Biological Sciences Masters Theses

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Browsing Biological Sciences Masters Theses by browse.metadata.program "Biology"

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    An Evaluation of the Social Perceptions and Biological Efficacy of Unmanned Aircraft Systems for Avian-Agriculture Conflict
    (North Dakota State University, 2021) White, Mallory Gyovai
    North Dakota sunflower producers face a dilemma when it comes to blackbirds (Icteridae). Migrating flocks produce localized damage to production, which results in some farmers with no bird issues, while others face total economic losses. A dynamic and humane crop protection tool is necessary to reduce blackbird damage in this broad-scale agriculture setting, as damage is actively occurring, while considering the protected status of blackbirds. This study examined a novel tool, unmanned aircraft systems (hereafter, UAS), through the lens of a social evaluation of farmers’ opinions and the biological impact on blackbird flock behavior. Farmers were very willing to allow a variety of UAS operations on their property, but willingness was dependent on age, farming generation, prior blackbird damage and preventative efforts. Time of day and flock size were important factors for perception of risk toward UAS by blackbird flocks, and 52% of the flocks abandoned due to UAS hazing.
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    Faculty Intention and Faculty Implementation - Do They Align?
    (North Dakota State University, 2021) Paulson, Laura Ann
    There have been a multitude of calls to reform teaching in undergraduate education. The implementation of active learning in the classroom increases student learning, relative to traditional lecturing. I worked with university faculty to determine the relationship between their interest in (intent) and application of active learning (behavior). I measured the intent of faculty to implement active learning and conducted classroom observations. Based on these classroom, observations, I found there is not always an alignment between an individual’s intent and behavior. Therefore, interviews were conducted to determine what factors could be contributing to the misalignment. Several factors were found: preparation time of new activities, classroom setup/layout, and the student population. Understanding what factors impact the change from traditional teaching to active learning teaching creates an opportunity to provide faculty with remedies such factors.