Digital Commons Network^™

Assistive Active Safety, Long Nguyen

Theses

As electric bicycles become faster and more prevalent in urban environments, the safety systems designed to protect riders face significant challenges. The current industry standard relies heavily on auditory warnings—which can exclude Deaf and Hard of Hearing (HOH) cyclists—and digital dashboards that often demand intense visual focus. Forcing a rider to process cluttered screen data while navigating high-speed traffic can contribute to cognitive overload and physical danger. This thesis explores how micro-mobility safety might be improved by shifting away from auditory-dependent alerts toward intuitive, multi-sensory communication. To address this safety gap, this project introduces the Assistive Active Safety (AAS) framework. …

A Hybrid Approach To Phishing Email Detection: Leveraging Machine Learning And Large Language Models, Hessa Shamal Biri

Theses

Phishing attacks have reached a new level of sophistication through the deployment of large language models by attackers. The current AI-generated threats defeat existing detection systems which base their operation on past data. The thesis presents a hybrid system for phishing email detection which combines real email data with synthetic LLM-created samples to enhance traditional machine learning classifiers performance. The study created a hybrid dataset of 20,627 emails by combining 18,631 real messages from the Kaggle Email Classification Dataset with 1,996 synthetic emails. The synthetic emails were generated using four large language models LLaMA-3, Falcon, LLaVA, and Mistral to capture …

Reinforcement Learning-Enabled Resource Allocation For Distributed And Uncoordinated Cognitive Radio Networks, Ankita Vijay Tondwalkar

Theses

To keep up with the ever-increasing performance demand from wireless applications, wireless networks necessitate to operate following an efficient use of the available radio spectrum. Since the radio spectrum is a limited resource, the increasing demand for wireless services and applications to support a wide spectrum of users is a challenge in itself and therefore requires advanced techniques to manage and utilize radio resources efficiently. Dynamic spectrum access (DSA) and sharing play a crucial role in improving the utilization of the radio spectrum, as it departs from the traditional approach of static radio spectrum band allocation which usually leads to …

Echelon Trust Network: An Exploration Of Speculative Design And Critique Of Manipulative Technologies, Sydney Rowley

Theses

As emerging technologies become increasingly integrated into everyday life, concerns  surrounding privacy, surveillance, and personal autonomy continue to grow. Artificial  intelligence, data tracking, targeted advertising, and location-monitoring have intensified public  anxieties about the collection and use of personal data. These concerns echo themes explored in  classic dystopian literature, which have long warned of societies where privacy is sacrificed for  security and human identity is reduced to data. Echelon Trust Network explores these anxieties  through a speculative design project that imagines a future in which constant surveillance and  algorithmic trust scoring govern social interactions.  Developed as a motion graphics piece in …

Deep Learning Approaches For Ctenophore Identification And Tracking, Anagha Bharadwaj

Theses

Ctenophores are translucent marine organisms with nearly invisible tentacles and pose significant challenges due to their transparent morphology and ambiguous structural features. This research addresses the classification and tracking of these organisms and evaluates the performance of current computer vision models under sparse-data environments.

A dataset from the NJIT Life History Lab consisting of microscopic laboratory videos and photographs of different growth stages is used to train and assess a number of convolutional neural network designs, including VGG16, ResNet, BioCLIP2, YOLO, and DeepLabCut. Additionally, a web-based interface is developed to evaluate expert-labeled ground truth with the model's performance.

The findings …

Pypitfall: Dependency Chaos And Supply Chain Vulnerabilities In Python, Jacob Mahon

Theses

Python software development heavily relies on third-party packages. Direct and transitive dependencies create a labyrinth of software supply chains. While it is convenient to reuse code, vulnerabilities within these dependency chains can propagate through dependencies, potentially affecting downstream packages and applications. PyPI, the official Python package repository, hosts many packages and lacks a comprehensive analysis of the prevalence of vulnerable dependencies. PyPitfall, a quantitative analysis of vulnerable dependencies across the PyPI ecosystem, is introduced. The dependency metadata of 378,573 PyPI packages is analyzed. 4,655 packages that explicitly require a known vulnerable package version and 141,044 packages that permit a vulnerable …

Retinomorphic Mid-Wave Infrared In-Sensor Processing Engine: Device-To-Architecture Co-Design, Hemalatha Nagaraju

Theses

Conventional frame-based CMOS image sensors acquire full-frame pixel data at discrete time intervals, resulting in substantial spatial redundancy and loss of temporal information between frames. The repeated conversion and transfer of redundant pixel data increases bandwidth and power consumption in machine vision systems. Retinomorphic sensing architectures address these limitations by enabling programmable, analog-domain processing directly at the sensor interface. A compact behavioral model of the PbSe device is developed in HSPICE based on calibrated TCAD simulation data to capture gate-controlled photocurrent modulation under varying illumination and gate bias conditions. Error analysis is performed to quantify the deviation between TCAD-generated photocurrent …

Robustness Of Ai-Driven Histopathology Under Real-World Adversarial Examples, Ruchik N. Yajnik

Theses

This robustness of histopathology classification models under adversarial and real-world perturbations resembling clinical artifacts is being investigated.

Using whole-slide images from the CAMELYON17 cohort, four representative architectures—ResNet-18, ResNet-50, HIPT-2MLP, and ViT-B/16 —are benchmarked across controlled pixel-level distortions and artifact-like transformations. Adversarial methods include iterative Fast Gradient Sign, Projected Gradient Descent, Salt-and-Pepper noise, and the Adversarial Watermark—Stain Shift (AWSS). Three defense strategies—Randomized Smoothing, Adversarial Training, and an Artifact Detector—are evaluated for their ability to preserve diagnostic accuracy and model reliability. Structured perturbations consistently degrade performance, with transformer-based models showing the greatest sensitivity. The benchmark developed here offers a reproducible framework for …

Sound Detection Of Memory Leaks In Llvm Ir Programs Using Accumulation Analysis, Robert Blacha

Theses

Resource leaks occur when a limited resource such as memory is allocated by a program and needlessly held past the point of use. Leaks can lead to a degradation of services which can be specifically triggered with malicious behavior, for example abusing a memory leak in a program to cause a server to slow down and crash for a denial-of-service attack.

Prior work has demonstrated that accumulation analysis provides a sound detection of resource leaks with a working implementation for programs written in Java. While useful, current implementations are limited to programs written in Java, which has a garbage collector, …

Evaluation Of Medical Instrument Reliability For The Heath And Maddox Components Of The Accommodative-Vergence System, Jacob Chabuel

Theses

Binocular vision relies on the coordination of near response triad composed in part by the vergence and accommodative systems. Binocular dysfunctions linked to these systems impact the quality of life of those affected by complicating day-to-day tasks and leading to further health concerns. Clinical evaluations that diagnose dysfunctions and tailor therapies rely on subjective methods, creating a need for a reliable, quantitative, measurement tool. This is achieved using a haploscope, a tool that quantitatively measures and observes binocular vision to identify deficiencies within the eye. Modernization of a haploscope system, measurement of the Heath and Maddox components of the visual …

Social, Economic, And Environmental Sustainability Of Small-Scale Hydroponic Farms, Alexa Genevieve Kaminski

Theses

Controlled environmental agriculture (CEA) is well-positioned to contribute to a more sustainable food system. It has the potential to offset some of the negative impacts of conventional agriculture through its ability to optimize the crop growing environment, locate production closer to population centers, and take advantage of non-arable land. The focus of this dissertation is one type of CEA: the hydroponic container farm (HCF). The HCF grows crops using only water and fertilizer inside a 40-foot shipping container that can be located anywhere in the world. Manufacturers are optimistic about this farm’s abilities, but little research exists that investigates the …

Smartdesk: Automatic Ticket Classification And Resolution Prediction Using Data Analytics, Danarir Almuhairi

Theses

Public and service-oriented organizations increasingly rely on digital ticketing systems to manage large volumes of citizen and customer requests. Despite this, many ticket management processes remain partially manual, leading to delays in case routing, inefficient resource allocation, and inconsistent resolution times. These challenges can negatively impact service quality, operational efficiency, and user satisfaction, particularly in large-scale public sector environments. This study proposes SmartDesk, a data-driven framework for automatic ticket classification and resolution time prediction using data analytics and natural language processing (NLP) techniques. The research leverages publicly available helpdesk and service ticket datasets to simulate real-world service environments where incoming …

Toward Autonomous Wireless Networks: Spatio-Temporal Prediction Via Physics-Aware Generative Ai Models, Rahul Gulia

Theses

The realization of fully autonomous Industry 4.0 environments depends on wireless networks that are not merely connected, but predictively aware—capable of anticipating channel degradation before it disrupts mission-critical operations. In dynamic industrial environments such as automated warehouses, radio frequency propagation is governed by dense metallic infrastructure, continuously moving obstacles, and frequent line-of-sight to non-line-of-sight transitions that render the channel non-stationary and spatiotemporally complex. Conventional approaches face a fundamental dichotomy: deterministic simulators such as ray-tracing and NS-3 achieve high physical fidelity but require up to 38 hours to generate a single high-resolution SINR heatmap, making real-time adaptation computationally infeasible; empirical and …

Redefining Capital Cities: A Smart Growth Evaluation Of Capital Cities And How Albany Can Learn From Them, Richard Turoski Iii

Theses

Mid-sized American capital cities face distinct development challenges determined by historical growth patterns, economic restructuring, and evolving urban priorities. This study examines Albany, New York, through the lens of Smart Growth, a planning framework that emphasizes compact development, mixed land use, multimodal transportation, and reinvestment in existing urban areas. Using comparative policy analysis, Albany is evaluated alongside Columbus, Ohio; Hartford, Connecticut; and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, enabling consistent cross-case comparison based on similar roles as state capitals and overlapping comprehensive planning timelines. The research studies Smart Growth principles by structured policy analysis centered on downtown revitalization, mixed-use development, transportation connectivity, waterfront redevelopment, …

A Comparative Static Analysis Of Identifier Clones And Homonyms In Open Source Projects, Jose Palomino Lau

Theses

Identifier naming is a core element of software engineering and program comprehension. While existing literature suggests that naming consistency is ideal, there is limited empirical data on identifier homonyms, instances where the same name is used for different behaviors. This thesis investigates these naming patterns through a manual analysis inspired by grounded theory, supported by static analysis with srcML across three open source projects in Java, C and Python. By establishing a behavioral framework through axial coding, this research classifies 771 identifiers into functional categories to document their presence and role within the code. The results reveal that naming redundancy …

The Evolution Of Topological Structures In Climate Networks, Kiera Kelly

Theses

We investigate higher-order interactions in climate networks using topological data analysis (TDA) and analyze their evolution since 1948. Using the correlation between surface air temperature (SAT) anomalies, we define relationships between spatial locations and examine the patterns that emerge over time. We extend the framework of temporal climate networks and apply TDA methods, including persistent homology, curvature analysis, and the Euler characteristic, to identify dynamic structural features. Persistent homology tracks the births and deaths of topological features such as connected components and loops. Curvature quantifies a node’s participation in higher- order structures (cliques), while the Euler characteristic captures global trends …

As I Live And Breathe, Jessica Fitzgerald

Theses

This thesis employs the unique materiality of glass as a means of investigating interconnection and worth. Through glass, I explore the value of attention, and how directing it informs a sense of what matters. By allowing the fundamental forces of heat and gravity to lead the work, I explore connection, and the hidden ways in which Process influences Piece. The particular malleability of warm glass enables me to capture moments of making. It is the lens through which I focus my investigations, highlighting phenomena in process as the evidence of its creation.

Uncovering Cytoskeletal Length Control From Growth Trajectories Using Sparse Dynamical Modeling, Carson Hearn

Theses

Understanding the governing equations of biological filament dynamics is essential for predicting cellular behavior, yet these equations are often difficult or impossible to derive directly from first principles. This thesis investigates the use of Sparse Identification of Nonlinear Dynamics (SINDy) as a unified, data-driven framework for discovering, validating, and refining governing equations from both simulated and experimental data. Focusing on biological filament processes, including growth, disassembly, and severing, this work is designed not only to apply SINDy, but to systematically demonstrate that it is a reliable and generalizable tool for modeling complex biophysical systems. To establish this, SINDy is first …

Understanding Communication In Green Infrastructure Project Teams In Rochester Ny Region: Coordination, Negotiation, And Constraints, Hayden Berner

Theses

This study explores how communication is perceived and used within multidisciplinary green infrastructure (GI) project teams. As GI continues to grow in the United States, projects increasingly rely on collaboration between professionals from different fields, making communication a critical factor in project success. Using a qualitative research approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with professionals working on GI projects in the Greater Rochester, New York region. The data were analyzed using an inductive, grounded theory approach to identify key themes related to communication practices, challenges, and outcomes. Results show that communication is not just a tool for sharing information, but a …

Neuroarchitecture: Color Psychology And Its Impact On The Built Environment, Jean Morgan

Theses

Neuroarchitecture merges neuroscience and architecture, examining how built environments affect our emotions, behaviors, and overall well-being. One of the principles of this interdisciplinary topic focuses on Color psychology, which explores the profound influence of colors on human emotions, behaviors, and cognitive responses. In the built environment, the strategic use of color extends beyond aesthetics, shaping user experiences, functionality, and psychological well-being. This thesis explores the interplay between color psychology and architectural design, highlighting how color choices influence mood, productivity, and social interactions within spaces. The main focus will examine the relationship between colors and equal causation in psychological effects. The …

Stance Detection On Social Media: The Impact Of Doping On Athlete Reputation, Connor O'Neill

Theses

Doping scandals can have a lasting effect on both athletes' and organizations' reputations, causing athletes to lose money and fans to lose trust in the organizations that govern their favorite sports. This paper investigates the impact a doping scandal can have on an athlete's reputation by  conducting a case study on Jannik Sinner, one of the top tennis players in the world, who ultimately accepted a suspension after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs, despite being unintentionally exposed. Using data sourced from YouTube comments on tennis-related videos, a fine-tuned Mistral-7B-Instruct-v0.3 model with a classification head was used to carry out stance …

She Absorbs, Jamie Westermeyer

Theses

Drawing from lived experience, this thesis investigates the ways sensitivity, attentiveness, and emotional labor are cultivated over time, specifically within gendered environments that reward endurance and self-containment. The figures in this work exist within moments of tension—straining, compressing, and distorting under pressures that are often invisible yet deeply felt. This work focuses on endurance—how individuals adapt, absorb, and negotiate expectations placed upon them. My figures operate as both personal and collective bodies, embodying experiences that extend beyond being autobiographical. Moments of physical distortion and emotional discomfort coexist within the sculptures, allowing vulnerability and critique to appear simultaneously. Ultimately, the sculptures …

Designing The Spaces In Between: How Transitional Spaces In Elementary Schools Shape Clarity, Well-Being, And Belonging, Cristin Witcher Siegel

Theses

This thesis investigates the role of transitional spaces in elementary schools and their impact on students’ experiences of clarity, well-being, and belonging. While educational design often prioritizes classrooms as primary sites of learning, this study argues that the spaces between them, including corridors, stairwells, and entry zones, play a critical role in shaping daily experience and supporting student development. Using a comparative case study methodology, three elementary schools in the North Shore suburbs of Chicago were analyzed, each representing a distinct architectural era and educational philosophy: Crow Island School (1939), Wilmette Junior High School (1958), and Sunset Ridge School (2018). …

What’S In It For Us?, Hannah Giancola

Theses

What’s in it for us? examines how value can be created, abstracted, and redefined through material practice, participation, and shared experience. Situated in the space between maker and mender, the artist works in the symbiotic relationship between creation and repair. Wood is the primary material of creation, often in its imperfect form. It becomes both medium and metaphor representing intrinsic value while helping to challenge the systems that’s equate value with market and currency. From a multidisciplinary approach and adaptive nature, the work pulls from personal history, interfaith upbringing, and influences from conceptual art to traditional craft. This thesis transitions …

Complexity And Usability Of Digital Healthcare, Theresa Haas

Theses

Digital services, ranging from online shopping and banking to government services and healthcare, are rapidly taking over human-provided services. The accessibility and usability of such digital services may not allow older adults to make use of them, making automation a barrier to access societal services. This is especially critical with many healthcare-related services and apps. This research is framed around two interrelated constructs, task complexity and individual complexity, the latter influenced by cognitive decline in older users. The experiment has three representative tasks of different task complexity and the measure of individual complexity which is understood through previous knowledge of …

Behaviour-Based Gender Prediction Using Mobile App Usage Patterns, Saleha Alblooshi

Theses

Widespread usage of mobile applications has generated massive behavioural information, which reflects routines, preferences, and lifestyles of users. Gender, demographic details are typically gathered in telecommunications settings in the registration of the SIM, but this data is often based on administrative ownership, and not the user of the device. This inconsistency can break the customer profiling, accuracy of segmentation and effectiveness of targeted marketing. The study is exploring the hypothesis through the examination of the data obtained based on an undertaking to check the validity of the registered gender data in telecommunication customer relationship management systems by using the behavioural …

Abigail Sarai: A Neuroaesthetic Approach To Fashion Brand Development, Abby Martos

Theses

This thesis project presents a comprehensive direct-to-consumer business plan for an independent women’s fashion brand, Abigail Sarai, strategically positioned around the commercial value of aesthetic design. The project is grounded in an interdisciplinary theoretical framework integrating neuroaesthetics and consumer behavior research. Existing literature demonstrates that visual principles such as symmetry, harmony, and proportion activate neural reward systems associated with pleasure, while consumer research identifies happiness and emotional well-being as central drivers of purchasing behavior. Building upon these findings, this project proposes that aesthetic beauty can function as a deliberate and measurable value proposition within fashion entrepreneurship. By aligning brand design …

An Lstm-Based Framework For Predictive Power Quality Monitoring, Ian Aiken

Theses

Rapid integration of photovoltaic (PV) systems introduces significant power quality challenges, including voltage sags and harmonic distortion, yet existing approaches either perform post-hoc classification or rely on computationally expensive meteorological forecasting unsuitable for real-time edge deployment. In this paper, a resource-efficient framework is developed for short-term power factor sag prediction using only on-line electrical measurements via a dual-track methodology. A regression model is first established to define the predictive limits of direct value estimation. The analysis of drop-event-specific metrics reveals that sensor features are lagging indicators incapable of regressing immediate drop magnitude, motivating a classification re- framing. A binary Long …

The Investigation Of The Digital Divide: Government Literacy With African American Seniors, Jenettie Pirtle

Theses

My thesis, The Great Divide: An Investigation of Digital Literacy with African American Seniors, explores how race, age, and income shape access to technology and digital learning. Many African American seniors continue to face barriers to digital literacy due to limited resources, lack of exposure, and social inequalities. Using a qualitative approach, I conducted a focus group to hear directly from seniors about their experiences with technology, what challenges they face, how they feel about using it, and what support they need. Guided by Critical Race Theory and the concept of digital inequality, my analysis highlights the gap between access …

Anastasis: Slow Fashion, Barbara Bultman

Theses

This thesis explores how slow fashion principles contribute to the longevity and cultural significance of iconic garments. Using qualitative research methods, including historical analysis, literature review, and practice-based design research, this project analyzes and recreates six iconic garments: the little black dress, trench coat, wrap dress, shift dress, wide-leg trouser, and women’s suit. The research investigates couture-level construction techniques, sustainable materials, and timeless silhouettes, demonstrating how these strategies can extend garment lifespan and foster emotional attachment between consumers and clothing. Ultimately, the research concludes that slow fashion provides a practical framework for creating durable, meaningful garments that support both environmental …