Architecture

Authors: Anna Trollmann. Mentors: Chris Anderson. Insitution: Utah Valley University. Past research has found positive correlations between childhood abuse and the likelihood of developing eating disorders later in life. Much of the research previously composed primarily focuses on specific categories of abuse, including sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and witnessing domestic violence. Feelings of loneliness are often studied in relation to eating disorder behaviors, specifically binge eating disorder (BED). Scarcely any research delivers studies of former college students with a specific focus on introspection regarding feelings of being unloved. The goal of this research project is to understand the correlation between feeling unloved and neglected with eating disorder behaviors. This UVU IRB-approved study (IRB Protocol #939) will use data from 6,000 randomly selected UVU current and former College of Humanities and Social Science (2014-2021) that were sent an email with a survey link. The survey assessed the past Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) related to feeling loved in childhood and their eating habits. The large sample size of this study will help support any findings in this research. Using former Utah college students in this study creates limitations as they are likely to be higher educated and younger than the general population. The results of this research could be relevant to the treatment of eating disorders, the detection of children at risk of eating disorders, and the consequences of feeling unloved in childhood.

Authors: Angela Gomez. Mentors: Chizu Matsubara. Insitution: Utah Tech University. Once students know their letter names and sounds, educators have them begin to learn irregular words, commonly known as sight words. These words are irregular due to them not following common patterns that make up a word. Typically, teaching irregular words is done by having students learn a set number of words through flashcards or reading them off a list. However, students who learn irregular words with flashcards or lists struggle and need help when reading those same words in a text. Action research will be used to study the hypothesis: “Will direct phonics literacy instruction help students learn and retain irregular words?” The research is being conducted in a kindergarten classroom by a preservice teacher in her practicum placement. The focus students for the research will be working with the preservice teacher in a small group setting where they will be reading decodable texts that contain irregular words within the text. The students will be able to decode the regular words they come across using their knowledge of alphabet letters and sounds. Students will be learning the irregular words of the text through direct phonics instruction to help them learn and retain their knowledge of irregular words. By using direct phonics instruction within a text, students can learn how to successfully read the irregular word while simultaneously applying it to a text. The other approach to learning irregular words is reading them on flashcards or a list and then having students transfer their knowledge of these words from a list to reading them in a text, which can become problematic for students as they cannot do so. By having students learn irregular words through direct phonics instruction, the expected result is to have students know around 50 irregular words by the deadline required by the local school district.

Authors: Emma Parry, Nikki Trush, Christina Pondell. Mentors: Christina Pondell. Insitution: Utah Tech University. Rivers in arid environments provide extremely important sources of freshwater for local ecosystems and communities. These regions are highly vulnerable to climate change and are seeing high rates of human population growth. This leads to unsustainable demand on progressively more threatened freshwater resources. Despite the importance of these water resources for residential, agricultural, and environmental needs, there is little information available to describe long term changes to water quality in response to human and climate change. The Santa Clara River in southern Utah is one prime example of a threatened arid river system that serves as an important drinking water source to a rapidly growing human population. This 52-mile-long river flows from the Pine Valley Mountains and past the cities of Ivins, Santa Clara, and St. George before meeting with the Virgin River. This research discusses results from a water quality monitoring program initiated in February 2023. Our sampling efforts focused on the lower Santa Clara River between Gunlock Reservoir and the Virgin River confluence. We selected four sites to monitor the impacts of changes in land use and restoration efforts on the river’s water quality. In this presentation we discuss results from time series analysis and correlations between water quality, flow rates, and land use to describe how water quality responds to human and climate impacts on this arid freshwater resource. This research underscores the importance of establishing long-term monitoring capabilities for critical water quality parameters and provides valuable insights for sustainable water management and environmental conservation in southern Utah.

Authors: Savanna Greer. Mentors: Zhenyu Jin. Insitution: Utah Tech University. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) play a crucial role in predicting avalanches by enabling the analysis, visualization, and modeling of various spatial data that contribute to understanding avalanche risk. Here's how GIS can assist in predicting avalanches:* Terrain Analysis: GIS allows experts to analyze terrain features such as slope, aspect, elevation, and curvature, which are critical factors in determining avalanche-prone areas. Steep slopes, specific aspects, and changes in elevation are indicative of higher avalanche risk. GIS software can create detailed elevation models and analyze slope angles to identify potential avalanche zones.
* Snowpack Analysis: By integrating data from snow telemetry stations, weather stations, and remote sensing technologies, GIS can help monitor snow depth, density, temperature, and moisture content. These factors are critical in assessing the stability of the snowpack. GIS can create maps showing the distribution of snow depth and snow water equivalent, aiding in the assessment of avalanche risk.
* Historical Data Integration: GIS enables the integration of historical avalanche data and events into mapping systems. Analyzing past avalanche occurrences can help identify patterns, understand triggers, and determine high-risk areas. This data can be used to create predictive models.
* Weather and Climate Data: GIS allows the integration of real-time and historical weather data into avalanche prediction models. Changes in temperature, precipitation, wind speed, and direction greatly impact snow stability and can trigger avalanches. GIS can overlay weather data onto terrain and snowpack information to create comprehensive predictive models.
* Risk Zoning and Modeling: Using the spatial analysis capabilities of GIS, experts can create risk zones and models that categorize areas based on their susceptibility to avalanches. These zones help in urban planning, land-use management, and emergency response planning. GIS can also simulate and model potential avalanche paths, allowing for the visualization of potential avalanche runout zones.
* Decision Support Systems: GIS-based decision support systems provide valuable tools for avalanche forecasters and emergency management personnel. These systems integrate various data sources, allowing for real-time monitoring, risk assessment, and decision-making to mitigate potential avalanche threats.
* Communication and Public Awareness: GIS can be used to create maps and visualizations that communicate avalanche risk to the public, backcountry enthusiasts, and local authorities. This can aid in raising awareness and promoting safety measures in avalanche-prone areas.
By leveraging GIS, avalanche forecasters, researchers, and land management agencies can significantly improve their understanding of avalanche dynamics, develop more accurate predictive models, and take proactive measures to mitigate risks and enhance safety in avalanche-prone areas.

Authors: Allie Pace, Conner Bennett. Mentors: Marzieh Ghasemi. Insitution: Utah Tech University. The city of Saint George is reported as one of the fastest-growing cities in the USA with more than 40% change in its population from 2010 to 2022. With increasing population and subsequent consumerism, Saint George has seen a significant increase in waste production. Analyzing the data recorded by Washington County Solid Waste, revealed that municipal waste disposal has increased from about 136000 Tonnes in 2015 to around 227000 Tonnes in 2021. The preliminary data analysis showed that the maximum waste production mostly occurred in the peak season from March to May with approximately 20000 Tonnes of waste produced on average during these months in 2020. The purpose of this research is to study the trends in waste generation in Washington County, City of Saint George over the past 10 years. As a part of this research, the waste composition, the average waste production per household, and the possible factors that may contribute to changing waste production and composition will be investigated.

Authors: Trevor Ashby, Elizabeth Maclennan. Mentors: Gabriela Chilom. Insitution: Utah Tech University. This study explores the influence of organic amendment on the water retention and wettability of desert soils, which are traditionally challenged by limited water availability. The water retention was assessed by gravimetric methods and the wettability changes were assessed by using the contact angle and ethanol droplet methods. The aggregation and morphology of the soils was examined by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Application of organic amendments to desert soils altered their wettability, water retention, and aggregation in a manner not directly tied to the quantity of organic material incorporated. These alterations are indicative of complex soil-organic matter interactions that transcend mere carbon addition and underscore a multifaceted response of desert soils to organic amendments, which cannot be predicted by the amount of organic carbon alone.

Authors: Soren Pearce. Mentors: Jacob Hickman. Insitution: Brigham Young University. Conversations about conspiracy theories have become prevalent in contemporary Western society, reaching through all levels of private, academic, and governmental discourse. Part of this discourse revolves around the question of what exactly conspiracy theories are and how they occur within a population; much of the recent academic treatment of conspiracy theories identifies them as a kind of propaganda whose purpose is to promote particular political agendas, especially those with apocalyptic concerns (Cassam 2019). While conspiracy theories certainly have been and continue to be used to further certain political aims, this understanding of them as totally propaganda provides only a narrow insight that fails to capture the scope of how conspiracy theories occur in the real world and how they are experienced by the people who believe in them. Philosophy and political theory can only be so informative, and they lack an ethnographic perspective to instruct on the lived reality of conspiracy theories (Hickman & Webster 2018). During my fieldwork in Belfast, Northern Ireland, I conducted ethnographic research with a group of people who could easily and accurately be labeled conspiracy theorists; my experiences with them provide insight into how conspiracy theories actually operate in the lives of living people. Contrary to popular claims, conspiracy theories—especially those that deal with the end of the world as we know it—are not experienced as primarily political phenomena. Instead, they are experienced as religious truths, and the millenarian activism that often surrounds them is enacted because of a conviction of personal obligation to the truth. Framing conspiracy theories as mere propaganda or dismissing them as the effects of cognitive dissonance incorrectly discounts the empirical reality of these beliefs for the people who have them.

Authors: Danielle Black. Mentors: Chris Anderson. Insitution: Utah Valley University. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a common psychiatric disorder diagnosed in children, characterized by impulsivity, inattention, and hyperactivity. It is frequently co-morbid with eating disorders, primarily bulimia nervosa (BN) and binge-eating disorder (BED). Impulsivity is an important factor in increasing the risk of binge-eating and subsequent feelings of guilt, which may prompt purging behaviors. This often manifests early in childhood as loss of control while eating and can indicate future development of an eating disorder. The current project aimed to assess the link between ADHD symptoms and disordered eating in Utah Valley University alumni. After obtaining IRB approval, 265 alumni responded to an email survey containing nineteen questions regarding ADHD symptoms and three items related to disordered eating. Pearson correlations revealed a significant association between ADHD symptoms and binging (r=.22, p <.01) as well as guilt about eating (r=.17, p <.01). Limitations of the study include the absence of a clinical ADHD diagnoses, relying instead on self-report, and the homogeneous sample, restricting its generalizability. The study was bolstered by its comprehensive coverage of ADHD symptoms and an adequately large sample size to detect statistical significance. This study provides valuable information for those suffering from eating disorders and the clinicians that treat them. Future research could assess the interplay between treating ADHD and reducing the risk of eating disorders. Notably, purging and ADHD symptoms were not significantly correlated, and future research could further explore that relationship. In conclusion, the relationship between binge eating and ADHD symptoms should be acknowledged by clinicians.

Authors: Cari Monson, Julie Pynn. Mentors: Julie Pynn. Insitution: Southern Utah University. Background music refers to music that is played while the listener’s attention is focused on another task (Radocy & Boyle, 1988). Research suggests that the effect of background music on performance during a cognitive task showed improvements in episodic memory. Music activates the limbic system which is involved in controlling memory(e.g., Blood et al., 1999). The purpose of this study is to predict the relationship between music and performance on a cognitive task. It is hypothesized that students who listen to white noise while studying a text will recall more information, than those listening to classical music or pop music. In particular, the lyrics in pop music will be especially distracting(Cheah, 2022). Studying the relationship between music and performance on a cognitive task has implications for understanding memory. Results are forth coming

Authors: Ivelynn Noel. Mentors: Julie Johnson Pynn. Insitution: Southern Utah University. High levels of sexual satisfaction have been correlated with higher levels of marriage satisfaction (Litzinger & Gordon, 2005), relationship satisfaction (Santilla et al., 2008), and mental health and general well-being (Brody & Costa, 2009). While we know that sex frequency and frequency of orgasm affect sexual satisfaction (Barrientos & Paez, 2006), we also need to explore nonsexual factors that affect sexual satisfaction. The existing literature of the effects of religiosity on sexual satisfaction is contradictory, and may have mediating factors such as sex guilt or marital status (Hackathorn et al., 2016). The proposed study aims to examine the effects of religious identity and marital status on sexual satisfaction by measuring sexual-spiritual integration. We predict that unmarried individuals will score higher than married individuals, which indicates a lower sexual-spiritual integration. The findings of this study will add clarity to the convoluted findings in the existing literature , and will help identify nonsexual factors that affect sexual satisfaction. The findings of the study will also provide insight that may help healthcare workers, pastoral counselors , and therapists to better service their clients. Results are forthcoming.

Authors: Vanessa Lozano. Mentors: April Reber. Insitution: Brigham Young University. According to the Center for Immigration Studies, “the total foreign-born or immigrant population in the U.S. hit 47.9 million in September 2022- a record high in American history. When non-English immigrant families arrive in the United States they face the challenges of new customs, rights, and practices in their new home. In the United States various NGOs, government aids, and non-profit organizations are available to immigrants to help them navigate these challenges. Evaluations about the efficacy of these resources should be considered with the increasing number of immigrants in the United States. In this research, we focus on one of these resources, a mental well-being support group geared to immigrants but attended mostly by Latina women. The support group is currently held at a non-profit community center the South Franklin Community Center (SFCC) in Provo, UT, and sponsored by the organization Inciativa Latina para el Bienestar Emocional [Latino Initiative for Emotional Well-being]. To consider the efficacy of this support group in this research we explore the following questions 1) How does support get produced in the context of this support group at the SFCC? 2) Does (and if so, how does) participating in these support groups expand the agency of participants? (By agency, I refer to the capacity or condition of someone to have control or power to act).

Authors: Kira Swann, Cody Dirks. Mentors: Joshua Price. Insitution: Southern Utah University. As students, we have personally noticed that when we had a long-term substitute in the classroom, we didn't learn as much compared to our peers in other classrooms. It has been found in California as well as other states that a teacher’s absence, leaving a substitute in place, leads to worse off standardized scores for students. This paper tests the impact of long-term substitutes on the STAR/CAASPP scores of students. The purpose of this study is to see if there is a detrimental effect on student scores and if long-term subs should be something addressed by the state. Using testing and demographic data from the California Department of Education, we use a fixed effects regression to test the true impact of the impact of long-term substitute teachers. Our results show that there is a small, but statistically significant impact on student performance.

Authors: Kelsey Grimshaw. Mentors: Joshua Price. Insitution: Southern Utah University. Job satisfaction is a multidimensional state resulting from one’s job and their responses to it. Job satisfaction contains eight facets: recognition, working conditions, management, pay, promotions, coworkers, supervision, and the job itself. The concept of economic sectors was first introduced by economist Colin Clark. He suggested industries could be separated into categories. These categories would be determined based on significantly different characteristics of industries. There are currently five economic sectors: primary (raw materials), secondary (manufacturing), tertiary (service), quaternary (information services), and quinary (public service). Data on occupation and job satisfaction from the General Social Survey were used to build a multivariate linear regression. Results are forthcoming.

Authors: Beckham Trigo. Mentors: Johnathan Chidester. Insitution: Southern Utah University. The lack of resources, funding, and federal recognition is leading to the deficit in K-12 Education around the United States compared to other first world countries with developed education systems. For years the United States has been hammered on the fact that the country doesn't provide every child with bilingual study opportunities. European countries such as Spain, Italy, Germany, and France all offer bilingual studies and are making them required for students to take. These are key elements in a successful education system and offer so many more opportunities and benefits than the standard single language system we have placed in our K-12 Schools. Statistically the change to a new bilingual research would greatly benefit our country and would help decrease political divisiveness and bring an extent of unity among several ethnic groups in the country. The country continues to grow through immigration where the United States is projected to become the top Spanish speaking country in the world with 140 million speakers. However, the United States is not preparing for this and investing in its future students and citizens. Research has proven time and time again that there are so many benefits to a bilingual education, some of these including an increase in brain activity, and power in children, an academic advantage, and competition in the job market. The United States has deeply oppressed this system due to systematic racism, and political motivation. However, the United States has no established language in which it defines itself even though the majority speak English. The United States is also a world power with a lot of interaction with foreign countries. This in itself is going to be very problematic for the future of the United States as the world climate changes. It needs leaders to represent itself in many other languages, not just in the English language. The contrary to this research is that the language is ineffective to learning, makes it harder for students to assimilate into the United States culture, and spend too much time learning the second language. However, none of these statements can be statistically backed and solely based on a few percent of people's personal experience. Overall the research time and time again directs the United States to the bilingual education system, but when will it be adopted?

Authors: Lauren Howell. Mentors: Joshua Price. Insitution: Southern Utah University. This paper empirically assesses the relationship between state abortion policies and birth control consumption per state in the United States. The intention is not to advocate for or against abortion, but to explore how abortion policy influences the usage of contraceptives per state. The surveillance of contraceptive use holds paramount importance in preventing unintended pregnancies, with 95% of these occurrences attributed to inconsistent or incorrect contraceptive use or the absence of any method. Understanding how behaviors and contraceptive practices change over time in response to state policy alterations is crucial for evaluating the health implications of healthcare access regulations. Contraception stands among the greatest public health achievements of the 20th century, significantly reducing maternal mortality, benefiting pregnancy spacing for both maternal and child health, enhancing female participation in the workforce, and fostering women’s self-sufficiency. Utilizing data from sources such as the American Community Survey (ACS), the Abortion Patient Survey (APS), the National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG), and the Natality Detail File, this study delves into a comprehensive analysis of contraceptive use in relation to state abortion policy. Through statistical analysis using Stata 18 and ordinary least-squares (OLS) regression, this research aims to build on prior studies and ascertain the relationship between strict state abortion laws and birth control consumption. It hypothesizes that restrictive policies, such as increasing the cost and difficulty of accessing abortion, might incentivize women to adopt more effective contraceptive methods to avert the consequences of unintended pregnancies. The study also references prior research that suggests changes in contraceptive use, notably an increased reliance on long-acting reversible contraception (LARC), and how it has contributed to a decline in abortion rates, particularly among adolescents. The results of this study hold the potential to advocate for an increased educational focus on safe sex practices and to increase the accessibility of family planning resources based on state policies. It aims to shed light on the potential impact of restrictive abortion laws on birth control consumption and encourages informed policy decisions for public health and family planning.

Authors: Allie Baumgartner. Mentors: Chizu Matsubara. Insitution: Utah Tech University. • ABSTRACT: A student’s understanding and comprehension of content specific vocabulary is essential for their learning. However, Multilingual Learners (MLs) can struggle to understand what they are learning when they do not have knowledge of content specific vocabulary. This research focuses on the implementation of strategies into a small group reading lesson. These strategies will work towards increasing students’ understanding of content specific vocabulary words, in the areas of social studies and science. By using the methodology of action research, the research will implement research-based strategies for strengthening vocabulary for students learning English as a target language. This research will be conducted over a six-week time frame, with two focus students that are multilingual learners. The research-based word-learning strategies will be incorporated into the small group consisting of four students, to support their learning. Word-learning strategies are strategies that assist students to ascertain the meanings of words that are unfamiliar to them. Students can then apply these strategies to learning of unfamiliar words that are included in the content reading that they do in another small group. The word-learning strategies will support the students in learning, and understanding the meaning of content specific vocabulary words.

Authors: Cole Murphy, Andrew Blazzard, Austin Barney. Mentors: Patrick Steffen. Insitution: Brigham Young University. BackgroundHigher levels of social media use (SMU) have demonstrated associations with higher levels of self-reported stress. However, the association between SMU and physiological markers of stress, such as heart rate variability (HRV), is less understood. We hypothesize that increased time spent each day on social media will be associated with decreased baseline HRV, but only for individuals who report high rates of stress. We also hypothesize that time spent on social media will be associated with decreased baseline HRV for individuals with higher levels of neuroticism. When considered together, we hypothesize the largest association between SMU and baseline HRV for individuals with higher levels of both stress and neuroticism.MethodsUsing a sample of 165 undergraduate students, we measured baseline heart rate variability with a 3-lead ECG. We determined the average SMU using the Social Media Use Questionnaire (SMUQ). We also ascertained self-reported stress levels using the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS), and levels of neuroticism using the IPIP NEO Neuroticism Extraversion Openness - PR (IPIP-NEO-120). We will use multivariate regression for our analysis.ResultsResults are undergoing analysis. ConclusionsWhile the use of social media by itself may not have a clear direct association with HRV, it is important to consider the effects of social media use on people with a high emotional state of stress and/or high levels of neuroticism. As public policy continues to be developed for social media, it is important to consider how people with higher tendencies to become stressed and those with higher levels of neuroticism can be affected by social media use if unregulated.

Authors: Gabriela Coca. Mentors: Jocelyn Wikle. Insitution: Brigham Young University. This research project is a response to a policy gap in kinship care in the state of Utah. In conversations with Representative Watkins from Utah, I learned that there is interest among policy makers and policy influencers in improving adoption placements in Utah. There is interest in investigating the benefits and costs of prioritizing kinship care, so that better policy solutions can move forward. This project aims to provide research-based information on both benefits and costs of kinship care as well as to propose viable policy solutions that could improve outcomes for children and families touched by adoption.In the United States today, it is unfortunate to say that there are many kids that are living within homes that cannot provide them the adequate resources to succeed in life. Financial instability, substance abuse, and parents with mental health challenges are all strong predictors of being placed in kinship care (Jedwab et al., 2020; Tian et al., 2023). For these reasons, organizations such as Child Protective Services (CPS) and others are trying to find homes for these kids in which they can feel safe and still progress in life. For many countries, including the US, kinship care is at the top of the hierarchy when it comes to placement options (Jedwab et al., 2020). Kinship care is “any living arrangement in which children do not live with either of their parents and are instead cared for by a relative or someone with whom they have had a prior relationship. Many agencies include agencies beyond blood relatives such as god parents, family friends, or anyone else with a strong emotional bond to the child” (Geen, 2004, pg. 132). Kinship care has proven well in many cases because it brings a lot of stability to children (Jedwab et al., 2020; O’Brien, 2012; Hallet et al., 2023; helps them to understand their identity (O’Brien, 2012), and it allows them to stay close to the family and friends network (Clements & Birch, 2023).Although kinship care has many upsides, it also has many downsides, which is why it has been a difficult topic for many people. For example, research has found that many people who are kinship carers tend to be alone and older and in poor health (Geen, 2024; Clements & Birch, 2023; Farmer, 2009; Burke et al., 2023) compared to carers in the foster care systems. This may limit their ability to take care of children and provide them the adequate resources that they need in order to flourish. Multiple researchers recommend that state governmental institutions provide more training and financial support to kinship carers (Jedwab et al., 2023; Burke et al., 2023) so that they can at least have the abilities and resources to adequately take care of kids found in these situations. At the end of the day though, ideally it would be beneficial for precautions to take place and standards to be set forth so that children do not have to be placed in out-of-home placements in the first place (Burke et al., 2023). ReferencesBurke, S., Bouey, J., Madsen, C., Costello, L., Schmidt, G., Barkaskas, P., White, N., Alder, C., & Murium, R. (2023). Kinship care: Evaluating policy and practice. Journal of Public Child Welfare, 17(3), 647–668. https://doi.org/10.1080/15548732.2022.2091721Clements, J., & Birch, S. (2023). Exploring risk and protective factors in kinship family environments: A systematic literature review of the views of children in kinship care. Educational Psychology in Practice. https://doi.org/10.1080/02667363.2023.2243212Geen, R. (2004). The Evolution of Kinship Care Policy and Practice. The Future of Children, 14(1), 131–149. https://doi-org.byu.idm.oclc.org/10.2307/1602758Hallett, N., Garstang, J., & Taylor, J. (2023). Kinship care and child protection in high-income countries: A scoping review. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 24(2), 632–645. https://doi.org/10.1177/15248380211036073Jedwab, M., Xu, Y., & Shaw, T. V. (2020). Kinship care first? Factors associated with placement moves in out-of-home care. Children and Youth Services Review, 115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105104O’Brien, V. (2012). The benefits and challenges of kinship care. Child Care in Practice, 18(2), 127–146. https://doi.org/10.1080/13575279.2012.657610Tian, Y., Ma, Z., & Peng, F. (2023). Positive development of orphans in kinship care: The role of family stability. Child & Family Social Work. https://doi.org/10.1111/cfs.13083