Digital Commons Network^™

Exploring The Effect Of Nanomodifiers On The Self-Healing Property Of Asphalt Binders, Debzani Mitra

Theses and Dissertations

This study aimed to investigate the influence of nanomodifiers on the self-healing of asphalt binder. Two base asphalt binders, PG 58-28, and PG 64-22 were modified with nanoalumina, nanoclay, and nanosilica at 1%, 3%, and 4% dosages by weight of binder. After performance grading and storage stability tests, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) assessed changes in unaged and short-term oxidized binders. Additionally, thermodynamic properties i.e., Surface Free Energy (SFE), of nanomodified binders were assessed via the sessile drop method. Finally, this study conducted healing characterization using the Modified Time Sweep and Linear Amplitude Sweep Healing tests. Moreover, this study looked …

Mostly Haunted: A Socio-Spatial Analysis Of Ghost Tourism In England And Wales, Tom Clark, Joseph O. Baker, Christoper D. Bader

Sociology Faculty Articles and Research

There is now a well-established literature on ghost tourism. However, much of this work examines aspects associated with the demand side of the industry, or the motivations and experiences of consumers. There are currently no studies that have sought to explore the supply of ghost tourism and the spatial, social, and economic relationships that exist between these places. Using Lower Tier Local Authorities (LTLAs) in England and Wales as the units of analysis, this study draws on a bespoke range of local government and Census data to examine the prevalence of ghost tourism and explore how these sites are differentiated …

Lanthorn, Vol. 60, No. 12, March 2, 2026, Grand Valley State University

Volume 60, August 4, 2025 – April 20, 2026

Lanthorn is Grand Valley State's student newspaper, published from 1968 to the present.

Identifying Priorities To Guide Extension Water Quality Programming In Utah, Clare Entwistle, Sarah Erwin, Stephanie Vaughn

Outcomes and Impact Quarterly

Utah State University Extension water quality faculty conducted a statewide water quality needs assessment to identify priority contaminants and resource gaps. The results found that elevated nutrient levels and sedimentation were the top concerns where additional resources would be beneficial. In addition, insufficient funding for improvements and low public engagement were identified as key challenges in addressing water quality issues. Results revealed current unmet needs with regional variation to inform Extension resource allocation and programming.

Analysis Of City Planning For Autism Spectrum Disorder, Joshua Ericson, Ben Shane

City and Regional Planning

Whether formally diagnosed or self-diagnosed, autism spectrum disorder affects children and adults in every corner of the planet. Every city in the world likely has autistic residents who have difficulty living in navigating their city due to their unique sensory, social, and economic needs. Many of these needs affect autistic people’s abilities to comfortably and independently navigate public spaces, attain a reliable method of transportation, and find housing that suits their needs. These issues could all be addressed with city planning and neuro-inclusive public policies, but to date few cities have considered autistic people in their planning. Cities inadvertently exclude …

Beneath The Northern Sky: A Family’S Story Of Faith, Work, And Loss In 19th Century East Friesland. A Generational Narrative For Descendants Of East Frisian Immigrants., Derek M. Heeren

Genealogy Resources

Beneath the Northern Sky traces the quiet endurance of one East Frisian family as they live, labor, and worship along the lowlands of northwest Germany in the early nineteenth century. At the center of the story stands Wessel Heeren, a farmer and shipmaster whose days move between the ledgers of the farm, the rhythms of the Gulfhaus, and the waterways that connect his village to the wider world for trade. Alongside his wife Foske and their growing family, Wessel navigates a life defined by faithful attention to land, to kin, to church, and to a tradition of self-governance known …

Beyond Artifacts And Fossils: Exploring The Contributions And Socioeconomic Impacts Of Montana’S Museums And Paleontological Tourism, Emma Keinath-Lopez, Elena Bigart, Glenna Hartman, Kara Grau, Ava Worbets, Melissa Weddell

Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research Publications

This study explores how Montana’s museums, including those along the Montana Dinosaur Trail, influence communities, economies, and visitor experiences in a post-pandemic environment. Through mixed methods—511 visitor surveys at 44 museums and 18 interviews with museum professionals— this research provides a holistic understanding of museum operations, visitor motivations, and community impacts.

[Whm] Women's History Month 2026, Raquel Estrada

Library Display Posters

Poster showcasing films and books pertaining to women's history month. As well as a curated list of articles and dissertations/theses found in our institutional repository.

Digital Print Ordering System For Ugs, Han Nguyen

Graphic Communication

This project redesigns the UGS digital storefront to make ordering custom prints clearer and less confusing for students. Research showed that many delays happen because users submit incorrect files, such as wrong formats, low-resolution images, or missing fonts. To address this, I created an interactive prototype that guides users step-by-step through the ordering process and includes a built-in file checklist with simple export instructions. Instead of relying on a separate PDF guide, the new system supports users directly within the workflow, helping reduce errors and making the process smoother for both customers and UGS staffs.

The Illusion Of Causality In Llms: A Developmentally Grounded Analysis Of Semantic Scaffolding And Benchmark–Capability Mismatches, Daisuke Akiba

Publications and Research

Recent benchmarks increasingly report that large language models (LLMs) exhibit human-like causal reasoning abilities, including counterfactual inference and intervention planning. However, many such evaluations rely on domains that are heavily represented in training data and embed strong semantic cues, raising the possibility that apparent causal competence may reflect semantic pattern recombination rather than structure-sensitive causal reasoning. Drawing on human developmental theories of causal induction, this perspective argues that genuine causal understanding requires robustness to novelty and reliance on conditional structure rather than semantic familiarity. To illustrate the testability of this claim, the paper includes a pilot demonstration using synthetic causal …

Launch Skills: Virtual Career Camp Connects Rural Youth To Diverse Career Pathways, Caroline Homan, Meagan Hoffman

Journal of Youth Development

Rural youth often encounter persistent barriers in career and workforce readiness, including limited access to career exploration resources, mentorship, and post-secondary exposure, challenges that are compounded by geographic isolation and higher rates of rural poverty. To address these gaps, this manuscript describes the development and implementation of Launch Skills, a virtual career camp designed to broaden rural youths’ awareness of career pathways within food, agriculture, natural resources management, and human sciences (FANH). Grounded in Positive Youth Development principles, Launch Skills was collaboratively developed by North Dakota State University Extension and South Dakota State University Extension to provide flexible, accessible, and …

Towards Socially Legitimized Trust In Ai-Learning Systems, Sanket Patole, Rob E. Carpenter, Reed M. Milewicz, Rose M. Baker, John R. Turner

Human Resource Development Faculty Publications and Presentations

AI-enabled learning technologies are rapidly becoming institutional infrastructure. In this context, “trust” cannot be treated as a simple user attitude or a byproduct of technical performance. We argue that durable trust in AI-enabled learning systems is fundamentally a legitimacy outcome: stakeholders must judge AI-mediated practices as appropriate, credible, and defensible within the normative and governance structures of learning environments. Building on socio-technical systems scholarship and institutional legitimacy theory, we introduce Socially Legitimized Trust (SLT), a framework that helps us understand adoption stability and contestation through alignment among three foundations: technocratic validation (credible evidence of capability, limits, and reliability), social validation …

Building Connections With Graduate Students Through Credit-Bearing Instruction, Michelle Desilets, Kimberly Pendell

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

Graduate students often need support with research skills and other professional development that is under-recognized by their programs. Librarians play a key role in helping students fill in these gaps. This case study reviews student feedback on a librarian-developed and -delivered credit-bearing course. The course, Library Research and Scholarly Communication Fundamentals, is offered to graduate students across all disciplines. The curriculum is flexible and applicable to each student’s research, covering topics such as researching literature, citation and data management, and publishing in scholarly journals. The course has generated positive and constructive feedback from students, encompassing themes of self-efficacy, improved research …

The Changing Landscape Of International Development: An Introduction, Pascaline Dupas, Pinelopi K. Goldberg, Rohini Pande

Discussion Papers

Since the late 1980s, extreme poverty has declined sharply, life expectancy and schooling have increased, and electoral democracy has expanded. However poverty reduction has slowed in recent years, particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic, amid intensifying conflict, fragility, climate risks, democratic backsliding, and the erosion of global trends—including trade integration and geopolitical stability—that once supported growth. These dynamics raise three interrelated questions: what barriers impede further progress; where will future growth in lower-income countries come from; and how can growth be broadly shared. Taking stock of 15 chapters forthcoming in Volume 6 of the Handbook of Development Economics, we discuss how …

Exploring The Lived Experiences Of Black Women In Undergraduate Stem Core Expansion Pathways, Lizzie L. Evans Martinez Alvarez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The use of social incongruence in the film Hidden Figures, which juxtaposed with STEM education as the most powerful in contrast with Black women as the least powerful, supported the argument for the specific problem of practice to examine the unmet need for socially and ethnically diverse student populations in U.S. STEM higher education and careers. The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological research study was to identify and analyze the lived experiences of Black women regarding barriers they perceive in the STEM educational and career decision-making processes, while exploring transformational pathways to STEM academic success. The study specifically analyzed …

Exploring The Personal Management Interview Program As A Burnout Prevention Strategy In Policing: A Qualitative Case Study, Lance C. Arnold

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Police officers in the United States experience severe burnout at rates exceeding other service professions, with approximately 75% experiencing burnout symptoms. Current interventions predominantly focus on individual coping mechanisms rather than addressing organizational and leadership factors contributing to burnout. This qualitative single-case study explored the perceptions and experiences of police leaders and officers concerning the utility of a personal management interview program to foster positive leadership behaviors as a resource-oriented preventive strategy against burnout in a midsize municipal police department in Texas. The study employed semistructured virtual interviews with eight participants: four police leaders and four police officers who had …

A Narrative Study On The Resilience Of Women In Technology Careers, Gina J. Baldridge

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In spite of the promotion of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and careers, there is a lack of women entering the STEM workforce and majoring in STEM subjects. Women can experience gender bias and workplace marginalization in STEM careers, but have learned coping strategies that have contributed to their technology career resilience. The purpose of this narrative qualitative study was to explore how women working as individual performers and leaders in technology companies told their career stories of resilience through the perspective of change acceptance, confidence, and communication, three factors in Kumar’s CR8 model of resilience. The model …

Intersecting Identities: The Leadership Journeys And Challenges Of Black Women Senior Leaders In Southern U.S. Predominantly White Institutions, Quizanae' Yvonne Cooper

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study looked at what Black women in high‑level leadership roles are experiencing at predominantly White institutions in Texas and Florida now that diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies have been rolled back. Using Black feminist theory and intersectionality as the foundation, the research focused on how race and gender shape their leadership, their decision‑making, and the ways they navigate their careers. Through in‑depth interviews with 10 Black women in executive positions, the study uses a narrative approach to understand their stories. Eight major themes emerged, and many participants explained that losing DEI initiatives created new obstacles, reduced support systems, …

The Changing Landscape Of International Development: An Introduction, Pascaline Dupas, Pinelopi Goldberg, Rohini Pande

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

Since the late 1980s, extreme poverty has declined sharply, life expectancy and schooling have increased, and electoral democracy has expanded. However poverty reduction has slowed in recent years, particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic, amid intensifying conflict, fragility, climate risks, democratic backsliding, and the erosion of global trends—including trade integration and geopolitical stability—that once supported growth. These dynamics raise three interrelated questions: what barriers impede further progress; where will future growth in lower-income countries come from; and how can growth be broadly shared. Taking stock of 15 chapters forthcoming in Volume 6 of the Handbook of Development Economics, we discuss how …

The Skill Premium In Times Of Rapid Technological Change, Tarek Hassan, Aakash Kalyani, Pascual Restrepo

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

No abstract provided.

Boosting Agriculture Career Readiness In Stem Through A Virtual Symposium, Suzanna R. Windon, Hosung You, Christina Grozinger, Natalie Boyle, Hongmei Li-Byarlay, Torrence A. Gill, Simon Zebelo

Journal of Youth Development

This study evaluated a recorded virtual career symposium aimed at enhancing STEM in Agriculture and graduate education readiness among students from Minority-Serving Institutions.The evaluation focused on changes in participants’ perceived readiness for STEM careers and graduate education, the relationship between readiness and demographic factors, and participants’ overall experience with the event. Featuring presentations from faculty and alumni, the symposium highlighted career pathways in agriculture and entomology, essential skills, and graduate education opportunities. Participants from five institutions were invited to view the recorded sessions and complete an online survey. Of the 56 responses received, 41 were analyzed. Results indicated that most …

Love, Support, Good Vibes: Unconditional Positive Regard And Lgbtqia+ Youth After-School Stories, M V. Pease, Maggie Brooks, Wilson Lazo-Salmeron, Ayushi Sarkar, Halle Ho-Yee Shen, Sharon Colvin

Journal of Youth Development

LGBTQIA+ youth face high rates of identity rejection and bullying, creating an urgent need for support and affirmation within oppressive societal structures. School environments can uniquely support LGBTQIA+ youth through after-school programming designed to provide positive community experiences. Using qualitative thematic analysis of personal stories from LGBTQIA+ youth (N=94), we examined what LGBTQIA+ youth envision as ideal support within after-school programming. Our analyses, informed by humanistic psychology principles, revealed eight major themes: good vibes, compassion and empathy, non-judgment and acceptance, multidimensional human connection, safety, proxy for home/family, adults and mentors, and altruism. Results indicate the need for warmth, safety, connection, …

Growing Mathletes: Integrating Growth Mindset, Math, And Sports To Support Youth Learning, Sanlyn Buxner, Erin Turner, Seneca B. Miller, Christina Baze, Ricardo Valerdi

Journal of Youth Development

Through Growing Mathletes, we developed and field-tested informal education activities designed to teach math within the context of baseball in a way that supports youth in developing a growth mindset. We present our development strategy and discuss our implementation with third through eighth graders at five informal learning sites across the United States. Assessment of program success included pre- and post-program surveys and post-program interviews with youth from all five informal education settings. Our findings revealed our strategy to integrate growth mindset concepts with math and baseball lessons led to positive outcomes related to youth mindset and confidence. We present …

Globalizing The Engineering Job Market: Optimizing Engineering Career Expos To Serve International Students, Hailey A. Hesseltine

Journal of Global Education and Research

As the United States hosts approximately one million international students annually, it becomes imperative that on-campus resources are tailored to meet the needs of this diverse student population. One on-campus resource that is crucial to student success is career services, especially considering the aspirations of many international students to secure employment post-graduation. To address this, this study aimed to understand the satisfaction levels of international engineering students with an engineering career expo in Hawaiʻi. Utilizing a combination of surveys and interviews using a neo-racism framework, international students shared their experiences from the career expo through discussion and assessment. Information given …

Reliving 10 Years Old: Descriptive Insights Into Retro Gaming, Nick Ballou, Nick Bowman, T. Hakman, Andrew Przybylski

Media Studies - All Scholarship

As video games and players age, some are drawn to retro titles, operationalized here as games from the 1970s–early 2000s. This trend has sparked growing interest among researchers and the games industry in areas such as consumer behavior, nostalgia, and well-being. However, little is known about naturalistic retro gaming—who plays them, and what time periods players revisit. We analyze 1,099 players’ logged session histories on Nintendo Switch classic consoles (e.g., Nintendo Entertainment System, Nintendo 64), totaling 13,000 hr. We find that retro gaming increases with age until around 40; that people tend to revisit consoles popular when they were 5–13 …

Dyadic Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia Outcomes For Mothers And Their Children: Long-Term Follow-Up Of A Randomized Controlled Trial Of Brief Parenting Interventions, Abigail Sullivan, Sophia Eisenberg Garcia, Maria Kinsey, Komal Brown, Rong Bai, Melissa Mcternan, Seth J. Scholer, Ron Prinz, Julia Fleckman, Stacy Drury, Catherine A. Taylor

Student Publications [Scholarly]

This study was part of a longitudinal follow-up of a 3-armed randomized controlled trial designed to test the effects of two brief parenting interventions, Play Nicely (PN) and Triple P-Level 2 (TP2), to a usual care control on parenting outcomes. Female caregivers with an identified index child (Mage = 3.7 years, standard deviation [SD] = 1.7) were recruited through women, infants, and children (WIC) clinics in the greater New Orleans region. At a long-term (Myears = 5 years, SD = 0.9) follow-up assessment, respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) was assessed for a subset of these mother–child dyads during three dyadic interaction …

Elevating The Underrepresented And Marginalized Using Experiences In Stem (Lumens): A Stem Diversity And Inclusion Initiative, Robert Cobb Jr, Paula E. Faulkner, Deiadra Modlin, Obinna Chiekezi, Victoria Cobbold, Madison Beaudoin

Journal of Research Initiatives

The study offered a 5-week summer immersion program to address the shortage of students from underrepresented populations enrolling in degree programs and seeking careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The study also addressed the importance of offering summer immersion programs to close the achievement gap. A quantitative descriptive design was used to gather data from participants related to STEM lessons during the program. Gender, grade level, and race served as the demographic variables. The study included 21 secondary students in grades 9–12. Pre- and post-tests assessed participants' knowledge gain regarding STEM lessons. Data analyzed with SPSS version 29 …

An Intersectional Framework For Effectively Mentoring Latinas In Stem Fields, Rosalynn A. Vega

Anthropology Faculty Publications

While Latinas are underrepresented across all areas of academia, this problem is especially severe in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. This chapter offers a “best practices,” step‑by-step guide for how to effectively mentor Latinas in STEM fields—drawing from interdisciplinary concepts, culled from critical race studies, statistics, and anthropology—and personal experience as a Latina in STEM, mentor, and mentee. Crenshaw’s (1989) theory of intersectionality, Farmer’s (1999) notion of structural violence, and multivariate statistical modeling is used to demonstrate that intersectional inequality can be traced back to social structures. Multi‑gender and multiethnic mentoring by individuals who are motivated to …

Using Ai To Redirect Donor Support To Smaller Organizations, Madeleine Alegria, Brandolon Barnett

The Foundation Review

Despite rising interest in supporting local causes, many donors continue to give to large, nationally recognized nonprofits. This reflects ongoing structural barriers such as limited nonprofit visibility, decision fatigue, and search environments that prioritize brand familiarity.

At the same time, small-dollar giving has declined for three consecutive years, highlighting the need for more transparent, accessible, and trustworthy tools to support donor decision-making (Childress, 2024; Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, 2023).

In a 2024 evaluation study, 291 U.S. donors were randomly assigned to use either the Giving Compass Guide to Good platform or general internet tools to select a new nonprofit …

Beyond The Check: Lessons In Trust, Support, And Structure For Flexible Well-Being Grants, Martena Reed, Jennifer Marsack, Chelsey Hurt, Gladys Hairston, Karla Mendez, Tejaswini Vemuganti, Valerie Stewart, Cindy Alvarado

The Foundation Review

This article draws on a developmental evaluation of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation’s Well-Being Grants, which awarded over 100 small, flexible grants to support nonprofit staff and organizational well-being. Using surveys, interviews, focus groups, and document review, authors examined how organizations defined well-being, how they used the funds, and what factors shaped their choices.

Findings show that, while grantees valued flexibility, many relied on familiar approaches such as retreats, stipends, and team building. Long-standing compliance norms engendered caution about experimentation, even when funders encouraged it.

The authors argue that funders must pair flexible dollars with …