Digital Commons Network^™

How Reuse Rooms Can Reduce Waste On University And College Campuses, Zoe Slabodnik

University Honors Theses

This undergraduate honors thesis discusses the importance of how reuse rooms on university and college campuses can reduce waste by providing an alternative method of disposal other than landfills. There is currently no definition in use that exists for the term reuse room. This thesis defines a reuse room as a community room where anyone with access can donate and take free items that can be reused, recycled, repurposed, repaired and reworn. The goal of a reuse room is to encourage waste reduction, promote and destigmatize the use of second-hand materials, and save money and items from going to landfills. …

Pt-Symmetry And Eigenmodes, Tamara Gratcheva

University Honors Theses

Spectra of systems with balanced gain and loss, described by Hamiltonians with parity and time-reversal (PT) symmetry is a rich area of research. This work studies by means of numerical techniques, how eigenvalues and eigenfunctions of a Schrodinger operator change as a gain-loss parameter changes. Two cases on a disk with zero boundary conditions are considered. In the first case, within the enclosing disk, we place a parity (P) symmetric configuration of three smaller disks containing gain and loss media, which does not have PT-symmetry. In the second case, we study a PT-symmetric configuration …

The Cultivation Of Ulva Lactuca In Jambiani, Zanzibar: A Case Study, Jazmine R. Compton

Anthós

This case study explores the feasibility of Ulva lactuca cultivation in Jambiani, Zanzibar, Tanzania. The seaweed farming industry in Zanzibar is facing challenges related to climate change that have resulted in increased rates of crop failure and decreased production. Cultivation of the green algae Ulva lactuca has been suggested as a potential solution due to its tolerance to extreme environmental conditions. In collaboration with Marine Cultures, this project has tested different cultivation methods typically used for red algae (Rhodophyta) species. Experimental plots of Ulva lactuca were established in Jambiani, Zanzibar using the floating line and off- bottom methods. At the …

Investigating The Effects Of Inclusive Environments On The Mental Health Of Queer Individuals : A Study With The Rose City Rollers, Ashton Lee

Anthós

Purpose: Portland, OR, is home to the world’s largest roller derby organization, the Rose City Rollers (RCR). Having the spotlight held upon the community, the organization takes immense pride in communicating its ongoing embrace of its queer and uniquely diverse players. With historical and present prejudice against the LGBT+ community, derby stands as a haven for players looking for a place that will embrace each player's identity. The purpose of the study is to see how RCR’s openly queer settings specifically impact the well-being of its queer members.

Methods: November 2023, I conducted three interviews and a research group using …

Auditory Ace Mobile Application Capstone Review, Layla Smith

University Honors Theses

This paper describes the development process and outcomes of my 2023-2024 Capstone Project, Auditory Ace, a self-directed auditory training mobile application for individuals with cochlear implants. Recognizing the limitations of current market offerings, Dr. Timothy Anderson created a Capstone project proposal to develop an accessible auditory training mobile application. The Capstone team that took on this proposal consisted of Darya Haines, Dustin Huynh, Jordan Nguyen, Nihar Koppolu, Scott Thorkelson, Sienna Day, and myself, Layla Smith. This paper is structured to follow the Agile software development methodology, which we used to develop Auditory Ace, reviewing in detail every major choice we …

Risk Analysis In Financial Statements, A Comparative Study Of Ai Vs Human Risk Assessment, Andre Denegri

University Honors Theses

This theses explores the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in the auditing industry, focusing on its implications for audit quality, efficiency, and the evolving role of human auditors. A comprehensive review of relevant literature highlights the integration of AI-driven tools such as machine learning, deep learning, and natural language processing in audit processes, emphasizing their capabilities in enhancing risk assessment, fraud detection, and data analytics.

The experimental design features an innovative approach to compare the efficacy of AI and human auditors in conducting risk analysis for three companies--Blockbuster, Enron, and Lehman Brothers--presented anonymously with pre-bankruptcy financial information. The findings …

The Cascading Effects Of Database Design, Liam Mccracken

University Honors Theses

This paper details how a relational database influenced the design of the rest of a software project. The software project in question is WonderTix, an open-source ticketing and donation platform for the use of Portland Playhouse under continuous development by teams of Portland State students as their computer science capstone project. The paper, a capstone review thesis, examines WonderTix as an instantiation of the Model-View-Controller design pattern, noting how the model, a relational database based on the SQL standard, influenced the design of the view and controller components. This influence is explored from three angles. First, when the implementation of …

Business Capstone Review: Team Dynamic Effects On Business Decision-Making, Lauren Mann

University Honors Theses

This thesis focuses on team dynamics and how they affect business decision-making when finding solutions collectively. It analyzes new team dynamics in relation to Tuckman's model of the five stages of team development. While much-existing research measures team dynamics and leadership styles, the purpose of this study is to highlight the characteristics and processes created in teams that lead to the strongest results. The constructive cohesion of team members comes from building a specific culture based on attitudes and guidelines. This knowledge is valuable because it can lead to the success or failure of decisions. This thesis argues that relationship-building …

Processes For Depositing Functionalized Nanoparticles Upon A Substrate, Erik T. Thostenson, Thomas Schumacher

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Processes for depositing functionalized nanoparticles upon a non-conductive substrate are disclosed herein. The processes may include the step of aerosolizing one or more particles into suspension within a gas, each of the one or more particles comprising functionalized nanoparticles having an electric charge. The processes may include the step the step of attracting the one or more particles onto a non-conductive substrate by a static electric charge opposite of the electric charge, wherein at least portions of the non-conductive substrate are having the static electric charge. The processes may include the step of depositing the functionalized nanoparticles onto the non-conductive …

Writing Instructors’ Intentional Integration Of The Information Literacy Framework, Catherine F. Riehle, Erica Defrain, Deborah Minter, Janel Simons

Communications in Information Literacy

This article presents an exploratory study that examines how 11 first-year writing instructors’ conceptualizations of information literacy evolved over the course of their participation in an inquiry group co-developed and co-facilitated by the Libraries’ teaching faculty and the Director of Composition & Rhetoric at a public university in the United States. The authors developed a coding schema to identify the presence of information literacy-related themes and practices in pre- and post-program course syllabi and in reflective pieces submitted by instructors. The findings revealed that instructors’ use and applications of the ACRL Framework increased after the program, showing greater personal engagement …

Addressing Barriers To Research-Informed Practice: A Library And Social Work Collaboration To Empower Future Practitioners, Amanda Dinscore, Debbie Gonzalez

Communications in Information Literacy

Social work education prioritizes the use of research to inform practice. As university students, prospective social workers have a wealth of research available to them as well as librarians to help them find, evaluate, and use that information. However, access to much of this research ends once the student graduates—at a time when it is most needed to inform their professional practice. To address this challenge, a librarian and a social work faculty member worked with one class of students in their final semester of a bachelor’s degree in social work program to promote awareness of information privilege and barriers …

Indiana's Public Health Investment Holds Insights For Other States, Nir Menachemi, Lindsay Weaver, Virginia Caine, D Shane Hatchett, Kristina Box, Paul K. Halverson

OHSU-PSU School of Public Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

Indiana has a business-friendly environment, but historical underinvestment in public health has yielded poor health outcomes. In 2023, when trust in governmental public health was strained nationwide, Indiana increased public health spending by 1,500 percent. In this article, we explain how Indiana achieved this unprecedented legislative victory for public health, describing the context, approach, and lessons learned. Specifically, an Indiana University report linking economic vitality and overall health sparked the creation of a governor's commission charged with exploring ways to address Indiana's shortcomings. Working with the Indiana Department of Health, the commission developed multisectoral coalitions and business and government partnerships, …

The Realm That I Am: An Interdisciplinary Memoir On Identity And Healing, Maria Rowen Flores

University Honors Theses

This thesis is an interdisciplinary exploration into identity, self, and meaning-making. Engaging queer studies, Chicano/a Studies, narrative therapy, creative nonfiction, and visual arts, this project is both a collage and self-portrait in two parts. Part one uses the ideas of philosophers Gloria Anzaldúa, María Lugones, Jack Halberstam, and Judith Butler to explore identity formation in the author’s family and social contexts. Part two follows the experience of having C-PTSD and uses memoir and creative writing to explore the narrative therapeutic mode. Both sections explore themes of identity, social isolation, relationships, failure, mental illness, trauma, and addiction. The work is underscored …

Virtual Field Environments Capstone Software Review, Ashton Sawyer

University Honors Theses

This is a review of the Virtual Field Environments computer science capstone project, sponsored by geology professor Rick Hugo. The tool aims to create and render VFEs, interactable 360° environments hosted on the web that are used as virtual field trips for K-12 students. This essay discusses the development process, including understanding requirements, tool and technology selection, problem-solving, and decision-making strategies. It also highlights the differences between the capstone and the other core computer science courses, and how those differences help to prepare students for the workforce. The project was completed over the course of twenty weeks by a team …

Evolution Of Morning Sickness And How It Relates To Maternal Nutrition And Fetal Development, Leena Macias

University Honors Theses

A multitude of pregnant mothers throughout the world experience some sort of nausea and vomiting symptoms while pregnant. There is a large body of literature that has examined the evolutionary significance of nausea and vomiting of pregnancy (NVP), and why it continues to persist within our society. The purpose of this thesis is to perform a literature review and to add onto the current literature present within this multidisciplinary field. In order to do so, the field's published works were compiled and examined, being careful to only choose credible and significant sources in order to understand why pregnant mothers experience …

Lang2views Capstone: The Importance Of A Conscientious Team Lead, Joseph Wornath

University Honors Theses

This review essay reflects the Lang2views capstone project from the perspective of a team lead. The Lang2views capstone project was a web-based user interface designed to simplify how the Lang2views corporation localizes videos into other languages for their clients. Our capstone group was split into three subgroups: front-end, back-end, and DevOps. The strategy for completing the project went through a major change midway through development wherein we changed our software development methodology from a more rigid Waterfall-type approach to a more flexible Agile methodology. Because of this, many of the initially planned features had to be reevaluated as out of …

Analysis Of Turbulent Flow In Portland-Metro Urban Environment, Shaho Zana Meman

University Honors Theses

Air pollution is a significant issue faced by many major cities worldwide. The geometry and orientation of urban buildings greatly contribute to the dispersion of pollutants throughout cityscapes. To apply this information at a local level, this capstone project aims to analyze the velocity profiles of various areas in the Portland metro area using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). First, we created models for three types of urban geometry: urban, suburban, and rural. Then, we ran simulations using the high-fidelity numerical simulation tool Envi-Met to analyze the turbulent flow field which is believed to have a close relation to air pollutant …

Once, I Was Very Very Scared And More: An Exploration Into Depictions Of Interpersonal Trauma In Children's Literature, Emma K. Siepmann

University Honors Theses

This thesis examines the ways in which experiences of interpersonal trauma are depicted in English-language contemporary literature for elementary-aged children (6-11 years). A review of academic literature suggests that interpersonal trauma can have devastating and ongoing repercussions for individuals and their communities, although establishing a sense of relational safety can help mitigate these effects and facilitate healing after a traumatic experience. This research explores age-appropriate literature as a therapeutic tool for developing relational safety and providing critical skills to children at risk for and recovering from interpersonal trauma. This study analyzes the depictions of interpersonal trauma found in 11 picture …

Perceptions Of Educators On The Inclusion Of Students With Disabilities In The General Education Classroom, Abigail Donde

University Honors Theses

This study analyzed the perceptions of educators on how students with disabilities are supported in general education classrooms. We used semi structured interviews to find out how students with disabilities are supported both within their school, and within the district as a whole. We interviewed a total of six participants (two general education teachers, two speech language pathologists, a learning specialist, and a special education teacher) from three different schools in Oregon to see how students with disabilities are included and how those systems of inclusion differ. The results revealed that many inclusive practices and systems are implemented within schools …

Tea Leaves And Other Stories: Expressing Themes Of Change And Loss Through The Magical Realist Style, Olivia Geist

University Honors Theses

"Tea Leaves and Other Stories" is a collection of "tiny" (1 - 2 page) film scripts and one longer, seven page script that study how themes of change and loss can be expressed through the magical realist style. Inspired by Isabel Allende's essay, "The Short Story", these scripts are both a study of magical realism in film as well as a reflection on the author's process as a writer and the themes present within her work.

Cil's New Generative Ai Policy, Christopher V. Hollister, April Schweikhard, Allison Hosier, Jacqulyn A. Williams

Communications in Information Literacy

The Editors-in-Chief of Communications in Information Literacy discuss the development of the journal's new generative artificial intelligence (AI) policy.

A Stronger Square: Climate Resiliency For Pioneer Courthouse Square, Aaron Young, Anna Reusink, Hannah Johnston, Matthew Robinson, Meredith Herbst

Master of Urban and Regional Planning Workshop Projects

A Stronger Square aims to provide an inventory of climate resiliency initiatives for Portland’s Pioneer Courthouse Square that may be applied to mitigate the worst effects of climate change that the Portland metropolitan region is expected to face over the next 20 years. Given Pioneer Courthouse Square’s reliance on extensive programming and events throughout the year to fund its continued maintenance and upkeep in support of its mission to serve as “Portland’s Living Room”, it is important that operational and design alternatives begin to be considered in order to allow Pioneer Courthouse Square to continue to fulfill its mission well …

Gathering Gardens: Identifying Land For Community Gardens In Portland, Aswatha Raghunathasami, Gail Chastain, Alan De Anda-Hall, Tyler Smith, Elias Peters

Master of Urban and Regional Planning Workshop Projects

The project’s ultimate goal was to create at least 5 new community garden sites in the city of Portland for people to grow their own culturally relevant foods. To focus on parts of the city with some of the highest equity and food security needs, Agate chose to narrow the project scope to neighborhood areas located east of SE 57th Ave. Through direct engagement with the community, the team developed a site inventory for new potential community garden locations, as well as recommendations for optimal garden management, inclusion, and longevity. The community gardens are expected to be established by APANO …

Engaging Antiracist And Decolonial Praxis To Advance Equity In Oregon Public Health Surveillance Practices, Ryan J. Petteway, Daniel López-Cevallos, Mira Mohsini, Andres Lopez, Roberta S. Hunte, Tim Holbert, Kusuma Madamala

OHSU-PSU School of Public Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

Public health surveillance and data systems in the US remain an unnamed facet of structural racism. What gets measured, which data get collected and analyzed, and how and by whom are not matters of happenstance. Rather, surveillance and data systems are productions and reproductions of political priority, epistemic privilege, and racialized state power. This has consequences for how communities of color are represented or misrepresented, viewed, and valued and for what is prioritized and viewed as legitimate cause for action. Surveillance and data systems accordingly must be understood as both an instrument of structural racism and an opportunity to dismantle …

Review Of Information Literacy Through Theory, Vivian F. Bynoe

Communications in Information Literacy

Review of Hicks, A., Lloyd, A., & Pilerot, O. (Eds.). (2023). Information literacy through theory. Facet Publishing.

Exploring Professional Identities In Libraries: The Impact Of Credit-Bearing Courses Beyond Student Learning, Jane Hammons, Daniel S. Dotson, Hanna Primeau, Diana Ramey

Communications in Information Literacy

In this essay, we argue in support of library-led information literacy (IL) credit courses, emphasizing the impact that developing, teaching, and managing these courses can have on the professional identity of library faculty and staff. Existing research has indicated that librarians who teach credit courses may more strongly identify as teachers than those who teach only course-integrated sessions. We expand on this research by sharing the perspective of four individuals who are involved in the design, instruction, and coordination of credit-bearing IL courses, including two faculty librarians and two staff members. By providing these differing voices, we give a unique …

The Power Of Solidarity: The Effects Of Professor–Librarian Collaboration On Students’ Self-Awareness Of Skill Acquisition, Christina Taylor Gibson, Elizabeth Massey

Communications in Information Literacy

The ACRL Framework for Information Literacy

revolutionized information literacy instruction. It asks librarians to instill in students the higher-level skills to navigate the information landscape. Literature establishes the value of shared faculty ownership of information literacy threshold concepts, but it also documents the potential pitfalls of faculty involvement (Franklin, 2013; Julien & Given, 2002; Lechtenberg & Donovan, 2022; Perez-Stable et al., 2020). This article explores one successful partnership, concluding that instructor—librarian collaboration forged around shared histories and structured by codeveloped objectives positively influences students’ receptivity to information literacy concepts. As demonstrated by surveys of those enrolled in the course, students’ …

Choose Your Own Research Adventure: An Asynchronous Tutorial To Address “Research As Inquiry”, Stacy Brinkman, Samantha Hilton

Communications in Information Literacy

The Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education posits that the practice of asking questions in order to deepen inquiry and understanding is a key element of information literacy. While the “Research as Inquiry” frame is teachable in library instruction, it can be difficult to scale. Popular instructional design software tends to present information in linear formats that can limit how students understand the iterative nature of research. This article presents an attempt at an asynchronous tutorial that overcomes this limitation of medium and that presents “Research as Inquiry” through an iterative and question-based online game. We discuss the development, …

Independent Long Covid Journalism As A Lens For Critical Information Literacy: Conversations With The Sick Times Founders Betsy Ladyzhets And Miles W. Griffis, Andrea Baer

Communications in Information Literacy

Both the COVID-19 pandemic and the acceleration of climate change illuminate how difficult it can be to make sense of information about wicked problems—that is, issues that are highly complex and have no simple or complete solutions (Rittel & Webber, 1973). One approach to grappling with wicked problems is to consider the information practices that different people, communities, or professions use to make sense of those issues. In this Perspectives piece, I explore possible ways to practice and teach about critical information literacy by looking to the views, experiences, and professional practices of two independent journalists who report on …

Human Or Machine: The Effects Of Centering Productivity On User Psyche Through Digital Management/Tracking Tools, Pema Thangzur

University Honors Theses

This paper examines the growing toxic culture of centering productivity and efficiency in the growth of Big Data-incentivized digital management/tracking tools. In response to the development of personal notetaking tools, mood tracker apps, habit tracking, and other personal data tracking programs, discourse from data scientists, interactive designers, archivists, and technology academics have critiqued how well-meaning the larger tech industry is by providing these tools. However, the current discourse on developing potential solutions to this issue remains understudied as the growth of said tools are fairly new. This paper proposes that digital interfaces employ approaches with users' personal data that center …