The Call for Bravery: The Use of Improvised Story Songs with a Preschooler with Developmental Delays

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine how improvised story songs reflect the lived experience of a preschool-age child with developmental delays, exploring what these musical experiences indicate about the child\u27s development and therapeutic process. The researcher developed this area of study based on the participant\u27s unique clinical experience with improvised story songs during his 10 months in music therapy. Archive video recordings of past sessions with the participant were thoroughly reviewed, and three to four improvised story songs were selected as the primary source of data for this study. These songs, as well as the therapeutic process that was occurring when these songs were created, were examined and themes were extracted from these improvised experiences, denoting the primary musical and story themes. Following the synthesis of the data, the researcher deliberated on the ways improvised story songs reflect the child\u27s lived experience, drawing conclusions about the impact of these songs on his developmental and therapeutic process. This study will help music therapists and other professionals better understand the possible roles, elements, and meanings of improvised story songs in the therapeutic process of a young child with developmental delays. Implications and considerations of the study and for future research agendas are discussed

Empirical Empowerment - Mental Health in the Built Environment

One in five adults in the US experienced a mental illness in 2018 and 19.1% Of the adult population suffers from the damages of poor mental health, affecting family, friends, as well as productivity in the workplace and physical health. The environment we occupy often goes unnoticed as the catalyst of neglecting mental health, while we spend more that 80% of our days on average indoors, there is a direct connection between environment and its impact on our mental health. Health and human services defines mental health as our emotional, psychological, and social well-being, affecting how we think, feel, and act, helping determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. While architects vow to protect the health safety and welfare of those they design for, historically this has been interpreted as physical health safety and welfare why is it that we have overlooked the impact of the spaces in which we design and the mental health, safety and welfare of those it can impact? Studies have been conducted observing cancer patients, prisoners, and those suffering from physical and mental illnesses showing the effects that a connection to nature has amplified the ability to naturally heal. Visual connection to nature has shown a drastic impact on the chemical balance of the body increasing serotonin levels and relieving stress—a leading cause of furthered mental illnesses. My thesis argues a new outlook on design thinking and methods focusing on the influences of environmental connection to mental health and well-being, focusing on four main aspects: introducing “nature” into the space, creating immersive spaces to spark curiosity and exploration, use of natural analogues and implementing unique way-finding tactics to reduce stress. The thesis proposes design guidelines to reduce the negative impacts that the built environment has on mental health

Employer Perceptions of Essential Skills Required of Postsecondary Agriculture Students

This study examined agriculture employers\u27 perceptions of what essential skills their recent hires possess and which skills they feel their recent hires need some additional guidance in before their companies hire them. The study also asked participants what activities postsecondary agriculture students should be involved in to help develop these essential skills. The study\u27s participants were human resource representatives from companies that participated in the Illinois State University Department of Agriculture career fair. The sample consisted of 26 subjects.The data analysis revealed significant results. Those who participated in the study came from across the United States. An overwhelming number of responses felt that recent hires in their career fields were not prepared in understanding their role within the company. Recent hires were least prepared to communicate concisely and accurately, followed with the recent hires ability to listen effectively and identify and analyze problems. Respondents felt that recent graduates should be involved in internships, hold leadership positions in career organizations, and they looked highly at their activity level in both 4-H and FFA organizations. The findings well aid those involved in agriculture education better prepare their students for career success

The Importance of Science in Preschool Classrooms

https://scholarworks.moreheadstate.edu/student_scholarship_posters/1113/thumbnail.jp

Combined antiapoptotic and antioxidant approach to acute neuroprotection for stroke in hypertensive rats

We hypothesized that targeting key points in the ischemic cascade with combined neuroglobin (Ngb) overexpression and c-jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) inhibition (SP600125) would offer greater neuroprotection than single treatment after in vitro hypoxia/reoxygenation and in a randomized, blinded in vivo experimental stroke study using a clinically relevant rat strain. Male spontaneously hypertensive stroke-prone rats underwent transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) and were divided into the following groups: tMCAO; tMCAO+control GFP-expressing canine adenovirus-2, CAVGFP; tMCAO+Ngb-expressing CAV-2, CAVNgb; tMCAO+SP600125; tMCAO+CAVNgb+SP600125; or sham procedure. Rats were assessed till day 14 for neurologic outcome before infarct determination. In vitro, combined lentivirus-mediated Ngb overexpression+SP600125 significantly reduced oxidative stress and apoptosis compared with single treatment(s) after hypoxia/reoxygenation in B50 cells. In vivo, infarct volume was significantly reduced by CAVNgb, SP600125, and further by CAVNgb+SP600125. The number of Ngb-positive cells in the peri-infarct cortex and striatum was significantly increased 14 days after tMCAO in animals receiving CAVNgb. Neurologic outcome, measured using a 32-point neurologic score, significantly improved with CAVNgb+SP600125 compared with single treatments at 14 days after tMCAO. Combined Ngb overexpression with JNK inhibition reduced hypoxia/reoxygenation-induced oxidative stress and apoptosis in cultured neurons and reduced infarct and improved neurologic outcome more than single therapy after in vivo experimental stroke in hypertensive rats

The Myth of the 50-Minute Epiphany: #MeToo and Implications for Teaching

Because university campuses are microcosms of broader political and social climates, the increasingly polarized climates outside universities can permeate the classroom, challenging faculty who teach topics characterized by controversy and discomfort. We conducted a lesson study project at a college in the southeastern United States in three first-year courses from different disciplines to examine how the broader tensions of the #MeToo movement emerged and affected a class activity focused on gender. We sought to understand our students’ responses to a moment of discomfort generated by discussions of sexual roles, consent, and assault—issues that are relevant in both this cultural moment and in the lives of many first-year college students. We observed responses ranging from affirmation to resistance in what felt at times like our own failure. Without this collaboration, each of us may have been left with a narrower view of what the students learned and an incomplete sense of our own work. What began as an investigation into students’ transformative learning experiences ended as a transformative experience in our own understanding of the acts of teaching and the complexities of student learning. Click here to read the corresponding ISSOTL blog post

Instructional Programmatic Assessment Rubric

This rubric was developed between April, 2020 and August, 2021. The purpose of this rubric is to internally assess student learning of information literacy to better inform the GVSU Libraries’ instruction program

The Changing California Coast: The Effect of a Variable Water Budget on Coastal Vegetation Succession

The land-ocean interface along the central coast of California is one of the most diverse biogeographic regions of the state. This area is composed of a species-rich mosaic of coastal grassland, shrubland, and forest vegetation types. An acceleration of conifer encroachment into shrublands and shrub encroachment into grasslands along the coast has been recently documented. These vegetation changes are believed to be driven primarily by fire suppression and changing grazing patterns. Climatic variables such as precipitation, fog, cloud cover, temperature, slope, and elevation also play an important role in vegetation succession. Our study area is located along the central California coast, which is characterized by a precipitation gradient from the relatively wetter and cooler north to the drier and warmer south. Some studies indicate changing fog patterns along this coast, which may greatly impact vegetation. A decrease in water availability could slow succession processes. The primary objective of this project is to determine if vegetation succession rates are changing for the study area and to identify climate and ecosystem variables which contribute to succession, specifically the transition among grassland, shrubland, and forest. To identify vegetation types and rates of succession, we classified two Landsat TM 5 scenes from 1985 to 2010 with a resulting overall accuracy of 82.4%. Vegetation succession was correlated to changes in maximum and minimum temperatures, precipitation, and elevation for each sub-region of the study area. Fog frequency was then compared between the northern and southern regions of the study area for determining the spatial relation between fog frequency and the percent of vegetation change