Digital Commons Network^™

Differentiated Learning In An Upper-Level Undergraduate Physics Theory Course, Christina Gurney

Master's Theses and Capstones

‘One-size-fits-all’ education aims to cater to the ‘average’ student, but the ‘average’ student does not exist. Students are individuals, each with a set of needs, abilities, preferences, and interests unique to them. A variety of instructional approaches should thus be used to differentiate students’ learning. This differentiation has been studied mostly for K-12. My study extends this research into an upper-level undergraduate physics theory course. For this phenomenographic pilot study, I interviewed ten students about the differentiated homework assignments in their upper-level undergraduate classical mechanics course at the University of New Hampshire. I performed an issue-focused analysis of the data, …

Sensor-Driven Machine Learning Framework For Rock Climbing Skill Assessment Using Climbing Core Ability And Contact Force Metrics, Blaise Xavier O'Mara

Master's Theses and Capstones

Rock climbers lack tools for skill assessment. Climbers ascend routes, each with varying difficulty (grade); as such, climber skill level is typically described as the highest grade recently climbed. But the subjectivity of rock climbing route difficulty grading presents complications with standardized skill assessment. Measures of climbing core abilities (power, strength, endurance, speed, control, and stability) through non-specific sport exercises and contact forces metrics present more objectivity in climber skill assessment. Presented in this study is a custom force sensor network instrumented in a bouldering route for recording contact force metrics. Twenty-four climbers, split into IRCRA Intermediate and Advanced skill …

A Geoacoustic Bayesian Inversion For Large Calibrated Singlebeam Echosounder And Ground Truth Datasets, Andrew Paul Niedbla

Master's Theses and Capstones

This thesis describes the development of a geoacoustic inversion technique to estimate seafloor sediment characteristics that is designed for use with existing fisheries survey single beam echosounder (SBES) datasets. The geoacoustic inversion technique consists of a forward model and inversion algorithm. The forward model is a high frequency, physics-based, near normal incidence acoustic backscatter model enhanced with a density depth gradient model and geoacoustic sediment regressions. The inversion algorithm is a parallel tempered Markov-chain Monte Carlo Bayesian inversion. The geoacoustic inversion produces posterior probability distributions for mean grain size, density, porosity, sound speed, seafloor roughness characterization, and sediment volume scattering …

Geotechnical Site Characterization Of Offshore Soils From Free Fall Penetrometer Testing For The Application Of Offshore Systems, Emma J. Dennis

Master's Theses and Capstones

As the offshore industry has expanded, innovative anchor systems need to be designed to meet the unique geotechnical engineering constraints presented by offshore sediments, as well as address the constraints presented by offshore industries such as renewable energies or aquaculture systems. For the design and application of successful anchor systems, a thorough understanding of the geotechnics and behaviors of offshore sediments is a necessity. Thus, geotechnical site characterization for proposed infrastructure locations is a vital first step through methods such as sample collection, laboratory analysis, and in-situ testing. Currently, there are often high costs associated with establishing the required soil …

Reducing Early-Age Concrete Cracking In Bridge Decks And Curbs Through Mix Design, Gabriel Geiersbach Guertin

Master's Theses and Capstones

Bridge curbs are an integral part of a bridge’s deck. However, an abnormal rate of early-age cracking has been noted by many state agencies, including New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NH DOT), on bridge decks and curbs across each state. A literature review was conducted to discover and develop actionable remediation techniques. Within this review, several different remediation techniques were found that could reduce early-age cracking. The subset of this field focusing on mix design remediations was chosen due to the broad applicability and replicability of the approach. When considering mix design, Internally Cured Concrete (ICC) was found to provide …

Pre-Production Plastic Pellets (Pppp) Virtual Webinar, Coastal Response Research Center

Coastal Response Research Center

The Coastal Response Research Center (CRRC) organized and facilitated a virtual webinar on “Pre-Production Plastic Pellets (PPPP)”. The webinar was held in collaboration with NOAA’s Office of Response & Restoration (OR&R) and a steering committee comprised of representatives from federal agencies and other stakeholders. It was held on June 3 & 4, 2025. This was the second program CRRC and OR&R conducted on PPPP. The first was an in-person workshop in 2023.

Specific Objectives:

1. Improve and enhance collaboration among responders and researchers for PPPP incidents;
2. Evaluate recent (since 2023 workshop) PPPP case studies for challenges and lessons learned;
3. Explore operational …

Low-Temperature Performance Evaluation Of Additive Modified Asphalt Mixtures, Adeniran Oluwatobiloba Coker

Master's Theses and Capstones

The incorporation of additives in asphalt mixtures is an innovative method of improving the performance of asphalt pavement and promoting economic and environmental sustainability in asphalt pavement construction and maintenance. However, the long-term performance of various additive-modified mixtures under different climatic and traffic conditions, as well as the aging effect of additives, is still being studied. The various types of additives and processes for incorporating additives into asphalt mixtures significantly impact the performance of asphalt pavements modified with additives. This study focused on the low-temperature cracking performance of various additives, including rubber, plastic, and aramid fibers, incorporated into asphalt mixtures …

“Lead”Ing Industrial Science: Studying Occupational Lead Poisoning In The Early 20th Century, Rebekah E. Dreyer-Rowe

Master's Theses and Capstones

Lead was essential to the creation and coalescence of industrial hygiene as a discipline in the United States from its early days in the 1910s through the 1930s when the first professional associations of industrial hygiene were formed. In the early years, Alice Hamilton was central to the burgeoning field, and her seminal study on lead poisoning in Illinois industries thrust both her and her methods into the spotlight. Industrial hygienists of her generation followed her methods and came away with similar conclusions: that occupational diseases were rampant in the US, even if few people were studying them. In the …

The Development Of A Meteorological Buoy For Measuring Turbulent Fluxes Along The Air-Sea Boundary Layer, Jane Maria Schwadron

Master's Theses and Capstones

The Air-Sea Flux Buoy (ASFB) is part of a larger effort implemented by the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) to characterize the dynamics of the marine atmospheric boundary layer (MABL). The ASFB samples the 3D wind velocities, air temperature, and water vapor to derive the air-sea eddy-covariance fluxes of momentum, heat, and humidity. The solar radiation, water temperature, rain intensity, barometric pressure, and water salinity are sampled to estimate the bulk-parameterized stability conditions. A GNSS inertial navigation system enables centimeter-scale motion correction and an onboard cellular modem provides real-time telemetry. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations, hydrostatic analysis, mooring simulations, and …

Analysis Of Nutrient Accumulation Within A Bioretention System, Amina Halim Nefic

Master's Theses and Capstones

Bioretention systems are widely used in stormwater management to mitigate nutrient pollution, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus. Over time, these systems undergo changes in nutrient retention efficiency due to organic matter accumulation and biogeochemical transformations. This study examines the distribution and long-term retention of total nitrogen (TN), total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), nitrate (NO3-), total phosphorus (TP), and orthophosphate (PO43-) within a 16-year-old bioretention system. A combination of k-means clustering and non-parametric statistical tests (Kruskal-Wallis and Wilcoxon rank-sum tests) were employed to analyze nutrient concentrations across different soil depths and media types. Results indicate that TN and TKN are concentrated in the …

Surprisingly Robust Photochemistry In Subarctic Particles During Winter: Evidence From Photooxidants, Laura M. D. Heinlein, Junwei He, Michael Oluwatoyin Sunday, Fangzhou Guo, James Campbell, Allison Moon, Sukriti Kapur, Ting Fang, Kasey Edwards, Meeta Cesler-Maloney, Alyssa J. Burns, Jack E. Dibb, William Simpson, Manabu Shiraiwa, Becky Alexander, Jingqiu Mao, James H. Flynn Iii, Jochen Stutz, Cort Anastasio

Faculty Publications

Subarctic cities notoriously experience severe winter pollution episodes with fine particle (PM2.5) concentrations above 35 µg m−3, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 24 h standard. While winter sources of primary particles in Fairbanks, Alaska, have been studied, the chemistry driving secondary particle formation is elusive. Biomass burning is a major source of wintertime primary particles, making the PM2.5 rich in light-absorbing brown carbon (BrC). When BrC absorbs sunlight, it produces photooxidants – reactive species potentially important for secondary sulfate and secondary organic aerosol formation – yet photooxidant measurements in high-latitude PM2.5 remain scarce. During the winter of 2022 Alaskan …

Office Of Research, Economic Engagement And Outreach Update, August 20, 2025, Office Of Research, Economic Engagement And Outreach

Office of Research, Economic Engagement and Outreach

No abstract provided.

A Meta-Analysis Of Historic Drinking Water Emergency Events Reported In News Articles, Victor Yu, Haiying Wang, Weiwei Mo

Faculty Publications

This study seeks to investigate historical drinking water contamination events that reported by news media to find the key determinants of their outcomes, including the duration and economic cost, and to quantitatively describe the characteristics of past contamination events. ProQuest Global Newsstream and Regional Business News were used to identify an initial list of events and supplemented by additional search on specific information including the response actions, economic cost, and more. These events were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and regression modeling. Smaller community water systems were found to be more frequently impacted by contamination events. Use restrictions, except …

Can The Government Control Hurricanes? New Survey Results On Conspiracies And Science, Lawrence C. Hamilton

Carsey Publications

In this brief, author Lawrence Hamilton explores the results of a nationwide 2025 survey that asked over 1,000 people whether they agreed with conspiratorial claims such as government control of hurricanes, flat Earth, or faked Moon landings. Mixed in with the conspiracy questions were others asking about agreement with basic scientific facts such as Earth orbiting the Sun. Nine to 38 percent agreed with the conspiracies whereas 40 to 75 percent agreed with the science; many others were unsure.

Generation and political identity both correlate with conspiracism. Gen X, Millennial, and Gen Z respondents more often agreed with conspiratorial statements; …

Office Of Research, Economic Engagement And Outreach Update, August 6, 2025, Office Of Research, Economic Engagement And Outreach

Office of Research, Economic Engagement and Outreach

No abstract provided.

Coding Manual: Analyzing Semistructured Interview Data For Master Narratives, Jayson Seaman, Cindy Hartman, Andrew D. Coppens

Faculty Publications

This coding manual accompanies a methodological reorientation in narrative identity research, one that challenges the field’s prevailing “protagonist bias” — the assumption that first-person autobiographical accounts are the primary or most valid source for identifying cultural master narratives as psychological resources. While much psychological research has centered on how individuals narrate their own lives, this approach can obscure the ways that broader cultural narratives are circulated, reinforced, and contested through discourse beyond the self. This method provides researchers with a systematic approach for identifying how master narratives operate across multiple narrative levels, often outside of biographical storytelling.

Assessing Effectiveness Of Runnel Restoration In New England Salt Marsh Habitats, David M. Burdick, Grant Mckown, Gregg Moore, Jenny Gibson, Wenley Ferguson, John Herbert, Nancy Pau, Susan Adamowicz, Geoff Wilson

Faculty Publications

Rising sea levels that increase flooding in salt marshes recovering from hydrologic impairments is reducing nesting habitat for salt marsh sparrows. Abandonment of colonial farming practices (1600s through 1900s) has resulted in large, waterlogged basins characterized by shallow depressions (pannes) dominated by short-form Spartina alterniflora and unvegetated megapools that are subsiding. A relatively new technique designed to provide regular tidal flooding and drainage to the waterlogged basins that have formed on the marsh is runnelling – creation of shallow hydrologic features on the marsh surface. Will runnels result in revegetation of pannes and pools with productive perennial grasses that are …

2025 Deerfield Fair 4-H Building Project Premium Book, Extension

UNH Cooperative Extension

No abstract provided.

Town Of Derry Annual Report Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2025, Derry Town Representatives

Derry, NH Annual Reports

This is an annual report containing vital statistics for a town/city in the state of New Hampshire.

Town Of Lee, New Hampshire Annual Town Report June 30, 2025, Lee Town Representatives

Lee, NH Annual Reports

This is an annual report containing vital statistics for a town/city in the state of New Hampshire.

Town Of New Castle, N.H. Annual Report - 2025 Fiscal Year: July 1, 2024 To June 30, 2025, New Castle Town Representatives

New Castle, NH Annual Reports

This is an annual report containing vital statistics for a town/city in the state of New Hampshire.

City Of Concord, Fy 2025 Annual Report, Concord Town Representatives

Concord, NH Annual Reports

This is an annual report containing vital statistics for a town/city in the state of New Hampshire.

Annual Report Hudson, New Hampshire For Year Ending June 30, 2025, Hudson Town Representatives

Hudson, NH Annual Reports

This is an annual report containing vital statistics for a town/city in the state of New Hampshire.

Annual Report For The Town Of Hebron, New Hampshire For The Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2025 And 2026 Town Meeting, Hebron Town Representatives

Hebron, NH Annual Reports

This is an annual report containing vital statistics for a town/city in the state of New Hampshire.

Town Of Hanover, New Hampshire Annual Report For The Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2025 And 2026 Town Meeting, Hanover Town Representatives

Hanover, NH Annual Reports

This is an annual report containing vital statistics for a town/city in the state of New Hampshire.

Town Of Chester, New Hampshire Annual Reports Of The Town Officers, Boards, Commissions, Committees, And Other Agencies For Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2025, Chester Town Representatives

Chester, NH Annual Reports

This is an annual report containing vital statistics for a town/city in the state of New Hampshire.

Annual Report City Of Nashua, New Hampshire For The Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 2025, Nashua Town Representatives

Nashua, NH Annual Reports

This is an annual report containing vital statistics for a town/city in the state of New Hampshire.

Revisiting Nba V. Motorola In The Big Data Era, Laura Daly

UNH Sports Law Review

No abstract provided.

University Of New Hampshire Dean's List, Registrar's Office

Media Relations

No abstract provided.

Elephant, The Zone Of Interest, And Naturalism, Alex Porter

Comm-entary

No abstract provided.