JSU Student Symposium 2024

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  The Ghanaian War Against Malaria: A Geospatial Approach to Malaria and Healthcare Access in Ghana

  Emmanuel Aklie and Prabish Khadka Chhetri

  For many nations, including Ghana, the fight against malaria has long been a difficult task, with millions of cases annually. This geospatial research project aims to analyze the complex interplay between demographic factors, cultural beliefs, preventive measures, healthcare access, and malaria incidence in Ghana. Key research questions include examining the relationship between malaria cases and healthcare access, the impact of vaccinations on malaria prevalence, the role of mosquito bed net usage, and the influence of cultural beliefs on malaria prevention and treatment. The study will use GIS and spatial analysis to map malaria distribution, healthcare facility locations, vaccination success rates, bed net usage, along with other cultural factors. By combining qualitative and quantitative methods, the research uses surveys, interviews, and secondary data sources such as Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) datasets, Ghana Statistical Services data, Malaria Atlas, and WHO reports. This comprehensive approach aims to provide evidence-based insights into malaria control, healthcare access disparities, and cultural influences. The research aims to identify malaria hotspots, assess healthcare access inequalities, and optimize resource allocation for the Ghanaian government. This research project holds great promise for advancing our understanding of malaria in Ghana and informing targeted interventions to reduce its prevalence. The project will contribute to the global effort to combat malaria, improve healthcare access, and enhance the health and well-being of Ghana's population.

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  Nurture vs. Nature Quilted Posters

  Madison Cagle

  Is it Nurture or Nature that determines one's identity, influence, and inspiration? The concept for this poster series revolves around the thought that both nurture and nature are woven and stitched together to form one’s identity, influence, and inspiration. For this piece, I used botanical specimens to create monoprints which I then cut down and sewed together with maps to create the finished posters. The botanical specimens overlap in such a way to show the layering influence of nature. There are some qualities that individuals have simply because of the fact that they are born with such qualities. Other qualities are formed by the environment in which the individual is raised, represented by the maps in the posters. One’s identity, influence, and inspiration can all be guided by both nurture and nature. This artwork explores the idea that these characteristics stem from both the way that one is born and the environment surrounding the individual. Nurture and nurture weave together to form the beauty of individuality.

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  Communication is Key

  Shelby Cain

  What if you were non-verbal due to a disability such as autism, down syndrome, traumatic brain injury or cerebral palsy? How would you communicate your feelings, your answers to questions, or your wants and needs? Using the Sounding Board, Go Talk, Sign Language, PECS Board, and the Switch, communication becomes available for non-verbal learners. Throughout this presentation, we will demonstrate how to effectively operate each type of communication device and when a student might utilize them.

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  Ginseng in Sports Nutrition: Mitigating Muscle Damage and Enhancing Athletic Performance

  Caroline Carter

  Despite exercise being an activity that is required for all humans to participate in to promote strength and wellness, it can lead to muscular degeneration, fatigue, and stress. In the article “Effect of Ginseng Intake on Muscle Damage Induced by Exercise in Healthy Adults” by Borja Muñoz-Castellanos, Patricia Martínez-López, Rafael Bailón-Moreno, and Laura Esquius, the authors analytically review the findings from various studies in which ginseng’s potential to alleviate exercise-induced muscle damage is determined. Ginseng is an herbal supplement that is composed of active compounds called ginsenosides which contain anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Studies have found that these properties may have an effect on the neuromuscular system, specifically, reduced biomarkers of muscle damage like creatine kinase and interleukin-6. In turn, this would result in a promotion of muscle repair and recovery by minimizing the inflammation response triggered by exercise.

  For muscle damage, ginseng’s ability to reduce biomarkers of creatine kinase is observed. High levels of creatine kinase can result in severe muscle damage and can cause a myriad of other issues including renal failure. The ingestion of ginseng correlates to safer practices of physical activity by reducing chances of injury. For muscle fatigue and soreness, it has also been observed that ginseng has an impact on blood lactate levels. Increased levels of lactate present in the blood is associated with muscle soreness and muscle fatigue. With the levels of blood lactate lowered, rating of perceived exertion (RPE) is also reduced, which is associated with the possibility of enhanced performance.

  Despite the plethora of data providing promising results, there is still many questions left unsolved. Due to lack of cohesivity amongst the studies analyzed, dosage size, consumption timing, consumption frequency, and type of ginseng has yet to be determined. For future studies into the topic, to yield more insightful results, certain strains of ginseng, expanding study populations, including athletes, and determining dosage size should be focused upon. Implementing this plan of study would help solidify and substantiate ginseng’s position in sport related nutrition.

  Overall, the data that has been collected on the topic of ginseng and its effect on the musculoskeletal system after strenuous exercise has be quite insightful. The promise of ginseng’s ability to reduce exercise-induced muscle degradation, reduce muscle pain, and enhance athletic performance is most desirable in regards to the future of supplementation. The studies analyzed in this article sets up the framework for continuing the investigation into the effects of ginseng and its future role in the world of sports nutrition.

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  A Data-Driven Approach to 10-Year Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) Risk Assessment

  Nidhi Chauhan

  Cardiovascular diseases remain a significant global health concern, with early prognosis playing an essential role in justifying associated risks. In this project, we explore the predictive factors associated with the 10-year risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) using a logistic regression model. Our dataset sourced from an ongoing cardiovascular study in Framingham, Massachusetts, comprising demographic, behavioral, and medical risk factors of over 4,000 individuals. The project involves cleansing the dataset, building the logistic regression model, and evaluating model comparisons to reveal key predictors contributing to CHD risk. The presentation will showcase the significance of these predictors and the methodology employed in achieving a reliable logistic regression model.

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  An Evaluation of the Teach-Back Method for Training Functional Analysis Methodology

  Bethany Christie and Donna Perez

  Behavior analysts conduct functional analyses to identify the environmental contingencies maintaining challenging behavior, which allows them to develop a function-based treatment plan. Behavioral staff must be fully trained on functional analysis methodology before conducting the analysis. A common way to train staff to conduct a functional analysis is through behavioral skills training (BST), but BST is time consuming and includes numerous materials. Teach-back, a widely used training method in healthcare settings, requires less time and no materials. Currently, there is little research on the effectiveness of the teach-back method for teaching behavioral techniques, and there is no research on the teach-back method for teaching functional analysis methodology. To address this, we used a multiple baseline design to compare the effects of two training methods (written instructions and teach-back) on the percentage of functional analysis steps completed correctly across three different functional analysis conditions (play, attention, and escape). We included seven participants with a limited background in behavior analysis. One participant accurately conducted all three functional analysis conditions with the use of written instructions alone. One participant conducted the play and attention sessions using written instructions alone, but needed one teach-back session to learn the escape condition. Two participants conducted the play session correctly using only written instructions, while one session of teach-back was needed for these participants to learn the attention and escape conditions. Three participants did not acquire the skills needed to conduct any functional analysis conditions with written instructions but were able to display the skills after one or two sessions of teach-back. These results indicate that individuals with limited behavioral knowledge can be quickly taught functional analysis methodology using written instructions and teach-back.

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  The Portal to Self-Actualization: Coraline and The Hobbit as Adaptations of the Monomyth

  Zoe Chuang

  NOTE: Video of this presentation is not available.

  This paper examines the differences between Joseph Campbell’s concept of the hero’s journey, originating in Campbell’s The Hero With A Thousand Faces, and a more contemporary approach to the hero’s journey that focuses on a young, female heroine with steps coined by Deborah Duff in Individuation in Children’s Literature: The Child Hero’s Journey and Coming-of-Age. The comparison of the two texts acts as a bridge between J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and Neil Gaiman’s Coraline, two seminal works of children’s literature that tell stories of very similar heroes embarking on vastly different journeys.In both Coraline and The Hobbit, the readers observe as the protagonists cross the threshold out of their world and into a world beyond their imaginations, which Kristen McQueen explores in “Liminal Space and Personal Identity in The Hobbit and Coraline”. As Coraline and Bilbo venture out on their missions they have the ultimate, unspoken goal of self-discovery wherein the concept of the hero’s journey works as a machine for a coming-of-age story, as explored by Peter Bray’s “The Hero-Journey, Hamlet, and Positive Psychological Transformation”.

  When comparing Duff’s text against Campbell’s text in conjunction with readings of both The Hobbit and Coraline, a clear relationship emerges-- both Campbell’s concept of the hero’s journey and Duff’s amended hero’s journey concept that outlines the journey of young female heroines reveal deep truths about gender bias as a mechanism for tropes in coming-of-age literature.

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  Graphic Design | Stefan Clark

  Stefan Clark

  Graphic design entry for 2024 Student Symposium

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  Endurance Athletes' Nutrition and Supplementation: A Holistic Review of Macronutrients, Hydration, and Performance-Enhancing Substances

  Taylor Clough

  NOTE: Video of this presentation is not available.

  As the spectrum of events tailored for endurance athletes has broadened, there has been a corresponding surge in global participation. Yet, a persistent enigma surrounds these athletes: the source of sustenance that enables them to withstand such arduous conditions. Opinions on nutritional strategies for endurance athletes vary widely, presenting a complex landscape shaped by diverse perspectives from health professionals. This review aims to demystify the proverbial "engine" that drives endurance athletes by employing a systematic research approach.

  To address this, the review incorporates an extensive PubMed/Medline literature search, focusing on pertinent subjects, including the dietary needs of endurance athletes, their nutritional intake, and how these factors influence their performance. The investigation delves into the latest empirical evidence concerning macronutrients, hydration strategies, and supplementation and how these elements interplay with endurance athletes' physical demands.

  The findings from this comprehensive search coalesce into three principal revelations. The first revelation notes that while carbohydrate intake and hydration guidelines have remained relatively stable over time, understanding protein and fat consumption in the context of endurance sports requires further exploration. The second revelation assesses the potential advantages of specific supplements for endurance athletes, including nitrates, antioxidants, caffeine, and probiotics, all of which are thoroughly evaluated within this review. The third revelation examines the concept of 'training low', a regimen involving low carbohydrate intake, and the subsequent 'recovery window', highlighting the significance of post-exercise nutrition.

  In summary, this review furnishes healthcare professionals who support endurance athletes with a clearer comprehension of the critical components concerning macronutrients, hydration, and supplementation. It aims to enhance the quality of care provided to these athletes by offering a detailed, evidence-based insight into their unique nutritional requirements.

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  A Proposal for Cost-Effective Mental Health Facilities in the United States

  Ricarra Davis

  Recent studies have underscored an increasing public consciousness and advocacy in the realm of mental health, particularly in light of the escalating suicide rates across the United States. This research aims to contribute significantly to the support of individuals battling suicidal ideations and actions. Central to our objectives is to elevate mental health awareness and innovatively propose the establishment of cost-effective mental health facilities, especially in economically disadvantaged areas. The research focuses on four distinct regions with notable high poverty rates within the United States: The Western, Southern, Southwestern, and Northern Regions (specifically California, Alabama, Texas, and Pennsylvania). Each region, characterized by unique socio-economic and demographic profiles, presents an opportunity to explore diverse approaches to mental health care accessibility and affordability across various spatial scales. The impetus for this research is solidified by alarming statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on suicide in the United States. Notably, suicide was identified as the ninth leading cause of death in 2021. The suicide rates have surged by 30% from 2000 to 2020, with a staggering 36% rise during the COVID-19 pandemic years of 2020 to 2022. This analysis aims to elucidate the public's dire need for affordable mental health facilities and resources in these identified regions. Utilizing a blend of quantitative data analysis and qualitative case studies, the work will offer comprehensive insights into the current state of mental health services and identify gaps in the existing infrastructure. The overarching goal of this study is to advocate for establishing and enhancing a sufficient number of cost-effective mental health services in high-poverty areas and provide suggestions for policymakers on suicide prevention in their communities. The methodology pertaining to this subject is to review demographic data furnished by the Census Bureau and focus on key contributors that will sustain this hypothesis through regression analysis, spatial analytics, and story mapping. By visually depicting the data displayed in a map, we observe the focal regions and how geography, suicide rates, existing mental health facilities, education, income, and age can contribute to the need for cost-effective mental health services and advocate for state or federally funded programs in these identified areas. Through this research, we aim to not only increase awareness of mental health needs but also contribute substantially to the reduction of suicide rates among Americans, thereby addressing a crucial public health issue.

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  Electric Echoes: Red Leopard, Black Wolf

  Bethany Dean-Stoots

  “Electric Echoes: Red Leopard, Black Wolf - A Scrapbook Commonplace Journey” is a project, meticulously crafting an immersive experience around a literary gem. Within its pages, each dedicated to a chapter of the book, the scrapbook skillfully navigates the narrative landscape, offering not just summaries but also visual representations that echo the beauty found within the book. In this innovative endeavor, Each page serves as a portal, allowing readers to traverse the mental landscapes that the author envisioned. The careful curation of imagery and succinct summaries not only honors the narrative but elevates it, offering a unique perspective that engages both the mind and the senses. This scrapbook commonplace journey becomes a celebration of literature, inviting readers to delve deeper into the world of "Red Leopard, Black Wolf" and savor the artistry that lies within its pages.

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  An Examination of Implementing a Hard Salary Cap for NILs in Collegiate Sports

  Caroline Ducato

  This study delves into the major significance of sports, as it is a rapidly expanding and widely observed phenomenon. Specifically, this study focuses on the pressing issue of a possible implementation of a hard salary cap for Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) earnings in collegiate sports. In the context of worries about maintaining collegiate athletics integrity, college athletes NIL pay has become a major source of debate in the sports world. The complexity of enforcing wage limitations for NILs is a big discussion, with critics arguing against potential violations of athlete economic rights, restrictions on their marketability profits, and practical enforcement challenges. For collegiate sports entities and policymakers, striking the right balance between preserving the amateur model and allowing student-athletes to profit from their NIL privileges remains an ongoing and intricate challenge.

  The conversation of NIL pay has presented both new opportunities and challenges for athletes, reshaping the landscape of college sports. This shift has not only altered athletes' career trajectories but also transformed the dynamics of marketing and sponsorship for both collegiate and professional athletes. The potential impact on professional sports hinges on the evolution of these developments and the adaptability of the new world of NIL compensation.

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  Building Better Pathways to Internet Access for Disable and Elderly Individuals

  Corey Dunn

  As technology becomes more integral to our daily lives as humans, a significant issue that often goes overlooked is the accessibility of the internet and smart-devices for disabled and elderly individuals. It is no secret how deeply the internet has embedded itself in our daily routines over the past 20+ years. However, amidst these remarkable innovations, we seem to have forgotten some of our dearest friends, family, or companions in this revolution into our new world. In the US alone, 13% of the population faces disability, and a substantial proportion has spent a significant part of their lives dealing with technology on a much smaller scale than we do today. In our research, we aim to bridge this gap and apply AI and machine learning techniques to develop solutions that can help for those grappling with various technological challenges. Having interned extensively within a local housing department and engaged in a project assisting homeowners, primarily people with disability and aged 55 or older, one of the researchers had the opportunity to witness these disadvantages firsthand. These individuals faced challenges when they dealt with technology leading the department to resort to paper applications—a notably time-consuming process. To overcome this problem, we propose to build solutions based on AI and machine learning, along with the human-in-the-loop approach.

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  Calhoun County Flooding and Insurance Maps

  Allie Field

  This study in Calhoun County analyzes the differences between the flood maps used by insurance companies and the Hydrology Flood Index Map, created to study flooding and hydrology issues on the Pinhoti and Chinnabee Silent Trails. The selected areas for this study in Calhoun County are Lenlock Lane in Saks, Coldwater Creek in Oxford, and Choccolocco Park in Oxford. They were chosen because of recurring flood issues or potential for flooding, as indicated by the FEMA and Hydrology Flood Index Maps. The FEMA Flood Maps primarily rely on reported or historical flooding and areas near water, such as lakes, streams, rivers, and creeks. The Hydrology Flood Index Map was created using multiple data layers to identify areas susceptible to flooding. The weighted sum of these layers was used to evaluate how much of a factor each layer can be in causing an area to retain water. Several data layers are essential when analyzing potential flood hazards and hydrology issues in the Hydrology Flood Index Map. The layers for analyzing flood hazards for the Hydrology Flood Index Map include the Soil Survey Geographic Database (SSURGO), National Land Cover Dataset (NLCD), Slope, and Flow Accumulation. SSURGO identifies soil types with poor drainage, NLCD shows the usage of the land, Slope provides terrain elevation, and Flow Accumulation identifies low-lying areas that could be bodies of water. The study compares FEMA Flood Maps to the Hydrology Flood Index Map to assess Calhoun County, Alabama flood hazards.

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  Hydrology and Flooding Issues on The Pinhoti and Chinnabee Silent Trail

  Allie Field

  This study aimed to identify flood-prone areas along the Pinhoti Trail and Chinnabee Silent Trail in the Talladega National Forest. Using the Hydrology Flood Index layer and analyzing several essential data layers, the research aimed to provide campers, hikers, nature enthusiasts, and trail maintenance teams with information about areas at a higher risk of flash flooding. The Hydrology Flood Index layer rates the risk of flooding on a scale of 1 to 4, with level 1 indicating a low risk of flooding and level 4 indicating an extremely high risk. The data layers for analyzing flood hazards for the Hydrology Flood Index Map include the Soil Survey Geographic Database (SSURGO), National Land Cover Dataset (NLCD), Slope, and Flow Accumulation. The study area includes three Pinhoti campsites and the entire length of the Chinnabee Silent Trail, where high-resolution images were taken after a flood occurred in 2014.

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  The Relationship Between Age, Emerging Adulthood, Empathy, Moral Reasoning, and Dark Traits

  Harley Fields, Haley Helms, Katherine Robles, Kayleigh Forehand, Richard Sheffield, and Rachel Powell

  The relationship between age and dark personality traits has only very recently begun to appear as a topic in personality research and the preliminary findings suggest that morality and empathy tend to increase with age (Abramson et al., 2022). Interestingly, at the same time, research has found an increase in Machiavellianism, narcissism, psychopathy, and sadism (dark traits) in adolescence with a peak in emerging adulthood (Klimstra et al., 2020). Further, Barlett and Barlett (2015) pointed out that the key characteristics of emerging adulthood could actually be better indications of presence of socially aversive traits than just using age itself. In the current study, we are examining the relationship between age, empathy, moral reasoning, dark traits, and indicators of participants’ perceived transition into adulthood. Empathy will be assessed using the Questionnaire of Cognitive and Affective Empathy (Reniers et al., 2011) and moral reasoning will be assessed using a modified Kolhbergian framework (Brugman et al., 2023). The dark traits will be assessed using the SD-4 (Paulhus et al., 2021) and Dirty Dozen (Jonason & Webster, 2010). A short version of the Inventory of Dimensions of Emerging Adulthood questionnaire will be used to measure transitions into adulthood (Baggio et al., 2015). We hypothesize that the youngest college participants, and those lowest on dimensions of emerging adulthood, will score higher on dark personality characteristics and show lower levels of empathy and moral judgment than our oldest participants and those higher on emerging adulthood.

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  Does Endorsement of Sex Roles Differentially Predict Sex Guilt, Indirect Aggression, Sadism, and Narcissism?

  Kayleigh Forehand, Katherine Robles, Rachel Powell, Richard Sheffield, Harley Fields, and Haley Helms

  In past research, men have been found to be higher on dark personality traits (Grijalva et al., 2015; Takikawa & Fukukawa, 2023) and women have been found to be higher on sex guilt and indirect forms of aggression (Archer & Coyne, 2005; Thomson et al., 2019). However, additional studies have suggested that the relationship may be more complex and based not just on sex differences, but also on gender role adoptions (Jonason & Davis, 2018). In the present study we collected data from over 150 college-aged students to examine whether gender roles moderated the relationship between sex and sex guilt, indirect aggression, sadism, and narcissism. We hypothesized that females who score higher on the masculinity side of the Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI) will also score higher on sadism and indirect aggression and have lower sex guilt. In contrast, males who score higher on the femininity side of the BSRI will have lower sadism and indirect aggression scores and higher sex guilt.

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  Development of a Risk-Scoring System to Predict Car Insurance Fraud

  Qian Gao

  Car insurance fraud constitutes a substantial threat to insurance companies, resulting in significant financial losses. Proactive fraud prevention plays a crucial role in mitigating financial losses. Machine learning approaches are frequently used to predict car insurance frauds. However, the machine learning approach is often viewed as nebulous, posing challenges in interpretation, particularly in the realms of accounting and finance. In contrast, point-based scoring systems (like credit scores) are becoming more widespread in sectors such as healthcare and finance due to its easy interpretation. The objective of this study is to develop a simple risk score system for car insurance fraud that is easily understood. The scoring deviation framework used in disease prediction is adapted for car insurance fraud prediction. The scoring system generates a table containing points for each risk factor of insurance fraud. To evaluate the performance of the proposal, real-life data from a Kaggle dataset containing 15,420 records was utilized to train and test the model. This method not only examines scores but is also useful for insurance professionals to evaluate validity.

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  Remote Sensing of Forest Structure Characteristics to Inform Prescriptive Vegetation Maintenance on the Pinhoti National Recreation Trail

  John Graffeo

  This project details a remote sensing workflow intended to assist vegetation maintenance planning for the Pinhoti National Recreation Trail (PNRT). Trail maintenance is necessary to provide the best possible experience to users and to maintain the national recreation trail designation held by the PNRT. Often, this maintenance involves mechanical treatments of understory vegetation that has encroached upon the trail during the growing season. Generally, volunteers or students are sent into the field to monitor and document trail overgrowth conditions. With this information, land managers formulate a plan to deal with any issues that were recorded. The workflow documented here generates a shapefile of areas that are likely to experience trail overgrowth conditions. This data can be used to narrow the focus of initial monitoring efforts, making the planning process less resource demanding for the management agency.

  The resulting shapefile is a selected range of values from a canopy height model (CHM). For the purposes of this project, canopy height and density are used as a proxy for the existence of trail overgrowth conditions. The relationship between canopy coverage and resource availability for understory plants makes canopy density a good predictor for understory conditions. The CHM is created from airborne LiDAR data and a range of its values is selected out into a new shapefile. Existing data from the PNRT brush management survey is used to determine the target canopy ranges through point sampling.

  Field data collection for this project was conducted with ArcGIS Field Maps. Point and line data were taken to detail trail overgrowth. LiDAR data was sourced from the USGS at a resolution of one meter. All data used thus far has been focused on section 5 of the PNRT, near Gunthertown, AL. Data processing, analysis, and map creation were all done in ArcGIS Pro.

  This project has been a collaborative effort between JSU’s Department of Chemistry and Geosciences, JSU’s Trail Science Institute, and the Alabama Trails Foundation.

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  Competitive Anxiety and Injury Risk for Collegiate Athletes: A Critically Appraised Topic

  Cole Hamilton

  Context: Competitive anxiety is an athlete's negative emotional reaction when their self-esteem is threatened due to a competition/task that is perceived as unattainable. Competitive anxiety affects athletes at all levels. Specially, collegiate athletes face numerous obstacles that may increase their risk for competitive anxiety. Collegiate athletes with competitive anxiety are at a greater risk for injury. Therefore, the purpose of this critically appraised topic is to examine the relationship of injury occurrence and competitive anxiety in collegiate athletes.

  Methods: A computerized search was conducted in October 2023. The search terms used were “collegiate”, “athletes'', “anxiety”, “competitive”, “performance”, “preseason”, “injury”, “risk”, and “incidence”. Electronic databases used were Sport Discus, Medline, CINAHL, and Google Scholar. Inclusion criteria included articles from the year 2000 until present, written in the English language, and peer reviewed journals. Articles excluded contained high school and professional athletes and athletes that had previous injury history. The research was appraised using the STROBE. One author independently reviewed the studies, scored each paper, and reviewed the completed appraisals to come to a consensus on the study quality.

  Results: The literature search retrieved 60 total articles and 56 were excluded based on the exclusion criteria, resulting in four studies. The results of three articles demonstrated a correlation between competitive anxiety and an increased risk for injury, with one article showing no relationship. Therefore, competitive anxiety has increased among collegiate athletes due to various obstacles relating to a collegiate lifestyle. The added stress of entering college, competing for a starting position, and academics play a significant role. Twenty-one percent of 615 collegiate athletes scored at risk for anxiety and 28.8% of 958 reported preseason anxiety symptoms. In addition to collegiate lifestyle changes, injuries are prevalent in collegiate sports with an athlete averaging two injuries during a competitive season. Approximately 52.8% of 597 injuries athletes reported anxiety concerns before the injury occurred. Collegiate athletes with anxiety demonstrated a significantly higher injury incidence rate compared to collegiate athletes with no competitive anxiety symptoms: 38.9 vs 16.3 per 10,000 athletic events. Furthermore, seeking treatment is a concern among collegiate athletes. One in five athletes admit having anxiety concerns, but only 50% seek treatment. Overall, the evidence demonstrates a correlation between competitive anxiety and increased risk for injury among collegiate athletes.

  Conclusions: The aspect of competitive anxiety creates an environment conducive for injury. With the transition from high school to college, collegiate athletes are faced with numerous obstacles, which makes them more susceptible for anxiety development. Overcoming barriers that athletes face and proper screening will assist athletes to seek proper treatment. Future research should examine the effectiveness of preseason screening and coping strategies that will help reduce anxiety before competition.

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  The Evolution of Hip-Hop and its Impact on Popular Culture

  OIivia Harp

  The evolution of Hip-Hop has been a very dynamic and multifaceted journey. Its origins lies in the South Bronx during the 1970s. Curate by and for African and African Americans, its cultural expression stretched far beyond the unique style of the music; it included rap, DJing, breakdancing, graffiti art, and fashion. This once local phenomenon spread rapidly across urban communities and eventually global recognition as it resonated with other marginalized groups.

  Hip-Hop’s impact has been incredibly significant and profound. Within the music industry, it has become a dominant genre by engulfing sales and becoming one of the most streamed genres in the world. Moreover, Hip-Hop and rap has provided a platform for artists to comment on social issues and challenge societal norms by, most often, sharing personal narratives.

  Additionally, Hip-Hop has played a pivotal role in social and political movements, providing a background for movements such as the Black Lives Movement. The issues addressed within the genre has also inspired trends and important styles, such as shoes, makeup, and genre streetwear.

  Summarily, the evolution of Hip-Hop has not only transformed the music industry, but also left an impactful imprint on American popular culture today. This genre of music transcends its confines, going above and beyond what it was ever thought to become.

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  The Unification of Maghrebi Nationalism Under the Mission Civilisatrice, Analyzed in Contrast to Features of the Moroccan Independence Movement

  Charles Harrell

  The colonial, revolutionary, and post-colonial history of Northwest Africa is both complex and ever dynamic, owing to the innate complexity and dynamism of French imperialist ideology itself. From an unread perspective, the sociocultural and political features of Algeria, Tunisia, and Morocco appear essentially uniform in physical and social geography, language, religious practice and ideology (and subsequent association with the broader Arab-Muslim world), and in the ways French colonialism imparted French and European culture. As the Ottoman Empire decayed, the French invasion and seizure of Algiers in 1830 ignited the resurgence of French and the broader European fervor of imperialism, as France continued its protectorate sphere into Tunisia in 1881 and Morocco in 1912. The arrival, assimilation, and endurance of French culture, however, occurred and now persists in a distinct manner for each country, in accordance with the divergence of French colonial practices employed by the empire throughout its second colonial period. As will be further discussed, the parallel between the indigenous North African societies predating second-wave French imperialism and the varying French assimilationist tactics these societies were subjected to undoubtedly shaped the revolutionary bases of the independence movements of Algeria, Tunisia, and Morocco; the ultimate political, cultural, and ideological schisms between these countries and their respective “mode” of French imperialism resound into the present day, and in these developing nations one can see the broad implications of two worlds enduring intense social-political transience—the individual nation-states of the Maghreb and their former overseer France—colliding in the tradition of European colonialism.

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  Everyone Who Believes: Faith and Change With the Protestants of Jacksonville State University

  Nicholas Harvey

  Jacksonville State University has seen a proliferation of student ministries espousing Protestant Christian and often Evangelical viewpoints with a focus on evangelization to contemporary college students. The American South is both the most Protestant and Evangelical region in America, and especially so in Alabama, with both region and state experiencing the decline in youth religiosity and growth in nondenominationalism that have characterized American religious trends. The intersection of Southern regional identity with these religious tendencies has been under-researched, especially in the collegiate space. Using direct ethnographic research, qualitative data was assembled on the nature of several campus ministries at Jacksonville State University that was examined through both contemporary and historical data on Southern religious identity and the changes in religious practice in state and region. Perception and accessibility emerged as recurring issues to these ministries, who desired to be open to the secular world and combat negative viewpoints, while having only made minimal changes in the beliefs that have spurred negative stances. The role of women shifting and positions of authority becoming available beyond the traditional stance of male-only leadership also became a salient issue, as did clear evidence of racial divisions between overwhelmingly White ministries and a single explicitly African-American organization.

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  The Link Between Psychopathy and Empathy

  Haley Helms, Harley Fields, Kayleigh Forehand, Katherine Robles, Rachel Powell, and Richard Sheffield

  Empathy is defined as a construct that is a result from conjointly operating both cognitive and affective processes and being the center of social awareness. Affective empathy involves the ability to experience the emotions of another while cognitive empathy involves the understanding of another’s emotional state (Jolliffe & Farrington, 2006). A lack of empathy is considered a fundamental aspect of the Dark Triad traits (Jonason et al., 2013). While this may be true, the relationship appears to be mainly with the affective component of empathy rather than the cognitive component (Wai & Tilipoulos, 2012). When looking at psychopathy and Machiavellianism, research has found both were correlated with higher levels of difficulty identifying and describing feelings along with external-oriented thinking and low levels of affective empathy (Jonason & Krause, 2013). We hypothesize that individuals who score high in psychopathy will score high in cognitive empathy and low in affective empathy acknowledging that individuals with psychopathic tendencies understand and can recognize empathy but cannot feel empathy introspectively. Over 150 college students participated in an online survey where they completed the Dirty Dozen measure of psychopathy and the Questionnaire of Cognitive and Affective Empathy (QCAE; Reniers et al., 2011). Results and discussion will focus on whether our findings match previous research.

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  Graphic Design | Lanae Henegar

  Lanae Henegar

  Graphic design entry for 2024 Student Symposium