The following presentations will take place Friday, August 25 in the Broyhill Music Center.
Welcome and Opening Remarks
2:30 to 3:00 p.m.
Room 129
Join us for a formal welcome to this year's event with opening remarks by Dr. Heather Norris, Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor, and a performance by the Hayes School of Music Faculty Brass Quintet. Enjoy a piano performance and refreshments in the lobby.
Brass Quintet:
- Dr. James Stokes, Professor of Trumpet and the Undergraduate Program Director for the Instrumental Performance Degree
- Mr. Brent Bingham, Lecturer of Trumpet
- Dr. Dakota Corbliss, Assistance Professor of French Horn and the Program Director of the Masters of Music Degree in Performance
- Dr. Joe Brown, Assistant Professor of Trombone
- Dr. Sam Ambrose, Visiting Assistant Professor of Tuba
Piano:
Mr. Tyler Dellaperute, Lecturer of Piano
Presentation Session I
3:10 to 4:10 p.m.
Rosen Concert Hall
Oral Presentation Title: RIEEE Seeded or Administered Projects Showcase
Abstract: This session highlights cross-disciplinary and convergent research supported by the Research Institute for Environment, Energy and Economics (RIEEE).
Presenters:
- Maggie Sugg, Ph.D. (Geography & Planning) and Dennis Guignet, Ph.D. (Economics): "Using Geospatial and Econometric Methods to Examine Interactive Environmental Health Effects"
- Carol Babyak, Ph.D. (Chemistry & Fermentation Sciences) and Rebecca Witter, Ph.D. (Sustainable Development): "One Hand Washes the Other: How a social and physical scientist study environmental justice"
- Christine Hendren, Ph.D. (Director of RIEEE; Geological & Environmental Sciences) and Bob Swarthout, Ph.D. (Chemistry & Fermentation Sciences; Geological & Environmental Sciences): “Bringing Sex Toys Out of the Dark: Convergent approaches to multi-stakeholder risk assessment and management”
3:10 to 3:40 p.m.
Room 129
Oral Presentation Title: Dance on the American Theatre Stage from the Colonial Period to Today
Presenter: Raphael Miller, Ph.D. (Theatre & Dance)
Abstract: This presentation is about the history of dance on the American Musical Theatre Stage from the Colonial Period to today. There is a Chinese saying that suggests that if you can describe how a society treats its children, its poets and its dancers, that you can tell a lot about its essential character. This presentation will discuss the role of dance on the American musical theatre stage as a way into considering how popular American culture has changed over time.
3:10 to 3:40 p.m.
Room 119
Oral Presentation Title: Midjourney Group Project
Presenters: Leigh Ann Parrish (Art), Richard Elaver (Applied Design), Derek Eggers, Ed.D. (CETLSS)
Abstract: This project is a group submission from App DigiFab, the Digital Design and Fabrication Learning Community at Appalachian State University. We are a group of faculty and staff exploring the professional and educational use of digital design and fabrication technologies used for three-dimensional design, visualization, and fabrication. This group project, a collection of images generated with Artificial Intelligence (AI), is the result of a collective exploration of a new type “text-to-image” tools, which allow users to create new images based off of a text description. To create this project, the group used Midjourney (www.midjourney.com) and AI image-generator released to the public in July 2022. By typing a “prompt” such as "/imagine an oil painting of bed pillows floating in the sky, clouds", the program creates imagery based on this description written in natural language. See this prompt imagined by Midjourney in the first image of our piece. For educational purposes, all prompts were included at the top of each AI-generated image. We hope this ignites your own imagination and interest in exploring the uses of Artificial Intelligence!
3:10 to 3:40 p.m.
Room 225
Oral Presentation Title: The World of Long-Haul Truck Driving and the Public Health Implications
Presenter: Adam Hege, Ph.D. (Public Health & Exercise Science)
Abstract: U.S. long-haul truck drivers (LHTDs) are vital to the domestic economy and supply chains. As such, nearly two million LHTDs traverse our interstate highway system daily and encounter challenging working environments and conditions delivering goods and products. The work conditions include long work hours (up to 14 daily), inconsistent scheduling and time pressures resulting in shift work and occupational stress, poor physical environments (lack of access to health resources) and sleeping conditions, and long periods of time away from home. In turn, LHTDs experience numerous occupational safety and health disparities including cardiometabolic disease (i.e., obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease), poor sleep quality and sleep deprivation, mental illnesses, accident risk and injuries, and an overall reduced life expectancy and quality of life. Due to poor sleep outcomes, their risks for drowsy driving and highway accidents are much greater and present a public safety challenge for the general population.
This presentation will provide an overview of public health research related to this occupation and its implications for other working populations. In addition, the presentation will introduce some of the new and innovative research strategies utilized in understanding the population and the health/safety impacts, concluding with an examination of how it can inform improved intervention and policy solutions. Lastly, the presenter will discuss their ongoing research with other U.S. and Canadian researchers aimed at exploring similarities and differences between the two countries as it relates to the trucking industry and health outcomes.
3:10 to 3:40 p.m.
Room 204
Oral Presentation Title: Crohn’s Disease-Associated Microbial Interactions Impact Biofilm Formation
Presenter: Rachel Bleich, Ph.D., (Biology)
Abstract: Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD) are debilitating disorders that cause chronic inflammation of the digestive tract and currently affects as many as 1.6 million Americans. This chronic inflammatory condition, which includes Crohn’s disease, currently has no medical cure. Commensal microbes in the human GI tract are implicated in IBD, including an increase of tissue-associated bacteria that can form biofilms. Biofilms are mono- or polymicrobial assemblages of bacteria that protect against antibiotic treatment. Biofilms on the gut mucosa have been linked to IBD with mucosal bacteria found at higher density in IBD patients. Our previous work shows that Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis) bloom together in the inflamed gut, and we hypothesize that E. faecalis signals E. coli to increase biofilm formation, which increases its colonization and persistence in the GI tract. Our overall aim is to characterize the mechanisms behind E. coli and E. faecalis interactions involved in biofilm formation using a well-characterized clinical strain collection. We have observed that interactions between E. coli and Enterococcus are influenced by metal availability through in vitro co-culture assays and result in increased biofilm formation in some strains of E. coli. Our results establish a wrinkled biofilm phenotype between E. coli and Enterococcus and the biofilm extracellular matrix is observed in scanning electron micrographs. These studies help identify mechanisms utilized by proinflammatory microbes to increase persistence along the GI tract.
3:10 to 3:40 p.m.
Room 214
Oral Presentation Title: An Exploration of Trauma, Resilience and Well-Being in North Carolina Community College Students
Presenters: Jason Lynch, Ph.D. (Leadership & Educational Studies
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to measure the extent to which community college students have experienced trauma exposure and the impact of this exposure on their success, resilience and well-being. Additionally, we sought to understand the ways in which possession of a marginalized identity differentially impacts experience of trauma exposure and success as compared with students with dominant identities. This study utilized a sequential explanatory mixed methods study and administered a cross-sectional survey. Implications of this study highlighted the need for increased focus on student well-being, building community for minoritized student populations as a means to lower the impact of trauma, providing student supports for LGBTQ+ students and trauma informed education for community college staff, administrators, and faculty.
3:10 to 3:40 p.m.
Room 212
Oral Presentation Title: Testing the Feasibility and Impact of a Whole-Food Plant-Based Diet Intervention on College Students’ Physical and Mental Health
Presenters: Melinda Bogardus, Ph.D. (Nursing), Martie Thompson, Ph.D. (Public Health & Exercise Science), Sydeena Isaacs, Ph.D. (Nutrition & Healthcare Management), Shenghui Wu, Ph.D. (Public Health & Exercise Science)
Abstract: Research has demonstrated that college students form unhealthy dietary habits that persist into adulthood and increase risk for chronic diseases. Likewise, worrisome rates of depression and anxiety have been reported in this population. Poor physical and mental health and unhealthy behaviors often correlate, each compounding the negative effects of the others. Eating a whole-food plant-based (WFPB) diet is one health behavior that has been shown to prevent, manage, and even reverse chronic conditions, including mental disorders. This randomized controlled pilot study, guided by Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) (Bandura, 2012) and the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) (Ajzen, 1985), addresses the following research questions: 1) does a WFPB diet lead to improvements in diet quality and mental and physical health measures and do theoretical constructs such as self-efficacy and outcome expectations mediate these improvements; and 2) does teaching modality, i.e. interactive, experiential (IE-WFPB) versus lecture-based (LB-WFPB), differentially impact diet adherence and outcomes. This presentation will discuss the development, implementation, and major findings from this pilot study. We will also discuss lessons learned and future directions.
Poster Session I
3:30 to 4 p.m.
Lobby
Poster Title: SLP and Student Perspectives Following MBSImP Training: A Qualitative Thematic Analysis
Presenter: Rebecca Hazelwood, Ph.D. (Rehabilitation Sciences)
Abstract: Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) use videofluoroscopy to assess swallowing physiology. One standardized approach used to conduct this assessment is the Modified Barium Swallow Impairment Profile (MBSImP). SLPs and SLP students can complete training in the MBSImP approach through online training. This study compares SLP and SLP student perspectives regarding participation in the standardized MBSImP training approach by inquiring about the importance of standardized training, the clarity of the approach, and recommendations to improve their experience. Prominent themes and subthemes were derived from the response schemes resulting in a final thematic map that was compared between participant groups and across questions using qualitative analysis. Results between and within the SLP and SLP student groups will be discussed. Assessing swallowing physiology using a standardized approach, such as the MBSImP, can have direct, positive implications on the management of swallowing disorders and must be encouraged at all levels of learning.
3:30 to 4 p.m.
Lobby
Poster Title: H(ealthy)U(se of)M(usic)ming for Health: Research protocol for telehealth music therapy for adolescents with type-1 diabetes
Presenters: Melody Schwantes, Ph.D. (Hayes School of Music), Dana Brackney, Ph.D. (Nursing)
Abstract: Rural adolescents living with type 1 diabetes (T1D) and depression or anxiety often experience healthcare disparities due to their geographical and medical isolation and may experience decreased independence with diabetes self-management, increased risk for suicide and other mental health conditions, and decreased psychosocial well- being. Innovative treatment approaches are required to address these health concerns, such as HUMming for Health, an 8-week telehealth music therapy (MT) intervention aimed to improve psychosocial well-being and diabetes self-care behaviors. This study will examine the feasibility and acceptability of a novel intervention to inform the development and scalability for a future pilot study.
3:30 to 4 p.m.
Lobby
Digital Poster Title: Psychometric Testing of the Caring Factor Survey - Caring for Self Survey with Clergy
Presenter: Brook Harmon, Ph.D. (Nutrition & Healthcare Management)
Abstract: Clergy are potential health promoters in their communities but are at high risk for disease. The Caring Factor Survey - Caring for Self (CFS-CS) was developed in nursing and measures 10 self-care processes. This study assessed the reliability and validity of the CFS-CS with clergy. Seventy-six active U.S. Christian clergy were recruited. Phase 1: 6 clergy rated questions on their “pertinence to caring for self” using a 4-point scale and the Content Validity Index (CVI) calculated. Phase 2: 70 clergy completed the CFS-CS, demographics, and two Likert-scale questions assessing the importance of and effort to care for themselves. Cronbach’s alpha, average inter-item correlations, exploratory factor analysis, and correlations between the survey and Likert-scale items were examined. Participants were, on average, 47.6 (±12.6) years old, primarily from the South (61.8%), white (86.8%), male (60.5%), and married (82.9%). Over 39% were Presbyterian and 19.7% United Methodist. Most (63.2%) had very good/excellent health. The Individual CVIs ranged from 1.00-0.83 and Scale-level CVI was 0.95 prompting further testing. In Phase 2, one item on increasing knowledge and understanding of self did not perform well. When removed, Cronbach’s alpha and the average inter-item correlation increased (0.81 and 0.33, respectively). The 9-item survey (CFS-CS, Clergy) included two factors (3 spirituality items, remaining items). Correlations between the survey and the Likert-scale items were significant (r = 0.50 (importance), r =0.68 (effort)). The CFS-CS, Clergy is a valid and reliable measure providing a tool for understanding clergy self-care and aiding development of future clergy health initiatives.
Presentation Session II
3:50 to 4:20 p.m.
Room 129
Oral Presentation Title: Altered Environments
Presenter: April Flanders, MFA (Art)
Abstract: This project used art and science to expose the complexity of invasion dynamics and impacts in marine ecosystems. I will present images from the two-part art project I created in collaboration with scientists from the Marine Invasions lab at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center.
3:50 to 4:20 p.m.
Room 119
Oral Presentation: Beyond the Field of Opposites: Cultivating wholeness in academia
Presenters: Theresa Redmond, Ed.D. (Media, Career Studies & Leadership Development) and Jewel Davis (University Libraries)
Abstract: In this virtual performance, our interdisciplinary research group– The Creativity Collaborative– will share emerging work where we examined the relationships between multiple polarities in academia, including polarities related to: work-life balance, academic structure and creative freedom, and methodologies or ways of knowing generally. Since 2018, our collaborative has used a blend of self-study, narrative methods, and arts-based research (ABR) to examine our work creating inclusive and imaginative spaces in our classrooms and research (Redmond et al., 2021). In this digital arts-based performance, we negotiate the complexities of selected polarities that we have identified in academic work through spoken dialogues that personify these polarities. Our performative approach signifies a bold and transformative move towards blended methods and, possibly, ethnodrama. Participants will benefit from a sensory experience of research practice and collaborative scholarship that works towards critical, creative, collaborative, and caring praxis in higher education teaching and research.
3:50 to 4:20 p.m.
Room 204
Oral Presentation Title: From the Blue Ridge to the Blue Danube: Cultural sustainability, the medieval imaginary and the contemporary landscape in the U.S. and Austria
Presenter: Alexandra Sterling-Hellenbrand, Ph.D. (Languages, Literatures & Cultures)
Abstract: For this event, I would like to present the research project that I am doing in spring 2023 as the Fulbright visiting professor of culture studies at the Karl Franzens University in Graz Austria. At its most basic, the project centers around the concept of cultural sustainability. Medievalism, or the use of the middle ages to interface with the modern world, has become a powerful vehicle for cultural reflection in times of change. Why do we need or enjoy or apply the past? And, if the ‘actual’ past is problematic, why should we attend to the fictitious past? My project addresses these questions as it examines cultural sustainability with respect to literary installations in Styria (Steirische Literaturpfade des Mittelalters) and along the Danube (Tulln and Pöchlarn). I compare the public representation of medieval literary heritage in these Austrian installations with American appropriations of European medieval heritage: the replica of King Arthur´s Round Table in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, for example; less obviously medieval are the Confederate monuments in the American South erected to honor and celebrate the Anglo-Saxon and chivalric legacy of the old South—at least as certain groups perceived that legacy. Each example, in the US or in Austria, appropriates medieval heritage, whether that heritage is found or made. I use these projects to illuminate the practice of cultural sustainability as it emerges from contemporary dialogues in Austria and in the US on identity, on belonging, and on uses of the past in the present.
3:50 to 4:20 p.m.
Room 214
Oral Presentation Title: Impact that Transcends Proximity: Examination of Black collegians’ sense of safety in the U.S.
Presenter: Ashley Carpenter, Ph.D. (Leadership & Educational Studies)
Abstract: While there have been several Black joys reflected in mainstream media (e. g., the election of the first Black president and Black/Asian vice-president), Black college students also witness the mainstream visibility of anti-Black violence through police brutality, inequitable health outcomes, and political rhetoric denouncing racial/social justice movements. These implications illustrate that how a student defines safety and feels safe is inevitably connected to their social identities and the systems that serve to oppress and/or privilege them. Therefore, the purpose of this qualitative study is to uncover the dynamic nature of Black students' sense of safety as it relates to their college campuses, particularly noting the vulnerabilities that are exposed in our political and societal climate. This study will examine how Black collegian's experiences in the ways (a) they made meaning of contemporary racial issues in society, (b) drew connections between their Black identity and university experience, and (c) perceptions of feeling (un)safe on their college campuses. Notably, this study will utilize Black Critical Theory (BlackCrit) and the Adapted Socioecological Framework of School Safety (ASFSS) to elucidate how anti-Blackness impacts institutional practices, policies, and actions. This line of inquiry offers the chance to construct a more dynamic understanding of safety than traditionally defined by institutions, which creates avenues for more thoughtful and equitable practice.
3:50 to 4:20 p.m.
Room 212
Oral Presentation Title: Food Corporations are Culpable for Food Crime
Presenters: Matthew Robinson, Ph.D. (Government & Justice Studies)
Abstract: In this talk, the author identifies the specific behaviors that make food companies culpable for harms associated with the typical American diet as well as associated with the conventional food system itself. The focus is on producing excess calories than are needed by consumers, putting food in non-food environments, funding research to create one-sided studies, using front groups to confuse consumers, advertising unhealthy products, engaging in deceptive advertising, creating unhelpful labels on food products, and shrinking products without shrinking prices. The paper is an effort to expand the food crime literature to new areas. A discussion of the relevance for academic disciplines such as Criminology is included.
Poster Session II
4 to 4:30 p.m.
Lobby
Poster Title: American Horror Story: Exploring environmental storytelling in design of haunted attractions
Presenter: Susan Weidmann, Ph.D. (Recreation Management & Physical Education)
Abstract: Creating experiences that provide pleasurable outcomes for visitors is an important step in designing businesses that satisfy customers, and this is especially relevant to entrepreneurs and others working in the haunted attraction industry. The industry currently generates around 7 billion USD annually (White, 2013) and is growing internationally. Given the size of the industry, participant interest in consuming fear for fun (in its many forms), and lack of research in this area, this research seeks to uncover how environmental storytelling (Carson, 2000) and narrative spaces (Jenkins, 2007) inform immersive horror attraction design, and what design elements are used at haunted attractions to communicate the storyline they choose to tell. The research will be conducted with owners and designers of haunted attractions within a 150-mile radius of Boone and will include interviews and observation. Given the increase in the number of customers enjoying haunted attractions each year, it is hoped that information learned in this research about how these attractions are designed can help future business owners and designers of experiences, as well as situate the academic concept of environmental storytelling within the tourism landscape.
4 to 4:30 p.m.
Lobby
Poster Title: Police Officers are Perceived More Favorably Than Civilians in Factually and Legally Equivalent Shootings: A randomized controlled survey experiment
Presenter: Christopher Marier, Ph.D. (Government & Justice Studies)
Abstract: This study examined whether people perceive the justifiability of lethal self-defense differently for police officers versus civilians. It also explored how personal attitudes and characteristics may influence those evaluations. In a randomized controlled survey experiment using a video vignette, 2,499 online respondents evaluated the justifiability of a self-defense claim in a homicide case. The study found a significant pro-police bias in evaluations of lethal self-defense. Pre-existing confidence in the police had a significant effect on perceptions of justifiability, particularly when the shooter was a police officer. The study also revealed more favorable evaluations of Black shooters than white shooters. The factors predicting evaluations of police use of force equally predicted evaluations of private citizens’ use of force, including race, gender, income, age, and partisanship. The results reveal a potential double standard that benefits police and may limit a fair and equitable justice system.
4 to 4:30 p.m.
Lobby
Digital Poster Title: Amy Beach: Pedagogical piano works arranged for strings
Presenter: Nicholas Cline, DMA (Hayes School of Music)
Abstract: Amy Beach (1867-1944) was a prolific and successful American composer and pianist. Her “Gaelic” Symphony, premiered by the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1896, was the first symphony composed and published by an American female composer. She was also an acclaimed concert pianist, premiering her Piano Concerto with the BSO in 1900. Among Beach’s works, include several collections of pedagogical piano music, Children’s Carnival, Op. 24 (1894) and Children’s Album, Op. 36 (1897), together totaling eleven short pieces for young piano students. My work with Beach’s pedagogical piano works had multiple phases: 1). transcribe these piano works for young string players (duos, trios, quartets, and string orchestra); 2.) edit works for performance (bowing and fingering annotation for young players); 3.) prepare scores and parts for publishing. I am contributing these performance editions for publication with the Amy Beach Project (https://www.amybeach.org/music/publications/) and Women’s Philharmonic Advocacy Publications Amy Beach (https://wophil.org/publications/), Chris Trotman, Editor-in-Chief. Both collections of works are in the public domain and the transcriptions will be readily available for young string players.
4 to 4:30 p.m.
Lobby
Digital Poster Title: Building Resilience in Undergraduate Nursing Students with Brief Resilience Practices
Presenters: Rebecca Liljestrand, DNP (Nursing), Sarah Martin (Nursing), Melinda Bogardus, Ph.D. (Nursing)
Abstract: Resilience is the ability to withstand challenges and thrive in the face of difficult situations. Nursing students experience high levels of stress. Unmanaged stress can lead to poor outcomes but building resilience is shown to have positive personal, educational, and professional outcomes. The purpose of this pilot study was to educate nursing students on brief resilience practices and evaluate the effectiveness of these strategies to improve resilience, well-being, and perceived stress. Brief resilience practices were taught throughout the semester to undergraduate nursing students during both clinical and didactic courses. Pre- and post-surveys were given to evaluate the change in resilience, well-being, and stress. The results showed a significant increase in resilience, but no change was found in well-being or perceived stress.
Presentation Session III
4:30 to 5 p.m.
Rosen Concert Hall
Performance Title: That’s a Pipe Organ Up There
Presenter: Joby Bell, DMA (Hayes School of Music)
Abstract: Rosen Concert Hall's imposing aesthetic is intensified by the pipe organ overlooking the stage. Usually making striking visual impact first, any pipe organ soon thereafter appeals to the engineer as a marvel of system integration, to the physicist and acoustician as a supreme example of acoustical instrument, to the craftsperson as a visible work of art, to the budding keyboardist as a hallowed instrument to touch, and to the listener as a commanding sonic vehicle. This presentation offers attendees the Satie Hunt Broyhill pipe organ in a welcoming gesture, in artistic performance, and as an object worthy of continued scientific and musical attention. This presentation will discuss the pipe organ's construction and systems and will include brief performances and time for questions.
4:30 to 5 p.m.
Room 129
Oral Presentation Title: Farmers and Forests: Research and engagement on tropical forest restoration in Costa Rica
Presenters: Richard Rheingans, Ph.D. (Sustainable Development), Julia Showalter (Biology)
Abstract: Reforestation plantations are a potentially important part of human-managed landscapes in the tropics and elsewhere. When replacing non-forest land-use they have the potential to sequester carbon and enhance biodiversity, however these benefits depend on management choices and landscape context. We currently lack long-term data on how these plantations can become productive, complex, and diverse forests. This project focuses on revitalizing a set of experimental study sites and farmer native species reforestation plantations established in the 1980s and 1990s in the Atlantic lowlands of Costa Rica. The initial phase of the project has focused on relocating and describing these plots and developing methods to study their dynamics more rigorously. During summer 2023 we also incorporated students in active research on the sites through a collaborative study abroad on tropical forest ecology and development. We will present both creative and scientific descriptions of complexity and diversity in our presentation.
4:30 to 5 p.m.
Room 225
Oral Presentation Title: Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Leaders’ Perspectives on Leading During COVID-19
Presenters: Sandi Lane, Ph.D. (Nutrition & Healthcare Management), Darren Liu, Ph.D. (West Virginia University), Robert Rados (Southern Illinois University)
Abstract: Post-acute and long-term care (PALTC) delivery is complex, and the COVID-19 pandemic created additional complexities. This qualitative study investigates how PALTC administrators responded to the pandemic, factors that impacted their leadership role and decision-making. Participants from North Carolina (N=15) and Pennsylvania (N=6) were interviewed using an interview guide containing open-ended questions. The results revealed three themes: (1) critical knowledge and competencies; (2) resources, supports and essential actions taken; (3) psychosocial impact. The findings suggest communication and leadership were the most useful competencies. Lack of staff was a primary stress point during and after the pandemic.
4:30 to 5 p.m.
Room 204
Oral Presentation Title: Factors That Affect Judgments About Sexual Assault Cases
Presenter: Twila Wingrove, J.D., Ph.D. (Psychology)
Abstract: Approximately 1 in 6 American women and 1 in 33 American men are sexually assaulted in their lifetime. Meanwhile, only less than 5% of perpetrators are convicted and punished (RAINN, 2023). There are a number of reasons for low conviction rates. Victims hesitate to report, and sometimes doubt whether their experience was a sexual assault. Police officers and prosecutors hesitate to charge perpetrators, sometimes relying on stereotypes about rape to blame the victim or exculpate the offender. Jurors hesitate to convict, especially if the case involves "he said/she said" allegations. In this presentation, I will present data from a series of studies evaluating people's judgments about sexual assault cases. The first set of studies examines judgments about "he said/she said" cases, including the factors that impact these judgments, like case characteristics, participant gender, and endorsement of rape myths. In the second set of studies, I investigated judgments about sexual assault cases in which Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANEs) testified, with an eye toward experimentally evaluating factors that bolster SANE credibility and whether SANE testimony can increase conviction rates.
4:30 to 5 p.m.
Room 214
Oral Presentation Title: Beyond Google: Improving student information-seeking practices
Presenters: Michael Howell, Ph.D. (Social Work), Lynn Searfoss, Ph.D (English), Margaret Gregor, Ph.D. (University Libraries)
Abstract: Across academic institutions, faculty are often disappointed in the quality of research that students produce. Although students acknowledge a need for information, their ability to locate and evaluate that information is often unsatisfactory, and they often fail to transfer skills from one context to another. We believe that these deficits can be ameliorated through research-assignment scaffolding, greater faculty-librarian collaboration, and data-driven information-literacy instruction. Drawing upon our own research and practice, we will introduce participants to techniques for assessing student research preparedness and encourage them to reconsider their own research assignments and modes of information-literacy education.
4:30 to 5 p.m.
Room 212
Oral Presentation Title: Mapping WAC: A recent history of the teaching and learning of disciplinary writing at Appalachian State University
Presenters: Sarah Zurhellen, Ph.D. (University College), Beth Carroll (University College, Director of Writing Across the Curriculum)
Abstract: This presentation reports on a work-in-progress that identifies and documents the role of teaching writing as a cross-curricular concern that requires commitment, time, and effort from our entire campus community. In particular, it details the development of a dynamic and interactive social network map made with Kumu to highlight the role of the Writing Across the Curriculum Program and the labor of disciplinary faculty in supporting a culture of Writing on Appalachian State’s campus. Finally, it connects disciplinary faculty’s standpoint on the role of writing in their teaching (as gleaned through interviews) with more “official” texts (such as syllabi, assignments, etc.) to present an historical and holistic view of writing as work at App State.
Poster Session III
4:30 to 5 p.m.
Lobby
Digital Poster Title: Promoting Self-Determination in Music Therapy for People with I/DD Who Communicate Extraverbally: Reflections and implications for practice
Presenters: Melody Schwantes, Ph.D. (Hayes School of Music), Anna Laura MacAfee, MMT (Hayes School of Music)
Abstract: Self-advocacy is important for all individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities. In order to work on self-advocacy, skills in self-determination must be established first. Self-determination involves decision-making, choice-making, self-awareness, and acting intentionally. Music therapy may be useful in the promotion of these skills, especially when approached from the perspective of social and affirmative models of disability. In this study, the researcher utilized an action research approach as well as a set of therapeutic guidelines in order to explore the relationship between music therapy and self-determination in individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities who communicate extraverbally. Results from this study show the need to address self-determination in music therapy and be reflexive as music therapists on the how power, choices, and engagement shows up in sessions.
4:30 to 5 p.m.
Lobby
Digital Poster Title: Reducing the Carbon Footprint of Concrete Construction by Using Local Wood-Based Biochar
Presenter: Sharareh Shirzad, Ph.D. (Sustainable Technology & the Built Environment)
Abstract: Building materials and construction are major contributors to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Concrete, the highest consumed product after water, releases an extreme amount of CO2 each year. The concrete mixing process has very low emissions. However, the materials used in the production of concrete have very high GHG emissions and are the main reason for the 8% GHG emission in the concrete industry. The energy used to fire the material (combustion) and the chemical reaction (calcination) are two sources of cement CO2 emission. The manufacturing process of cement generates about 0.9 pounds of CO2 for every pound of cement.
Carbon sequestering, which is the process of capturing atmospheric CO2, has gained a lot of attention as a solution to the large carbon footprint of the concrete industry. A material with high-density carbon storage possibilities is biochar. Biochar is produced through the pyrolysis of forestry and wood processing residues. The amount of wood and forestry waste produced and landfilled in the U.S. is estimated to be around 12.2 million tons, which is 8.3 percent of all municipal solid waste (MSW) landfilled that year. The use of wood-based biochar in concrete construction will help with the reduction of concrete’s CO2 emissions while reducing the amount of wood waste that needs to be landfilled. Partial replacement of cement or fine and coarse aggregate with biochar can have a significant effect on reducing emissions in the concrete industry.
4:30 to 5 p.m.
Lobby
Poster Title: International Service-Learning and Intercultural Competence in Music Therapy: Preliminary survey findings
Presenter: Melody Schwantes, Ph.D. (Hayes School of Music)
Abstract: Introduction: Research in education and the health sciences indicated that international service-learning (ISL) has positive impacts on participants’ intercultural competence, although little information exists in the music therapy profession. This study examined the characteristics of ISL within the context of music therapy and investigated its relationship with intercultural competence in U.S. music therapists.
Method: A total of 621 board certified music therapists participated in the study. The researcher-designed cross-sectional survey consisted of checklists, Likert scales, one standardized self-report measure – the Assessment of Intercultural Competence, a culture-related music therapy competence checklist, and demographic information.
Results: Results of the study confirmed anecdotal evidence that music therapists and music therapy students are engaging in a variety of ISL programs. Furthermore, the results suggested possible enhancement in intercultural competence, but not necessarily intercultural competence in music therapy.
Discussion: Several recommendations include theoretical and conceptual clarification of intercultural competence in music therapy professional practice, as well as cost-benefit considerations for participating in ISL.
4:30 to 5 p.m.
Lobby
Poster Title: A Necessary Shift: Impact of taking physical activity education course online
Presenters: Brooke Towner, Ph.D. (Recreation Management & Physical Education), Rebecca Battista, Ph.D. (Public Health & Exercise Science), Robert Broce, Ph.D. (Social Work), Richard Christiana, Ph.D. (Public Health & Exercise Science)
Abstract: Higher education institutions often provide physical education activity courses designed to meet learning outcomes associated with physical activity. However, these activity courses were shifted online during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study investigated the impact of an online learning environment on the educational outcomes of physical activity courses. Student reflections from a variety of 7-week activity courses were analyzed. The reflection included responses to students’ execution of a personal fitness plan, goals, goal progress, barriers, and the impact of purposeful physical activity. Qualitative document analysis was used to determine themes and to identify patterns. Four major categories emerged across the reflections: physical activity plan, motivation, barriers, and future plans. Students discussed creating and modifying individual physical activity plans. Motivating factors for physical activity were internal and external, including class accountability and available time and locations to be active. A variety of barriers were identified, including illness and injury and psychosocial factors. Finally, students indicated a desire to continue to be active beyond the class environment. Overall, our results suggest students still met learning outcomes even in online learning environments. Students were able to retain the well-being benefits typically associated with physical activity. Additionally, these courses provided a sense of accountability, and students felt the instructors played a crucial role in their overall enjoyment.
4:30 to 5 p.m.
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Poster Title: Feasibility of a Virtual 5k Walk/Run Program to Increase Physical Activity
Presenters: Kimberly Fasczewski, Ph.D. (Public Health & Exercise Science)
Abstract: Physical activity (PA) levels among the general population remain low despite well-known benefits. Previous research has demonstrated PA-based charity fundraising events may act as a catalyst for increased motivation for PA by fulfilling basic psychological needs while providing an emotional connection to a greater good. Therefore, the current study used a behavior-change based theoretical paradigm to develop and assess the feasibility of a 12- week charity-based virtual PA program intended to increase motivation and PA adherence. Forty-three participants were enrolled in a virtual 5 K run/walk charity event that included a structured training protocol, web-based motivation resources, and charity education. Eleven participants completed the program and results indicated no differences pre- and post-participation in motivation (t(10) = 1.16, p = .14) and self-efficacy (t(10) = 0.66, p = .26), but increased scores on charity knowledge (t(9) = − 2.50, p = .02). Attrition was attributed to timing, weather, and isolated nature of a solo virtual program. Participants enjoyed the structure of the program and felt the training and educational information was beneficial, but could have been more robust. Thus, in its current format, the program design lacks efficacy. Integral changes to increase program feasibility should include group programming, participant-chosen charity, and more accountability.