Digital Commons Network^™

Survey Data For Decision Support Tool Development With A Focus On Emerging Design Spaces, Tyson Humphrey, Chris Mattson, Michael L. Anderson, Colin C. Engebretsen

ScholarsArchive Data

This dataset contains the survey responses and PASE matrix used to support the derivation of nine development principles for decision support tools in emerging design spaces. The survey captures observations from a multidisciplinary DST development team, while the PASE matrix documents relationships among desired DST outcomes, architecture strategies, effects, and supporting literature.

Developing A Protocol To Obtain Source Directivity Of Hydroacoustic Transducers In A Water Tank, Benjamin White

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis describes the formulation and application of a methodology designed to obtain source directivity of hydroacoustic transducers in the BYU Underwater Acoustics Laboratory. Piezoelectric transducers are presented, and common methodologies to measure their directivity are reviewed. The schematics of the BYU Underwater Acoustics Lab are explained, including the use of positioning robots to position the source-receiver pair in the measurement chain. The protocol is divided into different configurations comprising various source-receiver orientations. The processes of time gating, calculation of OASPL, and plotting onto directional axes are described. The protocol is tested across four different alternative configurations, including one method …

Temperature Predictions With Zncuins/Zns Quantum Dots, Reu/Fri Program Physics And Astronomy, Amber Banks

Student Works

For hundreds of years, humans have built thermometers based on the principles of thermal expansion and contraction. In the modern world, there is a need to scale down our thermometers to monitor cellular reactions, both within the human body and within artificial organ chips. Lewis et al. (2020) introduces a nanoscale thermometer based on the thermal expansion of CdTe quantum dots. When ex panded, these dots exhibit systematic changes in photoluminescence (PL) which are recognized by a neural network as an increase in temperature. Our research builds upon the framework of Lewis et al. (2020), testing its feasibility with ZnCuInS/ZnS …

Actionable Hydrologic Data To Information With National Water Model-Based Derived Dataset, Cutting-Edge Data Services, And Agentic Ai System, Sujan Chandra Mondol

Theses and Dissertations

Hydrologic data are the cornerstone of many complex hydrologic research and operational workflows that produce useful hydrologic information for water resources decision-making, flood risk communication, and water availability implications. The National Water Model (NWM) is a valuable source of hydrologic data, particularly for its extended coverage of unmonitored streams and the large-scale continuity of hydrologic processes. Precomputed secondary datasets derived from this simulated data, such as streamflow indices, can improve operational efficiency through thresholding. Disseminating the data through modern technologies, such as application programming interfaces, is required for ready integration into applications. However, if extraction requires an intermediate service, there …

Measuring Proteostasis Changes In Apolipoprotein E Mouse Models Using Quantitative And Kinetic Proteomic Methods, Ariel E.A. Denos

Theses and Dissertations

Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is a neurological disorder associated with brain mass loss and cognitive decline. It affects millions of elderly people and is currently uncurable. Since 1906, when the disease was first described, researchers have uncovered many components of AD pathology. However, it is now evident that curing Alzheimer's Disease will require intervention before the pathological onset of amyloid beta plaque deposition, tau neurofibrillary tangles, and associated neuronal loss. Studying AD from the perspective of early intervention requires special attention to small changes that may disrupt the normal processing of cells. Cells undergo a natural cycle of creation and destruction …

Co-Opting Modernity: The Semantic Retooling Of Faith At The 1893 World’S Parliament Of Religions, Erik P. Palmer

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

The 1893 World’s Parliament of Religions in Chicago served as a high-stakes arena where the boundaries of religious legitimacy were redrawn through the intentional adoption of social science vocabulary. Staged within the Neo-Classical architecture of the White City of the World’s Columbian Exposition, the event was more than a civil gathering; it functioned as a “Museum of Faiths” where religious traditions were curated, categorized, and evaluated against the perceived benchmarks of Western civilization. The physical environment of the Fair, a monument to industrial triumph, was built to display things that worked. The organizers demanded that religions demonstrate they were useful …

A Graphical Approach To Isospectral Unfoldings, Dallin Seyfried

Theses and Dissertations

Isospectral reductions are mathematical techniques used to shrink a matrix, or a graph, into a smaller, dimensionally reduced form while preserving its spectrum. Simple graphs that share isospectral reductions also share quantum walk properties. As such we further develop the inverse process, isospectral unfoldings, to find graphs that share isospectral reductions. We first prove many conditions relating to isospectral reductions and unfoldings. Afterwards, we define two new unfolding processes: general unfolding which unfolds the graph one vertex at a time, and equitable partition unfolding which excels at larger graph unfolding. In particular, through equitable partition unfolding, we discover many graphs …

Creating An Ip&T-Specific Resource Library For Networking & Job Searching, Abby Marks

Instructional Psychology and Technology Graduate Student Projects

This report covers the research, designing, development, testing, and deploying a custom networking and job searching resources, specifically for Instructional Psychology & Technology Students at BYU, as well as IP&T alumni, and those in the instructional design field. The product itself is a online learning library  hosted on Canvas, designed to be used on-demand, asynchronously, and entirely as needed by current and post-graduate IP&T students. I describe the audience analysis, source material, the prototyping process, relevant precedents, design solutions, and significant, positive results provided by my assessment and evaluation user testing data collections.

Walking Through History: Designing A Byu Women's History Walking Tour, Reese M. Rugg

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis appears in two parts. The first is an analysis where I present a brief literature review of women’s history and women in editing and publishing. I also discuss the creation process and methods of applying design principles to a copyfitted manuscript of a BYU women’s history walking tour. The second is the copyfit 176-page manuscript and book cover, created in InDesign and Photoshop.

This project represents a continuation of recent efforts to highlight women who have built BYU in a more equitable way. The purpose of this project is to highlight the discrepancies in women’s archival history and …

Effects Of B422 Bacteriophage Resistance Mutations On Pectobacterium Versatile Fitness And Virulence, Alex Cherry

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This Honors thesis project examines the impact of lipopolysaccharide mutations on the virulence of a bacteria susceptible to a bacteriophage suspected of using LPS structures as the basis for infection. In my prior work in the lab, I isolated a novel lytic bacteriophage against P. versatile. From host range testing performed in the lab, it is known to infect two strains of P. versatile, B422 and B35. The phage was then used to select for resistant mutants in a pool of B422 transposon mutants, and 20 phage-resistant mutants were identified. 60% of these mutants were found to have differences in …

Comparing Principal Component Analysis And Sequential Fusion Deeponet With Varying Dataset Size For Design Space Exploration Of Hypersonic Flow, J. Dallan Trentman

Theses and Dissertations

Design space exploration and optimization of hypersonic vehicles is costly due to the difficulty of producing high fidelity CFD simulations in the hypersonic domain. Reduced order modeling can allow for design optimization at a fraction of the computational cost. This paper investigates the amount of training data required to produce an accurate Reduced Order Model. A PCA based ROM is developed and compared to a Sequential Fusion DeepONet by comparing model prediction accuracy, training time, and prediction time, across dataset sizes from 25 samples to 1024 samples. These models are applied to 2D hypersonic CFD simulations of the Orion reentry …

Resonant Shock Plate Simulation And Prediction Using Modal Substructuring, Harrison C. Denning

Theses and Dissertations

Aerospace structures such as rockets can experience various shock events during flight, such as stage separation or impacts. These shock events can expose components inside the rocket to large accelerations and stresses which in turn can damage the parts. Shocks are often simulated in the lab using a resonant shock plate test. Resonant shock plate testing is often used to qualify aerospace parts, as it can mimic the shocks experienced during launch and stage separations. However, during the course of development, both the definition of the shock environment and the design of the subcomponent tend to change, so that multiple …

Rfsoc Based Ground Penetrating Radar For Detection And Avoidance Of Underground Utilities, Brady Bowerbank

Theses and Dissertations

Preexisting underground utilities present a considerable danger to underground boring projects. Gas and electrical lines can be damaged, leading to major economic impact and even loss of life. While maps of underground utilities exist, they are not always accurate and gas and electrical lines can shift over time, necessitating tools to accurately detect utilities so that crews can steer the machines away from any possible danger. In this thesis, the design of a new frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) ground penetrating radar (GPR) is outlined. The design of a lightweight, flexible radar is demonstrated using the CASPER FPGA framework with an operating …

Isoperimetric Soft Robots, Mihai Stanciu

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents two advances in isoperimetric soft robotic trusses that improve their performance, modularity, and configurability. The first contribution introduces a large-scale modular robotic truss designed as a lightweight, reconfigurable structure for lunar applications. The system consists of inflatable fabric tubes routed through motorized roller units and interconnected by a newly developed spherical joint that enables multiple robotic triangles to connect at a common vertex. The resulting truss can be assembled into structures beyond a single octahedron while retaining compact stowage when deflated and untethered operation after initial inflation. Experimental validation demonstrates modular assembly, long-term pressure retention, load-bearing capabilities …

Thermophysical Property Studies: 1. Thermodynamic Consistency For Associating Compounds 2. Autoignition Temperature, Cassandra Jane Guffey

Theses and Dissertations

Accurate thermophysical property data are essential for the design, optimization, and safe operation of chemical processes. Properties such as vapor pressure, enthalpy of vaporization, heat capacity, density, and autoignition temperature--which are among the properties studied in this work--are required for equipment sizing, process simulation, hazard assessment, and economic evaluation. A major focus of this dissertation is the application of multi-property thermodynamic consistency techniques to compounds that exhibit strong vapor-phase association. These methods improve confidence in recommended property values by enforcing rigorous thermodynamic relationships among ideal-gas heat capacity, liquid heat capacity, vapor and liquid densities, vapor pressure, and enthalpy of vaporization. …

Professor Greenfeld’S Last Class: Notes For Online Lectures On “The Science Of Humanity,” Delivered To Students And Scholars Primarily From India, July 2025, Liah Greenfeld

Comparative Civilizations Review

The question for this class is: What is humanity?

We all believe we all know what it is, don’t we? After all, there is hardly any subject more important for us, a question on the answer to which other subjects depend — political, social, economic. Answers to questions such as: what are human economic needs and desires; what political structures are optimal for humans; is democracy, for instance, a universal human desire; should politics in every nation be democratic, or, perhaps, authoritarian governments are better; is freedom a natural need, does it make life better, does equality?

Towards The Systematic Cross-Civilizational Comparison: How Civilizations Work Case 3: The Chinese Case, Tiantian Wu

Comparative Civilizations Review

Drawing on Liah Greenfeld’s (2024) framework of Systematic Cross-Civilizational Comparison, this study examines Chinese civilization as an enduring and culturally autonomous system shaped by its unique first principles, “the Great Unity”, which integrates Confucian orthodoxy, political legitimacy, and cultural tradition into a coherent worldview. Historically, this framework justified dynastic rule through moral virtue and the Mandate of Heaven, forming a durable model of statecraft that incorporated Taoist, Legalist, and Buddhist influences. Expressed and perpetuated through the Chinese language, these principles have systematically shaped the civilization’s modes of thought, ethics, and emotional patterns. Although the Opium War and subsequent “Century of …

Radiation Testing And Failure Analysis Of A Complex Heterogeneous Soc, Garrett Smith

Theses and Dissertations

Heterogeneous System on Chips (SoCs) provide a robust platform that can flexibly handle different applications. Their small form factor and low power consumption for their performance have made SoCs an attractive option for space applications. However, SoCs are sensitive to the ionizing radiation found in space. We need to understand how an SoC will behave in the high radiation found in space. This requires us to perform radiation testing of the SoCs on Earth to understand their behavior. The radiation testing and analysis of a heterogeneous SoC is complex as it contains multiple different processing cores, memories, and other system …

Bridging Change: The Role Of The Pont-Neuf In A Transforming Paris, Mathilde M. Oscarson

Undergraduate Honors Theses

In a twist of irony, the Pont Neuf (“New Bridge”) stands today as the oldest bridge crossing the Seine River in Paris, France. This paper examines how artistic representations of the Pont-Neuf such as etchings, early photography, painting, and art installations embody shifting views of the bridge’s function, the role of public space, and community building even as the bridge itself has not changed. The Pont-Neuf is important to Parisians, as evidenced by how often it has been represented in art, both as an integral aspect of the city’s infrastructure as well as the center of cultural and public life. …

Online Mindfulness Training And Work-Related Outcomes: A Randomized Waitlist Controlled Trial, Conner Lee Deichman

Theses and Dissertations

Mindfulness-based interventions improve employee well-being, yet few studies have examined their impact on work-specific outcomes in private-sector samples. Online mindfulness programs offer a promising, accessible alternative to in-person training. This randomized waitlist-controlled trial evaluated the efficacy of Mindfulness for Humans (MfH), a fully online, self-directed 15-session program, on job satisfaction, burnout, work engagement, subjective well-being, and mindfulness skills among private-sector employees. Participants were randomly assigned to a training-first group or a waitlist-first group and completed measures at baseline, 30 days, and 60 days. Results showed significant improvements in job satisfaction, burnout, subjective well-being, and mindfulness following course participation. The training-first …

Artificial Intelligence And Technology - Joni Full Issue July 2026, Angie Holzer

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

No abstract provided.

Digital Infrastructure Implementation For Nonprofit Sustainability, Yana Kuzina

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

Nonprofit organizations in the United States operate within a constrained regulatory and financial environment that limits their ability to invest in marketing, donor acquisition, and digital infrastructure. Federal funding regulations, particularly under 2 CFR Part 200, restrict the use of grant funds for advertising and public outreach, creating structural barriers to growth and long-term sustainability. This paper presents a scalable methodology for overcoming these constraints through the design and implementation of cost-efficient digital infrastructure systems.

The proposed framework integrates front-end digital acquisition channels with back-end data management and automated communication workflows. It is implemented through a two-stage model: (1) deployment …

Belonging's Influence On Volunteer Motivation In Faith-Based Nonprofit Organizations: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, Adam Stockton

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

Nonprofit organizations often overlook psychological belonging as a driver of volunteer retention and recruitment (Hurt, 2025; Mochin, 2022). The purpose of this qualitative Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) study was to explore how a sense of belonging influenced the intrinsic motivation of nine adults volunteering with a faith-based nonprofit organization in the southern United States. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using IPA best practices to identify themes from participants' experiences. The study was grounded in Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, self-determination theory, and organizational identification theory—frameworks that describe how individuals connect personal values and identity to the values and …

Ai-Powered Logistics For Small Nonprofits: A No-Code, Sub-$10 System For Real-Time Distribution Across 41 Locations, Rishi D. Chundury

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

Small nonprofits often struggle to coordinate multi-site distribution campaigns with limited staff, tight budgets, and little access to technology. This article describes how Eye on July Corp., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in Omaha, Nebraska, built an AI-powered system to manage the distribution of 20,000 free safety glasses across 41 community locations for July 4th. The system was built without any coding using three commercially available tools, where Airtable stores the data, Make.com runs the automation, and Anthropic's Claude API provides the intelligence, all at a total cost of under $10. The platform collects stock counts from partner locations, analyzes inventory to …

Selective Factors Impacting Charter High School Enrollment, Nathan Marshall

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined factors influencing high school choice among Utah families, comparing parent priorities between charter and traditional public high schools. Using one-way ANOVA with Tukey honestly significant difference (HSD) post hoc comparisons, parental priorities were analyzed across personal, school community, and academic factors. Parents choosing traditional public high schools rated personal and school community factors significantly higher, emphasizing relationships and school climate, while charter high school parents rated academic factors significantly higher, favoring rigor and instructional quality. Charter parents' priorities were not uniform, however, but varied significantly by school model, suggesting that the charter-versus-traditional divide masks meaningful differences within …

From Anaerobic Digesters To The Human Gut: Ecological Responses Of Microbiomes To Environmental And Biological Perturbations, Maliea Annholden Nipko

Theses and Dissertations

Microbial communities regulate essential ecological and metabolic processes across both engineered and host-associated ecosystems. Although these systems differ substantially in composition and function, they are governed by common ecological principles including community succession, resilience, species interactions, and responses to environmental and biological perturbations. This dissertation investigates how perturbations influence microbiome structure, function, and stability through three complementary studies spanning anaerobic digestion and the human gut microbiome. First, the effects of an extremophilic biological pretreatment using Caldicellulosiruptor bescii were evaluated in industrial-scale anaerobic digesters treating dairy manure. High- temperature pretreatment substantially altered microbial community composition, with bacterial populations remaining metabolically active …

Examining Curriculum Alignment: Utah Core Mathematics Standards And The Mathematics Vision Project/Open Up Resources, Jennifer Suzanne Young

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the alignment between the Utah Core Mathematics Standards (UCMS) and the Mathematics Vision Project/Open Up Resources (MVPOUR) curriculum for Secondary Mathematics I, II, and III, as well as the proportion of Utah secondary students potentially exposed to that alignment through district-level curriculum approval. Using a qualitative comparative case study design, UCMS were systematically compared to MVPOUR topic foci to identify horizontal alignment (standards addressed within the intended course), vertical alignment (standards addressed across courses), combined horizontal and vertical alignment, or lack of alignment. Alignment data were recorded using a spreadsheet-based content analysis and independently coded to support …

System Design And Validation Of Radio Astronomy Phased Arrays, Rebecca Shiu Haymore

Theses and Dissertations

Modern radio astronomy instruments require a wide field of view and high sensitivity. To this effect, BYU and Cornell University have developed the Advanced L-band Phased Array Camera for Astronomy (ALPACA), a fully cryogenic 69 dual-pol dipole array that produces 80 beams on the sky with 305 MHz instantaneous bandwidth centered on 1500 MHz. Integration testing has demonstrated proper beamforming and calibration, and ALPACA has been commissioned as an all-sky monitor to search for bright transients. Commissioning testing for ALPACA measured an element system noise temperature of 24 K and a beamformed system noise temperature of 17 K, making ALPACA …

Biomechanical And Talar Cartilage Responses To Running In Individuals With Chronic Ankle Instability, Minsub Oh

Theses and Dissertations

Context: Chronic ankle instability (CAI) has shown altered movement patterns and joint loading, which increase the risk of posttraumatic ankle osteoarthritis. Abnormal vertical ground reaction force (vGRF) during running may contribute to talar cartilage degeneration; however, the acute biomechanical and cartilage responses to running in individuals with CAI remain unclear. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare running biomechanics and changes in talar cartilage thickness and T2 relaxation times before and after running between individuals with CAI and healthy controls. Methods: Twenty individuals with CAI and 20 healthy controls completed running biomechanics and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sessions. …

Radiation Effects On The Amd Versal Running An Automatic Modulation Classification Model, Allan D. Howe

Theses and Dissertations

With the recent increase of interest into artificial intelligence (AI), graphics processing units (GPUs) have been used as the main hardware architecture for AI computation. Because of their high power consumption and large size, it is necessary to consider other architectures to perform AI computing in outer-space where size, weight, power, and cost (SWaP-C) are tightly constrained. One such architecture is the Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Versal Adaptive Compute Acceleration Platform (ACAP), which can achieve acceptable AI throughput at a lower power and size compared to a GPU. As the Versal ACAP gets used in space applications, it is necessary …