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Inactivation Of E. Faecium Nrrl B-2354 In Whole Black Pepper By Fluidization With Hydrogen Peroxide Vapor, Daniela Segura

Department of Food Science and Technology: Master of Science with Project Option

This study evaluated Enterococcus faecium NRRL B-2354 as a surrogate for Salmonella inactivation in black peppercorns treated with hydrogen peroxide (HP) vapor via fluidization. The selected parameter for dwell temperature was 60ºC for 60 minutes. The reduction of both Salmonella and E. faecium, along with changes in water activity, color, and residual hydrogen peroxide, were measured before, immediately after treatment and at 24 and 48 hours post-treatment. Results showed that E. faecium exhibited a significantly greater reduction (4.63 ± 0.55 log CFU/g) compared to Salmonella (2.94 ± 0.16 log CFU/g) (p < 0.05), making E. faecium unsuitable as …

Blueprints, Sara Alfieri

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

I am captivated by the relationship between ceramic vessels and architecturally-inspired structures. My goal is to create a variety of abstract compositions that are both visually stimulating and functionally engaging. Through the act of fitting, placing, and interacting with forms and surfaces, I explore the interplay between design, function, and accessibility. These interactions, in turn, invite a deeper exploration of how we navigate and experience space, both visually and physically.

The structures in my work serve as both tangible and conceptual support systems for my ceramic vessels. While the vessels can exist independently, their connection with the structures is revealing. …

For The Birds, Charlotte L. Middleton

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

For the Birds is a homogenous material exhibition of porcelain pottery that explores the relationships between, expectations of, and roles placed upon women and pottery. Using traditional craft processes, still life imagery, and the language and limits of porcelain, I create arrangements that expose the viewers assumptions of both subjects. Pottery- pitchers, cups, and vases—is a product of anthropocentrism and anthropomorphism and can be entirely taken for granted- their role is assumed and unquestionable—to serve. The language and expectations of these objects are the medium I build with.

The title of the show, For the Birds, is both a …

Everyday Storytelling: The Function, Meaning, And Impact Of College Student's Storytelling And Storylistening, Sophie K. Richards

Department of Communication Studies: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The current study investigated the stories that 102 college students heard and told through the course of a 1-day diary study with surveys administered at four timepoints. Investigated through the perspective of the small story framework (Bamberg & Georgakopoulou, 2008), everyday talk (Goldsmith & Baxter, 1996) and Communicated Narrative Sense-Making (CNSM) theory (Koenig Kellas, 2022), participants reported about the stories that they heard and told throughout their day, as well as completed self-report measures of well-being. The study aimed to understand the characteristics of everyday stories, the functions they serve, the meanings they hold, and their impact on well-being. Participants …

Dental Disparities: An Analysis Of Dental Caries Risk Factors Promoting Disparities Between Rural And Urban Communities In Nebraska, Nick Lounsbery

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

The prevalence of dental caries in the United States remains a public health concern, as it is one of the most common chronic conditions across people of all ages. Research shows that preventative measures including brushing, fluoridated water, and regular checkups are effective strategies to mitigate tooth decay. However, there appears to be a divide between rural and urban populations, as the presence of dental cavities is significantly greater in remote areas in the State of Nebraska. Research methods used in this analysis included analyzing accredited academic literature to illustrate how cavities form from a biochemical perspective. Research methods also …

Journal Of The National Collegiate Honors Council (Spring/Summer 2025) 26(1): Whole Issue

Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council Online Archive

Contents

Editorial Policy, Deadlines, and Submission Guidelines

Editor’s Introduction, Amy Mecklenburg-Faenger

Forum Essays on “AI in Honors”

Navigating Generative AI in Honors, Anne Dotter and Victoria M. Bryan

AI Responsibilization: Shifting the Burden of Academic Integrity, Daniel A. Cryer

Pull Up a Chair, Deep Blue: AI in Honors Education, Betsy Greenleaf Yarrison

Teaching AI Literacy Through Science Studies, Rhetoric, and Ethical Reasoning, Michael J. Klein and Philip L. Frana

News From the Front: How to Win the AI War, Christine Haverington

Harnessing the Power of AI in Honors: Equipping Students to Leverage Tools Effectively, Lindsey Roberts and Jesse Roberts

Another …

Navigating Generative Ai In Honors, Anne Dotter, Victoria M. Bryan

Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council Online Archive

Considering the historical significance and pedagogical impact of educational technologies on teaching and learning in higher education, authors suggest that generative artificial intelligence creates more questions than solutions for honors practitioners. What might meaningful AI literacy look like throughout a multidisciplinary honors curriculum? To what extent will generative AI level educational inequities, or create new ones? If policing AI misuse is ultimately a losing battle, how might this understanding reshape assignment design, assessment practices, and even our definitions of academic dishonesty? Drawing on examples in current teaching practice, authors observe the two sides of generative AI—one holding powerful possibilities for …

Editor's Introduction, Amy Mecklenburg-Faenger

Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council Online Archive

Editorial for Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council (2025) 26(1), special issue on Forum on AI and Honors.

Ai Responsibilization: Shifting The Burden Of Academic Integrity, Daniel A. Cryer

Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council Online Archive

Because AI text generators like ChatGPT give students unprece-dented power to outsource their work, concerns about academic integrity are escalating among instructors. This essay suggests that the proliferation of generative artificial intelligence in teaching and learning dramatically shifts the burden of academic integrity, typically shared between teachers and students, onto students. The concept of responsibilization, a defining feature of neoliberal societies in which individuals become responsible for costs and tasks once shouldered collectively, is a useful lens through which to view this new reality. Rather than policing students’ work, educators should recognize the new responsibilities conferred onto students by learning …

Pull Up A Chair, Deep Blue: Ai In Honors Education, Betsy Greenleaf Yarrison

Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council Online Archive

Generative AI is the latest in a succession of technologies that allow us to do with machines what we used to have to do by hand. This essay argues that the elements of teaching in honors that can be automated probably should be and that it is the role of honors faculty to teach students how to distinguish superior thought from mediocre thought, good questions from great ones, and solid supporting evidence from weak or biased counterparts. Large learning models (LLMs) only collate what is already known and cannot teach thinking. As an information delivery system, AI can narrow the …

Teaching Ai Literacy Through Science Studies, Rhetoric, And Ethical Reasoning, Michael J. Klein, Philip L. Frana

Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council Online Archive

Building on the idea of productive troublemaking, this essay presents a team-taught interdisciplinary honors course that integrates science and technology studies, rhetorical analysis, ethical reasoning, and artificial intelligence policy. Rather than framing AI as a threat, this course invites honors students to experiment with AI technologies and develop competencies by analyzing AI as a social and subjectivity-shaping phenomenon—writing policy briefs, producing rhetorical analyses of science fiction, and completing self-paced AI literacy modules. Honors education is uniquely positioned to model responsible and human-centered uses of intelligent systems, thereby cultivating graduates who can both use and critically interrogate the AI tools that …

News From The Front: How To Win The Ai War, Christine Haverington

Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council Online Archive

While artificial intelligence is currently and justifiably a hot topic among scholars and university administrators, students are way ahead of the curve in terms of its use and application. Calling for educators to stop trying to catch AI “cheaters,” this essay provides evidence from honors and other classroom observations, student research on peer and faculty usage and attitudes, course evaluations, and external sources to demonstrate how and why generative AI can be creatively and effectively incorporated into teaching. Toward this end, practical pedagogical strategies are shared describing teaching modalities and innovative curricular design, avoiding the cognitive degradation of students, and …

Harnessing The Power Of Ai In Honors: Equipping Students To Leverage Tools Effectively, Lindsey Roberts, Jesse Roberts

Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council Online Archive

Rapid advancements of AI and its permeation across disciplines are driving its inclusion in higher education curricula in order to maximize graduate employability. AI education in honors must go beyond practical workplace readiness to include creative and critical engagement with the technology (e.g., understanding its conceptual foundations, domain-specific applications, and implications for ethics and governance). Without these essential components, the imparted knowledge of AI may age poorly and leave honors graduates ill-prepared to ethically and responsibly use artificial intelligence.

Another “Tone Test” Moment: Authenticity, Ai, And The Admission Essay, Peter Tschirhart

Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council Online Archive

Debates about “authenticity” are not new but cyclical, and insights from music history and performance studies can illuminate how we evaluate student work in an age of machine collaboration. At the turn of the twentieth century, Edison’s “tone tests” blurred the line between human and machine by staging performances in which audiences were challenged to distinguish live singers from phonographic recordings. These events inaugurated a century-long debate about authenticity in music, one that resonates strongly today as educators confront new challenges posed by large language models (LLMs). Drawing on Auslander’s (2023) account of liveness, authenticity in writing—like authenticity in music—can …

Honoring Intellectual Risk-Taking: A Dialogue, Julie Bowman, Alexis Teagarden

Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council Online Archive

Presented in the form of a Socratic dialogue, this piece considers what honors courses should strive to teach. Bowman, an experienced instructor of both non-honors and honors classes, notes that while universities’ honors colleges prize intellectual curiosity, her honors students might not. Teagarden, the other interlocutor and a writing program administrator, wonders whether curiosity is a sufficient end goal for honors or any teaching. The speakers turn to whether curiosity or courage is the more important virtue to instill, explore a classical difference between courage and audacity, and then discuss whether and how courage could be taught.

Understanding And Addressing Mental Health In Honors Programs, Gavin D. Hood, Katherine H. Tennis

Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council Online Archive

Evidence of psychological experiences unique to high-achieving students is examined, revealing prominent themes relating to student mental health including academic identity, perfectionism, imposter syndrome, burnout, and overcommitment. These themes are explored in the context of program feedback from honors students gathered through focus group meetings as part of the program review process. Strategies for reframing failure, normalizing self-care, fostering supportive community, and engaging in nonacademic self-exploration are included. The article closes with suggestions for programmatic interventions that directly address these concerns among high-achieving students. While most honors programs are not positioned to engage in clinical interventions, they can take small …

Connecting Classroom And Community: Building Ecosystems For Meaningful Alternative Breaks, Chelsea Redger-Marquardt, Jean A. Patterson

Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council Online Archive

This essay presents best practices in experiential learning via an alternative break program at a large public research university. In this interpretative qualitative study, authors analyze on-trip reflective blogs of students participating in an immersive alternative spring break program focused on food and shelter insecurity in Washington, D.C. (n = 11). A sensemaking/sensegiving theoretical framework is applied to explore the role of program partnering between student affairs (alternative break) and honors (coursework). Findings suggest that special care and attention be given when creating strong, direct-service experiences through reciprocal community partnerships, creating spaces for reflection during the immersive experience, and …

Generative Ai And The Honors Thesis: A Rhetorical Framework For Gai Policy, Pedagogy, And Equity, Sean Chadwick

Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council Online Archive

This article offers a rhetorical framework for understanding how honors students engage with the capstone thesis following the emergence of generative AI (GAI) tools. Author reviews the nature of the honors thesis and analyzes some rhetorical models for thinking about GAI and literacy before offering a heuristic framework identifying four interdependent skill categories—writing, social, executive, and subject matter—that shape students’ thesis work. Drawing on findings from an interview study, this framework clarifies how GAI tools interface with existing thesis practices and pain points, allowing honors practitioners to better articulate our values, evaluate use cases, and craft GAI-informed policy. As a …

Motivational Factors Influencing Honors Student Attrition: An Expectancy–Value Perspective, Nina Marijanović, Naomi Rowland, Morgan Flanagan, E. Myo Zin, Megan Bailey

Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council Online Archive

This study investigates the motivational factors underlying student withdrawal from an honors college using expectancy-value theory (EVT) as a guiding framework. Drawing on qualitative analysis of self-reported withdrawal forms (n = 1,110) collected between 2018 and 2023 at a midsize public university, authors identify the core drivers of attrition across three constructs of EVT: expectancy (belief in one’s ability to succeed), value (perceived benefits of participation), and cost (perceived burdens or tradeoffs). Findings indicate the most common motivations as value-related concerns, including misalignment with academic goals or career trajectories. Cost-related factors, such as workload demands, scheduling conflicts, and financial …

Journal Of The National Collegiate Honors Council (2025) 26(1): Front And Back Matter

Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council Online Archive

Front and back matter for the Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council (2025) 26(1).

Piecing Together The Past: Documenting The Philanthropic History Of Lincoln’S Arts And Culture, Audrey L. Ellis

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

This project explores the creation of a book chapter discussing the history of philanthropy in Lincoln, Nebraska, focusing on its impact on arts and culture. The chapter will be published in Fall 2025 by the Lincoln Community Foundation. By documenting philanthropy in the arts and culture spaces, this book and chapter hope to inspire further giving by showcasing the benefit that has been reaped through giving. Through research of public records and a series of interviews, this chapter examines Lincoln’s key donors and arts organizations from the mid-19th century to the present. This project explores the process and key takeaways …

The "Green Gals" Podcast And Website, Courtney Perkins

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Professional Projects

This is a series of three podcast episodes under the series name "Green Gals" with a companion website of the same name. Each episode focuses on a different aspect of sustainable living with the goal of providing valuable tools, tips and information that everyday people can use to integrate sustainability into their everyday lives. The episodes ("Reduce, Reuse... Recycle?"; "Food Waste" and "Composting 101") are hosted by myself and a co-host, discussing the topic along with pre-recorded interviews which I conducted with experts in the field. The material is presented in a casual, engaging manner, employing music intros, transitions and …

Addressing Agricultural Mulch Challenges In Specialty Crop Production, Caleb David Wehrbein

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

Agricultural mulches are an essential yield-boosting tool in modern specialty crop production that provide weed suppression, temperature modulation, and moisture conservation functions. Polyethylene plastic mulches are the most widely used agricultural mulch but are not sustainable given their pollutive effect on the environment and challenges associated with recycling. In order to move towards a more sustainable industry, plastic mulch use in agriculture should become more efficient or replaced with more environmentally friendly alternatives. Biodegradable mulches may be a suitable alternative to plastic mulch, but they are often less durable and prematurely degrade in field conditions. Considering this, my dissertation research …

Controlling The Narrative: How The United Daughters Of The Confederacy Shaped Collective Memory Through Romance Novels, Karie L. Cobb

Department of English: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

While existing scholarship on the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) reveals the immense influence the organization wielded in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, I assert that their legacy has had a broader and more insidious reach than previously believed. Through close analysis of two foundational romance novelists’ works published during the rapid escalation of the genre’s popularity, I contend that the rhetoric of the UDC shaped generations of Southerners as demonstrated through repetitions and parallels of the Lost Cause ideology found in UDC publications and sponsored materials within romance novels written by white Southern women who came of age …

A Comprehensive Catalog Of The Important Insects Found Within The Usa's National Parks, Raven Patrick

Department of Entomology: Distance Master of Science Projects

To fulfill the Masters in Entomology Masters Project requirement, I chose to focus on creating a list of the important insects found within the National Parks of the United States. Important insects, although subjective, was grouped into four categories for my project: Keystone Insect Species, Invasive Insect Species, Insect Species of Conservation Concern, and Culturally Significant Insect Species. Keystone insects include those that are important parts of ecosystems and who which without would cause a significant upset to the food web. Invasive insect species includes those that are introduced into parks accidentally, usually through anthropogenic means, and are causing ecological …

Leading And Collaborating In A Complex Space: Developing And Evaluating A Course Materials Program, Catherine Fraser Riehle, Melissa Gomis

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries: Faculty Publications

Librarians at a large public university describe ongoing efforts to develop a strategic, multi-pronged Libraries Course Materials Program to reduce course material costs for students. These efforts include the integration of course materials in the university’s learning management system in addition to offering course materials reviews, consultations, and grant opportunities for instructors. A pilot program in the College of Business provided a path for direct outreach to instructors as well as significant potential student cost savings and revealed challenges related to communication and recruitment. Authors share their approach to program evaluation for understanding and communicating impact and for estimating the …

The Overthrow Of Mohammad Mosaddegh: U.S. Motivations And Long-Term Consequences, Elizabeth Herbin

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

No abstract provided.

Understanding How Family Dynamics Affect Mental Health Communication In Inside Out: A Content Analysis, Kataryna Morton

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

This study examines the impact of open communication between family members on mental health and a child’s sense of belonging in the film Inside Out. Previous research has shown the impact of media on children’s socialization, which can influence stigma and make it less likely for vulnerable communication to occur. It is crucial for children to learn to communicate their emotions, and the media can play a key role in shaping these beliefs. Inside Out provides a positive example of mental health communication, which is specifically explored through Riley’s communication with her parents throughout the film. Using a content analysis, …

The Role Of Fear Of Deportation And Perceived Discrimination On Mental Health Outcomes And Service Utilization Among Hispanic Immigrant Nebraskan Women, Karen Rodriguez

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

The 2024 US elections stirred up the anti-immigration movement in the US, thus exacerbating the culture of fear around immigration among immigrant communities. Hispanic immigrant women in the US are an underserved and marginalized group that experiences health challenges associated with immigration. These challenges may be linked with fear of deportation and perceived discrimination. This project examined the role of fear of deportation and perceived discrimination on the service utilization and mental health outcomes of Hispanic immigrant Nebraskan women. The sample consists of a convenience sample of 111 Nebraskan immigrant Latinx women. Participants completed a series of questionnaires, including frequency …

Integrated Geophysical Modeling Of Newly Identified Pseudofaults Within Southern Cascadia Subduction Zone, Morgan R. Madsen

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

The Cascadia Subduction Zone, located off the western coast of North America, has a long history of seismic activity, causing various geohazards such as megathrust earthquakes and tsunamis for the coastal population (Goldfinger et al., 2000; Tréhu et al., 2022). It is necessary to identify areas of greater risk, as seismic hazards will continue to affect the area due to ongoing subduction of the oceanic Juan de Fuca plate beneath the North American continent. Heavily fractured, weakened zones of oceanic crust, known as propagator wakes and pseudofaults, have been shown to correlate with greater seismicity (Ashraf and Filina, 2023a). Propagator …