Does school participatory budgeting (SPB) increase students’ political efficacy? SPB, which is implemented in thousands of schools around the world, is a democratic process of deliberation and decision-making in which students determine how to spend a portion of the school’s budget. We examined the impact of SPB on political efficacy in one middle school in Arizona. Our participants’ (n = 28) responses on survey items designed to measure self-perceived growth in political efficacy indicated a large effect size (Cohen’s d = 1.46), suggesting that SPB is an effective approach to civic pedagogy, with promising prospects for developing students’ political efficacy.

As the return to normality in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic enters its early stages, the necessity for accurate, quick, and community-wide surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 has been emphasized. Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has been used across the world as a tool for monitoring the pandemic, but studies of its efficacy in comparison to the best-known method for surveillance, randomly selected COVID-19 testing, has limited research. This study evaluated the trends and correlations present between SARS-CoV-2 in the effluent wastewater of a large university campus and random COVID-19 testing results published by the university. A moderately strong positive correlation was found between the random testing and WBE surveillance methods (r = 0.63), and this correlation was strengthened when accommodating for lost samples during the experiment (r = 0.74).

Preeclampsia is a disease that occurs during pregnancy and affects upwards of 10% of pregnancies around the world (Osungbade & Ige, 2011). African American pregnant women are particularly vulnerable and die at a disproportionate rate compared to other races. In this literature review, three research studies were analyzed to determine if African American pregnant women were included in preeclampsia Studies. Only one of the studies included in this review met all criteria by including African American pregnant women. One research study met half of the criteria; however, the authors noted that there was not enough evidence for Black Americans. The third research article also only met half of the criteria. We conclude that further studies are needed that include African American women in studies on preeclampsia.

A research project turned creative project focusing on the narrative of the student's perspective in the Next Generation Service Corps scholarship program. Using survey results from the program members, narratives of their experiences were compiled to offer insight and direction for the growth of the program.<br/><br/>A video of the defense can be found at this link: https://youtu.be/O63NRz0z1Ys

An X class solar flare has the potential to remove our satellites from orbit, permanently deactivate our main forms of communication and bring humanity into a technology-free age. By using Geant4, it is possible to simulate several layers of the Earth's atmosphere and send a simulated solar flare and coronal mass ejection. This thesis will show the interaction of photons and protons of various energies with several kilometers of atmosphere.

The Founders lab is a year-long program that gives its students an opportunity to participate in a unique team-based, experiential Barrett honors thesis project to design and apply marketing and sales strategies, as well as business and financial models to start up and launch a new business. This honors thesis project focuses on increasing the rate of vaccination outcomes in a country where people are increasingly busy (less time) and unwilling to get a needle through a new business venture that provides a service that brings vaccinations straight to businesses, making them available for their employees. Through our work with the Founders Lab, our team was able to create this pitch deck.