Digital Commons Network^™

Campus Culture Of Hazing At James Madison University: A Mixed Methods Exploration Of Perceptions, Behaviors, And Policy Implications, Lauren D. Powell, Amanda K. Simmons, Alexandra E. Holt, Elizabeth M. Matthews, Mark D. Meadows

Doctor of Education Capstones

Hazing has been around for centuries and has become more prevalent with the rise in social media. This convergent parallel mixed method study sought to explore students, faculty, and staff perceptions of hazing and hazing prevention at JMU, examine what they define as reportable hazing behaviors, and identify what behaviors are currently being reported in organizational misconduct reports. Through content analysis of JMU organizational misconduct reports, a student survey, and interviews with faculty and staff, the capstone team collected data on hazing and determined seven key findings. Findings revealed that students, faculty, and staff acknowledge the risks of hazing, including …

Sealing The Deal: A Case Study Of A Private, Southeastern, Regional College’S Student Onboarding Practices, Alicia R. Gaston, Kristen Meyer, Tyler Ogden, Jennifer Perkinson, Casey Yocum Michaels

Doctor of Education Capstones

Each year, higher education institutions offer support to new, incoming students through an onboarding process that requires dedication and collaboration across multiple departments. Offering streamlined guidance and clear communication throughout the onboarding process is essential to ensure incoming students understand action steps without becoming overwhelmed with new terminology, processes, and environments. This explanatory case study is set to understand the current communication practices and technology use across onboarding departments at Brightside College – also referred to as Brightside or BC (pseudonym). The research team aimed to understand Brightside's onboarding staff's perspective of current processes and practices. With emphasis on the …

Richmond Handbook: The Future Of Youth Engagement In The Planning & Design Sector Of Richmond, Virginia, Chanté C. Holt

Master of Urban and Regional Planning Capstone Projects

Storefront for Community Design is a non-profit organization in Richmond, Virginia that works to make design programs and resources accessible to all. While honoring this commitment, the organization also devotes resources to educating K-12 students on urban planning processes in the City of Richmond. Using this as a framework, the research creates parameters that guide the best practices for stakeholders such as the client Storefront for Community Design who are invested in producing urban planning educational material and programming. To effectively create recommendations for this client, the professional plan establishes the current state of urban planning education in the Richmond, …

A Call To Action For Transport Justice: Exploring Transportation Disadvantages Faced By Justice-Impacted Individuals Reintegrating Into Rural Communities, Tarnika Edmunds

Master of Urban and Regional Planning Capstone Projects

This study explores the intersection of rural reentry and transportation planning, emphasizing the importance of Transport Justice in overcoming barriers faced by transit-dependent populations, particularly formerly incarcerated individuals. While urban transportation planning is widely discussed, this research highlights the overlooked challenges that rural environments pose for individuals reentering society. Through a multi-method approach that involved document analysis, participant observations, and informal discussions, this study uncovers a range of themes related to accessibility, reliability, vulnerability, and the quality of commuting experiences. The findings underline the necessity for transparency, accountability, and collaboration across sectors to address these gaps and inform policies that …

Exploring The Role Of Government Funding And Policy Criteria In Greening Projects: A Case Study Of Southside Richmond, Destiny R. Brown

Master of Urban and Regional Planning Capstone Projects

This thesis explores how government and private funding structures and policy criteria influence community-based organizations (CBOs) engaged in urban greening projects, focusing on Southside Richmond, Virginia through a case study of a local CBO. Using a multi-method approach including document analysis, secondary data review, and autoethnographic reflection, the research suggests a gap between visibility and influence for CBOs, showing that their decision-making authority often varies while they are publicly recognized. The study also reveals that public documentation of funders' community engagement is often performative or symbolic rather than structurally embedded in decision-making processes. In addition, funding remains a barrier, with …

Public Transportation As A Vehicle For Upward Mobility Of Women In Appalachian Virginia, Katy Miller

Master of Urban and Regional Planning Capstone Projects

Gender and geography are intersecting identities that can affect transportation access and therefore upward mobility. Mobility in rural areas is restricted by economic, temporal, and spatial limitations, as well as infrastructure accessibility. Gendered differences in mobility patterns influence the ability of women to utilize public transportation systems. There is a lack of consideration of rural women in transportation research and planning.

This paper seeks to understand the accessibility of public transportation systems in rural areas to women and how it can contribute to their upward mobility, by studying the Four County Transit system in Appalachian Virginia. Population demographics, current system …

From Ink To Code, From Binary To Boundless Reality—Until All Returns To Emptiness, Weitong Sun

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the entangled relationship between language, memory, and technology through the lens of immigrant experience. Moving from programming to visual storytelling, I investigate how dyslexia, bilingualism, and cultural displacement have shaped my ways of reading, writing, and coding.

Beginning with personal reflections on switching from computer science to art, I trace how code offered a form of clarity and expression where written language had once failed me. Yet as I ventured into real-time simulation and XR storytelling, I encountered new forms of mistranslation—where narratives dissolved, mutated, or resisted coherence altogether.

Through a series of experiments in code-driven art, …

The Cut Worm Forgives The Plow, August Neuscheler

Theses and Dissertations

The explorations in this thesis writing are centered on William Blake’s proverb “The cut worm forgives the plow.” It has been reinterpreted as an allegory of history and energy. A theory of their relation is proposed based on forgiveness, a theory that accepts the palimpsest of orders as evidence for the abundance of the present moment. The writing focuses on questions of proportionality, scale, archaeological screening methods, planar cutting, and a critique of entropy as grounds for this theory. Some of its subjects include the Statue of Liberty, Kate Raworth’s donut economic model, sashimi, triangulation, Joseph Beuys’ “7,000 Eichen,” semiconductors, …

A Parting Repast, Debra D. Dowden-Crockett

Theses and Dissertations

Both the thesis document and exhibition comprise the story of my journey through grief, examination of loss, contemplation of death, and transformation through acceptance and relinquishment. I conflate art and emotion to put form to the complex human experience of watching a loved one die, having to say a last goodbye, and the mourning that ultimately follows.

I examine the rituals surrounding death, the role of memory, and the symbolic presence of food as a shared experience of both mourning and nourishment, the intimate moments of mourning, and the gradual process of finding peace and closure.

Featuring works from a …

Vessels Of Spirituality: Merging Faith And Form, Maryam Al-Tajer

Theses and Dissertations

According to traditional Islamic teachings, natural materials like frankincense, black sesame seeds, and sidr (jujube) leaves are valuable both physically and spiritually. Historically, they have been used for healing and purification. Nowadays, influenced by contemporary science, people tend to overlook their metaphysical value, focusing on their medicinal uses. Similarly, Muslims assign spiritual qualities to the Muqatta’at, the disconnected letters that preface several surahs of the Holy Quran, believing them to contain sacred power. In both of these cases, the material leads to the spiritual.

Through material experimentation, informed by religious texts, my thesis combines revered materials with sacred letter forms …

Between "Hippies In Suits" And "Money Is The Name Of The Game": Farm Animal Advocates' Analyses Of Political Power In The Farm Bill, Jeff Thomas

Theses and Dissertations

The animal agriculture industry annually slaughters roughly ten billion land animals in the United States. What can be done to improve their welfare and lessen their suffering?

Over the past decade, the problem of farm animal welfare and suffering has drawn increasing interest from the effective altruism community, a loose movement of utilitarian advocates seeking technocratic solutions to social problems (Singer, 2015). As effective altruism has become a more potent driver of the animal welfare movement, an increasing number of nonprofits have begun engaging in political advocacy for farm animal welfare. Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz’ Open Philanthropy is the largest …

Dosimetric Validation Of An Electron Monte Carlo (Emc) Algorithm For Small Cutouts And Extended Ssd’S: Assessing Emc In Small Field Dosimetry, Anil Basavaaraju

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis validates the accuracy and limitations of Electron Monte Carlo (eMC) simulations in Eclipse treatment planning systems for small-field electron dosimetry and extended source-to-surface distances (SSDs). Systematic measurements were performed using a microDiamond detector across various electron energies and field sizes. The study examines the discrepancies between measured and calculated (eMC) dose distributions, validating challenges due to lateral scatter disequilibrium and extended air gaps. Our findings provide systematic data for eMC dose calculations and demonstrate that eMC performs within clinical tolerances, with the ultimate goal of enhancing the precision and safety of radiation treatments.

Infinite Finite: A View On Human Progression Through Emergent Generative Systems, Fatima Abbas

Theses and Dissertations

Contemporary crises reveal an imbalance in human progression, prioritizing material advancement while neglecting ethical, compassionate, and spiritual dimensions. This thesis examines natural progression through the lens of emergence, where simple interactions produce complex outcomes. Analyzing natural patterns across different scales, from cosmic formations to neural interactions, underscores emergence's universal nature.

Within this context, Infinite Finite introduces a generative digital tool simulating emergence through iterative cycles of construction and deconstruction. Depicting a century of human progression informed by historical behaviors via simulated cellular interactions, the tool visually differentiates ethical from unethical progression. This is represented through ten data visualization tiles composed …

¡Bip Bip!, Diego Pablo Málaga Beckhart

Theses and Dissertations

¡Bip Bip! is a body of work that investigates the car as it exists in the American imagination, a metaphorical and physical object where culture, identity, and power intertwine. This work uses painting, printmaking, collage, video, and installation to explore the car as a space of expression, interiority, and understanding the world through a marginalized lens.

Central to my practice is my personal vehicle, Guadalupe, which functions as both muse and metaphor, the main driver of the framework within ¡Bip Bip! My practice examines the different but congruent contexts intersections of this iconic American symbol, the car. In my paintings, …

Beneath The Roots: Becoming Native Through Mangrove Teachings And Wisdom, Shima Aeinehdar

Theses and Dissertations

Beneath the Roots uses the wisdom of mangroves to investigate the naturalization of humans through science, spirituality, and storytelling. The seeds of Avicennia marina, the gray mangrove, drifted to Qatar at some point in history and took root, like so many other people here. The mangrove survives in a harsh saline environment through a unique salt excretion process. As a Qatar-born expat, I relate to this struggle to survive and nativize in a land that is both my own and foreign to me, in a cyclical conversation. I explore this nativization process through a ritual of salt extraction, creating botanical …

Crafting Futures: Balancing Tradition And Technology In Craft Practices, Saga Elkabbash

Theses and Dissertations

Under pressure from mass production and the decline of artisan skills, craft traditions risk becoming relics of the past. Crafting Futures challenges this by treating machines as tools of creative expression, working alongside and in harmony with traditional hand techniques. By pairing an experienced potter with a creatively deployed 3D-printer to develop a series of artifacts, this research fosters a dynamic conversation between partners. Digital fabrication can engage with, rather than replace, traditional making practices, emphasizing the role of the maker’s imagination as the site of knowledge, intuition, and improvisation. The resulting series of hybrid clay vessels reinforce not only …

The Trauma-To-Prison Pipeline: A Multi-Level Theoretical Framework Exploring The Intersection Of Inequality, Trauma, And Exclusionary Discipline, Dana Ainsworth

Theses and Dissertations

The school-to-prison pipeline (STPP) is a widely recognized and extensively studied metaphor used to describe the process by which school discipline policies increase the risk of juvenile justice system involvement, particularly among historically marginalized populations. While it has been instrumental in shaping educational policy, the STPP framework has not evolved to account for the critical impact of trauma on learning and behavioral outcomes. Furthermore, it overlooks the role of systemic inequality that increases trauma exposure and produces concentric patterns of marginalization.

Drawing on research across the fields of education, public health, sociology, and criminal justice, this study proposes a theoretical …

Immersive Medical Practice And Clinical Training: Virtual And Mixed Reality In Pharmacy And Orthopedic Surgery, Silas Semprini De Toledo Contaifer

Theses and Dissertations

Extended‑reality (XR) technologies including virtual reality (VR) and mixed reality (MR) offer new ways to improve training and surgical precision. This thesis evaluates their educational and clinical impact through two complementary studies.

Specific Aim 1 compared an immersive 360° video VR module with conventional training for teaching USP < 797> sterile‑compounding skills to second‑year PharmD students (N = 36). VR trainees raised their knowledge from 6.14 ± 1.55 to 8.69 ± 1.07, yet the overall post‑test advantage versus control was not statistically significant (U = 71.50, p = 0.21). Item‑level McNemar testing showed significant VR‑exclusive gains on three critical questions (K5, K6, …

Teaching Under Political Influence: A Multiple Case-Study Examining The Impact Of Curricular Restriction Policy On Community-Connected Instruction (Cci) In Full-Service Community Schools (Fscs), Isaiah Moore

Theses and Dissertations

Scholars describe the political landscape as polarized, where partisanship —loyalty to a particular political party— dictates one’s beliefs. In education, this partisanship is best exhibited through conservative policy restricting curricula regarding race, racism's pervasiveness, gender identity, and how history is taught in public schools. Conversely, Community-Connected Instruction (CCI) affirms students’ culture and builds critical thinking skills in an authentic environment. While studies suggest its benefits to students, the current curricular restriction policy challenges its usage. This form of teaching is closely associated with Full-Service Community Schools (FSCS), which primarily serve underserved student populations. This study examines how FSCS educators in …

Queer-Keying: Performing Video Processes As [Trans]Gressive Resistance, Wren Tiffany

Theses and Dissertations

As part of the 2025 VCUarts MFA Thesis Exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), I transformed the 'Sponge' gallery on the top floor of The Anderson, VCU’s historic thesis exhibition home, into The Green Room, a neon green, immersive video and performance space featuring mirrors, disco lights, a foam tile dance floor, makeup stations, and a functioning green-screen editing suite. This hybrid drag rehearsal and ‘Chroma-key’ green video production room deepened both my understandings of Queer performance art and process-based art making during the Spring of 2025, through two public performance activation …

Inherited Wounds: Navigating Intergenerational Trauma Through Cooperative Play, Ayza Sheikh

Theses and Dissertations

'Strength' for Pakistani women is often defined as compromise, sacrifice, and silence. This definition has shaped intergenerational struggles in which women's self-narratives are constructed through suppression. Inherited Wounds seeks to address the trauma of suppression by creating a safe space for expression that fosters reflective and emotion-driven dialogue between Pakistani mothers and daughters.

Using interactive storytelling and embodied play, I developed a choice-based, narrative-driven video game and accompanying gesture-based controller. The game unfolds across childhood, marriage, and motherhood, mirroring the cycle of intergenerational struggle. Navigating choices in the game requires physical, intimate cooperation. The game uses the protagonist’s life as …

The Bitch And The Boogeyman: Violence Against Women And Gendered Morality In American Slasher Films, Davis A. Smith

Theses and Dissertations

This research examines the relationships between on-screen depictions of violence in American slasher horror films and depictions of gendered morality of victims. Slashers are a subgenre of horror film that arose out of the exploitation cinema movement of the 1970s that are characterized primarily by the presence of one or more human killers inflicting violence on a group of protagonists, typically through the use of bladed weapons. Data collected comes from a comprehensive set of thirty-six American slasher films that received a wide theatrical release, with exemptions for films whose primary genre is not slasher and only selecting three films …

Food Waste Renaissance: From The Table, For The Table, Yasamin Shaikhi

Theses and Dissertations

What if waste could be seen as a valuable resource rather than a burden? Food Waste Renaissance (FWR) explores innovative ways to transform excess food and byproducts into sustainable design materials. In Qatar, where food waste constitutes approximately 60% of urban waste, FWR promotes a shift in perception rather than attempting to resolve large-scale waste management issues. By fostering a culture where surplus becomes a resource, it inspires individuals, designers, and communities to embrace and contribute to a circular economy. FWR examines rice and date byproducts as biodegradable raw materials for lamps, bringing material from the table back to the …

Existing In The Context: A Conjunctural Analysis Of Kamala Harris Memes, Amaya Mcneal

Theses and Dissertations

Political memes have become a common way for people to express their political views online, helping politics reach young adults who weren’t previously interested. Consequently, politicians have begun sharing and creating memes themselves. The memeification of American politics has diminished debate about ideas, ideals, issues, and people’s vital interests, debasing voters by treating them not as citizens but as passive “consumers” and “spectators” of mediated politics. This paper helps make sense of this crisis, focusing on the example of former Vice President Kamala Harris. Vice President Kamala Harris' memeified presidential campaign during the 2024 U.S. election targeted voters through a …

Investigating Mitochondrial Stress Response Mechanisms In Aging, Aileigh E. Daniel

Theses and Dissertations

Mitochondrial dysfunction is widely recognized as a key contributor to aging and age-related diseases. The concept of mitohormesis suggests that low levels of ROS can activate stress-responsive transcription factors, promoting adaptive mechanisms that enhance longevity. We hypothesized that changes in protein abundance under conditions of mild mitochondrial stress reflect an adaptive response, and that commonly altered proteins across diverse genetic backgrounds of mitochondrial stress can help identify key regulators of stress resilience and aging. Our study identified conserved mitochondrial stress response pathways and highlighted candidate regulators for further investigation. These regulators appear to impair mitochondrial energy production by downregulating ATP …

Orb Weaver, Quinn Standley

Theses and Dissertations

Orb Weaver is a 24-minute experimental video/lm. This essay does not explain its meaning, as viewers should feel the power to trust their own interpretations. Instead, it reflects on the process of making the lm interwoven with autobiographical thoughts.

I Love Getting Mad At The Internet, Tariye George-Phillips

Theses and Dissertations

This book discusses the changing ecosystem of the internet in relation to my installation ‘In These Worlds’. This is not a direct translation of the installation, but shares the research and thought that informs the work, as well as sharing some of the work that preceded.

Unleashing Serine Palmitoyltransferase In Test Tubes And Mice, Matthew W. Peart

Theses and Dissertations

Canonically known both for structural contributions to lipid bilayers and roles in cell signaling, the sphingolipids comprise a dynamic, multifaceted class of molecules which are studied to understand homeostatic cell biology as well as pathophysiology. Sphingolipids contribute to tissue-specific structures such as myelin, a multilayer membrane that allows for rapid conduction of action potentials along neuronal axons. All sphingolipids are downstream products of the rate-limiting and initiating enzyme in the de novo sphingolipid synthesis pathway, Serine palmitoyltransferase (SPT). Demonstrative of its status as the enzyme that catalyzes a crucial step in a biochemical pathway, SPT activity is strictly regulated. This …

Reply Stop To Stop, Molly A. M. Garrett

Theses and Dissertations

Over the course of 8 years working in progressive political strategy, 2015–2023, I became increasingly critical of the systems, formulas and tools we were using to communicate with voters. Reply STOP to Stop is documentation of my time at graduate school, of wrestling with ideas of political design, language, communication and distribution. I analyzed my past work — all the texts, emails, social media posts, print ads, web banners, videos and other miscellaneous scripted content — and wondered if we would all be better off without it. Would elections be fairer, would there be less fake news, more community building? …

Hafnium Oxide-Based Nanoheterostructures For Catalytic Radiosensitization And Enhanced X-Ray Radiotherapy, Marlen Dariela Calix Quezada

Theses and Dissertations

Orthovoltage X-ray beams are attractive for surface and intra-operative radiotherapy. Yet, their clinical utility is constrained by rapid attenuation and the limited dose that can be delivered without harming healthy tissue. High-Z hafnium oxide (HfO₂) nanoparticles can boost local energy deposition through the photoelectric effect, while catalytic surface defects accelerate water radiolysis. Harnessing both mechanisms in a single nano-heterostructure could enable potent radiosensitization at diagnostic-range energies.

This thesis develops and evaluates HfO₂-based nanoheterostructures, both bare and Au-decorated, as catalytic radiosensitizers.

Two types of HfO₂ were evaluated, one was synthesized following a specific route and the …