Digital Commons Network^™

Police, Prisons, Communities, And Courts: An Examination Of Criminal Legal System Responses To Neurodivergence, Rhys Miller Evans

Theses

Mental health in the United States is largely stigmatized and overlooked as a factor of crime. This capstone project critically analyzes the response of actors in the criminal legal system to neurodivergence and identifies areas for improvement.

Part One focuses on how police respond to those with mental health conditions and community-based supports that can reduce harm during these interactions. This chapter provides an overview of the prevalence of neurodivergence in the United States and how police are, or are not, trained to protect and serve this subset of the population. It explains the Memphis Model of crisis intervention and …

Under The Mask: Labeling And Self-Perception In Augmented Reality, Ruiyuan Guo

Theses

Under the Mask is a speculative AR experience that critically explores how social labels shape both perception and self-perception in everyday life. The project reimagines augmented reality not as a technological novelty, but as a conceptual mirror—a way to visualize how identity is continuously negotiated in social space. Users interact with two distinct labeling functions: when they assign a tag to themselves, it becomes visible to everyone, symbolizing the ways in which self-identification enters public discourse. In contrast, when users label others, those tags remain private—visible only to the individual user—highlighting how our assumptions primarily influence our own vision, not …

Instrapix – An Image-Based Digital Audio Workstation Design, Dan Qiao

Theses

InstraPix, a UI project designed by Dan Qiao, is groundbreaking image-and-audio conversion software and a digital audio workstation (DAW). enables bidirectional conversion between images and sound, opening new creative possibilities. With powerful image processing tools, it allows users to directly use pictures as audio sources, shaping unique sonic compositions. InstraPix also supports sound presets, VST plugins, and note editing, allowing seamless integration with other instruments. This all-in-one audio workstation could mark the beginning of a new era where music can be created entirely from images. Assigning images significant importance in audio production and minimizing the middle steps, it breaks the …

Evaluating Leatherback Turtle Conservation Using The Iucn Red List, Hannah Mcguiness-Piasecki

Theses

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List is a key resource for assessing species extinction risks and serves as a framework for global conservation planning. This study focused on the Leatherback Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea), a species currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, evaluating the conservation policies and measures implemented by selected English-speaking countries. The study employed a policy analysis approach, reviewing national and international treaties relevant to leatherback conservation. The findings revealed that while many countries align their policies with global treaties, some gaps remain, particularly in addressing threats to adult leatherbacks …

Mary Kay Reimagined, Allison Terveer

Theses

This project is taking the brand Mary Kay and turning it into a new brand that would be enticing to younger generations and become a staple in everyone and anyone’s routines. Mary Kay was a huge makeup brand in the 1990s and early 2000s, but the cosmetic industry has grown tremendously, and Mary Kay has fallen behind. They mostly target the older generations, the generations that were supporting them in the 1990s and 2000s. They need to expand their target range and get younger consumers to pay attention to them. With updated packaging, new marketing and a new way to …

From The Bleachers To The Browser: Redefining Fan Experience With Ar And Ai In Smaller Teams, Jennifer Lee Wunder

Theses

This project documents the creation and deployment of HootyHoo, an interactive augmented reality (AR) mascot experience designed for the O’Fallon Hoots, a small-scale collegiate summer baseball team. Built using accessible, open-source tools such as WebXR, Mixamo, Meshy, Botpress, Claude and ChatGPT, this prototype merges AI-driven conversation with animated 3D avatar interaction—redefining how fans engage with sports organizations digitally. Unlike enterprise-level applications used by professional franchises, HootyHoo is entirely browser-based, eliminating the need for app downloads and ensuring maximum accessibility for families and new fans with smartphones. The experience centers on Hooty, the team mascot, who answers questions about baseball and …

Horror Films And Why We Enjoy The Genre, Jessica Thomason

Theses

This project focuses on the research of horror films and why certain individuals enjoy the genre despite having taboo subjects. The primary focus is to find the answer to the research question “why do some individuals enjoy horror?”. The aim of this research was to identify a connection between why individuals enjoy horror through the content. The research then informed the creative process behind the painting series that accompanies this project.

Definitively Unfinished: Abraham Cruzvillegas’ Autoconstrucción, Disability Aesthetics, And Crip Materiality, Benjamin Brobst-Renaud

Theses

Abraham Cruzvillegas’ Autoconstrucción project is the sculptural manifestation of an approach to artmaking rooted in the self-built and continually evolving forms of the neighborhood where Cruzvillegas grew up (Colonia Ajusco near Mexico City). While it might seem surprising to draw a comparison between the forms of Autoconstrucción and Disability Studies, and while Cruzvillegas does not literally depict the disabled human form, Autoconstrucción resonates deeply with this critical space. Disability Aesthetics, in Tobin Siebers’ formulation, is “an attempt to theorize the representation of disability in modern art and visual culture.” Similarly, Jessica Cooley’s Crip Materiality is a methodology that “locates disability …

Summit Disease: The Ecological Horror Of Empire, Nicholas Moore

Theses

This project focuses on the use of insect imagery in art and media and the theories and concepts that have been instrumental in understanding the cultural and political significance of insect species extinction and decline. I center my work on the concept of ecohorror and highlight several artists whose work depicts insect species and conveys anxieties over ecoprecarity and climate dysfunction. I argue that depictions of insects in art and media can be interpreted in two ways - insects as destructive, monstrous contaminants and insects as constructive, beneficial terraformers - and I rely on Hayao Miyazaki’s Nausicaa of the Valley …

Presence Through Absence: The Ark Of The Covenant And The Aniconic Image Of God In Early Israelite Religious Art, Natalie Rivas

Theses

This thesis investigates the Ark of the Covenant as a paradoxical visual and theological artifact within early Israelite religious art. While the Israelite tradition has long been characterized as aniconic (eschewing anthropomorphic representations of the divine) the Ark occupied a central role in ritual, worship, and religious identity. Prior scholarship has focused either on the Ark’s narrative function in biblical texts or its formal attributes as a cultic object. However, limited attention has been given to how the Ark embodies divine presence through the visual strategy of absence. This study argues that the Ark does not merely avoid figural representation …

Pottery As A Socio-Economic Marker In Prehistoric Burials Along The Southern Coast Of South Korea, P. Codi Shoemaker

Theses

This thesis investigates the role of pottery as a socio-economic marker in prehistoric burials along the southern coast of South Korea, with a focus on the Late Jeulmun to Early/Mid-Mumun Pottery Periods. Through an interdisciplinary analysis of burial sites at Janghang (Gadeok-do), Sangchonri, and Yulha-ri, the study examines how ceramic design, placement, and associated grave goods reflect evolving social structures within early Korean communities. While pottery has long been examined through functional and chronological lenses, this research considers its symbolic and cultural value in funerary contexts. Findings suggest that pottery served not only utilitarian or ritual purposes, but increasingly signaled …

An Exploration Of Irish Celtic & Early Germanic Brooches And Their Cultural Functions, Lisa Michele Medlen Mueller

Theses

During the early medieval period in the British Isles, jewelry objects, in particular brooches, served many functions, while simultaneously expressing differing social hierarchies and distinctions. The following analysis investigates the forms, materials, iconography, and symbolism present in brooches created by Irish Celtic and early Germanic peoples from the 7th to the 9th centuries CE, also termed Insular artworks. Additionally, this research examines the performative aspects of early medieval brooches in the British Isles, exploring their social roles as mediators between wearer and viewer. By analyzing specific examples such as the 'Tara' Brooch, Kingston Brooch, Londesborough Brooch, and Strickland Brooch, this …

Beatrice Wanjiku: A Portrait Of Human Vulnerability, Suzanne R. Vuoncino

Theses

Abstract artist Beatrice Wanjiku uses an anatomical composition to illustrate a sense of vulnerability, an element of human identity, in relation to one’s social environment. Going beyond the skin, Untitled excavates the mental and emotional aspects of the human condition and gives expression to experience. By observing her figural composition, examining the foundation of identity theory, and interpreting her use of abstraction, I will describe how Untitled speaks to a message of connectivity through a portrait of human vulnerability. This thesis argues that one’s environment affects the individual and exemplifies how vulnerability is seen as a pervasive aspect of human …

Reading Tipu's Tiger: Hybridity And The Sound Of A Silenced Roar, Sarah M. Jackson

Theses

Tipu’s Tiger, a powerful artifact at the nexus of colonialism, cultural preservation, and museum practices, serves as a unique case study of shifting historical interpretations. Originally crafted in Mysore, India as a symbol of resistance against British colonial forces, the object was later repurposed as a trophy of empire. This dual role embodies the tensions central to postcolonial theory, where the meanings of cultural artifacts shift depending on the context in which they are placed. Through the lens of Homi Bhabha’s theory of hybridity, Tipu’s Tiger is understood as a hybrid object, reflecting the complex liminal space between its …

Stories In Style: Interactive Fashion Exhibits As Tools For Activating Special Collections, Riley Mason

Theses

Interpretation is a museum’s most significant form of communication with visitors. Historic collections, material representations of distinct historical narratives and themes, hold objects and cultural knowledge that enable them to contextualize contemporary concepts like fashion through exhibit-based interpretation and extend these concepts beyond labels through interactivity. To investigate the role of these specialized repositories in challenging existing narratives and connecting with modern audiences, this thesis developed a collection-driven exhibit to answer the following question: how can institutions activate special collection objects through relevant interpretation and non-digital interactive experiences in exhibits? Through researching and analyzing four objects from the Bruce and …

Rooted In Ogdensburg: A Creative Exhibition From Classroom To Gallery, Finn Bishop-Duford

Theses

Picture this: you are an elementary student- wandering around an art exhibition. On the wall hangs artwork you dedicated your time to. How does it make you feel? Art exhibitions of student work are a display practice implemented at the James F. Montpelier Gallery located at Ogdensburg Free Academy in Ogdensburg, New York. Such student-focused art exhibitions, historically, create a wonderful, inspirational, and impactful environment for students to display their finest works. Once the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world by storm in 2020, the thematic shows shifted to assemblages of students’ best work. This is due to the limited time …

Factors Influencing Community Assembly Of The Amphibian Microbiome In Rochester, Ny, Thomas R. Minahan

Theses

Amphibians are crucial in wetlands and, by extension, our planet. As predator and prey, amphibians serve as keystone species, vital for the continued equilibrium in their wetland ecosystems. However, the global amphibian population is currently threatened by the spread of a pathogenic fungus known as Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). Over the past thirty years, Bd has spread worldwide, threatening hundreds of amphibian species. The environmental factors that influence microbial community assembly in amphibians are key to developing interventions that can protect amphibians from disease. This research examines the abiotic and biotic factors influencing microbial community composition in amphibians of Rochester, New …

Bodies Unseen: Hysteria’S Stain On Women’S Healthcare, Layla Dehrab

Theses

Bodies Unseen is a 5-minute motion graphics piece accompanied by a 12-page zine that explores the historical and ongoing dismissal of women’s pain within the medical system, rooted in the legacy of hysteria. Through the fictionalized stories of Ada, Rosa, and Mabel-women from different time periods who face misdiagnosis and neglect, the project illustrates the persistent gender bias in healthcare. Drawing from historical records, feminist theory, and contemporary research on medical inequity, this work connects past injustices to modern-day disparities in diagnosis and treatment. The animation and zine work in tandem to educate viewers and encourage dialogue about the systemic …

What’S Coco Eating Today: Using Fragmented Time To Reduce Stress, Yaxuan Wang

Theses

In modern society, electronic mobile devices have become an integral part of life and entertainment. From a developmental perspective, the abundance of virtual content has brought significant changes in emotional, cognitive, and social aspects. On this background, the rise of the gaming industry has made 'digital games' a common form of entertainment. As games become a normalized part of daily life, the variety of game types has expanded greatly. This led me to consider: through interaction design and using games as a medium, is it possible to reduce users' stress in a short time and provide positive emotional feedback? Based …

Ai Emotional Companion App, Ruyi Liu

Theses

"Lumi" is an AI emotional companion app designed to provide personalized, immersive, and emotionally supportive experiences. The project explores how customizable virtual characters can fulfill the growing emotional and social needs of users through multimodal interaction, intimacy-building systems, and gamified engagement. By combining user interviews, competitive analysis, and iterative prototyping, this thesis investigates how design strategies can strengthen the user’s emotional bond with an AI character. The final product presents a flexible platform where users can create unique AI companions, interact in diverse ways, and develop lasting emotional connections. This work contributes to the field of emotional UX and digital …

A Remote Sensing-Based Evaluation Of Road And Electricity Infrastructure Expansion Effects On Development In Sub-Saharan Africa, Tunmise Ibukun Raji

Theses

Sub-Saharan African countries consistently rank low on human development indicators despite decades of international aid and domestic investment. To address these challenges, governments across the region are allocating substantial portions of their national budgets to infrastructure expansion, viewing it as a catalyst for accelerated socio-economic development. However, given severely constrained budgets, these nations often face trade-offs between infrastructure development and investment in other important sectors such as healthcare and education. This highlights the need for infrastructure investments to deliver their anticipated benefits. This dissertation examines the relationship between infrastructure development and socio-economic development in Sub-Saharan Africa, with a particular focus …

Sesp Plinko: Dynamics Of C-Shaped Particles Moving Through An Obstacle Field, Ollie Yakimow

Theses

We examine the behavior of C-shaped superellipse sector particles (SeSPs) as they travel through an obstacle field. SeSPs are two-dimensional particles parameterized by corner sharp- ness, aspect ratio, and opening angle; these parameters are sufficient to represent a large variety of shapes, including discs, rods, and concave and convex particles. Our obstacle field is a rhombic Galton Board, an array with alternating rows of pegs. Galton Boards are common not just in experiments but in popular media, such as in boardwalk games and in The Price is Right’s game segment known as "Plinko." Round particles dropped through a Galton Board …

Encapsulation Of Lactobacillus Reuteri Dsm 17938 In W/O/W Emulsion: Influence Of Oil Type On Viability And Oxidative Stability, Nora Mohamed Alantali

Theses

Probiotics, known for their wide range of health benefits, have been gaining recognition on their effects on the gut-brain axis. This axis, operated via various pathways, can be modulated by the type and functions of probiotics found in the gut microflora. However, probiotics face several stress factors before reaching the gut which hinders them from being functional. The main objective of this thesis was to construct a stable double-emulsion-based delivery system for probiotics, which can act as a barrier against the harsh conditions of the digestive system. Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938 was loaded in a water-in-oil-in-water Pickering double emulsion system, …

A Study Of The Impact Of Balancing, Geometric Transformation, Generative Networks, And Roi Techniques In Eye Diseases Classification, Sghaira Hareb Alnuaimi

Theses

Automatic detection of ocular diseases helps medical professionals efficiently identify eye disorders, reduce diagnostic errors, and accelerate diagnoses to prevent blindness. Deep learning has been successfully utilized in various fields, including medical image classification. However, in spite of these advancements, challenges remain in ocular disease classification.

The objective of this work is to address these challenges using data processing, data augmentation in combination with Region of Interest (ROI) techniques. Medical datasets often suffer from scarcity, imbalance, and low-quality images, leading to inaccurate classification. To mitigate these issues, we utilize the ODIR dataset, which contains 7,000 labelled training images for both …

Evaluating The Effects Of Co₂ And Uv-B On Sporobolus Virginicus (L.) Kunth Growth Under Open Top Chamber: A Comparison Of Silicon Nanoparticle-Treated And Untreated Plants, Suhaila Humaid Ablooshi

Theses

The study focused at how silicon nanoparticles (SiNPs; 50 mg/L) affected the growth, photosynthetic efficiency, and biochemical responses of the salt-tolerant halophyte Sporobolus virginicus in four different environments. They are control, high CO₂, UV-B radiation, and a mix of high CO₂ and UV-B. Plants that were treated with SiNPs showed big changes in their shape, such as more biomass, bigger leaf area, and better root systems in all conditions. The use of combined stress treatments caused a big increase in the levels of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll, and carotenoids. As a result, that the plants were better at …

Gender Knobs, Jordan Faye Bardgett

Theses

Gender Knobs is a performance art piece that tells the histories of both the technology surrounding pitch shifting devices like the vocoder as well as well as the personal history of the voice of the performer, Jordan, regarding their queer identity as non-binary trans woman. The performance is a combination of lecture, personal storytelling, and sound performance within a theatrical setting with musical accompaniment and projected visuals.

You! Me! Dancing!, Aaron Ickler

Theses

YOU! ME! DANCING! is a 3-piece photo installation consisting of photographs of myself and the Rochester area furry community. YOU! contains 145 medium format slides across two light panels exploring my relation to the masculine aspects of the Furry Fandom through staged studio portraits, intimate looks into furries in their natural habitats, and moments from local meetups. ME! uses large format sheet film layered in acrylic to highlight the change of character of wearing a fursuit, featuring my own custom fursuit. Lastly, DANCING!, is a visually inaccessible 80 image slideshow in which the pace and interval timed start of the …

Lovejoy: Imagination And Community, Julia D'Amico

Theses

Lovejoy is a photographic portrait of memory, imagination and the future of a neighborhood in Buffalo, New York. For nearly a century, my great-grandparents, grandfather, uncles and cousins lived in the house on Goethe Street in Lovejoy. It was once a vibrant working-class community of immigrants from a few towns in Central and Southern Italy. In 2020, I moved back to Buffalo, regularly visiting my elderly relative who still lived there. She died later that same year. Photography, which has long been a form of self-expression for me, was the medium I had at hand when we started to clean …

The Cutting Edge: A Virtual Reality Simulation For Surgeons To Learn And Understand Carpal Tunnel Surgery, Chenhao Angel Yang

Theses

As virtual reality (VR) technology becomes increasingly popular, its applications in healthcare have gained significant traction. Many current VR training tools for surgeons lack aesthetic and functional depth; they lack an understanding of the tools needed in the operating room and have limited user experience design and interactivity. In addition, there is an opportunity for specialization with immersive training models tailored to specific procedures like carpal tunnel surgery, making it difficult for surgeons to visualize complex techniques before practicing on real patients in a realistic and guided environment. This project investigates the intersection of VR experiences and their potential to …

Mundane, Ordinary And Eerie Undertones, Yixuan Xia

Theses

When people encounter fear and uncertainty, their mental and physical reactions can vary. Drawing from my personal experience and the ‘Uncanny Valley’ theory [2], I explore various materials and juxtapose ordinary elements with unsettling imagery. In this project, I focus on donuts, transforming them by adding surreal details to imbue them with eerie undertones. For example, in one of my works, a delicious-looking donut appears perfectly normal at first glance. When viewers have a close look at the donut, its surface is crawling with worms, creating an unsettling contrast between the familiar and the disturbing. By altering these familiar items, …