Strategies that Promote Elementary Student STEM Engagement

Collaboration, creativity, persistence, and critical thinking are all skills encompassed when integrating STEM into today’s classrooms. Empowering students in STEM related areas is essential for students’ future success in the 21st century and educators must prepare citizens for these types of creative skills (Cook & Bush, 2018). Integrating STEM disciplines through project-based learning and providing real-world situations to solve problems enhances student engagement and achievement in STEM concepts (Cook & Bush, 2018; Hall & Miro, 2016). The topic defined in this research plan focuses on instructional strategies that make STEM more meaningful to science curriculum, as well as engaging for upper elementary students. This research action utilized a qualitative approach and was conducted using a combination of student interviews, assessments, and student self-reflections, and instructor observation notes, weekly journal entries, and teacher-lesson reflections. Key findings from this study may aid educators in providing their students with effective STEM instructional strategies that align to NGSS Standards while sparking student interest and engagement in STEM related areas. This engagement and interest in STEM led to students’ academic success and will hopefully lead future youth to pursue STEM related careers. Advisor: Wendy Smit

The earthquake of 17 November, 1960, in the Mt. Glorious region, Southeast Queensland

A study has been made of macroseismic and instrumental data for the earthquake of 17 November, 1960, located in the Mt. Glorious region of southeast Queensland. Seven hundred questionnaires received from a felt area of about 100,000 square kilometres have provided data for the preparation of an isoseismal map and an estimate of the position of the epicentral region. This has been compared with a redefined epicentre based on the very inadequate instrumental observations of the earthquake. For MJ\ll intensities within the range II to IV, there are no obvious correlations of observed intensity patterns with either regional geological trends or detailed near surface geology

Respiratory Structure Morphology, Group Origins, and Phylogeny of Eublastoidea (Echinodermata)

Evolutionary relationships of Paleozoic echinoderms have fostered significant debate over the past century. Many early echinoderms have complexly plated bodies with a variety of morphologies, very unlike modern echinoderms (e.g., sea urchins, sea stars). A major clade, Blastozoa, has been subdivided based on the occurrence of specific respiratory structures but these groups have yet to be fully assessed in a quantitative framework. Phylogenetic inference provides a quantitative means to assess trait evolution, respiratory structure modification, or clade origination. Herein, we assess respiratory morphology, evolution, and group origination of Eublastoidea.The respiratory structures (hydrospires) of eublastoids have been used to separate major subgroups within Eublastoidea but have only been examined externally. Previously only assessed by 2D serial sections of specimens, my research provides 3D detailed anatomical models of these internal structures. Rendering in 3D allows for detailed morphological analysis and functional morphology simulations. Our findings suggest separation by the external expression of hydrospires results in a misleading understanding of evolutionary history.These insights into eublastoid respiratory structures shed light on an ongoing debate regarding the origins of blastoids. Origins of blastoids are unclear and a series of ancestors has been proposed. A single species of blastoid Macurdablastus uniplicatus, was recorded from the Late Ordovician with the next undisputed species in the middle Silurian. We reassessed anatomy and evolutionary relationships through detailed morphological examination, synchrotron imaging, and phylogenetic analyses. Results from our subsequent phylogenetic analyses suggest Macurdablastus is not a true blastoid (eublastoid) but is include in the broadly defined Blastoidea that includes coronoids, eublastoids, Lysocystites.The revival of the term Eublastoidea to include species with recumbent ambulacra and hydrospires provided the basis to explore the evolution of this long-lived clade. Following and expanding upon a proposed homology scheme for echinoderms, I produced a comprehensive character matrix for the external and internal morphology of eublastoids. The phylogeny was used to reassess eublastoid classification and as a framework to address the validity of group separation via the external expression of hydrospires. This work provides the first complete assessment of echinoderm respiratory structures and detailed reassessement of eublastoid morphology

The Use of Stress Reduction Techniques in Nursing Education

Stress is a complex phenomenon that has significant effects on students which may disturb their physiological, psychological, and spiritual health and well-being. Nursing students have been identified to be at high risk for stress during their education. Stress can arise from new clinical experiences, academic load, and personal stressors (Jones & Johnston, 2006). This increase in stress can lead to the student’s inability to assimilate and learn within the classroom and clinical settings. A review of the literature provided evidence that reported a positive relationship between guided imagery and a decrease in stress and anxiety. This evidence-based practice (EBP) project assessed whether a stress relief guided imagery intervention improved perceived stress in nursing students. The Stetler Model and The Neuman Systems Model guided this project. Fourth semester sophomore nursing students from the Fundamentals of Nursing class were invited to participate in the project. Participant demographics, and Cohen’s Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) were administered to students prior to the intervention. The intervention included 20 minutes of a stress relief guided imagery audio CD by Belleruth Naparstek. At the completion of the eight week period, the PSS was re-administered, and students completed a post intervention self-report survey of usefulness to evaluate project success. Paired samples t tests were performed on pre and post intervention PSS scores, which did not reveal a statistically significant difference (p = .239). Thirteen of 21 students had lower perceived levels of stress post intervention. The results of the post intervention survey indicated that 18 of 21 students would utilize guided imagery in the future, 19 of 21 students would recommend guided imagery to family, friends, and patients, and 20 of 21 students found guided imagery helpful in reducing school related stressors. Implications for future practice have been validated by the results of this EBP project. Based on the positive results of this project, the integration of guided imagery in undergraduate nursing curricula should be considered to reduce perceived stress among nursing students

Exploring Reflective Journal Writing in the Classroom

Research Questions: What are some attitudes and behavioral trends of students toward a journal writing assignment? How effective is a journal writing assignment in the classroom? How can a journal writing assignment be improved for both students and instructor? Method: Quantitative data based on 39 surveys administered during 2007 and 38 surveys administered in 2008 at WWU to COMM318 Professional Communication Fall Quarter 2008 students. Also, this study included student journals (about 10 pages each) with qualitative comments. The data reduction for quantitative portion was broken down into a year over year comparison

Abnormal Perceptual Sensitivity in Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors

Objective Several compulsive grooming habits such as hair pulling, skin picking, and nail biting are collectively known as body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs). Although subclinical BFRBs are common and benign, more severe and damaging manifestations exist that are difficult to manage. Researchers have suggested that BFRBs are maintained by various cognitive, affective, and sensory contingencies. Although the involvement of cognitive and affective processes in BFRBs has been studied, there is a paucity of research on sensory processes. Methods The current study tested whether adults with subclinical or clinical BFRBs would report abnormal patterns of sensory processing as compared to a healthy control sample. Results Adults with clinical BFRBs (n = 26) reported increased sensory sensitivity as compared to persons with subclinical BFRBs (n = 48) and healthy individuals (n = 33). Elevations in sensation avoidance differentiated persons with clinical versus subclinical BFRBs. Sensation seeking patterns were not different between groups. Unexpectedly, BFRB severity was associated with lower registration of sensory stimuli, but this finding may be due to high psychiatric comorbidity rates in the BFRB groups. Conclusions These findings suggest that several sensory abnormalities may underlie BFRBs. Implications for the etiology and treatment of BFRBs are discussed

Diving into history : LIS in-service experience at the Black Archives of Mid-America

Poster presented at the Missouri Library Association Annual Conference, October 5, 2017, St. Louis, Missouri."'Archives in Context' was a one-credit hour course offered over Spring Break 2017, running from Sunday, March 26 to Friday, March 31, which provided six LIS graduate students with archival field experience at the Black Archives of Mid-America (BAMA). Following a five-hour “Intro to Archives” lecture on Sunday in Columbia by Dr. Sarah Buchanan, we began our work the next day at the BAMA facility, located in the historic 18th and Vine District of Kansas City, and continued throughout the course of the week. Working under the supervision of BAMA's archivist Geri Sanders, her associate Bridget Haney, and Dr. Denice Adkins, we were able to employ archival practices in sorting out those collections which remained unprocessed and thus unavailable to the public. This entailed handling the materials and creating descriptive metadata which would then be converted into a finding aid to provide access. Overall, the goal was to develop a more complete understanding of the archival profession and the responsibilities that come with it."--Introduction

Profiling risk factors for chronic uveitis in juvenile idiopathic arthritis: a new model for EHR-based research.

BackgroundJuvenile idiopathic arthritis is the most common rheumatic disease in children. Chronic uveitis is a common and serious comorbid condition of juvenile idiopathic arthritis, with insidious presentation and potential to cause blindness. Knowledge of clinical associations will improve risk stratification. Based on clinical observation, we hypothesized that allergic conditions are associated with chronic uveitis in juvenile idiopathic arthritis patients.MethodsThis study is a retrospective cohort study using Stanford's clinical data warehouse containing data from Lucile Packard Children's Hospital from 2000-2011 to analyze patient characteristics associated with chronic uveitis in a large juvenile idiopathic arthritis cohort. Clinical notes in patients under 16 years of age were processed via a validated text analytics pipeline. Bivariate-associated variables were used in a multivariate logistic regression adjusted for age, gender, and race. Previously reported associations were evaluated to validate our methods. The main outcome measure was presence of terms indicating allergy or allergy medications use overrepresented in juvenile idiopathic arthritis patients with chronic uveitis. Residual text features were then used in unsupervised hierarchical clustering to compare clinical text similarity between patients with and without uveitis.ResultsPreviously reported associations with uveitis in juvenile idiopathic arthritis patients (earlier age at arthritis diagnosis, oligoarticular-onset disease, antinuclear antibody status, history of psoriasis) were reproduced in our study. Use of allergy medications and terms describing allergic conditions were independently associated with chronic uveitis. The association with allergy drugs when adjusted for known associations remained significant (OR 2.54, 95% CI 1.22-5.4).ConclusionsThis study shows the potential of using a validated text analytics pipeline on clinical data warehouses to examine practice-based evidence for evaluating hypotheses formed during patient care. Our study reproduces four known associations with uveitis development in juvenile idiopathic arthritis patients, and reports a new association between allergic conditions and chronic uveitis in juvenile idiopathic arthritis patients

Emotion Regulation Deficits in Persons with Body-Focused Repetitive Behavior Disorders

Background Conceptualizations of emotion dysregulation (ED) and body-focused repetitive behavior disorders (BFRBDs) imply that ED may be a central component of BFRBDs as well as a factor that distinguishes BFRBDs from non-impairing, subclinical body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs). The current study empirically tested these observations. Methods One hundred thirty-eight undergraduates (of 1900 who completed a screening survey) completed self-report measures assessing four emotion regulation (ER) deficits hypothesized to underlie ED (alexithymia, maladaptive emotional reactivity, experiential avoidance, and response inhibition when distressed); 34 of these participants had BFRBDs, 64 had subclinical BFRBs, and 42 were unaffected by BFRBs. Results Results indicated that participants with BFRBDs reported higher levels of maladaptive emotional reactivity, experiential avoidance, and response inhibition when distressed than participants with subclinical BFRBs and participants unaffected by BFRBs. These results held even when controlling for comorbidity and total number of reported BFRBs. Participants did not differ on alexithymia. Limitations Limitations of the current study include the BFRB groups’ different distributions of BFRB types (e.g., hair pulling versus skin picking), the sample\u27s demographic uniformity, and the fact that negative affectivity was not controlled when exploring BFRB group differences on ER deficits. Future research should improve on these limitations. Conclusions The current results suggest that ED is a factor that differentiates BFRBDs from subclinical BFRBs. Such results may be useful for generating hypotheses regarding mechanisms responsible for BFRBs’ development into BFRBDs. Furthermore, these results may provide insight into factors that explain the efficacy of more contemporary behavioral treatments for BFRBDs