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Exploring autism awareness on Instagram: Engagement, sentiment, and advocacy in high-engagement posts
No full textGraduateThis study explores the role of Instagram in enhancing public awareness and understanding of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) by analyzing high-engagement posts. We examined 364 posts using hashtags like #autism, #asd, and #autismspectrumdisorder, focusing on engagement metrics, sentiment, and thematic content. Our findings highlight the prominence of personal narratives, advocacy, and neurodiversity representation in fostering meaningful dialogue. Sentiment analysis revealed a positive and neutral tone, emphasizing Instagram’s potential for autism advocacy. This research underscores the value of social media platforms like Instagram in shaping public perceptions and advancing autism awareness and inclusion efforts
Fellow Creatures
No full textA film exploring animal rescue that links my experiences to the people who inspired me throughout my time fostering. Fellow Creatures is grounded in an understanding of the larger system of animal rescue and stray overpopulation that impacts the welfare of dogs and cats in America. Link to film on YouTube: https://youtu.be/I_mZwWUzPvwFilm and Television Studie
Estimating Change in Humpback Whale Song Repertoire Through Occupancy Modeling and Phrase Transition Analysis
No full textThere are 14 distinct population segments of humpback whales worldwide, each known to sing its own unique, population-specific song. The structure of these songs is hierarchical: songs are made up of themes, themes consist of phrases, and phrases are composed of individual units. Over time, the occurrence and sequence of these components gradually change. These slow, progressive changes drive song evolution within a population through cultural transmission. Additionally, song changes can spread between populations, with the extent of transmission depending on the level of connectivity between them. Therefore, understanding song change is important in conservation, as the degree of song change can reflect the degree of population connectivity, but measuring and quantifying the degree of change is often challenging due to the complexity of the song itself and discrepancies in recording effort. In this thesis I approach the study of humpback whale song change using two methods: (1) I test the application of occupancy modeling to estimate the pace of song change by focusing on the smallest component of the song, the unit, across 17 years, and (2) I use a transition probabilities approach to measure changes in song phrase occurrence and sequence across two breeding seasons. The first approach accounts for differences in sampling effort, which can influence unit detection, and was applied to recordings from the Breeding Stock G (BSG) humpback whale population. The second approach involves an exhaustive sampling effort using passive acoustic monitoring that spans the beginning, middle, and end of the breeding season. This method was applied to recordings from the Central American (CA) population. Both populations have important breeding areas in Panama and Costa Rica, where the data was collected. The results of this thesis indicate the plausibility of combining both methods in the study of humpback whale song change. The occupancy modeling approach effectively tracked the presence and absence of BSG whales’ song units over time and identified recording duration and sea surface temperature as the most influential features on probability detection. The transition probability approach provided insights into both within-season and between-season song variation in Central American (CA) humpback whales. Unlike the gradual changes typically observed in other populations, seasonal changes in the CA whales' songs were rapid. In Season 2, 70% of the phrases were entirely new. In season 1, phrase transitions were more variable at the beginning of the breeding season, while in season 2 the song remained relatively stable. The combination of both approaches can significantly improve our understanding of song changes and allow researchers to predict the direction of such changes in future.BiologyMaster of Science (MS
2024 Winter Canola Variety Trial
No full textMost of the canola grown in North America is grown in the Midwestern U.S. and Canada for both culinary oil as well as biodiesel production. Winter canola is planted in the late summer where it grows through the fall before entering a period of dormancy for the winter. The following spring, the plants resume growth and seed is harvested during the summer months. Winter canola could potentially be a useful crop to growers in the Northeast for diversifying rotations, farm products and markets, and producing fuel on farm. However, for winter canola to be a viable crop in our region, we must identify the varieties that can survive the winter months. To do this, the Northwest Crops and Soils Program conducted a variety trial in 2023- 2024, which was part of the National Winter Canola Variety Trial (https://www.agronomy.k- state.edu/outreach-and-services/crop-performance-tests/canola/ )
Optimizing struvite recovery using electromagnetic field (EMF) for improved nucleation and crystal growth
No full textGraduateStruvite (MgNH4PO4·6H2O) recovery offers a sustainable approach to nutrient reclamation from wastewater, yet optimizing crystal growth and nucleation remains underexplored. This study investigates the use of electric signals to enhance ion mobility and reaction kinetics for improved struvite precipitation by modifying wastewater properties like pH and temperature. To optimize nucleation kinetics and crystal growth, we proposed integrating a multiphysics mechanistic model to quantify the total effect of the induced electromagnetic field. The results indicate that EMF enhances rapid nucleation, recovering over 80% of phosphorus and potentially accelerating nutrient recovery. This contributes to more sustainable wastewater treatment under dynamic environmental conditions
Bald Hill Pond field data compilation using ArcGIS field maps
No full textUndergraduateVermont has more than 800 inland lakes with disparate monitoring data across several organizations and projects. Compiling this data is a challenge but can be an asset for comparisons across space and time. In this project, we aimed to use ArcGIS Field Maps to create an accessible tool for data input and spatial display for Bald Hill Pond. Submission forms are designed so that site locations, plant identification, and more can be input in the field or after collection. Data is acquired from the Vermont Geodata Portal, Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation, and the Vermont Limnology Lab
2024 Summer Annual Variety Trial
No full textWarm season grasses, such as sudangrass, and millet can provide quality forage in the hot summer months, when cool season grasses enter dormancy and decline in productivity. The addition of summer annuals into a rotation can provide a harvest of high-quality forage for stored feed or grazing during this critical time. Generally, summer annuals germinate quickly, grow rapidly, are drought resistant, and have high productivity and flexibility in utilization. The UVM Extension Northwest Crops and Soils Program conducted this variety trial to evaluate the yield and quality of warm season annual grasses
Concussion Reporting and Education: A Public Health Intervention
No full textAbstract Introduction: Concussions are a common and serious injury in high school sports, yet underreporting remains a major barrier to timely diagnosis and care. Many student-athletes continue to play through symptoms due to poor understanding of risks or fear of letting down their team. Schools often lack standardized concussion education, especially in areas without robust athletic trainer (AT) support. Methods: This project developed and distributed an educational brochure aimed at student-athletes to improve awareness of concussion symptoms, risks, and the importance of self-reporting. The brochure was shared with local high school ATs, who were invited to complete a brief survey evaluating the current state of concussion education at their schools and their impressions of the brochure. Results: Of the 15 ATs contacted, 2 responded. Both reported that their schools do not offer formal concussion education. They rated their confidence that athletes understand concussion risks at 4 out of 5 but acknowledged encountering reluctance to report symptoms (3 out of 5). Both ATs indicated “Maybe” when asked if they would distribute the brochure, whether they felt it would help students better understand concussions, and if they would like additional resources. Discussion: Though limited in scale, the results highlight gaps in concussion education at the high school level and suggest interest in accessible tools like brochures to support ATs in delivering key information. Conclusion: This brochure is a small but practical step toward empowering student-athletes with knowledge and promoting safer reporting behaviors in sports environments lacking formal education programs
A Self-Affirmation Intervention For Responsible Parties in Restorative Justice
No full textBackground and purpose: Restorative justice is a response to crime in which the offender, or the “responsible party,” engages in a process with community stakeholders in which they learn about the harm caused by the crime and complete a “contract” in which they take action to make amends and participate in community engagement and personal development activities (Zehr, 2002). Research demonstrates that responsible parties who can adopt the difficult mindset of responsibility taking, perspective taking, and motivated engagement accrue the most benefits from restorative justice (Hipple et al., 2015). The purpose of this study is to test the effect of a values-affirmation intervention (Steele, 1988) on psychological processes and contract completion among responsible parties. Method: I recruited 116 responsible parties undergoing a restorative justice process from nine restorative justice centers to complete a Qualtrics study. Qualtrics randomly assigned participants to write for ten minutes about either their values (self-affirmation condition) or a neutral control topic. Next, participants completed measures of two mediator variables: self-integrity and existential connection, and measures of three dependent variables: responsibility taking, cognitive empathy, and contract readiness. Four months later, I documented whether or not the participant had completed their contract. Results: Compared to the control condition, those in the values-affirmation condition reported higher contract readiness and cognitive empathy, but did not report greater responsibility taking or contract completion. The effect of self-affirmation on contract readiness was mediated by self-integrity but not by existential connection. The effect of self-affirmation on cognitive empathy was mediated by existential connection but not by self-integrity. Conclusion: Restorative justice practitioners might incorporate values-affirmation into the process to help prepare responsible parties for the difficult tasks of empathy and motivation.PsychologyDoctor of Philosophy (PhD
The OPRM1 gene: The powerhouse of pain killers
No full textUndergraduatePrior research has identified the OPRM1 gene as a factor in genetic dispositions to addiction. This gene is responsible for the production of mu-opioid receptors, which are used to modulate pain in the nervous system. The authors sought to identify the outcomes of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the OPRM1 gene. They found that the homozygous recessive genotype is less common and that this genotype resulted in a SNP that inhibited OPRM1 function. These findings provide a better understanding of how genetics and addiction tend to influence one another