Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Meet Me In The Middle: A Scoping Review On Understanding Adolescent Needs In Climate Communication, Gwendolyn Monica Hoff Anderson

Master's Projects and Capstones

The greatest effects of climate change are likely to be felt by youth. Young people are disproportionately affected by climate change due to their critical developmental stage and lack of power, and they experience both higher severity and prevalence of mental health issues related to climate change. Strong emotions have long been recognized as potential catalysts for action, or they may lead to paralyzing feelings of being overwhelmed. Climate communication is a critical tool to spark climate concern and encourage action. Activism, in turn, may help youth manage their anxiety about climate change. This scoping review examines emerging evidence on …

Proactive Conversational Agents In The Post-Chatgpt World, Lizi Liao, Grace Hui Yang, Chirag Shah

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

ChatGPT and similar large language model (LLM) based conversational agents have brought shock waves to the research world. Although astonished by their human-like performance, we find they share a significant weakness with many other existing conversational agents in that they all take a passive approach in responding to user queries. This limits their capacity to understand the users and the task better and to offer recommendations based on a broader context than a given conversation. Proactiveness is still missing in these agents, including their ability to initiate a conversation, shift topics, or offer recommendations that take into account a more …

Confirmatory Factor Analysis Of Two Self-Efficacy Scales For Astronomy Understanding And Robotic Telescope Use, R. Freed, David H. Mckinnon, M. T. Fitzgerald, S. Salimpour

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This paper presents the results of a confirmatory factor analysis on two self-efficacy scales designed to probe the self-efficacy of college-level introductory astronomy (Astro-101) students (n=15181) from 22 institutions across the United States of America and Canada. The students undertook a course based on similar curriculum materials, which involved students using robotic telescopes to support their learning of astronomical concepts covered in the "traditional"Astro-101 courses. Previous research by the authors using these self-efficacy scales within a pre-/post-test approach showed both high reliabilities and very high construct validities. However, the scale purporting to measure students' self-efficacy in relation to their use …

Special Case Of Partial Fraction Expansion With Laplace Transform Application, Laurie A. Florio, Ryan D. Hanc

CODEE Journal

Partial fraction expansion is often used with the Laplace Transforms to formulate algebraic expressions for which the inverse Laplace Transform can be easily found. This paper demonstrates a special case for which a linear, constant coefficient, second order ordinary differential equation with no damping term and a harmonic function non-homogeneous term leads to a simplified partial fraction expansion due to the decoupling of the partial fraction expansion coefficients of s and the constant coefficients. Recognizing this special form can allow for quicker calculations and automation of the solution to the differential equation form which is commonly used to model physical …

Applications Of Financial Mathematics: An Analysis Of Consumer Financial Decision Making, Alyssa Betterton

Honors Theses

Students always ask, “How can this be applied to the real world?” Mortgages, car loans, and credit card bills are things that almost everyone will have to make decisions about at some point in their lives. This research discusses the many different financial choices that consumers have to make. Consumers can use this information to understand how interest rates, the length of the loan, and the initial amount being borrowed affects the amount that is paid back to the companies. The intent of this thesis is to present the mathematical theory of interest. A web-based application has been built based …

Beyond The Ice, Nikolaus T. Butz, Joshua Hunter, Emma Fisher

The Journal of Values-Based Leadership

Leadership is a management tool to direct effective achievement of goals. Historical investigation can provide a valuable lens for the study of leadership styles. To that end, this study examines the disparate approaches of Roald Amundsen and Robert Scott as they raced to be the first explorer to reach the South Pole. The objective of this study is to analyze the leadership techniques used in these expeditions, and to determine how they shaped the outcome of each. The process of tacit knowledge and experience coalesce and foster both leadership and action that is not only communication-oriented and value-driven, but also …

The Use Of Artificial Intelligence In Higher Education: A Study On Faculty Perspectives In Universities In Egypt, Farah S. Sharawy

Theses and Dissertations

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is an emerging technology that is transforming various aspects of society, including higher education. This paper examines faculty perspectives from five different institutions; The American University in Cairo (AUC), The German University in Cairo (GUC), The Arab Academy for Science and Technology (AAST), Ain Shams University, and Cairo University, on the use of AI in higher education in teaching and learning in Egypt, with all its challenges and resources available to support it, and how it can be used to achieve equity and accessibility. This research was conducted through a qualitative study using semi-structured one- on-one interviews …

Contextualizing The Mathematical Knowledge For Teaching Framework For Teachers Of Emergent Bilinguals, Luis M. Fernandez, Mayra Ortiz Galarza

School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

We are amid a rapid demographic shift, with Emergent Bilinguals (EBs) being the fastest growing K-12 student population. This has created an ambitious goal for teacher education programs as they must prepare mathematics pre-service teachers (PSTs) to assess the needs of EBs. As a response, this study conducted a qualitative analysis of 16 PSTs to propose a contextualized version of the Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching (MKT) framework as an emerging knowledge base of teaching that can be used to further guide the planning and enactment of teacher education programs in the mathematics education of EBs, specifically.

Fungi In Flux | Designing Regenerative Materials And Products With Mycelium, Arvind Bhallamudi

Masters Theses

As the world grapples with the escalating crisis of climate threats and environmental degradation, this research delves into the synergistic potential of design and biology, developing safe and sustainable materials for applications in prototyping, furniture and interior design. Harnessing the power of a unique organism - fungi, the study proposes an accessible, efficient, and resilient material resource system. It utilizes local waste streams and mycelium (the vegetative part of fungi) to grow functional structures. An experimental and small-scale protocol is modeled by testing bio-fabrication and bio-printing methods. The composites' performance qualities and characteristics are evaluated through mechanical testing and a …

Shared Fantasy: Role-Playing Games As Social Worlds By Gary Alan Fine (2002) [Reseña], Cristo Leon

Journal of Roleplaying Studies and STEAM

This classic study still provides one of the most acute descriptions available of an often misunderstood subculture: that of fantasy role playing games like Dungeons & Dragons. Gary Alan Fine immerses himself in several different gaming systems, offering insightful details on the nature of the games and the patterns of interaction among players—as well as their reasons for playing.

Este estudio clásico todavía proporciona una de las descripciones más agudas disponibles de una subcultura a menudo incomprendida: la de los juegos de rol de fantasía como Dungeons & Dragons. Gary Alan Fine se sumerge en varios sistemas de juego diferentes …

Editorial - Un Paso A La Vez, Mauricio Rangel

Journal of Roleplaying Studies and STEAM

Editorial - Un paso a la vez

Journal Of Roleplaying Studies And Steam (Jrpssteam) Vol. 2 [2023], Issue 1., Cristo Leon, Felipe Ignacio García-Soriano, Francisca Faret Moreno, Daniel S. González Cohens, Daniel Serrano Robles, Daniel Romero Benguigui, Ruben Darío Hernández Mendo

Journal of Roleplaying Studies and STEAM

Journal of Roleplaying Studies and STEAM (JRPSSTEAM) Vol. 2 [2023], Issue 1.

(R2052) Flow Patterns For Newtonian And Non-Newtonian Fluids In A Cylindrical Pipe, Erick Sanchez, Dambaru Bhatta

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

A fully developed laminar steady flow of an incompressible, viscous fluid in a horizontal cylindrical pipe is considered here. Flow patterns for an incompressible, viscous fluid for both Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids such as shear-thinning, shear-thickening and Bingham plastic fluids are analyzed in this study. Assuming that the flow is only due to the wall shear stress and the pressure drop, the velocity component in the axial direction for these cases is derived. Computational results of the velocity profiles for various cases are obtained using MATLAB and presented in graphical forms. It is observed that the velocity profile is parabolic …

Engaging Students With High-Stakes Problems, Deepak Basyal

Mathematics and Statistics

Engaging students in meaningful mathematics problem-solving is the intention of many education stakeholders around the world. Research suggests that the implementation of high-stakes problems in mathematics teaching is one way to strengthen students’ conceptual understanding. Many carefully crafted open-ended problems constitute high-stakes problems, and proper use of such problems in teaching and learning not only encourages learners’ flexible thinking but also helps detect their misconceptions. However, what is less practiced and understood is: how exactly one should aim to implement such problems in a classroom setting. Teaching pre-service middle school teachers for a few years using high-stakes (mostly open-ended problems) …

Education In The Ai Era: Challenges And Opportunities, German Harvey Alferez

Achieve

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a game-changer in various industries, and education is no exception. AI-powered tools have the potential to personalize learning, provide quick feedback, and automate administrative tasks. However, there are challenges associated with the integration of AI in education, including AI's potential biases, lack of human interaction, digital literacy, and ethical concerns. The implications of AI in education are complex and multifaceted. Therefore, it is crucial to understand both the opportunities and challenges of this technology to ensure that it is used effectively to enhance the learning experience for students.

An Optimized Bagging Ensemble Learning Approach Using Bestrees For Predicting Students’ Performance, Edmund Evangelista

All Works

Every academic institution's goal is to identify students who require additional assistance and take appropriate actions to improve their performance. As such, various research studies have focused on developing prediction models that can detect correlated patterns influencing students' performance, dropout, collaboration, and engagement. Among the influential predictive models available, the bagging ensemble has captured the interest of researchers seeking to improve prediction accuracy over single classifiers. However, prior work in this area has focused mainly on selecting single classifiers as the base classifier of the bagging ensemble, with little to no further optimization of the proposed framework. This study aims …

Utilizing New Technologies To Measure Therapy Effectiveness For Mental And Physical Health, Jonathan Ossie

Dissertations

Mental health is quickly becoming a major policy concern, with recent data reporting increasing and disproportionately worse mental health outcomes, including anxiety, depression, increased substance abuse, and elevated suicidal ideation. One specific population that is especially high risk for these issues is the military community because military conflict, deployment stressors, and combat exposure contribute to the risk of mental health problems.

Although several pharmacological approaches have been employed to combat this epidemic, their efficacy is mixed at best, which has led to novel nonpharmacological approaches. One such approach is Operation Surf, a nonprofit that provides nature-based programs advocating the restorative …

Special Education: Inclusion And Exclusion In The K-12 U.S. Educational System, Erik Brault

Dissertations

The U.S. Department of Education defines students with disabilities as those having a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more life activities. Previous research has found that students with disabilities placed in inclusive environments perform better academically and socially compared to students with disabilities who are placed in segregated environments. Yet, we know that inclusion in K-12 general education classrooms across the country is not consistently implemented.

The purpose of this study was to better understand the effects, if any, of general education high school teachers’ personal and professional experiences and knowledge on their attitudes toward educating …

Cooking With Chemistry: Marshmallows, Admin Stem For Success

STEM for Success Showcase

This lesson plan teaches students thermodynamics, foam, and other chemistry topics by cooking marshmallows.

Undergraduate Research In Mathematical Biology Needs A Cure, Olcay Akman

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Nature Nurturers Sustainability And Journalism Club, Bruce Baker, Shelby Rickert

Honors Expanded Learning Clubs

Afterschool club that teaches basic sustainability and journalism knowledge to kids in a fun, hands-on, and engaging way. Kids will learn over the course of several weeks and then make posters about their environmental interests.

Disrupting Cisheteronormativity In Stem Through Humanism, Meg C. Jones, Desiree Forsythe, Rachel Friedensen, Annemarie Vaccaro, Ryan A. Miller, Ezekiel Kimball, Rachael Forester

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Books and Book Chapters

Cisheteronormativity is prevalent throughout college STEM discourses and classrooms. In this paper, we present findings from a U.S. based study focused on the experiences of collegiate STEM students with minoritized identities of sexuality and gender (MIoSG) as the backdrop for discussing how current harmful ideologies in STEM perpetuate cisheteronormativity through discursive practice. We propose that humanistic classrooms and pedagogy can work to dismantle cisheteronormative D/discourses in STEM and create MIoSG inclusive STEM classrooms and programs. Our findings highlight the ways participants experienced cisheteronormative D/discourses in their collegiate STEM contexts. We discuss how these experiences might be mitigated through humanistic educational …

An Assistive Interface For Displaying Novice's Code History, Ruiwei Xiao

McKelvey School of Engineering Theses & Dissertations

As Teaching Assistant (TA) programs grow in number and size in introductory CS courses, TAs play a significant role in novice programmers' experience and contribute to their success. However, many TAs are also relative beginners themselves and thus have limited experience in programming and teaching. Thus the effectiveness and consistency of their guidance can vary significantly. To improve interaction quality and assist TAs in providing better support, we examine the difficulties encountered by inexperienced TAs in previous literature and then identify the potential for the high cognitive load as an unaddressed difficulty that may prevent new TAs from initiating effective …

How To Be An Anti-Racist Educator: A Book Review Through An Educational Perspective, Maria Cristina F. Soares, Melanie Morales

Journal of Multicultural Affairs

The authors reviewed the book How to be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi (2019) while reflecting on how Kendi’s brilliant dismantlement of racism and discrimination would help educators become conscious of how racism operates in our society, their schools, and their communities. Kendi’s book could motivate teachers to self-reflect on intrinsic feelings and misconceptions about race and culture built over time, allowing them to adopt new attitudes towards their students and school community. The authors considered the need to reevaluate systemic racism in schools as research has, for instance, found evidence of discriminatory practices towards African American boys (Gregory …

Analyzing Motivation And Sense Of Belonging Belonging In Cs1 Review Sessions, Cory Longenecker

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

The Computer Science Department at James Madison University has a Teaching Assistant program which aims to help students succeed in early-level Computer Science courses. Part of this program is a review session, the Fourth Hour, which provides students extra help on the concepts taught each week in class. Historically, attendance at this review session has been low. Because of this, the study aimed to increase attendance by motivating students through interventions, primarily offering quiz retakes to students who attended. Additionally, this study looked at the reported sense of belonging for participants who attended.

We made three conclusions from survey data …

Du Undergraduate Showcase: Research, Scholarship, And Creative Works, Caitlyn Aldersea, Justin Bravo, Sam Allen, Anna Block, Connor Block, Emma Buechler, Maria De Los Angeles Bustillos, Arianna Carlson, William Christensen, Olivia Kachulis, Noah Craver, Kate Dillon, Muskan Fatima, Angel Fernandes, Emma Finch, Colleen Cassidy, Amy Fishman, Andrea Francis, Stacia Fritz, Simran Gill, Emma Gries, Rylie Hansen, Shannon Powers, Jacqueline Martinez, Zachary Harker, Ashley Hasty, Mykaela Tanino-Springsteen, Kathleen Hopps, Adelaide Kerenick, Colin Kleckner, Ci Koehring, Elijah Kruger, Braden Krumholz, Maddie Leake, Lyneé Alves, Seraphina Loukas, Yatzari Lozano Vazquez, Haley Maki, Emily Martinez, Sierra Mckinney, Mykaela Tanino-Springsteen, Audrey Mitchell, Kipling Newman, Audrey Ng, Megan Lucyshyn, Andrew Nguyen, Stevie Ostman, Casandra Pearson, Alexandra Penney, Julia Gielczynski, Tyler Ball, Anna Rini, Christina Rorres, Simon Ruland, Helayna Schafer, Emma Sellers, Sarah Schuller, Claire Shaver, Kevin Summers, Isabella Shaw, Madison Sinar, Claudia Pena, Apshara Siwakoti, Carter Sorensen, Madi Sousa, Anna Sparling, Alexandra Revier, Brandon Thierry, Dylan Tyree, Maggie Williams, Lauren Wols

DU Undergraduate Research Journal Archive

DU Undergraduate Showcase: Research, Scholarship, and Creative Works

Horizon Content Knowledge And Its Integration Into Physics Education Research: Case Study Analysis On Physical Science And Physics Teachers, Trevor A. Robertson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Teachers focused on just one year of instruction may neglect what students need most– a coherent structure of learning across disciplines that advances students’ understanding. The topic of coherence has been a major motivator for education research, including investigations in student- teacher interactions, epistemological beliefs, and large-scale curricular reform. One framework of knowledge, horizon content knowledge (HCK), can aid in describing the knowledge a teacher needs to see beyond their own instruction and provide a coherent structure for students.

While horizon content knowledge exists in one of the most widely adopted teacher frameworks of knowledge in mathematics, mathematical knowledge for …

The Development Of A Backyard Composting Project Through Community Engagement, Donald J. Scully, Jeffrey A. Young, Bryan J. Hains, Kristina Hains

The Journal of Extension

It can be argued that public forums are a valuable and essential tool for Cooperative Extension professionals. This article narrates the innovative use of the public forum action steps outlined in Kahl’s (2016) “A Convener’s Guide to Hosting a Public Forum”. The primary objective was to address illegal dumping and littering concerns with the Extension professional's role to engage the community. The resulting “Backyard Composting Project” demonstrated that public forums are valuable in creatively engaging urban audiences. Ultimately the authors illustrate how a community concern can be addressed using innovative programming to reach what Extension considers to be …

Prioritizing Professional Development At The Interface Of Natural Resources And Agriculture, Katherine J. Starzec

The Journal of Extension

Continuous professional development is critical for Extension staff, and many agriculture-focused Extension employees are tasked with outreach related to a wide variety of natural resource topics. The purpose of this study is to help prioritize trainings needed by Kansas Extension agents and specialists based on their current level of knowledge and interest in staying up to date on 18 different natural resource topics. Responses to a statewide survey were analyzed using the Borich model. Results indicate priority professional development needs related to soil health; effects of climate; invasive species, harmful algal blooms; and groundwater, surface water, and air quality.

Leadership Development In Education For Sustainable Development: Evaluation Of Higher Education Students In Sustainable Development Programs, Michelle Dzurenda

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) has been working decades towards reaching Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to create peace and prosperity for people and the planet. The 2030 Agenda was created as an urgent call to action, a global partnership, and a comprehensive plan to work towards the 17 SDGs. For this study, the focus is on Goal 4- quality education and the impact of leadership on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). Leadership on ESD has been a more recent topic and under researched. By making advancements in leadership on ESD there will be positive …