Digital Commons Network^™

Color Expressions In Euripides’ Ion, Erik Shelley

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This analysis explores color expressions in the play Ion by the ancient Greek playwright Euripides. Because the ancient Greeks experienced color differently, I examined words used in the play, including light, dark, fire, green, water, blood, and gold. These expressions imply different themes and concepts that Euripides uses to portray the duality between his two main characters, Ion and Creusa. This thesis showed how the mother-son pair acts as a foil for the different aspects of color found throughout the play that reflect ancient Greek culture.

Selected Projects: Set Design And Projection Design, Audrey Kearl Coleman

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

Theatrical scenic and projection design for the stage.

A Survey Of Master's Qualifying Exam Practices And Content In Real Analysis, Zachary M. Coverstone

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Graduate programs in mathematics are intended to develop experts in mathematics. As part of a graduate program, many students are expected to engage in a qualifying examination that can serve myriad purposes. This dissertation investigates real analysis qualifying examinations at the master's level through a nation-wide survey of institutions in the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU). This study reveals the practices in administration of real analysis qualifying exams, institutions reported offering traditional, pencil-and-paper exams and generally asked students to prepare individually using previously administered exams. The survey results show that approximately two in three APLU institutions offering master's …

Climate Prediction As An Adaptive Force-Multiplier: Reasons For Hope In A Rapidly Changing World, Matthew D. Laplante

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

It's not unreasonable to feel pessimistic about our future under climate change. But "believing the science" doesn't require you to accept that we are headed toward apocalypse. It is true that human-caused climate change is real, it is underway, and our societies face many increased risks because of it. But that's just part of what climate science tells us about our future world. This same field is responsible for the recent and rapid development of tools and techniques that permit the identification of patterns in our oceans and atmosphere that will aid us in making increasingly accurate predictions about climate—the …

Identifying And Addressing Current Gaps In Knowledge And Treatment Dissemination For Individuals With Trichotillomania, Leila K. Capel

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Trichotillomania is an impairing and debilitating mental health condition, and while the research in this area is growing, this population is underserved. The aim of this project was to identify gaps in the research that may be contributing to lack of treatment access and begin filling those gaps. The first gap is knowledge of how treatments work and for whom they work best. While there are a variety of treatment options and ways of delivering treatment, individual factors that predict who will benefit most are not well investigated. We explored the individual factors, and aspects of treatment that we believe …

Strategies For Writing Synthesis To Learn: A Case Study Among Sixth-Grade Social Studies Students, Kalie A. Chamberlain

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Writing instruction that emphasizes strategy use helps students become better writers, especially when tackling difficult writing tasks, such as writing from sources or writing syntheses. Strategic writing instruction also supports student learning in content areas like social studies. This project examined whether Strategies for Writing Synthesis to Learn (SWSL), a mode of strategic writing instruction developed by researchers in Spain, would be effective in a new context. It also sought to understand how SWSL was perceived by students and teachers. A mixed-methods case study was used to explore both quantitative (e.g., student growth) data and qualitative (e.g., student and teacher …

Measuring Support In Couple Relationships: The Psychometrics Properties Of The Couple Support Behavior Questionnaire, Jacqueline Johnson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Couple support, a unique form of social support, as defined in this thesis is the felt sense of being upheld, valued, lifted up, and empowered by your romantic partner, during both times of distress and success. In this master’s thesis, I used secondary data provided by Dr. Ryan Seedall and conducted statistical analyses to develop a new measure, the Couple Support Behavior Questionnaire (CSBQ). Using data from 443 individuals who had all been in a relationship for at least three years and were all above the age of 18, I used statistical methods to shorten and provide a 19-item measure, …

“Floptok Is Not A Trend. It’S A Lifestyle”: Camp, Performativity, And Community Dynamics In An Adolescent Tiktok Subculture, Drake Hansen

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

Floptok is an online meme-sharing community or subculture that began to take shape in 2021, united by a particular sensibility and set of memetic materials. To outsiders, Floptok is seen as a loud, brash, and often abrasive community whose memes, characterized by low-quality audio and video, often feature “icons”—a range of invented characters and real people—and audio of pop songs heavily edited to feature hypersexual lyrics from the rapper CupcakKe, as well as portions of the 2019 Chinese pop song “Yěhuāxiāng.” This thesis built on scholarship in digital and young people’s folklore in an ethnographic case study of Floptok’s humor …

Dove: An Interdisciplinary Framework For College Composition Instructors, Audrey Hansen

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

In this thesis, I merged personal narrative and interdisciplinary knowledge to develop a composition pedagogy framework for my fellow college composition instructors by applying an understanding of the psychological theory of attachment styles to our understanding of diversity and behavior in the classroom. I presented a personal narrative describing how I discovered a connection between attachment theory, behavior psychology, and college composition classrooms. The framework developed guides instructors step-by-step how to apply interdisciplinary psychology knowledge to the field of composition. The goal is for the theory to create more accepting and encouraging classroom environments through DOVE. D: detaching from negative …

Novel Horticultural Approaches For Reduced Gravity And Controlled Environment Agriculture, Sarah Elizabeth Schreck

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

On July 16, 1969, Apollo 11 achieved the first successful moon landing, marking a significant milestone in human space exploration. This historic moment effectively ended the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union, and since then, countries around the world have continued to advance their space programs. While the space race has evolved, the next major challenge lies in sending humans to Mars—a journey that could take 6 to 9 months each way, presenting numerous challenges, including the critical issue of nutritional sustainment for the crew.

This thesis addresses key aspects of a broader effort to support …

The Effect Of Dietary Protein Source On Gut Health, Spencer Lawson Schow

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

We investigated the impact of protein source in a western-style diet on colon cancer, colitis, and the gut microbiome. The Western dietary pattern is energy-dense, low in fiber, and has a sub-optimal micronutrient profile. Our group has formulated the Total Western Diet (TWD) that emulates the Western dietary pattern using survey data (NHANES), and we have demonstrated that this diet increases gut inflammation and colorectal cancer relative to a healthy control diet (AIN-93G), which is optimized for mouse health. However, the effect of protein source in the TWD and its effects on gut health have yet to be investigated.

Recent …

The Impact Of Visually Presented Distractor Taboo Words During A Bilateral Attention Task, Chloe Taylor

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Attention is a limited resource. Some events are able to capture one’s attention more efficiently than others, such as swear or sexual words. These events have preferential access to attentional resources and increase our arousal levels due to the activity of a neurotransmitter called norepinephrine. We investigate how well swear/sexual words capture peoples’ attention and interpret these effects in terms of norepinephrine activity.

Participants performed a visual task where they responded to different shapes presented while ignoring neutral or swear/sexual words presented on opposing sides of the computer screen.

Participants were significantly more inaccurate in identifying the shape present when …

Utah State University Commencement, 2025 – Main Campus, Utah State University

Commencement Programs

2025 Commencement Ceremony for the Main Campus of Utah State University.

Utah State University Commencement, 2025 – Blanding Campus, Utah State University

Commencement Programs

2025 Commencement Ceremony for the Blanding Campus of Utah State University.

One Size Doesn’T Fit All: Towards Design And Evaluation Of Developmentally Appropriate Parental Control Tool, Prakriti Dumaru, Mahdi Nasrullah Al-Ameen

Computer Science Student Research

As children progress through developmental stages, they undergo substantial biological, cognitive, and social changes, creating unique needs for online safety across different age groups (e.g., young children, tweens, teens). The existing parental control tools fail to account for these differences, leaving a notable gap in the literature on parental mediation. To this end, we conducted 10 focus group sessions with a total of 20 parents to understand their preferences for age-appropriate design components that promote self-regulation and open communication, followed by an ideation workshop with four UX design experts to translate these preferences into customized features. We then evaluated these …

The Utah Statesman, April 28, 2025, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Integrating Human-Centered Design Into Undergraduate Stem Capstone Courses: A Food Product Development Case Study, Saadeddine Shehab, Dawn Bohn, Lucas O'Bryan, Luettamae Lawrence, Mike Tissenbaum

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

This study examines the integration of human-centered design (HCD) in a Food Science capstone course and explores its impact on students’ learning outcomes and skill development. This case study investigated how 42 undergraduate students engaged with HCD processes—including understanding, synthesizing, ideating, prototyping, and implementing—to develop innovative food products. Through pre- and post-surveys, interaction analysis, and performance assessments, the findings revealed that HCD activities significantly enhanced students’ knowledge, collaboration, creativity, and metacognitive skills. Additionally, students demonstrated improved food science competencies, such as product formulation and sensory evaluation. This study highlights the benefits of embedding HCD within STEM curricula to foster authentic, …

Who Carries Bear Spray? Reducing Risk In The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem Through Leave No Trace Communication, Anna B. Miller, Clara-Jane Blye, Jennifer Newton, Lauren Miller, Jacob Richards

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

As bear populations increase in areas like the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE), human-bear interactions are rising, with grizzly bear encounters more than doubling in the past decade. To reduce conflicts, land management agencies promote Leave No Trace (LNT) behaviors, emphasizing bear awareness, proper food storage, maintaining distance from wildlife, and carrying bear spray. However, a survey of 566 visitors across the GYE found that 27% of respondents report never carrying bear spray. Non-carriers were often first-time visitors, traveling in larger groups, or day-use visitors to front-country areas. They also viewed the message to carry bear spray as less important than …

Young Professionals, Zachary Gibson

Journal Articles

Like many of us, I have attended numerous panels, seminars, and workshops geared toward helping young professionals and students. The more senior professionals are gathered for us to question and tap them for wisdom and anecdotes. One such question that inevitably comes up in one form or another is, “How did you get to where you are?” A thinly veiled question intending to ask how can one get to the same or similar position. The response often begins with a soft chuckle and a “well … ” Their answers are caveated by “my path was not the typical path.”

Evidence-Based Alternative Pain Management Techniques For Chronic Pain, Alise Williams Condie, Ashley Yaugher, Kira Swensen, Maren Wright Voss

All Current Publications

Chronic pain and opioid use have become topics of importance as opioid overdose deaths have risen to epidemic proportions throughout the nation. Chronic pain lasts for long periods of time and can be caused by a past injury or have no known cause. Opioids have been utilized to treat pain in the past, but it has been discovered that opioids are better used to treat acute pain and not chronic pain. Opioids can have negative consequences including changes to the brain, depression, increased pain, constipation, sedation, and even death. This fact sheet reviews and explains some of the most successful …

The Utah Statesman, April 21, 2025, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Staying Safe When Taking Prescription Opioids, Aaron Hunt, Gabriela Murza, Amy May, Jenna Hawks, Alyssa Ferrin

All Current Publications

Prescription opioids, such as oxycodone, morphine, codeine, and hydrocodone, are often used for short-term pain management, and it is important to know how to keep yourself safe when taking opioids prescribed by a doctor. This fact sheet reviews what opioids are, how they work in the body, and how people become dependent on or overdose on opioids. It also offers how to limit your risk of dependence and suggests alternative pain management options.

Effective Mathematics Instruction In High-Poverty Middle Schools: What Are The "Best" Teachers Doing?, Tye G. Campbell, Jordan Green

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

While there is much literature devoted to mathematics teaching practices, most research does not consider the perspectives of effective teachers in high-poverty schools. This study offers unprecedented access into the teaching practices of the most effective middle school teachers who teach in high-poverty schools. By accessing a state-wide database of thousands of teachers in Utah (USA), we identified middle school teachers whose students consistently showed high growth on standardized assessments compared to other teachers in Utah and taught in high-poverty schools. Our analysis identified seven teachers. We invited these teachers to participate in interviews regarding their teaching practices, and all …

The Utah Statesman, April 14, 2025, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Beyond The Finish Line: How Mindset & Setbacks Shape Future Success In High School Sprinters, Hannah Lybbert

Student Research Symposium

Introduction

Across many domains, mindset has been shown to affect performance; however, quantifying that belief can be challenging to do empirically.

Track and Field 100m results provide a perfect environment to attempt to quantify the magnitude of the effect of mindset on performance – timing equipment and wind sensors never lie!

Racism On Social Media, Britton Larsen

Student Research Symposium

For centuries, racism has been an issue in society; however, the emergence of social media has drastically altered the landscape of the vulgarity and encounter of racist content. Social media has become a crucial communication, advocacy, and information battleground. While these platforms have provided a voice through which underprivileged populations become equal in terms of advocating for equality and justice, the same platforms have nurtured the breeding ground for hate messages and discriminatory ideologies. This research will look to explore the relationship between social media and racism, doing so to look at how these social media platforms amplify racist content …

Religious Trauma And Young Adults: What Is Their Perspective?, Ethan Lefevre

Student Research Symposium

How does religious trauma influence young adults' perspectives on organized religion and spirituality?

Qualitative Findings From A Pilot Study Of A Single Session Digital Mental Health Intervention For Adults With A Recent Dementia Diagnosis, Sharon Benson, Shanna Peterson, Lindy Strand

Student Research Symposium

Dementia and Mental Health

• A dementia diagnosis significantly impacts life, leading to higher rates of mental health issues like depression and anxiety (Leung, 2021), and reducing well-being and quality of life (Martyr , 2018).

• Most Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) interventions for individuals with dementia (IwD) are designed for in-person completion and typically range from 6 to 50 sessions. The length and extensive resource requirements can pose barriers for IwD.

• Digital, online interventions can address these barriers.

Human Centered Library Design, Myriam Musgrave

Student Research Symposium

Odyssey Childrens Library is designed as a dynamic and adaptable space that fosters learning, creativity, and community engagement. Inspired by the ocean, the architecture and interiors reflect fluid, organic forms and a calming yet invigorating color palette. The layout balances open, social areas with quiet, reflective spaces, ensuring a welcoming environment for all users. With a focus on flexibility, the library includes adaptable study rooms, a collaborative makerspace, and a multi-purpose community area that can host events, workshops, and group activities. Thoughtful wayfinding, varied seating options, and intuitive zoning create a seamless user experience. The Odyssey Library is more than …

How Has Lgbtq+ Representation In Media Influenced The Perceptions And Identities Among Both Lgbtq+ And Non-Lgbtq+ Individuals Ages 18-24?, Miki Beckstrom

Student Research Symposium

The modern era has allowed for a new age of storytelling. As our society continues to diversify, the question we must ask ourselves, how is the media we consume reflective of our society? Internet discourse surrounding representation of race, sexuality, and gender have continued to infiltrate our community and be a topic of contention. This study hopes to explore both the positive and adverse effects that LGBTQ+ representation in media can have.