Senior Thesis Project Research Articles

"Development of a self-care assessment for psychologists": Correction to Dorociak (2017).

Reports an error in "Development of the Professional Self-Care Scale" by Katherine E. Dorociak, Patricia A. Rupert, Fred B. Bryant and Evan Zahniser (Journal of Counseling Psychology, 2017[Apr], Vol 64[3], 325-334). In the article "Development of a Self-Care Assessment for Psychologists" by Katherine E. Dorociak, Patricia A. Rupert, Fred B. Bryant, and Evan Zahniser (Journal of Counseling Psychology, 2017, Vol. 64, No. 3, 325-334. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/cou0000206), the author note has been updated with the following acknowledgment: "Some of the general ideas presented in this article were also explored in the primary author's undergraduate level senior thesis project, advised by Drs. Greg Neimeyer and Jennifer Taylor, at the University of Florida." Also, Loyola University Chicago has been added to note the location of the primary author's Master's thesis project on which certain ideas and data presented in this article were based. As part of this correction, the name of the scale described in the article was changed from Professional Self-Care Scale (PSCS) to Self-Care Assessment for Psychologists (SCAP). To reflect the new scale name, the article title was also changed from "Development of the Professional Self-Care Scale," to "Development of a Self-Care Assessment for Psychologists." The online version of this article has been corrected. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2017-10882-001.) In recent years, there has been an increased emphasis on the importance of self-care for psychologists and other mental health professionals. With the growth of positive psychology and preventive medicine, self-care is an emerging topic, promulgated as a means of avoiding the adverse effects of stress and promoting professional functioning and well-being. However, the research on self-care is limited because of the lack of an empirically based, psychometrically sound measure of this construct. Thus, the purpose of this project was to develop a measure of professional self-care. Professional psychologists were the focus of study, with the goal being to develop a measure that can be used in this population and similar groups of professionals. Based on expert feedback and a preliminary study of 422 licensed psychologists in Illinois, a 5-factor, 21-item scale was created. Factor analysis identified the following self-care factors: Professional Support, Professional Development, Life Balance, Cognitive Awareness, and Daily Balance. Preliminary analyses provided initial support for the validity of the 5 factors. A follow-up study was conducted with a second sample of clinical psychologists. The 5-factor structure provided a good fit to the data with the second sample. Thus, based on factor analysis and validity data, a 5-factor, 21-item Professional Self-Care Scale was established for further study and use in future research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Stroboscopic illumination for electronic speckle pattern interferometry

A common realization of holographic interferometry is called Electronic Speckle Pattern Interferometry (or ESPI)—a technique capable of measuring harmonic modes of vibrating objects. We present a method of improving the contrast and quality of fringe patterns recorded with a simple, table-top ESPI system. In particular, by using stroboscopic illumination generated by an optical chopper, we are able to produce fringes that follow a cosine pattern, rather than the Bessel pattern fringes that result from time averaging. Since Bessel function amplitudes rapidly decrease for subsequent maxima, the stroboscopic cosine fringes show much better contrast. Also, because the zeros of cosine fringes are evenly spaced, it is much simpler to interpret the images to extract quantitative deformation amplitudes. We show that our results agree well with the theoretical predictions. This system was developed for use in musical acoustics research as a Senior Thesis project by an undergraduate student (Gavin). This low-cost, simple modification of the commonly used ESPI system could benefit other colleges and universities using holographic interferometry for acoustics research.

Did the Results of Promotion Exams Have a Disparate Impact on Minorities? Using Statistical Evidence in Ricci v. DeStefano

This paper shows how to use data from the Ricci v. DeStefano case in statistics courses. The Ricci v. DeStefano case was about disparate impact of firefighters' promotion exams in New Haven, Connecticut. A statistical analysis of the test scores of both Lieutenant and Captain exams indicates that there is significant difference between the average test scores of minority and majority applicants. Analysis of the passing rates and the rates of potential promotion to the Captain position, however, does not show significant difference. This apparent contradictory result shows students that in real situations, different ways of analyzing data can lead to completely different conclusions. During the trial, the court used the government's “four-fifths rule” or guideline to reach its decision. The paper also presents a guided senior thesis project to assess the statistical soundness of this “four-fifths rule”. The analysis reinforces a previous study that showed that the “four-fifths rule” guideline was not appropriate for the data in the Ricci case.

Book Review of Introduction to Materials Chemistry

Allcock says the text focuses on a large spectrum of topics rather than in-depth coverage of a few topics, and on chemical concepts rather than equations. This approach makes the text a flexible book because students do not necessarily need to have two-three years of chemistry to take a course that uses it. Parts of the applications chapters as well as the descriptions of polymers, ceramics, and glasses could be brought into general chemistry courses. The text has a broader appeal than just to chemistry students. Any student with a year of introductory chemistry or physics who wishes to learn about materials science could learn something from a course in which Introduction to Materials Chemistry was used. My own experience with materials science has involved mainly structure and bonding, physical properties, and spectroscopy. For me, sample preparation involved picking up the telephone to order whatever adsorbates or substrates I needed, so most of Chapter 2, Basic Synthesis and Reaction Chemistry, was new. This chapter in particular has added an additional dimension to the way I think about teaching materials science, and it has given me some new ideas to bring in to my general chemistry classes (for example, Figure 3.4, which shows how oil leads to polymers). Each chapter ends with approximately a dozen study questions. Rather than the typical problems one might find in a chemistry text, these are conceptual questions. Some questions probe key vocabulary words: for example, Chapter 3 has questions that ask students to define “magic angle spinning”, “elastic modulus”, and “compliance”. Other questions are more open ended and may require some additional research. These study questions would all be great for starting classroom discussions. Starting with Chapter 6, Polymers, each chapter has a section called Future Challenges In... or Unsolved Problems In.... These are the most interesting sections to read because they are quick snapshots of current research trends in each area. Incorporating sections like these in textbooks seems to be a new trend (if one can say a sample size of two constitutes a trend), but I like it. I think this is a great way to start exposing undergraduate students who may have to do a senior thesis project to research. I enjoyed the last three chapters the most (Surface Science of Materials; Biomedical Materials; andMaterials in Nanoscience and Technology) because they were the most readable. The author's broad brushstroke approach at the expense of depth makes the first 14 chapters a rather dry read. The early chapters are more encyclopedia-like. For example, Chapter 6, Section F is eight pages long; in these eight pages, key features and properties of approximately 24 polymers are described. These eight pages were very informative, but they did not capture my interest in the way the last three chapters or the sections on future challenges did. I think Introduction to Materials Chemistry is a great text for looking up a specific topic and getting a quick snapshot of that topic. Its encyclopedic style reminds me of Herzberg's three volumes on molecular spectroscopy (1). In graduate school, I read all three volumes because they were on the reading list for a class. My professor told me no one ever reads Herzberg; they use it as a reference book. While I understood far more of Introduction to Materials Chemistry than I did when I read Herzberg for the first time, it was not an engaging read. For example, I would not recommend this text for a conventional course in which students are expected to read Chapter 1 and come to class prepared to discuss it. However, I think this book would work well in the hands of an instructor who could bring it to life by picking out some of the endof- chapter questions and asking students to come to class prepared to discuss them. I also think it would be interesting to base a course only on Part III: Materials in Advanced Technology and discuss these chapters in some depth while using the first two parts as the reference or background material. This is a book I would be happy to have on my bookshelf. I would use it for supplemental material or place it on reserve for students. I am not certain that I would adopt it as a stand-alone text for a course in materials chemistry. I am reasonably confident that I will not pack this book to take with me on vacation, but as with Herzberg's text, I am glad I read Allcock's Introduction to Materials Chemistry once, and I know where to find it when I need it.

Family Suicide Leads Student To Open Minds on Campus

Family Suicide Leads Student To Open Minds on Campus

Outstanding student paper

One presentation was named outstanding student paper in the Geodesy Section at the 1996 Fall Meeting in San Francisco, California. Michael Poland presented a poster entitled “Crustal Deformation at Medicine Lake Volcano, Northern California.” Poland is pursuing a B.S. in geology at the University of California, Davis, and will be attending graduate school in the fall of 1997 with the goal of earning a Ph.D. in geology. His main area of interest is volcanology and has attended field courses from the University of Hawaii, Hilo and the University of New Mexico in physical volcanology and eruption monitoring in order to broaden his experience with volcanology. The poster is the result of a senior thesis project undertaken with Roland Burgmann, a professor of geology at the University of California, Davis.

Facilitating Voluntary Undergraduate Research with a Group-Oriented Early Research Apprenticeship Program

The Early Research Apprenticeship (ERA) Program is designed to promote and facilitate voluntary undergraduate research in the Department of Geosciences by removing real or perceived barriers that may inhibit student commitment to meaningful research projects. The program consists of three components. Component one is a non-credit informal seminar attended by all ERA participants. This seminar centers on group activities, and offers a forum for idea exchange. Component two is a one-hour required course, “Introduction to Research,” in which students rotate in small groups through each of the working laboratories within the department. Here, students learn of the options, commitment, and benefits of undergraduate research through working interaction with faculty and fellow students. Component three is the voluntary completion of an independent senior-thesis project. The ERA Program has resulted in a substantial increase in undergraduate research productivity within the department. Logistical hurdles to the p...

SPICE applications to an undergraduate electronics program

A plan is presented for integrating SPICE (simulation program with integrated circuit emphasis) into an undergraduate electronics curriculum. Three design projects for students are described: a network theory project, an analog electronics design course, and a senior thesis project. In the first project used in a first course on network theory, the emphasis is on simple programs that can extend basic techniques (such as Thevenin's equivalent circuit) to cases where hand analysis is long and tedious. In the electronics course, the application of the bipolar-junction transistor and field-effect transistor is more clearly understood by the student when he/she constructs an analog amplifier according to a given set of specifications. Creativity is encouraged, since the design of the amplifier is flexible as long as the specifications are met. In the senior thesis project, SPICE, along with other computer design packages, enables the student to analyze and modify a project before it is constructed. This saves valuable construction time and allows for a more thorough theoretical analysis. >