The Invasion of the Lionfish
Jennifer Davis
Tom Rothfus (Mentor)
UIS Field Stations

Lionfish (Pterois) are an invasive species that have been a rapidly spreading problem in the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, and along the East Coast of the United States since around 2004. They were first reported in 1985 in the Atlantic Ocean. The lionfish were thought to have been dumped from aquariums and spread to marine environments. Lionfish prey on small native marine fish and invertebrates. They are causing detrimental impacts to the native marine fish populations as well as coral reefs. Lionfish are native to the Indo-Pacific region and grow to roughly 15 inches long. They resemble a red/orange and white zebra pattern. Their fins are venomous to humans and other marine species. There are no known predators of the lionfish. Just like Asian Carp, there are eradication efforts for the lionfish including human consumption and fishing bait. This poster will highlight key features of lionfish, the problems associated with them, eradication efforts for these invasive species, and research being conducted with lionfish.


Physical Activity Practices in Residential Care Communities and the Covid-19 Impact
Danielle Dennis
Angela Doehring (Mentor)
Department of Allied Health

The relationship of regular physical activity (PA) to health has been well documented in all age-groups. When PA is performed regularly, it reduces the risk of morbidity and mortality associated with many leading causes of death. In addition, many of the deleterious effects of aging, which can influence quality of life, functional independence, and mortality, can be slowed and/or reversed by increasing PA levels among older adults (OA). Residential care communities (RCCs) are common living arrangements for OA, and in 2018 there were about 28,900 RCCs in the US. Yet, there is not much promotion of health, especially mobility of residents. Therefore, RCCs need to ensure that residents get minimal levels of health-related PA. Due to various mitigations and restrictions among the Covid-19 pandemic, research shows that people have become less active. RCCs also have been significantly impacted by the pandemic, from staffing to funding, further decreasing the ability to potentially deliver PA to residents. The purpose of this research is to evaluate local RCCs regarding PA practices and needs of residents. In addition, the role of the Covid-19 pandemic on PA practices also will be addressed. This descriptive research, completed via online survey, will be disseminated to local RCC facility administrators to determine comprehensiveness of PA practices. Preliminary findings will be discussed in this presentation. However, it is hypothesized that local RCCs will not be administering adequate PA practices to residents.


An Educator’s Impact: A Look into the Qualities That Stay with Students Long After They Leave the Classroom
Lauren Becmer
Jennifer Martin (Mentor)
Department of Teacher Education

As a preservice teacher, I look to the values and practices of practicing teachers to understand best practices. I find that it is equally important to ask students what they look for in a teacher, what their teachers have done to supplement their learning experience, and how those teachers have impacted their lives. After gaining insightful information from TEP 315 with Dr. Martin on how to create and uphold an effective classroom management plan, I was inspired to ask the most important people in my life about the more influential educators they ever had to gain more understanding on what aspects of a teacher stays will an individual long after they leave the classroom. With this video, I aimed to show that what I have learned this semester has real-life applications and will work to help me be the kind of educator my students will value in the same way my loved ones valued theirs. In their own words, my friends and family noted the following aspects when discussing why their teachers were so impactful to them: clearly communicating expectations, holding students to high standards and aiding in the students’ ability to meet those standards, authentic and genuine relationships and care, empathy, trauma-informed care, unconditional positive regard, targeted and effective feedback, cultural responsiveness, funds of knowledge, asset-based learning, student-centered learning, the effects of the hidden curriculum, the effects of not-learning, promoting a growth mindset, creating and maintain meaningful relationships, and effective communication.

https://youtu.be/aeNC1VPljjA

In the video, I speak with my mom, my dad, and my life-long friends Lexi, Jordynn, Brigid, Nick, and Gwen. Through my conversations with my loved ones, it became very clear that what they appreciated most in their past educators directly correlates to the tools, ideas, and values I have learned about this semester in TEP 315. In their own words, my friends and family noted the following aspects when discussing why their teachers were so impactful to them: clearly communicating expectations, holding students to high standards and aiding in the students’ ability to meet those standards, authentic and genuine relationships and care, empathy, trauma-informed care, unconditional positive regard, targeted and effective feedback, cultural responsiveness, funds of knowledge, asset-based learning, student-centered learning, the effects of the hidden curriculum, the effects of not-learning, promoting a growth mindset, creating and maintain meaningful relationships, and effective communication. I have had the opportunity to learn and practice each one of these aspects and I believe that they are essential components in a high-quality classroom management plan. It was reassuring and inspiring to learn that most influential teachers in the lives of the people that are most important to me possess the same qualities and utilize the same tactics that I have learned about and plan to implement in my classroom. With this video, I aimed to show that what I have learned this semester has real-life applications and will work to help me be the kind of educator my students will value in the same way my loved ones valued theirs.


Directed Evolution of Selenite Resistance
Lauren Griffin, Angela Dagnino Canedo, & Ally Fischer
Noah Reynolds (Mentor)
Department of Biology

Selenocysteine is the 21st genetically encoded amino acid and is used across the three domains of life. Selenocysteine is inserted into proteins at UGA codons using a special recognition sequence in the messenger RNA. In cells, selenite is reduced to selenide, which enters the cysteine biosynthetic pathway, producing selenocysteine. Although selenium is an essential micronutrient, high levels can be toxic. Due to the inability of cysteinyl-tRNA synthetase (CysRS) to discriminate between cysteine and selenocysteine, the accumulation of selenocysteine in cells can lead to the production of tRNACys charged with selenocysteine and result in the misincorporation of selenocysteine at cysteine codons during protein synthesis. A single amino acid variant present in the active site of CysRS from selenium accumulating plants, reduces the level of selenocysteine misincorporated at cysteine codons when introduced into the Escherichia coli CysRS, lowering the toxic effects of selenite. To gain insight into the specificity of substrate binding and to determine if other amino acid variants can exclude selenocysteine from the CysRS active site, we performed directed evolution experiments in E. coli for increased resistance to selenite.


Not-Learning: What Is It and How Educators Can Combat It Within the Classroom
Lauren Becmer
Jennifer Martin (Mentor)
Department of Teacher Education

Herbert Kohl is an innovative educator, prolific author, and champion of social justice who, beginning in the 1960s, encouraged reform of teaching methods and school systems to support all children, regardless of their race or social environment. Kohl theory of “not-learning” occurs when a student makes the conscious or subconscious decision to actively reject learning from a teacher. I also experienced not-learning when I was a middle school student. This realization inspired me to create a resource for educators to use to become aware of not-learning, understand why it may occur in our classrooms, and how to prevent it from happening to ensure no other students have to go through what I went through. Overall, my personal experience with not-learning is a defining moment in my journey as a student. With the web resource I created (https://sites.google.com/view/not-learning/home), I hope educators find inspiring, helpful, and meaningful information to add to their own classroom management plans as well. This site provides the viewer information regarding these aspects and how to successfully implement them, as well as links to informational texts, classroom resources, and professional develop tools. Now that viewers of the site understand Kohl’s theory and how it may manifest in the classroom, a form is included at the bottom of the website to give the viewers an opportunity to share their own experiences with not-learning and how they will use that experience to make informed decisions in their classroom to prevent not-learning from happening with their students.


When
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Location
Zoom