Digital Commons Network^™

Military Geography: An Investigation Of Qualification, Bruce G. Graves

The Geographical Bulletin

Comprehension of the meaning of military geography is far more complex than it first appears. Traditionally military geography loosely encompasses the whole field of geographic activity required for the direction of organized military forces. The term "military" includes activities by which man performs characteristics that are generally referred to as soldierly in practice. The weight of this definition is magnified by the importance of strategy exercised at a given time. Scholars who perceive a sub-discipline as having a distinctive characteristic that is basically a sub-division of a whole field of academic study, may at first glance, see a direct relation …

Building Climate Resilience Through Food Recovery, San Diego Regional Climate Collaborative, Alexander Pourfard, Aranza Ruvalcaba

San Diego Regional Climate Collaborative

In an effort to combat GHG emissions from food waste, California passed Senate Bill 1383 (SB 1383) into law in 2016. The bill contains key provisions aimed at increasing edible food recovery. By rescuing food that would otherwise go to the landfill, California entities have been able to help save precious food and advance sustainable solutions to address climate change in their local communities. Since the food recovery requirements took effect in January of 2022, over 217,000 tons of unsold food have been recovered annually, providing more than 700 million meals to food-insecure Californians.

Using The Narrative Roles Questionnaire Within An Academic Setting, Toby Stipp

Student Theses and Dissertations

Criminal profiling has become a useful tool for many agencies when investigating a variety of crimes. The proposed study used a questionnaire originally designed for criminal behavior and profiling, the Narrative Roles Questionnaire (NRQ), and observed if it could be translated to an academic setting pertaining to academic cheating. A pilot study involving definitions of the four narratives in the NRQ revealed that both the Professional and Victim narratives are more likely to be the narratives that academic cheaters would acknowledge. In the proposed study, participants were asked to write down a cheating scenario and fill out the full NRQ …

04.21.2025 Ored Connect, Liz Williamson

ORED Newsletter

ORED Stakeholder Meetings

SEC Travel Grants

Impacts Of Extreme Weather Conditions On Coastal Fisheries Near Bayou Teche, Louisiana From 2019–2023, Georgia C. Davis

LSU Master's Theses

The region of Southcentral Louisiana, particularly around Bayou Teche, thrives on its commercial and recreational fisheries. These fisheries are occasionally subject to events like extreme weather that cause sudden and unexpected losses (NOAA Fisheries, 2024a). Between 2019 and 2023, a series of extreme weather events impacted southcentral Louisiana near Bayou Teche. This series of extreme events includes Hurricane Barry (2019), Hurricane Laura (2020), Hurricane Delta (2020), Hurricane Zeta (2020), Hurricane Ida (2021), and a United States Drought Monitor (USDM) D4 drought (2023). This study analyzes the impacts of the extreme weather series on coastal fish observed species richness (SR) in …

2025 Academic Conference Program

Holy Cross Undergraduate Academic Conference

No abstract provided.

After The Catastrophe: Rwanda's Transformation, Zhijun He

International Studies Honors Projects

Standard development theory holds that recovery requires institutions first: courts, fiscal systems, the rule of law. Rwanda in 1994 had none—and rebuilt a state. The state must extract to build capacity, deliver to build legitimacy; when both collapse simultaneously, no entry point remains. Somalia's three-decade failure confirms the trap. Rwanda broke it.

This thesis argues that Rwanda's trajectory is not an exception to the good governance consensus but a refutation of it. Through analytical synthesis of the existing scholarship on four post-genocide institutional mechanisms— gacaca community courts, umuganda collective labor, imihigo performance contracts, and ingando political education camps—the thesis develops …

Cross Section Curve Data Autoregression, Peter C.B. Phillips, Liang Jiang

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

This paper develops and applies new asymptotic theory for estimation and inference in parametric autoregression with function valued cross section curve time series. The study provides a new approach to dynamic panel regression with high dimensional dependent cross section data. Here we deal with the stationary case and provide a full set of results extending those of standard Euclidean space autoregression, showing how function space curve cross section data raises efficiency and reduces bias in estimation and shortens confidence intervals in inference. Methods are developed for high-dimensional covariance kernel estimation that are useful for inference. The findings reveal that function …

Sanctification Of Marriage And Positive Religious Coping May Help Couples Be Resilient From Stress's Negative Influence, Amanda Sue Bills

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Marriage is the building block of society and as such is an important developmental stage. Unfortunately, studies suggest that stress could be harmful to marriages. However, many resilient factors have been found to protect marriages from stress such as good communication, secure attachments, gratitude and optimism, and religion. The Bible teaches that marriage was founded by God and is a sacred institution. Further, stress should be expected in life, is useful for learning and growth, and God will help his followers to cope with it. The current quantitative study sought to discover if viewing marriage as sacred and using positive …

Keeping The Faith: An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis Of Christian Educators Working In A Public Elementary School, Katharine E. Knoeppel

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Spiritual growth and development are pivotal aspects of a Christian’s life journey. A Christian worldview to include consultation with scripture and prayer helps to support the morals and values necessary for such growth. American public-school systems have adopted a secular worldview which is devoid of creationism and His truth. With an increase in attrition rates and reported job-related stress among public school employees, a deeper understanding is needed to better understand current trends. This study focused on the lived experience of Christian educators working in a secular school system. Quantitative research was conducted investigating the impact of prayer, stress and …

Navigating Gender And Equity In Education: Challenges, Personal Experiences, And Pathways For Change, Chloe Ballow

Honors Projects

This project examines how gender stereotypes influence the educational experiences of high school girls, focusing on the combined effects of gender, race, and socio-economic status. Using sources from feminist theory, educational research, and real-world examples, this study explores how societal expectations shape girls’ behavior in the classroom, their academic self-image, and their future goals. Special attention is given to African American girls and students from low-income backgrounds, who often face additional challenges due to both racial and gender biases.

The research draws on a mix of scholarly articles, reports from organizations like UNESCO and the OECD, and insights from a …

The Relationship Of Physical Literacy, Motivation, Cognitive Function, And Academic Performance Among Elementary School Children, Meagan A. Hartman

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Physical literacy could promote the development of confidence and motivation to engage in physical activity, reducing chronic health issues within the United States. This study examined physical literacy and its relationship with motivation, cognitive function, and academic performance among fourth and fifth graders. Participants completed the Physical Literacy Assessment for Youth – basic (PLAYbasic), Motives for Physical Activity Measure (MPAM) and Raven’s Colored Progressive Matrices (RCPM), which measured physical literacy, motivation to engage in physical activity, and cognitive function, respectively. Academic scores from the Mississippi Academic Assessment Program (MAAP) were collected to measure academic performance. Scores from these measures were …

The Impact Of Church Members On Single Parents In Residential Family Care Systems, Vanessa M. Jackson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This paper discusses the value of grace and its significance for making positive, lasting change. The researcher initially hypothesized that accountability alone was the sole catalyst for transformation (van Manen, 1990; Williams, 2008). The researcher conducted 30-minute interviews of seven single mothers with a minimum of 2 years residence in one or more Residential Family Care (RFC) programs, identifying them with pseudonyms for the purpose of protecting their identities. Each interview transcript was then evaluated for key repeated themes and phrases. While accountability did indeed play a significant role in the women’s change processes, the researcher found that grace, facilitated …

The Use Of Artificial Intelligence In The Clinical Supervision Of Counselors In Training: A Comparative Quantitative Study, Debra Ann Millman

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

To address the need to improve the effectiveness of clinical supervision, this study compared the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to evaluate the counseling skills of counselors in training with evaluations completed by counseling professors. Counseling session transcripts obtained from the public domain were evaluated using AI by asking the chatbot to act as if it were a licensed mental health clinical supervisor and evaluate the transcript using the Counseling Competencies Scale Revised rubric. Counseling professors were asked to manually evaluate the sessions using the same rubric. Finally, doctoral students enrolled in a counselor education and supervision program were asked …

Gender Bias Within Ai Imaging, Drew Quattrocchi

Student Publications and Presentations

This study investigates AI-created gender bias in AI-created images through content analysis, contrasting the way gender is depicted in professions in leading AI image-creation tools such as Chat smith, Adobe Firefly, Midjourney, and Stable Diffusion. Employing a quantitative research method, this study contrasts AI-created images of gender-stereotypical careers for both male and female. Non-gendered careers will be used as well to identify patterns of stereotyping and bias. The area of emphasis lies in individual subjects within the images and scrutinizing visual elements such as clothing, accessories, background, face expressions, and gendered roles assigned to each. Particular emphasis is focused to …

Perceptions Of Employability With Ai Skills, Brandy Whitford, Patrick J. Cooper

Student Publications and Presentations

Artificial intelligence (AI) is making AI proficiency a key factor in hiring and career advancement. By late 2023, 75% of knowledge workers integrated AI into their workflows, with 92% reporting increased productivity and creativity (Kimbrough, 2024). Employers are adapting—66% prefer candidates with AI expertise, and 77% consider AI skills essential for career growth (Microsoft & LinkedIn, 2024). However, hiring biases related to AI-skilled applicants remain underexplored, particularly concerning gender disparities in employability perceptions. This study examines how AI-related skills influence perceived employability and whether these perceptions vary based on applicant gender. Specifically, it explores whether AI-skilled female applicants receive higher …

Enhancing Animal Shelter Operations With Time Series And Machine Learning, Sakava L. Kiv, Donald L. Anderson, Shivam Negi, Jacquelyn Cheun

SMU Data Science Review

Enhancing animal shelter operations through machine learning involves employing a variety of advanced techniques aimed at increasing efficiency, promoting animal welfare, and optimizing resource allocation. This paper explores predictive analytics for adoption rates using regression models to estimate the likelihood of adoption based on historical data, encompassing variables such as breed, health status, and previous adoption trends. Additionally, classification algorithms are utilized to categorize animals by adoption probability, facilitating better resources and marketing prioritization. Clustering algorithms are employed to group animals according to behavior patterns and/or physical health, enabling tailored medical care and enrichment activities that improve their mental and …

Cultivating Scholars 2025, Elizabeth Hamner

Research Week

Cultivating Scholars is an interdisciplinary event promoting undergraduate students and their special interest topics. It is a research-based setting meant to imitate a professional conference. Students work with Faculty Mentors to conduct a high-quality project and present it to the community.

Date: April 24, 2025, 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Place: Collin College, Frisco Campus Conference Center

Volume 12 Complete Issue, James W. Gallagher

The Geographical Bulletin

Volume 12 Complete Issue

An Epigraphic· Geography Or "Kilroy (Amongst Others) Was Here", George F. Carter

The Geographical Bulletin

Vigorous debate has raged virtually since Columbus' discovery of America over who the American Indians were, where they came from, how they got here, and what the source of their civilization was. Momentarily, consideration was given to their being a separate creation; not the descendants of the people of Genesis. The Pope settled that by stating firmly that the Indians were God's creatures just as surely as the Spanish and Portuguese were, and as such entitled to all the rights, duties, and privileges thereto appertaining as they say as they cap and gown you.

Climate Change Adaptation Through Economic Democracy, Shriraksha Mohan

Best Integrated Writing

Mohan investigates and combines three different areas of literature and social movements to discuss the problem of climate change and economic adaptation. The value of this work is that it can be used to communicate among three independent types of social movements and inquiries. This can strengthen and connect dispersed yet overlapping efforts in addressing work issues, resource utilization, economic governance and participation, and ecological problems economies face today.

Migration Models· Application In An African Context (An Analytical Review), Ademola T. Salau

The Geographical Bulletin

The history of Africa is full of the accounts of movements of people on large scales. Some of the movements had occurred in the form of conquests in war and some had taken place by a slow and largely peaceful shift to new lands. Such movements we are told, have been a feature of Africa in the past and are one of its most important demographic features at present. There is no phase of African history which can be understood without reference to the movements of people both before and during it." However, there are differences in types, magnitudes and …

Volume 13 Complete Issue, James W. Gallagher

The Geographical Bulletin

Volume 13 Complete Issue

Development Scenarios And Wildfire Risk In Central Oregon, Samantha Hall

Dissertations and Theses

Risk from natural hazards occurs where areas vulnerable to natural hazards and development intersect. Development in vulnerable areas is a societal choice that has a lasting impact as our built environment is relatively permanent. Development patterns that contribute to increased wildfire risk mostly occur within the wildland urban interface, a land use type where development is at the fringes or intercept of wildland areas and is more flammable due to surrounding vegetation, slope, local climate, and other factors. To understand how past and future development potentials may impact fire risk in wildfire prone areas, a case study of Deschutes County, …

Family Drama: Unpacking Your Communication Style In Relation To Authority Figures, Makenzie Boylston, Averie Owens, Abbey Fies, Rose Kores

SPARK Symposium Presentations

An important aspect of our personality is how we communicate. Our expressiveness and communication skills drive our interactions and interpersonal experiences. Previous research has found that a family’s usage of transparent communication and expression influences the children’s future behavior and attitude in terms of leadership and sociability (Huang, 1999).There is additional research that found that one’s communication with authority figures, such as teachers and physicians, is impacted by how the authority figure communicates with them (Drury, 2003; Frymier & Houser, 2000; Kiesler & Auerbach, 2003). Our study examined the correlations between familial expressiveness, authority figure communication skills, and one’s dominance. …

Using Video Models Plus Feedback To Teach Interview Skills, Zoe Odom

Honors Theses

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is partially characterized by deficits in social communication and interaction. These deficits can be displayed by struggles in developing relationships and social-emotional reciprocity (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2022). In the context of competitive employment, social skill deficits can impose challenges in securing and maintaining an employment position, with 8.1% of adults with disabilities between the ages of 16-65 unemployed (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2024). Video-based instruction (i.e., video models and prompts) has been used to teach adults with autism a wide variety of skills up to 100% accuracy, including vocational skills such as …

Conducting Effective Literature Searches And Writing Strong Abstracts, Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

This invited presentation for students at Poland's War Studies University communicates ideas on how Ph.D. students at this institution can enhance their research quality. Specific content includes formulating your research question, determining research aims and methodology, reviewing a research question checklist, understanding the meaning of search terms you propose to utilize, devising effective search strategies, consulting multiple varieties of information resources from multiple countries, finding gaps in literature, being able to distinguish between nuances in literature and data, writing succinct abstracts, and enhancing the clarity of your prose.

The Jacksons' Debate, Marcus Vinicius Neves

Vernacular: New Connections in Language, Literature, & Culture

The Jacksons’ Debate” explores ethical dilemmas through an alien civilization considering human consumption. This philosophical sci-fi story examines sentience, moral responsibility, and societal progress from a unique perspective. Blending dark humor with social commentary, it challenges readers to reflect on human behavior and ethical decision-making in the face of necessity and scientific advancement.

04.14.2025 Ored Connect, Liz Williamson

ORED Newsletter

Updated CITI Training Courses

Science Celebration

IHL Prepayment Approval

Climatic Preference, Jeffrey T. Lutz

The Geographical Bulletin

Researchers within the discipline of geography seek to achieve an enhanced comprehension of man's perception of the world. Therefore, environmental perception is a subject of great consequence to geographers. Understanding of the sources of environmental variance perception in is essential to an understanding of variation in man's environmental behaviors. 1 The mental image is one of the major determinants of spatial behavior; and spatial images area an individual's cognitive representation of the spatial environment, and are a summary of what he considers meaningful about the environment.' Climate is a strategic factor affecting man's responses to the complex environment, and climate …