Digital Commons Network^™

Improving Future Vehicle Fuel Economy And Operational Design Domain Through Novel Data Pipelines, Kyle James Carow

Masters Theses

Modern automobiles have greatly advanced in recent years, with technological developments that enhance performance, safety, and comfort. However, there is still much room for improvement. Today’s vehicles are heavily reliant on the combustion of fossil fuels, proven to be harmful for the environment on both a local and global scale. In addition, the safety benefits of autonomous vehicles and advanced driver assistance systems are not yet fully realized due to the limited operational design domain of these technologies. In this research, these needs are addressed through the development of two novel data pipelines. In the first study, a novel methodology …

Concept Validation: Collecting Composite Samples To Understand The Presence Of Per- And Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (Pfas) In Michigan Forested Areas, Nicole Renee Sanabria

Masters Theses

This research discusses the results of a state-wide study conducted by The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy to assess the presence of PFAS in shallow soils of state-owned forested areas in Michigan utilizing a composite sampling method. One sample collected from each of Michigan’s 83 counties reveals the presence of PFAS in all but one sample, with total PFAS concentrations ranging from non-detect to 2.016 μg/kg (dry weight). PFOS is generally detected at the highest concentrations, ranging from non-detect to 0.88 μg/kg, followed by PFBA, with concentrations ranging from non-detect to 0.69 μg/kg, and PFOA, with concentrations …

How A Balanced Christian Message In Film Can Inspire Christ-Like Transformation, Makayla Marrin Jacobs

Masters Theses

This thesis will attempt to examine the need for a balanced Christian message in film and how everyday acts of the Christian faith can inspire Christ-like transformation within society. This thesis will also explore the importance of developing faith and spiritual disciplines through the creative screenplay, All Hail the Hoodlums. Throughout history, living as a faithful Christian and practicing spiritual disciplines can appear to go directly against society’s natural flow as belief in a Creator oppose man’s selfishness and sinful nature. Seemingly, society at large currently projects that believing in a Monotheistic and Triune God and having a deep personal …

Lady Of The Joust: Defining And Classifying Flat Character Arcs, Rachael Michelle Varner

Masters Theses

Character arcs outline the growth or development a character experiences throughout a narrative. Of the three major types—Positive Change, Negative Change, and Flat—the third is often glossed over or ignored in academic settings. The Artist Statement addresses my experience writing a novel when I did not understand what Flat Arcs entailed and thus failed to recognize why my protagonist resisted the more popular Positive Change formula. In the Critical Paper, my analysis of texts dedicated to the craft of character arcs revealed that there are no consistent criteria by which to define or categorize them. Nevertheless, my research suggests that …

The Eye Of The King: Screenplay Adaptation As A Craft Tool, Nora Annette Graves

Masters Theses

Adaptation studies typically focus on a screenplay’s fidelity to its original text within the constraints imposed by the new genre. This thesis approaches adaptation as a craft tool: a rich source of fresh authorial insight into characters, settings, and plotlines. Experimentation, not fidelity, is the goal of the self-adapter; adaptations are valued and deemed successful based on the new levels of complexity they uncover or add to an ongoing story. The author’s screenplay adaptation of her original novel, The Eye of the King, served as a case study for testing the value of adaptation as a writer’s craft tool. Re-telling …

Unheard Voices: Minority Female Presence In Fiction Including Folklore And Fantastical Elements, Breanna Renae Grayson

Masters Theses

This thesis is about the representation of women and racial minorities and the incorporation of folklore and fantastical elements in contemporary American short fiction. This incorporation includes the characterization of nonwhite characters in fiction and the role they serve. Also, the main idea is to provide an explanation concerning the importance and relationship it has for minority female writers and readers. The Artistic Statement defines the author’s reasons, inspirations, and creative process for her choices in creative writing. The Critical Paper is supported by research and data to describe the use of fantastical elements and how they are implemented into …

There Must Be More: God's Prescription For Living The Abundant Life, Rodney Gerald Coe

Masters Theses

Abundant life is a life that finds true satisfaction and fulfillment in Jesus alone. It is living in such a way that we realize life begins and ends in Christ. We cannot find abundant life in temporary pleasures, wealth, earthly success, or the praise of man. Abundant life begins in justification, grows more complete in sanctification, and is complete in glorification. 2 Peter 1-11 is where God outlines abundant life here on Earth. It speaks directly to the sanctification part of salvation. Peter writes that faith begins when we are justified by Jesus at Calvary and that our sanctification is …

Resurrecting Olympus, Jordan Ashley Miller

Masters Theses

The objective of this creative project was to reintroduce Greek mythology to the public, adapting the ancient tales to appeal to an ever-evolving world. In order to do the myths justice, it was important to examine adaptations and interpretations over the centuries to determine the philosophical trajectory of mythology. My studies unearthed a diverse portfolio of academic perspectives ranging from the likes of the more formal philosopher Thomas Bullfinch of the 1900s, to the modern, comedy-infused commentator Stephen Fry. Each voice revealed something new to consider. Synthesizing these varying positions into a holistic narrative, I set out to pen a …

Beauty And Modern Art: The Importance Of Classically Educating Students About Beauty Through Modern Art, Rebecca Brooke Edwards

Masters Theses

It has often been asked throughout the history of mankind what classifies beauty within an artwork. When observing some of the outstanding works of Leonardo DaVinci or Sandro Botticelli, a few of the great masters of the Renaissance, there is no problem teaching students about what makes those artists’ work beautiful. What about the artistic work from the past two hundred years to the current art being produced today? I have found through my own personal journey as an artist that there is a severe lack of promotion for creative gifts being used for God within the Christian communities (and …

The Fire Behind My Passion: Thief's Fire, Jessica Lacey Hackett

Masters Theses

Every day, I am bombarded by vulgarity of every kind through the people around me, the television, music, and sadly literature as well. The fantasy genre is a genre that is filled with made-up worlds and creatures that come from the awe-inspiring human imagination. However, it is not untouched by the vulgarity of this world. Fantasy novels have become just as filled with foul language and sex as the so-called “trashy romance” novels have in them. What is most disturbing about all this is that the vulgarity has leaked into the fantasy novels made for teens. I aim to create …

Musical Expressions Curriculum Applied Study, Nicole Turner

Masters Theses

There is an increasing need for a music curriculum that not only guides students in creating, analyzing, performing, and arranging musical ideas, but also integrates a biblical perspective connecting students to themselves and their environments. This applied study measured the effectiveness of the first two units of the curriculum “Musical Expressions” as a guide for students in upper elementary education as they developed, organized, analyzed, and composed their own musical ideas while understanding the biblical implications of music. Guided by Eisner’s model of arts-based research, this applied artistic creative research study yielded quantitative data to identify student achievement in their …

Teaching Children To Sing: An Eight-Week Study, Kathleen Ruth Riggs

Masters Theses

Teaching children to sing is both a powerful and practical way to enhance their quality of life. With careful instruction and a playful approach, children can be taught foundational singing skills, and develop a love for singing at a very early age. In many schools today, children learn songs in music classes but are not taught how to sing. Over the course of eight weeks, twelve children ages five to ten were taught to sing using Susan Kenney’s natural singing method detailed in “Seven Steps for Developing Successful Singing and Listening Habits.” Children participated in two group lessons and six …

Writing For The Fantasy Genre Through The Christian Worldview, Angelina Rose Butters

Masters Theses

My thesis proffers the prevalence of Christian worldview elements in fantasy fiction. The research findings presented expand on the different Christian elements within fantasy literature by interpreting the writing and influence of Christian authors, such as J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, and secular authors, such as Jennifer A. Neilson and J.K. Rowling. I argue that within fantasy there are Christian elements that are either overtly or covertly incorporated. I present my findings based on these readings in different sections: fantasy’s purpose to provide entertainment, the inclusion of God to dictate the destiny and laws of the fantasy worldview, the inclusion …

Thesis Proposal And Project: The Cave, Jennifer Lee Bailey

Masters Theses

This piece is a work of creative writing, inspired by a true story. Slowly, it transitioned from creative nonfiction to a work of science fiction.

The Experiences Of African Americans In World War Ii And How They Were Affected Compared To People Of European Descent, Lane Gooding

Masters Theses

The service of African Americans in the United States Army during World War II shaped their perceptions regarding fighting for the same country but with different experiences than their comrades in arms of European descent due to the exposure to racism within their own forces and the harsh realities of warfare. The struggles of African Americans in the army were evident from the start of the United States’ involvement in the war and continued to pose problems even as some soldiers were able to earn the respect of both comrades of European descent and civilians back home. African Americans who …

The Enemy Of My Enemy Is My Friend: George Washington And France, Brent Kyle Meyers

Masters Theses

This thesis looks at how George Washington was able to overcome his personal animosity towards France and ally himself with them during the American Revolution. This animosity originates with Washington’s early interactions with the French during the French and Indian War. It examines how the events during Washington first miliary mission and journey to Fort Le Boeuf, his first military conflict and surrender at Jumonville Glenn, and his service under General Braddock all helped develop that animosity. However, the overcoming of these early negative feelings for Washington was the culmination of three key factors. The first major guiding force was …

Journey Through The In-Between: A Haibun Anthology, Jonathan Andrew Painter

Masters Theses

The critical paper addresses the haiku and haibun of the seventeenth-century Japanese poet Matsuo Basho and argues that his poetry demonstrated a high level of ingenuity and flexibility. Accordingly, it serves as a model that can be reappropriated by modern poets writing in a different language and context at a distance of hundreds of years. The haibun anthology entitled "Journey Through the In-Between" is divided into two main parts. Part One presents the ambiguity that I have discovered on my mental and spiritual journey of faith. It is divided into five chapters. Each chapter’s title and content features two juxtaposed …

Explanatory Ultimacy, Epistemic Access, And Evil: A Community Theodicy, Jonathan Michael Huls

Masters Theses

This is a work about meaning and value. How do human persons find meaning? Why do human persons have value—or do we? A stubborn problem of meaning is evidenced by the perennially treated theistic problem of evil. How is an all-powerful, all-knowing, and morally perfect God compatible with a world filled with violence and hate? If God is powerfully perfect, why is His world not perfect too? This project endeavors to notice that an answer to this problem depends on properly grounding human access to meaning—especially the meaning of the words God, and evil. It is argued herein that there …

Summer Movement Of Burbot (Lota Lota) In An Isolated Michigan River And Pre-Restoration Assessment Of The Grand River Fish Assemblage In Downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan, Usa, Alexis Neff

Masters Theses

This thesis research consisted of two complimentary projects. The first focused on understanding the ecology and life-history of an isolated population of a freshwater fish, the Burbot; the second on a pre-restoration assessment of the fish community in the Grand River.

Understanding life-history strategies of species is important to recognize changes in behavior caused by anthropogenic effects. Burbot (Lota lota), are important apex predators in their native range, is understudied, and exhibits complex life-history strategies. Specifically, little research has been done on isolated river populations. My research objective was to assess Burbot movement and habitat use over a …

Concurrent Validity Study Of 3d Motion Measurement Systems: Vicon Vs. Xsens, Pias Das

Masters Theses

As the Inertial Measurement System (IMS) being a potential alternative to the Optoelectronic Measurement System (OMS) in terms of capturing comprehensive and objective musculoskeletal data, they need to be verified concurrently with the OMS before we start using the IMS in clinical motion analysis. To achieve this, a concurrent validity experiment of the Xsens system (IMS) in comparison to the Vicon system (OMS) was conducted for both upper and lower extremity movements during walk, squat, and lateral lunge (left and right) to quantify the degree of similarity of kinematic data between the two systems by direct comparison, root mean square …

Mate Recognition In Genetically Distinct Populations Of The Eastern Red-Backed Salamander (Plethodon Cinereus), Courtney Thomas

Masters Theses

Lineages that have undergone genetic divergence and subsequently experience secondary contact present fascinating situations related to the potential for reproductive isolation. Within species hybrid zones provide unique opportunities to test the strength of reproductive barriers through behavioral experiments when genetic relatedness between groups is established. Among the complex interactions that operate to maintain species boundaries, mate recognition and mate choice are two behaviors that serve to promote evolutionary independence across diverse taxonomic lineages. I explored mate recognition in genetically distinct populations of the Eastern Red-backed Salamander, Plethodon cinereus, a small, abundant, terrestrial salamander with a widespread distribution throughout northeastern United …

Species Responses To Habitat Edges And Fragmentation Per Se: A Cross Taxa Meta-Analysis, Rachel Snyder

Masters Theses

Aim We examined the scale equivalency of fragmentation effects at the patch scale and landscape scale to determine if patch level effects scale up to landscape level effects. First, we examined species responses to fragmentation effects at the patch scale and landscape scale. Second, we evaluated whether there is a difference in response between taxonomic groups and across latitudes. Finally, we analyzed the data at the level of individual species in order to determine how species respond to edge effects and fragmentation effects. Location Data for 71 studies were gathered from the BioFrag database. Studies used were located in 48 …

Assessing The Reliability Of The Five-In-20 Classroom Observation Tool, Danielle Buechlein

Masters Theses

Effective classroom management practices are crucial to fostering a positive learning environment, student achievement, and student social-emotional development, as well as teacher job satisfaction. The Five-in-20 Classroom Observation Tool (FCOT) was developed from the 21 evidence-based strategies identified by Simonsen and colleagues (2008) to assess and support teachers’ classroom management; however, its psychometric properties are unknown. The present study looks at the interobserver agreement of the FCOT, specifically at how consistent observers’ ratings are with each other and how consistent observers’ ratings are with a standard coded copy of the FCOT. Forty-four participants, using the FCOT, rated the same 20-minute …

High School Teacher’S Education And Training On Trauma, Macey Wienstroer

Masters Theses

Trauma significantly impacts the well-being of all individuals, which includes both students and school professionals. Concerning students, traumatic experiences have become predictive of academic difficulties, conduct problems, and delinquency; they affect the child’s school experience by increasing their risk for suspension and expulsion, poor attendance, risky behaviors, low self-esteem, and disengagement. On the other hand, educators are experience more feelings of burn out and are dealing with the effects of secondary traumatic stress, and compassion fatigue. Consequently, it is essential to consider the negative effects of trauma and how to remediate the symptomology. One way to reduce the adverse effects …

Student-Athletes’ Decision-Making Process For Selecting An Academic Major, Gina S. Pearson

Masters Theses

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine how collegiate student-athletes experience the decision-making process for selecting their academic major at a midsize, Division I university in the Midwest. With four participants from four different sports, this study’s results centered around four research questions: what was most important to the student-athlete when selecting a major, what challenges they ran into, what role others played in their decision-making process, and how the student-athletes’ athletic identity manifested in their decision-making for their major.

Results of this study indicated that student-athletes value the practical application to a career that their major can …

Exploring Anterior Cruciate Ligament Tears And Athletic Identity As Predictors Of Disordered Eating Behaviors In Female Collegiate Soccer Players, Niondina M. Nyström

Masters Theses

Research has consistently established the relationship between injury occurrence and subsequent mental health concerns within the athletic population (Brown et al., 2014; NCAA, 2021). Specifically, negative mental health outcomes such as anxiety, depression, and social isolation have followed the occurrence of an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear (McGinley et al., 2022; Töyrä & Bergström, 2017). Similarly, because of high levels of athletic identity (AI), the inability to participate in a sport due to injury has been associated with disordered eating (DE) (Gusfa et al., 2022). Despite this, no studies have examined disordered eating and the role of athletic identity after …

The Construct Validity Of The Wechsler Abbreviated Scale Of Intelligence, Second Edition (Wasi-Ii) And The Reynolds Intellectual Assessment Scales, Second Edition (Rias-2), Mckenzie K. Sopoci

Masters Theses

The Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence, Second Edition (WASI-II; Wechsler, 2011) and the Reynolds Intellectual Assessment Scales, Second Edition (RIAS-2; Reynolds & Kamphaus, 2015) are two intelligence tests created to assess general intelligence, using four subtests reflecting two verbal and two nonverbal (perceptual reasoning) tasks. Both tests overlap to assess individuals between the ages of 6 to 90, and while the WASI-II is specified by the publisher as a screening measure, the RIAS-2 is not. Tests like the WASI-II and RIAS-2 may provide more efficient assessment of general intelligence, which can reduce assessment time and allow professionals to engage in …

Evaluating The Assessment Of Resident Assistant Training, Diego Ulloa

Masters Theses

This poster provides the findings from a qualitative study of four housing professionals responsible for Resident Assistant (RA) training at four institutions in the Great Lake Association of College and University Housing Officers (GLACUHO) professional association that includes the states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio. This study looked at how those four institutions assessed, evaluated, and improved the centralized training provided to RAs by the department. Key findings include the importance of the use of learning outcomes for training sessions, developing, and maintaining strong relationships with key campus partners, and the issues around prioritizing session topics and departmental needs …

Asian Americans Perceptions Of Mental Health Help-Seeking, Austin Dye

Masters Theses

Mental health has critical importance in the development and functioning of an individual emotionally, psychologically, and socially throughout life. Thus, it is important for an individual to identify mental health issues when experiencing it and seek treatment. However, this understanding appears to differ across cultures and ethnic groups. For instance, Asians in the US have low mental health service utilization. Although researchers have sought to identify the reason, many of these studies are dated, and have not fully explored all the different factors that influence this behavior, nor explored if there are generational differences. In the current study, 102 Asians …

Still, We Rise: Experiences Of Black Women In Leadership Positions At Predominately White Institutions, Dionne Lipscomb

Masters Theses

Despite the educational progress that Black women in the United States have made, they continue to be underrepresented in positions of senior leadership in all sectors including higher education (American Council on Education, 2017, 2023, de Brey et al., 2019). Because of their double minoritized status they also face bigger challenges in their positions than their White female, White male, and Black male counterparts. This narrative qualitative study utilized theory of othering and intersectionality to highlight the experiences of five Black women as they ascend to leadership positions at four-year predominately White institutions. The research questions guiding this study are: …