Digital Commons Network^™

Methods In Costume And Projection Design For Theatre, Jessica Wallace

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

A report detailing multiple practices for theatre design in costumes and projection. It is focused on playscript analysis, the design process, and the final build of the design for production.

Sweet Nothing, Austin Riddle

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

These pots were made as companions for you and your home. A vase for your table, full of freshly picked flowers as you and your partner eat breakfast and plan your day's activities. Large platters and compartment trays to present home-cooked meals with friends on a warm summer evening. Whiskey sippers that nestle in warm hands, topped off as needed from a half-empty bottle of Jack Daniels.

As a maker, I play these moments on repeat in my mind. As a designer, these scenarios direct the formal elements I develop for each piece. Pushing out an exaggerated belly on a …

Paranormal Investigators: Exploring A Positive Social Construct Through Paranormal Belief And Investigations, Meagan E. Oltman

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This thesis is a case study providing a more detailed look into how a local paranormal investigation team forms a community that cultivates social benefits beyond proving the supernatural’s existence. Folklore provides a path to understanding supernatural beliefs and fears, furthering the understanding of paranormal communities and any advantages of being a part of or receiving help from paranormal investigators and investigations. The paranormal or the supernatural defies standard explanation. For example, ghosts and UFOs, at times, are not explained away with traditional scientific theories and hypotheses. Paranormal investigators, also called paranormal researchers, choose to study the paranormal phenomena considered …

The Moth Effect, Kylie Smith

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This thesis is the start of what I envision to be a full-length memoir. I address multiple themes, specifically family and generational trauma and mental illness. I explore these themes non-linearly, through personal narrative, scientific research, and scene recreations. I begin with an introduction and then move into an essay that explores my experience meeting my estranged sister from the first time. Throughout the essay, I move in and out of this meeting, weaving the encounter together with my own struggles with mental health, research about the Peppered moth species, and scene recreations from the lives of other women in …

Authorial Agency: Investigating Composition Pedagogies Under A New Lens, Tyler Hurst

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This essay considers the work of three prominent composition scholars through the lens of authorial agency, which I define as a form of agency that focuses on the individual voice and self-determination of students in the writing space. Though the concept of agency has been previously considered by composition scholars, this contribution might aid in understanding various pedagogical approaches by analyzing how authorial agency is already being engaged within composition pedagogies and investigating how authorial agency aids teachers in understanding their pedagogy so that students learn to take back control of their own authoritative voice and self-determination. By re-investigating …

Sporkling, Mia Jensen

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

For my thesis, I wrote and illustrated a graphic short story that captures the confusing experiences associated with aging out of childhood. My thesis, titled “Sporkling,” follows a twelve-year-old girl named Moira as she confronts her fears with the help of the recently thawed disembodied head of the quirky nineteenth-century inventor, Samuel W. Francis. The central topics of the project reflect on the unification of the body and mind. Whereas the young, naïve Moira represents the body, the disillusioned, decapitated Samuel represents the mind. As the two spend an afternoon trapped in Moira’s father’s secret laboratory, they must assist each …

Relationship Of Eccentric Strength And Forward Perturbation Restabilization After Foot Contact, Leandra K. Ashworth

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Background: Forward falls are the most common fall direction and pose safety concerns for adults. To prevent forward falls, compensatory steps, and change-in-support reactions (e.g., foot contact) are critical for restabilizing center of mass after unpredictable, balance disturbances. Multi-joint, lower limb eccentric and isometric strength may provide additional insight on foot contact responses after a forward, temporally unpredictable perturbation. Multi-joint, eccentric muscular contractions have been found to result in significant neuromuscular adaptations (e.g., hypertrophy and muscular strength) and have higher retention capabilities than concentric contractions. Due to the importance of muscular strength in balance recovery, eccentric muscular strength could provide …

Building 6c’S (Critical Thinking, Collaboration, Communication, Creativity, Culture, Connectivity) In The Chinese Learning Classroom, Weixi Dong

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This teaching portfolio is a product of the author’s studies in the Masters of Second Language Teaching Program at Utah State University and her experiences as a teacher of Chinese at the elementary school level in the State of Utah’s public school Dual Immersion program. The author provides a selection of teaching reflections and research that have had the most impact on her teaching practice. First, the author offers personal reflections and a theoretical framework for her pedagogy in the Teaching Perspectives section, through a discussion of her professional environment and teaching experience; this is followed by the Teaching Philosophy …

Teaching And Learning Chinese Characters In The Chinese As A Foreign Language Classroom, Wanru Xue

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This portfolio covers the author’s perspectives in the field of Chinese as a foreign language when she was in the Master of Second Language Teaching program at Utah State University. The portfolio has three main sections. The first section includes the author’s teaching philosophy statement, rooted in her second language learning and teaching experience, and a reflection on classroom teaching observations. The second section contains two research perspectives on teaching and learning Chinese as a second language. The final section consists of an annotated bibliography on the topic of collaborative writing in a second-language context.

Student Centered Language Teaching: A Focus On Student Identity, Rachel Mano

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This portfolio is a compilation of essays that describe what the writer has come to see as essential topics in second language acquisition. It begins with a professional environment piece, and then a teaching philosophy statement focused on student identity and interaction in the classroom. This is followed by an essay on observations of teaching. The next two sections focus on pragmatic resistance among advanced learners and the importance of preparing learners for peer interaction. The portfolio concludes with an annotated bibliography outlining the main concepts associated with Communicative Language Teaching, a method that is commonly employed in second language …

Acoustic Waves In The Upper Atmosphere, Geoffrey Blayne Schulthess

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Atmospheric waves can be generated by tropospheric sources such as earthquakes and explosions, causing significant disturbances in the upper atmosphere and ionosphere, where radio wave communications take place. For this analysis, they will be separated into two sub-groups called acoustic waves and gravity waves. Because each of these waves have unique frequency ranges, they can be observed and measured in order to determine their source type and location. Past studies attempted to build the connections between these waves with severe storms and earthquakes, which have improved our understanding of their complexity. Because of the complex nature of these waves, simplified …

Teaching Japanese As A Foreign Language With A Cultural Context, Naomi Fujii

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This portfolio is a compilation of the author's work during her studies in the Master of Second Language Teaching program at Utah State University. It also includes the author's reflections on her language teaching experience as a graduate instructor. This portfolio is organized into three primary sections. The first section includes the author’s teaching perspectives which include professional environment, teaching philosophy statement, and professional development through teaching observations. The second section consists of two research papers, one on refusal strategies in Japanese, the other on the use of CALL for the development of oral proficiency. The third section contains an …

Do Board Diversity And Gender Quotas Affect Firm Value? Evidence From California Assembly Bill No. 979, Emily Kelleen Blake, Sepideh Raei, Katarzyna A. Bilicka, Todd Griffith

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

We analyze the stock market reaction and returns for California-headquartered companies following the announcement of AB 979 (California Assembly Bill 979) that was signed into effect on September 30th, 2020. AB 979 requires public firms headquartered in California to meet board gender and diversity quotas by December 31st, 2021. Cumulative abnormal returns in a [-1, +1] event window average a 0.98% abnormal return as benchmarked against all publicly traded firms and a 1.29% abnormal return when benchmarked against our control group (of firms headquartered outside of California). California headquartered firms with exclusively male boards had a larger cumulative abnormal return …

Development Of An Instructional Course On Fire-Protective And Low-Water Landscaping In Utah, Jordan Goff

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Because of climate change, population expansion, and other factors, both wildfire and drought are becoming pressing concerns in Utah. Home landscaping can reduce risk of damage from wildfire (fire-protective landscaping) and contribute to lower water use (low-water landscaping). While it is important for homes in the wildland-urban interface in Utah to have landscaping that is both fire-protective and low-water, best practices for the two are often taught in ways that make them seem mutually exclusive. This project used existing research and best practices to develop a learning experience to teach homeowners how to implement landscaping that is both fire-protective and …

Building A Positive Teacher And Student Identity In The Chinese Dli Context, Lila Jensen

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This portfolio contains a selection of the author’s research interests and learning achievements while in the Master Second Language Teaching (MSLT) program at Utah State University (USU). It represents the author’s investigation, observation, and reflection as an MSLT student and as a Chinese teacher and coordinator for the Chinese Dual Language Immersion (DLI) program in Utah.

The first section of the portfolio contains the author’s teaching perspectives including professional environment, teaching philosophy statement, and professional development through teaching observations. These perspectives represent her professional growth over the years in the field of Chinese teaching in the DLI setting. The second …

Selected Projects In Scenic Design, Sera Shearer

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

A selection of scenic design projects completed in fulfillment of the Master of Fine Arts degree in scenic design at Utah State University.

The Effects Of A Mindfulness Curriculum On Sixth Grade Students In A Title I School, Jason A. Tackett

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Mindfulness is being integrated and studied across school settings as studies continue to reveal its beneficial effects. One of the largest mindfulness-in-schools organizations is Mindful Schools, which published a revised version of The Mindful Schools Curriculum for Adolescents (MSC-A) in 2019. While the effects of previous versions of the MSC-A have been evaluated in past studies and shown to be beneficial for students, the effects of the 2019 MSC-A have not been explored. This project sought to identify the effects of a condensed schedule of select lessons from the 2019 MSC-A on student and teacher perceptions of student mindfulness as …

Sacred Earth: The Role Of The Natural Divine Within Wendell Berry's "Manifesto", T. Greyson Gurley Ma

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Kentuckian writer and poet, Wendell Berry, is often associated with environmental literature and advocacy. However, often overlooked, much of Berry’s work is inherently religious in nature, specifically Christian. Berry’s poetry expresses many of his personal beliefs regarding life, spirituality, religion, interconnection, stewardship, and agriculture. In particular, Berry often uses characters to communicate these aforementioned personal ideas. This practice can be seen through his utilization of the character of the Mad Farmer within a great deal of his poetry, including poetry dedicated to the Mad Farmer himself. Although this character expresses many of the same beliefs as Berry, he is not …

Developing And Piloting A Design Guide For Outdoor Classrooms In Utah, Derek Jenson

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Studies nationwide suggest that the use of outdoor classrooms in education benefits both students and teachers. In response, the Utah Office of Outdoor Recreation (OOR) established a grant to help fund the implementation of outdoor classrooms across the state of Utah. Interested schools and non-profit organizations may apply for this grant to fund outdoor classroom projects that will help transform their properties into outdoor learning environments.

One requirement for the application is to submit a site plan for the proposed outdoor classroom space. However, many interested applicants have little to no experience with landscape design and may struggle knowing how …

A Study Of Wings With Constant And Variable Sweep For Aerodynamic Efficiency In Inviscid Flow, Bruno Moorthamers

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Wing sweep has been studied by industry and academia since the pioneering days of aviation for both high-speed and low-speed applications. In transonic and supersonic flight regimes it serves to delay the onset of compressibility effects and decrease wave drag. In subsonic conditions, flying wing designs sweep back the main lifting surface in such a way that it can be used for longitudinal stability and control, to allow for the elimination of a traditional empenage. This is desirable because it can decrease the aerodynamic drag. Sweep can also be seen in nature in the wings of birds and fins of …

Evaluating Plant Uptake Of 4,4'-Methylenedianiline, Jeff Wight

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

4,4’-Methylenedianiline (MDA) is an important industrial chemical used primarily in the production of polyurethane. It is toxic and a suspected human carcinogen. Polyurethane is used in a wide variety of applications such as furniture cushioning, coatings, adhesives, sealants, and elastomers. Polyurethane in soil may degrade and release MDA. This is concerning due to some models predicting a high potential for MDA to be taken up by plants and stored in edible tissue, creating a possible route of exposure for humans and animals. In this project, the potential for MDA to be take up by plants was investigated in order to …

Improving Flood Inundation And Streamflow Forecasts In Snowmelt Dominated Regions, Irene Garousi-Nejad

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Much effort has been dedicated to expanding hydrological forecasting capabilities and improving understanding of the continental-scale hydrological modeling used to predict future hydrologic conditions and quantify consequences of climate change. In 2016, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Office of Water Prediction implemented the National Water Model (NWM) to provide nationally consistent, operational hydrologic forecasting capability across the continental U.S. The primary goal of this research was to develop hydrological tools that include modeling of flood inundation mapping and snowmelt contributions to river flow in snowmelt-dominated regions across the Western U.S. This dissertation first presents terrain analysis enhancements developed …

Thermodynamic Analysis Of A Novel Cycle For Nuclear Smr And Heat Transfer Performance Validation Of The Related Supercritical Working Fluids, Benjamin M. Pepper

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Currently, all operating nuclear power facilities in the U.S. follow the same general design and process: light-water reactors boil water into steam using bundles of nuclear fuel rods as a heat source, pumping that steam through a turbine which powers a generator to produce clean year-round electricity. Water is an effective coolant, but other facilities around the world have demonstrated the ability to use non-water-based coolants in nuclear reactor designs, which consequently have their own trade-offs. Some positive consequences of using different reactor designs include enhanced safety, better economics, and cheaper clean consumer energy. The work described in this paper …

Calibration Procedure For Dic Strain Measurements During Vibration-Based Fatigue Testing, Benjamin D. Hill

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Vibration-based fatigue testing is fast and effective method for determining failure characteristics of a material. Often, a small electrical device called a strain gage is bonded to a rectangular plate specimen to measure the deformation of the plate during a test. However, these strain gages break before the plate does, so an alternative method would improve the results obtained from the test. As an alternative to strain gages, Digital Image Correlation (DIC) is a non-contacting, camera-based technique that measures the deformation of an object by comparing digital images taken before and after the object is deformed. During a vibration-based fatigue …

Delivering On A Promise: A Longitudinal Cohort Study Of Emergent Bilinguals' Academic Achievement In A Utah Dual Language Program, J. Eric Campbell

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Emergent bilingual (EB) students are a growing population in the U.S. school system currently comprising over 10% of the total population. U.S. school districts have educated EB students using a myriad of practices, including dual language immersion (DLI). Many studies have looked at the academic achievement of native-Spanish speaking EB students, yet there is a dearth of research on DLI in medium-sized school districts in rural settings. This study focused on native-Spanish speaking EB students in a DLI program in a rural Utah district. Specifically, the study compared student academic achievement in English acquisition, English language arts, mathematics, and grade …

Advancing Data Collection, Management, And Analysis For Quantifying Residential Water Use Via Low Cost, Open Source, Smart Metering Infrastructure, Camilo J. Bastidas Pacheco

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Urbanization, climate change, aging infrastructure, and the cost of delivering water to residential customers make it vital that we achieve a higher efficiency in the management of urban water resources. Understanding how water is used at the household level is vital for this objective.Water meters measure water use for billing purposes, commonly at a monthly, or coarser temporal resolutions. This is insufficient to understand where water is used (i.e., the distribution of water use across different fixtures like toilets, showers, outdoor irrigation), when water is used (i.e., identifying peaks of consumption, instantaneous or at hourly, daily, weekly intervals), the efficiency …

The Gambler's Edge - A Theoretical Framework To Trading Securities, Matthew Haines

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Like gamblers, retail investors seeking excess returns in financial markets are prone to miscalculation and their models are often misspeciffied. Forecasting asset prices is extremely difficult in the long run and nearly infeasible in the short run. Additionally, retail investors are likely to be at a disadvantage both technologically and informationally—rarely will they be ahead of the curve. With these disadvantages and the difficulty of predicting future outcomes, retail investors may come to view prices as unpredictable and random in nature, like a roll of the dice. This theoretical research explores a possible investing methodology (derived from gambling principles) should …

Evaluation Of Human And Ecological Water Management Tradeoffs In A Seasonal Watershed With Spatially-Distributed Demands, Jesse Lee Rowles

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

River managers must balance the needs of the ecosystems that rely on the river by leaving water instream, often while also considering human demands. It is especially difficult to balance these water needs in systems that are highly seasonal and have no instream storage (e.g., reservoirs) since water cannot be stored for use throughout the year. An example of a watershed that has both of these characteristics is the South Fork Eel River in coastal northern California. In order to evaluate tradeoffs between human and ecological demands in this system, a water allocation model with water management scenarios and environmental …

Carnivoran Frugivory And Its Effect On Seed Dispersal, Plant Community Composition, Migration, And Biotic Carbon Storage, John P. Draper

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Seed dispersal by animals is important for the ecology of plants. It is particularly important to understand which animals are involved and how they move seeds differently from one another. Some seed dispersers are understudied despite ample evidence they consume fruits and seeds. This includes animals commonly referred to as carnivores in the order Carnivora. The overall goal of my dissertation was to describe the extent and quality of seed dispersal by Carnivorans, estimate important aspects of seed dispersal for a specific Carnivoran, the coyote, and estimate how differences between a coyote and songbirds affect where plants …

A Computer Programming Intervention For Second Grade Math Students, Eric B. Bagley

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The multiplication algorithms taught to elementary students are made to help students find answers quickly, but why the algorithm works and how it relates to multiplication is not widely known. For example, one intuitive meaning of multiplication is that of iterated, or, repeated, addition. In this paper, we look at the ways a visual, block-based, programming activity uses the concept of iteration to help second-graders learn multiplication. The results of the study observing second-grade students use visual programming and iteration to setup and solve multiplication story problems. We found that generally students enjoyed these activities and found them helpful during …