Digital Commons Network^™

Quantum And Conventional Informatics Studies Of Synthesis Energetics And Defect Formation In Nitride Crystal Epitaxy, Andrew Steven Messecar

Dissertations

Machine learning is a valuable approach for the processing and analysis of complex information. By estimating relationships from recorded data, machine learning methodologies can be effective strategies for pattern recognition, enabling investigations and technological applications based thereon. The potential for improved understanding of high-dimensional data has drawn interest towards machine learning from across the sciences, including the research and development of new and improved material systems. In the context of experimental materials research, much of the reported efforts to incorporate machine learning into conventional practice have been primarily focused on either the enhanced analysis of characterization experiment data or the …

Real Time Grid Connected Der Inverter Control Fault Ride Through Model In Accordance With Ieee 1547–2018 Standard, Mark Joseph Booge

Masters Theses

Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) include inverter-based power generation units, which are increasing in demand due to the rising consumption of energy, need for improved grid stability, and other environmental factors. DERs can either supply or supplement the grid using different control strategies depending on the grid’s needs. IEEE standard 1547-2018 dictates the interconnection and operation requirements of grid-connected DERs under nominal and abnormal voltage conditions. Although inverter ride-through operation has been widely studied, the effects of the standard’s time-based requirements within a distribution grid system require further investigation.

This study investigates how the IEEE 1547-2018 time-based ride-through requirements affect a …

Design And Development Of Pcb-Fabricated Faraday Probes For Micropropulsion Diagnostics, Avery Adams

Masters Theses

An investigation into the feasibility of printed-circuit-board-fabricated (PCB) Faraday probes (FPs) for use in micro-electric spacecraft propulsion (EP) diagnostics was performed at the Aerospace Laboratory for Plasma Experiments (ALPE), at Western Michigan University (WMU). This investigation included the design, fabrication, calibration, and characterization of a prototype probe-board for the purpose of exploring the physical constraints for this design concept. Analytical calculations and modeling in COMSOL Multiphysics were used to quantify the error sources in incident ion current flux measurements. Decoupled electrostatic and charged-particle tracing models were used to evaluate the error impact of charge buildup on dielectric surfaces and the …

The Effects Of Virtual Feedback Delivery Methods On Performance For A Remote Work Task, Megan J. Ireland

Masters Theses

Due to its multifunctional nature and wide array of possible applications, feedback has been, and continues to be, a popular topic within scientific research focused on workplace performance improvement. To ensure that feedback is implemented correctly for the desired behavior change, and the context in which it is being delivered, the variables that make up feedback have been a primary focus of more recent research. Previous research has investigated a variety of variables including the effects of delivering different types of feedback and the effects of different feedback delivery modalities on performance for work-related tasks. The present study will be …

Gis-Based Solar Energy Suitability Assessment For Utility-Scale Photovoltaic Development In Texas, Deepak Kumar

Masters Theses

This research developed a GIS-based multi-criteria suitability model to identify sites in Texas favorable for utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) development. The model integrated three biophysical variables—Global Horizontal Irradiance (GHI), terrain slope, and land cover—within a weighted overlay framework using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) for criteria weighting. GHI data were derived from the ERA5-Land Daily Aggregated dataset (ECMWF, 2024), slope was calculated from the USGS 3DEP 10-meter Digital Elevation Model, and land cover was classified from the National Land Cover Database 2021 (USGS). Each variable was reclassified to a 0–4 suitability scale and combined using AHP-derived weights of 0.50 (GHI), …

Understanding The Effect Of Scaling On Aerodynamic Force Analysis Of The Nrel Phase Vi Wind Turbine, Patrick R. West

Masters Theses

It is challenging for small models and prototypes to accurately reflect the aerodynamic performance of a full-scale wind turbine, especially for offshore turbines. It is also not economical to build full-scale models for prototype testing. Scaling makes it possible to modify the dimensions for computational simulations, simplify the prototype construction and testing process, and make aerodynamic load analysis applicable to larger blade diameters. In this work, a model is presented that considers the effects of geometric scaling by modifying the incoming windspeeds and rotational speed of the turbine rotor in capturing aerodynamic load through Computational Fluid Dynamics. The National Renewable …

Study Of Plasma Modification Effects On Cell Proliferation Of 3-D Printed Poly Lactic Acid (Pla) Structures, Temiloluwa Nathan

Masters Theses

3-d printing of structures has recently been adopted for a large number of applications including in-vitro lab-on-chip, organ-on-chip and other bioengineering applications. This thesis presents the results of our investigations on the use of a Poly Lactic Acid (PLA) structures for cell proliferation and their potential application for targeted drug delivery and Organ-on-a-Chip applications. As the previous investigations by the group indicated the requirement of surface modification of these printed structures, this study mainly focusses on the plasma surface modification of 3-D printed PLA structures and its impact on cell growth in different conditions. The first component focused on improving …

High-Density Power Conversion: Analyzing High-Frequency Transformer Scaling Laws And Grid-Filter Efficacy In Integrated Charger Inverters, Thilina Lakshan Dissanayakage

Masters Theses

This thesis investigates frequency scaling in high-frequency transformer (HFT) used in Dual Active Bridge (DAB) converters and evaluates different LCL filter design methodologies for grid-connected applications. The study explores the impact of operating frequency on transformer size reduction, efficiency, and overall performance by analyzing HFT designs at 50 kHz, 100 kHz, and 400 kHz. It is expected that increasing the switching frequency enables significant reduction in transformer volume, while introducing trade-offs in efficiency due to increased core and copper losses. In parallel, the thesis examines and compares three LCL filter design approaches under identical operating conditions using a 1 kW …

Finite Element Analysis And Computational Fluid Dynamics To Design And Analyze A Liquid Cooling System For An Integrated Charger Inverter System, Pihillawala Wijethunga

Masters Theses

This work presents a computational and experimental investigation into the thermal management of power electronic modules for an electric vehicle (EV) integrated charger-inverter (ICI) system, with a focus on the Inverter module, Dual Active Bridge (DAB) converter with a High- Frequency Transformer (HFT) with an external leakage inductor. Analytical loss models are used to calculate conduction and switching losses for the DAB and inverter SiC MOSFET modules, and the Improved Generalised Steinmetz Equation is applied to determine HFT core and winding losses. The adequacy of passive natural convection as a thermal management strategy is first assessed, and its limitations at …

The Role Of Occupational Therapy In Community-Based Nonprofit Durable Medical Equipment Programs, Coral Mcfern

Capstone Projects

This 14 week doctoral capstone project focused on improving education within a nonprofit durable medical equipment program, Renew Mobility, to enhance safety and independence for individuals using mobility devices. This work is relevant to occupational therapy as it applies OT principles of client-centered care, health literacy, and adaptive equipment training in a community-based setting. A key gap in the literature was identified as the lack of structured educational resources, leading to inconsistent training and reliance on verbal instructions.

The objective of this project was to develop accessible educational materials to support proper equipment use and safety. This resulted in a …

Enhancing Control Charting Schemes And Exploring New Assessment Metrics To Advance Quality Control And Cyber-Attack Detection In Manufacturing, Ahmad Al Majali

Dissertations

The increasing integration of digital technologies and industrial control systems in modern manufacturing has introduced new cybersecurity vulnerabilities within cyber–physical production environments. Malicious actors can exploit these vulnerabilities to induce subtle process deviations that degrade product quality while remaining undetected by conventional statistical monitoring tools. Such attacks can be deliberately engineered to manipulate process behavior through transient shifts that vary in magnitude, duration, and frequency. Despite extensive research on transient shifts caused by assignable causes in Statistical Process Control (SPC), limited attention has been given to intelligently designed cyber–physical attacks that exploit the structural characteristics and limitations of control charting …

Redesigning The Welcome, Lauren Ogrin

Interior Design Capstones

Airports serve as the first and last impression of a city, yet they are often remembered by stress, sensory overload, and a lack of cultural representation. This project explores how storytelling can be intentionally integrated into airport design to improve the overall human experience and create a more meaningful sense of welcome. Through the frameworks of user-centered inquiry, phenomenology, and narrative design, this research examines how materials, spatial sequences, sensory cues, and cultural narratives can influence traveler emotions, cognitive clarity, and feelings of belonging. By understanding how people move through and interpret transitional public spaces, this project proposes design strategies …

Distribution Mapping And Modeling Of The Invasive Japanese Knotweed, Jossalyn Rogalski

Masters Theses

This thesis investigates the distribution of invasive Japanese knotweed across Michigan. This plant poses significant challenges to land management due to its rapid growth, environmental impacts, and difficulty of removal once established. Using geographic information systems (GIS), remotely sensed data, and secondary environmental datasets, this research maps current infestations and analyzes key factors influencing the species’ growth and dispersal, such as soil composition, hydrology, land use, and a range of environmental variables, including climatic (annual mean temperature, temperature seasonality, annual precipitation, precipitation seasonality), elevation, vegetation and hydrological indices (NDVI, EVI, NDWI), percent tree cover, and distance to roads. Spatial analysis …

Does The Party Label Matter? Partisanship, Election Timing, And Ballot Drop-Off In Municipal Elections, Joelle Francis Whitaker

Masters Theses

This project examines if party labels drive participation in municipal elections. Progressive Era reforms removed partisan labels in attempts to weaken party machines and simplify local governance. Many cities continue to implement these reforms today. However, existing research suggests that party labels provide important informational and mobilizing cues that should increase turnout, especially in low-information elections. Using a comparison of four Michigan municipalities, this paper evaluates how partisan and nonpartisan systems shape local election turnout. The results show that the relationship is more complicated than expected. While party labels will still matter for how voters make decisions, election timing emerges …

Transformer Vulnerability To Geomagnetically Induced Currents Using Layered Soil Conductivity Models, Junior A. Sterling

Masters Theses

Geomagnetically induced currents (GICs) pose a significant threat to modern power transformers connected to long high-voltage transmission systems, particularly in regions with low subsurface electrical conductivity. During geomagnetic disturbances (GMDs), time-varying magnetic fields induce surface electric fields that drive quasi-DC currents through grounded transformer neutrals. These currents can bias transformer cores, leading to saturation, waveform distortion, and potential system instability. Despite extensive research, the role of regional Earth conductivity in shaping electric fields and transformer response remains an area requiring deeper investigation.

This study analyzes how contrasting Earth conductivity profiles influence GIC magnitude and transformer saturation risk using two representative …

Is Design A Form Of Caregiving?, Sidney Jordan

Interior Design Capstones

This thesis challenges the traditional hierarchy of clinical architecture, which historically prioritizes patient outcomes while overlooking the practitioner’s human experience. By investigating whether environmental design can act as a form of caregiving, this research addresses the critical gap between the physiological demands of healthcare labor and the holistic needs of the people performing it. The project argues that burnout is not just a result of high-stakes medicine, but is actively produced by physical layouts and a workplace culture that treats providers as parts of a machine rather than valued individuals. The methodological framework utilizes a tri-layered approach to bridge the …

Designing For Emotion: Reframing The Design Of Cancer Care Environments Through A Cinematic Lens, Alexis Booher

Interior Design Capstones

This capstone explores how cinematic design principles and techniques can inform interior design to shape spaces that support emotional well-being and human connection. Focusing on cancer care spaces, the project addresses the inherently emotional nature of these environments, where emotional impact is often underemphasized in traditional healthcare design, highlighting a critical gap this project aims to address. Drawing from cinema and environmental psychology, this project analyzes how film constructs emotional experiences through visual techniques and translates these principles into the built environment in order to prioritize emotionally supportive design within cancer care spaces. The outcome demonstrates the potential of reframing …

Design For Death, Serena Domsic

Interior Design Capstones

Although cemeteries are the eternal final resting places for countless souls, the design and purpose of burial grounds are often rudimentary and their impact has turned obsolete throughout the years. Cemeteries have become forgotten in the community landscape and are perceived as sinister and morbid through the eyes of modern American culture. Because encounters with death have dwindled for most of the population, many people ignore developing their beliefs about death and how to cope with loss until they are in the midst of emotional distress. This capstone project proposes an enhanced cemetery design that engages the community so individuals …

Unity In Design: Life As An Immigrant In The Built Environment, Julia Sainz

Interior Design Capstones

In the United States, Latinx immigrant communities often face social and systemic challenges that contribute to heightened levels of stress, anxiety, and displacement. While the built environment plays a critical role in shaping emotional and social well-being, architectural and interior design practices frequently overlook the lived experiences and cultural identities of these populations. This study explores how culturally responsive and participatory design strategies can foster safety, access, and empowerment for Latinx immigrants. By examining the intersection of migration, identity, and the built environment, this project proposes design as a tool for community resilience, cultural expression, and holistic well-being.

Where Do We Go: Rethinking Public Libraries, Emma Jouppi

Interior Design Capstones

The purpose of this study is to examine the factors contributing to the decline in public library visits and to identify practical strategies for increasing community engagement with library spaces. Public libraries have long served as accessible, inclusive environments for learning, technology access, and social connection. However, recent years have shown a decline in visitation, raising important questions about public perception, awareness, and accessibility. This research seeks to better understand how these factors intersect and what can be done to strengthen the role of libraries as vital third spaces within their communities.

This study aims to bridge the gap between …

Spring 2026 Title Of Blueprints For The Mind: How The Design Of Public Built Environment Impacts The Mental Health Of Youth, Faith Holton

Interior Design Capstones

Blueprints for the Mind investigates how public built environments influence the mental health of youth, with attention to rising rates of anxiety, depression. Through a multidisciplinary approach bridging environmental psychology, public health, interior architecture, and usercentered design, this project identifies the environmental factors shaping young people’s emotional well-being. Findings reveal that sensory conditions such as lighting, acoustics, layout, materiality, and predictability directly affect youth comfort, focus, and emotional regulation. Field research with students (ages 13–15) and an expert interview with licensed social worker Carmen Ortega-Cline further demonstrate that overstimulating, crowded, or unclear environments heighten stress, while semi-private, naturally lit, and …

Through The Lens Of Zoology, Madalyn Haun

Interior Design Capstones

Current zoo and sanctuary models often fail to meet the complex psychological, behavioral, and spatial needs of endangered and rehabilitated wildlife, resulting in chronic stress and welfare compromises. Beyond the Cage presents a transformation approach to zoological design, shifting the paradigm from entertainment-based displays to a “welfare-first” philosophy. This book argues that effective captive care requires expansive, species-appropriate habitats that facilitate natural behaviors, rather than merely simulating natural aesthetics. Through the lens of modern zoology, this work explores the implementation of groundbreaking exhibit re-creation, focusing on habitat enlargement, precise climate change control, and innovative environmental enrichment. A central pillar of …

Designing Across Generations: Bridging The Gap Through Ecclesiastical Architecture, Aurora Thompson

Interior Design Capstones

The purpose of this capstone project is to develop an intergenerational worship environment that reinforces a sense of unity and harmony among the generations through intentional design strategies. This work addresses the widening generational gap within religious communities and responds to the growing departure of younger generations who often feel unseen or disconnected within traditional church settings. By integrating generational preferences into the architectural and experiential components of the worship space, the project seeks to create an environment where all age groups feel represented, valued, and spiritually engaged. Situated within the context of increasing religious disaffiliation, this project highlights the …

Behavior Of A Mildly Skewed Network Tied-Arch Bridge During Construction And Early Service Life, Harsha Amunugama

Dissertations

This dissertation work investigated the structural performance of the 2nd Avenue Bridge in Detroit, Michigan, the first skewed, unbraced network tied-arch bridge in the U.S. The 245-ft long, 96.5-ft wide bridge features an 18-degree skew. The bridge was constructed using accelerated bridge construction (ABC) techniques, including off-site fabrication at a bridge staging area (BSA) and installation via self-propelled modular transporters (SPMTs) and lateral launching, enabling the completion of construction with minimal disruptions to I-94 traffic and improved safety.

Given the unique structural configuration of the bridge, the use of innovative construction techniques, and differences observed in structural responses predicted by …

Black Faces In White Spaces: Understanding School Belonging Among Black Adolescents At Nais Independent Schools, Letetsia Angelica Fox

Dissertations

Even though the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) has been committed to diversity for the last 30 years, they often focus their diversity efforts on all students of color instead of specific groups such as Black students (Brosnan, 2001). By not focusing on the specific experiences of Black students at independent schools, independent schools cannot truly foster a strong sense of school belonging for Black students because they do not understand the distinct barriers and factors that contribute to the development of school belonging for Black students who attend their schools (Hall & Stevenson, 2007).

This qualitative study sought …

Transparency And Accessibility In State Transportation Performance Reporting: A Systematic Examination Of State Department Of Transportation Websites Under Map-21, Jack Alan Klee

Dissertations

In the United States, all 50 State Departments of Transportation (DOTs) rely on federal funding as a key revenue source for roadway preservation programs. The 2012 Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21) Act introduced a performance-based framework for transportation policy, establishing seven national goal areas that require state DOTs to report performance outcomes. As MAP-21 reaches its ten-year milestone, this dissertation investigates the extent to which state DOTs demonstrate transparency and accessibility in reporting federally mandated performance management results. Despite the centrality of performance reporting to accountability and public trust, systematic evaluations of these dimensions remain limited …

Barriers To Climate Change And Sustainability Action: Nursing Education And Practice, Dawn Marie Smith

Dissertations

Climate change is one of the most pressing public health emergencies of our time and nurses can have a great impact in their current practice and in the education of future nurses (The Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments, n.d.; American Nurses Association, 2023; Health Care without Harm, 2025). Deaths due to rising temperatures, vector-borne illness, and food insecurity related to drought and extreme weather are on the rise (WHO, 2024). It has been estimated that globally over 250,000 additional deaths will be attributed to climate related effects between 2030 and 2050 (Watts et al., 2020; WHO, 2023).

A primary …

Convergence And Divergence Of Opinion About Treatment Of Binocular Vision Disorders Among Vision Care Professionals, Sonia Young

Dissertations

There are three distinct professions prominent in the field of pediatric vision care. They are ophthalmology, optometry and orthoptics. All professions are integral to the detection and treatment of pediatric binocular vision disorders. However, distinct schools of thought exist to describe the best approach to pediatric binocular vision disorders and their treatments. Literature often highlights two opposing schools of thought represented by the “medical” and “behavioral” approaches. While there is academic debate about the merits and pitfalls of either approach, there is a paucity of nuanced perspectives which more closely resemble the ways in which pediatric ocular clinicians approach diagnosis …

“The Thorns Of The Most Severe Virtue”: Education, Religion, And Cultural Power In Michigan, 1798–1855, Kyle Christopher Vanderwall

Dissertations

This project seeks to demonstrate the centrality of education and religion as cultural power levers used by Americans, Odawa, and Catholic missionaries. Though the power of each culture was uneven, efforts to create educational institutions imbued with different denominations of Christianity, as well as continued contestation over land, remade the cultures of all involved. Americans privileged state-building practices, the Odawa acculturated to remain in Michigan when removal policies were enacted throughout the United States, and the Catholic church attempted to proselytize Indigenous communities.

Although the ethnohistorical method needed to be understood in order to write this project, it is not …

The Effects Of Fluency Building On Undergraduate Student Performance, Lauren B. Shibley

Dissertations

Online learning has become integral to higher education, with enrollment steadily increasing over the past decade and accelerating during the COVID-19 pandemic. Research highlights the importance of flexibility, learner autonomy, and self-regulated learning skills in this environment, with studies demonstrating that strategies such as mastery-based, self-paced instruction, fluency training, and timely feedback support student engagement and academic success. Early work adapting personalized instruction for online use (Pear & Crone-Todd, 1999) and subsequent studies on fluency practice (Quigley et al., 2018; Urbina et al., 2019) emphasize how these supports can improve concept retention. Despite these advances, more quantitative research is needed …