Teaching Since 2020: Inhabiting Professionalization, Autonomy, and Classroom Teaching

This study explores teacher professionalization Since 2020 by examining control over teachers’ work as constructed by classroom teachers. Using a conceptual framework combining the teacher disempowerment perspective, inhabited institutionalism, and professionalization, I focus on the question: Given the recent years of upheaval the profession of education has sustained, how are teachers inhabiting the role of professional teacher, particularly regarding control over their own work? This qualitative study utilizes semi-structured interviews with fourteen teacher participants in an Indiana public school district. This study finds that participants are constructing a new Since 2020 teaching reality. Participants converged on professional challenges including disruptive technology, consumerist mindsets, and increased parental/public involvement in an image-conscious, referendum-driven context. Participants experienced growing disempowerment in their teaching, often due to invisible structures of control and jurisdictional creep. Participants valued a balance of autonomy and authority but overall found teachers’ level of autonomy to be below what professionals should experience in society at large. These findings have implications including re-empowering teachers through inhabited institutionalist concepts, recharging collective action to better meet the challenges of Teaching Since 2020, and rethinking the definition of professionalization in the situationally constrained context of the Since 2020 environment

Psychology of Religion & Science Denial

This presentation from my THEO 280 class is the introduction to my ongoing research project regarding the psychological motivators religion and science denial, and prefaces my exploration of the relationship between the two topics

The Rhetoric of Answers in Genesis: An Analysis of Science Denial in Online Media

This research project performs a rhetorical analysis of a series of articles published by Answers in Genesis in order to develop a greater understanding for how the science denial of Young Earth Creationism operates in online media. The research ultimately seeks to demonstrate the manner in which Answers in Genesis employs a patterned usage of a variety of recognizable rhetorical devices in its argumentation as a means of attempting to frame its religious claims as properly scientific and to continue to propagate science denial in its online content

NOMA at Research Bases Religious Universities

A study of the Non-Overlapping Magisteria Model at Loyola University

The Role of Social Media in Vaccine Denialism: A Study of COVID-19 and Beyond

My presentation is about the impact social media plays when contributing to science denialism

Investigating the Role of the NSP15 Amino-Terminal Domain in NSP15 Function, Viral Replication, and Pathogenesis

Identifying conserved mechanisms used by viruses to delay host innate responses can reveal potential targets for antiviral therapeutics. Here, we investigated coronavirus nonstructural protein 15 (nsp15), which encodes a highly conserved endoribonuclease (EndoU). EndoU functions as an immune antagonist by limiting the accumulation of viral replication intermediates that would otherwise be sensed by the host. Despite being a promising antiviral target, it has been difficult to develop small molecule inhibitors that target the EndoU active site. We generated nsp15 mutants of SARS-CoV-2 and mouse coronavirus MHV-A59 and identified conserved residues within the amino-terminal domain that are required for EndoU activity. Loss of EndoU activity caused the activation of host sensors, which limited viral replication in interferon responsive cells and attenuated disease in MHV-infected mice. Using transcriptional profiling, we found that MHV EndoU mutant viruses upregulate multiple host sensors, including Z-form nucleic acid-binding protein 1 (ZBP1). We found that nsp15 mutants induced early, robust ZBP1-mediated necroptosis. EndoU mutant viruses also induced ZBP1-independent apoptosis and pyroptosis pathways, causing early, robust cell death that limits virus replication and pathogenesis. Overall, we document the importance of the amino-terminal domain for EndoU function. We also highlight the importance of nsp15/EndoU activity for evading host sensors, delaying cell death, and promoting pathogenesis

Investigating the Role of Endothelin-1 in Reactive Astrocytosis

Glaucoma is a progressive optic neuropathy which results in blindness for many patients, even with treatment. Endothelin-1 (ET-1) is a vasoactive peptide known to be aberrantly upregulated in the eyes of individuals with glaucoma. Optic nerve head astrocytes (ONHA) are the resident glial cell of the optic nerve head and are among the first cell types to undergo changes to a reactive phenotype. In this thesis, we investigated the role of ET-1 overexpression and its putative role in eliciting a reactive phenotype in ONHA by inducing lentiviral-mediated over-expression of EDN1. ONHA transduced with EDN1 (ONHA ET-1) were verified to be overexpressing the gene and expressing the ET-1 peptide at increased levels. ONHA ET-1 demonstrated a reactive morphology and increased proliferation in comparison to vehicle control. ET-1 Overexpression was associated with significant reductions to genes and proteins of the elastin pathway, and increases to downstream target phosphorylated c-Jun N-terminal Kinase

Faith and Science in Harmony: Reconciling Evolution with Biblical Inerrancy

This presentation explores how Christians can reconcile the concept of evolution with the inerrancy of the bible from a faith-based worldview

Final Report - Portfolio Management

This final report is a compilation of all research performed by team members for the mutual fund, Mutualicious Capital. Research reports include various forms of stock valuation, analysis of the macroeconomy, relative value trades, earnings analysis, technical analysis, and convergence trading. Research performed on each company or sector motivated real trades in a StockTrak simulation