Digital Commons Network^™

2023-May-01-Tony Treadway Appointed To Etsu Board Of Trustees, University Marketing And Communication, East Tennessee State University

ETSU News

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has appointed Tony Treadway, president and CEO of The Creative Energy Group Inc., to the East Tennessee State University (ETSU) Board of Trustees.

Treadway, a native of Erwin and an ETSU graduate, brings to the board a rich and varied background as a journalist, brand marketing strategist and community leader. In his capacity as founder of a top advertising agency based in Johnson City, Treadway has continuously championed ETSU, employing many of its graduates and contributing to significant university initiatives, including the creation of the William B. Greene Jr. Stadium.

Tony Treadway

"Tony’s deep roots …

Building Resilience: A Mixed Methods Exploration Of Head Start Teachers Coping During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Ehichoya Edokhamhen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the resiliency of Head Start teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study explored the role social support (as an external factor of resilience) and self-efficacy (as an internal factor of resilience) played in the resilience of Head Start teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study employed a sequential explanatory mixed methods design involving two phases: a quantitative and a qualitative phase. Participants in this study were 99 teachers in rural eastern Tennessee and some rural parts of Virginia, North Carolina, and New Mexico, who were Head Start teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic. …

2023-May-01-Our Appalachian Expertise Is Well-Recognized, University Marketing And Communication, East Tennessee State University

ETSU News

JOHNSON CITY – East Tennessee State University’s Center of Excellence for Appalachian Studies and Services has received a nearly $50,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to begin developing an online, open-access version of its acclaimed Encyclopedia of Appalachia.  

 

The grant is part of $35 million in NEH grants awarded to 258 humanities projects across the country and is one of only five awarded in Tennessee. Dr. Ron Roach, director of the Center, will lead the project and serve as a general editor.  

 

“Our Center of Excellence is delighted to lead this multi-year project that will involve …

2023-May-01-Building Resilient Communities, University Marketing And Communication, East Tennessee State University

ETSU News

East Tennessee State University will host a two-day conference this week aimed at building a more resilient community and creating a recovery ecosystem to help veterans struggling with substance use disorder.

The event, Sparking Resilience: How the Northeast Tennessee Region Can Forge a Recovery Ecosystem for Veterans, takes place from May 25-26 and is hosted by the Quillen College of Medicine’s Department of Continuing Education for Health Professionals. Continuing education credit is being offered.

“This is just the first step in a long journey to start building a more resilient recovery ecosystem for our communities that have been devastated …

2023-May-01-Need Inspiration? Read About These Rotc Grads., University Marketing And Communication, East Tennessee State University

ETSU News

JOHNSON CITY – Cadets in the Army ROTC Program at East Tennessee State University will be commissioned as second lieutenants later this week.

The 1 p.m. ceremony is in the D.P. Culp Student Center Auditorium, located on the first floor, on the university’s main campus on Friday, May 5. Speaking at the event is Col. Jerry E. Baird Jr., an officer with many commendations. He holds degrees from North Carolina State University, Mars Hill University and the U.S. Air Force War College. A recognized leader with service at the Pentagon, Baird has led more than 500 soldiers into combat. …

2023-May-01-Scholars Mostly Ignored Them. Until Now., University Marketing And Communication, East Tennessee State University

ETSU News

JOHNSON CITY – From infertility and insulin resistance to depression and anxiety, those afflicted with polycystic ovary syndrome endure many unpleasant symptoms.

Scholarly literature has been mostly silent on the personal experiences of those who suffer from  this condition, known as PCOS.

“In writing this book, I felt an immense privilege to have been entrusted with the stories of the 50 individuals living with PCOS that I interviewed,” said Williams.

East Tennessee State University’s Dr. Stacey Williams aims to change that in “The Psychology of PCOS: Building the Science and Breaking the Silence,” a new book published earlier this year …

2023-May-01-Pepper On Patrol- Sit, Stay, 'Heal', University Marketing And Communication, East Tennessee State University

ETSU News

“At ETSU, we support the student as a whole,” said Dr. Alison Davis, interim director of the ETSU Counseling Center.

Among the many resources ETSU offers to support wellness is Sgt. Pepper, the university's emotional support dog. Pepper brings smiles to the faces of the people she meets on campus.

Students, faculty and staff also have access to a host of mental health and wellness resources, ranging from counseling services to financial aid. For more information, visit etsu.edu/counseling.

2023-May-01-Theres Just Something About Being In Nature, University Marketing And Communication, East Tennessee State University

ETSU News

The beauty of ETSU’s campus shines year-round, and as mid-spring inches toward summer, it grows ever more colorful! Students, employees, and members of the community can enjoy splashes of ETSU blue and gold, as well as red, white, purple, and pink as they stroll across campus.

Thanks to the hard-working Grounds and Landscape Department for planting, weeding, and watering the flower beds, planters, and hanging baskets that will grow even more lovely throughout the summer months!

Close-up of flower in a bed of begonias.

Petunias and other flowers in planter with blooming rhododendron in the background in front of Warf-Pickel …

T. Hanks For Nostalgia: The Power Of Tom Hanks And Film Branding, Jacob Higgs

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In March 2020, Tom Hanks announced he had contracted COVID-19 while shooting the Elvis Presley Biopic in Australia. On Instagram, he encouraged fans to take the disease seriously and be aware of how severe of a disease it was. Character brands and nostalgia have been found to foster trust in products and encourage relationships with those brands. Using the lens of nostalgia and uses and gratification to examine Tom Hanks as a character brand, the researcher analyzed five blockbuster films with Tom Hanks as the lead character. The study used narrative thematic analysis to observe Hanks and the depictions of …

Polyamory - The Multiple Complexities Of Multiple Partners, Vianna Isbister

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study is an exploration of the relationship between polyamory and how polyamorous people communicate about their relationship dynamics. Drawing from six individual interviews and one focus group, the author compares key language that appears in previous research to the language created by the study participants. Utilizing grounded theory for the analysis, results indicate that the language choices of sexual identity, sexual orientation, and/or relationship model are not sufficient for singularly encompassing a poly experience. Findings indicate that individuals who identify under the umbrella of consensual non-monogamy (CNM) may use the term "polyamory" to describe their own relationship dynamic or …

Cultural Lag Does Not Exist: An Exposition And Critical Evaluation Of W.F. Ogburn’S Hypothesis, Heather L. Osborne

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite a century of scholarly critique, William Fielding Ogburn’s cultural lag hypothesis (CLH) endures. The inclusion of Ogburn’s hypothesis in introductory sociology textbooks, reference books, and histories of technology lends an unwarranted authority to its scientific credibility. I critically assess Ogburn’s CLH and find that it is neither scientifically nor theoretically sound. Specifically, I discover presumptions of cultural integration and normative progressivism, the fallacy of ambiguity, problems of causal explanation, operationalization, and selective bias, which renders the CLH unmeasurable, unfalsifiable, and non-replicable. Finally, I briefly discuss the implications and make suggestions for future research.

Student Relational Maintenance With Instructors: Scale Development And Validation, Emily N. Napier

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examined the instructor-student relationship through an interpersonal communication perspective. The current thesis took a two-step process to first derive participant-generated responses concerning undergraduate student maintenance behaviors and second to construct and validate a scale concerning those behaviors. Of additional interest was to explore reasons as to why students aim to maintain these relationships. A 16-item measure titled the Student Relational Maintenance Scale was created and consists of making connections, advice seeking, etiquette, and attendance behaviors. Additionally, results revealed that both professional and personal reasons motivated students to build these relationships. Making connections, advice seeking, etiquette, and attendance behaviors …

Message Framing For Covid-19 Vaccine Uptake: A Content Analysis Of Cdc Facebook Communication, Victoria Amoako

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The study examined the frequent frames adopted by the CDC in the communication of the Covid-19 vaccine and how it impacts vaccine uptake through quantitative content analysis. The study builds on the framing theory and elaboration likelihood model. This study’s content collected 327 posts by the CDC on covid-19 vaccinations from December 2020- December 2022. A research randomizer was used to choose 200 posts as the final sample from the data that had been gathered. 122 posts out of the 200 total posts that the randomizer tallied were pertinent to the research questions for the study. It was found that …

Brand-Funded Documentary Films And Climate Change: An Aristotelian Rhetorical Analysis, Matthew Rossetti

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This paper examines the concept of brand-funded documentaries that center on the issue of climate change and uses Aristotle’s Rhetorical Triangle to better understand how the films use rhetoric in communicating their message. A rhetorical analysis was conducted using four brand films from Amazon, Corona, Patagonia and REI and the results are intended to demonstrate the best methods of persuasion and the most effective rhetoric utilized in brand-funded documentaries. Because brand-funded documentaries not only make an argument about a particular issue, in this case climate change, but also must communicate a particular brand’s values and commitments, examining the rhetoric in …

The Modern Classrooms Project: Student Efficacy And Achievement, Rhiannon Dunn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This quasi-experimental, quantitative study was completed to determine if a Modern Classroom approach to teaching had a significant relationship with student self-reported efficacy measures and end-of-course test data when compared to classrooms taught with traditional instructional methods as well as if there was a difference in results for Honors and College Prep-level students. Participants were students enrolled in a ninth-grade English classroom in a suburban school in East Tennessee. The study focused on survey data collected from both types of classroom at the mid-point of the semester and then from the Modern Classrooms participants at the end of the semester, …

Exploring The Food Parenting Practices Among Black Immigrant Mothers In Metro Atlanta, Ga, Phoebe Tchoua

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Children of Black immigrant parents living in the US are at elevated risk of being overweight or obese, thus increasing their risks of morbidity and mortality as they age. Parents play a crucial role in shaping their children's nutrition through their food parenting practices, defined as behaviors or actions that affect the child's dietary habits. Three aims guided this study: (1) To examine food parenting practices among a sample of Black immigrant mothers living in Metro Atlanta using a modified Comprehensive Home Environment Survey (CHES); (2) To assess maternal knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, acculturation, and modeling in relation to …

Finding The Path To College Completion: A Qualitative Exploration Of The Experiences Of First-Generation Students At A Technical College In Rural West Tennessee, Jacquene Rainey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study focused on the experiences of first-generation students attending a technical college in rural West Tennessee. The results of this study may identify barriers faced by students from these special populations and may also provide insight into the support systems that motivate these students to persevere. Although significant research has been conducted on first-generation and underrepresented students attending community colleges and four-year universities, there is a gap in the published literature pertaining to the lived experiences of students attending technical colleges, especially those living in rural areas.

First-generation college students face many challenges as they …

Advising Minority Pre-Med Students: Perceptions Of Pre-Med Advisors At Institutions In The Southeastern Association Of Advisors In The Health Professions Region, Victoria Street

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore pre-medical advisors’ perceptions on their role in the pathway to medicine for students historically underrepresented in medicine (URiM) and to gain insight into barriers these students face. While a small amount of research exists on the perspective of URiM pre-medical students on the pathway to medicine, no analysis has been conducted on the role pre-medical advisors play. The underlying framework of this research study focused on the experience of advisors through the lens of academic advising approaches, self-authorship theory, and capital theory to make a strong collective framework to begin understanding …

Youth-Friendly, Person-Centered Contraceptive Care For Adolescents: Exploring The Capacity Of Safety-Net Clinics In Alabama And South Carolina, Kristen Surles

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: In recent years, high quality contraceptive care for adolescents has shifted away from tiered effectiveness counseling and toward youth-friendly, patient-centered counseling (YFPCCC). YFPCCC is essential in the South, which has higher rates of sexual activity, lower rates of contraception use, and higher teen birth rates. This study examined Southern clinics’ characteristics which support YFPCCC and youth’s perceptions of the contraceptive care they receive.

Methods: This mixed methods study examined secondary data collected in two surveys and primary data collected through key-informant interviews. The first survey examined clinic characteristics impacting YFPCCC, and the second survey examined adolescents’ (aged 16-24) perspectives …

Resident Assistants As Students And Personnel During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Amy Korstange

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative phenomenological study explored the experiences of students working as resident assistants (RAs) in college or university housing departments during the March 2020 COVID-19 shutdown. Twelve current and former RAs participated in qualitative interviews exploring their experience as their institutions shut down because of COVID-19. Three broad categories of experience were found: RAs who were considered essential employees and required to work during the pandemic, RAs who were given the option of working during the pandemic, and RAs who were laid off at the beginning of their pandemic. The central research question was regarding the perceived experience of RAs …

The Stringent Response In Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Influences The Phenotypes Controlled By The Gac/Rsm System, Michael Shawn Hooker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a ubiquitous, opportunistic pathogen that causes acute and chronic infections. Infection is typically initiated via motile and virulent strains. After exposure to stressors, acute infections make both genotypic and phenotypic switches to a chronic, sessile strain. This is due to intricate regulatory networks directing gene expression in response to stressors. One network, GacA/GacS, has been established to control virulence factors. The stringent response of bacteria is mediated by alarmones produced primarily by RelA which responds to starvation.

To study the effect of the stringent response on the virulence switch. A series of experiments were run in both …

Key Determinants Of Using Telehealth Technologies Among Underserved Populations From The Perspective Of Patients And Providers, Johanna Cimilluca

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: The utilization of telehealth has had a substantial impact on transforming and enhancing the methods by which healthcare is presently delivered. The potential benefits of telehealth in improving the health of vulnerable populations and underserved communities are substantial. The aims of this study were to examine the association between social determinants of health and patient perceptions of their experiences with telehealth. We will analyze how perceptions differ across specialization, race, gender, and other key determinants; examine how patient’s self-rated physical health and mental health influences perceptions and attitudes about telehealth utilization; and evaluate differences in perceptions and attitudes, …

Unsupervised Dimension Reduction Techniques For Lung Diagnosis Using Radiomics, Janet Kireta

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Over the years, cancer has increasingly become a global health problem [12]. For successful treatment, early detection and diagnosis is critical. Radiomics is the use of CT, PET, MRI or Ultrasound imaging as input data, extracting features from image-based data, and then using machine learning for quantitative analysis and disease prediction [23, 14, 19, 1]. Feature reduction is critical as most quantitative features can have unnecessary redundant characteristics. The objective of this research is to use machine learning techniques in reducing the number of dimensions, thereby rendering the data manageable. Radiomics steps include Imaging, segmentation, feature extraction, and analysis. For …

Examining Teachers' Referral And Placement Decisions Of Hispanic Children For Gifted And Talented Programs, Guillermo I. Mendoza

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This quantitative survey design study examined whether children’s ethnicity makes a difference in teachers’ referral and placement decisions in gifted and talented (G/T) programs. A total of 524 teachers from all over the United States who have taught or currently teach pre-kindergarten through 5th grade participated. The participants were randomly given one of six vignettes adapted from a previous similar study (Elhoweris et al., 2005). Participants answered whether the child described should be referred and placed into gifted and talented programs. All six vignettes described gifted and talented characteristics; the only differences were the children's ethnicity and socioeconomic status. Data …

Perceptions Of Primary Caregivers About Managing Their Child’S Transition To Kindergarten: A Mixed-Methods Study, Kristy Lynn Castanon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The study aimed to explore the perceptions of primary caregivers as they manage their child’s transition to kindergarten. The study used a mixed-methods explanatory sequential design consisting of two phases. In phase 1, 64 primary caregivers of children transitioning to kindergarten completed the Kindergarten Caregiver Perceptions survey. Phase 1 participants were recruited from K-Camp, a program designed to support families and children during the transition. Descriptive statistics were analyzed to identify the concerns of caregivers, investigate their desired information and support, examine their involvement in transition activities, and understand caregivers’ perceived level of self-efficacy in managing their child’s transition to …

Identifying Taphonomic Distribution Patterns At The Gray Fossil Site, Shawn Haugrud

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Since the early days of the discovery of the Gray Fossil Site (GFS), meticulous efforts to preserve the spatial data were a priority. Direct surveying of fossils prior to recovery, as well as grid mapping the site, provided relative spatial data within a square meter. Such efforts meant that even fragments and microfossils, recovered during the screening operations and eventual concentrate picking, maintained some spatial data. Available spatial data are used to identify smaller deposits within the greater system, as well as non-random distribution patterns among a number of GFS taxa. Patterns are particularly pronounced in the large-bodied taxa, Teleoceras …

Inhibiting Survival Of Salmonella During Desiccation Through The Use Of Naturally Occurring Signals, Joseph Headrick

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A rising problem in agriculture is the increase of antibiotic-resistant Salmonella cases associated with chicken eggs, which transmit infection to humans. To counter this, new approaches to combat Salmonella in chickens and desiccated on eggshells are vital in the prevention of human foodborne illness. Disrupting signaling pathways with naturally occurring compounds provides a potential novel avenue for prevention of Salmonella infections, as this would disrupt sensing of these environments and inhibit subsequent optimal gene expression. Starting with signals identified in previous studies, salicylic acid was found to inhibit Salmonella desiccation survival on both eggshells and plastic. To expand upon this, …

Witness, Revival, Testimony, Laura Ann Schroeder

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The artist, Laura Ann Schroeder, discusses her Master of Fine Arts thesis exhibition, Witness, Revival, Testimony, which was installed at Tipton Gallery in Johnson City, TN from March 2, 2023 through March 31, 2023, with a public reception held on March 24, 2023. The exhibition consisted of a collection of sculptural works and installations that evoke scenes and memories from the artist’s childhood. This body of work deconstructs the traditional family dynamic and the private domestic space through recreations of everyday life. The artworks are primarily made with repurposed consumer textiles and techniques like stitching and quilting that have historically …

Consuming The World: Poetic Appetite, Memory, And Identity In Li-Young Lee’S Food Poems, Claire Liszka

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Food is a universal human necessity, yet food often serves more than a biological purpose as it informs individual and communal identities, and even facilitates memory. This thesis explores personal memory, the development of identity, and an almost reverential connection to nature in several food poems by Li-Young Lee in Rose (1986) and Behind My Eyes (2008). Born in 1957, Lee has been writing poetry since he was young, studying under Gerald Stern in the late 1970s, and he is known for writing sublime, transcendent yet incredibly accessible and expressive poetry. This thesis gives an overview of food studies and …

Selecting Classroom Grading Practices: A Qualitative Study Exploring Teacher Experiences, Tallye Gass

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative research was to understand the experience of selecting grading practices for a high school math or English classroom. There is no existing research related to understanding this phenomenon. This phenomenological study included three participants who were purposefully selected based on specific criteria: They must teach math or English in grades 9, 10, 11, or 12 and have at least three years of teaching experience. The participants were interviewed using videoconferencing software, and the interviews were recorded and transcribed. Open and axial coding was used to analyze the data. The theoretical framework applied for the interpretation …