Minimizing Musculoskeletal Injury Risk in Health Care Professionals with Education on Physical Activity Recommendations

Working in healthcare settings that require patient handling is physically demanding - over 80% of providers involved in patient handling report work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs). Injuries or exacerbation of a previous injury may occur if the individual cannot tolerate heavy workloads. Injuries that cause lost work time or work restrictions impact the healthcare team, may alter quality of life, and impact employee income. A practical way to minimize these effects is to prevent WMSDs. Training providers to use proper body mechanics, practice patient handling, and engage in regular exercise designed to increase muscular strength and endurance through resistance training improves tissue tolerance to loads. Graded exposure to resistance training builds muscle strength and mass, increases bone density, and improves the overall functioning of the body. The education of future healthcare providers is essential to improving their knowledge base and ultimately reducing the risk of injury. Nursing students enrolled in a basic skills course were provided with information about injury risks linked to patient handling, appropriate handling techniques, and the importance of exercise. A hands-on training lab was implemented to develop essential skills related to patient handling. The nursing students were then given a pre- and post-test survey to assess their knowledge and the effectiveness of the intervention through education. The results of these tests were compared, and showed that participants had an improvement in scores of approximately 15.5 percentage points, or about two more questions answered correctly after education

Developing a device for selective ion transmission by kinetic energy

Miniature mass spectrometry has great applicability in a wide range of fields such as forensics, space exploration, and health care diagnostics. It can allow for rapid, direct analysis of samples on-site, giving immediate results rather than waiting for traditional laboratory analysis. However, miniaturization faces many challenges from size and weight to power limitations. These devices generally use an ion trap or quadrupole mass analyzer to address these constraints. However, electronic complexity still remains with high frequency alternating current power supplies. We present an alternative design using direct current. This could allow for direct current power sources such as batteries without the need for a converter, minimizing power loss. This design uses direct current power supplies and switches to create a region that sets kinetic energy as a function of mass-to-charge. This region is followed by an electrostatic lens. By selecting for a specific kinetic energy, the lens selects for a specific mass-to-charge ratio, allowing mass analysis. This work presents SIMION simulations investigating the practicality of such an approach for miniature mass spectrometry, demonstrating electrode design and operating potentials. Mass resolution is dependent on both uniformity of the kinetic energy distribution on the mass range under analysis as well as the kinetic energy resolution of the lens. We also investigate these effects to better understand the theoretical resolution of this design

The Power of a Woman’s Charm: Analyzing the Presence of Onahal in Oroonoko

Aphra Behn’s Oroonoko is a story that places great emphasis on the importance of the power of beauty, but it isn’t perhaps the strongest force at work in the novel. Onahal is a minor character in the story who contrasts the idea that beauty is the only way to obtain power. As a former wife of the King, it is noted that while she once possessed beauty, she is now older and has therefore lost her beauty to the passage of time. Though her beauty is diminished, she still has her charm, which grants her power within her space. In a story so driven by the exceptionalism of the beauty seen through Oroonoko and Imoinda, Onahal directly contrasts this because Behn continuously conveys that this is a woman past her prime. However, existing as an individual with decayed beauty doesn’t necessarily limit Onahal’s abilities in the way that one would expect. Her greatest gift is her mind– her ability to speak and charm those around her to get what she wants. This has its limits because she’s a woman who is living in an oppressed space and forced to serve in this role of cast-mistress; therefore, she can’t act independently. Instead, she must use her words as her weapon because her charm and wit are the highest level of power she is able to hold. The charm she possesses, observed throughout her scenes in the novel, does have its limits, which is how she meets her cruel fate of enslavement after saving Imoinda from being killed. What exactly does this aged woman add to the depth of the story? In this paper, I will address this question and dive deeper into the role of Onahal’s charm and how her mind works in a way to “compensate” for her lack of physical beauty. Drawing on Behn’s other work and the scholarship about it, I will expand Onahal’s unusual presence

Social Media Made Me Woke: Social Movements in the Modern Age

Social movements have grown in popularity as the need for social change has increased among American adults.  Social media has been a way for social movements to not only get started, but to gain popularity and spread information to mass numbers of people at a fast rate.  Activists for various groups are able to join forces to take action against individuals or groups of people through social media networks.  Previous scholars have explained this social phenomenon with three schools of thought: mobilization, techno-optimism, and techno-pessimism.  Mobilization allows for the connection of people on a large technological scale.  Techno-optimists believe that technology holds the answer to social problems and that it aids in the functioning of the world.  Techno-pessimists see technology as the cause of the social problems that are present today and that it will be the downfall of society.  These three schools of thought examine how social media is used to connect individuals on a global scale to try to solve social problems.  This research will employ secondary analysis of survey data from the American National Election Studies.  Analysis has yet to be completed, however by the time of the MSS conference there will be preliminary findings that will be able to be presented

Yun Dongju and the Effects of Colonization on Literature

Tucked away in a small room, in a country he used to recognize, poet Yun Dongju (1917-1945) drafted nineteen poems that would become the foundation of his legacy: Sky, Wind, Stars, and Poetry. Growing up during the Japanese annexation of Korea, Yun drafted his poetry during a time where Korean language and cultural practices were banned by Imperial Japan. In my essay, I will use Yun’s poetry as a viewpoint for dissecting the negative effects of literary censorship brought about by colonization. Additionally, I will discuss the significance of how Yun – one of Korea’s most famous poets – uses poetry to help readers understand the national trauma caused by Japan’s colonial rule and how it affected (and still affects) the morale and mindset of Korean people born and raised during the occupation (1915-1945). In 1942, after finishing his first anthology of poetry, Yun Dongju packed his bags and moved to study at Rikkyo University in Tokyo, Japan. During this time, he wrote his final poem, “Swipge Ssuieojin Si” (A Poem That Came Easily). In his poem, Yun writes, “The night rain whispers outside the window / of my six-mat room, in an alien country. The poet has a sad vocation, I know; should I write another line of poetry?” (McCann 94-95). Aware of the position he is in, Yun questions if the poetry he is writing is worth the risk he is taking. The six-mat room is in reference to a tatami mat, an architectural piece common in Japanese households. Additionally, the “night rain” he refers to – originally written in Korean as 밤비 or bambi – is a common way Korean people refer to the Japanese occupation (Kim).  Yun continues with his reflection of home as he writes, “Having received my tuition from home in an envelope / soaked with the smell of sweat and love,” (McCann 94-95). Through analyzing Yun’s poetry and historical analyses, I plan to examine what Jinhee Kim argues as Yun’s philosophy: “poets must write poems to shed light during such dark times” (208), as well as how the Japanese empire – according to Yasuko Claremont – showed “how powerful control by the state can be, reducing its citizens to compliant units,” (137), to help readers gain a new respect for survivors of colonialism in Korea and the importance of literature and self-expression in times of political unrest. Additionally, I will discuss why Yun’s personal experiences as a Korean living in Japan are integral to understanding the gravity of Japan\u27s occupation, and the consequences of an empire seeking to oppress its occupants of all ages. Works Cited Kim, Min. Interview. Conducted by Author. September 7th, 2025. McCann, David. The Columbia Anthology of Modern Korean Poetry. New York: Columbia University Press, 2004. Claremont, Yasuko.“Young Poets Under the Shadow of War: Yun Dong-ju and Tachihara Michizō.” In “History Wars” and Reconciliation in Japan and Korea, edited by Michael Lewis, 125-141. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2017. Kim, Jinhee. “The Understanding of Yun Dong-ju in Three East Asian Countries.” Korea Journal, vol. 52, no. 3, 2012, pp. 201-225

Psychological Responses to Failure in Impossible Tasks

Failure is a universal experience in academic, personal, and professional settings. It can lead individuals to avoid tasks, withdraw effort, or reframe challenges depending on their psychological resources. Previous research has examined both the consequences of failure (such as changes in affect and performance) and the factors that predict responses to failure (including self-efficacy, coping, anxiety, and working memory). However, most studies rely on solvable tasks where failure is uncertain, making it difficult to guarantee failure. The current project aims to address this gap by examining how self-efficacy, coping, anxiety, and working memory predict individuals’ affective and behavioral responses to failure in the context of an intentionally impossible task. Findings from this study have important implications for both research and applied settings. Research implications include identifying how multiple psychological factors jointly influence failure responses, clarifying theoretical models of motivation, emotion regulation, and cognitive interference, and supporting the use of impossible-task paradigms in future studies. Applied implications extend to educational, clinical, and performance-based environments, where understanding predictors of resilience can guide interventions aimed at strengthening adaptive coping, enhancing self-efficacy, and reducing anxiety in individuals who routinely encounter challenging or evaluative tasks

The Significance of Vaccine Education in Vaccination Status

In recent years, more of the general population of the United States has become skeptical about vaccines and overall vaccination numbers have declined. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, vaccines have become somewhat of a controversial topic due to varying opinions about the adverse reactions and effectiveness of vaccines. The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a correlation between a person’s overall knowledge of vaccinations and a person’s vaccination status by asking a series of questions about the science used in vaccines and identifying the participant’s vaccination status in regards to influenza and Covid-19. This study also asked participants to rate their expected knowledge level and compare this with their answers to the questions regarding the science behind vaccines to determine if the lack of vaccine education plays a role in vaccination status. After participants completed the study, they were given the option to receive information further educating them about vaccines. This study found that how much a person cares about getting vaccinated is a major factor in vaccination status, rather than knowledge level. Participants that received higher scores on the knowledge test tended to have stronger opinions and stick with them, resulting in consistency among their vaccination histories

Lava to Leaf: Remote Sensing of Post-Eruption Ecological Succession on the 2018 Kīlauea Lava Flows

Famous for its frequent eruptive activity, Kīlauea is the most active volcano on the island of Hawai’i. Its 2018 eruption produced over 35 square kilometers of lava flows across the southeastern portion of the island. In the following years, ecological succession has brought plant life back to the landscape. For this study, imagery provided by the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Sentinel-2 satellite was used to track the return of vegetation to the lava flow; this was accomplished using the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), which estimates plant health and density. In addition, ESA Above-Ground Biomass (AGB) data supplemented NDVI estimates. Thermal imagery was acquired via NASA’s Ecosystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station (ECOSTRESS) and Landsat 8/9 satellites. The goals of the study were to map the plant recovery process and identify the environmental factors that influence the rate of ecological succession on the 2018 lava flows. The hypothesis is that proximity to existing vegetation and decreasing ground temperatures increases the rate of vegetation recovery

Personality Factors Relating to Dishonest AI Use in Higher Education

As artificial intelligence (AI) and large language models become more advanced, students in higher education are increasing their use of these tools for academic purposes (Marshik et al., 2025). There are many personal attributes that might influence whether and how students make use of AI, especially for academically dishonest purposes. Academic dishonesty has been positively correlated with fear of failure (Mih & Mih, 2016; Ifeagwazi, 2019). A meta-analysis by Krou, Fong, and Hoff (2021) found a significant negative correlation between academic dishonesty and a mastery goal orientation. Students with low need for cognition are more likely to disengage from difficult classes (Lavrijsen et al., 2025), which may lead them to use AI to complete assignments they deem too difficult or unimportant. Self-efficacy, or students’ belief in their own abilities, strongly affects academic performance. Students with higher self-efficacy are more motivated to put in effort, and are more likely to achieve better grades (Wood et al., 1987). Further, having higher self-efficacy has been found to be negatively associated with academic dishonesty (Krou et al., 2021). While much research has looked at these variables as they relate to traditional methods of academic dishonesty, little research has examined how they relate specifically to dishonest use of AI tools. The current study aims to provide a foundation for understanding how and why students in higher education utilize AI for their coursework, with the goal that this knowledge can be used for further development of strategies to guide students to use AI in legitimate ways. Data collection for this project is currently ongoing. Students complete a questionnaire regarding both AI-driven and traditional forms of academic dishonesty, attitudes towards AI, goal orientation, need for cognition, self-efficacy, and fear of failure using adapted, well-cited scales. Correlational analyses will be conducted to determine if there are any significant relationships between students’ academic AI use and the traits measured. It is expected that academic AI use will be positively related with fear of failure, and negatively related to self-efficacy, need for cognition, and mastery orientation. Outcomes and implications will be discussed, particularly in regard to where relationships between AI-driven and more traditional dishonesty demonstrate different relationships with the personality variables

Murray State University Trumpet Ensemble(s) performance at the National Trumpet Competition

The MSU trumpet ensemble was accepted by competitive audition to the National Trumpet Competition quarter final round.  We will need to travel to The University of Iowa in Iowa City