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The Cypress Dome 2025, Issue 36, The Cypress Dome Society

The Cypress Dome

Featuring the work of Aaliyah Ali, Zayne DeVoe, Jill Dolan, Lee Eimer, Juliana Erwin, Sarah Esteves, Erik Leon, Isabella Martorana, Gianna Palacios, Dylan Phillips, and Ashlyn Shepard.

Founded in 1989 and named after a natural feature of our campus, The Cypress Dome is the University of Central Florida’s undergraduate literary journal. It is edited, designed, and produced by a selected editorial team of students from our literary organization, The Cypress Dome Society, as part of a year-long internship.

Iactor: Integrating Flow Theory And Habit Principles To Combat Decision Fatigue In Audition Management, Colby L. Bell

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

For many actors, the audition process can feel like a never-ending series of decisions—what to prepare, what to wear, what to bring, and how to keep track of it all. Each choice, though seemingly small, accumulates into a form of cognitive overload that can lead to burnout and disengagement. My fascination lies not only with how actors navigate this process but how we might reframe it. This thesis explores the question: How can I design a digital space that reduces decision fatigue and restores agency to actors preparing for auditions? Drawing from Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s Flow Theory, James Clear’s Atomic Habits …

The Unindexed Marginalia Of Historical American Cookery Books Digital Public History Project: Domestic Technical Communication Labor Contributions, Alessandra Zinicola Lopez

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

This dissertation includes a traditional written portion, and a non-traditional digital humanities public history online digital archive project created through Omeka which showcases examples of hand-written recipes found within commercial cookbooks, called marginalia. The understanding of modern technical communication is affected by the perceived history of the field and currently, that history is biased toward non-domestic pursuits. The project explores what collecting, digitizing, and archiving examples of historical hand-written marginalia found within commercially printed American receipt books indicate about the presence, participatory nature, value, and contributions of domestic technical communications and their user-authors in the 19th century. The examples collected …

The Spray And Atomization Characteristics Of An Lrdre Injector, Samuel J. Schuetz

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

The Ongoing effort to advance the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of Rotating Detonation Engines (RDEs) has faced significant challenges with respect to the development of accurate analytical models for the performance of liquid fueled detonations. A key issue lies in the lack of comprehensive experimental data to validate and refine these models. To address this gap, the present study seeks to provide detailed characterization data on a specific Liquid Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine (LRDRE) injector, which can be leveraged to improve simulation accuracy and predictive capabilities. This investigation is divided into two primary phases. The first phase focuses on the …

Application Of Industry 5.0 Attributes For Successful Implementation: Framework Of Manufacturing Excellence In Aerospace And Defense Industries, Rena Lewis

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

As a novel concept, Industry 5.0 is making its rounds around the academic community and various industries. Despite its introduction over five years ago, definitions and perceptions are still under deliberation. Applications, methods of implementation and values are still in the conceptual phase. This study introduces a framework inclusive of human-centricity, sustainability and resilience, the pillars associated with Industry 5.0. It aims to differentiate the revolution from its predecessor, Industry 4.0, as it dives into the technologies associated with Industry 4.0 including but not limited to the Internet of Things (IoT), autonomous robots, and artificial intelligence. As those technologies evolve …

Smart Work Zone Connectivity For Traffic Safety Applications, Mariam Nour

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Work zones play a vital role in the maintenance and upgrading of roads and highways; however, they also pose substantial risks to both drivers and workers. Utilizing technology, such as Smart Work Zones (SWZs), Connected Autonomous Vehicles (CAVs), and data dissemination algorithms, is crucial in improving safety in work zones by providing decision-makers with timely and accurate information. Ensuring safety in these environments is essential for reducing accidents and fatalities and enhancing drivers' sense of security, and protecting the well-being of workers operating in hazardous conditions. In this dissertation, we proposed a methodology based on three complementary approaches to enhance …

Emission Spectroscopy Measurements And Post-Processing Methods For Nitromethane And Aluminum In A Post Detonation Enviroment, Hamil Patel

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

The doping of conventional liquid fuels has been a topic of interest in the research community due to the potential for increased energy density and improved performance in oxygen-deficient environments. One of these proposed fuels is nitromethane doped with micron-sized aluminum powder. This work is focused on early spectroscopic measurements of each of these constituent fuel parts in a post-detonation environment that aims to mimic the real-world temperatures and pressures seen in explosives that are not typically replicated in experimental facilities. Spectroscopy was chosen as the primary diagnostic technique for these experiments because it can non-invasively probe the relatively harsh …

Liquid Fuel Cloud Detonation Propagation And Dynamics, Taylor R. Brown

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Detonations are a form of combustion that produce significantly higher work per specific volume than traditional deflagration combustion, thus are an active area of interest for increased combustion efficiency and power generation. However, the highly unsteady nature of detonations complicates the ability to harness their energy in a fieldable technology, prompting the need for a more fundamental understanding of the detonation phenomena. Fundamental detonation research has overwhelmingly focused on gaseous reactants due to ease of experimentation, though liquid fuels are increasingly relevant as their high energy density makes them more suitable for real-world engine applications, and much of the research …

Benchmarking Robustness Of Gait Recognition Models, Reeshoon Sayera

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

This study investigates the robustness of gait recognition systems under realistic perturbations, with a focus on both silhouette parsing and gait recognition components. Experiments are conducted on three diverse datasets—CASIA-B, CCPG, and SUSTech1K—using five state-of-the-art parsing models and six gait recognition architectures. To simulate real-world degradations, we introduce 15 types of noise across five severity levels, resulting in 75 distinct corrupted scenarios. Our findings reveal that no parsing model performs optimally under all conditions, and transformer-based gait models exhibit greater resilience than CNN-based counterparts. However, all models remain highly sensitive to digital noise and occlusions. Interestingly, performance under temporal noise …

Laminar Burning Speed Of Dme-Hydrocarbon Mixtures, Ahmed F. Safdari

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Fossil fuels, when burned in the air, release large amounts of carbon dioxide (CO₂) and greenhouse gases (GHG) into the air, causing significant pollution. To reduce greenhouse gas emissions (CO₂, CO, and NOₓ), alternative fuels such as Dimethyl Ether (DME) are being explored for their potential to offer cleaner combustion solutions. This study investigates the laminar burning speed (LBS) DME blends with several alkanes and alkenes in air at atmospheric pressure (1 atm) across a wide range of equivalence ratios (Φ). LBS is essential for understanding combustion characteristics, including combustion efficiency, heat release rates, and chemical kinetics. Accurate …

A Deep Learning Framework For Last-Mile Delivery Enhancement Using Social Media, Valeria Laynes Fiascunari

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Over the past decade, people have been spending more time online. Almost anything can be done from a laptop or cellphone. This is one of the reasons why e-commerce has been in a constant boom, as it is easier to buy something online and have it delivered to the front door than to go to the store. As more people engage in this activity, e-commerce platforms' challenges are more complicated and need to be addressed faster. However, these challenges escape the company's scope when external factors influence the objective of optimized deliveries, for example, traffic issues or bad weather during …

Removal Of Long- And Short-Chain Per- And Polyfluoroalkyl Substances From Surface Water Using Green Sorption Media–Nanofiltration Hybrid Processes, Md Touhidul Islam

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a class of persistent environmental contaminants that pose significant risks to human health and aquatic ecosystems. This dissertation addresses the removal of both long- and short-chain PFAS from surface water through an integrated approach that combines green sorption media (GSM) with nanofiltration (NF). The research comprises laboratory-scale and field-scale studies designed to evaluate the effectiveness of novel recycled-material-based GSM formulations—namely, CPS and ZIPGEM—as pretreatment options to mitigate membrane fouling and enhance PFAS removal during NF. The study also investigates the adsorption mechanisms under varying water chemistry conditions, including pH, ammonia, and divalent cation concentrations. …

When Sediment Meets Strategy: Linking Shoaling Dynamics, Vessel Behavior, And Dredging Optimization, Matthew P. Davies

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Navigation channels are the economic arteries of U.S. maritime trade, yet their efficiency and safety are continually threatened by sedimentation and the escalating costs of dredging. Traditional tools used by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to forecast shoaling and estimate dredging needs often fall short of capturing the complex interplay between channel condition, vessel behavior, and maintenance decisions. This dissertation develops and integrates three complementary innovations to address this challenge. First, a Parametric Linear Regression Methodology (PLRM) is introduced to improve shoaling predictions by blending long-term and short-term sedimentation rates with tunable weighting factors. This method achieves forecasting …

Study Of Injector Performance From An Accumulator-Based Plumbing System, Michael R. Benedict

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Accumulators are an alternative solution to pumps as they do not require energy in flight. This means power generated does not have to be diverted to an accumulator, boosting overall efficiency. Additionally, accumulators do not have pressure oscillations or cavitation risks typically associated with pump-driven systems. Further, they are lightweight systems with lower points of failure than traditional pumps. This makes them an interesting candidate for use in hypersonic flight. However, prior to flight data, accumulator-based systems should be tested statically on the ground to determine its feasibility. In this study, a piston accumulator is used in a plumbing system …

Fuel Injection For Hypersonic Air-Breathing Propulsion Systems, Justin Sprunger

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Hypersonic air-breathing propulsion systems face unique challenges related to fuel injection due to the supersonic flow in the combustor. For example, residence times within supersonic combustors are often orders of magnitude shorter than the timescales required for quality delivery of fuel. Additionally, because of the high incoming momentum of the free stream, fuel penetration is difficult to achieve without intrusive fueling structures. Intrusive fueling structures, however, are not desired as they induce high efficiency losses and require advanced cooling systems or thermal protection solutions. Therefore, an understanding of the trajectory of fuel injected from the sidewall of a combustor is …

Advancing Heterogeneous Collaborative Perception For Autonomous Vehicles, Babak Ebrahimi Soorchaei

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Recent advances in computational and communication technologies have enabled deep neural networks (DNNs) and high‐speed vehicular wireless links, paving the way for cooperative perception and cognition in autonomous systems. By exchanging complementary observations, these methods overcome inherent sensor limitations, such as occlusions and restricted range, and thereby improve the detection of partially hidden targets. However, real‐world deployments face challenges from noisy measurements (e.g., GPS inaccuracies) and heterogeneous perception stacks: vehicles often rely heavily on visual detectors, yet there is no standardization ensuring uniform object‐detector architectures across a fleet.

In this dissertation, we first explore the design of a lightweight detector …

Flywheel Technology: The Reliability Of Functional And Systemic Perturbations In A Crossover Design, Trevor J. Dufner

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

The purpose of this dissertation series was to evaluate the reliability, validity, and applicability of the Desmotec D.EVO isoinertial flywheel device (D.EVO) for both isometric and dynamic squat assessments. Study one sought to establish the validity of the D.EVO for assessing squat maximal voluntary isometric contraction (FMVIC) versus a traditional squat maximal voluntary isometric contraction (TMVIC), determine the test-retest reliability of force and power outputs during FMVIC and flywheel squat protocols (FSPs), and explore relationships between these outputs and broad jump (BJ) and vertical jump (VJ) performance. We also identified the number of familiarization sessions needed for reliable data collection. …

Better Models For Mosquito Control: Impacts On Nontarget Insects And Joint Species Distributions Of Mosquitoes, Jacob D. Hart

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Since its inception, mosquito control has been vital for limiting the spread of vector-borne pathogens. Modern control efforts balance the protection of public health and the prevention of environmental harm. We addressed this from two directions: the study of mosquito adulticide effects on nontarget insects, and fine scale distribution modeling of mosquitoes to better target control efforts. We first investigated the effects of ultra-low volume (ULV) pyrethroid applications on nontarget insects in Central Florida and found no statistically clear evidence of reduction in abundance or diversity. We reported a slight and statistically unclear reduction of night-flying Lepidoptera, and effective reduction …

Boba Tea Shops And Identity: Exploration Of Boba Shops Among College Students In Greater Orlando, Naydelin Karime Trejo Vega

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

This thesis explores the cultural and social significance of boba tea shops among college students aged 18 to 26 in Greater Orlando. Although many people view boba tea as a trendy drink, this study treats it as a meaningful part of some students’ daily lives, identity formation, and sense of belonging. Through a multi-method approach that includes participant observation, surveys, and semi-structured interviews, I examine what motivates college students to purchase boba tea and how boba shops impact their identity and sense of belonging. I conducted fieldwork at three different boba tea shops in Greater Orlando—two franchises and one locally …

Standby To Standby: How Time Weaponization And Social Currency Impact Identity Within The Veteran Community Upon Discharge., Nichole Ann Carminati

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

This research project analyzed the first year of transition from active duty to civilian life by conducting 22 in- person interviews from veteran participants who served in the Global War on Terror post 9/11 and were discharged between 2001 and 2022. The purpose of this research was to identify key areas of vulnerability when evaluating veterans’ transition from military identity to civilian life. Global War on Terror Veterans are at an increased risk of difficulty transitioning to civilian life due to contributing factors of multiple redeployments, stigma over receiving medical and mental health care, and knowledge gaps in obtaining benefits …

Metasurface-Refractive Hybrid Lens Design, Ko-Han Shih

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Refractive optics are widely used in imaging systems while optical aberrations can limit their imaging performance and the typical solution to correct is cascading additional refractive optics with varying materials and shapes. Still, this scheme can result in bulky and costly lenses. Metasurfaces (MSs), with their compactness and ability to locally manipulate wavefronts, offer additional degrees of freedom in aberration correction. Integrating MSs with refractive optics creates MS-refractive hybrid lenses, enabling advanced optical performance while maintaining a compact design. Various methods have been proposed for designing aberration-correcting MSs in hybrid lenses, which often rely on predefined target phase profiles or …

Breaking Barriers: Women's Struggle For The Vote In Jacksonville, Brett M. Nystrom

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

During the first half of the twentieth century, women in Jacksonville brought women’s suffrage to the forefront of the city’s discourse through increased engagement in the public sphere. By forming women’s organizations such as the Woman’s Club of Jacksonville, the Florida Equal Franchise League, and the Duval County League of Women Voters, White women addressed concerns regarding women’s voting rights. However, these White women’s organizations and Jacksonville’s White, male-dominated authority excluded African American women from participating in the public sphere. Therefore, African American women in Jacksonville established the City Federation of Colored Women’s Clubs, which served as a platform for …

Evaluating Robustness Of Methods For Comparing Two Means Using Paired Data With Few Incomplete Pairs, Thien Pham

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Practitioners often resort to the paired t test to test equality of two means when data is complete. When small amounts of data are missing, is this method still as robust? Are there alternative methods which can perform the job better on the missing data? In this thesis, we measured the robustness of the paired t-test, two sample t-test, corrected z-test, modified corrected z-test, weighted t-test, pooled t-test, optimal pooled t-test, unequal variance test, correlation focused t-test, multiple imputation method, mixed model method, modified maximum likelihood estimate method, and Uddin’s modified maximum likelihood estimate method. This is simulated in an …

Reframing Recovery: Comparing Music Interventions And Traditional Rehabilitation Methods For Cognitive Function In Traumatic Brain Injury Patients, Laura Velez

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) affects millions annually, often resulting in long-term cognitive deficits that hinder independence and quality of life. While traditional rehabilitation methods address many physical and functional limitations, cognitive impairments—such as deficits in attention, memory, and executive function—often persist. Emerging evidence highlights music-based interventions as a promising complement to standard therapies, yet comparative research remains limited. This integrative literature review examined the effects of music interventions versus traditional rehabilitation methods on cognitive function in adults with TBI. Using a systematic search of databases including MEDLINE, CINAHL Ultimate, APA PsycInfo, and Music Index, eight peer-reviewed studies were selected for …

Consequences Of Artificial Intelligence In Health Insurance: Lawsuits, Policy, And Ethics, Alyssa N. Roberts

Honors Undergraduate Theses

In recent years, the healthcare system has been burdened by a multitude of obstacles that hinder the ability to provide effective, affordable, and timely care. Among these, one of the most significant challenges is the role that health insurance plays in shaping the quality of care. Health insurance companies are designed to decrease financial strain on patients, but they have introduced inefficiencies through delayed coverage approvals, increased denials, and administrative costs. Artificial intelligence (AI) has started to play an integral role in resolving these issues for the health insurance industry. Through its quick automated claim processing, fraud screening, and reduced …

Multilevel Network Governance For United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: The Role Of European Subnational Entities In Urban Resilience, Hasan Isgandar

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

This dissertation investigates the role of subnational actors in European Union (EU) multilevel governance networks focused on reducing urban poverty and achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Focusing on the SDG #1 (No Poverty), SDG #11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and SDG #17 (Partnerships for the Goals) it examines the participation and impact of subnational actors in two case studies: Naples, Italy and Krakow, Poland. Using Social Network Analysis (SNA), the research investigates the configuration and performance of the networks created within the framework of the URBinclusion projects, which are part of the URBACT and Urban Innovative Actions …

Teacher Retention And The Disabilities-To-Prison Pipeline, Angela P. Mccloud-Bond

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

There is an overrepresentation of individuals with disabilities in the criminal and juvenile justice systems. Similar to the commonly known School-to-Prison Pipeline, Christoper Mallet has coined the term the Disabilities-to-Prison Pipeline to refer to this growing problem. Research has not yet determined how individual variables at the school or district levels lead to the expansion of the Disabilities-to-Prison Pipeline. Mallot (2021) presented three possible hypotheses to explain the expansion of this phenomenon: the differential treatment hypothesis, the school failure hypothesis, and the susceptibility hypothesis. There is a significant gap in the literature that focuses specifically on the differential treatment of …

Visual Experience Enhancement In Augmented Reality Waveguide Displays, Yuqiang Ding

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

In the dynamic arena of display technology, augmented reality (AR) displays represent a pivotal advancement, seamlessly bridging the digital and physical worlds. This dissertation mainly examines waveguide-based AR display technologies—which enable slim form factors and large eyebox via exit pupil expansion—yet still face persistent challenges: low ambient contrast ratio (ACR), poor color performance and slow simulation design cycles. To address these issues, this dissertation introduces novel liquid crystal photonic devices and system-level optical solutions—together with accelerated simulation methods for design—to enhance user experience and system performance. First, the dissertation examines one of the major efficiency bottlenecks arises from multiple interactions …

The Long Walk And Beyond: Navajo Resilience And The Journey From Displacment To Resurgence, William A. Alvarado

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

This thesis, The Long Walk and Beyond: Navajo Resilience and the Journey from Displacement to Resurgence: A Study Exploring the Unique Late Nineteenth-Century Navajo Odyssey During United States Expansion, examines the profound impact of U.S. territorial expansion on the Navajo people during the mid-to-late nineteenth century. Central to this narrative is the tragic experience of the Navajo Long Walk (1864), which led to the forced relocation of thousands of Navajos to Bosque Redondo. The thesis explores the complexities of this relocation, emphasizing the cultural, social, and economic devastation it caused. Despite these challenges, the Navajo people demonstrated remarkable resilience, using …

Netflix And The Platformization Of Film And Television Content Discovery, Jacob Boccio

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

This dissertation investigates the Netflix streaming platform to better understand the platformization of film and television cultural production and content discovery. Building on platform studies and scholarship on platformization, this work contributes to the growing body of literature that critically examines the implications of digital platforms in reshaping cultural and creative industries. Using this framework, the dissertation explores how the evolution of content discovery mechanisms on Netflix affects the cultural production of the film and television industries. Chapter 1 frames Netflix as a platform within the platformization framework. Chapter 2 examines Netflix employees, who serve as gatekeepers by curating and …