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Engineering the Future Academies
No full textEngineering the Future Academies was offered through a partnership between the Center for STEM Inquiry at Hope College and the Muskegon Area Regional Math and Science Center. Designed as a learning experience for high school students, as research and mentorship opportunity for STEM education and engineering majors, and as professional development for teachers, the summer academy immersed four student engineering design teams in a one-week oncampus challenge. Hope College engineering and education majors partnered with area teachers, tailored the curriculum, and assessed the impact of this experience on both teacher and student participants with respect to STEM attitudes, beliefs, and dispositions. Follow-up contact with participating high school students and teachers was conducted during the subsequent school year. A professional development session at the Math and Science Center will be held in the fall of 2015 for 20 additional teachers in which the original summer teachers and undergraduates will play a significant role in their continuing development as future STEM education leaders. We hope the Engineering the Future Academies becomes an integral part of Hope College’s summer opportunities and contributes to ongoing national research efforts seeking ways to engage and retain students in STEM education programs
Bone Density Screenings Among the Diabetic Population
No full textDiabetic osteoporosis is a metabolic bone disease that increases the possibility of fracture, secondary changes in bone tissue, decreased bone strength and increased friability. Osteoporosis is a health concern among the diabetic population that is currently under-screened and under-diagnosed. Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is the gold standard measure of bone density. Implementing DXA screening for osteoporosis can help prevent fragility fractures. The purpose of this retrospective chart review was to describe the screening patterns of primary care providers, using DXA scans in the diabetic population. Dorthea Orem’s Self-Care Deficit Theory was the framework of this study: Orem believed individuals should be self-reliant. Self-reliance is taken away from patients when fragility fractures occur. A convenience sample of 297 diabetic patients was identified from the databases of three primary care physicians in West Michigan. Data was analyzed using SPSS 19. Only 26% of females (≥ 65 years) and \u3c1% of males (≥ 70 years) had DXA scans ordered with results interpreted. In conclusion, primary care providers need to increase rates of osteoporosis screening in their diabetic patients. The limitations included: patients selected were all from one practice, it was a convenience sample, patient’s current medications were not considered, other comorbidities were unknown, and the sample was mostly composed of white females. The implications of this study for nurses is we need to educate our patients on the importance of secondary prevention methods such as DXA scans, as well as advocate for them to receive early screening
Population of 13Be in Nucleon Exchange Reactions
No full textThe traditional way of creating neutron-unbound nuclei involves the removal of one or more nucleons from a fast beam of ions. This method often results in a background that makes it difficult to identify the particle of interest; it also requires starting with beams that are heavier than the particle of interest. These beams are unstable, difficult to make, and have low intensities. In an effort to avoid these obstacles, the present work was done with a more unorthodox entrance channel called a nucleon exchange reaction. A beam of 13B ions was produced at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory (NSCL) at Michigan State University (MSU), when this 13B beam hit the 47 mg/cm2 9Be target many reactions occurred, including a nucleon exchange reaction that produced 13Be. The 13Be nuclei decayed in approximately 10���seconds to 12Be + n. The neutrons were detected by either the Modular Neutron Array (MoNA) or Large multi-Institution Scintillator Array (LISA), and the 12Be fragment nuclei’s paths were directed by a 4T superconducting sweeper magnet through an array of charged particle detectors. The four-momentum vectors (for the fragment nucleus and the neutron) were calculated to determine the decay energy of 13Be, which is being compared with previous results. The cross-section for the nucleon exchange process is being determined
Photographic Representations of Happiness in USA and Japan
No full textHappiness is a universal emotion, but how people construct the meaning of happiness may be culturally determined. The study explores a cross-cultural comparison of the awareness, photographic representation of, and feelings associated with, experiences of everyday happiness. The research question examines whether there are differences in the construction of the meaning of happiness by American and Japanese college students. An ethnographic design was used to collect happy experiences through photographs. The sample of 200 was stratified by age range (student, young adult, middle-age, and elderly), culture and sex, with 60 college students as the sub-sample. Participants completed a pre-test employing Deiner’s Flourishing Scale (2009). Packets including a disposable camera, a Photo Release Form, and Photo Response Cards were disseminated, instructing participants to take 5 photographs during moments of happiness, over a 24-hour period. The post-test included the Flourishing Scale and questions regarding how comprehensive and typical their photos were in representing their happiness. Researchers qualitatively analyzed 300 photographs and narratives for cultural themes and dimensions by which happiness experiences vary. Coding categories were then developed and interrater reliability was assessed. Participant narratives were coded for emotional complexity according to the Levels of Emotional Awareness Scale (Lane, Quinlan, Schwartz, Walker & Zeinlin, 1990). An ANOVA was conducted to compare pre- and post-test flourishing scales to find whether reflecting on happiness significantly impacted respondents’ reported happiness. Researchers found cultural differences in Japanese and American students’ reporting of source of happiness, meaning of happiness, arousal level of happiness, awareness and cognitive processing of happy experiences, what kinds of satisfied needs engender happiness, and the impact of reflecting on happiness on one’s overall level of flourishing
Eyewear Against Poverty: What is the Effect of Visual aid on Income?
No full textTo assess the impact of visual aids (glasses) on household income, this research uses a fixed effects model to compare average consumption levels between regions treated and untreated by a donor company, Focus on Vision. Panel data from the Living Standards Measurement Survey over regions within Tanzania are suitable for a fixed effects design. However, it is likely that the combination of small samples within regions and the limited (relative to population) donations from Focus on Vision are insufficient in size to capture the causal effects. This research provides solid theory, methodology, and modeling to reveal the causal effect of visual aid on income. Moving forward, the inconclusiveness of the results can be improved upon with an experimental approach and gathering more individual-level panel data
What Makes a Successful Teacher Candidate? Predictors in a Teacher Prep Program
No full textWhat makes a successful teacher? The state of Michigan defines passing the Michigan Test of Teacher Certification (MTTC) as the gateway to certification for teaching in our public, charter and private schools. To determine what factors affect teacher candidate success, we studied over 100 individuals who either successfully or unsuccessfully completed Hope College’s teacher education program to see if there are any possible predictor variables for success. These valuables included gender, major, overall GPA, Education GPA, and ACT scores. We looked at what effect these factors played in teacher candidates overall success, as well as the factors associated with certified secondary and elementary majors. Descriptive statistics along with Chi Square tests were completed. Our research will discuss the results and conclusions of this project
The Effects of Agility Training with Weighted Vests on Overall Agility Performance in College Students
No full textThe purpose of this study was to determine the effects of wearing a weighted vest (10-11% of lean body mass, LBM) during a four-week agility training program on overall agility performance. Fifteen participants (ages 18-22) took part in the study and were actively recruited from Hope College health dynamics classes and outof- season athletes. All participants performed a pre-test in the T-Test (TT) and Illinois Agility Run Test (IART) before being matched by initial agility score and assigned to either a control group (n=4), weighted-vest group (n=6), or non-vest group (n=5). The two experimental groups participated in the agility training program for 4 weeks while the control participants maintained habitual activity. Various supervised agility exercises were performed during 50-minute training sessions on three days of each week during the training period. We hypothesized that individuals wearing a weighted vest during agility training would improve in agility performance more than those not wearing a weighted vest. Data was collected and analyzed using a 3x2 Repeated Measures ANOVA. Results showed no significant difference between groups or over time from pre to post-test for TT (Pre: 11.30±0.38 sec, Post: 11.08±0.40 sec, p \u3e 0.05), but all groups significantly increased pre to post-test for IART (Pre: 18.01±0.49 sec, Post: 17.81±0.54 sec, p =0.034). There was also no significant difference in heart rates or level of enjoyment between experimental groups throughout the study. According to the data, it can be concluded that weighted vests had no significant effect on agility performance during a four week agility training period in comparison to both the non-vest and control groups
Foundations for Fitness: Initial Outcomes from a 10 Week Multidisciplinary, Pediatric Obesity Intervention
No full textChildhood overweight and obesity is a national epidemic and predisposes children to adulthood obesity as well as increases the risk of developing cardiovascular, metabolic, and psychological disorders. Prior research has found that if an individual can engage in lifestyle modification for 10 weeks then the change is more likely to be maintained after the intervention. The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a 10-week multidisciplinary intervention program on improving the health outcomes of children aged 7-12 years with a body mass index (BMI) greater than the 85th percentile. Child participants were referred from local pediatric care providers and, of the 15 that began the program, 13 participants completed the 10-week training session. Subjects were assessed for resting heart rate, resting blood pressure, BMI, percent body fat, waist circumference, height and weight. Furthermore, participants completed a quality of life survey and the participating parents filled out a questionnaire assessing the obesogenic factors in the household (FNPA). Prior to pre-program evaluations, the parents of participants completed an informed consent form that was approved by the Hope College Human Subjects Review Board. All child participants participated in the exercise portion of the program and each training session consisted of an hour and a half of physical activity once a week led by Hope College physical education students. Parents of participants simultaneously attended educational sessions on lifestyle modification. At the end of the program waist circumference significantly decreased (p=.027) and improved scores for the FNPA were trending towards significance. The data from the first cohort of this 10-week intervention program will be presented at the research celebration; meanwhile, data collection from the second cohort of the intervention program is currently ongoing
Hope Matters: Mental Health in College Students
No full textA growing body of research has documented the positive implications of hope for well-being. C.R. Snyder and colleagues viewed hope cognitively as goalfocused, emphasizing way-power (pathways to reach a goal) and willpower (motivation to achieve a goal; Snyder, Rand, & Signon, 2002). Scioli et al. (2011) viewed hope comprehensively, rooting it in motivation, emotion, relationships, and spirituality. By contrast, Dunn et al. (2014) described hopelessness as a negative view of important future outcomes. College students (N=255; 69% Female, 31% Male) completed an online survey containing self-report measures of hope (Snyder et al., 1996; Scioli, 2011) and hopelessness (Dunn et al., 2014). The survey also measured mental health and illness variables such as meaning in life, satisfaction with life, flourishing, depression, and anxiety. First, we assessed correlations between state hope and mental health variables. As hypothesized, cognitive and comprehensive hope were positively correlated with meaning in life, satisfaction with life, and flourishing. Hope measures were inversely correlated with depression and anxiety. Opposite patterns occurred for hopelessness. Second, we tested whether cognitive hope, comprehensive hope, and hopelessness together accounted for a significant proportion of variance in flourishing scores. In support of this hypothesis, the three hope-related measures accounted for a significant amount of the variance in flourishing scores. Finally, we replicated and extended research by Venning et al. (2011) and tested whether hope-related variables or depression and anxiety symptoms better predicted flourishing mental health (Keyes, 2007). Importantly, a multiple regression analysis indicated that hope measures were significant predictors of flourishing mental health, going above and beyond measures of depression and anxiety. These findings have theoretical and applied implications, and may provide empirical support for clinicians to promote flourishing mental health through cultivating genuine hope
Influence of a Nature- Based Science Enrichment Program on Early Childhood Activity Preferences
No full textPrevious research has been dedicated to the increasingly sedentary child population and the interventions necessary for navigating the obesity epidemic children are facing. Currently, children spend less time in outside play than previous generations (Clements, 2004). Additionally, 23% of children today do not participate in any organized or free-time physical activity, with 83% of children receiving nearly 2 hours per day of screen time (Rideout & Hamel, 2006; CDC, 2003). This correlates with increasing obesity rates, with childhood obesity increasing from 4% to 20% from 1960 to 2004 (CDC, 2006). It has also been revealed that interventions can have implications for children’s activity preferences, encouraging them to engage in more active and outdoor behavior. This study investigated the influence of a nature-based science enrichment program on the activity preferences of students in early childhood classrooms. Over 400 students were recruited to participate in active lessons focusing on nature implemented by a naturalist educator. Prior to the intervention, investigators conducted interviews with the children in order to determine baseline activity preferences. Participants were presented with two pictures of contrasting activities and asked to choose which one they preferred, which were classified as active/outdoor versus sedentary/indoor. In addition, a postinterview will be conducted to determine the children’s activity preferences after receiving the nature-based program for comparison to pre-test data. We predicted that children who participated in the intervention would have significantly higher preferences for active and outdoor activities versus indoor and sedentary activities. These results would reveal the necessity for naturebased lessons in early childhood classrooms. As students are exposed to more outdoor activities, they become more inclined to develop active and outdoor lifestyles. This could aid in counteracting childhood obesity as students may spend less time in sedentary activities and participate in more physical activities