2025 Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences and Education

Title
A Vaccine Against Fake News

Synopsis
We are experiencing a shift in the media landscape as dramatic as the transition from oral to written storytelling. Over the last decade, the hybridization of information and entertainment into infotainment in legacy and social media is escalating the challenge to uphold ethical principles of media creation and consumption. Our research project addresses the prevalence of media that purports to be fact-based, the manipulative power of story, and the inability by consumers to decipher fact from fiction.

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Title
Interdisciplinary Game Design as a Pedagogical Catalyst for Creativity and Problem-Solving

Synopsis
This paper examines the transformative impact of interdisciplinary game design courses in beginning design education. Through project-based learning, students from diverse disciplines collaborate to develop games and simulations, fostering multiple problem-solving approaches and enhancing creativity. Assessments include project evaluations, peer reviews, and public showcases. Findings suggest these courses enrich education and advance student competencies, recommending wider adoption.

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Title
Non-denoting Terms in R-mingle

Synopsis
The problem of expressions that talk about nonexistent objects has been a topic of philosophical discussions since the time of the pre-Socratic philosophers. The logic of relevant implication (R) and its extension with the mingle axiom (RM) are logics close to the popular 2-valued logic. RM is less complicated than R; it is easier to use for concrete reasoning. This talk shows how to include terms without referents into RM; how to modify RMQ and its semantics. I conclude with concrete examples.

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Title
The Path to Tenure: Twelve Suggestions to Navigate the Road to Success!

Synopsis
Obtaining a full-time university music position is both a goal and dream for many of us. Having the opportunity to share our love of both music and education with like-minded colleagues and students is an ideal profession and vocation. With the number of applicants far exceeding the number of available university positions, being hired is not a guarantee of success for institutional longevity and security. This article will share 12 suggestions to assist you in preparing for a long-term, successful, secure, and rewarding career. Whether you are a newly-hired faculty member in your first university position, an adjunct professor now in a tenure track position, or a more experienced, junior faculty member at a new institution, knowing what to do and how to best prepare your retention, promotion and/or tenure file can greatly increase the odds of you remaining in your position through your probationary period and also obtaining job security and retention/tenure.

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Educational Measurement Inquiry and Evaluation
Brigham Young University
Provo, Utah²

Title
Generative AI-enabled Essay Grading

Synopsis
This study investigated the capabilities of a generative AI-enabled essay grading assistant in providing accurate, reliable essay scoring and high-quality formative feedback to support teachers and enhance student learning. The presentation presents findings on the validity and reliability of AI-enabled essay scoring as well as qualitative evidence of the efficacy of AI in solving teachers’ essay grading challenges.

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Title
Physical Manifestations of an Awakened Spiritual Quest

Synopsis
Plato in his “republic” is speaking of the necessity to raise the soul’s power to the contemplation of truth which can be experienced through means other than the physical senses and the traditional functioning of the intellectual and emotional mind. In “Phaedrus” he presents Eros (love), as the “manic” divinely inspired power that leads psyche -soul- to the realization of its divine provenance. This power could be analogous to the notion of divine grace as found in every spiritual tradition.

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Title
Nomadic Transits and the Neobaroque Decolonization of Subjectivity: At the Crossroads of Indigenous and Western Feminism

Synopsis
The paper expounds on Indigenous-American feminist voices of Gloria Anzaldúa and Silvia Rivera Cusicanqui, as they collude with Rosi Braidotti’s Western-oriented “nomadic theory” in the framework of queer theory and Neobaroque aesthetic representations in Latin American fiction and performance. This feminist collusion results in the deconstruction of normative and categorical identities, and the conceptualization of a decategorized and mobile “trans-identity,” a decentered and fluid form of selfhood founded on the assimilation of difference and otherness, on nomadic displacement, the juggling of cultural categories, and inclusiveness.

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Department of Social Work
Middle Tennessee State University
Murfreesboro, Tennessee²

Title
How We Got Over: A Cyclical Model of Intergenerational Community Resilience and Collective Growth Informing the Development of African American Centered Educational Curriculum

Synopsis
In this panel presentation, we describe the development of a new theoretical model of community resilience and collective growth of African American communities in the United States. Recognizing the varied ways in which collective growth is experienced, the researchers have developed a theoretical framework that intersects historical trauma with a model of intergenerational community resilience and collective growth. A qualitative analysis of narratives of enslaved Africans informed the research, illustrating the collectively experienced historical and intergenerational trauma with concepts of resiliency, reformulated to capture the complexities of collective resilience and growth.

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Faculty of Social Science
Université Laval
Québec, Québec
CANADA²

Title
What and How Neighborhood Factors Matter for Prevention of Childhood Maltreatment and its Consequences on Early Childhood Development: The Case of a Resilient Community

Synopsis
This talk examined neighborhood factors associated with early childhood development (ECD) and maltreatment, with the aim of identifying leverage points to enrich community environments and build resilience in urban disadvantaged neighborhoods. Methods and Results from a comparative case study are presented and potential prevention and intervention areas are discussed to, ultimately, prevent maltreatment, mitigate its impact on ECD, and increase kindergarten readiness in children.

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Title
Examination of a Relationship between Sports Consumption and Conflict Resolution

Synopsis
To examine the relationship between sports fandom and conflict resolution, we distributed a 25-question survey to 100 people.
We seek to prove the hypothesis that the more involved with sports one is, the harsher one will be during times of conflict.
Data analysis involving crosstabulations and chi-square tests of independence show support for the hypothesis: there is a relationship between the level of involvement in sports and conflict resolution style.

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Department of Mathematics
Illinois State University
Normal, Illinois²

Title
Pricing Methods as Tools of Enhancing Welfare of Consumers and of the Society

Synopsis
We discuss various forms of non-standard, i.e., non-linear, pricing methodologies, and their consequences for welfare of the consumers and
the society. We present various non-standard pricing approaches:
– Perfect price discrimination
– Second-degree price discrimination
– Third-degree price discrimination
– Two-part tariff
– Pay-What-You-Want pricing
– Buffet pricing
– Pricing under uncertainty of demand
and compare their effects on the consumers and the overall welfare of the society. We conclude that non-linear pricing practices in fact, are
generally beneficial to consumers and welfare-enhancing for the society.

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Title
Channeling the Past: Haunting, Affect, and the Spectral Encounter in Postcolonial Theory

Synopsis
This paper examines the use of affect and haunting in postcolonial theory. I discuss how postcolonial theory employs the trope of haunting as a form of historical recovery. The paper examines various instances of haunting as an affective mode from which theories of resistance emerge. I examine how this popular trope might be seen as problematic in its turn to anxiety and victimization. What are the implications of a turn to such affective realms of memory today?

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Title
Music Therapy in Medicine: The Orchestra of Healing

Synopsis
Through the exploration of existing studies done, I aim to explore the effectiveness of medical music therapy in premature infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Through the lens of other patient populations, while maintaining a global perspective, I will address the mental and physical effects of music therapy on both the premature infants and surrounding family members.

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Department of Fashion Communication
National Institute of Fashion Technology
Gandhinagar, Gujarat
INDIA²

Title
Redefining Creative Boundaries: Ethical Implications and Authorship in AI-Generated Art

Synopsis
The ethical issues associated with AI-generated art go beyond questions of authorship and extend to concerns about originality and fairness. AI models are typically trained on large datasets of existing artworks, including images, designs, and styles created by human artists. This reliance on pre-existing material raises worries about potential copyright infringement, as AI systems may unintentionally replicate elements of protected works without giving credit or compensation.

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Title
A Tale of Two Social Movements: Occupy Wall Street and Occupy Central

Synopsis
This essay discusses the similarities and differences between Occupy Wall Street in America in 2011 and Occupy Central in Hong Kong in 2014. Both movements demanded greater democracy but had different focuses – Occupy Wall Street addressed economic inequality and corporate greed, while Occupy Central sought political democracy and rights promised by the Chinese government.

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Title
Hollywood Fairy Tale: A Public Relations Case Study of Wrexham Football Club’s Transformation

Synopsis
This case study examines the remarkable transformation of Wrexham AFC under the ownership of Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds
and Rob McElhenney. Their highly effective PR campaign catapulted Wrexham into global recognition despite the club’s modest status.
Through a combination of strategic PR, media outreach, and their personal charisma, the Hollywood duo successfully revitalized
the club, leading to consecutive promotions and a long-lasting impact on both the club and the local community.

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Department of Economics
University of Colorado at Denver
Denver, Colorado²

Title
Interdependence of Foreign Exchange Rate Markets – A Mixed Copula Approach

Synopsis
In this paper, we study the modelling and estimation of dependence structure among foreign exchange rate markets using the returns of monthly U.S. dollar-based exchange rates (Australian dollar (AUD), Canadian Dollar (CAD), Swiss franc (CHF), Euro (EUR), Japanese yen (JPY), and U.K. pound (GBP) against US dollars. A new approach is proposed based on mixed copula models, which can capture various interdependence patterns among exchange rates.

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