Digital Commons Network^™

“You Can Rise Back Up Again”: Using Photovoice To Understand Healing From Intimate Partner Violence Among Lgbtq+ Racial-Ethnic Minority College Students, Stephanie Lim

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a longstanding public health crisis that has been linked to deleterious mental and physical health issues and negative academic outcomes among college students. Further, IPV disproportionately affects LGBTQ+ individuals and certain racial-ethnic minority students. Campus services are not adequately meeting the needs of these survivors and these efforts would be better informed by centering students disproportionately affected by IPV. Guided by intersectionality and minority stress theories, the current photovoice study examined the strengths that fostered healing and the challenges that LGBTQ+ racial-ethnic minority survivors faced in their recovery journeys. Participants were eight LGBTQ+ racial-ethnic minority …

The Sauce To Meat Is Ceremony: Cannibalism And Hospitality Serve As Horror And Culture Tropes In Hannibal And Macbeth, Shay Williams

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

When examining Macbeth (1623) as a case study within Shakespeare’s canon, we see all the obvious horror tropes - murder, witches, a ghost, bodies, blood and gore. What is less pronounced is the horror that lies within eating, drinking, feasting, and the ceremony of banquets. On the other side of the spectrum, and unlike the character of Macbeth, we have a figure that epitomizes all things horror, and has been read about in novels, watched on film, and as of late (2013-2015) has been the subject of a Television show, aptly named: Hannibal. In both works, we encounter men/monsters/killers …

“Honey, Life Is Just A Classroom:” Using Taylor Swift As A Pedagogical Tool For College Composition, Liz Thomae

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

As educators, we confront the challenge of cultivating a deeper understanding of writing in an age obsessed with utilitarianism, instant gratification, and pragmatism. Students come into our classrooms inundated with these messages of utility and often find subjects within the humanities, especially first year writing, boring and unhelpful. Especially with the rise of generative artificial intelligence (AI) use in our classrooms and society at large, we as pedagogues have our work cut out for us. I propose a pedagogical approach that bridges students' interests with essential writing skills by integrating Taylor Swift's music into the composition classroom. Swift's evolution as …

Benefits Of Informal Practical Experiences As A Central Teaching Method In A Literature Of Adolescents Course, Jillian Harpster

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

This portfolio includes the course context and organizational format of a junior-level required course for pre-service secondary English teachers. Formatting and context information include teaching methods and course materials. As a central teaching method of the course, students are required to attend a practicum that is additional to their observational practicum (sophomore year) and their clinical practicum (senior year). In this way, the praxis of the coursework and the informal practicum serve as an intentional moment of praxis, while also scaffolding students towards their senior year practicum and beyond (student teaching, early career teaching). Ultimately, the argument of the portfolio …

The Connection Between An Unequitable Distribution Of Care Responsibilities And A Widening Gender Nutrition Gap In Latin America, Alexis Nicole Bodlak

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

The notion of care refers to activities that satisfy the basic needs of existence and reproduction. Within rural communities, care work such as the production and preparation of food contributes to food security at the household level. Care work supports the paid workforce, allowing workers to focus on commercial productive activities that generate economic income in rural communities. Women perform 6.3 to 29.5 more hours per week than men in unpaid care work, reducing their time for income-generating activities and personal nutrition management. Affecting their economic independence and ability to access and consume nutritious food. Studies show that in food-insecure …

Where To Deposit Your Master’S Thesis Or Doctoral Dissertation In The Unl Digital Commons, Sue Ann Gardner, Paul Royster

Thesis and Dissertation Deposit Information Resources

A list of degree-granting programs with links to the proper series for thesis and dissertation deposit in the UNL Digital Commons.

UNL = University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Updated May 2025.

Find your degree-granting program in the list, then click on the link to go to the proper series to deposit your thesis, dissertation, or other student work.

If you have questions about the process or problems finding the correct series or uploading your work, contact Sue Gardner.

Benefits And Applications Of Learning With Virtual Reality, Michael W. Timm

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Education is a fundamental pillar of society. It equips students for employment and interpersonal relations. Virtual reality (VR) has emerged as a transformative technology in the field of education. The aim of this paper is to synthesize existing research in order to determine the benefits of utilizing virtual reality in a variety of education settings, such as K-12 classrooms, universities, and workplace training. This paper observes significant benefits of virtual reality in constructivist and experiential learning, gamified learning, and tailored practice. This analysis also finds that virtual reality is advantageous for educational accessibility, particularly for absentee students and impoverished students. …

Illustrating Identity: Ethel Reed’S Art Posters And Women's Claims To Public Space In Fin-De-Siècle Boston, Miranda R. Knofczynski

School of Art, Art History, and Design: Theses and Student Creative Work

Much scholarship has uncovered the history of women illustrators during the late nineteenth century. The rebuilding of these lost histories calls for research which theorizes women’s contributions to the burgeoning arts scene of the fin-de-siècle. This thesis will examine the posters Ethel Reed created for different companies during the height of the 1890s poster craze and discuss how she articulated women in public space in them. Reed’s art offers an aestheticized yet feminist visualization of women engaging in leisure activities such as exploring the city, reading, or attending the theatre. Many have described the women in her posters as merely …

Medusa's Metamorphosis: Art, Mythology, And The Changing Perception Of Female Power, Elizabeth Kehr

School of Art, Art History, and Design: Theses and Student Creative Work

The evolution of Medusa’s iconography in ancient Greek art mirrors societal and cultural transformations. As attitudes shifted in relation to gender roles, power relationships, and morality changed, so too did images of the Gorgon. Following the course of development of Medusa’s image allows one to discover details of the thoughts and struggles the ancient Greeks had with concepts of power, womanhood, and monstrosity and otherness. Previous art historical research on Medusa has largely examined her function and evolution of visual depictions from the Archaic monster to Classical ideal. Few, however, have explored how and why these changes may be indicative …

Supporting Novice Programmers With Scaffolded And Open-Ended Generative Ai Interfaces: Insights From A Design-Based Research Study, Justin Olmanson, Azadeh Hassani, Gretchen K. Larsen

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

In this study, we explore student experiences in coding and learning programming with scaffolded and unscaffolded generative AI interfaces. Specifically, we supported higher education students in using ChatGPT, an open ended interface for interacting with generative AI; and Giuseppe, a specialized interface with an OpenAI backend service that offers personalized supports specifically for helping students overcome early-stage challenges in learning to code, and working on education technology prototyping projects. This study contributes to the field by offering design insights for scaffolding initial learning interactions between generative AI interfaces and novice programmers. Our findings suggest that those new to coding welcome …

Enhancing The Eden Alternative Model With Well Standards: A Case Study Analysis, Mariah Stoner

Architecture Masters of Science Program: Theses

This thesis investigates the potential for improving the Eden Alternative Model, a person-centered approach to elder care that emphasizes creating a homelike environment and meaningful relationships, using WELL Standards, a building certification system focused on enhancing human health and well-being through improvements in environmental quality. Through a mixed-methods approach involving quantitative data analysis and qualitative case studies, this research examines how WELL Standards, which cover aspects such as air quality, water quality, lighting, and thermal comfort, can improve environmental quality and resident satisfaction within the Eden Alternative Model. This research introduces a tailored approach to elder care by combining these …

Unl Emeriti And Retirees Association Newsletter, May 2025

UNL Emeriti and Retirees Association: Newsletters and Other Materials

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Emeriti and Retirees Association Newsletter, May 2025

Expanding and enhancing the ERA President's message

Welcome to new members

ERA Board members

Wake up your well-being

Book review, Hello Beautiful

Service awards

A look ahead to programming

Recapping past programming

Memory moments

Quality Considerations In The Pedestrian Realm: Dead Space Intervention And Prevention, Alycia Ramage

Masters in Architecture Program: Theses

What if every space deemed “unadmirable” was reimagined as a stage for community life? Efforts to find solutions to this question prompted a more complex question: how can new construction promote interaction between architecture and the pedestrian realm?

This thesis is conducted in three main parts: 1) understanding dead space, 2) reinventing dead spaces in existing conditions, and 3) creating a design handbook that works to minimize dead spaces in new design.

Using Lincoln, Nebraska as a case study, part one begins with observation- looking for spaces that could be deemed unadmirable by a pedestrian. Utilizing research and observation, the …

Exploring Constructionist Pathways For Generative Ai In Education, Gretchen K. Larsen, Justin Olmanson, Azadeh Hassani

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

In this study, we aim to better understand the effects of generative AI within a constructionist learning design. We explore participants’ experiences in a graduate level course on Artificial Intelligence in Education, where generative AI is studied as: a cultural object to understand and critically evaluate, an interactive learning technology, and a creative material generator. Students explored AI in education via Python, philosophical and empirical scholarship, and generative AI. They applied this knowledge to the design and prototyping of a learning technology related to their professional backgrounds and interests. Methodologically, our study offers an ethnographic description of constructionist approaches to …

Crisis Response Hospital Physical Layout Considerations During Covid-19: A Framework For Surge Preparedness, Future Investigations, And Analysis, Golnoosh Abdolahzadeh

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This thesis investigates the intersection of hospital design and operational performance during health emergencies, explicitly focusing on layout modifications in emergency departments. The study is structured around four key components. First, it explores hospitals' significant challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic through data collected from interviews with Nebraska hospital leaders. Second, the research introduces a surge-based conceptual framework to guide hospital responses during crisis events. Developed from empirical data, the framework highlights the importance of flexible spatial planning and information-driven decision-making. Third, the study focuses on hospital physical layout considerations, identifying features that either supported or hindered Nebraska hospital operations during …

Do Voters Shake Off Policy Stances? A Look Into The Impact Of Celebrities On Policy Recall, Alyssa A. Noe

Department of Political Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Celebrities try to influence politics by leveraging their ability to command attention. But does a celebrity’s endorsement of a policy impact citizens’ ability to recall the policy? This paper examines if people’s information processing, specifically policy recall, is impacted by a celebrity’s endorsements. Data was collected at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln during the fall 2024 semester using a student sample. Participants were randomly assigned into three experimental groups. I hypothesize that the more recognizable a celebrity is the more likely people are to be able to recall the policy they posted. By using Taylor Swift as the well-known celebrity and …

Coming Back To Bite: Reflecting On Constructs Of Adolescence And Girlhood In Young Adult Vampire Media, Gwendolyn Grace Klinkey

Department of English: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The YA vampire genre has experienced a great amount of success throughout the past two decades with titles including Joss Wheadon’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy. Within this group, two of the most widely successful examples are Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight Saga and the CW’s The Vampire Diaries, both of which have had a significant impact on Western popular culture. In this thesis, I use these two texts to explore the constructs of adolescence and girlhood that manifest as a result of the literary moves the writers seem to make in an effort to invite …

Assessing Sleep Quality In A Preclinical Model Of Low Back Pain Through Novel Noninvasive Methods, Lydia C. Saltz

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Chronic low back pain (LBP) has widespread negative impacts on quality of life. Current treatments for chronic LBP fail to provide long-term efficacy and motivate the need to understand key drivers of poor patient outcomes. Mounting evidence indicates that sleep disturbances and chronic LBP have a strong reciprocal relationship. Women may be particularly vulnerable to the negative impacts of the sleep-pain axis, exhibiting greater prevalence in both conditions. However, the relationship between sleep, pain, and sex remains understudied. Preclinical models can be used to parse out characteristic sleep features that degrade with pain, which can be further broken out by …

The Influence Rural Leaders Have On Local Population Change: A Two-Part Study, Nichole T. Reiner

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

This two-part research study aims to understand factors that influence a rural community population and how local leaders believe they can influence those factors to impact population changes. The first study focuses identifying factors that predict population change using a linear regression model. The second study is a multiple case study focused on three communities, where a mix of secondary data and community leader interviews provided an in-depth understanding of how local leaders perceive their capacity to influence factors influencing population change in their communities.

Advisor: LJ McElravy

Men’S Fertility Beliefs, Intentions, And Contraceptive Use, Meagan Kunitzer

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Despite advancements in reproductive technology, gender-inclusive approaches remain limited, and research on men’s reproductive health is scarce. Specifically, little is known about how men conceptualize reproductive health and how perspectives vary by race and social class. As such, the purpose of this study is to further the field’s understanding of men’s reproductive health, including fertility beliefs, intentions, and behaviors. Guided by the theory of conjunctural action, this study uses survey-driven narrative construction to explore how 35 men think about their reproductive health and how this varies by race and class. The main benefit of using this method is that it …

Sociological Understandings Of Entrepreneurial Action And Intention, Jeffrey Cavanaugh

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Entrepreneurship as a trend has emerged across many different disciplines, drawing on theory from psychology, economics, and sociology. Importantly, sociologic aspects of entrepreneurship remain hidden from scholarship, as existing topics are often vague or narrowly partitioned. In my dissertation, I utilize sociological understandings of human interactions which define entrepreneurial intention and action. Specifically, I explore how entrepreneurs’ religion, rurality, and social media use influences their behaviors. Throughout these three quantitative essays, I contribute to a better understanding of the social psychology of entrepreneurship, and why entrepreneurial pursuits are so intricately linked to every aspect of society. Throughout my research, which …

The Overturning Of Roe V. Wade And People Capable Of Pregnancy: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, Carrie Bohmer

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) overturned Roe v. Wade in their decision within Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, removing the constitutional right to abortion within the United States (US). Leading up to this anticipated and highly politicized case, 13 states passed preemptive legislation (i.e. “trigger bans”) that immediately made abortion illegal following the Dobbs decision. Limited research has explicitly explored the intersection of sexual health and reproductive health from a psychological perspective. Grounded in a reproductive justice framework, this interpretative phenomenological analysis sought to understand how people capable of pregnancy living …

Support, School Climate And Teacher Wellbeing In The Wake Of Covid-19: A National Study Using Ntsp Data, Annastashia M. Teepe

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Research indicates a significant number of teachers planned to leave the profession following the COVID-19 pandemic, with national surveys in 2021 revealing about 25% considering departure. Stress, low pay, remote teaching demands, and lack of support contributed to attrition, impacting school climate, which influences productivity, collaboration, and job satisfaction, and is inversely related to turnover. The shift to remote learning also demanded new skills and exposed technological disparities. This quantitative study examined the pandemic's impact on teachers' perceptions of school climate, support, resources, job satisfaction, burnout, and intent to leave using the 2020–2021 National Teacher and Principal Survey. Factor analyses …

Familismo And Family Achievement Guilt In Latine College Students: Relationships With Psychopathology And Wellbeing, Abril Rangel-Pacheco

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

The purpose of this dissertation was to examine the relations between familismo, family achievement guilt, subjective wellbeing, and anxious and depressive symptoms in a sample of Latine young adults enrolled in college in the United States. Familismo has previously been linked to educational success and psychological and behavioral health. On the other hand, family achievement guilt has been linked to low self-esteem and internalizing symptoms. However, it is unclear how these factors interact to impact the psychopathology (i.e., anxious and depression symptoms) and psychological wellbeing (i.e. subjective wellbeing) of Latine young adults in college. Data were collected from 83 Latine …

Culture And Context: How Frames Of Teaching And Of Learning Mathematics Form And Change For Graduate Student Instructors, Johan Benedict A. Cristobal

Department of Mathematics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Why do instructors teach the way that they do? This question is key in understanding how and why asset-based or deficit-based practices are enacted in the classroom. In consequence, this question also gives insight into how the environment where students learn is shaped. Mathematics education research, in particular, has been concerned with how instructors respond to students’ contributions in the classroom and how these ways of responding can (dis)empower students.

One way to answer this question is to understand how instructors frame their own teaching and their students’ learning. Frames are mental constructs which help individuals filter details, interpret information, …

Exploring The Nexus Of Adverse Childhood Experiences And Illicit Substance Misuse Among Midwestern Adults, Anika R. Eisenbraun

Department of Sociology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The positive association between illicit substance misuse and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) has been widely examined in prior literature. Yet, there is limited understanding of the varying factors, such as social support, depressive symptoms, or sexual victimization, that may impact the relationship between substance misuse and ACEs. As such, the purpose of the current study is to examine the relationship between ACEs (i.e., physical and emotional abuse, sexual abuse, neglect) with illicit substance misuse and to investigate indirect pathways of social support, depressive symptoms, and sexual victimization. Private, secondary data from the second cohort of a larger, longitudinal rural health …

Household Wealth And Mental Health In Older Adults Across Racial Groups: Moderating Role Of Social Support, Sunkanmi Folorunsho

Department of Sociology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This thesis examines the relationship between household wealth and mental health outcomes among older adults, with particular attention to racial and ethnic differences and the potential moderating role of social support. Although financial resources are widely recognized as important determinants of psychological well-being, less is known about how social support interacts with economic conditions to shape mental health in later life. The study also addresses how these patterns may vary among different racial and ethnic groups, given persistent inequalities in wealth and disparities in access to social resources.

Drawing on data from the 2020 wave of the Health and Retirement …

Eating Behavior Differences Across Dementia Diagnoses: The Roles Of Behavioral Symptoms And Anticipatory Physiological Responses, Charlie J. Lorkovic

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Objective: To determine how behavioral symptoms and impairment of the preparatory physiological response contribute to disordered eating behaviors in dementia, particularly frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

Methods: This secondary analysis utilizes data from 242 patients (191 FTD, 51 AD) who took part in a collaborative study between the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of California, San Francisco. Preparatory physiological responses were measured as heart rate increases from a baseline to an instruction period, when participants were informed that they were about to watch an emotional film. Behavioral symptoms, including eating behaviors, were assessed using the Neuropsychiatric …

A Comprehensive Analysis Of Virtual Reality In Modern Healthcare Education, Adarsha Ganesan

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

This thesis evaluates the effectiveness of virtual reality (VR) in healthcare education through multiple facets of evaluation: educational outcomes, accessibility considerations, and financial viability. Drawing from an extensive literature review on existing research and a case study of the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) College of Nursing's "Journey Through the Kidney" VR experience, this analysis examines how technology can transform modern medical education. While research shows mixed results regarding virtual reality’s impact on assessment outcomes, studies demonstrate increased student motivation and engagement, which can have lasting downstream effects on the quality of learning. Accessibility analysis reveals both opportunities and …

Treading Lightly: The Ethics Of Instructor Il/Legibility And Neutrality In The Classroom, Marcus A. Woodman

Department of English: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Instructors in the classroom often describe their experiences teaching as being a performance, which often combines authenticity with boundaries to keep certain aspects of the instructor’s life out of the classroom. For queer instructors, their performance may be especially complicated; since queer identity is less visible than other types of identities, instructors must also weigh whether or not to come out to their students. In our current political moment, where queerness has yet again become a scrutinized topic (especially when in proximity to youth), teachers have an even more difficult decision to make.

This thesis uses queer theory and queer …