Digital Commons Network^™

Assessment Of Food Allergy Management And Interactions With Campus Dining Halls Among College Students At Rochester Institute Of Technology, Meghan Taylor

Theses

Objective: This study explored college student dining experiences to identify areas for improving Dining Service allergen management. Method: A cross-sectional survey assessed specific allergies, frequency of allergic reactions, confidence and satisfaction with Dining Services, epinephrine auto-injector use, challenges, suggestions and use of dietitian services. Analyses included quantitative and qualitative methods. Results: Of 74 survey respondents, 28 were eligible, with 61% reporting two or more allergies (mean 2.4 ± 2.0). Tree nuts, peanuts, and milk were most common. Students with multiple allergies were more likely to carry epinephrine auto-injectors (p=0.015), though overall adherence was low. Concerns included cross-contact, inconsistent allergen labeling, …

Policing And Media: Past, Present, And Future, Mark Deratzou

Theses

This paper examines the historical relationship between policing and media, with a focus on how media has influenced policing within the United States. It begins by examining portrayals of policing in print and broadcast media, as well as major historical events, before discussing how media influences public perceptions of police. The paper then transitions to an examination of social media, focusing on how these platforms shape perceptions of police and how they are used by the public in relation to policing. The paper then concludes with a discussion of policing and media-related policies and reforms, as well as considerations for …

Shell In The Sand, Mukund Kuntimad

Theses

sHELL in the Sand is a 2D animated student thesis film produced at the Rochester Institute of Technology. The film stars Travis, a newborn baby sea turtle who is trying to avoid certain death on his journey to the ocean. Among the threats he faces are sand traps, human litter, and natural natural predators. The main persistent threat that Travis has to deal with is a hungry pirate crab named Captain Fannyklaws, whose one goal is to make a meal out of Travis. The film serves as a metaphor for the struggles of everyday life that everyone goes through, showing …

Greenmind: A Climate-Positive News Portal, Surabhi Singh

Theses

Greenmind is a website that promotes positive climate narratives for environmentally conscious individuals seeking hope and actionable solutions. It redefines how we approach climate change narratives by focusing on hope and progress. Unlike traditional media that often rely on fear to grab attention, Greenmind delivers stories showcasing actionable solutions and positive impacts already happening across the globe. Its core mission is to empower individuals to see themselves as agents of change, fostering collective action rather than promoting fear as a tactic for change. Greenmind’s approach to climate narratives is supported by research emphasizing the power of positive storytelling. Studies from …

Wildflowers A Novel, Kelli Roberts

Theses

Abstract for Wildflowers

Wildflowers is a feminist literary novel that examines the intersection of sex, power, and free will, exploring how these forces shape and define human agency. The story follows a group of women drawn to an enigmatic leader who promises enlightenment and empowerment through embracing their desires. As they navigate the fine line between self-actualization and manipulation, the novel delves into themes of liberation, coercion, and the choices we make to create the lives we long for. Provocative and thought-provoking, Wildflowers invites readers to consider the complexities of desire, the cost of empowerment, and the courage required to …

Lost Roots, Graziela Larroca

Theses

Lost Roots is an interactive 2.5D exploration game where players unite spirits by growing an underground network of roots. With a limited amount of roots to grow, players must unlock memories of the deceased and navigate through a cemetery in order to advance. The game serves as a unique take on the idea of purgatory, where the soul is essentially stuck and the player must find their own way out. The player first awakens underneath a tombstone with no memories of the past. Their only ability is to navigate through the dirt as a singular root, navigating around obstacles to …

Integrative Hyperspectral Approaches For Advanced Soil Property Analysis And Environmental Monitoring, Nayma Binte Nur

Theses

Hyperspectral imaging has emerged as a powerful tool for enhancing the analysis of diverse soil properties and environmental monitoring. This study refines the precision of soil biogeophysical analyses by improving the estimation of soil moisture content (SMC), soil organic matter (SOM), total carbon (C), and nitrogen (N) through hyperspectral remote sensing techniques. The research examines the capabilities of two prominent moisture retrieval models: the multilayer radiative transfer model (MARMIT) and the modified soil water parametric (SWAP)-Hapke model. These models are evaluated using hyperspectral imagery derived from unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and goniometric data collected across various environmental settings. The findings …

For The Greater Good, Hannah Craft

Theses

The body of work included in my thesis exhibition explores how craft mediums can be used to create sculptural work motivated by narrative. Each piece presents a freeze-frame sculptural vignette in the instant before death occurs.

Balancing The Scales In The Fashion Industry, Theresa J. Fennell

Theses

The standards of beauty, particularly in the fashion industry, have long been a source of societal debate and controversy. Although beauty can be seen as “subjective,” over the years, certain standards have become institutionalized, creating exclusionary ideals that have dominated the fashion industry. Historically, these standards have favored slim body types, marginalizing larger, plus-size bodies. This bias is deeply entrenched in the industry, influencing everything from design to representation in advertising. However, the body positivity movement has emerged as a transformative force, advocating for the acceptance of diverse body types and pushing for greater inclusivity in fashion. Despite these advances, …

Breaking The Grid: Metamorphosis And Materiality In Meret Oppenheim’S An Evening In The Year 1910, Jacklyn Meyer

Theses

This paper analyzes Meret Oppenheim’s painting An Evening in the Year 1910 from 1972 and its exploration of the theme of metamorphosis and materiality. Looking at certain biographical information about the artist’s crisis period and time spent with the Surrealist group is crucial in understanding what can be discerned from viewing this work. Other works with the theme of metamorphosis within her oeuvre are studied as they provide further context for Oppenheim’s artistic philosophy and her penchant for revisiting themes repeatedly. Other works with the theme of metamorphosis are studied as they provide further context for Oppenheim’s artistic philosophy and …

Postermania: The French Advertising Poster Of The Fin-De-Siècle: An Art History Course, Erin Quirk

Theses

This project presents a comprehensive exploration of illustrated advertising posters at the fin de siècle highlighting their multifaceted role as artistic works, commercial media, and cultural artifacts. Designed as a three part course for a museum education department, the study integrates art history, visual culture, and social history to analyze the impact of these posters on the modernizing city of Paris. Focusing on artists like Jules Chéret, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, and Alphonse Mucha, the project traces the aesthetic evolution of the poster that blurred the lines between fine art and mass culture. The course examines the broader socio-historical context, exploring …

Optimizing Small Business Success Through An Online Fashion Consulting Infographic Guide, Nicole Campbell

Theses

The project aims to challenge traditional thinking within the fashion industry, paving the way for the creation of a thriving consulting business. In addition, it will underscore the significance of developing a strong online profile for fashion consultants, symbolizing the birth of the Consult the Soul brand. Through this initiative, the project aspires to revolutionize the realm of fashion consulting by fusing unique tactics with ethical standards. By encouraging a fresh perspective and emphasizing the importance of embracing digital platforms, the project sets out to redefine the standards of success within the industry. Ultimately, this venture seeks to establish a …

The Intersection Of Interactive Narrative And Flow State Immersion: An Exploration Of Trauma, Resilience, And Post-Traumatic Growth, Tiffani Barner

Theses

This work investigates the benefits of interactive narratives in conjunction with flow state immersion for individuals with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. A specific focus is placed on narratives that contain dark or horror-based themes. In addition, the importance of selfauthorship, representation, and empowerment are explored. Accompanying the examination of flow state, concepts such as challenge, failure, and the motivation to succeed at challenging tasks are analyzed. This work also includes a survey pertaining to user preferences regarding media and genre preferences. The goal of this project is to design an interactive user experience that activates flow state while also providing an …

Jacqueline Marval: Référence Sans Révérence Art History Lecture And Activity Series, Michelle Erickson

Theses

The painting Les Odalisques (1902-03) anchors the investigation of French artist Jacqueline Marval’s presence and contribution to the modernist art narrative. The painting is composed of five women who share a face and features, set in a private female space. The canvas is complete with bold strokes of color, and their skin is painted in the unrealistic tones that Fauvists will embrace, yet naturally – these women are still fully and complexly human. From a distance, they are sculptural.

This project is intended as a Club de Lecture series for adult learners of French culture and language at the Alliance …

Reframing The Canon: Black Contemporary Artist Shaping The Western Narrative, Elaysha A. Bazil

Theses

Reframing the Canon is an exhibition and thesis project that centers on Black Contemporary artists and their pivotal contributions to the Western art canon. Curated by Art BaziL, the exhibit challenges traditional narratives and biases, creating a space where Black art is celebrated as integral rather than supplemental. Through a collection of multi-medium works—from abstract paintings to digital art and handcrafted jewelry—the exhibit invites viewers to experience Black creativity beyond themes of struggle, highlighting resilience, innovation, and beauty. This project responds to the historical exclusion of Black voices within mainstream art institutions, advocating for a more inclusive and representative canon. …

Beauty Beyond Barbed Wire: Chiura Obata’S Perspective Of The Horizon, Bri Carlson

Theses

Depictions of the environment are an integral part of American art history because they convey cultural relationships of all who inhabited the land. The environment is often a stagnant force that harbors lifetimes of human history. One of these histories is the incarceration of about 120,000 Japanese immigrants and American citizens in 1942 after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. They were forced to evacuate their homes, lives, and families to live in detention centers and prison camps where living conditions were subpar. Many turned to art making to cope, and some artists used their work to silently protest and visually …

Contemplating Glaciers - A Dialogue, Jessica Elizabeth Turner

Theses

This project investigates the evolving relationship between art, climate education, and audience engagement. It explores how the visual arts serve as a medium for fostering awareness and dialogue about climate change while inspiring climate resilience through artistic and curatorial intervention. The exhibition Contemplating Glaciers – A Dialogue showcases the work of Canadian artist Jan Kabatoff, whose practice incorporates multisensory experiences, including paintings, sculptures, photographs, VR, and soundscapes to engage viewers with the ongoing degradation of glaciers. The exhibition bridges the gap between scientific knowledge and artistic expression within a gallery space designed to encourage participation and reflection. It seeks to …

Oh, But If I Had The Stars From The Darkest Night…, Kendra Jean Keefer

Theses

This paper explores how memory and loss interact with a yearning for home in the installation, Oh, but if I Had the Stars from the Darkest Night. Through sound, moving image, photography, mark-making, and poetry this thesis work explores universal themes of exile and migration, alongside the impact the current high stakes political climate had on one LGBTQIA+ teen and their mother, as they leave a home and extended family in North Texas to find sanctuary in Carbondale, Illinois. The natural world of Southern Illinois, with a focus on the lives of local white-tailed deer, becomes a mirror and a …

Making Social Interactions Accessible For The Blind And Low-Vision People By Detecting Emotions Through Vocal Tone, Facial Expressions, And Body Language, Gautham Krishna

Theses

Despite the thriving research in the field of accessibility, there are several niche area where there is a need for specific solutions. One such area is social interaction. Blind and Low-Vision people (BLV) are limited in identifying emotions through verbal communication alone, which is often biased and unreliable in certain environments. Prior research illustrates the importance of body language in expressions and articulates the mechanism behind human emotions. Drawing inspiratoin from such research and various studies that were focused on emotion recognition systems, our research focused on identifying a portable accessible solution for BLV that classified emotion based on multi-modal …

Integration Of Blockchain Technology In Industrial Applications, Sanjana Sakinala

Theses

This research explores the integration of Hyperledger Fabric., a framework of blockchain in industrial applications, particularly focusing on supply chain management. By addressing the limitations of traditional blockchains - such as high transaction latency, scalability challenges, and privacy concerns - this research demonstrates how Hyperledger fabrics overcomes them. Through simulation, we show significant enhancements in transaction speed, data privacy and scalability, making the Fabric a viable solution for industrial systems.

Smart Credit Card Fraud Detection Using Machine Learning, Aisha Bin Sulaiman, Rowdha Masood Falaknaz

Theses

This thesis addresses the increasing issue of fraud resulting from technological advancements affecting both customers and fraudsters, while law enforcement agencies face challenges of inadequate case prioritization; data overload and slow investigative analysis. The central objective of this thesis revolves around strategies to counter these challenges, emphasizing the urgency of rapid response to major alert cases that can lead to widespread impacts. The authors' experience in financial fraud detection and credit card crime investigation within the police department has inspired this research, guiding the approach toward practical solutions for everyday operational challenges. The significance of this thesis lies in its …

Modeling Impact Of Simulated Myocardial Perfusion On Cardiac Ablation For Arrhythmia, Brendan Cappon

Theses

Bioheat transfer is the study of heat transfer applied in anatomy and physiology, which is relevant to maintaining homeostatic conditions from metabolic activity, thermal exposures, and various treatments and diagnostic methods. Blood flow significantly impacts heat transfer throughout the body, facilitating the diffusion of heat. Models have been developed to quantify bioheat transfer and the effect of blood flow through tissue for many biological functions and medical procedures, one of which is radiofrequency ablation for cardiac arrhythmia. Significant improvements to models and assumptions are still required as success rates for this procedure remain low for various arrhythmia types. The research …

Development And Optimization Of Electric-Double-Layer Gated Transistors Based On Low-Dimensional Materials: Gate-All-Around Inas Nanowire Arrays And Graphene Channels, John Wyatt Morrell

Theses

Electric-double-layer (EDL) gating is a promising alternative to conventional gating methods for field-effect transistors (FETs), with potential applications spanning current logic, future logic, and neuromorphic computing architectures. This technique employs mobile ions in an electrically insulating but ionically conductive medium to generate strong local electric fields at the gate-to-channel interface, achieving field magnitudes on the order of 1 V/nm. These intense local fields enable significant charge carrier accumulation in the semiconducting channel, positioning EDL gating as a strong candidate for device applications. In this study, we investigate the use of low-dimensional channel materials, including two-dimensional graphene and one-dimensional InAs nanowires, …

Enhancing Medical Cybersecurity: A Machine Learning Solution For Intrusion Detection In Iomt Devices, Afra Yaqoob

Theses

In the past few decades, the healthcare sector has undergone major technological advancements, which have included the adoption of Internet of Medical Things (IoMT), and networked medical devices. These advancements have changed the manner in which patient care is provisioned, enabling for more accurate diagnosis, personalized treatment plans, among other benefits. However, as healthcare providers are growing more reliant on interconnected systems, they have also been exposed to critical cybersecurity vulnerabilities. Medical devices have now become targets for cyberattacks, threatening patient data and its security and endangering patient's health and safety. This thesis examines the affects that inadequate cybersecurity measures, …

An Automated Approach To Detect Cyber Threats With Smart Contracts In Blockchain Systems., Alia Mohammad Ahli

Theses

Blockchain is becoming one of the main components of the modern world due to its rapid development. Considering its main characteristics as a collaborative distributed database that provides transparency and scalability, blockchain development and application have grown dramatically over the past decade. While the blockchain is a key feature and is used in the industry, it is subject to many risk factors and attacks. Advanced technologies that can successfully detect and mitigate vulnerabilities must be developed for solving these security challenges. This thesis presents the development of a machine learning based approach to discover vulnerabilities in blockchain-based systems. It begins …

Applying Machine Learning For Crime Trend Analysis, Dana Alsoori

Theses

The analysis of crime rates has always been a critical component in shaping law enforcement strategies and public policy. This study focuses on the U.S. crime rates from 1975 to 2015, as reported by the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program, to explore patterns and trends over four decades. By analyzing this extensive dataset, the project aims to provide insights into the dynamics of criminal activity across different regions and crime categories. The goal is to uncover both visible and hidden trends that can inform better decision-making in crime prevention and resource allocation. With the rise of data-driven methods, this …

Leveraging Ai To Improve Service Quality For Better Passenger Satisfaction At Airport, Abdulrhman Alsaleh

Theses

The aim of this research is to explore the impact of airport service quality on passenger satisfaction level in Dubai International Airport (DXB) and the study employed machine learning approach to establish the services quality dimensions relationship with passenger satisfaction. However, the initial objective is to analyze patterns and make future forecasts that DXB could use to enhance service delivery. The research focuses on key service quality dimensions: The study investigates the causal relationship between five constructs: reliability, service quality tangibility, assurance, responsiveness, and empathy using machine learning models such as regression and classification. The information data applies to the …

Small Angle X-Ray Scattering And Form Factor Modeling Of Β Crystallins - A Physiologically Significant Eye Lens Cytoplasm Protein, Srijan Banerjee

Theses

This thesis provides in depth analysis of small angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) experiments conducted on the beta-high crystallin eye lens cytoplasm protein. In particular, radius of gyration and molecular weight measurements are extracted and compared to measurements from existing work. Furthermore, an approach to math ematically modeling the scattering ”form-factor”, which describes the size and shape of individual particles, is also developed and applied to the SAXS data. The model acheived in the thesis appears to agree closely with scattering data at the low q range. Several obstacles which impede the resulting modeling from perfectly characterizing the data at higher …

Analyzing The Effects Of Economic Factors On Residential Real Estate Market Dynamics Of Dubai: Using Machine Learning Methods, Zarrina Shokirova

Theses

Dubai’s residential real estate market is known for its rapid growth and dynamic nature, making it an intriguing subject for analyzing the impact of various economic factors. This thesis examines how key economic elements such as GDP growth, inflation rates, and foreign investment influence property dynamics in Dubai. By synthesizing current research, this study aims to understand how these economic conditions affect real estate values, demand, and supply. Additionally, modern analytical methods, including decision trees, logistic regression, and random forest models, are employed to predict market trends and uncover significant patterns. This research contributes to both academic understanding and practical …

The Tale Of Mari, Anya Vaughn

Theses

The Tale of Mari is a mixed media animated documentary which follows the life of Mari Arakaki Gaskins. Shortly after moving to America in the 1970s, Mari began illustrating comic strips about a Japanese family, emulating the cartoons she saw in newspapers. She sent a letter to the creator of Garfield, Jim Davis, and included her comics. Davis sent her a response, and told her that her artwork was good. However, he believed that the strips were unlikely to be published, because comics about a young Japanese girl would not be relatable to American audiences. Mari grew up during a …