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Fall 2017 Research Symposium
University of Northern Colorado
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2017FallSymposium
Wednesday,November15,20173:00–6:00PM
MindfulLeadersandEmployeePerformancePearlMarquez Psychology
GrowingonaScar:PopulationGeneticsofaColoradoWildflowerAceSpitzer Biology
EstimatingBiologicalDistancebetweenFlexedandSupineBurialsattheAncientGreekCityofHimeraUsingDentalNonmetricDataJessicaCzapla Anthropology/Biology
The Pollination and Reproductive Biology ofThermopsis divaricarpain theCentralRockyMountains.OlufisayoAwolaja Biology/Chemistry
TheFour-BlockJourney:AttendingCollegeinYourHometownMadelineAzari TheatreEducation
AnAnalysisofUrbanizationinMongoliaandPost-SovietCentralAsiaLayaBuchanan Geography/Economics
EnvironmentalFactorsregulatingSwallowBugpopulationsPaulMcPhail Ecology&EvolutionaryBiology/Anthropology
TheEffectofTechnologyonLanguageDevelopmentinChildrenfromBirthtoThreeJennaZink Audiology/SpeechLanguageSciences
EcologicalHealthofthePoudreRiverKatieDorman EarthEnvironmentalScience/Business
Aspecialthanksgoestothefollowingpeopleformakingthissymposiumpossible:
Dr.DonnaBottenbergforsupportingtheOfficeofUndergraduateResearchundertheumbrellaofUniversityCollege.
Dr.RobertHauserforwelcomingtheOfficeofUndergraduateResearchintothecompanyoftheOfficeofSponsoredResearch.
Dr.LeoWelchforcontinuingtosupportundergraduateresearchatUNCfromtheProvost’soffice.
TheSchoolofMusicfortheprintingofthesymposiumprograms.
JordanGrapentineforherassistanceallthelogisticalplanningforthesymposium.
Andfinally,thankyoutoallthecollegesanddepartmentsoncampusforcontinuingtoencourageyourundergraduatestoparticipateinresearchandsubmittheirscholarshiptothissymposium,theUndergraduateResearchJournal,andnationalconferences.
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MindfulLeadersandEmployeePerformancePearlMarquez
MindfulnessBasedInterventions(MBI)servesasamediumtoteachmindfulnesstechniqueswhichorganizationsarebecomingincreasinglyinterestedinduetothepossibilityofincreasingattentionandjobperformance.MBIshavealsobeenusedtoidentifytheeffectsoftrainedmindfulnessonintrapersonalrelationships;however,thesepossibleeffectsoninterpersonalrelationshipshavenotbeenexaminedinanoccupationalsetting.Thepresentstudyassessedtheeffectsoftrainedmindfulnessinsupervisorsfromafour-yearuniversityontheperformanceoftheiremployees.Supervisorsreceivedalowdose6-weekMindfulnessBasedStressReduction(MBSR)program.Employeeperformancewasassessedbybothsupervisorsandemployeesduringthefirstweekoftheprogram,thefinalweekoftheprogram,andaweekfollowingtheprogram’send,(i.e.,self-report).Therewasa(non-significant)lineartrend,withemployeeperformanceincreasingsteadilyacrossthethreetimepoints.However,theevaluationpatternsweredifferentforemployeesandemployers.Morespecifically,employersratedjobperformancebestone-weekpostintervention,whichsuggestsenduringbenefitsofMBSRtraining.Incontrast,employeessawthegreatestbenefitduringthefinalweekofprogram,whichsuggestsimmediatebenefitsofMBSRtraining.Thus,MBSRtrainingisapotentiallyusefulwaytoimproveinterpersonalrelationshipsinanoccupationalsettinginadditiontoimprovingjobperformance.
GrowingonaScar:PopulationGeneticsofaColoradoWildflowerAceSpitzer
Speciationisanaturalprocessinorganismscausedbygeographicisolationandadaptationtonovelconditions.Humanactivityisasourceforenvironmentalchangesintheair,soil,andwaterwaysofanecosystem.Organismslivingaroundagriculturalorindustrialdevelopmentsmustadaptatamuchfasterratethanorganismssubjectedtonaturalselectionpressures.Plantandinvertebratecommunitiesstudiedinaffectedecosystemshavelessspeciesdiversityandexhibitchangestoindividual’shealthandbehavior,whichhighlightstheimpactsofchemicaltoxicitytoanecosystem.Newmolecularbiologytechnologiesallowustostudyhowgeneticvariationchangesinpopulationssubjectedtohumandisturbances,withpreliminarystudiesonplantsshowingmoremutationsandgeneticdiversityinrapidlyevolvingmicrosatellitemarkersinthegenome,contrarytohoworganismsareexpectedtorespondtoanthropogenicpressures.Therefore,itisimportanttoaddmoreinformationandexamplesofhowplantcommunitiesarerespondingtothesechangestoapproachamoredefinitiveunderstanding.Leaftissuefromtheplantwesternyarrow,Achilleamillifolium,wascollectedwithinandaroundareclaimeduraniummineoutsideofMeeker,CO.PlantDNAwasextractedandanalyzedforvariationsinmicrosatelliteregions.Plantsatthemineareexpectedtohavemorevariationintheirgenomecomparedtooutsideofthemine’sinfluence,duetogreaterselectionpressuresfromthemine’srun-off.Plantssubjecttogreaterratesofmutationpresentinitialindicatorsofdivergenceandshowhowhumanactivitiesdrivebiologicalprocesses.
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EstimatingBiologicalDistancebetweenFlexedandSupineBurialsattheAncientGreekCityofHimeraUsingDentalNonmetricData
JessicaCzapla
ThisresearchinvestigatespotentialdifferencesingeneticrelatednessofflexedandsupineburialsinthenecropolisofHimerausingbiodistanceanalysisofnonmetricdentaltraits.Wehypothesize,individualsburiedinthesupinepositionwillbemorecloselyrelatedtoGreeksfromEuboea(indirectfoundersofHimera)andthoseburiedintheflexedpositionwillbegeneticallydistinct,possiblyrepresentinglocals.ThisresearchexplorespotentialinteractionbetweenGreeksandlocalstotestwhetherlocalsadoptedGreekburialstyles,Greekandlocalcustomshybridized,and/oreachgroupmaintainedadistinctburialstyle.Totestourhypothesis,werecordedpresenceandabsenceof34dentalnonmetrictraitsusingtheArizonaStateUniversityDentalAnthropologySystemin57individuals(23flexedand34supine).Pseudo-MahalanobisD2matriceswerecreatedusingdifferenttraitcombinationsandprincipalcomponentsanalysiswasusedtovisualizethedata.Theseanalysesshowedthattheindividualsburiedinflexedandsupinepositionsaregeneticallysimilar,suggestingthattherearenomajorgeneticdifferencesbetweentheseburialtypes.Theonlytraitthatshowedasignificantlydifferentfrequencybetweenthetwogroupswastheinterruptiongrooveonthelateralincisor,whichwassignificantlymorecommonintheflexedgraves(presentin88%offlexedgravesand59%ofsupinegraves;Fisher’sExacttestp=0.0496).Geneticsimilarityoftheflexedandsupineindividualssuggeststhatdespiteculturaldifferences(inburialpractice),thepopulationslikelyinterbred.Alternatively,individualslivingintheMediterraneanmaybetoogeneticallysimilarfordifferencestobecapturedwiththesedata.
ThisresearchwasfundedbytheNationalScienceFoundation’sResearchExperienceforUndergraduates(REU)program,theUniversityofGeorgia,andtheUniversityofNorthernColorado
ThePollinationandReproductiveBiologyofThermopsisdivaricarpaintheCentralRockyMountains.
OlufisayoAwolaja
Asglobalabioticconditionschange,uncertaintiesregardingthefuturesurvivalofplantspeciesarebecomingmoreprevalent.Biodiversityisintegraltoecosystemfunctioning,andwilldependoneffectiveconservationpractices.Inordertodeterminehowconservationeffortsshouldbecarriedout,preliminarydataonthespeciesofinterestarerequired.Duringthesummerof2017,thereproductiveecologyofanative,montaneplantspecies,Thermopsisdivaricarpa,wasstudiedattheUniversityofColoradoMountainResearchStationinNederland,Colorado.WeworkedintwositeslocatedinRooseveltNationalForest,bothwithinthemontaneelevationalzone(about8,000to10,000feetabovesealevel).Inadditiontoobservingplant-pollinatorinteractionsofT.divaricarpa,weconductedpollen-limitationexperimentstoquantifyfruitsetinself-pollinatedplantscomparedtocross-pollinatedplants.Datafrompollinationexperimentsspecificallydemonstratetheroleoffloralvisitorsinreproductivesuccessofplants,allowingustopredictpopulationdynamicsofplantspeciesintheabsenceofinsectpollinators.NativebumblebeeswerethemostabundantfloralvisitortoT.divaricarpa,transportingpollenamongindividualplants.Preliminaryresultsalsosuggestthatthisspeciesisself-compatible,capableofself-pollination,althoughfruitsetbenefitsfromcross-pollination.Understandingbreedingpatternsofplantsandplant-pollinatorinteractionsenableslandmanagerstopredictspecies-specificsurvivalandpotentialshiftsincommunitycompositions,particularlyinthecontextofclimatechange.Trophicmismatch,thephenomenonthatoccurswhenthetimingofpollinatoremergenceandfloweringarenotinrelativesync,maybecomemorecommonastheclimatewarms.Thus,dataonnativeplant-pollinatorinteractionsareusefulinmanagingthesepotentialmismatches.
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TheFour-BlockJourney:AttendingCollegeinYourHometownMadelineAzari
GreeleyCentralHighSchoolsitsapproximatelyfourblocksawayfromtheUniversityofNorthernColoradoinGreeley,CO.TheUniversityattractsmultipleGreeleyCentralgraduateseachyear,andinreturn,thecityandtheUniversityaidinfinancingandaidingthesestudentsonapathtowardsabachelor’sdegree.DuetoGreeley’sagriculturalbackgroundanddiversemulticulturaldemographics,theattendanceofstudentsfromGreeleyCentral(ahighschoolofabout1,500)attheUniversityofNorthernColorado(aschoolofabout12,000)remainsaphenomenonforstudentsinthesetypesofcommunities.Inassociationwiththerelationshipthatthehighschool,community,andtheUniversityshare,thisphenomenologicalstudyuncoversthemesexploredfromthelived-experiencesofattendingcollegeinyourhometown.Between10-15GreeleyCentralgraduates—whoconsiderGreeley,COastheirhometown—participatedineitheranintervieworafocusgroup.Theinterviewsandfocusgroupsaddressedtopicsrelatingtothelivedexperiencesofthesestudents,includingthetopicsofidentitydevelopment,successatUNC,andtherelationshiptocommunitythroughcollege.Theparticipantsinvolvedinthestudyhelpedinclarifyingthesuccesses,downfalls,andsurprisesofattendingcollegeinone’shometownsothatfuturestudentsandresearchersinhighereducationandstudentaffairscanunderstandtheinfluentialexperiencesthatcouldhelporhinderastudent’ssuccessthroughthisphenomenon.Withlittleresearchorliteratureregardingthephenomenonofstudentsattendingcollegeintheirhometown,thisthisstudyremainscrucialinaccessinginformationthathasnotyetbeenuncovered.TheresearchacquiredinthisstudyalsoactsasacatalystfordirectorsandstaffinvariousenrollmentdepartmentsthroughUniversities(includingHousing,Admissions,Orientation,etc.)toharnessafoundationofunderstandingforfutureenrollmentofstudentsfromthesepopulations.
AnAnalysisofUrbanizationinMongoliaandPost-SovietCentralAsiaLayaBuchanan
Urbanizationpresentsproblemsfordevelopingcountriesaroundtheworld.Citiesundergoingurbanizationaretypicallyreceivinganinfluxofimmigrantsfromruralareasandahighnaturalincreaserate.Theyexperienceproblemssuchaspoorsanitation,lackofwastemanagementservices,lackofimprovedwater,lackofelectricity,informalhousingandeconomicactivities,andcongestion.However,urbanizationinpostsocialistCentralAsiaisunique.Whiletheseproblemsarepresentinthesecities,includingAlmaty,Astana,Bishkek,andUlaanbaatar,theirhistoriesandpoliticalsystemshavecreateduniqueurbanenvironmentswithuniqueproblems.Sovietinfluencecombinedwiththeirnomadicculturalheritagehascreatedurbanspaceswithauniquesetofchallenges.Mongolia,inparticular,hascreatedurbanenvironmentsunlikeanyothercitiesintheworld,andhasaveryuniquesetofproblems.Thisresearchaimstodeterminetheviabilityandsocialandeconomicsustainabilityofthesecities,aswellasresidentialsatisfactioninthesecities.PatternsofdevelopmentarecurrentlybeinganalyzedbydigitizingremotelysensedtimeseriesimagesofUlaanbaatartomeasurethechangesinthenumberofgerandpermanentstructureinthecentralcity,centralger,middleger,andfringegerareasofUlaanbaatar.Thisprocesswillbecompletedforaerialimagerygoingbackseveralyears,preferablysince1990.GovernmentrecordsandWorldBankdataiscurrentlybeingexaminedtoobtaininformationrelatingtothecity’shistory,immigration,andeconomicorpoliticalconditions.Preliminaryresultshaveshownasurprisingpattern,withfringegerareastendingtobegrowinginmoresustainablepatterns,whilethecentralcityandthecentralgerareasaretheleastsustainable.Thisistheoppositeofthepatternsseeninsquattersettlementsinmostdevelopingcountries,andmorecloselyresemblesthesuburbandevelopmentpatternsthattendtobeassociatedonlywiththeUnitedStates.
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EnvironmentalFactorsregulatingSwallowBugpopulationsPaulMcPhail
SwallowBugs,orOeciacusvicarius,areabloodsuckingparasitethatareverycloselyrelatedtothebedbug.TheyfeedalmostexclusivelyonCliffSwallows,andlargenumbersofthemeffectchicksurvival,migrationpatterns,andnestchoice.Becauseoftheseeffects,ourstudyaimedtobetterunderstandwhathelpsregulateSwallowBugpopulations.Specifically,welookedatfourpotentialfactors:nestingcolonysize,seasonality,thenumberofotherparasites,andthelocationofthecolony.ResearchhasshownthatlargerbirdcolonieshavelargerSwallowBugpopulations.Additionally,theparasitescansurviveverywellinsidethenestwhiletheCliffSwallowiswinteringinSouthAmerica.BecauseSwallowBugscompetewithotherparasitesforthebloodofthebabybird,weexpectedtofindlessSwallowBugswhenmoreparasiteswerepresent.Finally,weexpectedtofindsignificantlydifferentSwallowBugpopulationsizesoncoloniesbuiltonman-madestructures,suchasbridgesandoverpasses.TotestwhichoftheseenvironmentalfactorsinfluencedSwallowBugpopulations,emptynestswereremovedfromthecolony,insectswereremovedfromthenests,andalltheparasiteswereidentifiedandcounted.Weconfirmedthepreviousresearch,butfoundthatthepresenceofthenumberofotherparasitesdidnothaveanegativeeffectonSwallowBugpopulations.ThismeansthatCliffSwallownestscanpotentiallyhavetocopewithlargeinfestationsofallthreeparasitesatthesametime.Finally,wefoundthatcoloniesbuiltonaman-madesurfacehostedsignificantlymoreSwallowBugs.ThereasonfortheincreasednumberofSwallowBugsisstillamystery.It’spossiblethatextrafoodfromlivingnearthehighwaymayhelpthechickshostalargernumberofparasitesandsurvive,orthatpredationfromCanyonWrensinthemorerurallocationskeepsSwallowBugnumbersdown.
TheEffectofTechnologyonLanguageDevelopmentinChildrenfromBirthtoThree
JennaZink
Theabundantuseoftechnologyovertherecentyearshasledtoanincreaseddigitalexposuretoyoungchildren.Becausethefirstfewyearsoflifeischaracterizedbyrapiddevelopment,itisimportanttoexploretheeffectsoftechnologyexposureduringthisessentialdevelopmentalperiod.Oneoftheareasofdevelopmentthatoccursrapidlyduringthefirstthreeyearsoflifeislanguagedevelopment.Thepossibilitythatexposuretotechnologycouldbeharmfultotheacquisitionoflanguageduringthefirstfewyearsofchildhoodshouldbecloserexamined.Theobjectiveofthissystematicreviewisto(I)examinetheeffectsoftechnologyonlanguagedevelopmentinchildrenfrombirthto3yearsofageand(II)exploretheassociationbetweentechnologyuseandparent-childreninteraction.Themethodsusedforthisresearchwascomputerizedsearchesondatabases,reviewingreferencesectionsofarticles,andsystemicallyreviewingliteraturethatwaspublishedwithinthelasttenyears.Theinclusioncriteriaforcollectingsourcesincluded:recentpublicationdate,samplesizegreaterthan20,examinedchildrenbetweentheages0to3years,focusedontechnologyandlanguagelearning.Theresultsofthisstudyconcludedthatthereisacorrelationbetweentechnologyexposureduringinfancyandnegativelanguagedevelopment.Aswellas,adecreaseinqualitativeandquantitativetimeassociatedwithparent-childinteractionwhentechnologyispresent.
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EcologicalHealthofthePoudreRiverKatieDorman
TheCachelaPoudreRiverhasimportanteconomicandecologicalusesandrunsthroughtwomajorcitiesinColorado.Theriverisunderthreatfrommanysourcesofpollution,includingurbanandagriculturalrunoff,aswellasspillsfromtheoilandgasindustrywhichhasseenaprolificexpansionoverthepastdecade.Continualmonitoringofwaterqualityisimportantinunderstandingtheeffectivenessofcurrentregulationsputinplacetomitigatewaterpollution.Benthicmacroinvertebratesareacommonlyusedbiologicalindicatorforwaterqualityastheyareabletopaintafullerpictureoftheriverhealththanchemicalandphysicaltestsalone(Kaboré,2016).Benthicmacroinvertebratesaresmallorganismsthatliveonthebottomofriverbedsandcanbeseenwiththenakedeye.Theybehaveinapredictablewayandhavebeenwidelystudiedfordecades.Ingeneral,healthyecosystemssupportawidevarietyofspecies,butpollutedwaterbodieswillonlysupporthardyandpollutiontolerantspecies.ThisstudywillusebenthicmacroinvertebratesasbiologicalindicatorstoassessthehealthoftheCachelaPoudreRiverinnorthernColorado.Theobjectivesofthisresearchareto:1)CollectdataonhowthebenthicmacroinvertebratecommunityandthephysicalandchemicalcharacteristicsofsitesalongthePoudrechangeovertime.2)CreateacitizenscientistpageforstudentsofthePoudreLearningCentertoadddatatheycollectandmakealong-termrecordofthesesites.3)ComparetheresultstodatathathasbeencollectedinthepasttotestthehypothesisthattheecosystemhealthofthePoudreRiverhasgottenpoorerovertimeasaresultofincreasedagricultureandurbandevelopmentinWeldCounty.PreliminaryresultsshowBioticindexscoresbetween“verygood”and“fair”whichindicatespossibletofairlysignificantorganicpollution.
Ursidae
The Undergraduate Research Journal at the University of Northern Colorado
Have you done significant research during your undergraduate career at UNC?
Consider submitting that work to Ursidae – UNC’s journal of undergraduate research.
URJ has issued a call for papers for the Spring 2018 Issue.
The due date for this call is December 1, 2017.
It is possible, however, to submit papers to the journal at any time for consideration for the next issue.
Please visit the Ursidae website at https://digscholarship.unco.edu/urj
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The National Conference on Undergraduate Research
has issued a call for abstracts for their 2018 conference.
Consider submitting your research to this prestigious conference and join the UNC students who have
represented our school in past years.
Seven UNC students presented papers in 2017.
Deadline for submissions is December 5, 2017
For more information, visit NCUR at https://www.cur.org/conferences_and_events/student_ev
ents/ncur_2018/