Digital Commons Network^™

The Soldier Saint: Latter-Day Saint Veterans Of The Vietnam War, Cassie Evans

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

This digital exhibit and accompanying paper explore the experiences and contributions of Latter-day Saint veterans during the Vietnam War, focusing on their role within both military and religious contexts. Despite representing only a small percentage of the American military forces in Vietnam, Latter-day Saints influenced the war's cultural and spiritual landscape. Through personal narratives, interviews, and historical analysis, the study sheds light on how these veterans navigated the complexities of their faith amidst the challenges of combat.

Additionally, it considers the relationship between military service and missionary efforts, highlighting how the presence of Latter-day Saint soldiers contributed to later religious …

Factors Influencing Cognitive Load: Exploring Affective Elements, Motivational Constructs, And Regulatory Strategies In Learning, Rebecca B. Brockbank

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

There are three separate research papers within this dissertation, each looking at specific elements of learning. The process of learning is a complex phenomenon that includes not just cognitive aspects, but also emotional and motivational aspects. During learning there is an input of information into our cognitive system (i.e., minds). When too much information is given or the information is not presented effectively, this can overload our cognitive system and negatively impact our learning. Understanding how to learn within the parameters of our cognitive system is important. However, learning is more complex than just the simple input and output of …

Examining The Predictive Validity Of Adolescent Complete Mental Health On High School Academic Performance, Nai-Jiin Yang

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This multiple-paper dissertation examines how adolescent complete mental health, based on the Dual-Factor Model, predicts high school academic performance. The Dual-Factor Model considers both psychological distress (such as internalizing and externalizing symptoms) and subjective wellbeing (such as life satisfaction and positive affect). The main research objective is to determine whether this comprehensive framework offers stronger predictive power for academic success than symptom-based approaches alone.

Two studies were conducted using self-report mental health data collected at three time points during an academic year. These data were analyzed alongside end-of-quarter grade point averages in English Language Arts, math, and overall GPA using …

The Role And Influence Of Faculty As Predictors For Retention And Satisfaction Among Generation Z, Katelyn Romsa, Stephani Jarecke, Jessie H. Hendricks, Bryan Romsa

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Access the online Pressbooks version of this introduction here.

While previous research has established that faculty and their interactions with students have had the greatest impact on student retention and satisfaction for centuries, limited studies have been done to understand how faculty are influencing Generation Z, our newest generation of students in higher education. This study examined how the quantity of faculty interactions is impacting student retention and satisfaction among 342 Generation Z first-year college students at a public land-grant institution in the Midwest using the National Survey of Student Engagement instrument. In a Mann-Whitney U test, significant difference was …

Full Issue: Journal On Empowering Teaching Excellence, Volume 9, Issue 1, Spring 2025

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

The full-length Spring 2025 issue (Volume 9, Issue 1) of the Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Access the online Pressbooks version (with downloadable EPUB format) here.

The issue includes five articles addressing challenges in higher education: faculty-student interactions with Generation Z students, experiences of first-generation single-mother college students, implementation of an interdisciplinary museum studies course, guidance for creating educational videos, and a book review on resistance to change in higher education. The journal emphasizes practical strategies for effective teaching, inclusivity, and innovative approaches to pedagogy across various educational contexts.

Making Peace Among The People: The Development Of Brigham Young's Political Thought And Activity, 1838-1846, Garrett R. Elkins

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Brigham Young assumed the role as president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1838, as the Church began to face extreme persecutions by the state of Missouri. Although he was a mostly apolitical individual preceding his new role, over the next eight years Young would hold political office and help the Church navigate challenging relationships with local, state, and federal governments. By the time he led the Latter-day Saints to the Great Basin and became president of the Church in 1847, Young had gained significant experience over several years …

Data-Driven D Region Model (D3r) Svdd: Software Version Description Document (Svdd), James Vincent Eccles

Space Dynamics Laboratory Publications

This is the Software Version Description Document of the Data-Driven D Region (D3R) model. There are 2 main distributions: (a) D3R designed for containerized deployments (D3Rc) and (b) D3R designed for testing and development. These two distributions are maintained in parallel, and this document describes both. The D3R for containerization is typically provided to customers. The D3R model is a physics-based model for calculating electron density profiles across the D Region ionosphere altitudes (50 km to 95 km) and E Region altitudes (95 km to 120 km) for any given geolocation. The model has two main programs: one to solve …

Harnessing Synergy: Galloping Together To Achieve Common Goals, Katie Richardson Mlis, Kathryn Renton Phd, Janice Gunther Martin Phd, Katrin Boniface Abd

Journal of Western Archives

“Harnessing Synergy: Galloping Together to Achieve Common Goals'' is a case study focusing on how the Head of Cal Poly Pomona University Library Special Collections and Archives joined forces with the founding board members of the Equine History Collective to drive research and advancement in the study of equine history–a key collecting area of the University Library Special Collections and Archives unit. Through sharing expertise, jointly producing events, and developing longer-term strategies together, these collaborative efforts have enhanced outreach of Cal Poly Pomona Special Collections and Archives and associated scholarly activities, enriched perspectives on equine cultural heritage, and facilitated innovative …

Westward Words: An Exploration Of Western Beats And Their Legacy, Brenna Jones

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This thesis examines the art, poetry, and experiences of western Beats or Beatniks. Also known as the Beat Generation, this literary movement is traditionally associated with East Coast writers. However, a prominent Beat culture was also present on the West Coast throughout the 1950s and 1970s. The thesis explores how the West influenced the literature and art produced by Beats during this time.

God's Laborers: Missionary Work And Imperialism In The Congo From 1878-1908, Ana Peterson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

In 1878, Henry Craven opened the first Protestant mission in the Congo. The Livingstone Inland Mission created multiple stations along the Congo River to reach the interior. It stayed active for six years before transferring its stations to Swedish and American missions. Five years after its closure, a sister mission, the Congo Balolo Mission, resumed efforts to teach the people living in the interior. This thesis explores the evolving reaction of the missionaries to state violence. It argues that these missionaries initially supported imperial violence that enforced laws that aligned with their beliefs, such as removing the slave trade. Once …

The Community Connections Of St. John's Episcopal Church, Connor Murphy

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

St. John's has been an institution that stands for service and community in Logan, Utah for the past 150 years. During this time, many things have changed, but some have stayed the same. The goals of this exhibit are to show both the changes and consistent features of St. John's in its history and to share the story of a church that has done so much for the community. The attached paper is meant to engage with the academic community and the linked exhibit and digital archive collection is meant to provide a resource to the public where they can …

Envisioning Transition From Open Landscapes To Forested Landscapes In The Routt National Forest, Colorado, United States, Brice B. Hanberry, Jacob M. Seidel

Aspen Bibliography

Globally, in remaining wildlands, tree densities and forested cover have increased in grasslands and open forests since European settlement. In the southern Rocky Mountains of Colorado, United States, we determined tree composition and tree cover from historical (years 1875 to 1896) surveys and compared them to current (2002 to 2011) tree composition and current (year 2016) forested land cover for 500,000 ha of the Routt National Forest. Additionally, we examined whether changes in precipitation occurred. Regarding composition, pine (primarily lodgepole pine; Pinus contorta) decreased from 65% to 32% of all trees, with increased subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa) …

From The Pen Of The Secretary: Latter-Day Saint Women And Relief Society Minute Books, 1868–1889, Mckall Erin Ruell

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

In 1868, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (also known as the Mormon church) re-organized their women's organization, the Relief Society. The secretaries of each local ward or congregation of the Relief Society in Utah kept a record of their meetings in their own minute books. These records have largely been neglected by scholars and much can be learned about nineteenth-century Latter-day Saint women through their pages. This thesis examines Relief Society minute books from Cedar City, Fillmore, Meadow, Holden, Spring Lake, Provo, Salt Lake City, and Millville, Utah, looking specifically at Latter-day Saint women's discourse, testimonies, and …

Specialized Recreation, Spatial Behavior, And Ecological Implications In The Nature Reserve Of Orange County, Ca, Jake Van Deursen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

A widespread surge in park and protected area (PPA) visitation strikes managers with the imminent challenge of preserving ecological conditions and maintaining accessibility in the open spaces that are a fundamental component to the health and wellness needs of society. In the field of recreation resource management, recreation specialization, the selective channeling of interests and abilities into a specific recreational activity, has contributed to comprehensive understandings of recreation behavior, site preference, management perceptions and conservation support. Contributing to historical understandings of specialization can inform recreation planning on the diversity of uses occurring in urban-proximate PPAs. Survey data providing information on …

The Sound Of Mormonism: A Media History Of Latter-Day Saints, Jared Farmer

Arrington Annual Lecture

The Sound of Mormonism is an annotated and expanded version of the 2023 lecture “Music & the Unspoken Truth”—an homage to the Music and the Spoken Word radio program and a meditation on the relationships between religion, music, vocality, and quietude.

The Arrington Lecture series, established in honor of one of the twentieth-century American West’s most distinguished historians, Leonard Arrington, has become a leading forum for prominent scholars to address topics related to Latter-day Saint history. Utah State University hosts the Leonard J. Arrington Mormon History Lecture Series through the Merrill-Cazier Library’s Special Collections and Archives.

Central American Saints: The Formation And Preservation Of Latter-Day Saint Community And Identity In El Salvador And Guatemala, 1960–1992, Hovan T. Lawton

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

After World War II, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints grew dramatically throughout Latin America, with much of this growth happening after 1960. My thesis studies how the growing numbers of Latter-day Saints in Guatemala and El Salvador (between 1960 and 1992) developed strong and meaningful religious community and became more and more committed to their new Latter-day Saint identity. Being a Latter-day Saint in these two countries was similar in many ways to the experience of being a Latter-day Saint in the U.S., but there were also some important differences. My thesis considers what made the Salvadoran …

Second Language Acquiescence Of Multilingual Students In Tanzania, Ann E. Roemer

World Languages and Cultures Faculty Publications

This research, conducted at a major university in Tanzania, investigated the personal experiences of multilingual students vis-à-vis the government's language policy requiring Swahili as the language of instruction (LoI) at the primary level and English at the secondary level. The participants, who spoke 25 different languages as their L1, were placed into 49 different language groups and asked to write what they remembered about the language policy where they attended school. The data show that Gramsci's cultural hegemony is occurring in Tanzania. The 'common sense' is that people truly believe English is symbolic of prestige and power–even though few people …

Indigenous Citizens And Black Republicans: Continuities And Evolutions Of Subalterns’ Political Visions And Repertoires In Post-Independence Colombia And Mexico, James Sanders

History Faculty Publications

This essay focuses on how Indigenous peoples in Colombia and Mexico sought to create a distinct politics, in which they could protect their colonial identities and local customs, within the new independent and republican nation-states of the Americas. Indigenous communities succeed in combining universal republican citizenship and particular colonial identities, maintaining more of a connection with the past, but nevertheless creating innovative solutions to adapt to the republican present. In contrast, popular African-Colombian actors eagerly embraced the possibilities of citizenship in new republican nation states, seeking to abandon a colonial identity associated with slavery. Both Afro-Colombians and Indígenas adapted traditional …

Treason Town: Cities As Traitors During The U.S.-Mexican War, Kelsey Foster

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

During the U.S.-Mexican War (1846-48) the U.S. army invaded Mexico from several fronts. The Mexican Army was unable to prevent U.S. troops marching into and occupying Mexico City, resulting in the transfer of a vast swath of territory from Mexico to the United States. Historians offer several explanations for Mexico's inability to repel this invasion, and one of them is the disunity of the Mexican nation. Evidence of this disunity can be seen in the response of some local leaders when they were confronted with the invading army: instead of fighting, they elected to surrender, allowing U.S. troops to occupy …

The Rio Virgin: A Turbulent River, Mormon Pioneers, And The Creation Of A Landscape 1854-1921, Spencer Wayne Mcconkie

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This thesis explores the changes to the landscape of the Virgin River Basin by Mormon pioneers and the environment between 1854 and 1921. This thesis shows the ways in which the Mormons replaced the local vegetation of the basin with new crops and expanded the area available for farming through the use of irrigation canals and different farming techniques. Along with showing the ways in which the Mormons changed the landscape the thesis explores the ways in which environmental changes played into this process. The process of creating the new landscape of the Virgin River Basin involved both natural and …

"To Keep The Church Record And History": The Evolution Of The Church Historian's Office, Cory L. Nimer

Journal of Western Archives

Authors looking at the development of the field of Mormon history have often evaluated it in terms of historiography—as its progression from the domain of amateurs to the output of academics. However, studies of the composition and development of the larger history profession have focused on the discipline's fragmentation and the formation of an "archival divide" between those that write history and those collecting and preserving its sources. This latter approach provides a useful framework for understanding the evolution of the Church Historian's Office of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, from its origins in 1831 to its …

Asilomar: A Historical Study Of The Role Of The Ywca In Women's Leadership Development As An Absent Narrative In The History Of Hrd, Kenneth R. Bartlett, Susan R. Madsen, Michael Valesano, Ying Feng

Marketing and Strategy Faculty Publications

The dominant narrative on the history of training and development, especially in the United States, reflects entrenched gender bias with little acknowledgment of human resource development (HRD) designed for and delivered by women. The role of women’s organizations as forces for social change, advocates for gender equality, and providers of leadership development are significant areas of HRD history largely ignored in the literature. This historical study considers archival records on the former YWCA Asilomar Conference Grounds, near Monterey, California which was the first conference training facility owned by a women’s organization in the US. The study is focused on the …

Esports Course Design: Balancing Multiplayer Gameplay Within Structured Curriculum, Daelynn Hunter

Student Research Symposium

There is a noticeably large interest growing across the globe for Esports expansion. Esports has grown to become an affinity space for competitive ambition/growth and a discipline of enormously varied learning techniques. Techniques to build esports into education often follow a 3 credit format, where esports can be studied in various areas (e.g., business, psychology, media/production). However, there’s been an absence in courses that are focused solely in gameplay. Traditionally, gaming has been observed to be a distraction over opportunity for growth. The course is currently centered to target said assumptions by utilizing student discipline techniques. Assignments are centered around …

A Marvelous Work: Reading Mormonism In West Africa, Laurie F. Maffly-Kipp

Arrington Annual Lecture

Two decades before the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints began official missionary work in West Africa, pamphlets, books, and other church materials had been circulating among Christians in Nigeria and Ghana. Brought by seekers who had studied abroad or encountered church members from other countries, those texts formed the basis for a Mormon community outside the bounds of U.S. institutional authority or oversight.

What did this "native" Mormonism look like, and how did believers craft churches out of the bare materials of tracts and inspirational volumes? This talk explores the circulation and interpretation of this homegrown Mormon faith …

Telling Her People's Story: Mae Timbimboo Parry, Matriarch Of The Northwestern Band Of The Shoshone Nation, 1919-2007, Dean Mcguire

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Mae Timbimboo Parry played a significant role in changing the public’s narrative about the Bear River Massacre and shaping the current knowledge about Northwestern Shoshone history. According to Mae Parry, Northwestern Shoshones were not desperate victims of violence but rather Native Americans who adapted from a great tragedy and survived on their own terms. This thesis explores the meaning of her work for Northwestern Shoshones today.

Cultural Memory And Media: Spanish Republicans And The Spanish Civil War, Stuart Cameron

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This project examines the interplay between memory, history, and politics relating to Spanish Republican memories of the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) and the following authoritarian dictatorship of Francisco Franco (1939-1975). In my analysis of this relationship, I focus on the years around the passage of the Law of Historical Memory in 2007; I explore how Spaniards used several forms of media, namely books, graphic narratives, and interviews, to relay their messages regarding the recovery, preservation, and passage of the memories of the defeated Republicans. The authors in each medium, despite telling different stories, both real and fictional, portrayed the act …

The Challenge Of Hybridity: Mormonism In Mauritius, 1980-2020, Marie Vinnarasi Chintaram

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This thesis focuses on the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Mauritius. This thesis illustrates the implications and pressures of the Church trying to globalize the faith, correlating Mormonism with and conforming it to cosmopolitan communities such as Mauritius.

Detection Of European Aspen (Populus Tremula L.) Based On An Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Approach In Boreal Forests, Anton Kuzmin, Lauri Korhonen, Sonja Kivinen, Pekka Hurskainen, Pasi Korpelainen, Topi Tanhuanpää, Matti Maltamo, Petteri Vihervaara, Timo Kumpula

Aspen Bibliography

European aspen (Populus tremula L.) is a keystone species for biodiversity of boreal forests. Large-diameter aspens maintain the diversity of hundreds of species, many of which are threatened in Fennoscandia. Due to a low economic value and relatively sparse and scattered occurrence of aspen in boreal forests, there is a lack of information of the spatial and temporal distribution of aspen, which hampers efficient planning and implementation of sustainable forest management practices and conservation efforts. Our objective was to assess identification of European aspen at the individual tree level in a southern boreal forest using high-resolution photogrammetric point cloud …

Margery Kempe's Attitudes About Sexual Intimacy, Erika Morrill

Student Research Symposium

The Book of Margery Kempe dictates the spiritual autobiography of one woman through her experiences in the 15th century as she strives to become a Catholic saint. In The Book of Margery Kempe, Margery’s relationship with sex and sexuality is a common theme throughout the text. One of the first challenges Margery faces in trying to become more Christ-like, is trying to remain chaste within her marriage. This vow to remain chaste is a conflict that Margery keeps returning to at different stages of her narrative. Margery experiences many different temptations throughout her account, despite her attempts to be more …

Try The Wine: Food As An Expression Of Cultural Identity In Roman Britain, Molly Reininger

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Research surrounding cultural identity and food customs throughout history are published often, but any research that attempts to combine the two are often based in more recent history. Few combinations of the two are available, and fewer explore the implications within ancient colonization and expansion.

The research for this thesis was conducted with three viewpoints in mind: the colonization of Britannia from Romans within the new colony, the colonization from the native Briton's perspective, and the Roman citizens within Britannia at the end of Rome's military involvement with the colony. This method was chosen because in the early years of …