Undergraduate Research Posters

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  Mangrove forest age as a predictor of overwintering habitat quality for migratory songbirds

  Ryan Weaver

  Wetland ecosystems are critical habitats for a host of organisms including resident and migratory birds. Forested wetlands (i.e., mangroves) surrounding Panama City, Panama are currently being drained and cleared to allow for commercial development. Restoration or replacement of mangroves (i.e. younger stands) may not be a sufficient surrogate for existing mature stands. Our main objective was to determine if mature mangrove forests provided higher quality habitat to (wintering) birds compared with younger mangroves. To assess this, we compared the following in mature and young mangroves in Panama (1) Prothonotary warbler and Northern waterthrush body condition, our most abundant species, and (2) feather reflectance criteria (specifically, carotenoid content) in prothonotary warblers occupying both types of mangroves. Carotenoid pigments are an honest indicator of the overall health and condition of a bird. By comparing reflectance of the carotenoid-pigmented breast feathers of prothonotary warbler, we are using feather reflectance as a proxy for an individual bird’s condition. After accounting for sex and age differences in our model, breast feathers from prothonotary warblers in mature mangroves had higher carotenoid content than feathers from prothonotary warblers occupying younger mangrove stands. Site occupancy strongly predicted body condition of prothonotary warblers in our study, such that, mature mangroves supported birds in better body condition than younger mangrove sites. Together, these results suggest mature mangroves offer higher quality habitats for migratory songbirds during their overwintering period.

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  Boxed In: The Lack of Creative Thinking in Engineering Students

  Rachel Wilbur

  The lack of creativity coming from recently graduated engineering students seems to be apparent through my observations of students, standard social stigma, as well as research conducted at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth. However, little is known about the reason behind this vastly growing problem. Without a better understanding of the issues, universities will continue to produce engineers lacking innovative abilities and creative motivation. Seven scholarly articles and studies as well as three primary sources were reviewed and analyzed in order to better understand what difficulties universities face within the engineering community. It has come to my realization that not only is the lack-luster curriculum leading to student disengagement, but the professors also have difficulty expressing the value of creativity, as they cannot clearly define what creativity entails in their specific courses and disciplines. Other problems arise when professors who are proficient with the idea of creative teaching are not incorporating it into their classrooms because the courses are material heavy and time-limited. Several solutions such as project-based introductory courses, interdisciplinary study programs, and professor training have been suggested to solve these faults in the engineering curricula. If changes do not begin to occur within the university environment, engineering students may find it difficult to exhibit the main characteristics of a “good” engineer that companies are searching for—becoming an innovator and a thinker.

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  From Social Media to Campus Streets: The Impact of Online Police Misconduct on Student Perceived Legitimacy of Campus Police

  Alexander J. Campbell

  Since 2020, the visibility of police misconduct on social media has increased dramatically. While these specific instances have led to national conversations about law enforcement, little continues to be known specifically about how this online presence shapes college students’ perceptions of their campus police specifically. In this study, we explore how viewing internet-based, and specifically social media content, depicting police misconduct influences university students’ views of campus police. By examining perceived legitimacy of campus police in a university setting, it allows researchers to examine an environment where police serve distinct roles and interact with their constituency in a unique way. This study was conducted at a large urban public university using an online survey that included close-ended and open-ended questions. Using qualitative student data, we identify major themes related to the impact of viewing police misconduct on students’ perceptions of campus police. Preliminary findings indicate that exposure to police misconduct via online content eroded students’ trust in campus police, heightened awareness of racial bias, and increased skepticism of the justice system. Further, student narratives emphasized a weakened willingness to cooperate with campus police. We discuss how these qualitative results compliment or differ with existing quantitative results on student perceptions of campus policing and highlight the need for campus police departments to engage in transparent communication, community-based trust building, and equity-centered policy development.