2021 Symposium for Student Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity

For over half a century, NASA has been utilizing technology to further our understanding of space. Our research involves examining the various kinds of rovers, robots, and rotorcrafts that have been critical to the success of NASA's past, present, and future missions. We will examine the hopping robot Sparrow, rotorcrafts like Ingenuity, and Dragonfly, and the many Martian rovers. Not only are these new technologies being used for exploration and discovery, but there are also robots being developed to aid the planet in case of extinction level catastrophes. NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) Mission and Asteroid Redirect Robotic Mission (ARRM) are tests to create a robot that would be able to protect Earth from asteroids that could potentially crash into it. These robots are designed to be able to change the motion of an asteroid heading towards Earth. Radiation hazards are detrimental to human life and this is where robots will play a major role. The pros outweigh the cons in most scenarios. The objective of this research is to show the benefits of space exploration through robotic means. This will be done by looking at some of Nasa's current and future autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles. By researching them the group hopes to make the case that robots are a safer option due to human limitations and a smarter option when it comes to exploring more difficult terrains. By researching the papers published by NASA on the engineering hardware and science behind these missions, we could determine their cost effectiveness.

Media depictions often suggest that those convicted of sex-crimes have a high recidivism rate. This contributes to a public belief that those convicted will reoffend at a higher rate than other crimes. These reports, however, are misleading and backed up by anecdotes rather than official data. This research project aims to reveal the misleading information and identify the true recidivism rate by analyzing the recidivism rates from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, utilizing published journal articles, and identifying governmental legislation that was enacted due to the misleading information.

The transfer matrix method to calculate scattering matrices uses semi-analytical methods of solving partial differential equations. This method is a powerful way of representing devices as a stack of layers with different refractive indices. The source code for this project represents a device as a series of layers of materials stacked horizontally. We simulate semiconducting organic polymer PEDOT:PSS thin films on ITO coated glass, a common structure for organic polymer solar cells, and compare the absorption to lab-fabricated samples of the same structure. Noting the differences and similarities between the quantities allows us to adjust our simulation to be more accurate.

Veterans are enrolling in higher education at increased rates due to the benefits of the Post-9/11 GI Bill (Williston & Roemer, 2017). Completing a postsecondary education degree is valuable as it offers greater economic opportunities (Norman et al., 2015). When pursuing postsecondary education student veterans often encounter unique challenges (Tomar & Stoffel, 2014). These distinctive occupational barriers impact student veterans' occupational performance in postsecondary education compared to occupational barriers traditional college students experience. This poster will describe student veterans' perceptions of barriers that impact their higher education and how occupational therapists and faculty members can both support student veterans in their transition to higher education.

Background: College students are under an enormous amount of stress which negatively affects both their mental and physical health. Consequently, a decline in all aspects of health also correlates to poor academic performance. According to the American College Health Association's Executive Summary, 28% of students reported that stress was the most significant factor negatively impacting their individual academic performance. The National Institutes of Health reports interacting with animals has been shown to decrease levels of cortisol (a stress-related hormone). Today, it is becoming more common for college students to seek relief through animal support. Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the correlation between animal companionship and the improvements in many aspects of mental and emotional health of college students. One hundred and twenty college students with animal interaction were surveyed to evaluate how their interaction with pets impact their mental and emotional health.Results: Prior to animal companionship, 42.5% of participants were very stressed, and 38.3% of participants were somewhat stressed. Additionally, 14.2% of participants were very unhappy, 22.5% of participants were somewhat unhappy, and 32.5% participants were neutral. After companionship, only 10% of participants were very stressed and 24.2% of participants were somewhat stressed. 56.7% of participants were very happy and 34.2% of participants were somewhat happy. 43.0% of the participants' physical activity had increased. Overall, 85.9% of participants reported their heath was positively affected after animal companionship. Conclusion: Based on findings of this study, having animal companionship in college has a positive effect on mental and emotional health amongst college students. Moreover, the results of this study can be utilized to implement animal therapy programs on campuses.

Space: the final frontier, is an aging phrase that most are familiar with. Space exploration dates back to the tail end of World War 2, and traverses into the 1950's as the United States and the Soviet Union raced to develop technology. The stakes grew even larger in 1969 when the U.S. sent the first successful manned mission to the moon. Since the 60's, NASA has contributed not only to colossal space discoveries, but to the advancement of technology we use every day as well.Our objective is to examine the large number of technological advancements space exploration has given birth to, and to demonstrate how these creations greatly out weight the costs. For example, the creation of the International Space Station has helped with communication, geographic information systems, and atmospheric data collection. NASA has had socio-economic impacts as well, including investments in new technologies and the next generation of scientists. The creation of new materials needed for space missions have been quite useful in the public, private sector, and in our everyday lives. These examples are but a small percentage of the vast number of advancements space exploration has led to. For this project we are studying sources and papers published directly by NASA.gov to assess how NASA has enhanced our society. With the continuation of space exploration, the number of positive impacts on our society will amplify as we find new problems to solve.

Juul, a brand of e-cigarettes, are popular for their discreet size, high nicotine content, and flavoring, although negative health effects like respiratory disease exist. Previous research has demonstrated that exercise can mitigate traditional cigarette cravings, and it is possible that this model may be applied to Juul use as well. PURPOSE: To examine the effect of an acute bout of exercise on Juul cravings in sedentary, Juul using college students and observe whether there is a delayed onset of the first craving the morning after a bout of exercise. METHODS: Participants came in for three visits in which they were not permitted to Juul. During Visit 1, a questionnaire was completed at baseline and after 10 and 25 minutes of sitting quietly. During Visit 2, participants walked on a treadmill at 40-50% Heart Rate Reserve for 15 minutes, followed by 10 minutes of sitting quietly. The questionnaire was administered at the beginning of the session, immediately after the walking session, and after 10 minutes of sitting quietly. During Visit 3, participants performed 5 different resistance machine exercises for two sets of 12-15 repetitions, lasting approximately 15 minutes. The questionnaire was then administered in the same manner as Visit 2. The morning after each visit, an e-mail was sent to the participants with follow up questions. RESULTS: Six participants (age 20.8±1.3 yrs, Juul use 15.7 ±6.5 months) completed this study. There was no Treatment x Time effect (0.05). There was no delay in urge or usage the following day (0.05), with a range of 0-60mins across participants. CONCLUSION: An acute bout of exercise does not appear to affect college-aged students' Juul urge. Strategies to better recruit students who engage in this negatively-perceived health behavior need to be explored.

According to the National Alliance of Mental Illness, 1 in 5 U.S. adults experiences a mental illness, and 17% of youth experience a mental health disorder. Mental health does not discriminate and can affect all adults and children in all walks of life. Mental health can have a significant impact on people, but at times, research is suggesting that it has an even greater effect on people with disabilities. Our review of literature is focused on mental illness and specifically, children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). As the research suggests, people with ASD have differences from those without disabilities, especially in the way that they manage their mental health. One major difference is the way that individuals with ASD process their feelings and emotions while managing their mental health. Our research focuses on best practices to support individuals who live with both ASD and a mental illness. This literature review will support pre-service and current practicing teachers with the knowledge to support individuals living with ASD and mental illnesses.

Within a span of four months, radical right-wing demonstrators clashed with law enforcement as they stormed the seats of two of the world's most powerful legislative bodies the U.S. Congress and the German Bundestag. These incidents are the latest manifestation of a phenomenon that has increasingly threatened American and German democracy alike: political extremism. Political divisions have been deepening in democracies the world over, but radical movements in Germany and the United States share many ideological and behavioral similarities. In both countries, right-wing extremist groups are driven by disdain for foreigners, suspicion of liberal government and globalism, tension between state and federal levels of government, and resentment over increasing racial diversity. Such groups in the United States and Germany have also made extensive efforts to radicalize and recruit members of military and law enforcement communities, taking advantage of their military training and access to weapons. Despite the parallels between German and American political extremism, implicit support for extremist activity among the public and elected officials is significantly less prominent in Germany than in the United States. My research will seek to explain this disparity by comparing elements of German and American society such as political parties, policies regarding political speech, national security structures, and popular political media that have generated different outcomes in the fight against political extremism. In drawing these comparisons, I will identify specific policies, strategies, structures, and behaviors that have led to Germany's relative success over the United States at curtailing political extremism within its populace.

Outerspace is the great unknown. Space is extremely dangerous in all aspects for anyone or anything that we put into it. Safety is paramount for all missions with human lives and millions of dollars at risk. From liftoff to the return of the crew every part of the mission must be carefully planned out to ensure their safety. The Challenger accident in 1986 demonstrated how important this is. In our research we will look at all the aspects and procedures that make spacecrafts, flights, and spacewalks safe for all parties involved. We will be studying the safety protocol information from papers published by NASA scientists and engineers to examine whether the extreme cautionary measures taken by NASA are worthwhile.