Digital Commons Network^™

Maine Mill Digital Curation, Catherine E. Kiburis, Amanda Ford, Pat Pasong, Isabelle Zoerb, Lindsay Fortin, Sophia Schlichtmann, Brady Rice, Averie M. Argir, Bella L. Demarco

The Hugemanities Project Big Contest

We worked with the Maine Mill Museum to help document the community response to the Lewiston shootings. We collected information and media for the museum workers to memorialize the victims, their families, and the events.

"This Is Water" David Foster Wallace Memorial, Maeve Flusser

The Hugemanities Project Big Contest

A poster created for the 2024 NH Humanities Collaborative Spring Symposium with the theme of "Memory & Memorials." The poster memorializes the author David Foster Wallace beside his words from "This is Water."

Hipster Hot: A Siracha Typeface, Maeve Flusser

The Hugemanities Project Big Contest

"Hipster Hot" a tangible typeface created with photographs of Siracha I took. In other words, "a spicy, gooey, and bold font to satisfy your siracha-obsessed 2010s-nostalgia."

Memory And Memoir Writing, Caroline Hanna

The Hugemanities Project Big Contest

My project Memory and Memoir Writing is a 2-3 week unit about students using their media literacy skills to enhance their memoir writing skills. This is a subject that I am passionate about because high school students do not get to write about themselves in the classroom, but will be something that they do in their future. Students will be analyzing a variety of texts, such as, a traditional memoir, a cookbook, and photo essays. Students will be bringing in images and documents from home to supplement and inspire their writing. They will create a finished product that will tell …

Memory In Literature: Power & The Literary Canon, Chloe Alice Rattee

The Hugemanities Project Big Contest

In my project I explored how cultural memory applied to literature can open up the discussion to talk about how power is wielded by those that create a canon, literary or religious. I used William Blake's work to discuss how few educated, powerful people's interpretation of something so difficult and massive at The Bible can cut out perspectives or opinions that they don't want included in their teachings.

Voices Of Contention: Cotton Mather's View Of Hannah Duston And Its Enduring Impact, Audrey Mcallister, Lily Mcdonough

The Hugemanities Project Big Contest

This project dives into the complex intersection of Puritan beliefs, underlying racism, and community cohesion as seen through the lens of Cotton Mather's perspective on Hannah Duston. By examining his writings and sermons, this project seeks to unravel the complexities of Mather's worldview and the enduring impact of his interpretations on the historical narrative surrounding Hannah Duston and her legacy. (description taken from the describition we used on the poster.)

Peer Support To Enhance Safe Alcohol Use In University Students: A Quality Improvement Project, Kerri Reynolds

DNP Scholarly Projects

BACKGROUND: College is a period of transition to adulthood where many students experiment with alcohol consumption. Peer educators can bring access to evidence-based alcohol consumption education through student-centric strategies. This quality improvement project aimed to implement an evidence-based training program for college peer educators followed by the delivery of campus alcohol education in a six week period. Feasible ideas for sustainable college peer educator training were generated at this medium-sized public university. The impact of training on six peer educators’ self-reported professional leadership skills, knowledge, and confidence was measured.

METHODS: The Certified Peer Educator (CPE) training program (NASPA) was used …

Integrating Behavioral Health Into Family Medicine: Improving Access To Specialty Care Using A Collaborative Care Model, Christina Stephens

DNP Scholarly Projects

Primary care, an extensive of family medicine remains a key access point for patients entering the healthcare system. Accessing medical care and specialty psychiatric services is limited in rural communities. Patients often find exhaustive wait times, untimely referrals, and reliance on emergency services for crisis management. The primary care provider is able to help their community improve access to behavioral health care by using a collaborative approach. This quality improvement initiative used the framework produced by the AIMS Center at the University of Washington and adopted for use creating an 8-week intensive program in a family medical practice located in …

Evaluating The Impact Of Simulation On Perceived Knowledge And Confidence Of New Graduate Nurses (Ngns) In Maternal-Newborn Care, Disa Seymour

DNP Scholarly Projects

Abstract

Background: Nursing education worldwide varies in duration and training process, with nurses often facing rapid immersion into patient care complexities when entering the workforce. While new nurses contribute significantly to the nursing community with contemporary knowledge, their transition to practice can be daunting, necessitating support for both competence and retention. As specialty care settings integrate more new graduate nurses (NGNs) to address workforce shortages, collaboration between leaders and educators becomes crucial. Simulation emerges as a vital tool in building confidence while learning, offering a safe space for skill development and growth of confidence.

Purpose: This project’s objective was to …

Scares: A Clinician Guide To Spinal Cord Awareness, Response, And Emergency Support Creation And Implantation Of Scares Protocol Among Hospitalist Advanced Practice Providers, Brittany Biega

DNP Scholarly Projects

While they are more common in patients with oncological disease and trauma, SCE still exist among patients without these comorbidities. Less has been established regarding care protocols in this population. The absence of standardized procedures has been linked to preventable, adverse patient outcomes, including cases of permanent damage due to delayed treatment. This project employs Lean Six Sigma methodologies and Johns Hopkins Evidence- Based Practice to devise a robust SCE protocol, aimed at standardizing care and improving patient outcomes. A multidisciplinary team including general medicine, neurology, neurosurgery, and neuroradiology developed “Spinal Emergency Management Guidelines” protocol, which was implemented within the …

Artificial Intelligence In Stock Analysis And Portfolio Building, Sean M. Lynch

Honors Theses and Capstones

The emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) investment analysts, often referred to as “robo-advisors”, has the potential to change traditional portfolio management. These systems access vast amounts of data and make portfolio management decisions and stock market predictions. In this study, I compared AI-generated portfolios with portfolios that were created manually. Surprisingly, the human-generated portfolios outperformed the AI portfolios. However, the prompt used in the AI application affects these results. The subset of AI portfolios that were created with specific objectives specified in the prompts outperformed those that were created with more generic prompts. Overall, this research sheds light on the …

Feminist Environmental Ethics: A Modern, Intersectional Approach, Suzanne E. Scharff

Honors Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.

Floating Offshore Wind Turbine Analysis And Discovery, Payton Maddaloni

Honors Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.

Unsung Heroes In Conservation: Evaluating The Limitations Faced By New England Wildlife Rehabilitation Centers And Proposing Solutions For Their Support And Recognition, Shaylee M. Sarmiento

Honors Theses and Capstones

Wildlife rehabilitation is an often-unacknowledged practice within the overarching field of wildlife protection and conservation. This practice involves the treatment and hopeful release of wild animals affected by various ailments. With the continued expansion of and interest in the field, it could be assumed that wildlife rehabilitation is supported and funded by government bodies, but this is not the case. Because of the lack of funding and resources, many wildlife rehabilitation centers cannot achieve their full rehabilitative potential and expand their reach in the conservation world. Additionally, an absence of support leads critics to question the ethical standards of wildlife …

Environmental Taxation In Spain: Policy And Practice, Emily Sang Lynch

Honors Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.

Understanding Neurodiversity And Executive Disfunction To Discover More Effective Accommodations And Create A More Inclusive Workforce For Neurodivergent Individuals, Carley Dahlstrom

Honors Theses and Capstones

The goal of this paper is twofold. One: understand executive disfunction to gain a broader understanding of neurodiversity and the challenges those with neurodiversity face in the workforce. And two: research different accommodations to combat executive disfunction and evaluate their effectiveness. To accomplish these goals, an extensive literature review was conducted to understand neurodiversity, executive disfunction, government requirements relating to accommodations, and an exploration of current accommodations available. Additionally, research was conducted in the form of interviews and a survey to expand and add to the overall understanding of this research area.

Results of the survey indicate an overall lack …

Social Workers In Human Resources, Alexandra H. Pogany

Honors Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.

Fluorotelomer Carboxylic Acid Degradation: Implications For Septic Systems, Alexis Marie Eaton

Honors Theses and Capstones

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, are a group of manmade organic chemicals that have been widely used since the 1940’s due to their resistance to heat, water, and oil. These compounds are associated with negative health outcomes including poor thyroid function, reproductive toxicity, and carcinogenicity. Because products with PFAS are widely used in residential settings, and because many PFAS do not completely degrade during wastewater treatment/handling, septic systems may be an important non-point source of PFAS to groundwater. Many homes that have septic systems, which discharge wastewater effluent to the subsurface, also use groundwater as a drinking water source; …

The Future Of Building: The Potential Impacts Of 3d Printing Within The Construction Industry, Alyssa Morrison

Honors Theses and Capstones

This research investigates the expanding practice of 3D printing in construction, focusing on its potential impacts and challenges it will face within the industry. Emphasizing both its sustainability and cost-saving benefits, this paper examines how 3D printing could potentially revolutionize traditional building methods. The ability to decrease greenhouse gas emissions, address the global housing shortage, and reduce material waste are addressed. Through interviews with industry professionals, as well as a thorough literature review, the research explores the factors driving interest and investment in 3D printing technology. Additionally, it analyzes common misconceptions regarding 3D printed structures and pinpoints areas for further …

Assessment Of Open Top Chambers To Simulate Effects Of Climate Change On Soil Temperature And Cover Crop Response In Agricultural Systems, Gretchen Bahmueller

Honors Theses and Capstones

Climate change is expected to yield warmer winters that have the potential to place additional stress on our already stressed agricultural systems. Understanding how agricultural systems may respond to these changes is essential to creating crop and land management plans that ensure food security for future generations. To better understand how warming winters can/will affect air and soil temperatures and cover crop performance, open top chambers (OTCs) were deployed post cover crop seeding in a field experiment at the UNH Kingman Research Farm in Madbury, NH. The experiment consisted of four cover crop treatments sown into or after corn: an …

Floating Offshore Wind Turbine Analysis And Discovery, Payton Summer Maddaloni

Honors Theses and Capstones

This poster encompasses yearlong literary research into floating offshore wind turbines. Limitations created by society are discussed, these have prohibited large leaps to get the turbines out of the design phase. Traditional platform designs are displayed to show the potential the industry has to offer as the next renewable energy source. The maintenance phase seeks optimization. A case study by the University of Cincinnati used production losses as a consideration to lower the total cost of traditionally expensive maintenance. Finally, the end-of-life scenarios are currently being overlooked by developers. This opens the door to multiple options for disposal. Mimicking the …

Density Dependent Calling Behavior In North Pacific Humpback Whales, Lucas J. Anderson

Honors Theses and Capstones

Animal density can define factors such as mating success, food acquisition, and communication. Inferring animal density from vocal rates is an important tool for estimating abundance and space use in difficult-to-study species like marine mammals and requires an understanding of the relationship between social context and calling rates. The goal of this project was to investigate the relationship between animal density and call rate in Southeast Alaskan humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae). Passive acoustic monitoring data were collected along with visual observations gathered near Frederick Sound and Stephen’s Passage, Southeast Alaska, over two summers (2019, 2022). Observers watched whales …

Utilizing Plasmid Dna Hydrogels For Cell-Free Protein Production, Tinotenda Duche

Honors Theses and Capstones

Proteins play an important role in various biological processes and are crucial components in biomedical research and therapeutics. Cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) has provided a valuable approach for rapid protein production outside living cells, involving both transcription and translation processes. However, traditional CFPS methods encounter challenges such as high cost, relatively low yields, and scalability. The end goal of our project is to incorporate our template into the hydrogel. In this work, we report advancements towards that by trying to optimize our solution of CFPS. Unfortunately, the standards for pDNA hydrogel synthesis are not met by the pDNA production and …

Non-Invasive Monitoring Device For Early Detection Of Breast Cancer Related Lymphedema, Amy Prendergast

Honors Theses and Capstones

Breast Cancer Related Lymphedema (BCRL) is a common co-morbidity in cancer survivors following neoadjuvant therapies such as chemotherapy, radiation, and/or surgery. It is brought about by the disruption in the lymphatic system (think lymph node biopsy) that leads to a buildup of lymphatic fluid in the arm. Current diagnostic strategies for this condition are merely retroactive, and fairly limited in the parameters that are examined to ensure patient well-being long term. We hypothesize that with an approach that mimics bioimpedance spectroscopy analysis, we will be able to provide a clinical support tool that would better determine early stages of lymphedema …

Utilizing Health Literacy Universal Precautions And The Teach-Back Method To Improve Hospitalized Patients' Experience With Medication Education: A Quality Improvement Project, Kathleen Meyer

DNP Scholarly Projects

BACKGROUND: Patients, especially the elderly, are at high risk for post hospital complications related to poor medication adherence. Addressing health and medication literacy limitations during their inpatient encounter closes critical gaps in a patient’s understanding of their medication regimen. The project goal was to improve the patient experience related to communication about medicines during their inpatient encounter. The intervention implemented was the introduction of health literacy universal precaution concepts and teach-back methodology for medication education.

METHODS: Interdisciplinary educational sessions were created and implemented for nurses, hospitalists, and respiratory therapists. Additionally, at the elbow support was provided throughout the implementation phase …

Optimizing The Assisted Living Experience: Integration Of Value-Based Care To Foster Augmented Resident-Centered Quality, Jennette Pietrzak

DNP Scholarly Projects

Background: Fee-for-Service models are quantity-focused reactive approaches and have historically been at the forefront of healthcare. Value-based models focus on proactive, resident-centered care that is aimed at quality care over quantity. Implementation of ValueBased Care models can positively impact healthcare and fiscal outcomes

Purpose: The quality improvement project aimed to develop, integrate, and implement a valuebased model in Memory Care as an alternative to traditional Fee-for-Service models. The project aimed to improve key performance indicators by reducing hospitalizations, emergency room visits, and falls following the implementation of Value-Based Care (VBC) models.

Method: Data metrics for hospitalizations, emergency room visits, and …

Empowering Nurse Leaders To Achieve Harmony: Fostering Work-Life Balance, Gilberto Gamba

DNP Scholarly Projects

BACKGROUND: Balancing professional and personal life demands has become a focal point in today’s healthcare organizational culture. Despite the technological advances in providing better and faster healthcare, team members often struggle to achieve work-life harmony while meeting the demands of a growing population of healthcare clients. The evidence highlights nurse leaders as one group for which the identification and implementation of work-life balance interventions is crucial.

METHODS: An original tool based on available evidence was developed and used with a group of nurse leaders participating in an educational activity to engage them in behaviors supporting work-life harmony. A post-educational survey …

“Slaves Of The State:” The Exploitation Of Women Through Convict Leasing, Beth F. Newton

Honors Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.

The Multidisciplinary Approach To The Development Of Quality Clinical Practice Guidelines: Piloting Management Of The Patient Requiring Inhaled Nitric Oxide For Acute Pulmonary Hypertension In The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Amanda Koennecke

DNP Scholarly Projects

BACKGROUND: Clinical practice guidelines communicate recommendations to health care professionals. Poor quality guidelines decrease compliance, foster differences in practice, discordance with resources, and compound inequity in healthcare. The goal of this project was to develop a clinical practice guideline and chronicle the process. The intervention implemented was the creation of a clinical practice guideline with a family integrated and equity endorsing approach.

METHODS: A multidisciplinary team was formed and worked collaboratively to write a clinical practice guideline for inhaled nitric oxide for the management of acute pulmonary hypertension in neonates. The guideline was evaluated using the AGREE II instrument and …

The Effect Of Phase-Separated Microstructures On Cell Migration In 3d Dextran Hydrogels, Jenifer Sidhwa

Honors Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.