Digital Commons Network^™

The Lack Of Mental Health Support In Caribbean Households, Arnoudly Bossicot

LEAD Scholars Academy Showcase

Growing up in a Caribbean household, mental health, amongst other topics, was something no one dared to speak about. Seeking therapy or talking to a trusted family member is not an option since you will look weak. When mental health issues are left untreated, long-term adverse effects on the emotional, social, physical, and behavioral aspects of life. In some instances, it may result in suicide. This research will explore the different elements that affect a person’s willingness to receive mental health treatment in Caribbean households. Would teenagers and young adults seek mental help if given the right resources and support? …

Beyond Equality: Systemic Barriers And Equity Solutions For Latina Workers, Leismarie Alicea Estrada

LEAD Scholars Academy Showcase

This study examines the systemic barriers facing Latina workers in the U.S., with a focus on wage gaps, occupational segregation, and policy failures. Drawing from national datasets (EPI, NWLC). The purpose of the research poster is to explore and depict a picture of how gender, ethnicity, and immigration status compound to exploit Latinas across industries—particularly in domestic work, agriculture, and healthcare.

Its Not A “Conflict” When Its Colonization; The Continued Oppression Of The Palestinians, Safia K. Alkhub, Safia K. Alkhub

LEAD Scholars Academy Showcase

This project aims to educate and shed light into the colonization and oppression of Palestinians that has been happening long before October 7th of 2023 as something more than a conflict. What Palestine is facing is injustice, ongoing settler colonialism and systemic oppression under a military occupation. Since the Nakba of 1948, the displacement, land theft, and violence that the Palestinians face continues while the world continue to be silent and complacent because of the aid of western forces like the United States to the Israeli military both by arms deals and monetary aid to the Israeli military. Many human …

Unmasking The Global Crisis Of Misinformation: Its Devastating Impact On Leadership And Public Health, Kazi S. Salsabil

LEAD Scholars Academy Showcase

With the advancement of information access, the global community faces the growing dilemma of misinformation. The sources we rely on such as news, social media, and other media platforms play a critical role in our daily decisions, particularly in health and politics. Moreover, research has shown that misinformation has contributed to significant events such as election crises and the global pandemic. The purpose of this project is to address the global crisis of misinformation on leadership and Public health. The aim is to understand the causes and effects of this dilemma while determining more effective solutions that can create a …

Spanish-Speaking Parents' Comprehension Of School-Based Speech Therapy Documentation, Daria Hernandez

LEAD Scholars Academy Showcase

Navigating speech-language therapy in schools can feel overwhelming for many families, and for Hispanic parents, language barriers and limited health literacy (HL) skills may intensify this challenge. There is a significant gap in research on health literacy strategies used by school-based speech-language pathologists (SLPs). This issue becomes more critical when examining how Spanish-speaking parents navigate Spanish translations of essential documents like IEPs. This gap emphasizes the urgent need for research in this area, and my project seeks to help address it.

Marjorie Kinnan's First Story, David Nolan

The Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Journal of Florida Literature

No abstract provided.

Volume Xxxii (2025)

The Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Journal of Florida Literature

No abstract provided.

Threads Of Home: Finding Rawlings's Florida, Rick Kilby

The Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Journal of Florida Literature

No abstract provided.

Mabel Norris Reese: A Courageous Journalist's Pursuit Of Justice In Jim Crow Florida, Joy Wallace Dickinson

The Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Journal of Florida Literature

No abstract provided.

It Takes A Village: Bringing Zora Neale Hurston Home, Deborah Dickey, Casey Wooster

The Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Journal of Florida Literature

No abstract provided.

Introduction To Hurston's And Sexton's Letters, Marvin E. Hobson

The Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Journal of Florida Literature

No abstract provided.

How Fiscal And Labor Policies Influence Hospitality Entrepreneurship: A Panel Data Analysis, Mehmet Altin

Journal of Hospitality Financial Management

This study investigates how state-level fiscal and labor policies influence the creation of hospitality firms in the United States from 2002 to 2022. Using a panel dataset and fixed- effects models with Driscoll-Kraay standard errors, we analyze the effects of corporate, sales, property, and income taxes, along with minimum wage laws and educational attain- ment. We separate the results among accommodation and food service subsectors to iden- tify specific policy sensitivities. Our findings disclose that tax and labor policy impacts are highly sector-specific and context-dependent. Especially, minimum wage increases are pos- itively associated with firm formation in lower-income, lower-education states, …

Predicting Milk Quality With Machine Learning, Franco Vidal, Matthew Nighting-Henderson​

High Impact Practices Student Showcase Spring 2025

Milk is a critical component of diets around the world, offering essential nutrients such as protein, calcium, and vitamin B12. However, in many low-income and rural regions, milk quality is often compromised due to poor storage conditions, lack of pasteurization, and even intentional adulteration. Low-quality milk poses serious health risks, including bacterial infections, toxin exposure, and long-term organ damage. These challenges highlight the need for reliable, accessible methods to assess milk quality without relying on costly laboratory testing.

In this study, we propose a data-driven approach to predict milk quality using ordered logistic regression. The dataset used, sourced from Kaggle, …

Damping Modulation Of Dampened Kapton Surfaces, Sebastian Esteban

Honors Undergraduate Theses

When droplets are vibrated or disturbed, they can exhibit a complex sloshing motion, an understudied behavior in drop physics. Droplet sloshing involves a complex combination of transverse and longitudinal motion that changes the droplet's effective weight on the surface the droplet is on. Our current understanding stems from preliminary work focusing on a cantilever beam of fixed thickness and variable viscosity of the liquid being sloshed. This investigation will focus on how variable cantilever thickness and constant viscosity for a liquid being sloshed affects the beam's deflection under consistent vibration. It will also investigate how the natural frequency of a …

Novel Nanomaterial-Based Platforms For Bio-Electrochemical Sensing And Photocatalytic Treatment Of Contaminants Of Emerging Concern In Water, Jonghyun Baik

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

This dissertation presents the development of novel nanomaterial-based platforms for bio-electrochemical sensing and photocatalytic treatment of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in water, including heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and microcystin toxins. Conventional detection and remediation methods are often costly, time-consuming, and impractical for field use. To overcome these limitations, in this dissertation, five distinct platforms were designed, developed, and evaluated under various water conditions.

First, a microbial fuel cell (MFC)-based biosensor was developed for detecting heavy metals (Cu²⁺ and Hg²⁺) and PAHs (benzene and xylene). The system exhibited rapid, linear …

Quantifying Surrogate Safety Measures And Traffic Delays At Mid-Block Pedestrian Crossings Using Video-Based Data Analytics, Md Jamil Ahsan

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

This study presents a comprehensive evaluation of midblock pedestrian crossings in terms of safety and traffic efficiency, with a particular focus on the newly implemented Mid-Block Pedestrian Signal (MPS) systems. Extensive CCTV video data were collected across Florida and processed using advanced computer vision techniques, specifically the RT-DETR model for object detection and the ByteTrack algorithm for object tracking, to analyze vehicle-pedestrian interactions in detail. Since there is limited post-implementation crash data available for all locations, Surrogate Safety Measures (SSMs) were employed to assess safety outcomes. Conflict Modification Factors (CoMFs) were estimated using Cross-Sectional (CS), Comparison Group (CG), and Empirical …

Determining Essential Attributes For Experience And Satisfaction In The Customer 4.0 Era: A Kano Model Approach, Cintia Z. Buffon

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

The world is constantly changing, with rapid technological advancements and increased digital connectivity shaping daily activities. In this evolving landscape, customers have transformed into what is known as Customer 4.0—a new generation of consumers who expect high levels of personalization, digital engagement, and greater transparency from organizations. These expectations extend to higher education, where students demand more customized learning experiences, interactive content, and digital accessibility. This research investigates engineering students' preferences regarding educational attributes aligned with Customer 4.0 characteristics using the Kano model. While the Kano model has been widely applied across industries, its use in higher education remains limited. …

Investigation Of Combustion Properties Of Renewable Biofuel Blends Using A Hot Surface Ignition Assistant Device, Matthew Voigt

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

With global warming, fuel supply, rising fuel prices, and energy security becoming major concerns for countries around the globe, many countries have been researching methods to reduce carbon emissions. One option being considered is using Bio-derived fuels as a possible alternative to modern jet fuels due to their ability to produce less emissions. However, while they do produce less emissions, they are also characterized by their low cetane numbers resulting in low reactivity requiring more energy to ignite, lower total heat release values, and longer ignition delays leading to engine problems such as knocking and power loss. Ignition assistant devices …

Shock Tube Investigation And Chemical Kinetic Modeling Of Green Propellants For Space Missions, Marley Albright

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Hydrazine thrusters have been used for decades to land spacecraft on other planets. While its use is common, handling hydrazine is difficult due to its toxicity; this poses a risk to humans during testing and loading the propellant onto a spacecraft. Occupational Safety and Health Administration has limited human exposure to 1 part per million (ppm) of hydrazine per eight-hour workday. Green propellants are promising alternatives because they have lower toxicity but do not sacrifice performance. Green propellant technology has been demonstrated in space and future missions are planned, such as NASA’s Green-Propulson Dual-Mode technology demonstration. At the University of …

Strengthening Community Resilience Towards Infrastructure Disruptions Due To Hurricanes, Tasnuba Binte Jamal

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Extreme events such as hurricanes can significantly disrupt infrastructures, leading to negative impacts on productivity, economy, and social wellbeing. Understanding community resilience against infrastructure disruptions in response to such events is crucial for effective preparedness, mitigation, and recovery efforts. The overarching problem addressed in this dissertation centers around enhancing community resilience against infrastructure disruptions due to hurricanes. Community resilience is defined as the ability of a community to return to normalcy following a disaster. One way to enhance community resilience is to strengthen its critical lifelines and infrastructure services (e.g., power, water, transportation, internet) and capital—to reduce the likelihood of …

Autoignition Delay Times For Reformate Gas Mixtures From Methane Gas Engines, Matthew Fraze

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Methane slip is a prominent issue in natural gas reciprocating engines that are used in transportation and marine applications. The incomplete combustion that results in methane slip can be resolved with the introduction of hydrogen within the combustion mixture to improve methane oxidation and further enable combustion within the engine crevices where methane has previously remained unreacted. Steam Methane Reforming (SMR) is a common method used to produce hydrogen and can be used to design an onboard device to reduce methane slip from reciprocating engines. The development of this reformer device requires the validation of high-fidelity chemical kinetic mechanisms at …

Characterizing Muscle Control As An Emg Visual Matrix, Peter W. Makary

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Evaluating electrical muscle activity patterns using surface electromyography (EMG) is a widely used technique to assess movement in research settings, but its use has not been translated to clinical settings. This study aims to investigate the potential of evaluating muscle activity control through a visual matrix display. EMG data from older and younger adults collected in a previous seated locomotor perturbation study was used to generate visual matrices representing their lower-limb ankle muscle activity. Visual matrices from each condition consist of 20x20 grids, where each axis represents activity from an individual muscle of muscle pairs, such as the tibialis anterior …

‘Who’S Your Daddy?’: Ddradseq Parentage In Broodstock-Offspring Pairs Of Diadema Antillarum In A Population Restoration Initiative, Bianca R. Rosendahl

Undergraduate Scholarship and Creative Works

In the early 1980s Diadema antillarum, or the long-spined urchin, was hit by a catastrophic mass mortality event across the western Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico, inclusive of the Florida Keys. The cause of this die-off event was likely triggered by a pathogen or environmental stressor that decimated native populations by up to 98%. The species has not yet fully recovered and is struggling with recruitment success which is why it may benefit from an ex-situ recovery program. In this study, I used single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to identify genetic variation and analyze parentage in a captive population of …

Bridging The Digital Divide In Biomedical Healthcare: Policy Solutions For Equity In Access, Literacy, And Infrastructure, Brooke E. Turner, Emmy L. Colon Alamo

Undergraduate Scholarship and Creative Works

This paper explores the intersection of digital inequity and biomedical healthcare access in the United States, positioning the digital divide as a structural determinant of health. As telehealth and digital platforms become central to care delivery, communities lacking broadband infrastructure, digital literacy, and affordable internet access face compounded barriers to equitable healthcare. The study introduces five critical dimensions—access, availability, adequacy, acceptability, and affordability—as a framework for addressing these disparities. It proposes the Rhizomatic Digital Ecosystem Framework to guide national and local interventions, emphasizing the need for public investment in broadband expansion, digital education, and affordability programs. By treating digital access …

Themed Experience & Attractions Academic Symposium 2025 Proceedings, Themed Experience & Attractions Academic Society

Proceedings of the Annual Themed Experience & Attractions Academic Symposium

No abstract provided.

Sexual And Reproductive Health Access Among Racial/Ethnic Minority College Students, Srithanvi Pasunuri

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Sexual and reproductive health (SRH) is critical for individual well-being, yet significant disparities in access persist among racial and ethnic minority college students in the United States. These inequities, driven by systemic barriers such as financial constraints, cultural stigmas, and inadequate campus resources, contribute to higher rates of unintended pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and poor health outcomes within these populations. This systematic review aims to identify and synthesize existing literature on the barriers to SRH access for racial and ethnic minority college students, explore how cultural, social, and institutional factors influence service utilization, and assess interventions proven effective in …

Factors Involved On The Attribution Of Consciousness To Generative Artificial Intelligence And Its Impact On Trust, Sophia Fernanda Sakakibara Olgini Capello

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This study investigates the cognitive factors influencing the perception of mind in generative artificial intelligence systems, focusing on the role of prior experiences with them, theory of mind (ToM), and the tendency to anthropomorphize. The research examined how these factors predict perceived consciousness in ChatGPT and impact users' trust in this system, specifically exploring: (1) how ToM and anthropomorphism contribute to AI consciousness perception, (2) how prior AI experiences influence consciousness attribution, (3) the relationship between consciousness attribution and trust in AI, and (4) how perceptions of AI consciousness relate to mind perception in other entities. Undergraduates (N= 220) completed …

Reentry Realities: Examining The Role Of Aftercare Programs In Supporting Justice-Involved Youth, Lynda Girven

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The current study examined if aftercare and reentry programs helped to reduce recidivism among youth who have been involved in the juvenile system, and specifically, youth released from residential placement facilities. Different components of aftercare programs were also examined, such as the inclusion of mentoring or family support, how many services were offered, and if the program followed the Risk-Need-Responsivity (RNR) model. Through completing a systematic review of studies published since 2008, five studies met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. All five studies found that the youth who received services through aftercare programs were less likely to reoffend than youth …

Examining The Impact Of Resilience And Sense Of Community On Mental Health And Academic Performance, Samara B. Coleman

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Within the United States, a third of college-aged young adults are diagnosed with at least one psychological disorder. Resilience, the ability to bounce back from adversity, has been shown to help mitigate the adverse effects of burnout and stress, and support academic performance in some cases. Additionally, a sense of community has also been shown to be crucial in buffering the negative consequences of adversity. The following research questions guide this study: 1) How significant a role does the community play in resilience and mental health? 2) How does resiliency relate to the academic performance of students experiencing varying levels …

The Evolution Of Surveillance And The Decline Of Privacy, Alan J. Geyer

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This study directly examines how surveillance law and technology have evolved in the United States and how privacy rights have declined correspondingly. The study specifically focuses on how advancements in surveillance technology have overstepped the boundaries of Fourth Amendment protections and analyzes whether these provisions are adequate for protecting citizens in the modern technological era. The study explores newly employed methods of technological surveillance, such as facial recognition, data collection, and automated license plate readers. It focuses on how government surveillance programs have reshaped legal and ethical understandings of privacy. The changes in surveillance and technology have been analyzed by …