foss, Standpoint Theory “focuses on how the circumstances of an individual’s life affect how that individual understands and constructs a social world” (2011, p. 110). Marginalized groups are aware of the...

Social Mobility: College Students' Awareness of Social Class Reproduction

In this study, I examined Eastern Kentucky University students’ awareness of socioeconomic reproduction and various contributing variables. To obtain data, I surveyed students on their education, career, and income goals as well as their...

Technology in the Backcountry

The purpose for this research is not to come to a supposition about technology being a good thing or bad thing in the backcountry, but instead to create a collection of sentiments from scholarly articles and the facts within, allowing the...

The Process of Determining Isobaric Internal Standards

The use of mass spectrometry in forensic science is a growing field. Direct Analysis in Real Time (DART) mass spectrometry is currently being used to detect trace amounts of drugs collected from crime scenes. This analysis of DART-MS is...

The Importance of Quality Control in Environmental and Forensic Chemistry

A quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) plan tells the data user the quality level of the generated data or how “good” the data is. A quality control program is implemented to maintain the reliability of the measurement process and...

Camp Counselor Development: Gaining Professional Skills for the Future

Working as a summer camp counselor is beneficial for high school and collegiate-aged students. At this stage of life, students may lack professional skills for their future, or be unaware of what their potential employers look for in their...

The Application of an Occupation-Based Model for understanding local lifestyles: A comparison of Senegal, West Africa & Appalachian communities in Kentucky

Understanding other cultures will expand our ability to appreciate our own culture, and realize that local themes may not be universal, but are unique to this area. Through use of values, habits & routines, and performance capacities we...

The Selfie of Dorian Gray: Adapting Literature for Modern Media

Picture Perfect Dori Gray is a modern adaptation of The Picture of Dorian Gray set in modern America and starring a female Dorian Gray. The work is set up as a web series that takes place on YouTube in the form of a vlog run by Dori...

Assessing Public Opinion Concerning Black Bears in the Daniel Boone National Forest: Evaluating Visitor Education

Reintroduction of black bears to the Daniel Boone National Forest (DBNF) has been successful, but its continued success depends on the ability of Kentucky residents to coexist with black bears. Education is a key component that affects...

Paradigm Shift in Grassland Sciences: The Life of Agrostologist Agnes Chase

Kuhn defined a paradigm as “an accepted model or pattern”. He further describes a scientific paradigm shift as a change in the basic concepts and experimental practices of a scientific discipline. In challenging the status quo, Agnes Chase...

Delineating the Coverage Ephemeral Streams in the Muddy Creek Watershed

Degradation of water quality due to excess nutrients in runoff is a common problem in regions with a lot of agriculture and pastureland. Improving water quality in such regions can be difficult as the timing and amount of nutrients added...

Differentiating Between Feigning and Non-feigning Response Styles Using the MMPI-2-RF, SIRS, and PAI

Feigning is a serious concern for clinicians in forensic and medical settings. The current study examines differences in response style for feigning vs. non-feigning groups on three commonly used measures: the Minnesota Multiphasic...

Looking at Xanthe Terra, Mars: Structural History by Mapping Linear Features using CTX Imagery

The structural geology of Xanthe Terra, Mars is unique due to its proximity to certain features. It is located on the Martian Dichotomy, the boundary between the Northern “Lowlands” and Southern “Highlands” with an elevation difference of...

Finding Marrs on Mars

We are collecting data to provide evidence for groundwater beneath the surface of Mars. Liquid water would mean that conditions on Mars were potentially once conducive to life. Recent developments have shown there is water on Mars, whether...

Does body size variation in apex predators mediate prey diversity?

Theoretical ecologists have historically treated all members of a species as functionally equivalent when modelling species interactions and their impacts on community composition. Recent studies, however, have found that intraspecific...

Internal Working Models, Relationship with God, and Well-Being

Past research has indicated that an individual’s attachment style can influence their relationship with God and well-being. Religious participation has also been found to influence well-being. The goal of this study is to investigate the...

The Impact of Divorce on College Students from Appalachia

The purpose of this study was to determine if being raised in Appalachia, a region with generally high divorce rates, is correlated with more negative outcomes for children of divorce compared to those raised outside of Appalachia. In this...

Parental Divorce and Child Well-being: A Meta-Analysis

Forty to fifty percent of marriages in America result in divorce. This study examines the effects of parental divorce on child well-being. Twenty studies were located that reported the correlation between parental divorce and various...

The Mediating Role of Time Perspective Between Resources and Psychological Distress

Past research has indicated that resources and time perspective may influence psychological distress. The goal of this study was to investigate the mediating role that time perspective had on the relationship between resources and...

Fluorescence Analysis of Atrazine in Water Samples

The objective of our research is to develop a viable analysis method capable of determining unknown atrazine concentrations. Traditional instrumentation methods can damage or cause expenditure of samples and are time consuming to use...

Deaf Culture and Identity

Bicultural Identity Integration (BII) is the result of how much a bicultural individual may feel that their two cultures cohesively work together, such as Chinese and American cultures (Benet-Martínez & Haritatos, 2005). Its effect on...

Does Bullying Affect Academic Achievement?

The effect of bullying on children’s emotional state is well-known, but what about their academic achievement? The purpose of this research was to analyze the effects of bullying victimization on students’ academic achievement. A...

Linking Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment

Do you love or hate your job? Do you think about staying forever or never going back? Do you ever think about why? This study is intended to answer that industry old question: Is there a link between job satisfaction (JS) and...

Chica Traducida: Subalternity and Cultural Erasure in the Translation of The House on Mango Street

In 1984, Sandra Cisneros published The House on Mango Street, a short story cyclethat provides 44 vignettes taking place within the community on Mango Street, a Chicano-Puertorriqueño barrio in Chicago. The book is often called a...

Narcissism & Aggression

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between narcissism, aggression, and the need for power. We hypothesized that the need for power mediates the association between narcissism and aggression. An online study was given...

The Effectiveness of Meditation

Recent research suggests that meditation is a healthy way to cope with stress and anxiety, but it is also important to focus on how individual differences affect the productivity of those meditation practices. This study aims to find a...

Chemical Simulations of Methyl Isocyanate in Interstellar Medium

Interstellar space is not empty; it contains gaseous and particulate matter that is concentrated into interstellar clouds. Organic molecules have been detected in the dens regions of these clouds. This has caused great interests as many of...

How Do Listeners Distinguish Between Foreign and Native Speakers

At the Multilingual Laboratory we are creating a corpus of sentences designed to help identify the components involved in listeners’ ratings of foreign accents. Pilot 1 focuses on whether listeners are able to distinguish between foreign...

Caffeine Affects Academic Performance

Caffeine is extremely addictive and is consumed by over 78% of college students. Does this affect their GPA? The purpose of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the relationship between caffeine consumption and academic performance. To do...

Using a Nitrate Sensor to Monitor Nutrient Concentrations on EKU’s Meadowbrook Farm

Nitrate is a natural nutrient that is a part of any aquatic ecosystem, however anthropogenic impacts such as agriculture can increase these concentration. Regulating these water quality is important to prevent potential harmful...

Identification of the Morphological Characteristics of Soft Contact Lenses

In this project, a method was developed to determine the morphological characteristics of soft contact lenses which would provide valuable information if examined in some cases. The main problem addressed is that there is currently no...

Women's Music Training in the Italian Orphanage

Beginning in the Renaissance and following through the Classical and Baroque eras, the Italian Ospedali aided in the spread and practice of Italian music while benefitting all who participated. In this presentation, there is a discussion...

Who Looks like a Foreign and Who Looks Like a Native Speaker?

The goal of this pilot study is to explore how speakers’ appearance influences listeners’ comprehension and processing of foreign accents. In particular, how the appearance of the speaker influences the listener’s rating of how accented...

Multi-Elemental Analysis Glass Evidence by X-ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy

Our goal was to determine if X-ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy, XRF, could distinguish the elemental composition of glass fragments submitted as evidence. The first step was to verify the accuracy of the XRF instrument. The accuracy itself...

The Educational Experience of Students who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing in Kentucky

Children who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing (DHH) require much specialized instruction in order to successfully learn in school. Through my course of studies in the Education of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing program at Eastern Kentucky...

Literature as Therapist: The Effects of Bibliotherapy on Depression, Stress, and Anxiety

Society is well aware of the positive effects of literature and reading, but a lesser-known fact is that literature also has therapeutic effects on negative emotional states. This meta-analysis looks at bibliotherapy’s effects on negative...

Characterization of groundwater and surface water geochemistry in an agricultural setting at EKU Meadowbrook Farm, Madison County, Kentucky

Agricultural activities often contaminate watersheds with excess nutrients leading to poor water quality and eutrophication. Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) Meadowbrook Farm raises crops and livestock, which contribute dissolved...

Parental Factors as a Predictor of Student Educational Aspirations

There are many factors that affect a student’s decision to pursue further education. Finding out which factors closely correlate to a student pursuing that education is important to know. Educators and leaders can use this information to...

Deficiency of Access to Adequate Healthcare in Appalachia

Despite the continual closing gap between the discriminations that Appalachian residents encounter, receiving adequate healthcare is an ongoing complication for Appalachian areas. This issue further leads to health disparities...

James McChesney Memorial Golf Classic

EKU Dr. James McChesney Memorial Golf Classic: A service learning experience The James McChesney Memorial Golf Classic has been annually delivered since 2001, and serves as a scholarship fundraiser, a service-learning opportunity for...

Characterization of Trace Drug Recovery from Various Fabrics for DART Analysis

Drug abuse and manufacturing of methamphetamine remains a large problem. And, an unmet need exists for a rapid, non-destructive presumptive screening process to detect traces of this drug on clothing and other fabrics. Previous research...

U-PlanIt

U-PlanIt is a web/app based service company that specializes in event planning. U-PlanIt connects small businesses with local consumers to help them with their party planning needs. U-PlanIt will make event planning faster, easier, and...

Developing Video Demonstrations for the Purpose of Teaching Stoichiometry

Stoichiometry is fundamental to any chemistry student. It is the mathematical ratios that describe chemical reaction and how much of a product a reaction can form. Unfortunately, this is often the first part of chemistry at which students...

Chemical Modeling of Tholins in Titan's Atmosphere

Titan, Saturn’s largest natural satellite, is a unique moon in the Solar System in that it contains a dense gaseous atmosphere. This atmosphere is clouded by a dense brown haze layer. This layer is home to several nitro-organic molecules...

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy’s Effectiveness for Anxiety and Depression

Worldwide, over 300 million people are affected by depression and approximately 264 million are affected by anxiety disorders. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a treatment commonly used for these disorders, but does it help? We...

Factors Relating to the Ability to Identify Sexual Harassment

Before someone can question whether to report sexual harassment, they must first be able to identify it as such. The purpose of this project was to investigate some of the factors that may be related to someone’s ability to identify sexual...

Total Phosphorous in Geological and Agricultural Samples from EKU’s Meadowbrook Farm

The reduction of phosphorous containing compounds from animal manures is a highly desirable goal from the standpoint of environmental protection. Excess phosphorous from farms can enter a watershed and accumulate in larger bodies of water...

Pt-Mal-LHRH, a newly synthesized compound attenuating breast cancer tumor growth and metastasis by targeting overexpression of the LHRH receptor

In the United States one in eight women will be afflicted with breast cancer. Triple negative breast cancers account for 15% of these diagnoses and are significantly more aggressive than other subtypes, as well as, being difficult to...

Relationships Between Injuries, re-injuries, Body Weight Change, and Time of Practice

Introduction: Collegiate football is a stressful combat sport. Over the length of the season there are expectations for injuries to occur. Training camps are designed to lessen this risk but still present inherent risk factors to student...

Examination of Body Composition and Performance Metrics of Division I Collegiate Baseball Players

METHODS: Male student-athletes from a DI, collegiate baseball team (n= 32, Height 180.7+/-3.4 cm, Body Weight 88.0+/-10.2 kg, Body Fat% 14.0+/-9.4) were analyzed for body composition utilizing air displacement plethysmography. The...

Cultivating Character through Curriculum: A Service Project

Often misbranded as an imposition of morality or a form of “conversion therapy,” character education is intentionally designing instructional practices to foster the growth of specific character traits. This service project explores how...

Evaluation of the Georgia Sea Turtle Interpretive Center

In January 2017, Students from Eastern Kentucky University traveled to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center (GSTC) to research how visitors interacted with interpretive stations. GSTC staff sought recommendations for increasing effectiveness of...

Self-Concept Clarity and Attachment Styles

This study examined the association between self-concept clarity and attachment style characteristics. We hypothesized that self-concept clarity would positively associate with secure attachment characteristics, and negatively associate...

Using ArcGIS to Examine the Potential Habitat Characteristics of Eastern Spotted Skunk (Spilogale putorius) at Lilley Cornett Woods

Examining the habitat characteristics of Eastern Spotted Skunk (Spilogale putoris) using ArcGIS This project uses ArcGIS to identify potential habitat of the Eastern Spotted Skunk (Spilogale putoris) in Kentucky. Since the 1940s, the...

The Effect of Head Tilt on Cuteness Perception in Puppies

Physical attractiveness is perceived as good and is considered beneficial. Cuteness is an attractive physical attribute of babies that often induces a caring response in adults. Certain features contribute to cuteness, such as large eyes...

Comparison of two hydroponic tower systems for lettuce production

Hydroponic vegetable production is increasing at a rate of 5.3% each year. Vertical farming has proven to use less land and water than traditional farming while reducing fossil-fuel emissions and fertilizer waste. This study evaluated the...

Undergraduate Student Attachment to Eastern Kentucky University

Eastern Kentucky University is home to about 14,000 college students from diverse backgrounds. Studies have shown that student attachment to universities improves retention rates, grades, and alumni contribution. However, Eastern Kentucky...

An Analysis of the Presence of Invasive Plant Species in Menifee, Powell, and Wolfe Counties of Kentucky.

Menifee, Powell, and Wolfe counties of Kentucky encompass the Red River Gorge Geological Area (RRGGA), a vital gem of biodiversity and tourism for Eastern Kentucky. Non-native invasive plant species have negative effects on biodiversity...

Developing Electronic Delivery of Three Laws of Thermodynamics to General Chemistry Students.

The purpose of my practicum studies this semester was to choose several topics that General Chemistry I and II (CHE 111 and CHE 112) students may struggle with, and to break down these topics to more descriptive and more easily digested...

Demonstrations to Increase Understanding of Topics in General Chemistry Courses: Equilibrium, Enthalpy, and Vapor Pressure Lowering

Demonstrations to Increase Understanding of Topics in General Chemistry Courses: Equilibrium, Enthalpy, and Colligative Properties Key Words: equilibrium, Le Chatelier’s principle, enthalpy, colligative properties, vapor pressure lowering...

“Keeping Down the Underground:” The Underrated Value of Indie Music Scenes as Economic Development Tools for Small American Cities

Indie music holds the largest share of the global music market and is a multibillion-dollar industry. On a more local scale, indie music can contribute significant revenue to small American cities through locally owned independent record...

Qualifying Martian Maars Using CTX Imagery

This project is an attempt to identify and characterize maars on Mars. A maar is a volcanic crater created by the interaction between ground water/ice and magma. This area was chosen because previously observed lava flows, thermokarst, and...

Determining the Hydrologic Processes and Physical Parameters of Ridge-top Wetlands to Make a Conceptual Model

The United States Forestry Service wants to achieve better conservation and restoration practices of natural and constructed ridge-top wetlands in the Daniel Boone National Forest. Quantifying the physical parameters and the hydrologic...

Regional and seasonal variation in the diet of Kentucky’s eastern red bat

Eastern red bats (Lasiurus borealis) are generalist insectivores widely distributed throughout eastern North America. While the dietary composition of red bats has been generally studied, dietary variation in Kentucky is not well...

Locavore Tendencies of Kentucky Brewery Visitors

The tendency to buy local and support local business has recently been gaining traction in Kentucky. The locavore movement provides significant contributions to the local economy, along with jobs and healthy food options for the community...

The Effects of Instructor Interpersonal Style on Various Types of Student Motivation

The current study examined the relationship between instructor interpersonal style, defined as dominance or warmth, and student motivation. Undergraduate students (n=273) enrolled in an introductory psychology course completed a survey...

Acquiring Communication in Individuals with Autism: A Meta-Analysis.

Autism is often portrayed as a dark and lonely disorder primarily because children with autism do not communicate effectively. Parents, teachers, and therapists seek to bring light to these children’s world by teaching them to communicate...

EKU's Red Barn Garden and Orchard-a Hands-on Learning Laboratory for Horticulture Students

The Red Barn Garden and Orchard (RBGO) is a five-acre fruit and vegetable garden on the campus of Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, Kentucky. RBGO began as a venue for students to apply classroom knowledge gained in the fruit and...

Putting the Athletic Back in the Trainer

Athletic Training Students are taught about the benefits of physical activity and how to create specific exercise programs to maintain overall wellness. Although athletic training students have knowledge about the positive effects of...

Gender Inclusivity and Professional Language Use in the Classroom

Great teaching is student-centered, respects diversity, and ensures equity in the classroom. Encouraging inclusivity and professionalism in students requires educators to model those same practices. Students are increasingly identifying...

The Link Between Health Motivation and Physical Fitness

This study explores how personally-autonomous reasons in health behaviors (PARs) and controlled reasons in health behaviors (CRs) influence health status. This study predicted that PARs would be negatively correlated with body composition...

Evaluating the Tobacco-Free Policy at Eastern Kentucky University, 2016

This research assesses students’ knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors concerning the Tobacco-Free Policy (TFP) at Eastern Kentucky University (EKU). This 2016 survey is a follow-up study of a survey completed in 2012. While many students...

Easy-Eats

The purpose of the term project was to create a business venture that implemented concepts that have been taught in the business program. To apply the concepts, Easy-Eats, a tool used to make eating on the go mess free and more convenient...

Locavore Tendencies Related to Kentucky Brewery Visitors

Locavores are essential to the economic success of a community because they consume local products and when visiting other communities, buy local there as well. Community brewery visitors tend to be locavores due to their desires to...

Place Attachment in EKU Undergraduate Students

Place attachment is defined as an emotional bond between a person and a place formed from experiences and emotions felt in the place. Attachment to place can be either positive or negative, as unhappy experiences can lead to place eversion...

Innovation in Consultant Training: Past, Present, and Future

The Noel Studio’s Professional Development Student Coordinators updated the consultant training system to incorporate multimodality, metacognition, and interactivity in a scale-based training environment. Eastern Kentucky University...

The Role of the Mirror Neuron System on Antisocial Personality Disorder

It is likely that an underlying biological precondition of antisocial personality disorder is an underactive mirror neuron system. Mirror neurons are brain cells that respond equally when we perform an action and when we witness someone...

Self-Construal as a Predictor of Learning Style

Prior research has shown that gender is a predictor of learning style, but this may be due to how they define themselves. The current study hypothesizes that there is a positive correlation between physical self-construal with tactile...

Kentucky Breweries and Local Identity

Local breweries in Kentucky attract those who identify with the local community. In general, residents near a brewery are more likely to drink the local beer, because they feel they are contributing to a place that shapes their identity...

Home Births: Increasing Delivery Options for Pregnant Women

Before the 1900s, participating in home births with the help of a midwife was the normal birth experience for women during this time period. Since then, doctors have been guiding births in the hospital where there are many resources and a...

A spatial analysis of environmental and landscape parameters of the aquatic plant Podostemum ceratophyllum in Kentucky

By looking at the environment of known habitats of the perennial aquatic plant Podostemum ceratophyllum Michx. (common name hornleaf riverweed), I carried out a spatial analysis to determine possible unknown locations where P...

Physical Self-Construal and Child-Rearing Practices

Three studies examined the link between participants’ physical and relational self-construal, and their child rearing choices. We predicted that the type of self-construal would positively correlate with the corresponding parenting...

Chemical Simulations of Cyanomethanimine in Interstellar Medium

The objective of our research is to study the chemistry of cyanomethanimine in Sagittarius B2(N) over the course of millions of years. Chemical reactions of cyanomethanimine and related species are entered into an existing reaction...

Should I Stay or Should I go? Powell County Residents and Place

Eastern Kentucky is a region experiencing several social problems, such as poverty and addiction. This study looks to examine why college-aged Powell County residents might decide not to return to Powell County after graduation versus how...

Perceptions of Gynecological Visits; Contributing factors to Fear and Anxiety

Women’s health is a complex and important field of study. The underutilization of primary prevention screenings is common among the general public and especially concerning among women in regard to personal and reproductive health...

Sousveillance in the age of the Smartphone: Policing the Police

As more forms of personal recording devices become available to the general public in the form of low cost cell phones or other electronic devices, participant involved recording, also known as sousveilance becomes more common...

The Effects Of Meditation On Stress

Negative emotional experiences, such as stress, depression, and even PTSD, are ubiquitous parts of modern life. One established—but still underutilized—approach to dealing with these negative emotional states is meditation. The purpose of...

The Examination of Individualistic and Collectivistic Culture in Dollar General

Despite the distance in geographic distance, individualism and collectivism can be observed throughout all cultures and sub-cultures of a country and its communities. The experiment that has taken place is an observation on the...

The Effect of Technology at Work on Employees

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How Different Parenting Styles Affect Children's Self-Esteem

Children with low self-esteem turn into adults who are held back from achieving their full potential. There are many contributing factors to low self-esteem, but parenting is an important piece of the puzzle. What is the role of parenting...

Using Fundamental Chemistry to make Functional Materials for Solar Energy Conversion Application

Population growth and rapidly increasing energy consumption necessitate innovative materials for energy conversion and storage. Gains in solar electricity and battery technologies are evidenced by the availability of commercial products...

Examining the Land Cover Characteristics of Kentucky’s Buck Creek System to Better Understand Buck Darter (Etheostoma nebra) Distribution

The Buck Darter, Etheostoma nebra, is a relatively new species of darter fish previously thought to be Etheostoma virgatum, but recently determined by DNA analysis to be a separate species. The darter is endemic to a small portion of Buck...

Relationship Between Body Composition and Scoring Potential of Female Collegiate Soccer Players

Introduction Body composition is a commonly used metric believed to correlate to athletic performance. Traditional belief is that lower body fat will correlate to a better athletic performance. Purpose To examine the relationship between...

Varying zinc sulfide nanocrystal shape, size, and surface chemistry to control copper doping via cation exchange

As humanity’s energy needs increase, there is a corresponding need for energy sources that are clean, abundant, and sustainable. Solar energy is particularly promising, because the amount of energy in sunlight far exceeds our projected...

Ligand Exchange for Potential Pb-Doping of ZnS Nanocrystals

Solar energy production is a viable solution for the demand of energy sources stemming from population growth. Photocatalytic water splitting yields H2(g), a storable and environmentally friendly fuel source, by utilizing solar energy. We...

Groundwater and surface water in a landscape with shallow bedrock: implications for agricultural nutrient export

Controls on nutrient export from agricultural landscapes include regional hydrological and geological conditions. In many central Kentucky basins shallow fractured bedrock produces focused groundwater discharge and flashy runoff events...

Examination of Relationships Between Body Composition and In-Season Performance, by Player Position in Collegiate Softball Players

Coaches can often put too much baring on body composition of athletes in relation to sport performance. Currently, there is little data examining relationships in sport performance and body composition measures in collegiate softball...

Lithology and depositional environments of a portion of the Clays Ferry Formation (Middle and Upper Ordovician) exposed at Silver Creek, Madison County, Kentucky

We measure, describe, and interpret a limestone stratigraphic section within the Clays Ferry Formation (Middle and Upper Ordovician) cropping out in Madison County, Kentucky (USGS Kirksville 7.5” quadrangle). Outcrops are exposed within...

Nutrient contamination from non-point sources: Dissolved nitrate and ammonium in surface and subsurface waters at EKU Meadowbrook Farm, Madison County, Kentucky

Agricultural activities often contaminate watersheds with excess nutrients leading to poor water quality and eutrophication. We assayed dissolved nutrient levels in surface and subsurface waters of Eastern Kentucky University’s Meadowbrook...

Nutrient contamination from non-point sources: Dissolved phosphate in surface and subsurface waters at EKU Meadowbrook Farm, Madison County, Kentucky

Farms are non-point sources for nutrient contaminants that drain into watersheds and contribute to eutrophication and other environmental problems. EKU’s Meadowbrook Farm raises both crops and livestock, causing dissolved phosphorus in the...

Meta-Analysis on TBI and Empathy

Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others, this ability is fundamental for human connection. What happens to empathy when the brain is damaged, specifically, with a traumatic brain injury (TBI)? This...

Personality Traits that Influence Truthfulness and Deception

Identifying personality traits that coincide with everyday deception is crucial to understanding how individual differences relate to antisocial tendencies. The current study tested the hypothesis that psychopathy and sensation seeking...

Legal and Ethical Justifications of U.S. Drones in the Middle East

Over the last few years the use of drones, both domestically and internationally, has become a highly debated issue. Conversations have arisen about the legality of using drones for surveillance and attack against enemy forces, and how...

Identifying Visitor Opinions Related to White-Nose Syndrome in Tennessee

Identifying Visitor Opinions Related to White Nose Syndrome in Tennessee Within the general public people who visit parks or other natural areas hopefully get educated. These topics could be about natural, historical, or cultural world...

Capital Punishment at Home and Abroad: A Comparative Study on the Evolution of the Use of the Death Penalty in the United States and the United Kingdom

Capital punishment (sometimes referred to as the death penalty) is the carrying out of a legal sentence of death as punishment for crime. The United States Supreme Court has most recently ruled that capital punishment is not...

What are the benefits of EAGALA and PATH Intl. for TR?

The equine therapy field has become vastly popular within the past few years as a tool, used to achieve clientele goals. Within the equine therapy field, Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH Intl.) and...

Comprehensive Factors Influencing Child Susceptibility to Terrorism Recruitment in the Middle East

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has become a notable force in the Middle East in the twenty-first century. ISIL’s tactics and methods are under scrutiny – particularly the unique aptitude of the organization at recruitment...

Flooding in Appalachian Mining Towns:A Content Analysis of Four Kentucky Newspapers

This poster presents findings from a study conducted on newspaper reports of flooding events in Appalachian mining towns. Four Eastern Kentucky newspapers (Mountain Eagle, Appalachian News Express, Hazard Herald, and Pike County News) were...

Smooth Moves Business Abstract

Richmond, Kentucky has grown substantially over the last decade providing the community with many new restaurants, companies, and resources. This has made a great impact on the area by providing more job opportunities and greater variety...

Slavery, Civil War, and Contemporary Public Opinion

This project is an empirical extension of Avidit Acharya, Matthew Blackwell, and Maya Sen’s piece (2015), “A Culture of Disenfranchisement: How American Slavery Continues to Affect Voting Behavior.” In their project, Acharya, Blackwell and...

Relationship Type and Violence in Stalking Cases

The purposes of this study were to investigate 1) the types of relationships that exist between stalkers and their victims and 2) the rates of violence in stalking cases. While stalking cases certainly are a subject of interest in many...

The Gold Standard: Understanding the Impact of Perfectionism on Occupation

Occupational Science seeks to understand human occupation, often grouping occupations into categories and considering external factors that influence occupation. While psychological literature examines perfectionism, there are no studies...

Bivalve Stories and Snail Tales: Reconstructing the Late Archaic Environment at the Tomoka Complex, Northeast Florida.

Mollusks inhabit specific ecological niches and can be used as proxies for past environmental conditions. Changes in the composition of molluscan assemblages register changing ecological conditions and offer an opportunity to examine human...

Patterns and Sources of Anthropogenic Contaminants in the Otter Creek Watershed, Madison County, Kentucky

Stream systems are often affected by anthropogenic contaminants that affect water quality and stream ecosystems. Land use determines the type and quantity of contaminants present in natural waters. The Otter Creek watershed (170 km2...

Gender Differences in Self Concept of Intellect versus Gender differences in GPA

In an academic setting, it is not uncommon for individuals to have a self-concept of their abilities in various subjects. Traditionally, men have been viewed to be better in math and science fields than women which could create a...

Synthesis of Rod-Shaped, Spherical, and Cubic Zinc Sulfide Nanocrystals for Energy Conversion Applications

The Psychology Department at Eastern Kentucky University, in collaboration with the Dolphin Communication Project (DCP), offered a study abroad class on cetacean behavior, ecology, and cognition during the 2015 spring semester. The class...

Modeling Connectivity of Forested Wetland Amphibian Habitat in the Daniel Boone National Forest Using Remote Sensing and GIS-Based Spatial Analysis

Wood frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus) are listed as a Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) by the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. Wood frogs act as a representative species for amphibian populations requiring...

Abercrombie & Fitch: A Strategic Position

Performing better than the competition or achieving sustainable competitive advantage, is one of the primary goals in business. This is true for all companies, including that of the global retail company, Abercrombie & Fitch, which has...

The Benefits of Therapeutic Recreation on Children with Autism

About 1 in every 88 children have been identified with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The researcher performed a literature analysis examining experimental studies to identify the benefits of recreation therapy for children with ADS...

Sustainability in Brewing Operations – Verticality and Redistributed Energy

A great amount of time and energy is put into making alcohol but what would happen if the energy costs for producing this product was cut down to the minimum with the same quality of production; how could that happen? A proposed 3D...

Global Citizenship Preparedness at Eastern Kentucky University and its Benchmark Learning Institutions: Assessing Strategies for Undergraduate Growth and Social Awareness

The modern world has observed profound political, economic and social shifts while experiencing technological advances that continue to alter our collective experience in ways recently unimaginable. In the diverse and interconnected...

LiDAR evaluation of Tomoka Mound Complex, Identifying St. Johns Native American Mound Sites

LiDAR is a powerful method that uses laser technology to identify objects or features of a landscape. LiDAR is especially useful when features are hard to discern from their surroundings, as is the case at the Tomoka Mound Complex in...

Home Range Analysis of Cow Moose (Alces alces andersoni) in Maine using Geographical Information System Spatial Analysis Processes.

This project is a spatial analysis of collared female moose (Alces alces) home ranges in ArcGIS using the Kernel Home Range Estimate method. This is a sophisticated method of defining and analyzing home range size and use. Along with...

Cave Tourism in Kentucky: Visitor Knowledge of Ecology and Sustainable Cave Tourism

This research was conducted in order to bring awareness to white nose syndrome and also to investigate the amount of influence that an educational program such as interpretation done by parks can modify the behavior of their visitors. This...

Self-construal, self-concept clarity, and consideration of future events

Self-construal, independent or interdependent, describes how a person views themselves in relation to others. Self-construal is defined by a set of behaviors, attitudes, or beliefs that a person identifies with, meaning that people...

Bromoenol Lactone Attenuates Nicotine-induced Breast Cancer Cell Proliferation and Migration

The effects of iPLA2β (Ca2+-independent Phospholipase A2β) and MMP-9 (Matrix Metalloproteinase-9) on the migration of cancer cells have been a recent focus for biomedical research and have been found to be over-expressed. However, their...

Faces of the Fortuneless: The Feminization of Poverty in Eastern Kentucky

As an institution dedicated to an educational and stewardship mission, EKU is committed to addressing the most pressing community needs in eastern Kentucky, including issues of social stratification and inequalities that arise in a...

Representing Protein NMR Structures as a Single Model: A Bioinformatics Approach

The basis of all biological material is proteins. Therefore, a better understanding of the actual confirmation of a given protein is key to understanding its biological function. Protein structures are represented in experimental data from...

Local Purchasing Preferences of Craft Breweries Customers: A Northern Kentucky Case Study

Many of the craft breweries in Kentucky are actively involved in the local community and are concerned with the health and growth of the community that they are a part of. Some of the local breweries even enhance the community and the...

Sustainable Cave Tourism: Visitor Perceptions of Cave Ecology & White Nose Syndrome

White Nose Syndrome is a fungus that has been spread from European caves to caves in the United States and it has caused several species of native bats to become endangered or threatened. Many of Kentucky’s cave parks see a very high...

Angler Awareness & Habits: Assessing Outcomes of the Kentucky Fish & Wildlife FiN’s Program

Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife (KYDFW) operates ponds and lakes in urban areas to provide a variety of water-based outdoor recreation to a traditionally underserved demographic. In order to better serve the FiNs water bodies and...

Characterization of Aquatic Sediment Bacteria Resistant to Triclosan and Antibiotics Above and Below the Town Branch Wastewater Treatment Plant

Wastewater treatment plants appear to play a role in releasing antimicrobial compounds and resistant genes into the environment. The phenomenon of bacterial resistance to multiple antimicrobial compounds is not well understood with regards...

Personality Factors that Predict Cyberbullying among Middle School Students

Previous research has examined different factors relating to cyber bullying, but no one has specifically looked at how empathy, exploitative narcissism, and gender contribute to cyber bullying. We hypothesize that all three factors...

Do Study Halls Produce Valedictorians?

One of the greatest honors a graduating high school senior can receive is the title of “valedictorian." Many students set this goal prior to high school, and will forgo taking a study hall or free period in order to enroll in a higher...

An Analysis of Summer Camp Trends

An analysis of summer camp trends Summer camps are a $2.8 billion industry with over 12,000+ summer camps in the United States (American Camp Association). With several different types of summer camps including 4-H, church, academic...

Investigating the Influence of Technology in Summer Camps

Today, technology is an integral part of people’s lives of all ages, often taking them away from opportunities that encourage the development of the whole person. Technology is making its way into recreational camp settings changing the...

Service Dogs and Their Impact on PTSD

Many individuals seek comfort in dogs, but not many realize the benefits that can be received from a “man’s best friend”. Dogs can be comforting, but can also be trained to acquire the special skills needed to help others. Service dogs can...

The Benefits of Aquatic Therapy on Individuals with Cerebral Palsy

Swimming is a very popular leisure activity that many engage in. Aside from being used for leisure enjoyment, swimming can be therapeutic as well. Aquatic therapy is a type of therapy that takes place in the water and is typically...

Benefits of Animal Assisted Therapy in the Prison System

Animals have been a common ground for people throughout the evolution of time, and there’s few people who don’t enjoy the companionship and joy of animals. America is often referred to as the revolving door of prison systems, which proves...

How Recreational Summer Camps Can Benefit Youth With Chronic Illness

According to the University of Michigan Health System, 15% to 18% of children in the United States live with a chronic health condition, such as diabetes, cancer, asthma, and other life-long conditions. The psychosocial effects of living...

How Animal Assisted Therapy Aids Children With Disabilities

Animal Assisted Therapy is an emerging field in many different health professions. The purpose of this study is to explore the history, benefits, and success of AAT, specifically with dogs, for children who have disabilities. This study...

Paducah Pride: Sense of Community Among Local Visitors To Craft Breweries

The cultural and historical significant of bourbon in Kentucky is well-documented and known. While recent growth has been tremendous, locally brewed beer also has a storied tradition in the Commonwealth. The places where bourbon and beer...

Rural Collectivism and Urban Individualism in Public Restaurants of Kentucky

Observations were made at two restaurant locations, one rural (Estill County) and one urban (Fayette County). The purpose of this observational study was to collect evidence for typical cultural values at each location. Overall, it was...

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Posts: An Exploratory Examination of Personality Traits and Profile Picture Content

Despite significant interest in the Big Five personality traits and their association with Facebook, research on the Big Five personality traits and profile picture content, and gender differences in those associations, has been...

A Correlation Between Abuse and Negative Life Outcomes

Child abuse is a terrible thing, but to what extent is it related to negative outcomes later in life? The purpose of this research was to explore the relationship between abuse and negative life outcomes. In order to evaluate this...

How Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Affects Trauma Victims: A Systematic Review

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is a method of psychological therapy that has been used in treating various types of trauma in different populations. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to collect data on EMDR and...

Effects of Expressive Arts on Sexual Abuse Survivors

Women and men will experience rape during their lifetime. 81% of these women and 35% of these men will suffer from short or long term PTSD because of this. Survivors are often enrolled in therapy but do not understand the deep rooted...

The Relationship between Childhood Trauma and Criminal Behavior: A meta-analysis

Although there are many possible explanations for criminal behavior, how much of a role do childhood traumatic experiences play? The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between trauma during childhood and criminal behavior...

Is Harsh Parenting Style Related to Negative Child Behaviors?

There are many factors that influence children’s behaviors, and parenting style is certainly one of them. The purpose of this project was to answer the question “How strong is the relationship between harsh parenting style and children’s...

The Art of the Ukiyo-e Print

The art of the Ukiyo-e print, sometimes referred to by its fanciful title as “Images of the Floating World,” often referred to as the most expressive and influential movement in Japanese art, is a great source of cultural pride, a...

Recreation therapy transitions individuals with developmental disabilities to community life

According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2015) one in six individuals ages three to seventeen have one or more developmental disabilities in the United States. Inclusion is a significant obstacle that individuals with...

Alcohol, Marijuana, Texting, and Eating: The effects of distractions on driving performance

Distracted driving is the biggest reason for automobile accidents and fatalities. Our highways would be much safer if people were not distracted while driving. But how much do the different distractions influence driving performance? We...

Putting the Athletic back in the Trainer

My Religion and My People: Level of Ingroup Identification and Christian Religious Orientations

People adopt a variety of approaches to practice their religion, but there has been no examination as to how proximal versus distal ingroup identification may explain the different religious orientations. Two studies tested the hypotheses...

The Benefits of Recreation Therapy for Patients with Dementia

More than four million people in the United States have some type of dementia and 17,000 nursing homes care for around 1.6 million patients with dementia. Recreation Therapy is a treatment service created to restore and rehabilitate a...

Developing an Undergraduate Lab to Find Trace Drugs using Mass Spectrometry

Direct Analysis in Real Time (DART) mass spectrometry was invented about 10 years ago and allows generation of a mass spectra by simply placing the sample between the ionization source and the inlet to the mass spectrometer. The...

Waste Fly Ash and Latex Paint

The Ramsey Heat Plant at Eastern Kentucky University produced 429 tons of fly ash in 2014. The hauling fee for each ton produced is $20, where it is then sent to the landfill taking up valuable space. Fly ash is a result of the coal...

Deriving Aesthetic Value in Modern Art

How do you make sense of a work of art that makes no attempt to represent something in the world? Since the ancient Greeks, critics have consistently determined the value of art based on its imitative or mimetic nature. Modern art...

Wild About Dolphins: Learning About Research Through Study Abroad

The increased use of methamphetamine has led to a variety of new manufacturing methods which expose both perpetrators and innocent people to significant amounts of the drug. Cotton fabric, in the form of clothing, is often present at the...

Reconceptualization of a Work for Saxophone Quartet

It is an inescapable truth that energy is needed to maintain the stability of life, but the mechanisms by which we acquire energy are finite. Combustion of fossil fuels, such as coal and oil, generate environmentally harmful by-products...

Forensic Analysis of Drug Traces from Cotton Fabric

“Folly” is a work for saxophone quartet by Mike Mower. A recorded version by his ensemble Itchy Fingers incorporated additional instrumentation, which provided the inspiration for this project. It is a rearrangement and orchestration of...

Selfies and Self Photography in Natural Areas

Self photography and selfies have become a prominent part of society. These types of photographs are personal works that can create desire in others to take part in an activity or visit a specific location. Finding the motives behind...

Benefits of Music in Recreational Therapy for Children with Autism

Music has developed to become a universal language to individuals of any race, ability, or ethnicity. Music has broken boundaries between our individual backgrounds, cultural heritage, and our ordinary language by providing individuals...

Earthing (Grounding) Has a Wide Variety of Positive Effects

Earthing (or grounding) is the process of electrically connecting the human body to the surface of the earth. Modern lifestyles inhibit this connection, but being electrically connected to the earth is very important for our health and...

How Do I Know?: Using Metacognition Within the Honors Program

Students can know themselves on many levels, one level being the cognitive level. One way through which students can know their cognitive selves better is through metacognition. Metacognition emphasizes the importance of students’...

Monitoring Land Use Change in California's Central Valley

California’s Central Valley produces 80 percent of the world’s almonds. Almond cultivation is on the rise due to growing demand and low labor costs. As a result, almond acreage in the state increased by 50 percent between 1995 and 2015...

The Effect of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy on Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: A Meta-Analysis

About 1% of Americans suffer from obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), and about 50% of these cases are considered extreme. This research serves to identify the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) as treatment for OCD. The...

Social Factors that Predict Fear of Academic Success

Fear of academic success is ultimately a fear of social exclusion. Therefore, various forms of social inclusion may alleviate this fear. Three studies tested the hypothesis that social inclusion variables negatively predict fear of...

Color Forecasting Research for Trend Identification

Color is one of the first characteristics a buyer notices when shopping for an item, it is also the first characteristic that may keep someone from buying that item. It is important for designers, manufacturers, and store buyers to stay on...

Gender Differences in Work Motivation

This study examined gender differences in work motivation. The participants for this study were 172 undergraduates from Eastern Kentucky University, who specified a major goal they wanted to accomplish. From this sample, we examined the...

Collegiate Contributions: A Content Analysis of NCHC Student Posters from 2008 to 2013"

As honors students, we are overcoming boundaries through our research. One of the many opportunities our program provides is the support and ability to facilitate various projects of interest to an individual. Presenting these projects as...

Thrill of the Climb: Pro-Pot or No-Pot? A Study of the Views and Usage of Marijuana in an Honors Community

The purpose of this research was to collect data on the views and usage of marijuana in the Honors community here at EKU. With the views on marijuana changing nation-wide, I was curious as to how marijuana was perceived by those in an...

Shattering the Perception of Forensic Science: A Review of the National Academy of Science's Report and its Impact on the Field of Forensic Science

In 2009, the National Academy of Sciences released a report entitled Strengthening Forensic Science: A Path Forward. Since then, the forensic science community has made efforts to address the issues considered in the report. This report...

The political ecology of food insecurities in Clay County KY

This presentation examines the political ecology of food insecurity in Clay County, an Appalachian designated region in eastern Kentucky. Political ecology is an anthropological approach that involves the study of the relationships between...

Mothers’ Decisions to Leave Abusive Intimate Partners: A Qualitative Meta-Summary

The objectives of this meta-summary are to (1) explore the factors that contribute to mothers’ decisions to leave intimate partner violence (IPV), (2) find similarities and differences in these factors among mothers, and (3) discuss...

Tholin Synthesis within Titan's Atmosphere

Saturn's moon Titan is the only moon in the Solar System that has a dense atmosphere having an atmospheric pressure 1.4 times that of Earth. High in Nitrogen density, it has an atmosphere similar to that of primordial Earth. Within this...

Atrazine and Glyphosate: Detection of Herbicides in Samples of Water

Various bodies of water contain runoff from herbicides that have been used for agricultural reasons. Two, atrazine and glyphosate, are of particular interest due to controversy surrounding their effects on wildlife. Detection of these...

Does physical activity affect academic performance?

Obesity is becoming an epidemic in the United States. With increasing budget cuts, the school systems are turning to cutting physical fitness education in schools. This not only contributes to the obesity epidemic, but also impacts the...

Personality’s Association with Subjective and Psychological Well-Being

Despite considerable research on personality and subjective well-being, research on personality and psychological well-being has overlooked several psychological constructs. This study tested the associations of the Big Five personality...

Social Connections & Well-Being: With Whom Do You Identify and Why Does It Matter?

Feeling connected to others is a basic human need, but there are types of social connections that have yet to be examined in relation to one’s own well-being. We hypothesized that identifying with people in one’s community, country, and...

Evaluating a Water Purification System in Haiti

Clean water access is essential for public health. In underdeveloped countries where clean water access is lacking, many non-profit organizations strive to find ways to purify water at the household and community levels. This past summer a...

Creating Transparency: The State of “Watchdog” Sites on Campus Newspaper Websites

This research project focuses on how college newspapers are currently displaying public records obtained through state laws that require the transparency of public state agencies, including universities in many states. Background research...

The Challenge of Establishing a Federal Shield Law

The need for a federal shield law to protect a reporter’s sources from the federal government is growing according to advocacy groups. The groups claim that more and more subpoenas are coming to reporters from the federal government with...

Locus of Control and Physical Well-Being

In the present study, the associations between locus of control as two distinct constructs; internal and external, and physical well-being were examined. It was hypothesized that internal and external locus of control would each predict...

You’re OK until You Misbehave: How Norm Violations Magnify the Attractiveness Devil Effect

This experiment sought to examine how male facial attractiveness interacted with norm violation to alter females’ perceptions of males. Two male faces (attractive and unattractive) bearing similar features were paired with two scenarios of...

Selecting an Electronic Health Record System for a Home Health Care Facility

The purpose of this demonstration project was to select an electronic health record (EHR) that would fit the needs of a for-profit, home health care facility. The use of an EHR system is a nationwide trend spurred by federal regulations to...

Breast Cancer Ca2+-independent Phospholipase A2β Mediates Nicotine-induced Tumor Growth and Metastasis through Matrix Metalloprotease-9 Secretion

Ca2+-independent Phospholipase A2β (iPLA2β) is a member of the phospholipase A2 superfamily has been linked to the regulation of a variety of cellular signaling pathways and functions. This is in part due to the catalytic activity of...

Using Software to Increase Perspective Taking and Reduce Implicit Prejudice

Perspective taking has been shown to reduce implicit prejudice in previous research. Todd, Bodenhausen, Richeson, & Galinsky (2011) found that IAT scores were reduced after participants wrote stories about a typical day in the life of an...

Ascension of the Armies: The Impact of Ballooning during the Civil War

While much is discussed about the naval and land fronts of the Union and Confederate armies during the American Civil War, little is mentioned about the growth of aviation, specifically ballooning. My research explores the nascent...

Social Withdrawal and Aggression

Socially withdrawn children are at a risk of having many behavior issues throughout childhood, and perhaps the most concerning of these is aggressive behavior. In this study, a meta-analysis was conducted to answer the question, “Does...

An Analysis of Alcohol Bottle Glass at White Hall

This research involved the analysis of alcoholic beverage bottle glass at White Hall State Historic Site in Madison County. This study is intended to offer insights into patterns that can be observed archaeologically related to alcohol...

Does Psychopathy Influence Criminal Behavior?

Globally, there are over one million violent crimes committed every day. Criminality has been linked with, or is the result of, mental disorders in many cases, and psychopathy is thought to be related to criminal behavior. We sought out to...

Enriching our Education: Taking Learning to a “Live Classroom”

Eastern Kentucky University Honors Program annually offers a course entitled “Sidewalk U” which enables students to transcend traditional educational boundaries, gaining knowledge on various pertinent issues that are vital to the area. We...

Metacognition in the Noel Studio: Redefining Academic Creativity

This poster examines a case study of metacognitive practices within the Noel Studio at EKU using a content analysis and provides recommendations for integrating metacognition into the Noel Studio and similar programs.

Ethnogaphic Methods in Medical Anthropology

This poster presents participant observation data from two field sites: Eastern Kentucky and Madagascar. Coming from my interests in cultural anthropology and ethnoprimatology, I examine the process of anthropology fieldwork through...

Rater's Perceptions of Feedback and Help Seeking Behavior

The purpose of the present study is to analyze rater’s perceptions of a fictional person that was either engaging in help-seeking or feedback seeking behavior while having a past performance history of either superior, good, or poor. We...

Training Insight Problem Solving With Strategy Instructions and Example Problems

Past research has indicated that insight problem solving can be improved by training programs that provide general strategies for approaching problems. Many of these programs also provide opportunities to study example problems. The goal...

Drag Forces in Dilatant non-Newtonian Fluids

The experiment's purpose is to understand drag forces in dilatant fluids by dropping three equally-sized metal balls of different mass into cornstarch/water mixture and filming their trajectory. More specifically, the experiment expands...

Validating the Physical Self-Construal Scale

The study examined the extent of physical self-construal of men and women. There were 300 participants who completed an online survey that assessed physical self-construal and a variety of other personality measures. Correlations and...

Clues to Insight During Incubation

The present study examined the effect of “incubation” on insight problem solving. Incubation refers to the processes that occur during a break between an initial and final attempt to solve a problem. The present research explored the...

How Does Mindfulness-Based Therapy Methods Influence Well-Being?

Depression, anxiety, and stress affect the lives of millions of individuals worldwide. Mindfulness-based therapy methods are a relatively new way of treating individuals with these symptoms. In this study, we conducted a meta-analysis to...

Drugs and Depression: A Meta-analysis of the Relationship

Depression affects the lives of millions of people. One of depression's many negative side effects is substance abuse. We sought to answer the question "Does depression influence substance abuse?" We meta-analyzed 15 empirical studies that...

Deadline for poster submissions: April 7, 2025

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