Digital Commons Network^™

Exploring The Evolution Of Experienced Elementary Science Teachers' Identities In The Context Of Reform-Based Science, Andrea Woodring

Theses and Dissertations

Abstract Andrea L. Woodring EXPLORING THE EVOLUTION OF ELEMENTARY SCIENCE TEACHERS’ IDENTITIES IN THE CONTEXT OF REFORM-BASED SCIENCE 2025-2026 Joanne Connor, Ed.D. Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership This qualitative narrative inquiry examined how experienced elementary teachers narrated the development and evolution of their science teacher identities within the context of reform-based science education, particularly the adoption of the Next Generation Science Standards. Guided by Identity Theory (Burke & Stets, 2022), narrative analysis (Polkinghorne, 1995), and narrative inquiry scholarship (Kim, 2016; McCormack, 2000), the study positioned teachers’ stories as the primary findings rather than as examples of theory. Five experienced …

Immersive Visualization Of Cardiac Segmentation And Analysis, Brandon Norman

Theses and Dissertations

Coronary artery disease remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide, making early detection and treatment critical to reducing mortality. While coronary angiography remains the gold standard procedure for diagnosing coronary artery disease, less invasive methods such as coronary computed tomography angiography and virtual fractional flow re-serve continue to improve. However, taking full advantage of volumetric coronary computed tomography angiography data requires extensive post-processing before the data can support geometric modeling, hemodynamic simulation, and analysis. Existing Open-Source Appli-cations provide powerful tools for these tasks, but their interaction models remain largely desktop based, restricting users to 2d manipulation and hindering …

Fear Of Crime, Intolerance Of Uncertainty, And Trait Worry: A Mediation Model Of Perceived Risk And Victimization Concerns, Nicholai N. Chasseau

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined psychological vulnerability and fear of crime in 538 adults from Trinidad and Tobago. Perceived risk was the strongest predictor of fear, while prospective intolerance of uncertainty predicted fear directly. Mediation was supported among Afro-Trinidadians but not Indo-Trinidadians, suggesting sociocultural differences in cognitive pathways linking vulnerability to fear.

Bridging Culture And Education To Enhance Cherokee Student Health And Wellness, Lindsey Hammer

Theses and Dissertations

Indigenous populations face ongoing health disparities, often worsened by a lack of culturally relevant and Indigenous-led programs and interventions. This dissertation in practice was inspired by the need for community-driven, culturally grounded approaches that address these disparities for Cherokee Nation in Northeastern Oklahoma. Each of the three products are inspired by and aligned with the principles of Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR), the Cherokee value of gadugi, and the concept of relationality, offering a holistic approach to community health and well-being. Not every product represents a fully implemented CBPR process but rather a CBPR-informed approach. Future stages will emphasize more meaningful …

Numerical Investigation Of Plume–Surface Interactions Using Automated Adaptive Mesh Refinement, Fahim Shahriyar

Theses and Dissertations

This work presents a numerical investigation of plume–surface interactionsusing the Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method, coupled with the devel opment of an automated adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) framework for rarefied flow simulations. A two-dimensional axisymmetric configuration is used to simulate the impingement of a rarefied exhaust plume on a flat surface under vacuum condi tions representative of experimental test facilities. Surface pressure, shear stress, and heat flux induced by plume impingement are computed and compared with published experimental and numerical results to validate the DSMC approach. To address the strong mesh sensitivity and computational inefficiency associ ated with uniform …

Comprehensive Analytical Approaches To Biophysical And Hard Matter Systems, Carlos Munoz

Theses and Dissertations

In this work we define the methods and experimental techniques that are used in the synthesis, characterization, and development of biophysical and hard matter systems. These efforts encompass six principal areas: Comprehensive characterization of pathogenic bacteria, development of novel chemical methods for probing binding affinities in cellular systems, understanding the electronic properties of silicon/silicon dioxide interfaces, characterization of catalytic perovskite oxide materials, and lastly, heteroepitaxial growth of vanadium nitride thin films on the silicon nitride surface.The Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi (B. burgdorferi) causes an infection with diverse clinical outcomes, which can include arthritis as well as cardiac and neurological …

Redox-Driven Wettability In Underground Hydrogen Storage: Linking Geochemical Speciation, Surface Charge, And Contact Angle, Ijaz Khan

Theses and Dissertations

Underground hydrogen storage (UHS) depends on complex interactions among reservoir rocks, brine, and gas under redox conditions induced by H2 injection. Although wettability is often treated as a static parameter, redox reactions can shift pH, aqueous speciation, and mineral surface charge, thereby altering contact angles and, consequently, injectivity, trapping, and recovery. This work tests the hypothesis that dominant redox pathways in saline aquifers and depleted reservoirs, specifically Fe(III) and sulfate reduction, systematically modify mineral surface stability and charge, producing predictable shifts in wettability. To address this, we developed a physics-guided machine learning workflow that integrates mechanistic geochemical understanding with empirical …

Student Engagement As A Predictor Of Stem Student Success, Mosab Shaher Abu Al Foul

Theses and Dissertations

This quantitative study investigates factors influencing engagement, persistence, and degree completion among underrepresented minority (URM) students in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Guided by Tinto’s Interactionist Model (1975) and Bandura’s Self-Efficacy Theory(1977), it examines how institutional practices and socioeconomic conditions contribute to inequities in student outcomes. Using a non-experimental, correlational design, the study analyzes National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) data and institutional records from a Midwestern Research 2 university (N = 620; URM subsample n = 52). Binary logistic regression, MANOVA, and t-tests were used to assess relationships among High-Impact Educational Practices (HIEPs), engagement indicators, faculty interaction, pre-college …

The Motivations Of Adult Piano Students In The Republic Of Korea, Eunsong Kim

Theses and Dissertations

Adult participation in piano study has increased in recent years; however, relatively little research has examined how adult learners initiate and sustain long-term engagement. This qualitative study explored the process through which adult piano students develop and maintain motivation over time and how sustained piano study becomes integrated into their everyday lives. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with five adult piano students in the Republic of Korea and analyzed using thematic analysis to identify recurring patterns in their experiences. The findings revealed that initial motivation was shaped by childhood musical memories, the search for a personal sanctuary, and the …

Towards Continuous Carbon Fibers From Corn Oil, Ismail Akanmu Adebayo

Theses and Dissertations

The global demand for carbon fibers has experienced exponential growth over the last decade, driven by the desire for materials with high strength and low density for applications in aerospace, automotive, wind energy, and specialty industrial markets. Currently, carbon fibers are almost exclusively produced from petroleum-based precursors, most commonly polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and petroleum-derived pitch. The high production costs associated with these fossil-based precursors limit the broader adoption of carbon fibers and represent a significant barrier to market expansion. The development of a bio-based carbon fiber precursor derived from renewable feedstocks would help transition this market away from fossil carbon sources …

Geochemical Modeling Of Co2 Sequestration In Saline Aquifer: Broom Creek Saline Aquifer, Lawrence Chima Asouzu

Theses and Dissertations

Geological carbon sequestration in deep saline aquifers is widely regarded as a critical technology for mitigating anthropogenic CO₂ emissions. This dissertation presents a formation-specific, kinetically constrained reactive transport modelling study of CO₂ storage performance in the Broom Creek Formation, a quartz- and feldspar-dominated saline aquifer in the Williston Basin, North Dakota.

A high-resolution geological model was constructed in Petrel using well logs, well tops, and Sorensen’s permeability correlation, then exported via RESCUE file into CMG GEM for dynamic reactive transport simulation. The base-case scenario involved injection of CO₂ at 15 MMScf/day for one year, followed by 199 years of post-injection …

Enhancing Geothermal Productivity In The Red River Formation, Williston Basin: Utilization Of Unconventional Stimulation Technology And Sco2 Injection To Improve Geothermal Inlet Temperature, Fluid Flow Rate, And Project Economics, Etochukwu Jude Uzuegbu

Theses and Dissertations

Geothermal energy is a reliable renewable energy source capable of delivering consistent baseload electricity while emitting very low concentrations of greenhouse gases. In very low permeable geothermal reservoir, the geothermal system’s efficiency and economic feasibility are heavily dependent on reservoir productivity, which includes the fluid circulation and heat extraction efficiency. This research assesses the geothermal inlet temperature dynamics, fluid production and techno-economic viability of two reservoir productivity enhancement approaches: Hydraulic Fracturing (Base Case model) and Fishbones stimulation (Proposed Case model) under various operational conditions. The research aims to evaluate the influence of these two approaches on the geothermal inlet temperature, …

Numerical Verification Of A Gpu-Accelerated Particle-In-Cell Code For Low-Temperature Plasma Simulations, Wei Guo

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents the numerical verification of Comet, a GPU-accelerated Particle-in-Cell with Monte Carlo Collisions (PIC/MCC) code designed for low-temperature plasma simulations. To ensure efficient deployment across heterogeneous computing architectures, the framework leverages the Kokkos performance-portability layer for high-performance execution. Verification was conducted through a series of hierarchical stages with increasing physical complexity, benchmarking each component of the fundamental PIC/MCC simulation cycle. This structured approach establishes the numerical fidelity of the code's algorithmic building blocks prior to its application in predictive plasma research.

The first stage verifies field interpolation and particle pusher modules against canonical single-particle cases, focusing on ion …

Identifying Diet Quality Of Ultra-Processed Foods Among Student Health Professionals, Claudia Julianne Promschmidt

Theses and Dissertations

Disagreement exists in literature and media on definitions and classification ofultra-processed food (UPF) making interpretation for policy makers, consumers, and health professionals confusing. As health professionals have a large role in nutrition education, this study looked at how students enrolled in a health professional program at the University of North Dakota determine nutrient density of UPFs and non-UPFs. Researchers calculated nutrient density to classify foods into a survey. Students completing the survey had access to both the ingredient list and Nutrition Facts Panel before selecting the food as choose often, sometimes, or rarely, and then indicated which tool was used …

Predicting Diversity Gaps In Clinical Trials Using Digital Twin Modeling, Abigail Tubbs

Theses and Dissertations

Demographic underrepresentation in clinical trials continues to limit the external validity, equity, and generalizability of biomedical evidence. While regulatory reforms have increased the availability of aggregate demographic reporting, most existing approaches assess representation retrospectively, after recruitment has begun, offering limited support for design-stage decision-making. This dissertation presents a digital twin–based framework for prospective assessment of demographic diversity in clinical trials using trial-level metadata. The work integrates three core contributions. First, an open, reproducible, no-code extraction tool was developed to enable bulk retrieval and harmonization of baseline demographic data (race, ethnicity, sex/gender, and age) from ClinicalTrials.gov using National Clinical Trial identifiers. …

Additively Constructed Concrete Culverts (Acc), Eugene Kwabena Assuah-Damoah

Theses and Dissertations

Rural culvert systems in cold regions like North Dakota face rising replacement needs due to aging infrastructure, harsh deterioration, and limited precast supply. Additive construction with concrete (ACC) offers promise but is constrained by proprietary mix designs, limited validation for non-linear geometries such as ring-type pipes, and challenges in reinforcement integration. This study addresses these gaps through three efforts. First, a non-proprietary mix (MIX7, w/c = 0.37) using local materials achieved optimal printability (190–200 mm flow) and 28‑day strengths of 55–60 MPa; full-scale 18‑inch pipes met ASTM C76 Class II/III requirements. Second, literature shows ACC permanent formwork performance depends on …

Engineering Translational Biosensing Tools Forparkinson’S Disease, Mercedes Terry

Theses and Dissertations

Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by motor dysfunction and early cognitive decline. Diagnosis and monitoring remain largely symptom-driven, relying on clinical scales that capture disease only after significant neurodegeneration has occurred. These assessments are inherently subjective, episodic, and insensitive to early-stage pathology, limiting both timely diagnosis and the ability to track disease progression or therapeutic response. The lack of objective, quantitative biomarkers for both molecular pathology and cognitive impairment remains a major barrier to advancing precision medicine approaches in Parkinson’s disease. This dissertation approaches Parkinson’s disease from two complementary fronts: molecular detection of alpha-synuclein pathology and quantitative …

Exploring Obstacles To Food Security Across The University Of North Dakota Student Body, Emma Patzer

Theses and Dissertations

Food insecurity (FI) is a public health concern, and college students are especially vulnerable to FI. FI has been correlated with poor academic performance, poor health behaviors, and negative physical/mental health outcomes in college students. This thesis investigates which students are most affected by FI at a major mid-western university, identifies major barriers to food security (FS) among students at the university, and describes how these barriers differ by living location. A cross-sectional survey of students (n=905) enrolled in ≥1 credits in Spring of 2025 was conducted. Unadjusted ORs and multinomial binary logistic regression were used to determine the groups …

Safety Assurance In A Collegiate Flight Program With Safety Management Systems (Sms): A Mixed-Methods Approach To Evaluating Safety Risk Control Effectiveness, Erin Dunker

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined safety assurance and the effectiveness of safety risk controls within a collegiate flight training program operating under a Safety Management System (SMS). Using a mixed-methods approach, the research integrated quantitative survey data with organizational safety performance data to evaluate how safety risk controls function across operational domains. A survey instrument, the Collegiate Aviation Safety Risk Control Effectiveness Scale (CASRICES), was developed and validated to measure perceptions of safety risk control effectiveness among respondents using Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), Reliability, and Construct Validity Analyses.

The EFA supported a three-factor structure consisting of Pilot Training Risk Controls, Safety Reporting …

Machine Learning Applications For Numerical Simulation Of Co2 Sequestration, Adeboye Kayode Adeyinka

Theses and Dissertations

Global CO2 emissions significantly exceed the capacity of planned sequestration projects. Among subsurface storage sites, deep saline aquifers offer the largest theoretical capacity because they occur naturally across most sedimentary basins. However, major geological uncertainties, such as permeability variations and sand continuity, complicate these projects due to sparse well data. Consequently, analyzing CO2 sequestration projects in saline aquifers require robust reservoir simulation which are unfortunately, computationally complex with long runtimes, presenting severe bottlenecks for extensive risk assessment.

Machine learning algorithms can overcome these limitations by drastically reducing computational runtimes, enabling rapid scenario testing and optimization. Despite this potential, existing literature …

Evaluation Of Geothermal Viability In Partially Abandoned And Dry Oil Wells Within The Red River Formation In Williston Basin For Repurposing Into Enhanced Geothermal Systems, Ajan Meenakshisundaram

Theses and Dissertations

Transitioning toward global decarbonization of energy resources necessitates the development of dispatchable baseload resources that leverage existing infrastructure to minimize environmental footprints and capital expenditures. This research investigates the technical and economic feasibility of repurposing unplugged and dry oil and gas wells within the Red River Formation of the Williston Basin in North Dakota for conversion into Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS). While immense geothermal resources exist, they are often rendered uneconomical by high drilling costs and a lack of holistic subsurface understanding at target depths. To bridge these gaps, this interdisciplinary study employs a workflow ranging from experimental physics and …

A Comparative Study Of Dsmc Codes For Rarefied Atmospheric Re-Entry Applications, Laina Behrenbrinker

Theses and Dissertations

Hypersonic atmospheric re-entry involves complex rarefied flow phenomena, including thermochemical non-equilibrium and plasma formation, which must be accurately predicted to assess vehicle performance and communication blackout. The Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method is applied to model these effects through code-to-code comparison and rarefied re-entry simulation. DSMC codes SPARTA and Comet are compared with a 2D cylinder test case to evaluate consistency in predicted flowfield quantities. This is followed by 2D and 3D axi-symmetric simulation of the Varda re-entry capsule at 78 km altitude to characterize plasma formation. 2D cylinder results show agreement in translational and rotational temperature and neutral …

Wifi-Based Teleoperation System For A 3d-Printed Rc Car, Manvel Beaver

Theses and Dissertations

In the field of autonomous vehicle (AV) research, developers often face a significant gap between low-power hobbyist kits and cost-prohibitive industrial platforms. This thesis presents the design, integration, and validation of "Das Mueller," a high-performance, 1/10th-scale unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) designed to provide a transparent and cost-effective testbed for neural network development. By bridging the interoperability gap between the Donkey Car software framework and the 3D-printable Tarmo5 mechanical chassis, this project establishes a modular architecture centered on the NVIDIA Jetson Orin NX single-board computer.

The research utilizes a Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) approach and rapid prototyping to address critical challenges …

A Privacy-Preserving, Ai-Driven Framework For Bathroom Activity Monitoring And Health Recommendation In Elderly Care, Collins Poku Obeng

Theses and Dissertations

The rapid aging of the global population necessitates scalable, non-invasive solutions, for monitoring Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) to detect early signs of health decline. This thesis presents a novel, end-to-end framework for monitoring bathroom activities—specifically bathing, toileting, and oral hygiene—using wearable sensors, machine learning and Agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI). The research addresses three critical gaps: the lack of granular activity recognition in privacy-sensitive spaces, the need for personalized health insights without manual logging, and the cybersecurity risks inherent in deploying AI in healthcare. First, algorithms utilizing wearable humidity and accelerometer sensor data were developed to classify hygiene behaviors with …

Filling The Gaps: Rural-Remote High School Teachers’ Perceptions Of Professional Training In Student Mental Health Preparedness, Angela N. Muhs

Theses and Dissertations

Rural-remote high school teachers are frequently the first to notice and respond to student mental health concerns, yet they operate within communities characterized by significant shortages in mental health providers. Access to professional mental health services in these settings remains persistently limited, placing considerable responsibility on teachers who may lack adequate preparation. This study employed an interpretive case study design to qualitatively examine how rural-remote high school teachers in North Dakota perceive their professional training and overall preparedness in addressing student mental health concerns. Twelve licensed teachers, whose experience ranged from six months to 33 years, participated in in-depth interviews. …

An Environmental Systems Engineering Framework For The United States Space Force: Multi-Objective Optimization Of Co2 Emissions And Biodiversity Trade-Offs, Julio Roberto Pinto Covelli

Theses and Dissertations

The increasing demand for sustainable defense operations has prompted the US Space Force to explore advanced strategies that reduce carbon emissions and preserve biodiversity across its installations. This dissertation proposes a scalable systems-engineering framework that quantitatively integrates CO₂ emissions modeling and ecological simulation at RAF Feltwell and RAF Lakenheath, two strategically signi?cant installations with notable ecological value. Using toolsincluding Python, MATLAB, ArcGIS, and InVEST, this research models emissions and habitat quality under various operational scenarios. The study incorporates engineering performance metrics, including emissions intensity, resilience indicators, and energy efficiency rates, to inform trade-off modeling for real-time mission and environmental decision-making. …

Thriving Within Digital Learning Courses: Examining The Influence Of Interactions In Kinesiology Undergraduate Students, Jimmy J. Morin

Theses and Dissertations

The expansion of online and hybrid education has reshaped higher education, particularly in applied fields such as kinesiology that emphasize hands-on learning. Despite this growth, limited research has examined how specific interaction types (academic, social, and deeper life) contribute to student thriving in digital environments. This dissertation explored how interactions with faculty, staff, and peers influence holistic student success in online and hybrid kinesiology programs utilizing a three-paper dissertation approach to address this gap through complementary methods. Paper 1 synthesizes existing literature on student interactions and thriving in digital learning contexts. Paper 2 uses one-way ANOVA and ANCOVA to examine …

Critical Minerals Recovery From Oil And Gas Fields Produced Water In The Bakken Formation, North Dakota, Md Jakaria

Theses and Dissertations

The growing demand for critical minerals essential to clean energy technologies presents an opportunity to transform oilfield produced water (PW) – traditionally treated as waste – into a valuable resource. This dissertation investigates the recovery potential of lithium, salts, and other critical elements from produced water in the Bakken Formation, North Dakota, and evaluates the economic feasibility of integrating such recovery processes into existing petroleum operations. Comprehensive geochemical analyses were conducted on samples collected throughout the Bakken, revealing total dissolved solids (TDS) ranging from 46,815 to 327,714 ppm and lithium concentrations exceeding 200 ppm in several wells, indicating economically recoverable …

The Primary Care Experiences Of American Indian Patients Diagnosed With Opioid Use Disorder (Oud), Frank Johnson Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

This study utilized descriptive phenomenology to describe the lived experiences of AmericanIndian patients diagnosed with opioid use disorder (OUD), when they visit their primary care provider. The specific aims were to: 1) describe what was beneficial when visiting their provider; 2) describe what was detrimental when visiting their provider; and 3) provide recommendations for improving primary care services. Twelve participants were interviewed and the essence of the phenomenon emerged as “the interaction between the provider and patient”. A model was created. The constituents of the essence were beneficial interactions and detrimental interactions. The major themes that emerged from beneficial interactions …

The Speech, Language, And Feeding Development Of One Child With Wiedemann–Steiner Syndrome, Alyssa Ann Erickson

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the longitudinal speech, language, and feeding development of a child with Wiedemann–Steiner syndrome (WSS) from birth to age 10. The study aimed to characterize developmental patterns, identify strengths and challenges, and evaluate changes over time within the context of ongoing speech-language intervention. A qualitative longitudinal case study design was used, combining retrospective review of medical, therapeutic, and educational records with direct clinical assessment at age 10. Measures included the Oral and Written Language Scales–Second Edition (OWLS-II)), a spontaneous language sample, a phonemic inventory, a Childhood Apraxia of Speech screening, a caregiver feeding questionnaire, and a clinical feeding …