Enhancing Cricothyrotomy Competence through Simulation-Based Education

Cricothyrotomy is a crucial skill when intubation and ventilation fail; however, providers often lack the confidence to perform it. This project explored the effects of education and hands-on simulation on improving the knowledge and confidence of Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) and Student Registered Nurse Anesthetists (SRNAs) in performing cricothyrotomy. The purpose of this project was to assess how educational presentations, and hands-on simulation could improve the knowledge and confidence of CRNAs and SRNAs in performing cricothyrotomy. The project involved pre-and post-assessments to measure knowledge and comfort levels before and after a short educational presentation and simulation session. After the training, participants showed notable improvements in both their knowledge, which increased by 26%, and their confidence, which rose by 5.48 points on a 10-point scale. The results suggest that simulation-based education is an effective way to increase the knowledge and comfort of anesthesia providers with cricothyrotomy. While the findings are promising, the study was limited by a small sample size and a short follow-up period. Future research could focus on longer follow-up periods and testing different simulation materials to further refine training approaches

Teachers Stay and Go: The Impacts of Agriculture Education Teacher Retention in Georgia

Agricultural education teachers are vital in shaping students\u27 academic and social development while supporting Georgia’s largest economic sector. Despite their importance, the retention of qualified agriculture teachers has remained a persistent challenge since the 1970s (Camp, 1995). This study examined the factors influencing teacher retention in Georgia’s agricultural education programs, to identify actionable strategies to reduce attrition. Findings revealed that supportive workplace environments, strong student relationships, professional learning communities, and mentorship opportunities are key motivators for teacher longevity. Financial incentives and targeted professional development emerged as effective retention tools (Guffey & Young, 2020). In contrast, high levels of stress, particularly among female educators, were linked to extended work hours, lack of administrative support, and difficulty maintaining work-life balance (Daniel, 2023). These stressors were identified as primary contributors to burnout and early career exits. As agricultural education continues to face workforce instability, this study underscores the need for systemic interventions that address the root causes of attrition. Strategies focused on reducing workload, strengthening administrative support, and promoting gender-responsive retention efforts are essential to sustain a qualified and committed teaching force. Without a comprehensive and proactive approach, Georgia’s agricultural education programs risk ongoing instability, diminished student outcomes, and long-term impacts on the agricultural workforce pipeline

OH050 Frances Henry Oral History

Francis Henry discusses her experiences in Trigg County, Kentucky during the first half of the 20th Century. She describes her life on a family farm and social events in rural communities. She recalls the activities of the local churches such as baptisms, funerals, revivals; long sermons, homecoming, preachers working outside of the church, reactions to women wearing pants and church discipline. She mentions the bad reputation the region received regarding illicit whiskey distilling and the reaction of the people as being categorized as moonshiners

OH126 Norvel J. Williamson Oral History

Norvel J. Williamson talks about his early life in Paducah, Kentucky during the first half of the 20th century. He recalls the Great Depression, the flood of 1937 and his early years in school. He mentions that many were financially wiped out after the flood of 1937. During the flood, Williamson carried sandbags to the levy at Hickman. During the Great Depression, his father worked for Illinois Central Railroad and later for the Work Progress Administration. He reflects on working for the railroad and the growth of labor unions. He describes Noble Park and Stewart Nelson Park and white black relationships in the city prior to the civil rights movement. He mentioned that blacks had access to the public libraries and were able to attend white churches

OH125 Ananais Whittemore Oral History

Ananias Whittemore discusses his childhood while growing up in a African American household in rural Graves County, Kentucky during the first half of the 20th century. He describes the segregated school he attended as a child, daily activities and working in the clay pit alongside his father. He explains the process of growing sugar cane and made making molasses. He began skimming and making molasses with his father at the age of five. He remembers selling molasses for twenty-five cents per gallon. After school, he began working in the clay pits at age fourteen where he worked ten hours a day making 18 cents an hour. He also worked at the local sawmill for a brief time. Whittemore also discusses the two churches that he served as a preacher for and his work in the ministry

OH066 Rowena Payne Oral History

Rowena Payne discusses foreign immigrants who settled the Land Between the Lakes region of Kentucky during the early part of the 20th Century. She describes the history of several communities and how they became named and the Night Rider raids on Rockcastle and Birmingham. Payne also recalls stories her parents and grandparents told regarding the Civil War, the educational system in the region and the evolution of her business at Sardis

OH106 Olivia B. Gaines Oral History

Olivia Gaines describes her life as an African American woman in Paducah, Kentucky. She discusses her childhood in a very religious household and how her mother was responsible for construction of the first restrooms at Burks\u27 Chapel in Paducah. She describes her neighborhood as a mixture of black and white families and that there were never any racial problems. She mentions the business and civic activities of her brother Manuel Bolen. She describes his involvement with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Joe Hale murder case. She also mentions that her brother and the NAACP. worked on removing segregation signs at local business and public buildings

Calculus, Caves, and Climate Change

Quickening rates of climate change pose significant global challenges, with increasing levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) as a primary driver of rising temperatures and by now well-documented environmental disruptions. The current ability to predict future atmospheric CO2 concentrations requires, similar to a bank account, knowing the current CO2 levels along with ongoing “deposits” and “withdrawals” of CO2 to and from the atmosphere, respectively, but these are incompletely characterized. Karst landscapes and aquifers developed in limestone bedrock, such as those in southcentral Kentucky where caves and sinkholes are common, influence atmospheric CO2 levels as the geochemical processes associated with limestone dissolution remove CO2 from the atmosphere. Our research team is working within the groundwater flow system of Great Onyx Cave in a remote and relatively pristine forested area of Mammoth Cave National Park to make high-resolution measurements of this CO2 removal rate as part of a broader effort to better measure these processes on a global scale. The component of the effort described here is focused on the required but relatively difficult measurement of discharge, or flow rate, of Cascade River in Great Onyx Cave, which, when combined with measured geochemical data, allows quantification of the relationship between hydrology and regional atmospheric CO2 removal. A barrel weir equipped to automatically measure water levels was employed below a waterfall along the underground stream to measure water discharge, and mathematical relationships using Torricelli’s law were developed to relate water level in the barrel to discharge under varying flow conditions. Once the theory was established using methods of calculus (both differentiation and integration), Python-based computational modeling enabled efficient processing of large datasets, revealing a strong correlation between rainfall patterns and discharge rates. This research contributes a key element for ongoing studies to better quantify the contribution of limestone dissolution to atmospheric carbon cycling

ONLINE LEARNING IN AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION: EXPLORING STUDENT MOTIVATIONS AND PERCEPTIONS TOWARDS ONLINE PROGRAMS

In recent years, there has been a rise in online degree programs and online education. Online degree programs are a valuable option for students who are unable and/or choose not to complete a degree at a college or university in the traditional, on-campus format. The purpose of this qualitative research study was to explore the reasons or factors that influenced students to pursue a degree in a 100% online format, as well as, the “lived experiences,” perceived benefits of, barriers to, and “tradeoffs” students encountered pursuing a degree in an online format. The population for this study consisted of 10 undergraduate students enrolled in one of the two online agriculture degree programs (AgriScience Technology or Agribusiness) offered through the Hutson School of Agriculture at Murray State University, two faculty members that have experience teaching online agriculture courses through the Hutson School of Agriculture, and two administrators with involvement in the planning, development, and implementation of online degree programs at a college or university. The research instrument for this study consisted of semi-structured interviews with questions designed to capture the reflections, experiences, and perspectives of the participants regarding online degree programs and online education. For this study, a qualitative data analysis software (NVivo 15) was used to assist in the process of data analysis. As P-20 education continues to grow and evolve with changing technology and the needs of students, online degree programs and online education will continue to be an innovative force in higher education

Determining the role of Trm7, Trm732, and Trm734 in tRNA binding

Modifications of the tRNA anticodon loop are important to translation. Proteins Trm7, Trm732, and Trm734 work together to modify the anticodon loop of tRNAPhe. Trm7 plays a catalytic role in methylation activity, and Trm732 and Trm734 are predicted to bind and position tRNAPhe for methylation at nucleotides C32 and G34 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Lack of Trm7 causes a sick phenotype in S.cerevisiae, and mutations in the TRM7 human ortholog, FTSJI, cause non-syndromic X-linked intellectual disability. We are working to determine whether individual Trm7, Trm732, and Trm734 proteins can bind to tRNAPhe, or whether Trm7:Trm732 and Trm7:Trm734 complexes are required for binding. Tagged proteins of interest are pulled down and the RNA bound to the proteins is analyzed by Northern Blot. This approach will also allow us to determine if our previously identified non-functional variants of Trm732 and Trm734 are still able to bind to tRNAPhe. Due to the high conservation between the yeast and human proteins, the results will likely be applicable to the orthologous proteins in humans