Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
- Discipline
-
- Social and Behavioral Sciences (85)
- Education (63)
- Physical Sciences and Mathematics (42)
- Arts and Humanities (33)
- Psychology (33)
-
- Medicine and Health Sciences (29)
- Life Sciences (26)
- Engineering (21)
- Educational Administration and Supervision (16)
- Educational Leadership (14)
- Higher Education (14)
- Political Science (13)
- Sociology (13)
- Earth Sciences (10)
- Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration (10)
- Clinical Psychology (9)
- Computer Sciences (9)
- Mechanical Engineering (9)
- Physics (9)
- Business (8)
- Counseling Psychology (7)
- Adult and Continuing Education (6)
- Art and Design (6)
- Biology (6)
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (6)
- Economics (6)
- Electrical and Computer Engineering (6)
- Higher Education Administration (6)
- History (6)
- Race, Ethnicity and Post-Colonial Studies (6)
- Keyword
-
- Center for Nonprofit and NGO Studies (11)
- COVID-19 (10)
- School of Art and Design (8)
- Community College (7)
- Depression (6)
-
- Machine Learning (6)
- Engineering (4)
- Photography (4)
- Stress (4)
- African American (3)
- Anxiety (3)
- Art (3)
- Collaboration (3)
- Department of Computer Science (3)
- Department of Political Science (3)
- Education (3)
- Exoskeleton (3)
- Film (3)
- Groundwater (3)
- Health (3)
- Higher education (3)
- Identity (3)
- Intersectionality (3)
- Latinx (3)
- Nutrition (3)
- Pandemic (3)
- Restoration (3)
- Self-Efficacy (3)
- Social Media (3)
- Trauma (3)
Articles 1 - 30 of 255
Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network
Israeli Democracy: Its Institutions And The Impact Of The 1948 Palestine War, Grant P L Goral
Israeli Democracy: Its Institutions And The Impact Of The 1948 Palestine War, Grant P L Goral
Honors Capstones
This research project utilizes primary sources from diplomatic communiques, public speeches, political debates, and autobiographies of Israeli political elites in an attempt to better understand early Israeli democracy. Specifically, this project aims to frame this development of Israeli democracy and its institutions in the context of the 1948 Palestine War. The political elites of the Palestinian Jewish community who established the State of Israel came from various political, ethnic, religious, and linguistic backgrounds. This diversity in thought, combined with the threat of violence both within the new Israeli borders and outside of them, elevated the problem of creating a stable, …
Foundational Support Through Professional Sport: A Case Study On The Chicago Bulls Charities, Austin Schroeder
Foundational Support Through Professional Sport: A Case Study On The Chicago Bulls Charities, Austin Schroeder
Student Capstone Projects
This case study on the Chicago Bulls Charities (CBC) offers praise as well as criticism into the professional sport organization (PSO) as a whole along with their corresponding foundation. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities are developed and provided by the Chicago Bulls PSO and is not an element of the CBCs mission, justifying a deep dive into the PSO and their CSR activities along with the foundation, the original focus of this study. With limited literature on the topic of corporate philanthropy in professional sports, and with more research in CSR in this field, CSR was added to the research …
Dual-Country Middle School Science Air Quality Curriculum Guide, Cassandra R. Sendra
Dual-Country Middle School Science Air Quality Curriculum Guide, Cassandra R. Sendra
Honors Capstones
The focus of this unit is to engage and enrich students’ perspectives on the human impact on Earth in different areas of the world. This unit will allow students to interact and learn about students in another country, learn about the air quality similarities and differences and what could affect the results of testing the air quality in two communities in different parts of the world. The goal of this unit is to have the students understand how humans impact the world around them and to compare their community to another community. The students will be accomplishing this goal utilizing …
Artificial Intelligence In The Medical Field: Medical Review Sentiment Analysis, Nicholas Podlesak
Artificial Intelligence In The Medical Field: Medical Review Sentiment Analysis, Nicholas Podlesak
Honors Capstones
In this research project, natural language processing techniques’ ability to accurately classify medical text was measured to reinforce the relevance of artificial intelligence in the medical field. Sentiment analyses (analyses to determine whether the text was positive or negative) were performed on the prescription drug reviews in an open-source dataset using four different models: lexical, a neural network, a support vector machine, and a logistic regression model. Each model’s effectiveness was gauged by its ability to correctly classify unlabeled drug reviews (i.e., a percentage representing accuracy). The machine learning models were able to accurately classify the text, while the lexical …
American Attitudes Toward Nuclear Energy, Eric J. Kirchman
American Attitudes Toward Nuclear Energy, Eric J. Kirchman
Honors Capstones
Despite the mature underlying technology behind nuclear energy production, public support varies widely among the American public and has often changed over time. This paper seeks to analyze patterns in Americans’ attitudes towards nuclear energy using aggregate polling data from previously collected national public surveys. Standard demographics such as age, education, and political affiliation are utilized in cross-sectional comparisons against public opinion. Males, conservatives and Republicans were found to have strong positive responses towards nuclear energy. Furthermore, time-series data indicates nuclear energy fell out of favor in the early 1980s. It was later favored again in the early 2000s. This …
Senior Recital Program Research, Kasey Pennington
Senior Recital Program Research, Kasey Pennington
Honors Capstones
I performed a vocal recital as part of my final requirements towards my Music Education degree and developed an additional program including research on the works I performed. The program consisted of biographies for composers Haydn, Schumann, Fauré, Obradors, and Beach, additional context on specific songs, and translations of songs not sung in English. I created this program in order to provide more detailed information for audience members who were interested in further enrichment or had particular curiosity for any performed works. This recital was a culmination of my efforts in the vocal department of the School of Music throughout …
Contributing Factors And Solutions For Inappropriate Use Of The Emergency Department, Lesia M. Kozych
Contributing Factors And Solutions For Inappropriate Use Of The Emergency Department, Lesia M. Kozych
Honors Capstones
Emergency departments are overwhelmed with the sheer quantity of patients, many of which are there for the non-emergent reasons. The purpose of this project is to identify factors that contribute to emergency department (ED) misuse, initiatives or programs that have been successful in decreasing ED misuse, and ED personnel’s opinions on contributing factors and potential solutions. A literature review followed by semi-structured interviews of ED personnel produced the necessary information. Common themes were drawn from participant responses in the interview portion. A major barrier to appropriate use of the emergency department is access to primary care. Others include: lack of …
Creating Nutrition Education For Lactating Parents, Audrey Fohey
Creating Nutrition Education For Lactating Parents, Audrey Fohey
Honors Capstones
Lactation is an important life stage that requires a unique emphasis on nutritional intake; existing educational materials on this topic do a poor job of meeting the needs of lactating parents. The purpose of this project was to work with a community partner, the DeKalb County WIC, to create educational materials that will address this issue. The creation of the educational materials was a multi-step process, involving exploration of the relationship between nutrition and lactation and collaboration with the established community partner. A written paper was synthesized, and three handouts were created. Each handout focused on a specific nutrient of …
Are We There Yet: Fsa Social Work In Agn Dekalb, Devlin Collins
Are We There Yet: Fsa Social Work In Agn Dekalb, Devlin Collins
Student Capstone Projects
This qualitative study examines the practices of social work in low-income ethnic minority neighborhoods and analyze how the Family Service Agency of Dekalb County appropriates this framework to engage residents and propose components for development to further meet the needs of the public. Researchers conclude that the best approach to engage minority communities is the strength/resilience model, which characterizes reasons minorities are more prone than white residents to avoid social work in favor of personal support networks. My study of FSA Dekalb reveals three key findings. The first, African Americans in Dekalb identify with the social issues plaguing urban minority …
Geographical And Attendance Impact On Financial Sustainability At The Field Museum In Chicago, Il, Clara Barbier
Geographical And Attendance Impact On Financial Sustainability At The Field Museum In Chicago, Il, Clara Barbier
Student Capstone Projects
This study focuses on the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, Illinois, and analyzes how the geographical location of the museum and the rate of attendance impacts the museum’s financial health and sustainability. This study utilizes three sources of data: annual reports to donors, yearly financial audits, and a primary data source via a survey response from an employee of the finance department at the Field Museum. The data collected was analyzed qualitatively using three categories that aligned with the research question: location, attendance, and finances. These three categories, and the use of Excel and its equation functions, allowed …
Effect Of Covid-19 Pandemic On Volunteerism And Fundraising Management Strategies In Nonprofits And Rebuilding Tactics Of Ronald Mcdonald House Charities Of Chicagoland And Northwest Indiana (Rmhc-Cni), Humza Wolf
Student Capstone Projects
The financial sustainability of nonprofits depends highly on volunteerism and funding strategies which got impacted during Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic. This capstone study explores to what extent nonprofits got affected and evaluates the efforts of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chicagoland & Northwest Indiana (RMHC-CNI) to improve the provision of support for underprivileged families of critically ill children. The continual efforts to overcome financial hurdles escalated in pandemic. Mixed method research design was used to collect, analyze, and triangulate both quantitative and qualitative research methods in this single study to understand the research problem. Interpretive approach encompassed the complexities of …
Performance Measurements Of Low-Capacity Organizations: A Study Of The Huskie Closet, Leah Botello
Performance Measurements Of Low-Capacity Organizations: A Study Of The Huskie Closet, Leah Botello
Student Capstone Projects
The Huskie Closet was created by Clayton Schopfer and Jacob Burg, during their time in the Student Government Association, with the purpose of providing the students of NIU with access to clothing. The goal of my research is to identify the current performance measurement tools the Huskie Closet possesses and evaluate the quality of the measurements of success and failure being performed at the Closet, to gauge the impact of programming on the students at Northern Illinois University. Out of those served this semester, students who visited once and did not return made up 46.2%. Students who visited one or …
Intensifying Reading Instruction Using Explicit Instruction: An Overview And How-To Guide, Katie Krogman
Intensifying Reading Instruction Using Explicit Instruction: An Overview And How-To Guide, Katie Krogman
Honors Capstones
Students who struggle in reading need teachers who are prepared to be successful. The use of explicit instruction is increasing; therefore, educators need increased knowledge of the framework. The purpose of this research project is to give teachers an overview of explicit instruction and then demonstrate how to use the instruction in various reading lessons. Through research, I examined explicit instruction and how its framework can be utilized in reading lessons to create better student outcomes. In all, I concluded that explicit instruction is an effective teaching method and we as teachers should become more comfortable implementing it in our …
Health Status And Gender Identity Among Northern Illinois University Students, Faculty And Staff, Blake E. Rooker
Health Status And Gender Identity Among Northern Illinois University Students, Faculty And Staff, Blake E. Rooker
Honors Capstones
In the healthcare field, it is critical that practitioners understand their clients. Although support is growing, one of the least understood communities in society is the transgender community. The research set forth by this Capstone seeks to understand how the transgender community views the healthcare they receive. This will help future healthcare practitioners, including doctors, nurses, nutrition professionals, therapists, and so on, know how to best care for transgender clients.
Living A More Sustainable Lifestyle: Brand Recommendations And Product Reviews, Alison L. Kramer
Living A More Sustainable Lifestyle: Brand Recommendations And Product Reviews, Alison L. Kramer
Honors Capstones
While current studies are done on individual products, there isn’t a consolidated paper for consumers to use when purchasing everyday items. Consumers don’t have time to do research on things they buy weekly or even monthly. To understand what products are truly sustainable and good for the environment, consumers would have to spend hours researching what products or materials are better than what they currently buy. This paper outlines a set of criteria that will help consumers make informed decisions when it comes to buying everyday products. Consumers can also find a list of product recommendations in this paper.
Adaption, Retention, And Readaptation Strategies For Unfamiliar Leka (Lower-Extremity Knee Angles), Leea M. Perry
Adaption, Retention, And Readaptation Strategies For Unfamiliar Leka (Lower-Extremity Knee Angles), Leea M. Perry
Honors Capstones
This capstone aimed to look into individuals’ abilities to adapt, retain, and readapt a newly-provided, typically over-exaggerated, goal knee angle for their right leg based upon feedback received and accuracy of examined gait pattern. Research was carried out using individuals aged 18-25, looking at the potential of “learning” per say, a new pattern for their rather instinctual previously formed habits for walking. Knee angle, both baseline and individuals’ attempts at goal angle, were measured with a knee brace worn throughout data collection. Participants for this study were blind in terms of what their goal LEKA (lower-extremity knee angle) was. The …
Monuments Are For The Living: The Confederate Mound Monument And The Falsehood Of Reconciliation Statues, Janelle O'Malley
Monuments Are For The Living: The Confederate Mound Monument And The Falsehood Of Reconciliation Statues, Janelle O'Malley
Student Projects
In 2015 the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) began tracking Confederate symbol usage in the United States, namely focusing on confederate flags and monuments. That same year a white supremacist fatally shot nine Black worshippers at the historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, S.C. The shooter in this case had confederate symbols all over their home. This sparked conversation nationally about confederate symbolism and its true purpose. In turn, the conversation led to highly contested debates on confederate monuments and statues. Between 2015 and 2020, 148 confederate statues were removed from the public eye. But the most shocking …
The Elusive And Complex Parabolic Relationship Between Terrorism And Gdp Per-Capita, Kianna Becker
The Elusive And Complex Parabolic Relationship Between Terrorism And Gdp Per-Capita, Kianna Becker
Honors Capstones
The 21st century saw a dramatic focus on terrorism after the events of September 11, 2001. The search for an explanation for the causes of terrorism have led economists to turn to the role of GDP on terrorism. This research aims to search for a pattern in the relationship between GDP per-capita and acts of terrorism. Previous research has pointed towards both a positive and negative trend. The stark different findings in previous research attests to the various ways terrorism is measured and analyzed. Encapsulating the previous research, this research merges the two theories and aims to show there is …
Code-Switching: Patterns And Motivations For Thai American Bilingual Speakers, Holly Young
Code-Switching: Patterns And Motivations For Thai American Bilingual Speakers, Holly Young
Honors Capstones
This study examines the structural patterns and social motivations behind Code-Switching (CS) as it is used by English-dominant, bilingual Thai Americans. CS is defined here as an umbrella term that encompasses both intersentential and intrasentential language mixing. For the purpose of this study, bilingual speakers are considered those who use Thai and English in some aspect of their everyday lives, whether talking with friends, family, etc.; native-like fluency in both languages is not necessary. A total of fourteen participants were selected throughout the US using a preliminary biodata survey. Participants were paired based on their language use, age, and place …
How Social Media Affects Political Beliefs And Movements, Alyssa Anderson
How Social Media Affects Political Beliefs And Movements, Alyssa Anderson
Honors Capstones
This project aims to assess how social media influences young adults’ political beliefs and movements. Social media is prominently used through the ages of 18-29 and plays a key role in intellectual development. Engagement online has increased within the last few years discussing topics like politics, COVID-19, and social movements. With the help of social media, young adults feel more empowered and informed by sharing political content. Voter turnout, civic engagement, and participation in social movements have increased with the informative content now available on all social media platforms. In this paper, I assess how social media has affected political …
Are All High-Potentials Successful Leaders? Exploring The Underlying Effect Of Impostor Syndrome And Evaluative Concerns On The Relationship Between Hipo Designation And Leadership Self-Efficacy., Anjishnu Chakrabarti, Lisa M. Finkelstein
Are All High-Potentials Successful Leaders? Exploring The Underlying Effect Of Impostor Syndrome And Evaluative Concerns On The Relationship Between Hipo Designation And Leadership Self-Efficacy., Anjishnu Chakrabarti, Lisa M. Finkelstein
Honors Capstones
The rising prevalence of high-potential (HiPo) employee programs in organizations has led academicians to begin to research this newly developing area under the realm of industrial/organizational psychology. High-potential programs are intended to find employees with the maximum potential to succeed in strategic leadership roles within the organization and provide those individuals with specialized training and related developmental opportunities. The term “HiPo” refers to such employees who are designated as having higher potential than the average. This study aimed to explore the relationship that exists between employees being designated as HiPo and their self-perception of being successful leaders (measured as leadership …
Patriotism For All Causes: How American Veterans Of The Philippine-American War Were Used To Influence Imperial Policies In The Early Twentieth Century, Russell T. Heibel
Patriotism For All Causes: How American Veterans Of The Philippine-American War Were Used To Influence Imperial Policies In The Early Twentieth Century, Russell T. Heibel
Honors Capstones
Following the end of the Spanish-American War the United States gained several overseas territories which enabled them to extend their influence overseas. However, before taking on more direct imperialist actions, the United States would quickly be drawn into it a colonial conflict with its new holdings in the Philippines. While the conflict itself is not widely recognized by the contemporary American public it left several impressions upon the United States during the course of the conflict. One of the overlooked influences that would arise after the conflict would come from the veterans who served during the war. Veterans of the …
Don't You Want To Be Happy?, Mario Rocha Rodriguez Jr
Don't You Want To Be Happy?, Mario Rocha Rodriguez Jr
Honors Capstones
My capstone project is an exhibition of my artwork using visual distortions to convey a message to the viewer. I created nine new pieces out of the original seven proposed over the course of the semester with themes all relating to firsthand experiences that I think people can learn from. For the exhibit, I displayed ten pieces with two works that were made prior to the current semester. In conclusion, I present ideas that I have been holding in for the past 4 years.
Manual Material Handling Lift-Assist System For Occupational Exoskeleton, Erik Goes, Daniel Guthrie, Trevor Ward
Manual Material Handling Lift-Assist System For Occupational Exoskeleton, Erik Goes, Daniel Guthrie, Trevor Ward
Honors Capstones
It is no secret that lifting heavy objects is one of the premier causes of workplace injury, and the modern worker needs help to remain healthy. Workers need something they always have with them that makes their work safer as well as easier; our solution is an active lift-assist exoskeleton. The proposed exoskeleton design includes a military backpack exoskeleton frame, on which two actuators pull cables attached to end effectors that the operator will be holding. This system can adjust to conform to a wide variety of operator sizes, without restricting any of their range of motion. This leads to …
Faceshield: Using Machine Learning To Prevent Face Touching On A Commercially Available Smartwatch, Rami I. Lake
Faceshield: Using Machine Learning To Prevent Face Touching On A Commercially Available Smartwatch, Rami I. Lake
Honors Capstones
The ongoing global pandemic caused by novel Covid-19 virus has infected 248 million and killed 5 million people so far worldwide. The scarcity of vaccines in different parts of the world has forced people to follow safety and precautionary measures. Even where the vaccines are widely available, a significant number of breakthrough cases have been reported recently. Touching the face with an infected hand is one of the leading causes of spreading the virus. Since face-touching is a compulsive behavior, it is hard to prevent them without a constant reminder. In this work, we present FaceShield application deployed on a …
Food Insecurity Among Niu College Students, Hannah Schaumberg
Food Insecurity Among Niu College Students, Hannah Schaumberg
Student Projects
Many people with certain privileges never notice them, because they are so fixated on the hasty generalizations of what is seen on the surface rather than the interior aspects. For many students, understanding and recognizing privileges is the main concept to understanding their surroundings. The concept of reflecting on their interactions and knowledge of food insecurity will be curasol among communities. By researching the concepts of food insecurities among NIU students, we can bring awareness of the topic within society. The focus is to understand which intersectional groups are affected by food insecurity and to bring awareness of the subject …
What Is Insurance? An Analysis Of The Tax Deductibility Of Captive Insurance Premiums, John D. Patten
What Is Insurance? An Analysis Of The Tax Deductibility Of Captive Insurance Premiums, John D. Patten
Honors Capstones
What is insurance for the purposes of a tax deduction? The Internal Revenue Code does not define insurance. Without this definition, taxpayers using alternative insurance products to manage their risks must look to case law to determine whether their arrangements count as tax deductible insurance or non-deductible self-insurance. This paper dives into the four prongs of insurance: insurance risk, risk shifting, risk distributing, and commonly accepted notions of insurance. This paper looks to cases that have dealt with the deduction of captive insurance premiums to provide better insight into the practical application of this test. After discussing the evolution of …
Novel Mobility Device For Conjoined Twins, Allyson Bowgren
Novel Mobility Device For Conjoined Twins, Allyson Bowgren
Honors Capstones
This project provides a solution to a problem proposed by a pair of conjoined clients. With their desire to become fully independent, the clients need an improved mobility device. Being joined at the head, moving around was always difficult for them and their situation did not get any better after an accident left one of them immobile. Their current device was a decent and quick solution at the time it was first needed. However, since its conception the device quickly became obsolete, and they are now in need of a more effective device that allows them to travel easier. This …
The Spatial Associations Between Crime And Economy In Chicago 2015-2020, Hongtao Huang
The Spatial Associations Between Crime And Economy In Chicago 2015-2020, Hongtao Huang
Honors Capstones
The severity of the crime is often the most intuitive reflection of whether a region is safe and the top factor for the public when evaluating a region. Economist's list of the safest cities in seven major North American cities, Chicago was ranked at six, just above Dallas. Chicago scored the lowest in personal security, which is closely tied to the crime. Against the backdrop of higher unemployment and prices, this study is interested in how property-based crimes are related to the economic decline in Chicago geographically. The study used the heterogeneity analysis tool Geodetector to investigate the correlation between …
How Are The Features Of Infant Directed Speech Related To Cradling Bias?, Tiffany S. Jacob
How Are The Features Of Infant Directed Speech Related To Cradling Bias?, Tiffany S. Jacob
Honors Capstones
The current study explored whether the cradling bias observed in mothers of very young infants is related to acoustic features of infant directed speech. Six mothers were asked to set their 4-month-old infants down and pick them up to determine which side mothers used to cradle their infants. Mothers were placed in two groups: left-sided cradling bias and right-sided cradling bias. The mothers were then recorded as they talked to their infants while they shared books and simple toys designed to elicit the vowels /i/, /a/, and /u/. Vowel fundamental frequency (/i, a, u/) and word length (i.e., “sheep, shop, …