Digital Commons Network^™

"It's Like Educating Us Older People...": Unveiling Needs And Expectations Regarding Educational Features Within Parental Control Tools, Prakriti Dumaru, Mahdi Nasrullah Al-Ameen

Computer Science Faculty and Staff Publications

As children are getting access to devices at an increasingly younger age, parents need to grapple with new ways to protect them from online risks. This indicates the need for support from parental control tools to enhance their self-efficacy, which we refer to as educational features. This is little addressed in the existing literature on parental mediation. As we begin to address this gap, we created a low-fidelity prototype with designs of Google's existing parental control as our baseline design. We used the baseline design in semi-structured interviews with 12 parents whose children (aged below 14) are active Internet users, …

A First Look Into Targeted Clickbait And Its Countermeasures: The Power Of Storytelling, Ankit Shrestha, Audrey Flood, Saniat Sohrawardi, Matthew Wright, Mahdi Nasrullah Al-Ameen

Computer Science Student Research

Clickbait headlines work through superlatives and intensifiers, creating information gaps to increase the relevance of their associated links that direct users to time-wasting and sometimes even malicious websites. This approach can be amplified using targeted clickbait that takes publicly available information from social media to align clickbait to users’ preferences and beliefs. In this work, we first conducted preliminary studies to understand the influence of targeted clickbait on users’ clicking behavior. Based on our findings, we involved 24 users in the participatory design of story-based warnings against targeted clickbait. Our analysis of user-created warnings led to four design variations, which …

"I Feel Like He's Looking In The Computer World To Be Social, But I Can't Trust His Judgement": Reimagining Parental Control For Children With Asd, Prakriti Dumaru, Bryson D. Hackler, Audrey Flood, Mahdi Nasrullah Al-Ameen

Computer Science Faculty and Staff Publications

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often seek comfort from devices (e.g., smartphones) to deal with social overstimulation. However, such reliance exposes them to inappropriate digital content and increases susceptibility to mimicry and social vulnerability. Thus, parents having children with ASD encounter unique challenges in regulating their device usage, which are little addressed in the existing literature on parental mediation. As we begin to address this gap, we designed low-fidelity prototypes centered around open communication and self-regulation, which we refined based on the feedback from six ASD experts in two focus groups. We evaluated updated designs (presented in the form …

Liquid Light: Ayahuasca Spirituality And The Santo Daime Tradition, Bonnie Glass-Coffin

Sociology and Anthropology Faculty Publications

Liquid Light is an important addition to the growing number of published accounts that discuss the use of ayahuasca (known by the name, Daime), and its role within Santo Daime, a fundamentally Christian though highly syncretic new religious movement founded in 1930 in the Amazonian state of Acre by an Afro-Brazilian rubber tapper known to followers as Mestre Irineu. The text is a richly descriptive account of Barnard’s own evolution as a fardado (Santo Daime initiate) and includes first-hand accounts of his participation in many kinds and types of Santo Daime worship services in both the United States …

Experiences Of Families Bereaved By Opioid-Related Death, Danielle Hicks, Emily Phasman, Sydney O'Shay, Luisa Kcomt, Stella Resko

Publications

Family members bereaved by a drug-related death are underserved. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 people bereaved by a close family member’s opioid-related death. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to identify themes in four areas: emotional responses (e.g. anticipatory grief), communication about the death (i.e. open or closed), supports (e.g. social or formal), and advice for others who lost a family member to opioid-related death. Findings highlight the need to support and reduce stigma toward people who use drugs and their families. This study guides social work practice by identifying the needs of families bereaved by opioid-related death.

Causal Inference In Ethnographic Research: Refining Explanations With Abductive Logic, Strength Of Evidence Assessments, And Graphical Models, Jeffrey G. Snodgrass, H. J. François Dengah Ii, Seth I. Sagstetter, Katya Xinyi Zhao

Sociology and Anthropology Faculty Publications

In their classic accounts, anthropological ethnographers developed causal arguments for how specific sociocultural structures and processes shaped human thought, behavior, and experience in particular settings. Despite this history, many contemporary ethnographers avoid establishing in their work direct causal relationships between key variables in the way that, for example, quantitative research relying on experimental or longitudinal data might. As a result, ethnographers in anthropology and other fields have not advanced understandings of how to derive causal explanations from their data, which contrasts with a vibrant “causal revolution” unfolding in the broader social and behavioral sciences. Given this gap in understanding, we …

Eleven Major Challenges Utah Women Face, April Townsend, Susan R. Madsen

Marketing and Strategy Faculty Publications

National and statewide studies continue to show that women and girls in Utah are not thriving in critical areas. Year after year, Utah continues to have high levels of domestic violence, sexual assault, child sexual abuse, and gender-based discrimination.¹ Utah also is ranked as the worst state for women’s equality and has low levels of women’s leadership representation in nearly all domains, including politics and business. Although the needle has moved slightly in a few areas, the current trajectory will require three to four more decades to make notable progress. With this in mind, the Utah Women & Leadership …

Developing Membrane Hinges To Enable Predictable And Reliable Arrays For Spacecraft, Mitchel Skinner, Andrew Geyser, Brandon Sargent, Spencer Magleby, Larry Howell

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Deployable space structures that incorporate thin, flexible solar cells allow for innovative designs that are capable of high stowing efficiency. The purpose of this work is to present an approach to predicting the deflection of deployable space structures with flexible panels connected with thin sheets as a function of their material properties, geometry, and applied moments. Related methods are described. An analytical model and finite element analysis are compared and validated with a physical model. The end angle, coordinates, and radius of curvature of each segment are calculated and the results are compared. Important factors related to the reliability of …

Chemical Herding: Using Chemical Reactions To Steer Colloidal Particles, Mark N. Mcdonald, Cameron K. Peterson, Douglas R. Tree

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Creating the next generation of dynamic colloidal materials that change their structure based on external stimuli may require the capability to precisely manipulate colloidal particles. Colloidal particles can be manipulated using a variety of forces, such as electric, magnetic, and optical, but so far chemical reactions have received less attention. We consider here a novel paradigm for using a chemically active colloidal particle to interact with other, passive colloids and precisely manipulate colloidal particles in a microfluidic device, a strategy which we dub “chemical herding”. Specifically, we show in simulation that chemical herding can be used to move a small …

Assessing Mycorrhizal Influence On Heat-Stressed Poplar Voc Blends, Luis Valdez, Annette Shelton, Mary Alvarez, Lane Law

Utah Space Grant Consortium

VOCs are organic compounds released by plants as gases into the atmosphere. They’ve been shown to play important roles in plant defense, plant-plant interactions, multi-trophic interactions, as well as atmospheric chemistry. Some VOCs can be induced as a result of stress. Some Terpenes & LOX pathway products, in particular, have been shown to be inducible as a result of environmental stress, such as drought or heat. Terpenes, which are made of isoprene subunits, are bigger, more complex molecules and have been shown to generally have and antioxidant function. (Vickers et al. 2009)

Byu Rocketry: 2024 Irec & Spaceport America Cup, Casey Gooch, Spencer Stowell, Taylor Anderton, Aidan Rice, Zach Lyman, Haylee Sevy, Nathan Butler, Brad Hornfischer, Tyson Butterfield, Joshua Taylor, Gabe Slade, Barry Creighton, David Fullwood, Matt Allen

Utah Space Grant Consortium

BYU Rocketry will compete in the 2024 IREC competition at the Spaceport America Cup in June 2024 in the 10,000 ft commercial motor category. The 12.5 ft and 67 lb. rocket, Alta, beckons to BYU Rocketry’s past while honoring some of Utah’s most towering peaks.

Progress On The Optically Transparent Antenna Payload For The Gasrats Cubesat, Ethan Wayland, Tyler Day, Lorenzo High, Carter Page

Utah Space Grant Consortium

The Get Away Special Radio and Antenna Transparency Satellite (GASRATS) is an education and technology demonstration CubeSat mission being developed by the Get Away Special (GAS) Student Satellite Team at Utah State University (USU) in collaboration with USU professor Dr. Reyhan Baktur. The 3U CubeSat (34x10x10 cm) will demonstrate an optically transparent, solar panel-integrated patch antenna in low Earth orbit and verify its long-term durability in the space environment.

Byu University Rover Challenge, Ethan Smith, Ben Broce, Phineas Jensen, Aaron Thomas, Jackson Harwood, Caleb Betteridge, Grant Thompson, Ben Duncan, Spencer Stowell, Spencer Mosley, John Carmen, Trevor Reay, Cameron Stoker, Luke Zollinger, Carson Moon, Ian Reid, Ross Beeson, Mihai Stanciu, Ben Wright, Jacob Moore, Joey Mcconkie, Noah Peterson, Brandon Sutherland, Joseph Heal, Marc Killpack

Utah Space Grant Consortium

THE CHALLENGE Our objective is to produce a robust and well-defined rover which will score greater than the 90th percentile in each of the University Rover Challenge (URC) missions. These missions are as follows: Extreme Delivery Find, lift, carry and deliver objects up to 5kg in mass to predetermined GPS coordinates and maneuver precisely through difficult terrain. Equipment Servicing Accurately manipulate controls on a mock lander, simulating a human's dexterity and speed. Science Detect life in a desert environment, recording the temperature, moisture, and GPS coordinates at the sample site. Autonomy Navigate to multiple GPS waypoints, detect objects with AI, …

Byu Rocketry: 2023 Irec & Spaceport America Cup, Derrick Walker, Riley Brown, Will Hart, Anya Jeppson, Aidan Rice, Nathan Butler, Bradley Hornfischer, Blake Jensen, Alexander Potter, Joshua Taylor, Dallan Trentman, David Fullwood

Utah Space Grant Consortium

BYU Rocketry competed in the 2023 IREC competition at the Spaceport America Cup in the 10,000 ft commercial motor category. The 12 ft and 71 lb. rocket, Solitude beckons to BYU Rocketry’s past while honoring some of Utah’s most towering peaks.

Target Position And Velocity Estimation Using Doppler Information From Wifi Signals, James Hyland, Todd K. Moon

Utah Space Grant Consortium

RF signals reflected off of a moving target experience a Doppler shift determined by the speed of the target. This can be used for target tracking, which could be useful in a variety of settings, such as using a communication signal to track a satellite, or to determine the location of a person within the space station. Although these reflections are weak compared to the signal seen from a direct path, the Doppler components can still be extracted. By processing Doppler signals from multiple receivers, the position and velocity of a target moving in the vicinity of the system can …

Reference Channel Optimization In Bistatic & Passive Radar, Matthew Finger

Utah Space Grant Consortium

The thesis will cover the first steps and attempts to create a small scale bistatic radar using a Pluto software defined radio.

Utah State University Commencement, 2024 - Eastern Campus, Utah State University

Commencement Programs

2024 Commencement Ceremony for the Eastern campus of Utah State University.

Utah State University Commencement, 2024 - Main Campus, Utah State University

Commencement Programs

2024 Commencement Ceremony for the Main Campus of Utah State University.

Preparing Students For Adulthood: Comparing The Experiences Of Degree And Non-Degree Seeking Graduates, Lacee R. Boschetto, Brian K. Warnick

Applied Sciences, Technology and Education Faculty Publications

The role of secondary education is critical to preparing graduates for adulthood. This study explored the transition experiences of high school graduates and factors that impacted their preparation for adulthood. This descriptive study focused on the experiences of degree and non-degree-seeking graduates. Surveys were distributed to students enrolled in a general education course at a state university and marketing research participants not enrolled in post-secondary programs. The survey sought to identify overall preparedness, responsibilities deemed necessary to teach in high school, and influence factors that prepared them for adulthood. The overall findings displayed that graduates seeking degrees felt more prepared …

Second Language Acquisition In The Era Of Technology And Artificial Intelligence: Exploring New Frontiers, Mimoun Akhiat

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

This portfolio is the capstone project of the Master of Second Language Teaching program. It offers perspectives and insights into major themes of importance to the writer. It begins with a general introduction pertaining to the writer’s education and teaching background, his goals for joining the program and an overall reflection of this experience. Following this is the writer’s teaching philosophy comprised of a description of professional environment and a teaching philosophy statement centered on the principles of multimodality, authenticity, and collaboration. The second section of this portfolio is entitled hands-on teaching experience where the writer presents and reflects on …

Workflow And Best Practices Of Planting Design In Virtual Reality, Becca L. Springer

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

The purpose of this study is to develop a technical workflow and deliver an instructional module for teaching planting design in Virtual Reality (VR). The developed workflow and instructional model will be presented to students enrolled at Utah State University in the Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning (LAEP) Department. The first objective of this thesis project is to explore and create a successful workflow of basic planting design principles and apply them in virtual reality with the use of new technology. The virtual reality and planting design software that were explored were Twinmotion, VR Sketch, SketchUp, AutoCAD, Land FX, Gravity …

Utah Growing Water Smart: The Water-Land Use Integration Guidebook For Northern Utah, Kelly Kopp, Joanna Endter-Wada

Utah Growing Water Smart

The Utah Growing Water Smart workshops bring together teams of key community staff and water and land use planning decision makers to help build a more resilient and sustainable water future. The workshops use a range of public engagement, planning, communication, and policy implementation tools to help community teams realize their water efficiency, smart growth, watershed health, and water resiliency goals.

This 4^th edition of the Utah Growing Water Smart curriculum guidebook was prepared for the workshop focused on the Weber Basin Water Conservancy District service area and held on the campus of Utah State University in Logan, Utah …

Principles And Practices For Creating Inherently Resilient Smallsats Despite Constrained Resources, Lee Jasper, Tyler De Caussin

Space Dynamics Laboratory Publications

Over the past few years, small satellites have become heavily utilized for both constellations and single vehicle missions. Many organizations have learned how to be successful with these platforms however, while small, they are not simple systems and first-time creators of these systems still suffer high rates of failure. AFRL's Small Satellite Portfolio has established guiding practices/principles for satellite design that help reduce overall mission risk based upon both community and internal lessons learned. These principles help make the design technically resilient and can also help with programmatic execution. This paper will discuss the principles with some detail (such as …

Navigating Uncertainty In Tax Strategy Surrounding The Tax Cuts And Jobs Act Sunset, Tate Smith

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Throughout history, taxpayers have relied on tax strategies to reduce the proportion of income that is deemed taxable by the government. Today's tax environment is no exception, and with the changes surrounding the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) Sunset, taxpayers need to prepare their tax plans. In 2025, much of the current tax legislation for individual taxpayers will potentially revert to the pre-TCJA legislation. Preparing a strategy during this time period will be difficult because when the current legislation sunsets in 2025 many of the legislation changes will depend on which political party controls the presidency.

This paper seeks …

Fostering Futures: Serving As The Collegiate Mentor For The Utah 4-H Stem And Agriscience Ambassadors, Cassandra G. Ivie

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Combining principles of community engagement, psychology, and computer science, this project was created to apply academic knowledge to a community based need. Whereas girls have been shown to be less likely to believe they had the necessary qualities to study STEM (Merayo & Ayuso, 2022), report having learned about fewer STEM concepts by the end of high school (Merayo & Ayuso, 2022) and indicate higher rates of avoidance due to feeling incapable (Gallup, 2023), girls involvement in STEM was a primary focus for the project. As rural students also see a drop in STEM interest, have less access to advanced …

Exploring The Connection Between Self-Efficacy And Preparedness Among First-Year College Students, Marianne Hale

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

The goal of the American education system is to prepare students for college. I wondered, “Do students feel ready?” That question led me to investigate the literature on the development, implementation, and effectiveness of our current standards. The gap I found was that the standards do not address an important aspect of student achievement, that of student self-efficacy. Self-efficacy in writing helps students have the confidence to engage in the task of writing, regardless of the situation. I focused my study of student writing self-efficacy on one English 1010 class. I administered a self-efficacy evaluation in class and conducted a …

What To Expect When Preparing To Transition For Working Abroad: Exploring Work-Focused Intercultural Transition Training, Hannah Johnson

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

Despite living in a highly globalized world with increased travels, interactions, and migrations across both physical and mental cultural lines, many individuals are still often unprepared to interact with those who are different successfully (Kupka et al., 2008). With all these increases in travel, interaction, and migrations across cultural lines, it is essential to understand the adjustment process and the potential challenges or barriers that individuals may face when transitioning to a new culture. This project systematically examines literature on intercultural transitions to improve training for individuals traveling to another culture for work. The literature examined includes pre-departure training and …

Elementary Science Essential Elements Curriculum Map & Progress Monitoring With Evidence-Based Teaching Strategies, Tasha Jenkins

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

Little research has explored the field of science instruction tailored to students with significant disabilities. However, research studies have begun to emerge that suggest, with specific instructional strategies, these students can be successful in learning science curriculum. This project evaluated literature to find evidence-based instructional strategies for teaching science to students with significant cognitive disabilities. Six strategies were consistently found across multiple studies. The six strategies include (1) time delay, (2) systematic instruction, (3) multiple exemplar training, (4) task analysis, (5) graphic organizers, and (6) guided inquiry-based learning. These strategies were shared with a team of nine special education teachers …

Evaluating The Intersection Of Continuous Growth And Assessment In The Field Of English As A Second Language, Madison Johnson

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

This teaching portfolio contains a compilation of the author’s personal teaching experiences and research interests while in the Master of Second Language Teaching (MSLT) program at Utah State University (USU). The sections of this portfolio highlight collaboration with current USU professors in the field of teaching English as a second language and the author’s personal experiences working in a second-grade elementary school classroom as well as teaching English in a community education setting. Much of the mentioned research focuses on the subfield of second language assessment. This is an area of interest to the author as an area for personal …

The Function Of Humility In St. Teresa Of Avila's Autobiography: A Literature Review, Jennifer Sanchez

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

In the Carmelite nun St. Teresa of Ávila’s (1515-1582) autobiography, The Life of Saint Teresa of Ávila by Herself (1588), the author repeatedly asserts her unworthiness. Contemporary scholarship has explored the function of Teresa’s rhetoric of humility in this text. Scholars from the 1990s have largely argued that Teresa’s humility is a carefully crafted, defensive method to meet the demands of the patriarchal culture in which she wrote. Twenty-first-century scholars take a (slightly) different approach. To them, Teresa’s humility is not solely rhetorical; they suggest that Teresa’s humility is also a consequence and tool of her spiritual journey. In this …