Digital Commons Network^™

Thematic Geo-Inquiry In Seventh Grade Geography, Rebekah Driscoll Austing

Theses and Dissertations

With the growth of globalization, geography is an important subject for students of the 21^st Century to understand. Being adept in geography will aid our future generations to be able to use geographic skills to answer complex world issues. Unfortunately, geography has been a long-neglected subject of social studies; often considered boring and not worthwhile with teachers using teacher-centered curriculum methods and memorization. A teacher’s job is to provide appropriate experiences, materials, and context for students to construct and connect knowledge that is useful and beneficial to them. Through a constructivist lens, inquiry-based thematic units can be used by …

Understanding The Through-Space Intermolecular Interactions Of Isothiourea Catalysts In Acylation/Silylation Reactions Of Secondary Alcohols, Ziyuan Gong

Theses and Dissertations

Through space interactions, including cation-π interaction, lone pair-πinteraction, steric hinderance etc. play a central role in organocatalytic reaction. They can control the reactivity or the selectivity of an organic reaction. Previous work in our group has already shown that the chiral isothiourea compounds can catalyze the acylation as well as silylation reaction of secondary alcohol with the possible cation-πinteraction between the catalyst and substrate. However, there is lack of study to understand how the delocalization of the positive charge would affect the reaction rate and whether some unexpected inter- or intramolecular interaction could help stabilize …

Economic Development On The Ground: Rural Development And The Distribution Economy, John David Rinehart

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the practice of economic development in the South Carolina at the county and regional level. Looking at the Interstate 95 corridor, this research examines economic development organizations in practice, using in-depth interviews with actors operating at different spatial scales. Specifically, I highlight the current ideology of development as it relates to the proliferation of warehousing and distribution in the state. I outline the ideologies of economic development professionals, including their spatial strategies and perceptions of ‘community’ as it relates to economic development goals.

My research demonstrates the extent to which rural areas have been left without the …

Mapping Fire Susceptibility Of The South Carolina Coastal Plain, Breonna Roden

Theses and Dissertations

Wildfires are a natural hazard that have occurred across the world, throughout time. Regions prone to wildfires have been experiencing changes in their fire regimes. Not only has the fire season length increased, but the fires themselves are increasing in frequency and intensity. Wildfire research has been limited for the state of South Carolina, raising concerns along with global warming and population growth. Global warming is likely to become more extreme, which can lead to droughts becoming more frequent and lasting for longer periods of time. According to the 2020 census, South Carolina was the 10th fastest-growing state, which is …

Racial Contestations Of Space: Rural Preservation And Black Municipal Development In The South Carolina Lowcountry, Sydney Elizabeth Potter Smith

Theses and Dissertations

As newcomers flock to the South Carolina Lowcountry and drive development, the region has generally implemented strategies to preserve what remains of the region’s iconic rural landscapes by restricting new development in places that are designated as “Rural Areas”. These multi-scaler growth management strategies are problematic because they frame rural preservation as benefiting the greater good and prescribe a universal solution to urban sprawl, regardless of the individual needs of rural communities. This naturalizes and perpetuates forms of racial inequality across the landscape. Simultaneously, there are alternative spatial practices that aim to improve the quality of life for rural residents …

The Effects Of Implementing A Mindfulness Program In Two Elementary School Math Classrooms, Sara Lilley

Theses and Dissertations

This action research study examined the effects of utilizing trauma-informed social-emotional learning (SEL) teaching practices in two elementary math classrooms located in a Title 1 public school in North Carolina. The classrooms consisted of one third-grade classroom with 18 students and one fifth-grade classroom with 22 students. These classrooms integrated 10 minutes of mindfulness practice which included direct instruction on calming strategies and breathing techniques. This study worked to help foster a learning environment that supported the academic and mental health needs of the student participants and looked at potential relationships between calming strategies and math assessment data. This study …

Narratives In Motion: The New Era Of Dam Building In East Africa, Andrew Nicholas Selassie Prado-Alipui

Theses and Dissertations

Narratives of energy insecurity, underdevelopment, and resource conflict influence how African hydropower projects are justified within the broader context of climate change and demands for sustainable development. The challenge of meeting energy demands provides the overarching motivation for ambitious large-scale hydropower projects in East Africa, especially in Tanzania and Ethiopia. As development projects, the Julius Nyerere Hydropower Project (JNHPP) and the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) can be understood as vehicles of political discourse, framed as the technopolitical solution to questions of national identity that both countries face in the midst of sociopolitical and economic transformation periods. This research shows …

Bridging The Gap Between Science And Technology: A Descriptive Study Identifying Factors Influencing 6-8th Grade Science Teachers’ Implementation Of Virtual Laboratory Simulations, Coral Nicole Hoesli

Theses and Dissertations

Teachers at a South Carolina middle school in the United States were not implementing virtual laboratory simulations at the same rate as other middle schools in the district. This descriptive research examined 6th-8th grade middle school science teacher perceptions and influencing factors behind the choice to implement virtual laboratory simulations. The study examined two research questions: (1) what are the personal and social factors influencing science teachers’ decisions to implement a virtual laboratory simulation, and (2) what are the structural factors influencing science teachers’ decisions to implement a virtual laboratory simulation?

The National Educational Technology Plan (NETP) and the International …

Dust And Metals In Distant Galaxies, Fatima Elkhatib

Theses and Dissertations

Interstellar dust causes reddening and dimming of light from background objects. To analyze how different the dust in distant galaxies is compared to dust in nearby galaxies, we look at multiple background quasars and try to fit their spectra with various models for known galaxies that have differing dust grain populations combined with a quasar spectrum template. Through fitting these models, we found that dust in most of the foreground galaxies we analyzed is similar to the SMC bar, a relatively thin area selected from the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). However, we note that all the objects we studied did …

Analysis And Derivation Of The Compressible Euler System With Nonlinear Velocity Alignment: An Investigation Into Collective Behavior, Mckenzie Meredith Black

Theses and Dissertations

Collective behavior refers to the observable patterns, actions, or movements that emerge within a group of entities, such as individuals, animals, or particles, when they interact with each other. In this study, we concentrate on the pressureless compressible Euler system, expanding it to incorporate a family of nonlinear velocity alignment. This extension represents a nonlinear iteration of the Euler-alignment system within collective dynamics, revealing intriguing asymptotic emergent phenomena such as alignment and flocking. Our investigation explores different types of nonlinearity and nonlocal communication protocols, unveiling a diverse spectrum of asymptotic behaviors within the system.

In focusing on the derivation, we …

Of Grave Importance: A Collaborative Approach To Archaeological Research On The Cooper River Cemetery, Daufuskie Island, South Carolina, Angelina Towery-Tomasura

Theses and Dissertations

Land dispossession and displacement is a challenge being faced by the Gullah community in Lowcountry South Carolina. Land dispossession due to a phenomenon known as coastal capitalism, or, the increased interest in coastal property, on Daufuskie Island served as an impetus for Miss Sallie Ann Robinson, a Gullah, Daufuskie native, to reach out to academic communities to assist in the preservation of spaces including cemeteries. This led to the ongoing collaborative archaeology project on the Cooper River Cemetery to record information about burials and investigate the presence of those without any headstone markers. The Cooper River Cemetery is one of …

Thermodynamic Study Of Ligand Coordination On Lead Halide Perovskite Quantum Dots, Bishal Adhikari

Theses and Dissertations

Inorganic lead halide perovskite (ILHP) has been extensively studied in thin films and bulk crystals as promising materials for their photovoltaic and optoelectronic properties. These are stable enough to be prepared as colloidal quantum dots that can be dispersed, deposited and used to achieve quantum confinement; however, selection of the suitable surface passivating ligand remains challenge for long term stability of the colloidal quantum dots. Several ligand coordination chemistries used to achieve greater stability or specific functions: these can be installed at time of synthesis in some cases they can also be installed to preexisting quantum dots by ligand exchange …

Assessing Relationships Between Water Quality, Precipitation, Land Cover And Stormwater Conveyance Type Across A Range Of Sub-Watersheds In The Southeastern Coastal Zone, Kevencia Sabine Gabriel Faton

Theses and Dissertations

The expansion of urban land use/cover along the coast may degrade water quality by introducing a plethora of pollutants and pathogens that negatively impact human and ecological health. It is hypothesized that anthropogenic contaminants associated with stormwater runoff increase with increasing urban density and vary with the timing and magnitude of rainfall. In this study, we examined land use/cover change and relationships between Escherichia coli (E. coli), turbidity, nutrients, and the timing and magnitude of rainfall in two different types of stormwater conveyances (ditches and ponds) within Murrells Inlet, SC during the summer of 2023. Our results indicate …

Integrated Coastal Science And Dune Management: A South Carolina Perspective, Michelle Harris

Theses and Dissertations

Historically, coastal dunes have been poorly understood from a societal perspective despite their protective role in attenuating incoming waves to reduce onshore flood risk. As developed coastlines promote strategies to design and maintain managed dune systems, it is necessary to ensure these strategies are optimized for dune health and resilience, particularly given the increasing threat of natural and anthropogenic stressors. This dissertation work aims to identify strategies that influence coastal dune management in South Carolina (SC), USA from an integrated approach, including a current use assessment, a mesoscale field-based study on strategy efficacy, and by incorporating a societal assessment and …

Keep Your Head Up: An Examination Of Out-Of-School Literacy Practices In An Intergenerational Family System, Johnnie D. Bryant-Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

The asset-based qualitative study used a phenomenological approach within a Community Cultural Wealth framework to question the practices of an intergenerational family system in the Southeastern United States. The study investigated the family system’s out-of-school literacy practices and the exposure to culturally relevant literature. The study revealed that an elder who actively participated in rearing school-aged children intentionally introduced culturally relevant literature. Similarly, the study revealed that the primary caregivers did engage their school-aged children in conversations related to social justice and introduced them to culturally relevant texts. However, a child's inquiry into the topic initiated primary caregivers’ introduction to …

Generation And Dimension For Derived Categories, Pat Lank

Theses and Dissertations

This work focuses on problems regarding derived categories arising in algebraic geometry and commutative algebra. There are six chapters regarding generation in the bounded derived category of coherent sheaves over a Noetherian scheme. The targeted topics involve explicitly identifying generators, proving existence results thereof, and producing estimates on Rouquier dimension.

The Benefits Of Authentic Learning In English Language Arts Classes, Karissa Marie Connors

Theses and Dissertations

In education, it is important that teaching and learning evolve alongside an ever-changing world. Educators must teach 21^st century skills such as inquiry, independence, flexible and persistent thinking, and student motivation and engagement to help students prepare for the real world after graduation. It is imperative that educators begin to challenge students to learn within class settings that offer opportunities for real-world learning, even if confined to the physical classroom setting. The purpose of this action research study was to examine the benefits of authentic learning opportunities in English Language Arts classrooms while exploring the need for teaching life-long …

The Effects Of Implementing A Project Based Learning Framework Into A 5th Grade Science Unit On Force And Motion In A Population Of Disadvantaged Students, Kristy Martin

Theses and Dissertations

Providing quality education that meets the needs of diverse populations and economically disadvantaged students is imperative in today’s educational environments. This research study investigates the effects of implementing a project-based learning (PBL) teaching approach as part of a fifth-grade science unit on force and motion. The implications on engagement, motivation, and student achievement on standardized tests were analyzed through a mixed-methods research approach. This study is grounded in the theoretical approaches of Constructivism and Social Interdependence Theory. Both concepts support PBL and explain the positive impacts noted by the research. The participants included 56 fifth-grade students, that were primarily African …

Image-Based Sexual Abuse Victimization: Causes, Consequences, And Seeking Justice, Albina Laskovtsov

Theses and Dissertations

As technological advances and innovative communication methods are integrated into everyday life, concerns over the misuse and abuse of such technologies has warranted further interrogation. The particular act of image-based sexual abuse (IBSA) or nonconsensual pornography, has garnered much media and academic attention. IBSA is understood as the creation, dissemination, and/or threatening to create or disseminate illicit sexual images or videos of someone without their explicit consent. This three-article dissertation employs a three-fold approach in exploring the phenomenon of IBSA.

First, it applies a cyber theory of victimization, routine activity theory (RAT), in order to assess the risk of and …

New Deep Learning Approaches To Classical Statistical Problems, Shijie Wang

Theses and Dissertations

The field of deep learning (DL) has received considerable attention in recent years. Thanks to rapid growth in computational power, the ability to collect massive datasets, and improvements in software and algorithms, DL is now routinely applied to areas as diverse as computer vision, natural language processing, and bioinformatics. At the same time, DL is only starting to be explored in the context of classical statistical inference problems such as bootstrapping, quantile regression, and mixture modeling. In this dissertation, we develop new DL methodology for three classical statistical problems: 1) weighted M-estimation, 2) joint quantile regression, and 3) mixing density …

Understanding The Instructional Decisions Of Middle-School Mathematics Teachers: Three Case Studies, Alissa Lockwood

Theses and Dissertations

This action research study aimed to explore how middle-school mathematics teachers make instructional decisions in the absence of a required curriculum. While the school site has an adopted textbook, many of the mathematics teachers view this resource as invaluable. Better understanding the decision-making process of mathematics teachers at the school site can provide critical information to better support the teachers. The research question that guided this action research was: How does it seem that middle-school mathematics teachers make instructional decisions? This sequential two-phase qualitative study examined decision-making from a 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th grade mathematics …

Who Am I As A Learner? The Effects Of A Self-Regulated Learning Intervention On Ninth Graders’ Academic Self-Concepts And Intrinsic Motivation, Kaitlyn Elizabeth Bailey

Theses and Dissertations

The transition from middle school to high school is a notoriously difficult one, and a student’s success in ninth grade is typically a predictor of future success in high school. Unfortunately, many ninth graders struggle to engage in school. Despite their capability to complete the work, these students appear unmotivated and simply disengaged from school. In this action research case study, three students had the opportunity to share their education stories and the experiences that have shaped their academic self-concepts. These students also participated in a self-regulated learning intervention to determine if students’ feelings of autonomy, competence, and relatedness could …

Out Of The Ashes: One Teacher's Journey Implementing A Blended Learning Intervention Integrating The Flipped Classroom Model And Student-Selected Independent Reading, Michael John Hockwater

Theses and Dissertations

Sixth-grade Academic Intervention Services (AIS) students at Wyndemere Middle School (WMS) in Western New York demonstrated a lack of engagement in AIS English Language Arts (ELA) class. In hopes of increasing their engagement, the teacher-researcher implemented a blended learning intervention that incorporated aspects of the flipped classroom model and student-selected texts. The results of this action research qualitative case study were promising, with many student participants expressing an increased sense of engagement and enjoyment of AIS ELA class.

Symmetries Of Del Pezzo Surfaces, Jonathan Smith

Theses and Dissertations

For each del Pezzo surface X of degree d, the action of the automorphism group Aut(X) on the exceptional curves of X induces a map ρ : Aut(X) → W(R_d), where W(R_d) is the Weyl group of a root system R_d dependent on the degree of X. The image of ρ is well defined up to conjugacy in W(R_d), so we say that a group G acts by automorphisms on a del Pezzo surface X of degree d if a representative of the …

Bayesian Joint Modeling Of Longitudinal Data And Interval-Censored Failure Time Data, Yuchen Mao

Theses and Dissertations

Longitudinal data are a collection of repeated observations of the same subjects at different points in time. Interval-censored data arise when the time to the event of interest for each subject is never exactly observed but known to fall between two consecutive points in time. Joint analysis of longitudinal data and interval-censored failure time data can lead to more accurate estimates compared to separate modeling when the correlation among events of interest or intracluster correlation is present. The aim of this dissertation is to develop efficient and reliable joint analyses of longitudinal and interval-censored failure time data using Bayesian methods. …

Building A Framework For Analyzing Non-Linear And Multidimensional Kinetics, Mainak Dhar

Theses and Dissertations

Many materials exhibit multiple rates of molecular relaxation due to structural complexities. Standard linear and one-dimensional kinetic cannot extract all the necessary dynamic information about these systems. This dissertation contributes to an overarching scheme to develop new non-linear and multidimensional kinetic experiments to obtain this information. The studies span computation and experiments, picosecond to second timescales, and both single-molecule and pulsed-laser kinetics

Single-molecule kinetics experiments yield time series that contain information about unique structural and dynamic properties of materials. However, these time series are noisy, and data analysis is challenging. Parametric methods are computationally intensive and require strong, unverifiable assumptions …

On Finite Groups With Essential Dimension 2 Over ℚ, Michael Huggins

Theses and Dissertations

We determine all finite subgroups of Aut(X) which have essential dimension 2 over ℚ, where X is a minimal Del Pezzo surface of degree at least 5. Additionally, finite groups with essential dimension 2 whose order is divisible only by the prime numbers 2 and 3 are classified with the exception of the groups dic ₁₂ , C₁₂, and Dih₂₄, whose essential dimensions remain unknown, but may possibly be equal to 2.

Expanding Tailored Nanomaterials With Precise Spatial And Morphological Control, Mengxue Zhang

Theses and Dissertations

Multicomponent nanocomposites with precise spatial control are important for diverse fields spanning from energy conversion to optoelectronics and catalysis. Traditional methods using hydrophilic interactions alone are limited to random mixtures when multiple nanoparticle (NP) types are combined. To improve capabilities, a new strategy for polymer micelle design combining orthogonal hydrophilic (H) and fluorophobic (F) interactions to independently control two distinct NP populations was developed.

Initial research aimed at understanding F-interaction adjustments, which further enabled the switchability of FNP distribution states (dispersion vs aggregation) within polymer films through immersion annealing. Next, dual-NP assembly was examined using a diblock poly (H-b-F) where …

Generalized Sierpiński Numbers And New Irreducibility Criteria On Legendre Polynomials, Robert Scottfield Groth

Theses and Dissertations

A Sierpiński number is an odd positive integer k such that k·2n +1 is composite for all n ∈ Z+. Similarly, a Riesel number is an odd positive integer k such that k · 2n − 1 is composite for all n ∈ Z+, and a Brier number is a number that is both Sierpiński and Riesel. In this dissertation, we consider a generalization of a Sierpiński number and establish their existence by showing, for every fixed A ≥ 2, there are infinitely many odd positive integers k such that the k · an + 1 is composite for every …

The Impact Of Equity Literacy In Understanding, Creating, And Sustaining An Equitable School Climate, Kristen M. Ewing

Theses and Dissertations

There is an extraordinary culturally and linguistically diverse student population in America today; however, there is an overwhelmingly homogenous representation in educators, being predominantly White, middle-class, female, and monolingual (Howard, 2020; Tanase, 2020). The racial disparity between educators and students has serious consequences for marginalized students leaving many students undereducated and unprepared to compete in the world today (Howard, 2020). hooks (1994) claimed that educators are poorly prepared to confront diversity and we must focus on diversity and inclusion if we want to be more equitable and close the achievement gap. This qualitative action research study was centered around the …