Digital Commons Network^™

Development Of Tunable Rose Bengal Based-Nanogumbos As Potential Selective Chemotherapeutic Agents, William J.A. Russell

Honors College Theses

As cancer remains one of the greatest threats to the global population, the development of chemotherapeutic agents that are selective and tunable is of critical importance. Herein, a series of Rose Bengal (RB)-based GUMBOS, a group of uniform materials based on organic salts, were synthesized via counterion exchange between [Na]₂[RB] and three organic cations: tetrabutylphosphonium bromide [TBP][Br], tetraphenylphosphonium chloride [TPP][Cl], and 1-dodecyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride [C₁₂MIm][Cl]. The resulting GUMBOS were characterized through FT-IR, ESI-MS, NMR, and UV-Vis Spectroscopy. Partition coefficient studies indicated all GUMBOS exhibited hydrophobic physiochemical characteristics. These hydrophobic RB-based GUMBOS …

Preventing Coccus Longulus Infestation, Nicholas Wellls

Honors College Theses

In the Armstrong greenhouse, the Coccus longulus scale insect is a prevalent problem on a specific species of Begonia known as Begonia ‘Richmondensis’. Inside the greenhouse there are several types of begonias with very similar characteristics to the Richmondensis begonia. However, none of these other begonias are infested by C. longulus, despite similar leaf thickness and environmental conditions such as humidity and light. This project examined whether differences in the chemical composition of the Begonia leaves can explain this pattern. Results were not statistically significant, but they showed that the chemicals had a noticeable impact on the scale, and …

Crisis Communication In The Influencer Era: A Crisis Response Analysis Of Poppi And Alani Nu, Meredith E. Staley

Honors College Theses

As social media continues to reshape modern public relations practice, beverage brands like Alani Nu and Poppi offer relevant examples of influencer-driven communication and crisis response. This honors thesis compares and contrasts these brands following two major crises: Poppi’s influencer vending machine campaign and the health concerns and backlash surrounding Alani Nu’s energy drinks. Despite the well-known prevalence of these brands, there is little scholarly research examining their crisis communication strategies. Guided by Situational Crisis Communication Theory, this study uses a combination of social and news media content analysis to evaluate how each brand responded to its respective crisis. Each …

2025-2026 University Awards Of Excellence, Georgia Southern University

University Awards of Excellence

• Innovation and Discovery
• Economic and Social Mobility
• People and Community Development
• Academic Excellence
• Collaboration and Partnership
• Leadership
• Sustainable Stewardship
• John D. and Merlyn J. Denitto Outstanding Endeavor Award
• Collective Impact

2026 Georgia Southern University Football Roster, Georgia Southern University

Men's Football Records

No abstract provided.

2026 Spring Commencement, Georgia Southern University

Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

A Community Affair: An Exploration Of The Queer Community, Nightlife, Performance Art And Their Adjacent Qualities, Tatiana M. Castro

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This thesis explores the importance and roll of community in queer artwork, such as drag and burlesque and retroactively also all the work that I create. This paper aims to express this importance by exploring my personal relationship with building community. By interviewing performers selected through a customized-for-savannah voting process, I allowed the community to directly influence my thesis, as well as directly referencing photos of the hands of community members as a continued motif used throughout my work to represent community. This culminated in a two night thesis performance and installation  exhibition that explored performance and how its environment …

Food Access Disparities In Fulton County, Georgia: Examining Structural Barriers And Community-Level Determinants, Paige J. Perry

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Food insecurity remains a significant public health issue affecting communities at global, national, and local levels, including Atlanta, GA. Despite being an affluent and rapidly growing urban area, disparities in food access persist across Fulton County. This study examines the structural, demographic, and socioeconomic factors associated with food access at the census tract level. Using quantitative analysis, the study evaluates how geographic location, population characteristics, transportation access, and economic conditions influence the likelihood of low food access. Findings highlight significant disparities linked to transportation availability, demographic composition, and geographic variation within the county. These results underscore the importance of addressing …

Sexual Dimorphism In The Immune Defense Mechanisms Against A Systemic Bacterial Infection In The Cat Flea (Ctenocephalides Felis), Ashley Lynch

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Fleas defend against infection through the activation of both humoral and cellular innate immune responses. Previous research in female cat fleas demonstrated increased immune activity following a systemic bacterial infection. However, comparable data for males and sex-based comparisons are limited. In this study, we investigated differences in innate cellular immune responses between male and female cat fleas following systemic infection with Gram-negative Escherichia coli. Bacterial load was quantified using colony-forming units 24 h post-infection. Immune function was assessed via phagocytic index and capacity. Survival and total circulating hemocyte counts were evaluated across infected, sterile-injected, and untreated groups. Male fleas …

Effect Of Wall Movement On Porosity Formation In Ductile Iron Castings Under Varying Processing Parameters, Shamsul Alam

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Shrinkage porosity is a major defect that significantly impairs the mechanical properties and overall performance of ductile iron castings. Although graphite formation during solidification induces volumetric expansion, this expansion alone is insufficient to fully compensate for the shrinkage occurring throughout solidification. During the solidification and cooling of ductile iron, multiple phase transformations occur, resulting in dynamic volume changes that exert pressure on mold walls and internal cavities. These pressures can deform mold walls and casting surfaces, leading to defects such as swell and porosity, while also influencing shrinkage formation. This study aims to analyze the mechanisms of porosity formation and …

Spieltrieb, Edward F. Newcomb

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This thesis investigates the creative and pedagogical intersections of nostalgia, play, and neurodivergent experience through a mixed-media studio practice. Grounded in Friedrich Schiller’s concept of Spieltrieb—the human drive to play as a balance between sensual and rational impulses—this work explores how childhood memory, instinct, and impulsive mark making inform both artistic production and art education.

Drawing on theoretical frameworks by Susan Sontag and John Berger, the work resists overinterpretation in favor of sensory immediacy, inviting viewers into direct, embodied encounters with material form. Sontag’s critique of mimetic representation and Berger’s analysis of reproducibility and context inform a practice that …

Identification Of A Rural Black Community-Based Mental Health Intervention Via Cbpr, Kirsten Mengell

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Poor mental health in the US has increased since 2011 (Mental Health America, 2022). Rural communities face disparities in mental health shortages (Andrilla et al., 2018). African Americans face additional barriers, including a historical underutilization of mental health and high mental health stigma. This is significant given the higher rates of mental distress and discrimination among rural African Americans compared to Whites (James et al., 2017), and a recent increase in suicide among Black Americans (Stone et al., 2023). Illustrating a need for options within rural Black communities that can overcome professional shortages and cultural barriers to improve mental health …

Evaluating Source Material And Seed Propagation Techniques For Spartina Alterniflora To Enhance Salt Marsh Restoration In Coastal Georgia, Maygan Palacios

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Salt marshes provide critical ecosystem services, including carbon sequestration, flood attenuation, and habitat for diverse aquatic and terrestrial species. Despite their ecological importance, these habitats are increasingly threatened by anthropogenic activities and rising sea levels. To protect and restore salt marshes and their ecosystem services, restoration efforts using living shorelines (LS) have become more common. Along the Eastern and Gulf coasts of the United States, the native grass Spartina alterniflora is commonly used in LS installations for its key role in salt marsh food webs, resilience to abiotic stress, and ability to stabilize and build sediment. Previous studies have documented …

The Monster Consuming American Education: An Ethnodramatic Exploration Of Standardized Testing And Student Stress, Jennifer Bagley

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This study looks at how elementary students experience Standardized Testing, focusing on the emotional and physical effects of the Georgia Milestones Assessment System (GMAS). Most research on high-stakes testing focuses on scores, accountability, and policy, but fewer studies look at how students actually describe these experiences. Grounded in Cultural Studies and informed by Critical Pedagogy, this study examines how students interpret and make meaning of their testing experiences within the broader culture of accountability and standardized assessment. This study focuses on student voices to better understand what testing feels like for them and how they make sense of it in …

Sociodemographic Differences In Sepsis-Related Medicare Hospitalizations: A State-Level Analysis Of Diagnosis-Related Groups For Severe Sepsis In 2019 And 2022, Alba Kuqi

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Introduction: This state-level ecological repeated cross-sectional study examined sociodemographic differences in sepsis-related Medicare hospitalizations assigned to Medicare Severity Diagnosis-Related Groups (MS-DRGs) 871 and 872 in 2019 and 2022.

Objective: The study focused on three outcomes: changes in sepsis-related Medicare discharge volume, changes in average Medicare payment per sepsis discharge, and changes in the proportion of MS-DRG 871 discharges relative to MS-DRG 872 discharges.

Methods: Publicly available Medicare inpatient hospital data and state-level demographic data were used to evaluate whether age, race, gender composition, and median household income were associated with these changes across the 50 U.S. states and …

Cytonuclear Incompatibilities In Hybrid Systems: Oxidative Phosphorylation Capacity And Nuclear Marker Transmission Ratio Distortion In Hybrids Of An Introgressed Strain Of Parasitoid Wasp, Julie Kessler

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Speciation is an evolutionary process resulting in the divergence of populations into reproductively isolated species, a key concept that supplies our planet with an abundance of biodiversity. Mechanisms for speciation center on obstacles to fertilization and include post-zygotic barriers, such as intrinsic deleterious interactions, that arise in hybrid systems where genetic variants are combined. Genes from separate parent lineages are often incompatible due to the co-evolution of paired genes within a singular species not matching their complement genes in another species, and the result is a reduction in fitness of the hybrid when these genes come together. The mitochondrial OXPHOS …

Vibrio In Oysters: Exploring The Impact Of Harvesting Practices, Samin Yasar

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The rapid growth of oyster aquaculture in the Southeastern United States necessitates the validation of post-harvest processing strategies to mitigate the risk of Vibrio spp. infection. This study investigated the efficiency of three cooling methods - Direct Ice Burial, Indirect Ice Cooling, and Ambient Control, on the prevalence and abundance of V. cholerae, V. parahaemolyticus, and V. vulnificus in cultured oysters (Crassostrea virginica) harvested in Georgia. Additionally, the study examined the safety of two different re-submersion periods for oyster safety.

Internal temperature profiles confirmed that while Direct Ice Burial achieved the most rapid cooling (< 10° C in 7.3 ± 1.2 min), the Indirect Ice Cooling protocol successfully reached the safety threshold in 73.7 ± 17.2 min, well within the 2-hour regulatory window. Microbiological analysis (N = 270) revealed that V. …