Architecture

Authors: Samuel Zenteno. Mentors: Brandon Ro. Insitution: Utah Valley University. Evolution of Elementary School Architecture:Elementary school architecture has evolved significantly, reflecting shifts in educational philosophies, technological advancements, and societal priorities. From humble one-room schoolhouses to technologically advanced, sustainable, and inclusive learning spaces, the architectural form mirrors broader changes in education and society. What architectural form best reflects the ideal elementary school learning environment? Studying the evolution of elementary school architecture offers society several advantages:• Informed Design: By understanding the historical context and design trends, architects and educators can create more effective, engaging, and sustainable learning spaces.• Educational Enhancement: Insights from past designs can lead to environments that support modern teaching methods and foster improved student outcomes.• Equity in Education: Recognizing disparities in school facilities informs efforts to ensure all students have access to high-quality educational spaces.Research Methods:This research employs a comprehensive approach, combining historical analysis, architectural documentation, case studies, and conducting surveys with community members. Comparative studies of architectural styles, education methods, and pedagogical influences will shed light on ideal architectural forms for learning environments.Expected Results:Anticipated outcomes include a nuanced historical narrative of elementary school architecture, identification of pivotal design trends, insights into the societal forces that shaped these changes, and a repository of best practices. Ultimately, this research aims to empower architects, educators, policymakers, and communities to collaboratively shape the future of elementary school architecture, fostering equitable, innovative, and sustainable educational environments.An elementary school is the first public building that a child is called to regularly experience, be educated, find a playground, and socialize. In that sense, it is about to become a second home. By understanding the past, we can better prepare for the future of elementary school design.

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: Derek Wolfgramm. Mentors: Kaicee Postler. Insitution: Utah Valley University. Since 2008, Utah Valley University has taught community classes through the Family Life Education curriculum called the "Stronger Families Project". Previous research has demonstrated the importance of evidence-based family life education (FLE) programs in strengthening families (e.g., Myers-Walls et al, 2011). This study investigates the efficacy of the Stronger Families Project (SFP) by employing a pre- and post-test analysis of change for participants enrolled in the program in Spring 2023 and analyzing qualitative satisfaction data.

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: Dante Celani, Laisha Noyes, Candice Johnson, Seun Onileowo, Randy Klabacka. Mentors: Randy Klabacka. Insitution: Utah Tech University. Increased accessibility to next generation sequencing technology (NGS) has facilitated genomic research in diverse biological disciplines studying non-model organisms (which constitute 99.99% of all organisms on Earth). However, most techniques in NGS require mapping of raw-sequencing reads to a refence genome, this presents a challenge for studies involving non-model organisms since no con-specific reference genome is available for the vast majority of these species. Researchers facing this challenge frequently use the reference genome of a related taxon. While it is understood that read mapping efficiency is inversely related to evolutionary distance between read and reference taxa, the exact nature of the relationship is unknown. To examen this we mapped whole genome sequence data from four Aspidoscelis lizard species (“whiptails”) to twenty-eight genomes of varying relatedness across the vertebrate tree of life. We examined the relationship of mapping success to phylogenetic distance and assessed the relationship between these variables.

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.