Digital Commons Network^™

Enhancing Stem Education For East Tennessee In A Post-Covid World, Jennifer L. Lauer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

I have identified a need for an analysis of the middle and high school STEM education curricula in the East Tennessee Region which does not effectively integrate technology into their current instruction, which results in low student engagement, motivation, and achievement in the instruction and learning of algebra and geometry. I propose a program to identify specific applications and methods to be integrated into these programs which will improve the abilities of teachers to positively impact their students' understanding and mastery of algebra and geometry. Using emerging and novel STEM subject instruction, teaching, and engagement methods, and focusing on the …

Genealogy Tells: Informing Health And Aging Policies Using East Tennessean Older Women's Family Histories, Perceptions, And Experiences Of Health Inequity, Heather Davis

Doctoral Dissertations

Older women face unique health inequities challenges. This study aims to provide an understanding of older women’s perceptions and situated experiences regarding the gendered health inequities they face and the social determinants (SDH) thereof. It examines how these health inequities are situated in older women’s genealogical (familial) and geographical health and mortality outcomes histories and how their perceptions and experiences of health inequities and their familial mortality outcomes histories are characterized by the geopolitical and social norms in which they live. The purpose of this project is to present policy and decision-makers with insights about and recommendations from older women …

False Idol: The Memory Of Andrew Johnson And Reconstruction In Greeneville, Tennessee 1869-2022, Zachary A. Miller

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The memory of Andrew Johnson in Greeneville has progressed through three phases. The first phase began during Johnson’s post-presidential career when he sought national office to demonstrate his vindication. After Johnson died the first phase continued through the efforts of his daughters and local Unionists who sought to strengthen the myth of monolithic Unionism and use Johnson to promote reconciliation and to shield the region from federal intervention in the racial hierarchy. The second phase in the construction of Johnson’s memory began in 1908 when Northerners began to unite with white Southerners in white supremacy. East Tennesseans then celebrated the …

Moms And Vaccines: A Cross-Sectional Survey Assessing Covid-19 Vaccine Acceptance Among Pregnant People In East Tennessee, Sara Burnette

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Contemporary Black Civil Rights Activism Strategies In East Tennessee: Gaining Economic And Political Power In The Black Community, Lily Joy Crosby

Masters Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to explore the contemporary Black civil rights movement in East Tennessee to gain a better understanding of the strategies being employed to mobilize publics. Though an important aspect of the public relations field, in public relations academia there is a lack of research centering on activism. Little has been explored outside of organizational settings, especially since the rise of technology and increased interconnectedness of the world. To learn more about the movement in East Tennessee, the researcher interviewed eight leaders of the contemporary Black civil rights movement across the East Tennessee region. The researcher …

The Lived Experiences Of Adolescent Ell Students In East Tennessee, Sarah Mould

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Adolescent immigrant students face many challenges upon entering public schools for the first time, especially in rural areas where schools may not have the resources and cultural competence to meet their needs. Background factors like culture, previous schooling, and socioeconomic status combine with contextual factors in the learning environment, which further affect their academic outcome. The qualitative tradition of phenomenology was used to explore and describe the experiences and challenges of thirteen Spanish-speaking immigrant or newcomer youth who entered East Tennessee public middle or high schools within the last fifteen school years.

The findings indicated that parents’ perspectives and understanding …

A Case Study Of Civil War Environmental And Medical History Through The Disease Seasoning Of The 58th North Carolina Infantry Regiment In East Tennessee, Ashlie Richard

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is a case study aimed at a key argument in the emerging field of Civil War medical and environmental history. While historians have long acknowledged disease as a major killer during the Civil War, only recently have environmental and medical historians turned their collective attentions to unpacking the complex interconnections of disease, environmental conditions, and culture. By examining the 58^th North Carolina Infantry Regiment from the mountains of western North Carolina, this thesis asserts that the combined role of the disease environment and conditions in military camps created the massive outbreaks of disease that characterized the seasoning …

Heat Waves And Heat-Related Mortality In East Tennessee, Taiwo Adesoba

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Heat waves represent a public health challenge that requires multiple responses and warnings to protect vulnerable populations. Although studies have reported an increasing trend of heat wave occurrence in many areas of the world, no clear trend exists in East Tennessee. Using data from Parameter-elevated Relationships on Independent Slope Models (PRISM), CDC WONDER and the United States Census Bureau, the relationship between mortality rates and year was estimated during heat wave events between 1999 and 2010. Five heat wave definitions were tested. Overall, 2007 and 2010 stand out as the years with the highest number of heat wave days in …

Resistance To Statism In Frontier Era Upper East Tennessee, 1760-1820, Casey Price

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis analyzes efforts among frontier settlers of Upper East Tennessee to resist particular elements of state-craft from the 1750s until 1820. Building on the work of James C. Scott, this study suggests that some residents of the area may have resisted acceding to what they considered the negative aspects of residing within state sovereignty. These included, taxation, land enclosure, organized religion, and regulation of economic activity. Analyzing from outside the lens of the state, this study attempts to explore why organized government remained largely ineffective and widely disregarded in the Upper East Tennessee region even as governance rapidly and …

Modeling Practice Immersive Design Methodologies, Michael Aaron Stone

Masters Theses

Modeling Practice is centered around an immersive methodology that connects the architect to the process of making. The value of reflection and a consciousness of methodology are intrinsic layers of thought throughout. The act of building influences the process of design. The experience of creating is as important as the final result.

The practice of creating architecture comes with a range of limitations, notably a disconnection from the building process, and in many cases an insubstantial amount of time to interact with the site and surroundings in which the project is located. Throughout many years of working in the profession, …

A Cost-Differential Analysis Of Local Soybean Processing In East Tennessee: Roast Or Crush?, Rachel Lauren Eatherly

Masters Theses

East Tennessee soybean producers currently have limited local markets and processing options. Most soybeans produced in the region are transported for processing or export to Guntersville or Decatur, Alabama. High transportation costs cut into profit margins and limit local economic impact. With the demand for processed soybeans from the local beef and dairy industries, local processing technology options ought to be investigated. This study will assist soybean farmers in decision-making between hauling to current processing plants or seeking out alternative local processing. Local processing points could allow local beef and dairy farmers additional options of including processed soybeans in least-cost …

Drowning Above Water, Ellen Jean Dunn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Drowning above Water is a historical novel set in the early 1970s in rural East Tennessee. Against the backdrop of the Little Tennessee River valley, Drowning above Water follows the story of Tesla “Tess” Bent and her family as they struggle to overcome the changes that are sweeping down upon them while keeping their family and veterinary clinic afloat. Tess’ journey takes her from her younger brother’s death to dealing with her mother’s depression and the impending dam which threatens their home, to ultimately coming into her own. Inspired by the work of James Herriot and by family history, Drowning …

New Perspectives On The Seventeenth-Century Protohistoric Period In East Tennessee: Redefining The Period Through Glass Trade Bead And Ceramic Analyses, Jessica Nicole Dalton-Carriger

Doctoral Dissertations

The Protohistoric period in East Tennessee is poorly understood in the archaeological record and is defined as the intermediate period between the Late Mississippian and Historic periods in the seventeenth century. Earlier research focused on depopulation, population replacement, and the rise of Overhill Cherokee settlements in the eighteenth century, with little attention to the transitional Protohistoric period. The goal of this dissertation is to examine new fields of evidence and employ new dating methods in order to fully understand the Protohistoric period in East Tennessee

This dissertation does this in three ways. It explores three hypotheses concerning the habitation of …

The Clery Act: Student Awareness And Perceptions Of Effectiveness At A Public University And A Private College In East Tennessee, Jeffrey Jee

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The U.S. Congress has recognized that safety is essential on our college and university campuses. Incidents such as the Virginia Tech massacre and the death of Jeanne Clery have emphasized the need for legislation that assists students in selecting a safe college and improves their safety by reducing the incidence of crimes and fires. The Clery Act is a federal law that requires colleges and universities to provide annual information on the number and type of crimes on campus as well as the number and cause of fires occurring in the residence halls. The purpose of this study was to …

Those Who Choose To Stay: Narrating The Rural Appalachian Queer Experience, Amy Michelle Jordan

Masters Theses

“Those who choose to stay” is a qualitative exploratory study compromised of four LGBT youth from rural towns in East Tennessee. These young adults were recruited through LGBT listservs, pride festivals, and word of mouth. Each young adult was interviewed over the course of one to three hours. The interviews were then transcribed and coded using Atlas.ti software, allowing codes to surface from the text. Four main themes were discovered: religious atmosphere, family, coming out, and peer networks.

Religious atmosphere was generally found to be a destructive part of these youths’ environments, making them fear for their safety and worry …

Parallel Identities: Southern Appalachia And The Southern Concepts Of Gender During The American Civil War, Maegan K. Harrell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Southern concepts of gender influenced Appalachian society throughout the antebellum and Civil War eras. Concepts of masculinity and femininity, including “the cult of true womanhood” and Southern manhood, shifted and broaden throughout the South due to wartime stressors. Appalachians adjusted these gender roles in order to survive chaos and turmoil in their region. The brutal political and community divisions, high rates of desertion, guerilla warfare, and threats of invasion in the mountain regions intensified these concepts of gender. Southern constructions of gender molded the Appalachian experience of war but the high level of conflict strengthened these new roles as a …

A Comparison Of Audit Fee Trends For East Tennessee Based Companies And Similar Companies Based In Similar Regions, William J. Saulsbury

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Research examines audit fee trends for a decade. The research focuses on audit fees of companies in the East Tennessee Area and compares the audit fees of these companies to similar companies based in similar regions of the United States. Possible causes for the fluctuations of audit fees during the decade are also discussed.

A Hydrological Analysis Of Switchgrass Land Cover In East Tennessee, Jordan Avery Hayes

Masters Theses

Energy needs and the recent installation of a cellulosic biofuel plant in Vonore, TN have created a demand for switchgrass in East Tennessee. Switchgrass has many strengths such as erosion protection, nutrient removal, and runoff mitigation. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was selected to model the impact of transitioning traditional crops into switchgrass land cover. Field data was needed to properly calibrate the SWAT model for East Tennessee. The National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) curve number (CN) was needed for runoff calibrations. This value was determined by both standard NRCS methods as well as an asymptotic method. The …

Detailed Geologic Studies Of Paleoseismic Features Exposed At Sites In The East Tennessee Seismic Zone: Evidence For Large, Prehistoric Earthquakes, Kathleen Frances Warrell

Masters Theses

The East Tennessee seismic zone (ETSZ) is the second most active in the eastern United States, but recorded earthquakes do not exceed M_w [moment magnitude] = 4.6. Earthquake epicenters are located 5-26 kilometers deep in autochthonous basement, and faults producing these earthquakes do not break the surface. Detailed paleoseismic investigations at sites within the ETSZ include: detailed geological mapping, trenching, aerial photograph reconnaissance, X-ray diffraction (XRD), grain-size analysis, and optically stimulated luminescence dating of alluvium.

Site DL-6 near Dandridge, Tennessee, reveals a complex array of features providing evidence that at least 4‒6 M_w > 6 earthquakes affected the area. …

Living In Harmony: Health Perspectives Of Hispanics In Rural East Tennessee., Erin E. Bailey

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The purpose is to promote culturally competent care among healthcare providers by identifying and describing how Hispanics in East Tennessee view health and what they do to prevent illness. A focus group of six to ten Hispanics of mixed genders over age eighteen moderated by a native Spanish-speaking interpreter. Questions explored how Hispanics define health and sickness, health maintenance practices, and alternative medicines and practices. Results were interpreted from Spanish to English to be analyzed. The Circle in Which You Live was described by members as consisting of relationships, physical health, and peace of the mind and soul. In Shutting …

On The Imperishable Face Of Granite: Civil War Monuments And The Evolution Of Historical Memory In East Tennessee 1878-1931., Kelli Brooke Nelson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

After the Civil War individuals throughout the country erected monuments dedicated to the soldiers and events of the conflict. In East Tennessee these memorials allowed some citizens to promote their ideas by invoking both Union and Confederate Civil War sympathies. Initially, East Tennesseans endorsed the creation of a Unionist image to advertise the region's potential for industrialization. By 1910 this depiction waned as local and northern whites joined to promote reconciliation and Confederate sympathizers met less opposition to their ideas than in the past. After 1919 white East Tennesseans, enmeshed in the boom and bust cycles of the national economy, …

Seasonal Initial Concentrations And In-Field Decay Rates Of Escherichia Coli And Bovine Bacteroidetes In Beef Cattle Manure, Jiangwei Liu

Masters Theses

Eight naturally deposited beef cow manure patties were sampled during summer (July 19 to August 9, 2010), fall (October 26 to November 19, 2010), winter (January 14 to February 18, 2011), and spring (May 5-27, 2011) to determine whether hypothesized seasonal differences existed in the initial concentrations and decay rates of Escherichia coli (E. coli) and bovine Bacteroidetes (BoBac). E. coli concentrations were estimated as culturable colony forming units (CFU) and with a quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assay targeting the 23S ribosomal gene. BoBac was quantified with a qPCR assay targeting a 16S ribosomal gene sequence associated …

A Time Of Greeting, Allison Leigh Yilling

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Internal Dissent: East Tennessee's Civil War, 1849-1865., Meredith Anne Grant

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

East Tennessee, though historically regarded as a Unionist monolith, was politically and ideologically divided during the Civil War. The entrance of the East Tennessee and Virginia and East Tennessee and Georgia railroads connected the economically isolated region to Virginia and the deep South. This trade network created a southern subculture within East Tennessee. These divisions had deepened and resulted by the Civil War in guerilla warfare throughout the region. East Tennessee's response to the sectional crisis and the Civil War was varied within the region itself. Analyzing railroad records, manuscript collections, census data, and period newspapers demonstrates that three subdivisions …

Alienation And Isolation In Interracial Marriages In East Tennessee., Sheila Dianne Morris

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

I conducted this study to determine if African American men and women who marry white men and women in East Tennessee perceive experiences of isolation and alienation from their families and friends as a result of their selection of a mate from a race other than the one into which they were born. I interviewed ten individuals who are or have been interracially married. As a result of my research, I found that my results compare favorably with those of scholarly studies that discovered alienation and isolation among interracial couples.

I used descriptive research methods to analyze a segment of …

Women At The Loom: Handweaving In Washington County, Tennessee, 1840-1860., Ann Cameron Macrae

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the evidence for handweaving in antebellum Washington County, Tennessee. The author examines probate inventories, wills, store ledgers, and census and tax materials to determine the identities of the weavers, the equipment and raw materials available to them, and the kinds of textiles that women wove. The author discusses the reasons many women continued to weave cloth at home although commercially woven textiles were available in local stores.

The author concludes that many of Washington County's antebellum weavers wove as a contribution to the country goods the family bartered at the local store. Others may have been responding …