Digital Commons Network^™

Edutainment System For Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Chunxiao Zhu

Theses

I have always believed that a qualified designer should design products that can help society; therefore, I have kept my eye on core social issues. My graduate thesis is definitely a great opportunity for me to help minority groups in society through a designer's perspective.

As we all have noticed, the number of families that have a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is increasing year by year, and these families are all struggling with difficult issues. That's why I chose ASD as my thesis topic. I want to help children with ASD through design.

Because ASD is a broad …

Curating Deaf Spaces In Rochester: A Historical Self-Guided Mobile Application Tour, Allison Thompson

Theses

Rochester is widely considered by many to be one if, if not the most, Deaf-friendly city in the nation due to having the one of the largest Deaf populations per capita in the country.1 The research question focused on whether sufficient material could be assembled to provide a self-guided historical tour application (still in the planning stages) that will feature locations related to Rochester’s deaf community. The content that I curated was chosen based on the historical significance and accessibility of locations to visitors. The tour demonstrates how and why Rochester has achieved its reputation as the location of such …

Time Out: Influence Of User Experience Design On Behavior To Reduce Smartphone Use, Tejal Sampat

Theses

We are more connected than we used to be but people are becoming disengaged from the real world. Are smartphones a blessing or a bane? That depends on how we use it. Being hooked to a smartphone while interacting with family or friends is a definite no-no.

To address the issue of being neglected in social situations, timeOut allows neglected users to send anonymous timeouts to obsessive smartphone users who are preoccupied with their smartphones and are in close proximity to neglected users. The timeOut app allows neglected users to express their feelings without upsetting or embarrassing anyone. The application …

Economic Figures, Fiona Eloisa Wilson

Theses

The title economic figures refer to both finances and the people (as figures) that are affected by monetary instability. People in two consumer locations are documented photographically through two projects that tell the story of the evolving sites of strip mall and main street shopping. In Displacing Main Street, photographs of people entering strip mall stores are installed on abandoned main street store sites. ‘the store’ are photographs that show the intimate story of my parents struggle to keep their main street small business open. The final exhibition combines these two works in a single gallery to give the viewer …

X10 Comics: Reimagining The Sequential Narrative, Sten E. Mckinzie

Theses

At its core a comic book is a narrative told using a sequence of images or a sequential art narrative. There are a number of conventions, established early in the history of comics, which make the comic panel format a powerful tool for visual communication.

My thesis project examines these conventions and attempt to distinguish which ones are results of the unique nature of sequential art and which began as a byproduct of technological limitations. By doing so my goal is to take advantage of current technology by creating a new comic book format that integrates digital media while celebrating …

Water Hyacinth - The Green Potential, Ratchanon Keawmanee

Theses

Aggressive invasion of floating water hyacinth has always been a big problem in Tropical countries, including Thailand. The ever growing amount of water hyacinth has polluted and block the flow of water in many rivers. A current solution for this problem is removal of water hyacinth from the rivers which basically harvest the plants from the rivers and dispose them someplace else. As stated, they are just plain and temporarily solutions, so such a problem still persists as time passes. My idea is to make use of what is so called "natural waste" and turn them into marketable goods which …

Repurposing Vacant Lots For Stormwater Runoff Mitigation In Rochester, New York, Sandra Golberg

Theses

The area of the US known as the Rust Belt had an economic boom in the early 1900’s, and cities expanded rapidly to accommodate bustling manufacturing industries. This area then experienced a significant loss of population due to the migration of manufacturing industries to other areas beginning in the 1970’s. Many lots have become vacant and many homes have been abandoned because of this significant population loss. Industrialization introduces large areas of impervious surfaces and disturbs natural soils and landcovers, resulting in extensive stormwater runoff. While economies have declined, the problem of stormwater runoff remains. To mitigate the cascading problems …

Museums And Visitors With Autism: An Overview Of Programs, Rachel Varner

Theses

Across the world, several museums are committed to accessibility and accommodations for the general public, such as closed captions for the D/HH (deaf and hard-of-hearing) visitors and ramps for wheelchair users. However, not all disabilities and disorders are visible. When it comes to working with people who have a specific disability or disorder, it is critical that museum professionals be aware of what should be done to ensure that visitors with disabilities or disorders have a pleasant experience in the museum. Numerous museums have already created programs for people with specific disabilities or disorders. Workshops about disabilities and disorders should …

Leadership Cultural Values Of United Arab Emirates-The Case Of United Arab Emirates University, Ebtesam Ali Alteneiji

Theses

UAE is a young country with a young population that has witnessed tremendous changes over the past decades. There has not been much research about the cultural values of the UAE in generational perspectives, and there have been rapid changes. Therefore, this study aimed at exploring systematic changes in leadership cultural values among the older and the younger generations of the United Arab Emirates. The author utilized Hofstede’s (VSM08) instrument to survey undergraduate students, administrators and faculty at UAE University.

The study found no significant differences between the younger and older generations’ tolerance to unequal distribution of power (power distance), …

Journey Design, Guillermo Fok De Jesus

Theses

Experiences are gaining importance among new generations, with traveling being one of the most practiced activities. There are plenty of processes and stakeholders that influence the travel experience, many of them often frustrate passengers and affect their perception of the journey. The research process starts by understanding the business of travel and identifying the most significant needs.

Inspired by historical research and following slow movement principles, this thesis looks for areas of opportunity to enhance the overall journey, providing passengers with a more enjoyable experience. Focusing the design process and product development on luggage, this study presents products with new …

Wawa, Gloria Arteaga

Theses

“Wawa” is an animated graduate thesis film with a duration of 10 minutes and 5 seconds. “Wawa” is a personal portrait about death that follows the form of folk storytelling from the Andean Region of Peru. The story approach is realistic and optimistic with emotional touches.

This is a claymation and 2D animation film that was produced with Dragonframe and TV Paint software.

This thesis paper talks about the film’s creation process from my point of view, from the beginning of the story to the end of the film production. It’s about my motivations, influences, idea conceptions as well as …

Paradise In The East, Hui Ouyang

Theses

“Paradise in the East” is a 3D animation that explores the use of 3D character design, rigging, animation and landscaping to create a hyper-realistic look of some of China’s astonishingly diverse landscapes. This project referenced some of China’s most recognizable locations such as The Great Wall, Zhang Jiajie National Park, West Lake, etc.

Communication Considerations And Relational Dialectical Tensions Experienced By University Sign Language Interpreters, Morgan L. Tucker

Theses

The sign language interpreter/student relationship is unique. The interpreter is present in the educational environment to facilitate communication between deaf/hard of hearing students and hearing professors and fellow students; interpreters help people who use different language modes to communicate effectively. In university environments it is not uncommon for interpreters and students to build relationships and even friendships while they work together. However, professional codes and ethics for interpreters can conflict with the normal affinity and closeness developed in many interpersonal relationships. This can lead to contradictory impulses and tensions. The relational dialects theory is guided by the premise that different …

Jam Tomorrow, Tim Glenn Boothe

Theses

These poems are filled with a concern for identity, sometimes leading the reader into the subconscious realm, or the realm of the muse. In this effort, a few of these poems journey back to childhood to relive images and icons from the 70s. The “Alice” poems delve into the subconscious and question the insanity of existence. Yet the bulk of the poems explore the many facets of love and relationships, conveying a sense of unending desire to be shackled and enslaved by emotion, bordering on obsession. And interspersed throughout, there are poems that reflect on psychoanalysis, physics, and ponder on …

Assess The Efficacy Of A 15-Week Psychological Skills Training Program For Collegiate Wrestlers, James Malechek

Theses

Psychological skills training is becoming increasingly popular among coaches and elite athletes. However, the research available in this area continues to be lacking. The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy of using a self-guided psychological skills training program to improve wrestler mental skills during competitive season. The wrestler's mental strength was evaluated before and after the program using the Athletic Coping Skills Inventory-28.

The experimental group consisted of 27 male collegiate wrestlers. The control group had 21 male collegiate wrestlers. The experimental group was given a handout every week for 15- weeks. The handouts dealt with multiple …

Handi & V, Fenway Wei Fan

Theses

Handi & V is a 5-minute, 38-second long animated graduate thesis film that is a story about Grandpa V and his journey through time. After Grandma Handi passes away, Grandpa V lives in sadness. One day, he finds a picture is missing from their family photo album. He begins hallucinating and then travels back through the time of his life with Grandma Handi.

This film is a 2D computer animation that was mostly produced in Toon Boom animation software. It was created in full color and has an original music track. This paper outlines the whole film creation process from …

Can Distractibility Facilitate Recall In Older Adults? The Role Of Affect And Hyper-Binding, Cassandra Dinius

Theses

As people age, they attend to and recall positive stimuli at a higher frequency than stimuli that is negative in valence. This `positivity effect' of older adults has been repeatedly demonstrated in the fields of human attention and memory. Studies have yet to examine the positivity effect within the realm of attentional inhibition, which was the focus of the current study. In the current study, both young and older adults were shown emotional images. These images varied in valence (negative, neutral, positive) and were superimposed with emotional words (also varying in valence). In the Adaptive condition of the study, participants …

Aura: Social Impacts Of Everyday Objects, Bijal Patwa

Theses

Today, the relationship between subject and object has been reversed, and we are becoming more and more technology dependent, resulting in objects ruling us. The physical presence of people is losing its value. Small incidents or situations between strangers might lead to meaningful relationships. Everyday objects, such as a coffee table, salt-pepper shakers or phones are ubiquitous and are part of our lives in a way that influences our cultural and social behavior. The effect these objects create is more important than the objects themselves. Hence the name “Aura”, for the objects created during my thesis. These objects have a …

197_, Jason Paul Reimer

Theses

This past year, two life-altering events descended on my life within a few months of each other: the death of my sister from cancer, and the birth of my first child. Both were anticipated, but hit me with a kind of emotional power that I couldn’t have imagined until they actually happened. The extremes of the highs and lows these events brought induced a mental whiplash as I thought about what they meant, and how they would affect my family and me. Grief and celebration seldom inhabit the same place at once, but I found my-self living shoulder to shoulder …

Tianran, Ruiqi Liu

Theses

Tianran Qian, is a 27-year-old New York University student majoring in Interactive Communications (ITP).

She is from a wealthy and renowned family in Hangzhou, China. Tianran’s parents got divorced when she was eight years old. Her father was busy running his business; so she grew up with her grandfather. Tianran’s grandfather was a respected poet in China and he told Tianran that she was the only heir in her generation with an ability to understand and practice traditional Chinese culture. With the guidance and influence of her grandfather, she got into traditional Chinese culture and wanted to find a way …

Building A Modern Myth, Michael Lacanilao

Theses

"Building a Modern Myth" is a 3-stage web campaign that combines narrative filmmaking, documentary, social media and analytic philosophy into a creative exploration of how the academic world might respond to the apparent manifestation of a logical contradiction. It is meant to be a fun, engaging, and powerful cinematic experience that challenges audiences to think.

Low-Power, Low-Voltage Electroosmotic Actuator For An Implantable Micropumping System Intended For Drug Delivery Applications, Jirachai Getpreecharsawas

Theses

An electroosmotic (EO) actuator offers a low-power, low-voltage alternative in a diaphragm-based periodic displacement micropump intended for an implantable drug delivery system. The actuator utilizes an electroosmosis mechanism to transport liquid across a membrane to deflect the pumping diaphragms in a reciprocating manner. In the study, the membrane made of porous nanocrystalline silicon (pnc-Si) tens of nanometers in thickness was used as the promising EO generator with low power consumption and small package size. This ultrathin membrane provides the opportunity for electrode integration such that the very high electric field can be generated across the membrane with the applied potential …

North Star, Peter Cayer

Theses

The goal of this paper is to outline the process of making the film North Star. This paper follows the director from the very concept until beyond the final screening of the film. Included in the paper are supplemental materials, including stills, original proposal, shooting script, and budget.

North Star follows a man, Will, on the run from something in his past. Will meets a boy, Caleb, and the film follows their adventures in an unnamed town. North Star was conceived as a “take” on the classic Western genre. It was shot, edited, and scored digitally.

Motion Sequence Teaser For A Trilogy By Satyajit Ray, Ashoomi Dholakia

Theses

Art is omnipresent, and the exclusivity in any form of art comes from our surrounding and the environment that we surround ourselves with. This thesis attempts to investigate the characteristic work of an Indian director, Satyajit Ray (1921-1992) from a modern point of view and bring back his work that has been forgotten with time. Satyajit Ray introduced the Neorealism movement 1 to Indian cinema, and came to be known for his artistic style which offered a certain sense of universality to the expression depicted. The honest portrayals in his work resonated with the international audience for the first time …

The Shape Of Poetry: A Typographic Exploration Of Poetry And Synesthesia, Boliang Chen

Theses

The Shape of Poetry is a thesis which explores the relationships of synesthesia, typography and poetry.

Synesthesia is a neurologically-based condition in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway. This phenomenon is common in poetry as a rhetorical device. In graphic design, we uses typography and other visual elements to make cross-sensory metaphors as well. The similarity among these three provides a new field of research possibilities.

The goal of the thesis is to visualize poetry by exploring typographic variations and implementing synesthesia findings. The final result …

Custovo: A Digital, Personalized Job Search Collection Aid, Streamlined For Creatives, Anna Vecchi

Theses

In today’s society, the most common way for people to search for job opportunities is by using the internet on their personal electronic device, whether it be a laptop, desktop, tablet, or mobile phone. There are hundreds of websites and mobile applications catering to all kinds of career services in a plethora of fields. One specific sector of employment that is rather unique is the creative field. Creative positions are posted on their own websites like Behance, AIGA, Coroflot, etc. Since these niche websites exist, there are also hundreds of articles discussing how creative individuals approach the job searching process. …

Preparation And Characterization Of Copper-Doped And Silver-Doped Titanium Dioxide Nano-Catalysts For Photo Catalytic Applications, Haya Abdel Ra’Ouf Ahmed Ra’Ouf Ahmed

Theses

The goal of this work was to improve the performance of TiO2 nanomaterials by increasing their optical activities by shifting the onset of the response from the UV to the visible-light region. Among the several ways to achieve this goal, doping TiO2 nanomaterials with other elements (e.g. metals) was selected to narrow the band gap and enhance the optical properties of TiO2 nanomaterials. In this work, we have prepared Cu-doped TiO2 and Ag-doped TiO2 nano-catalysts, characterized them and studied their properties, and the optical ones in particular. The Ag-doped TiO2 catalyst was prepared by the sol-gel method while the Cu-doped …

Adsorption Of Dyes On Activated Carbon From Agricultural Wastes, Maliha Parvin

Theses

Adsorption of dyes as a remediation technique for dye-loaded wastewater remains an area of interest. On the one hand, adsorption using bio-derived, renewable sorbent materials can be seen as environmentally friendly, on the other hand adsorption can provide us with a trouble-free, commercially cheap operation. The main objective of this thesis is adsorption of the dyes Crystal Violet (CV) and Nile Blue (NB) on activated carbon derived from date palm leaf wastes. For this purpose, activated carbon was prepared via chemical treatment of palm leaf wastes with sulfuric acid (H2SO4), phosphoric acid (H3PO4), and nitric acid (HNO3), respectively, with subsequent …

Mathematical Modeling Of Communicable Imported Diseases Screening In The United Arab Emirates, Lahbib Ben Ahmadi

Theses

The United Arab Emirates (UAE), as one of the countries with high numbers of expatriates in the world, is expected to face public health challenges. The reason for this situation is that the majority of those expatriates belong to regions where health issues are usually left behind. This may create the possibility of having imported communicable diseases. However, screening policy should be tested and adapted to protect the population from any imported communicable disease. This study aims at identifying an approach and method to deal with these imported diseases via a set of differential equations. The spread of a communicable …

Distribution Of Ghrelin In Pancreatic Islet Cells Of Normal And Diabetic Rats And Its Effect On Diabetes Mellitus, Haba Y. M. El Abadlah

Theses

Ghrelin, a 28-amino acid peptide, is identified as the endogenous ligand of the orphan growth hormone secretagogue-receptor type 1a. Ghrelin presents a unique modification at Ser3 position essential for its activity. It was first discovered in the stomach of rat in 1999. Aside from ghrelin’s role as a potent growth hormone secretagogue and food intake modulator, ghrelin is thought to play a role in insulin and glucagon secretion and in glucose homeostasis. A lot of contradictory data have been reported in the literature regarding ghrelins co-localization with other hormones in the islets of Langerhans, its role in insulin secretion and …