Fall 2017 Research Symposium

University of Northern Colorado

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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/