Digital Commons Network^™

Playing History: How Video Games Can Change The Way We Understand The Past, Chapman Hall

Honors College

Video games are a wildly popular and growing form of art and entertainment. Yet they are often overlooked within academic fields like history. This thesis examines the unique qualities of video games that make them powerful tools to understand history in a different manner. The interpretative frameworks of simulation and agency are central to this analysis, and they are applied to the history-based video game Europa Universalis IV as a case study of how video games facilitate rich and rewarding historical sensibilities that deepen the connection between past and present, a long-standing goal of professional and popular historians. The study …

Sustaining Community And Identity Through Food At The University Of Maine, Elizabeth Dudevoir

Honors College

International students often travel thousands of miles to attend the University of Maine. Foodways become a way to sustain one’s communal and self-identity. Food is more than nourishment: certain dishes also tell stories and become building blocks for conversation. Here, I focus on how international students use food as a vehicle to build community and understand the role of food to comfort and engage individuals. I also consider access to culturally significant ingredients, as the greater Orono/Bangor area lacks markets and stores that carry certain products. Through interviews, individuals shared their foodways and experiences as international graduate students at the …

Using Cdom Optical Properties To Estimate Its Source, Distribution, And Doc Conentration In Maine Estuaries, Camille Michaud

Honors College

Colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) contributes largely to ocean color, and therefore, influences processes and applications that interact with light in the ocean such as remote sensing and biogeochemistry. It is a component part of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and there is a strong relationship in coastal waters between CDOM absorption and DOC concentration. CDOM optical properties also vary with salinity and source. These important aspects of CDOM absorption led us to collect CDOM samples across the salinity gradients of 3 estuaries in Maine: the Penobscot, Damariscotta, and Sheepscot. We sampled stations along the salinity gradient in each estuary from …

A Survey Of Current Perceptions And Actual Use By Students And Faculty Of Generative Artificial Intelligence In Higher Education, Cameron Hasselbaum

Honors College

Generative AI as an emerging new technology may have large-scale impacts on how business is conducted and how schools teach students. OpenAI released ChatGPT to the public in November of 2022. Two similar surveys were conducted one year after ChatGPT was released in December 2023 to measure the perceptions of generative AI and changes in behavior in the academic space among students and faculty at the University of Maine. The survey findings were that student respondents have been quicker to adopt and find utility in the new technology. Still, it has yet to be readily adopted for use as widely …

Collaborating With Others Through Training To Enhance Inclusion, Rachel Williams

Student and Trainee Scholarship

The Maine Inclusion Credential is part of the work of Maine Roads to Quality Professional Development Network (MRTQ PDN), funded by the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Child and Family Services. The University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies (CCIDS) is a collaborative partner with MRTQ PDN and was the lead in developing the Maine Inclusion Credential. This project incorporated a variety of activities to update one specific training within the inclusion series that leads to a Maine Inclusion Credential – Collaborating With Others to Support Inclusion.

Increasing Accessibility To Newborn Hearing Screening For Out-Of-Hospital Births, Katherine Russum

Student and Trainee Scholarship

The Maine Educational Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (MECDHH), in collaboration with the Maine Newborn Hearing program, and participating midwives embarked on a pilot program to increase accessibility to newborn hearing screening for out-of-hospital births. Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) guidelines recommend screening infants for hearing differences by 1 month of age, evaluation by 3 months of age, and being enrolled in early intervention by 6 months of age. Most infants who have a missed hearing screen after 1 month of age have consistently been infants born outside the hospital setting.

Inclusive Education, Kasey Mcblais

Student and Trainee Scholarship

Inclusive education is crucial because it promotes diversity, acceptance and equity. Accommodating the needs of students with different abilities fosters a sense of belonging and acceptance and encourages collaboration among peers. Students can learn from one another. Students, regardless of their varying abilities have a right to access quality education alongside their peers, promoting social integration and reducing stigmatization. Inclusive education empowers all students to reach their full potential and fosters a culture of respect, empathy and understanding.

Step 1 Of Maine Cdc Maternal & Child Health Title V Block Grant Needs Assessment: Gathering Community Input, Elizabeth Deliso

Student and Trainee Scholarship

The Maine Center for Disease Control (ME CDC) receives funding through the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) Title V Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant Program, which creates Federal/State partnerships to address the health services needs of 5 population domains: women, infants, children, children with special health care needs, & adolescents. Every 5 years Maine must conduct a needs assessment to determine its priorities for the next 5 years. Currently Maine is in Step 1 (highlighted in graphic below) of the Needs Assessment Process for 2025-2030. This step involves gathering community input.

Speaking Up For Us Legislative Toolkit, Cynthia Cushing

Student and Trainee Scholarship

Speaking Up For Us (SUFU) is an advocacy group for adults who live with developmental disabilities (IDD). Established in 1993, SUFU has been helping people with IDD provide a voice for their needs in Maine for over 30 years. SUFU’s vision is to promote people living with IDD as valued. Inclusion in Maine’s legislative events is an important part of SUFU’s mission, which is to empower people with IDD to speak up and take action to improve their lives through education, advocacy, and leadership skills.

Black Women Maternal Health Model, Aicha Ali

Student and Trainee Scholarship

New Mainers Public Health Initiative (NMPHI) focuses on identifying and addressing health inequities. Working with its community to bridge the gap between the people and the healthcare providers to minimize health disparities and inequality. To improve the health of the population we serve, another aspect of NMPHI’s goal is to encourage healthy behaviors and alter the attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors of those we serve. NMPHI advocates for the marginalized community to build stronger and healthier members of the community.

Maine Educational Center For The Deaf And Hard Of Hearing Advisory Council, Fozia Robleh

Student and Trainee Scholarship

The Maine Educational Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (MECDHH) plays a crucial role in supporting individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing across Maine. One of its primary focuses is on providing quality education and support services to deaf and hard of hearing children and their families. MECDHH primarily serves individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, including children, adolescents, and adults, across the state of Maine. Their services and programs are designed to support these individuals in various aspects of their lives, including education, communication, accessibility, and advocacy. Additionally, MECDHH also works with families, …

Does Urbanization Surrounding Stopping Sites Affect Migratory Behavior In American Woodcock (Scolopax Minor)?, Zoe Pavlik

Honors College

Urban landscapes may influence bird species in complex ways, with some species exploiting urban environments, others adapting to them, and others avoiding them. Migratory birds encounter urbanization not just during breeding and overwintering, but also at stopping sites during migration. Migration routes of American Woodcock (Scolopax minor), a bird species experiencing long term population declines, follow the east coast of the United States, including the major urbanized areas of the eastern seaboard. I explored the effects of urbanization around stopping sites on Woodcock migratory behavior using the percentage of impervious surfaces within a buffer surrounding the site as a measure …

What Is Marxian Communism? Limning The Post-Revolutionary Utopia By Implication, Teodora Blejeru

Honors College

This thesis aims to discover the facts of Marxian communism by implication. By analyzing the works of Marx, this project outlines the contradictions within capitalism and explains how these problems will be solved within Marxian communism. This pro- ject explains historical materialism and how it can be used to explain Marxian com- munism as not only the end of history, but as the end of class antagonisms. It also aims to explain why twentieth century communist regimes cannot be considered truthful exam- ples of Marxian communism. After the introductory chapter, the thesis analyzes The Communist Manifesto, The German Ideology, and …

Why Do Rebel And Criminal Groups Provide Social Services?, Sydney Lorom

Honors College

This work analyzes the approaches taken by rebel and criminal groups to provide social services to the geographic regions they control. It presents the case studies of a rebel organization, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and a former criminal group, the Medellin Cartel of Colombia. My comparison between these armed non-state actors is intended to explore why rebel and criminal groups respond to the needs of citizens within the boundaries of their control in various ways, as well as understand what factors primarily shape differing approaches. Possible explanations for the extent of a group’s responses are presented after distinguishing the operation styles …

Autonomous Fish Identification For The Remotely Operated Vehicle Control System, Jacob Wildes

Honors College

A Remotely Operated Vehicle was designed, constructed, and programmed as a senior design project in Electrical and Computer Engineering by Dyllon Dunton and Jacob Wildes. The system was intended to be an alternative means to inspect the underside of ships. Given the small footprint of the system, it can be easily extended into other applications. In this thesis project, the observation system is modified to detect if a fish is present or not, classify the species, localize where in the image the fish is, and mask the fish by separating fish pixels from non-fish pixels. Additionally, the original design will …

Investigation Of How A Kinesin-1 Mutation Affects The Synaptic Localization Of The Periactive Zone Protein Apt-4, Ian Harden

Honors College

Dysfunctional or loss of synaptic transmission is a major contributing factor to many neurological and neurodevelopmental diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease. To develop novel approaches to treating these diseases, understanding the structures and proteins related to synaptic development and function is essential. Within the synapse is the presynaptic site, containing the active and periactive zones, at which synaptic vesicles containing neurotransmitters are released. The active zone’s primary role is mediating neurotransmitter release via exocytosis, and the periactive zone sorts and recycles synaptic vesicles via endocytosis. However, how periactive zone proteins localize to the presynapse and how they interact with the …

The Permaculture Discussion Group: Participatory Learning For Community Connection And Systems Transformation, Belu Katz

Honors College

There is a need in our society to have a more holistic understanding of the polycrisis, the intertwining of environmental and social crises that create compounding effects, and the underlying issues that have temporarily and psychologically separated humans from our local ecosystems and biophysical limits. This requires creating space to deeply discuss these issues and possible responses. Permaculture is an ethical framework for designing regenerative and resilient human systems that work within, instead of against, nature. The Terrell House Permaculture Living & Learning Center is a student housing project where four resident stewards run the Permaculture & Gardening Club (PGC) …

The Man-Hating Woman: Studying Bystander Perceptions Of Social Media Sexism Confrontations, Erika Hipsky

Honors College

Social media platforms enable users to perpetuate discriminatory rhetoric and oppressive structures, including sexism. While previous research on sexism confrontations has mainly focused on face-to-face interactions, there is little information available on how confrontations operate within the context of social media. This thesis examines the influence of confronter approach (HATE or CARE) and identity (man or woman) on TikTok sexism confrontations. Female participants, acting as bystanders (N = 57), were surveyed on their perceptions of four TikTok confrontations: HATE Woman, CARE Woman, HATE Man, and CARE Man. Regardless of confronter gender, participants viewed CARE confrontations as more likable than HATE …

Assessing The Influence Of Interseeded Cover Crops On Beneficial Arthropod Abundance In A Northeastern Agroecosystem, Charles Cooper

Honors College

Conservation agriculture approaches are gaining traction as the planet’s food system grapples with climate change, oil depletion, and rampant environmental degradation (Palm et al., 2014). Cover cropping is an integral practice of conservation agriculture. Ground dwelling arthropods play an important role in agroecosystems, providing ecosystem services including seed predation and nutrient cycling. Because the relationship between cover crops and arthropod abundance are likely influenced by management conditions, I investigated arthropod abundance in a field interseeded with cover crops on a research farm in Maine, United States. Interseeding is an emerging practice in the northeastern United States, with potential to address …

Ecological Effects And Ethics Of A Species Range Shift To High Elevation Ponds, Ava Ardito

Honors College

As temperatures warm, the climate crisis is having a significant influence on species across the world and altering their distributions. Colorado's high elevation ponds have recently observed a species range shift, traveling to higher altitudes than they have previously inhabited. The Mexican Cut Nature Preserve near the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (RMBL) in Gothic, CO, is home to a prominent caddisfly Limnephilus externus, but recently a new range-shifting species, Nemotaulius hostilis, has appeared. Caddisflies play an essential role in nutrient cycling and putting energy back into the food web. The range-shifting species is known to excrete high rates of phosphorus …

Evaluating The Accuracy Of Different Remote Sensing Methods Used To Derive Absorption From Chromophoric Dissolved Organic Matter In Maine Estuaries, Andrea Rudai

Honors College

Current knowledge of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in Maine estuaries is based on limited field research. By using chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) as a proxy, it is possible to use satellite images to estimate the concentration of DOC in an entire body of water. This study aims to evaluate different methods that calculate absorption by CDOM from ocean color remote sensing using images taken by Landsat 9 of the Sheepscot, Penobscot, and Damariscotta rivers. The study revealed that although there were some similarities in along-estuary trends between the remotely- sensed absorption and absorption measured in situ, the algorithms that …

Analysis Of Nonsmooth Neural Mass Models, Cadi Howell

Honors College

Neural activity in the brain involves a series of action potentials that represent “all or nothing” impulses. This implies the action potential will only “fire” if the mem- brane potential is at or above a specific threshold. The Wilson-Cowan neural mass model [6, 28] is a popular mathematical model in neuroscience that groups excita- tory and inhibitory neural populations and models their communication. Within the model, the on/off behavior of the firing rate is typically modeled by a smooth sigmoid curve. However, a piecewise-linear (PWL) firing rate function has been considered in the Wilson-Cowan model in the literature (e.g., see …

Snap Acceptance And Food Insecurity At The Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust Farmers' Market, Abigail Powers

Honors College

Food insecurity is a problem in the state of Maine, with recent data concluding that just under 150,000 Maine residents were food insecure. In a state with 155 farmers’ markets during the summer growing season, an intersection between the local food movement and food security efforts may prove fruitful in increasing access to nutritious and healthy food for low-income Mainers. While farmers’ markets are typically associated with an air of exclusivity, they have the potential to provide access to the fresh fruits and vegetables that are often lacking in food-insecure households. The Brunswick- Topsham Land Trust Farmers’ Market is the …

The Effects Of Length And Increasing Nitrate Concentrations On Behavior Of Betta Splendens, Tess Hureau

Honors College

Nitrates are an important compound in nature. However, through a number of human activities, nitrate concentrations have exponentially increased in nature. Most of the anthropogenic nitrates come from fertilizers, sewage water, and other wastewater. These nitrates contaminate the water which can get into lakes, rivers, ponds, and other natural bodies of water. Betta splendens are a well studied species in the animal behavior community. They have defined and quantifiable displays and characteristics during aggressive and mating ritual behavior. Betta splendens live in freshwater habitats that have most likely come in contact with the increased levels of nitrates. This study observed …

Re: Leapt Into Rain, A Story And Disquisition, Lukas Norment

Honors College

Re:Leapt Into Rain is a mystery novella written by a Civil Engineering major detailing a murder that occurs during a writer’s retreat. Alongside the murder, a story about the desire for fame and recognition in a world where the common man is forgotten is told in the mind of a young writer as he investigates the crime. The preceding disquisition goes into the conception of the murder plot, creation of characters, and the process of writing the story. In addition, the author provides a brief overview of the evolution of mystery writing, pays respect to his inspirations, and reflects on …

"What Has The Emperor To Do With The Church?": A History Of Religious Politics In Donatist Africa, John Lander

Honors College

The Donatist Schism was a split in the Early Christian Church, mostly contained to the North African provinces of the Western Roman Empire. This study looks at the religious politics of the schism, analyzing its relation to the imperial state and how that relation intersected with the theological developments at play. The study primarily examines the period between 300-420 CE, the most productive and active period in the schism’s history. It draws heavily on the work of Catholic writers and histories of the period, such as those of one of the central figures of the schism, St. Augustine of Hippo. …

A Study Into The Fundamentals And Enhancements Of Solenoid Based Accelerators, William Poole

Honors College

The utilization of Solenoid-Based Accelerators (SBAs) is complicated due to the multitude of interacting variables in the design of the system. Additionally, SBAs also known as coilguns, are typically inefficient and have a peak efficiency of around 22% [1]. Even with the low efficiency, there is much interest in coilgun systems due to their ability to accelerate objects faster than chemical reactions, with speeds reaching 11km/s [1,2]. In addition to the peak speed, there are other advantages such as the reduced contact with the projectile and controllable launch speeds which allow for applications including the launching of nanosatellites [2]. With …

Program Evaluation Of The International Attachment Theory Workshop: An Analysis Of Evaluation Methods Used With People Who Are Low-And-Non-Literate, Ashley Cray

Honors College

The purpose of this research is to conduct a program evaluation of the Attachment Theory Workshop’s proposed Evaluation Tool and to draw conclusions about the evaluation of people who are low-and-non-literate in human development workshop settings. The primary focus of the program evaluation is to determine if the Evaluation Tool will work as intended to gain usable data about the change in knowledge and skills of the caregivers participating in the Attachment Theory Workshop. Prior to presenting the program evaluation, this thesis reviews the standard process of a program evaluation, examines relevant sources regarding the evaluation of people who are …

Physical Forcing Of Productivity, Biomass, And Demography Of Ascophyllum Nodosum, Henry Guy

Honors College

The intertidal coastlines of Maine are dominated by a near monoculture of Ascophyllum nodosum. This species of macroalgae is foundational to the ecosystems in which it inhabits, so what controls the Ascophyllum nodosum controls the coasts. A. nodosum has been documented as a steady-state species in terms of biomass, canopy height, and primary productivity. Algal biomass results from algal recruitment, primary productivity (growth rate), and environmental disturbance (rate of biomass loss). My study estimated the abiotic disturbance of the environment on biotic factors ofAscophyllum nodosum. Physical forcings of the environment, ice, water motion, and light, drive Ascophyllum nodosum abundance, distribution, …

Relations Among Self-Disclosure, Digital Communications Behavior, And Mental Health In College Students During And After Covid-19, Estephanie Baez-Vazquez

Honors College

This study aimed to investigate adolescents’ comfort in self-disclosing (i.e., sharing personal information with another) in both face-to-face and electronic communication contexts during the COVID-19 pandemic and currently. In addition, the role of several possible moderating factors, including gender, sexuality, depression, and social anxiety, was examined. Participants were 137 college students between 18 and 20 years of age who responded to an online survey assessing their depressive symptomatology, social anxiety symptomatology, and comfort in several aspects of self- disclosure within electronic and face-to-face settings during the COVID-19 pandemic and currently.

Results indicated that there were no significant differences in comfort …