Digital Commons Network^™

Analyzing Various Weather Risks For Florida’S Most Vulnerable Populations, Ethan Palmisano, Brooke Page, Cassandra O’Connor, Jennifer Collins

Weather, Climate, and Society REU

• Past research found that certain groups are particularly vulnerable to weather events, such as mobile home residents (Rumbach et al. 2020) or non-English speakers (Trujillo-Falcón et al. 2022).
• Florida receives numerous types of life-threatening weather, including tropical cyclones and tornadoes (Storm Prediction Center).
• This research focuses on identifying where the greatest weather risk exists in Florida, focusing on Florida’s most vulnerable populations.

Addressing Misinformation During Severe Weather Events: Insights From Emergency Managers In Florida, Sam Minard, Cassandra O’Connor, Brooke Page, Jennifer Collins

Weather, Climate, and Society REU

• Accurate, timely information is critical for public safety during severe weather events like hurricanes and tornadoes.
• Misinformation can spread quickly and cause panic, confusion, or lead to dangerous complacency, a serious challenge for Gulf states like Florida (Cheong & Babcock, 2021).
• Emergency managers (EMs) play a vital but understudied role in addressing severe weather misinformation (Ross et al., 2024).
• Despite their authority and growing reliance on social media, little is known about how EMs tackle misinformation or the challenges they face (Torpan et al., 2021).
• This study examines how Florida EMs manage misinformation, the barriers they encounter, and the resources …

From Silos To Synergy: Improving Healthcare And Disaster Relief Coordination After Hurricanes Helene And Milton, Ann Dai, Jude Ogden, Ariana S. Albaladejo-Barreto, Ratna Dougherty, Elizabeth A. Dunn

Weather, Climate, and Society REU

• In 2024, Hurricanes Helene and Milton forced the evacuation of 53 healthcare facilities and triggered deployment of ~3,000 rescue personnel in Hillsborough County.
• Disaster relief organizations provided shelter, meals, and other resources to ~20,000 affected residents.
• Post-hurricane reports call for more horizontal coordination between different types of local organizations.
• Collaborative governance can help vulnerable populations achieve sustainable development goals post-disaster.

Information Sources And Government Trust Regarding Evacuation Decisions For Hurricanes Helene And Milton, Ayden Carver, Brooke Page, Cassandra O’Connor, Jennifer Collins

Weather, Climate, and Society REU

• Hurricanes Helene and Milton (2024) were powerful Category 4 & 5 storms that brought severe storms, surge and tornadoes to the state of Florida, resulting in over $113 billion in damages (Hurricane Costs, n.d.).
• Effective communication by official sources is key during weather events to protect the public and to maintain trust in government agencies, as well as to ensure accurate understanding of risk by all.
• Social media has become a dominant platform for communication, yet many government agencies have not properly adapted to using it (Torres et al., 2023).
• Understanding sources people use to make evacuation decisions can …

Heat Exposure And Respiratory Illness In Orange County, Florida: Exploring Environmental Health Patterns, Vivika Arocho, Christopher Bernabe, Makayla Devalia, Destiny Perez, Robin Ersing, Beverly G. Ward

Weather, Climate, and Society REU

The rising temperatures over time have led to more frequent extreme heat days in Florida. Extreme heat exposure has been linked to worsening respiratory illnesses such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). These effects are more severe in vulnerable groups with pre-existing respiratory disorders, who may have heat-induced asthma attacks or worsened COPD symptoms. This study looks at the relationship between increased heat exposure and the occurrence of respiratory illnesses in Orange County, Florida, to see how rising temperatures affect the community. Public weather communicators in Orlando, Florida suggested the strategic messaging to raise awareness about heat-related health …

Navigating Energy Transition: Eu’S Lessons In The Wake Of The Russia-Ukraine Conflict, Sharmistha Hazra, Pramod Kumar

Journal of Strategic Security

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 disrupted the European Union’s energy landscape, exposing its heavy reliance on Russian fuels. The ongoing crisis prompted a shift in the EU’s policy, accelerating efforts toward energy self-sufficiency and diversification of energy sources. The REPowerEU Plan, launched in March 2022, aimed to reduce Russian dependence by boosting renewables, enhancing energy efficiency, and diversifying suppliers, including Norway, the U.S., and Qatar. Despite progress in reducing gas demand and increasing wind and solar capacity, challenges such as slow policy implementation, internal divisions, and continued Russian energy imports remain significant concerns. Geopolitical tensions and reliance on …

Sea Denial: The Ukrainian Case Study And The Future Of Naval Warfare, Jithin Raveendran

Journal of Strategic Security

This article examines Ukraine’s maritime campaign in the Black Sea as a contemporary case study in sea denial against a conventionally superior navy. Despite lacking a blue-water fleet, Ukraine effectively contested Russia’s naval dominance through an integrated use of land-based anti-ship missiles, unmanned surface vehicles, special operations, and real-time intelligence—including support from Western ISR assets. High-profile incidents such as the sinking of the Moskva and sustained strikes on Sevastopol illustrate how denial can be achieved without parity in platforms or tonnage, reaffirming and extending insights from theorists such as Milan Vego, Ian Speller, and Sam Tangredi. While Ukraine’s methods build …

Teaching Agroecology Through Play: A Board Game On Companion Planting Using Agroecological Principles, Ashmita Das, Julie Capito-Hernandez, Estelí Jiménez-Soto

School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications

Board games themed around environmental topics are promising tools for promoting awareness of complex sustainability issues, as the materiality, sociality, and multidimensionality of gameplay can help overcome some of the inherent limitations of more traditional learning formats. To explore the potential relevance of board games for communicating about agrifood system topics in particular, we designed and tested a game called Companion: An Agroecological Adventure, in which players take on the role of community gardeners who must apply both social and ecological principles of agroecology to cultivate a thriving garden plot. In this paper, we present the results of a study …

Food Sovereignty Among Migrant Farmworkers: The Role Of Agrobiodiversity For Autonomy And Resistance In A Mexican Coffee Plantation, Estelí Jiménez-Soto, Sanya Cowal, April Lopez

School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications

Coffee agroecosystems represent the economic base for thousands of small growers and agricultural workers, as well as a significant proportion of many regional economies in Latin America. Every year, the production of coffee in this region attracts a great number of laborers and their families, particularly during the harvest season. Despite being essential workers in the food system, agricultural workers continue to be one of the most marginalized actors in the coffee production chain. Even with an environment of precarity, agricultural workers exercise their autonomy and food sovereignty—the process by which agricultural workers, in this case, define their food system …

Valuing Nature-Based Solutions: Caye Caulker, Belize (Report No. 11), J. M.S. Delevaux, C. Dario, N. Batista, J. Olaya-Restrepo, D. Mcdougall, M. Vernon, C. Gibson, M. Lee Hing, M. Requena

Strong Coasts Collection

On October 25th 2025, 89 persons, including 78 residents from 11 communities, 11 representatives from 9 organizations, gathered in Placencia for a collaborative workshop aimed at sharing results on co- benefits and values from priority areas for Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) pertaining to mangroves and coral reefs, particularly mapping and valuing mangroves NbS, resident perceptions toward mangroves on private property, and coral reef NbS fisheries supply chains. We also gathered input from the community to identify management options for coral NbS based on criteria previously identified from workshops (such as coral health, tourism and recreational fisheries hotspots, and social-culturally important areas). …

All Posters, Zion Digital Poster Collection (Fldos), Kaleigh Hoyt

Zion Cemetery Digital Poster Collection

A memorial poster set made to illustrate the lives of individuals buried in Zion Cemetery in Tampa, Florida.

Zion Cemetery Digital Poster Collection produced by Kaleigh Hoyt as part of the USF LHI African American Burial Grounds Oral History Project (FLDOS grant).

Quantum-Resilient Architectures For Enterprise And Cloud Information Systems, Implications Of Quantum Computing For Enterprise Cybersecurity And Data Integrity, Manikantha Varaprasad Inakollu

Computer Science and Engineering Faculty Publications

The emergence of quantum computing presents unprecedented challenges to contemporary enterprise cybersecurity frameworks. Current cryptographic systems that protect sensitive data and secure communications will become vulnerable to quantum attacks within the next decade. This research examines the implications of quantum computing advancement for enterprise and cloud information systems, proposing quantum-resilient architectural frameworks that can withstand both classical and quantum threats. We analyze the timeline of quantum computing development, assess vulnerabilities in existing enterprise security infrastructures, and evaluate post-quantum cryptographic approaches suitable for organizational implementation. Through comparative analysis of quantum-resistant algorithms and architectural patterns, this study demonstrates that enterprises must begin …

Blockchain-Enabled Trust Frameworks For Enterprise Information Systems, Establishing Verifiable Trust In Distributed Organizational Environments, Manikantha Varaprasad Inakollu

Computer Science and Engineering Faculty Publications

Enterprise information systems increasingly operate in distributed environments where traditional trust mechanisms based on centralized authority prove insufficient. This research develops a comprehensive blockchain-enabled trust framework that establishes verifiable, decentralized trust mechanisms for enterprise systems operating across organizational boundaries. The study addresses critical gaps in current enterprise architectures where trust depends on centralized intermediaries, creating single points of failure and limiting inter-organizational collaboration. Through examination of existing trust models and blockchain capabilities, we propose an integrated framework that combines cryptographic verification, distributed consensus, and smart contract automation to establish trust without centralized control. Our framework enables organizations to verify data …

The Evolving Landscape Of European Security: An Assessment Of Nato’S Posture And Deterrence Strategies In Response To The Russia-Ukraine War, Goddy U. Osimen, Oluwakemi Fulani, Nesochi Mogbolu

Journal of Strategic Security

The Russia-Ukraine War has reshaped Europe’s security landscape, leading to NATO’s most significant transformation since the Cold War. This study explores how the conflict has prompted NATO to realign its deterrence and defence strategies in response to Russia’s violations of international norms and changing battlefield dynamics. Employing a qualitative analysis of academic literature, official documents and credible reports, this study argues that NATO has shifted from assurance to a more assertive deterrence approach, enhancing its forward presence, increasing defence spending, and adopting effective new technologies. Key findings reveal important lessons about modern warfare, particularly the roles of artillery, unmanned systems, …

Has Russian Electronic Warfare Underperformed In The Ukrainian Conflict?, Guillem Colom Piella, Cristina Marzal Ruano

Journal of Strategic Security

In what has been referred to as a “War of Drones”, the ongoing Ukrainian conflict has contributed to shed light on electronic warfare as a key capability in modern military operations. The capacity to trace, deny, detect and collect intelligence from enemy communications has become a crucial asset as combat systems become highly interconnected and small, commercial drones storm in as strong alternatives to traditional, more expensive and less versatile unmanned systems. In this regard, much has been discussed about whether Russia, a perceivably dominant EW power, lived up to expectations regarding its performance in the electromagnetic domain. Through the …

Millions Of Tons, Billions In Dollars: Unexploded Ordnance In Ukraine, Russell Glenn

Journal of Strategic Security

Mines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) in Ukraine had killed over 400 civilians and wounded nearly 1,000 more as 2024 approached its final weeks. Late 2023 estimates pegged the cost of neutralization at $37 billion. Addressing the lingering dangers posed by mines, artillery and tank rounds in abandoned depots, dud missiles and rockets, and the occasional unexploded drone munition presents Kyiv with one of its most difficult and costly recovery challenges. Problems include identifying which areas are, in fact, contaminated and the extent of the hazard, measuring and maximizing the effectiveness of decontamination rather than merely gauging the effort expended on …

Russian Resilience: Sanction Elusion Mechanisms Utilized During The Russo-Ukrainian War, Ivan Siffredi Santa Ana

Journal of Strategic Security

Since the 2022 invasion, the United States and the European Union have imposed a wide range of sanctions, including those directed to Russia’s financial industry, central bank, and hydrocarbon exports, among many others. Even though these restrictive measures implied a severe hindrance for the Russian State apparatus, it has been able to sustain both its economic resilience and its war effort in Ukraine. The present article aims to identify and analyze the economic and logistical mechanisms that allowed Russia to elude Western sanctions and sustain its abovementioned dimensions. In this sense, the reach of support of the strategic relations will …

Legal Framework For Counterintelligence Activities In Ukraine, Viktor Tyshchuk

Journal of Strategic Security

The legal framework governing counterintelligence activities in Ukraine is one of the key elements in ensuring national security and protecting state interests, particularly in the context of modern challenges, as this article analyzes the current legislation and normative acts regulating the activities of counterintelligence agencies while evaluating their impact on the effectiveness of combating potential threats; a notable aspect is the change in the criminogenic situation, specifically the increase in crimes against the foundations of national security in 2022, which coincided with the onset of a full-scale invasion and significantly affected the investigative process due to difficulties associated with martial …

Brutal Catalyst: What Ukraine’S Cities Tell Us About Recovery From War. By Russell W. Glenn. Boulder, Colorado: Keypoint Press, 2024., Daniel Weisz Argomedo Phd

Journal of Strategic Security

No abstract provided.

Assessing The Impacts, Risks, And Vulnerabilities Of Extreme Heat In Learning Environments Of Puerto Rico In 2023, Pablo Méndez-Lázaro, Laura T. Cabrera-Rivera, Digna T. Rueda-Roa, Frank E. Muller-Karger, Manuel Heredia Morales, Monica V. Sanchez-Sepúlveda, Ernesto Rodríguez, Odalys Martínez, Ernesto Morales, Patricia Chardon-Maldonado, Wanda I. Crespo-Acevedo, Sarah Molinari, Masoud Ghandehari, Jorge E. Gonzalez-Cruz

Marine Science Faculty Publications

Introduction

Puerto Rico is experiencing anomalous heat episodes. The year 2023 was marked by unprecedented extreme heat events with negative impacts in Puerto Rico’s learning environments. This study aimed to understand the context, barriers, knowledge, risks, vulnerabilities, perceptions, employees’ profiles, attitudes, and symptoms related to extreme heat in learning environments.

Materials and Methods

We employed a mixed-methods approach combining: (1) Earth Observation Data and geospatial analysis, (2) an online survey for teachers, administrative staff, and other school employees from diverse educational settings and levels and (3) a series of participatory activities with stakeholders, practitioners and decision makers that led to …

Dissolved Organic Carbon In Coastal Waters: Global Patterns, Stocks And Environmental Physical Controls, Christian Lønborg, Isabel Fuentes-Santos, Cátia Carreira, Valentina Amaral, Javier Arístegui, Punyasloke Bhadury, Mariana Bernardi Bif, Maria Ll. Calleja, Qi Chen, Luiz C. Cotovicz, Stefano Cozzi, Bradley D. Eyre, E. Elena García-Martín, Michele Giani, Rafael Gonçalves-Araujo, Renee Gruber, Dennis A. Hansell, Johnna M. Holding, William Hunter, J. Severino Ibánhez, Valeria Ibello, Piotr Kowalczuk, Federica Maggioni, Paolo Magni, Patrick Martin, S. Leigh Mccallister, Xosé Anxelu Morán, Joanne M. Oakes, Helena Osterholz, Hyekyung Park, Digna Rueda-Roa, Jiang Shan, Eva Teira, Nicholas Ward, Youhei Yamashita, Liyang Yang, Qiang Zheng, Xosé Antón Álvarez-Salgado

Marine Science Faculty Publications

Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in coastal waters is integral to biogeochemical cycling, but global and regional drivers of DOC are still uncertain. In this study we explored spatial and temporal differences in DOC concentrations and stocks across the global coastal ocean, and how these relate to temperature and salinity. We estimated a global median coastal DOC stock of 3.15 Pg C (interquartile range (IQR) = 0.85 Pg C), with median DOC concentrations being 2.2 times higher than in open ocean surface waters. Globally and seasonally, salinity was the main driver of DOC with concentrations correlated negatively with salinity, without a …

Fewer Wetlands, More Drainage: Forensic Mapping Of Wetland Loss And Drainage Alteration Illustrates The Hydrological Transformation Of Coastal Watersheds, Kai C. Rains, Seanacy A. Lawlor, Edgar J. Guerron-Orejuela, Shawn M. Landry, W J. Kleindl, Mark C. Rains

School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications

Land use-land cover (LULC) change is widely implicated in coastal water quality degradation, but we often lack understanding of how LULC change has varied spatiotemporally because so much change occurred before the advent of modern mapping. In this study, we overcome this challenge by using forensic mapping techniques of LULC change over the past 175 years in coastal watersheds on the Atlantic Coast of Florida, USA. We benchmark historical mapping products to modern mapping standards using historical products. These include maps and notes from the Public Land Survey System, military campaigns, and navigation surveys from the nineteenth century, and aerial …

Information Research At 30: Its Role As A Diamond Open Access Journal Supporting Scholarly Communication In Library And Information Science, Jungwon Yoon, James E. Andrews, Eunkyung Chung

School of Information Faculty Publications

Introduction. This paper examines the contributions of Information Research as a diamond open access (OA) journal within the library and information science field.

Method. The dataset was extracted from the Web of Science Core Collection.

Results. The journal’s commitment to geographical diversity, its sustained journal impact and its role as a scholar-led publisher were revealed.

Conclusion(s). The journal demonstrates the potential of diamond open access publishing while maintaining high impact and visibility.

Artificial Intelligence In Warfare: The Case Of The Russia-Ukraine War, Baurzhan Rakhmetov, Kamila Murzagulova

Journal of Strategic Security

The last decade has marked the rise and integration of artificial intelligence (AI) across various spheres. Nowadays, militaries worldwide apply AI to optimize and revolutionize warfighting tactics. The war in Ukraine has shown how AI-driven technologies enhance traditional military equipment, such as by automating drone take-off, landing, and even targeting. Moreover, AI has begun to play a crucial role in information warfare, enabling both sides to manipulate public opinion, destabilize adversaries, and mislead populations, but also counter disinformation. This qualitative study analyzes the approach to AI integration in information and kinetic warfare by both sides of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, forecasts …

Energy Weaponization In The Ukraine–Russia War: Sanctions, Rerouting Flows, And Implications For Smaller States, Aysel Quliyeva

Journal of Strategic Security

The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine intensified the use of energy as a geopolitical weapon, transforming global energy markets and testing the resilience of states dependent on Russian oil and gas. This study examines the mechanisms of energy weaponization in the context of the Ukraine-Russia war, with particular emphasis on sanctions, the rerouting of energy flows, and the strategic implications for smaller states. Drawing on the theoretical frameworks of energy security, hybrid warfare, and small-state vulnerability, the paper integrates policy analysis with trade and price data from 2014 to 2024. The findings reveal that sanctions accelerated Russia’s eastward energy pivot, …

Identity-Based Autonomy And Its Impact On Connections With Identity-Linked Products And Brands, Keri L. Kettle, Carter Morgan, Americus Reed Ii

School of Marketing and Innovation Faculty Publications

We introduce a new characteristic of identity into the identity-based consumer behavior literature called identity-based autonomy: the autonomy (i.e., freedom from others' influence) versus heteronomy (i.e., real or perceived external influence) that people feel when enacting an identity. This new dimension thus captures how consumers enact a salient identity in an identity-relevant context. We create a new measure of identity-based autonomy to capture how this dimension varies across identities. We show that autonomous identities foster a greater sense of control over when, where, and how one uses identity-linked products. As a result, we demonstrate that people feel stronger connections …

No One Lives In The Future: Family Dynamics And Environmental Discourse, Morgan Vanek

ABO: Interactive Journal for Women in the Arts, 1640–1830

In the context of catastrophic climate change, the optimism that underpins our economic models for calculating the future cost of present risks has become both untenable and dangerous. Nonetheless, even writing urgently concerned with these risks continues to invoke a version of the Child as a figure of futurity that appears to naturalize both this optimism and our present inaction. In this essay, I argue that we might find another path forward by looking back to the eighteenth-century stories that seem to demonstrate a similar preoccupation with children in danger. Taking Hogarth’s A Harlot’s Progress as a representative example, I …

Reading As Lesbian, Reading As Trans* And Thinking Intergenerationally, Katherine Binhammer

ABO: Interactive Journal for Women in the Arts, 1640–1830

Written from the perspective of a critic who came of age in the queer 1990s, this essay considers the generational difference in understandings of Charlotte Charke as a butch lesbian and a transman. It argues that the history of sexuality demands an intergenerational reading practice because our objects are always engaged in a history of the present.

Periodizing The Long Eighteenth Century — Across Generations, Katarina O'Briain

ABO: Interactive Journal for Women in the Arts, 1640–1830

This paper approaches the topic of intergenerational thinking by asking it what it might mean to stretch the conventional periodization of the long eighteenth century across generations. Reading Phillis Wheatley’s heroic couplet poems alongside Earl Wasserman’s mid-twentieth-century work on neoclassical poetics, it explores some of the surprising possibilities unleashed by revisiting the work of earlier critics. This mid-twentieth-century scholarship, the essay suggests, establishes a mode of eighteenth-century poetics that lends itself to more recent understandings of abolition and structural change. Earlier generations of critics trace an eighteenth-century poetic theory that resonates in the present moment; many generations before that, Phillis …

Ancestors In The Archives: Decolonizing Archival Research, Willow White

ABO: Interactive Journal for Women in the Arts, 1640–1830

Bringing together my identities as an Indigenous woman (Métis Nation of Alberta) and as a scholar specializing in eighteenth-century women writers has involved the continual unlearning of colonial research practices. The following essay reflects on my efforts to work with/in archives in a decolonizing way. I will share some of the practices that I have adopted, not to provide a checklist, but to join the ongoing conversation of many eighteenth-century studies scholars who share a decolonizing desire.