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In plain sight : A Curated Art Walk
No full textThis presentation will describe a curated art walk on the Valparaiso University campus which features the work of four senior art majors (Maiah Deogracias, Emily Graves, Zion Gifford, and Ashley Vernon). The exhibition is available to the public April 13 - May 11, 2024, and spans five campus locations including Loke Hall, Mueller Hall, the Christopher Center Library, Harre Union, and the Brauer Museum of Art. The art walk was created to highlight the importance of art, particularly student art, on a university’s campus. Despite unhindered access, many public artworks remain “hidden in plain sight”. Casual visitors might not appreciate the significance of specific pieces or recognize the role they play in conveying a given message. Thus, the narrative of the walk serves to reveal and celebrate the integral role that artwork plays in shaping the visitor\u27s experience. As their steps are guided by a recorded narrative, visitors will discover the implicit messages, both personal and universal, underlying individual pieces. The grand finale, located in the Brauer Museum of Art, invites visitors to view the artists’ final undergraduate creations. Thus, at the end of the walk, each displayed piece represents the culmination of the student artists\u27 personal journey
The Black Maternal Mortality Rate: Furthering the Discussion on the Deadly Symptomatic Reflections of Structural Racism on Black Mothers and Analyzing State-Level Policies\u27 Effectiveness in Lowering the Black Maternal Mortality Rate
No full textIn the US, Black women are more likely to die during pregnancy when compared to their White counterparts. Black Maternal Mortality is not only a vast issue nationwide but a challenging one to solve. Previous research has identified structural racism as a primary factor in the Black Maternal Mortality Rate. This form of racism in the preconception, prenatal, and postpartum periods can turn into deadly symptoms that are problematic to the mother\u27s health. Most existing research has developed from this root cause and turned to national-level policies as key to rectifying this problem. However, there has been little focus on how state-level policies can fight against structural racism and lower the Black Maternal Mortality Rate. This gap in research presents an issue because states can strengthen or weaken their individual policies based on national standards thus affecting the level of help given to Black mothers. Through this paper, I will work to close that gap by examining the effectiveness of state-level policies and determining if measures presented in them lower the Black Maternal Mortality Rate. First, I will examine previous literature on the causes of Black Maternal Mortality to show the importance of a state-wide policy analysis. Second, by running a multiple linear regression I will examine whether current state-wide policies are effectively lowering the Black Maternal Mortality Rate. I believe that states which have expanded Medicaid coverage, including doula and midwife services, and have implemented implicit bias training for healthcare professionals will have the lowest Black Maternal Mortality Rates.
Keywords: Structural Racism, Black Maternal Mortality Rate, Policymaking, Maternal Mortality, Maternal Morbidity, Pregnancy-related deat
Photographing and Editing a Partial Solar Eclipse Timelapse
No full textOn April 8, 2024 a total solar eclipse passed through a large swath of land in the United States, blanketing millions of people in darkness in the middle of the day. Valparaiso experienced a partial eclipse with 96% of the sun being covered by the moon during the celestial event. My fascination with the event led me to buy the necessary solar filter which would allow me to safely photograph the eclipse as it happened. The filter was used in conjunction with a 70-200mm f/2.8 lens which was paired with a 2x range extender before being mounted onto a Canon R6 Mark II camera body. This setup was then mounted onto a standard video tripod which allowed me to regularly adjust the angle which allowed me to keep the sun at the center of the frame. A photo was then taken every 30 seconds which would allow me enough time between shots to adjust the angle of the tripod as well as give me enough shots to compile a compelling timelapse. The hardest work came during post production work where — due to the nature of the tripod setup — it was necessary to stabilize the frames for position and rotation to keep the final timelapse from being overly jittery. The result is a 20 second long timelapse showing the full progression of the partial solar eclipse
Depletion of the Groundwater Commons in the Ogallala Aquifer: An Interdisciplinary Approach from Science, Technology, and Society
No full textThe growing social concern in the United States about climate change, environmental action, social injustice, and economic inequality have led researchers, producers, politicians, and scientists alike to explore the intersection of technological practices and societal disparities. The Great Plains states occupy a common pool resource (CPR): groundwater. In this region, the Ogallala Aquifer provides groundwater access for most of the population for drinking, industry, and agricultural practices. However, with widespread mechanized agriculture and economically disadvantaged communities, this region currently is experiencing a tragedy of the commons, where the aquifer is depleted faster than it can be replenished. Even with the invention of the Environmental Protection Agency and implementation of various groundwater policies, questions arise about why this depletion still occurs. How does it impact various communities? What should be done to allow for agriculture and other industries to continue a prosperous endeavor? To best address these questions, we look at the historical and scientific mechanisms that contribute to groundwater depletion along with sociological interpretations of convenience and stratification in order to provide scientific, technological, and societal solutions to CPR management
Environmental Restoration Target Estimation Around Engquist Nature Preserve
No full textThis project analyzed soil parameters from multiple locations owned by the Shirley Heinze Land Trust in Porter County, Indiana, some of which are being ecologically restored or have been restored in the past. The samples were collected from prairie, forested wetland, riverine wetland/floodplain ecological areas, and current agricultural areas to be restored to each of those same environmental types. To measure the effectiveness of the rehabilitation mentioned above, this project compared bulk density, soil chemistry, organic matter, aggregate stability, and particle size analysis from the agricultural area to those from restored and natural settings. This allowed the estimation of targets and a baseline to assess the effectiveness of future rehabilitation projects. The results helped us to learn more about restoration projects on plots of land that have been used for agriculture for an extended period of time and can help other environmental projects find effective ways of rehabilitating formerly cultivated land
Forecasting the Road Ahead: A Survival Analysis of Car Accidents in Chicago (2018-2024)
No full textCrash injuries are estimated to be the eighth leading cause of death globally for all age groups and the leading cause of death for children and young people 5–29 years of age. More people now die in crashes than from HIV/AIDS. For my research Project I analyzed Car Accidents in Chicago from 2018 to 2024.
This research project delves into the forecasting of car accidents within the Chicago metropolitan area, spanning from 2018 to 2024. The study\u27s overarching objective is twofold: firstly, to evaluate various forecasting techniques to predict the incidence of car accidents accurately, thereby enabling preemptive safety measures. Secondly, the project aims to conduct a survival analysis on the incidents recorded, assessing the determinants of severity and outcomes post-crash
Holding His Attention: Tolkien and Modern Science Fiction
Get PDFIn his letters and other venues, Tolkien singled out several works of science fiction as being able to hold my attention - those of Isaac Asimov, Sam Youd, Joseph O\u27Neill, and Brian Aldiss. This paper constructs a checklist of characteristics based on earlier works Tolkien also enjoyed (those of Wells, Lewis, Eddison, Stapledon, and Lindsay) before using it to evaluate the later works
Cat-Spoon, Pants-Car: Testing Trials Needed for a Picture Paired Associates Task for Adults
No full textThis study investigates the number of trials needed for accurate introspection on memory accuracy in adults. Prior research suggests preschoolers benefit from introspection tasks (Hembacher & Ghetti, 2014). Preschoolers encoded items presented once or twice, then completed a forced-choice retrieval test with confidence judgments. Research has also found that memory performance on a paired associates tasks in children is related to their word learning (Vlach & DeBrock, 2017). However, the optimal number of trials in a picture based paired associates task for adults remains unknown. A pilot test indicated 10 trials, commonly used with preschoolers, is insufficient for adults. Our experiment will investigate the appropriate number of trials needed for reliable introspection in adults, with an initial estimate of 40-55 trials based on existing literature
Design and Synthesis of a Potential Anti-fungal Agent
No full textFungal infections are a serious concern, as they impact many people and have high mortality rates for those who are immunocompromised. As a result of increased drug-resistant microbes, there is always a need for new drugs to combat these infections, without causing side effects in humans. Taking advantage of structural differences in the fungal form of the essential Methionine Synthase (MetSyn) enzyme, one can design compounds to selectively bind to the fungal enzyme, inhibiting fungal growth, while leaving the mammalian enzyme unaffected. We are designing, and optimizing the synthesis of, a variety of inhibitors using pterin and deazaguanine-based molecules as a scaffold to mimic folate, an essential substrate for MetSyn function. We have been testing these molecules\u27 activity in a microbial growth assay
Use of Plastic Nesting Material and its Potential Impact on American Robin (Turdus migratorius) Nests
Get PDFRising levels of plastic pollution in the environment continue to impact aquatic and terrestrial organisms, including birds when they incorporate it into their nests. Whether the use of plastic as nesting material is entirely helpful or harmful is largely unknown. Potential detrimental effects of incorporating non-anthropogenic matter as nesting material include entanglement, ingestion, alteration of thermal properties, and increase in predation risk. The proportion of plastic used in robin (Turdus migratorius) nests was determined in 3 types of locations in Northwest Indiana. These sites included shopping area parking lots, Valparaiso University campus, and local parks. Post-breeding season robin nests (n=44, f=4.51, p\u3c.025) were collected and dissected. Overall, 89% of the nests contained plastic. The nests with the most plastic originated from shopping areas. The effects plastic material had on nest predation rate were examined by placing artificial and natural nests around campus with model clay eggs. Half of the trials had white polyethylene plastic incorporated into their nests, and half contained no plastic. Time to nest disturbance or the presence of animal markings on the eggs were used to measure predation. In 2022, 74% of the nests were attacked with more predation from bird species than mammals. The time until predation was significantly longer for nests with plastic (n=11, t=2.3, p\u3c.050). In 2023, the experiment was replicated, and results indicated that the time until predation was significantly longer for nests without plastic. Future research is required to understand the comprehensive impacts plastic has on bird nest quality and breeding success