Digital Commons Network^™

Living The Curse, Cassidy E. Chergi

High Impact Practices Student Showcase Fall 2024

Living the Curse, CCHS

By Cassidy Chergi

My service-learning project was an organization very near and dear to my heart I have worked with them most of my life. Imagine the simple act of going to sleep resulting in your death! This is my life, I have CCHS. This extremely rare genetic disorder effectively renders autonomic systems in the affected patience inoperable. The most notably sleep equals death!!!! Additional symptoms include reduced conception of pain, cardiac issues, learning disabilities and motility issues. Obviously, there is often additional collateral damage from repeated hypoxic events. People with CCHS will and are reliant …

Socioeconomic Factors Affecting National Male Soccer Teams Performance, David Alvarado, Jasmine Czemerinski, Guadalupe Molinari

High Impact Practices Student Showcase Fall 2024

The purpose of our project was to explore the relationship between socioeconomic factors and the performance of national male soccer teams, as reflected in FIFA rankings. We analyzed data from 211 countries, focusing on variables such as GDP, population size, and regional influences. Our dataset combined FIFA rankings with socioeconomic indicators, including GDP, population size, and unemployment rates, while also considering regional soccer conferences like UEFA, CONMEBOL.

Our analysis revealed that countries with higher GDPs tend to perform better in FIFA rankings, suggesting that wealthier nations can invest more in sports infrastructure and talent development. Population size showed a weaker …

Serving Virtually: The Impact Of Online Organizations, Sierra Hajek

High Impact Practices Student Showcase Fall 2024

Throughout this semester, I had the opportunity to work with Zooniverse, an online organization which helps researchers gather data and complete projects. I worked on one specific project, “Reading Emotions,” and helped complete multiple rounds of this project. By doing this, I was able to grow my leadership skills and revisit my reasoning of why I love to volunteer and serve different organizations. I analyzed my strengths and weaknesses and learned about my different leadership insights.

How To Keep Involved For The​ "Lazy" And The "Scared", Malcolm D. Gambles Ii

High Impact Practices Student Showcase Fall 2024

This presentation is essentially a collection of my own experiences and the strategies that have helped me remain consistent in my service-learning journey. I had a lot of passion when coming up with this presentation because I now have the ability to talk about the struggles I faced when on my service-learning journey and way to maybe help others suffering from the same problems. As someone who has both been considered "lazy," and "scared," when it comes to handling my responsibilities in my early childhood and young adult life, I have picked up many techniques to help me stay involved. …

How Does Hope Help?, Logan M. Green

High Impact Practices Student Showcase Fall 2024

I volunteered at HOPE Helps, Inc. in Oviedo, Florida, within various parts of their corporation. HOPE stands for Housing, Outreach, Prevention, and Education. HOPE Helps, Inc. has many ways to help the Oviedo community members in need. HOPE Helps, Inc. has a food pantry, an affordable thrift store/boutique, with a wide variety of merchandise, a resource center, where they regularly host various courses such as budgeting workshops and tenants’ rights workshops. This organization also has a kids enrichment program and a program to help home-bound individuals receive HOPE Helps, Inc. resources, by travelling to these individuals. I completed majority of …

Reforming Public Institutions To Ensure Fairness And Opportunity, Ryan P. Kaufman, Nolan J. Loch, Kim Nguyen, Katie S. Weinstock, Parnika Chintapalli

High Impact Practices Student Showcase Fall 2024

By creating an issue guide, we are able to express our concerns and suggestions for what opportunities there are to address this issue. With a topic about America impacting almost everyone who views the guide, there is going to be someone that learns about how they can potentially make an impact in their community. As a class, we divided each section of the guide into a different group, this way each group was able to do more focused research. We created research papers and created drats to be assembled into the finished product. We learned that these are experiences that …

"Where Happiness Inspires Hope": Service-Learning With Give Kids The World, Gabrielle M. Lucci

High Impact Practices Student Showcase Fall 2024

This project explores my experience volunteering with a nonprofit organization that I chose to work with for my LDR3215 course. I chose to work with Give Kids the World, an organization dedicated to providing all-expenses-paid dream vacations to critically ill children and their families. In class, we were tasked with exploring a modern social issue, and I chose disability inequity. Through my service, I improved my interpersonal skills, understood disability inequity's prevalence in society today, and made a positive impact on my community. I also learned about the importance of ally-based advocacy and greater numbers of supporters for increased productivity. …

The Power Of Listening, Chandler K. Elias

High Impact Practices Student Showcase Fall 2024

The purpose of my project was to volunteer at in a healthcare setting which was required for the specific section of LDR 3215 that I took this semester. Key activities that I did were chatting through the online forum with people who needed someone to help them feel supported in challenging moments that they were facing. I learned how big of a difference chatting with someone even just for a few minutes can make in someone’s life. I also how important it is for our mental health to have someone who will listen to us. I am so grateful for …

Encouraging A Safe Space For Jewish Students At Ucf, Alexandra Messina

High Impact Practices Student Showcase Fall 2024

October 7, 2023, was a horrifying day for Israel and the larger Jewish community. Since that day, American Jewish students have faced antisemitism and isolation on campuses around the country. Having a safe space for Jewish students to feel comfortable at school is more important now than ever before. The Hillel, Chabad, and Yehudi organizations at UCF do a great job of providing this space. I partnered with the Hillel to be an active, helpful part of the community that I enjoy being a part of so much. The majority of my time was spent working with freshmen, which was …

Serving With Salt Company, Lauralee Fuher

High Impact Practices Student Showcase Fall 2024

This past semester, I have focused on volunteering and serving in my local campus ministry Salt Company. As a leader within the organization, I spend my time leading a weekly Bible study with a small group of girls, serving on the serving team during our large gatherings on Wednesday, and meeting one-on-one with the girls in my small group to get to know them on a personal level. LDR 3215 has greatly improved my leadership abilities and knowledge, I share the things I have learned in the course with the other leaders on my team and I show the things …

What Effect Does Helminth Infection Have On An Adult's Immune System?, Shanzida Toha

High Impact Practices Student Showcase Fall 2024

The research question is, how does the prevalence of helminth infections impact the immune system of adult patients? To clarify this subject: How does the prevalence of helminth infections affect the immune system of adult patients? Specifically, can helminth exposure help individuals reactivate T-cells to improve immunity and mitigate TB while providing preventative benefits for metabolic conditions?

This concept suggests that we could explore helminth-based therapies to treat or even prevent metabolic conditions that are precursors to cardiovascular disease. Such a therapeutic approach could be revolutionary, especially for populations without access to costly medications like insulin or blood pressure drugs. …

What Is The Impact Of Bilingual Reading And Inclusivity To Young Students?, Phia Tse, Miguel Torres

High Impact Practices Student Showcase Fall 2024

The Bilingual Reading at the Creative School for Children was initiated as the group project for our LDR 2001 class. Our project was to find an organization that aligned with our values and had an issue we would like to bridge. We chose reading in different languages to children because we remember what it is like to be different, and the lasting effect it has on a child. Reading in multiple languages increases diversity awareness and educates children in understanding multiple languages through an increase in plasticity (Abbas, 2018). We used the Social Change Model of Leadership to navigate and …

Octopus Engagement: Educating Through Involvement, Kaylee J. Kasper, Jordan Perrault, Erich Geiger, Jasmine Brown-Eder

High Impact Practices Student Showcase Fall 2024

The purpose of our project is to showcase our group presentation that we arranged as a part of our Marine Conservation and Restoration course. We went to Goldsboro Elementary School to visit a class of third-grade students in their science class. As a group, we shared what we knew about octopuses so they could take a step into the world of marine biology. Our presentation consisted of fascinating facts and fun visual aids that captivated the students and allowed them to form a deeper connection with the octopus. To enhance their learning, we organized four fun activities, one being a …

Love Serving Autism, Zephaniahn Torres

High Impact Practices Student Showcase Fall 2024

My name is Zephaniahn Torres, I am in the LEAD Scholars Academy where my Service-Learning class 3215 is focused on healthcare in the community. My project encapsulates the volunteer work I did with a non-profit organization called Love Serving Autism. This organization focuses on teaching children and adults with autism how to play tennis. This is very beneficial to the kids as they learn vital life lessons as well as engage in physical activity that's fun. I indulged in this service weekly on Saturdays at the UCF Tennis Courts. In my project I discuss my role as a volunteer and …

What Are The Effects Of Resource Accessibility Within Schools? Experiences Of Ucp Volunteers, Subrina Seerattan, Gabrielle Lunden, Sophia Tse

High Impact Practices Student Showcase Fall 2024

UCP Bailes is a charter school for grades K-8 whose mission is Inclusion. They want to create a safe place for students with special needs in the school environment. The agency is an organization of charter schools specializing in education for students with special needs. All of us are volunteers who have helped in the cafeteria. We help prepare meals for lunch. The lunches are from the state, so we must ensure they follow state guidelines. For example, ensure all the kids have vegetables on their plates that are in good portions. If the kids can’t eat the meal, we …

Spectacular Shells, Allison Hobson, Jasmine Bjorn, Keilissa Bailey, Ethan Gau

High Impact Practices Student Showcase Fall 2024

For our Marine Conservation and Restoration course, we designed an interactive lesson on marine life for first graders, focusing on animals that use shells. Our project features a presentation introducing shell-bearing animals such as mollusks, hermit crabs, and sea turtles. Students then engage in a game of Simon Says to identify shell adaptations. Following this, we led three hands-on activities: creating a pet oyster, making a sea turtle backpack with paper scutes, and coloring shells to add to a classroom poster. These activities encourage creativity and emphasize the role of shells in marine ecosystems. This immersive approach aims to foster …

Effect Of Grammatical Accuracy And Content Accuracy On Eyewitness Message Credibility, Haily Follese, Aishlin Belony

High Impact Practices Student Showcase Spring 2024

We conducted research regarding grammatical accuracy and content accuracy on the perceived credibility of eyewitness testimony. Eyewitness testimony is a crucial part of the legal system, as testimony can be vital in cases where circumstantial evidence is present. We sought to determine the impact that grammar type had on eyewitness testimony credibility perception, as biases against grammar, dialects, or vernaculars can impact the perceived reliability or trustworthiness of eyewitnesses, thus hindering believability. To do so, we administered a digital experiment where participants viewed a mock-crime and answered follow up questions after being assigned to one of four conditions regarding content …

House Bill 87: The Taking Of Bears Act, Sydney M. Stillman, Hala Hafez, Emelina Brown, Sara Stricklin, Adriana Chaparro-Gonzalez

High Impact Practices Student Showcase Spring 2024

The purpose of this project is to bring awareness to a bill that was recently proposed to the Florida Senate. This bill is House Bill 87 titled "The Taking of Bears Act". If passed, it would allow for the legal taking of bears on private property, if an individual feels that the bear is threatening them or their pets safety. This project aims to bring a greater level of understanding to the public about the advantages and disadvantages of House Bill 87 and actions that can be made in response to the bill at hand. The greatest risk of passing …

Making A Storm For Special Needs, Brianna Castano

High Impact Practices Student Showcase Fall 2024

Unified sports bring together people with and without intellectual disabilities to play in sports. This was my third season with the organization, but first time playing with the masters age bracket. Through my time getting to know my teammates, I learned about life and what happens to people with intellectual disabilities after their finish school.

The Impact Of Gun Violence: A Study On Mass Killings In The United States, Abigail Wright, Oma Persaud, Tindrew Chen

High Impact Practices Student Showcase Fall 2024

This study examines the impacts of gun violence in the United States from 2006 to October 2024, focusing on factors influencing the casualties in mass shooting incidents. Utilizing the predictors: number of offenders, region, location, incident type, and gun type we employed a Negative Binomial Regression Model due to its suitability for handling high variance and over-dispersion in the response variable. The dataset "Mass Killings in America" reports 1,018 casualties from over 100 incidents in the past four years alone. This research sheds light on correlations between the predictors and response, providing valuable insights to enhance community vigilance and prevention …

Service-Learning Course, Shanzida Toha

High Impact Practices Student Showcase Fall 2024

Reflecting on my service-learning experience, I recognize that I used to judge first-generation immigrants who struggled with English. Over time, I realized this was unfair, as I hadn’t considered their individual challenges. This shift in perspective led me to become more open-minded, seek new experiences, and pursue my passion for helping others through direct patient care. I realized that engaging in leadership-based service learning could enhance my empathy and leadership abilities, which has become central to my personal and professional growth.

Decoding And Generating Poetry: Using Feminist Theory And Digital Media To Demonstrate Maya Angelou's Writing As Activism, Emery Beckman

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

This thesis will demonstrate how rhetorical strategies can present social change through descriptive elements of persuasion. Using foundational rhetorical concepts, including ethos, logos, and pathos, it will connect concerns of inequality to the work of Maya Angelou, who can validate the impact intersectionality has within the use of rhetoric. Having been a victim of racism, sexual abuse, and economic disadvantages, she used her voice to break the silence for women. This thesis will showcase the impact of rhetorical techniques through digital media by creating a website featuring visual data and mapping by decoding Maya Angelou's work to demonstrate the power …

Fourth And Fifth-Grade Teacher Experiences With Els In The Science Classroom, Kiana Cheverez

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Science classrooms are places where students build knowledge through interacting with others and building new experiences by experimenting (Lee et al., 2009). English Learners (ELs) are students learning English, and the population of ELs has steadily risen in America (Tran, 2015). Although ELs are learning English, they are still expected to participate in conversations, exams, and learning in the Science classroom, regardless of their English abilities. This project focused on understanding teachers’ perspectives and experiences teaching ELs in the Science classroom. To do this, the researcher completed a phenomenological study and interviewed teachers to gain insight into their experiences. Afterward, …

Henry Viii & Rulership: A Contemporary Perspective Of His Reign, 1509-1537, Jeremy M. Rodriguez

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Henry VIII is one of the most infamous monarchs in English history, known by both medievalist and modernists. Historians have spent decades toiling over if Henry was a “good” monarch, attempting to either argue his strength or his weakness as a monarch. Instead of focusing on what he may or may not be in terms of his morality and effectiveness, this thesis looks at Henry’s reign by considering the political landscape he was born into. It considers the political culture in late medieval and early modern England to assess his rulership in the context of contemporary political thought. Using works …

External Boundary Conditions For Solidification Process Modeling Of Equiaxed Investment Castings, Weston Olson

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

The equiaxed investment casting process is a multi-physics problem which requires knowledge from engineers who have expertise in materials, metallurgy, fluid dynamics, thermodynamics, and heat transfer. Process modeling is a tool used by foundries to help predict casting defects such as shrinkage porosity, hot tears, dimensional distortion, and poor grain structure. ProCAST is the numerical simulation suite used in this dissertation and is considered an industry standard due to its extensive proven track record. The reliability of these predictions is strongly dependent on the accuracy of the thermal boundary conditions set in the model. This dissertation consists of two studies. …

Design And Optimization Of Temperature-Stable Mems Resonators For Timing Applications Based On Thin-Film Lithium Tantalate, Yasaman Majd

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

All radio devices require a highly accurate frequency reference with superb temperature stability. While quartz-based oscillators meet accuracy demands, they cannot be easily miniaturized for higher frequencies. Silicon-based MEMS resonators offer a promising alternative due to their small size, and low power consumption, though they suffer from significant temperature drift.

This research proposes a silicon-based MEMS device that exhibits low-frequency variations across wide temperature ranges, high-quality factors, and low insertion loss, meeting modern communication system requirements. Two main research avenues are explored.

Firstly, the thermal behavior of S₀ Lamb wave X-cut Lithium Tantalate (LT) resonators is investigated, demonstrating a …

Comprehensive Analytics Of Automated Vehicles’ Effectiveness, Benefits, And Crash Severity, Shengxuan Ding

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Automated Vehicles (AV) are increasingly becoming a reality, offering major road safety improvements and advancements through the development of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and Automated Driving Systems (ADS). Although research on AVs is progressing, several key gaps remain. There is a lack of sufficient matched data between AV and HDV crashes to compare their differences, along with a need for more detailed datasets to analyze ADS and ADAS crash severity and assess ADAS safety effectiveness. First, the research investigates overall trends within the AV dataset by utilizing 1,099 ADS, 1,001 ADAS and 35,113 HDV crash data. including ADS (Society …

Numerical And Analytical Evaluations Of Impact Of Atmospheric Particles On Aircraft, Brendon A. Cavainolo

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

The Volume-of-Fluid method, an Eulerian multiphase flow model that adds a volume fraction transport equation to the CFD governing equations, is widely used for any fluid-fluid interface tracking problem. There are important aspects of multiphase flow that impact aircraft flight, especially flight in extreme environments. These extreme environments can range from wet, icy conditions to sandstorms, and volcanic debris. The problems posed by these harsh environments are only exacerbated by aircraft that tend to travel at higher Mach-numbers. The specific aims of the proposed research include application of the Volume-of-fluid method to the following aspects of aircraft flight: shock-droplet interactions, …

A Framework For Improving Employee Experience In The Hospitality Industry, Scott Hall

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

This dissertation explores the unique aspects of employee experience within the hospitality industry. By conducting in-depth interviews with 40 employees, both within and outside of the hospitality sector, this research aims to identify the factors that distinguish the employee experience in hospitality and to lay the groundwork for future improvements in this field.

The study employs a thematic analysis to uncover key themes that define the hospitality employee experience. The findings reveal that job satisfaction in hospitality is significantly influenced by factors such as workplace culture, career development opportunities, and the intrinsic satisfaction derived from serving guests. Moreover, the research …

Shock Tube Measurements Of Sustainable Aviation Fuel Sooting Tendencies For Supersonic Commercial Transport, Koby D. Rouviere

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Sustainable Aviation fuels (SAFs) have been launched to the forefront of the aviation industry as the desire to push the boundaries of flight continues to grow. The Concorde, a symbol of cutting-edge aerospace technology, was decommissioned due to its extreme inefficiency, as it formed high levels of soot, carbon monoxide (CO), and ethylene (C₂H₄), among other emissions. The UCF shock tube experiments aim to investigate the variation between sustainable aviation fuel and traditional commercial jet fuel under supersonic conditions similar to those seen on the Concorde. The test mixtures were formulated using Jet-A, Gevo’s Alcohol-to-Jet sustainable fuel, a 50/50 blend …