Middle Tennessee State University
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Identifying Components of a Hypothetical Assessment of Digital Literacy for Tennessee Students
No full textTechnology is constantly becoming more important in the daily lives of people worldwide. With this ever-increasing importance, it is imperative that the education system can adjust to educate their students about the world that they are entering. In Tennessee, a new senate bill that attempts to close the gap between STEM interest and STEM performance will require students to have one year of a computer applications course before they can graduate. In this thesis, I propose a method for assessing the efficacy of this policy change to its goal by identifying potential components of an assessment of digital literacy skills. To accomplish this goal, I analyzed nine different international experiments of digital literacy through the lens of a European framework, DigComp. The results concluded that the ideal way to assess digital literacy is through a format that includes a combination of multiple choice questions and interactive simulations
Nashville's First Public Historian: Jessie Carney Smith At Fisk University
No full textIn 1965, Smith began her career as head librarian at Fisk, making endless contributions to black history. By the time of her retirement, several contemporaries concluded that her encyclopedias promoted black women’s history and helped public education. Though there has been increasing interest in black librarianship, Smith somehow slips through the cracks. While Arturo Schomburg, and Dorothy Porter were exceptional at both Fisk and Howard libraries, Smith furthered their pursuit of black history. Not guilty of self-adulation, Smith rarely mentions her accomplishments. Instead, she insists that Fisk should commemorate her great mentor and predecessor Arna Bontemps. After all, it was those early years with Bontemps that introduced her to librarianship, and that formed the ethos of her first decade as head librarian.M.A
A New Approach to Research Communication: Sharing Results Through Stories
No full textEver since the format of the formal scientific article emerged, it has constituted the standard mode of presentation for scientific research. This tradition, more effective for doing science than for sharing science, erects a wall of jargon between scientific knowledge and the public, especially for students exploring scientific research for the first time. Moreover, in the face of complex technological issues like global climate change, the public, now more than ever, ought to have the resources to understand the results specialized science research to inform their decisions. Hence, if science is to be communicated effectively, the method of communication must change. One approach supported by science communication research is the narrative form. In this thesis, I put these ideas into practice by giving two presentations of the biophysics research I completed at a Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship at Oak Ridge National Lab. Chapter 1 consists of a traditional scientific paper detailing my research project entitled, “Characterizing the Association of Glucuronoarabinoxylan and Cellulose in the Plant Cell Wall.” In Chapter 2, I share the same research but in an alternative presentation style, a set of short stories
Assaying dopamine with saccharide carbon dots
No full text***SEMINAR REMINDER***
Department of Chemistry
College of Basic and Applied Sciences
Monday, November 20th, 2023
Science Building, Room 1191, 3:15 pm
Assaying dopamine with saccharide carbon dots
Peter Ogunsanya
M.S Thesis Defense, CHEM 6800
Dr. Charles Chusuei, Chair
Dr. Ngee Sing Chong
Dr. Chengshan Wang
ABSTRACT
Dopamine, also known as 4-(2-aminoethyl) benzene-1,2-diol (DA), is a neurotransmitter produced by brain neurons. It serves a crucial role in transmitting neurological signals. Dopamine exerts a substantial influence on various physiological systems in the human body, including the metabolism, central neurological system, renal system, and hormonal system.1 Insufficient levels of dopamine can lead to many neurological disorders, such as Parkinson's disease and schizophrenia, and a high level of dopamine excretion is a biomarker for the electrochemical detection of DA. This work explores the deposition of Saccharide carbon dots (namely lactose, glucose, and galactose) onto the surface of a glassy carbon electrode. This is followed by the deposition of a 2 wt% Nafion solution. The purpose of this process is to detect dopamine within two concentration ranges: 0.01mM – 0.1mM and 0.1mM – 1Mm. Cyclic voltammetry was employed to measure the relationship between current and concentration. At a concentration of 1mM, the lactose carbon dot exhibits the highest oxidation peak height, followed by glucose and then galactose. Studies on the selectivity between dopamine and the two other analytes—d-glucose and uric acid—that could obstruct neuroblastoma screening mechanisms during excretion were conducted. The results indicate that lactose CDs' reaction to GCE was largely selective for dopamine at the oxidation potential, with little to no response to either of the other analytes. The average size of the carbon dots, with a diameter of (156 ± 7) nm, was determined using scanning electron microscopy. This result provides an understanding of the uniformity of the carbon dots, with a diameter greater than the average size of carbon dots (>10nm), this also explains the discrepancy between the Raman results from Chusuei et al. and the behavior of carbon dots.2
REFERENCES
(1) Zhang, Y.; Liu, F.; Xiao, F.; Wu, Q. Effects of an Ingredient of Bupleurum On Dopamine D2 Receptor-Mediated Signaling in Human Neuroblastoma Cell Line. Eur. Psychiatry 2015, 30, 1617. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0924-9338(15)31249-9.
(2) Chusuei, C. C.; Clark, C. J.; Pandey, R. R.; Williams, E. T.; Shuxteau, C.; Seven, E. S.; Leblanc, R. M. Graphene Defects in Saccharide Carbon Dots Govern Electrochemical Sensitivity. Electroanalysis 2021, 33 (11), 2261–2266. https://doi.org/10.1002/elan.202100381.M.S
Athens to Acuff: Changing Identities and Influences on the City of Nashville
No full textThis thesis explores how Nashville's two main identities, the "Athens of the South" and "Music City, U.S.A.," developed, changed, and influenced each other. This thesis utilizes an arrange of primary sources, including newspapers, pamphlets, maps, photographs, letters, books, articles, and other archival material. The thesis begins with a discussion on the birth and evolution of Nashville's "Athens of the South" identity from the 1840s to the 1890s. It then discusses the dominance of Nashville's classical identity during the 1890s to 1940s, while also discussing Nashville's music industry, which began to grow during this same time period. It further discusses the rise of Nashville's music industry and its identity as "Music City, U.S.A." During the 1940s to 1974, and how Nashvillians, classical or otherwise, responded to this identity shift. It concludes with a brief discussion on contemporary Nashville and how Nashville's classical legacy and music industry are remembered in modern times.M.A
PREDICTING STUDENT SUCCESS IN A MAGNET SCHOOL SETTING THROUGH INTELLIGENCE AND NON-COGNITIVE FACTORS
No full textPREDICTING STUDENT SUCCESS IN A MAGNET SCHOOL SETTING THROUGH INTELLIGENCE AND NON-COGNITIVE FACTORS
ABSTRACT
Magnet schools have been a main tool or innovation in urban education settings in the United States, originating in the early 1970’s and expanding into most large urban districts today (Blank, 1989). While some magnet schools do not rely on a specific criterion to determine entry, many do. This study focuses on such a setting where students must demonstrate advanced cognitive abilities to be admitted in early grades via a screening tool designed to measure levels of intelligence. The study seeks to gauge the reliability and validity of the utilization of such a screener to identify children best suited for the magnet school presented. The results could potentially be valuable in providing important information to researchers and other magnet school officials who seek to determine effective and accurate methods to measure intelligence and identify children with the potential for high academic performance.
This quantitative study examined results from the Kauffman Brief Intelligence Test (KBIT), Second Edition, which was utilized by the school in the study for determining entry eligibility for incoming kindergarten and first-grade students. These results were compared with other student assessments administered throughout elementary school grades, culminating with fourth grade. Associations were sought between the screener and state-administered summative assessments to determine the reliability of the entry screener at identifying students best suited for inclusion in a setting with high academic expectations. Additionally, data from a non-cognitive measurement tool was compared with those same state assessment scores to determine the usefulness of such a measure and its association with high levels of academic achievement.
Three research questions were addressed to, 1) determine variances among student demographic groups on all assessments in the study, 2) analyze associations between student entry screening scores and other assessment data, and 3) analyze associations between student non-cognitive measurement scores and other assessment data. The study seeks to determine the most accurate and effective method for determining student ability for successful participation in the magnet school setting provided.Ed.D
NOT UNHAPPY BUT UNSETTLED: How New Leadership Engages With Existing Community in K-12-Unit Schools
No full textK-12-unit school structures are unique in grade band structure and in community involvement. Often found in rural settings, K-12-unit schools are steeped in tradition and community. They are typically smaller schools with under 1500 students enrolled. K-unit-schools exhibit characteristics of an open system wherein they are impacted by both those individuals directly involved in the school such as teachers, students and administrators and those community members and parents who surround the school. As an open system, this dissertation seeks to understand how one K-12-unit school adjusted through the change of administration when an administrator from an outside, large metropolitan area moved into the area as Principal. This qualitative analysis looks at one K-12-unit school that has recently undergone administration change. As part of the study, the new administrator, assistant principal, six teachers and staff, and a community focus group were interviewed and social media, school improvement plans, and state teacher surveys were analyzed to answer the following research questions: Question 1 - How does a new administrator assimilate within the existing school culture initially accepted by teachers and community members in a K-12-unit school?; Question 2 - How does the culture and/or community also have to adjust during the assimilation of a new leader?
This dissertation examines how the administrator assimilated in the school and community and how the school and community adjusted for the new administrator. This dissertation seeks to understand elements of school culture, leadership, and change and how these things work together in the K-12-unit school environment.Ed.D
EXPLORING A TRACKED EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM: TEACHER PERCEPTIONS OF THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT, STUDENT POTENTIAL, AND STUDENT SUCCESS
No full textAbstract
Tracking is the practice of grouping students into homogeneous classes based on their perceived ability or intelligence. It is a pervasive system used by school districts across the United States and, like most widely used practices, it has its proponents and opponents. Through a qualitative case study approach, this study aims to explore teachers’ understanding of tracking, their perceptions of tracking, and their role in tracking when planning and executing instruction for students in their tracked classes. The findings from this study reveal disparities in the amount of academic exposure provided to students in different tracks. This dissertation also includes implications and recommendations for school and district leaders, teachers, and students as the goal of education is to assist and support all students as they reach their full potential.Ed.D
Built Environment at The Farm: A 1970s Tennessee Commune
No full textThe Farm began with a professor named Stephen Gaskin in San Francisco, California. After attracting a large following from his Monday Night Class where he led spiritual gatherings, Gaskin led them to Lewis County, Tennessee, to pursue an experiment in living lightly with the earth. The establishment of The Farm as a commune lasted from 1971 to 1983, whereafter members decided to shift away from the communal experience. More than fifty years later, it continues to exist as an intentional community. How does the construction and built environment from the communal period at The Farm tie into the larger history of counter-cultural groups from the 1970s? The Farm relied on inexpensive, eco-friendly ways to build; how have these buildings adapted over time and what can their futures hold? In this thesis, I aim to answer these questions to place The Farm’s history and architecture in a larger context of hippie history. I emphasize the connectedness of the historic structures to their present-day operations as well as their relevancy to producing a nomination for the National Register of Historic Places.M.A
Evolution of Feeding-Associated Morphology in Etheostomatinae (Darter Fishes)
No full textBiologists have long tried to understand the inequal distribution of diversity across the tree of life. Some species have conserved morphology over time, while others have diversified, some to the very extremes of morphology. Etheostomatinae, a radiation of freshwater fishes, is a speciose clade (approximately 240 species) that shows impressive diversity in skull and jaw morphology. I quantified the morphological disparity and functional diversity of feeding-associated traits across the darter radiation using updated and non-destructive methods. Using µCT and diceCT scanning, I created a set of three-dimensional models of the skull and associated musculature of 88 species of darters (N = 233). Skull components were analyzed using 3D geometric morphometrics and this data set, along with muscle volume measurements, was used to calculate five biomechanical indices known to influence feeding strategy in fishes: opening jaw MA (mechanical advantage), closing jaw MA, oral jaw KT (kinematic transmission), hyoid KT, and adductor mandibulae volume. I found morphological diversity in darters was most strongly impacted by mouth size and position and head elongation, while jaw closing lever mechanics, jaw muscle size, and hyoid kinematics were important for differentiating the major clades of darters. I found evidence for an early burst model of evolution based on skull elongation, along with multiple overlapping early evolutionary shifts in form and function, including for previously identified ecomorphs (e.g., rock flippers and manipulators). I also found the relationship between form and function to be strong and significant across all darters and when considering some of the major clades individually (Etheostoma and Percina), though species in highly specialized, energetic habitats appear to have weaker form-function relationships. The evolution of the cranium of darters appears to have been initially impacted by adaptive divergence between midwater darters and those inhabiting soft-substrate environments and strongly benthic species living in fast water, rocky habitats. Subsequent adaptive shifts appear to be focused on adaptation to foraging in different microhabitats (e.g., over top of, vs. under rocks). Foraging trade-offs appear to be strongly correlated with form-function relationships and may have been impacted by constructional constraints on body elongation in darters, especially in fast water habitats. My work suggests that ecological adaptation has played an important role in generating the morphological diversity of the darter clade.M.S