Digital Commons Network^™

Noise-Optimized Routes For Air Taxi, Waleed Raza

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Community noise is a primary barrier to the public acceptance and deployment of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) and Urban Air Mobility (UAM) air taxi operations. This dissertation develops a coupled siting, routing, and noise optimization framework that links vertiport placement to its downstream acoustic consequences, demonstrated through a Daytona Beach case study. Candidate vertiports are screened and selected using accessibility, safety, demand, and feasibility criteria, and the selected sites form a directed network of 20 routes. Each trajectory is evaluated with a physics-based acoustic pipeline reporting Lmax, SEL, and EPNL at school, hospital, and residential receptors, showing that received exposure …

Teachers' Perceptions Of High-Quality Instructional Materials In Tennessee Urban Elementary Schools, Christa D. Stewart

Ed.D. Dissertations

Urban schools faced challenges that included limited resources, diverse student populations, and varying levels of student preparedness. I designed this study to better understand the perceptions of urban elementary teachers regarding their perceptions related to the implementation of high-quality instructional materials. For this study, I used a qualitative, interpretive method and collected data through questionnaires and interviews from urban elementary teachers in Tennessee. 24 participants provided data for this research. Due to a gap in existing research related to high-quality instructional materials implementation and support, especially at the foundational elementary level, the purpose of this qualitative, interpretive study was to …

Seminario Sobre Conceptos Básicos De Capellanía Policial Para Pastores Adventistas En Fresno, California, José Antonio Pagán

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

There is a high demand for chaplains in the Fresno Police Department who can support police officers in addressing city crises. Most Adventist pastors in Fresno do not have the basic knowledge of police chaplaincy nor do they have the certification to practice in this specialized ministry. The latest study published by the California Department of Justice (2023) on the wave of violence in California shows that in 2022, 2,206 homicides were reported, of which 60 were reported by the Fresno Police Department (2023) which required the intervention of trained chaplains to care for the survivors of each victim. …

Understanding Secularized People Of Metro Manila: A Case Study Approach For A Contextualized Urban Ministry Strategy, Ermela T. Dizon

Dissertations DIS

Problem

Secularization shapes people's thinking, feeling, and behaving in the cities. Yearly, there is a rise in the number of de-religionized or secularized people in cities of the world who engage in pursuits of materialism and show declining interest in religion. Sociologists and missiologists postulate about the spectrum of secularity and the variety of secularism in different context. Since Metro Manila is one of the world's top highly urbanized and densely populated cities, the Seventh-day Adventist Church encounters challenges in reaching its secularized people. It is a new turf for the church. Pastors trained for rural settings may not understand …

Understanding Secularized People Of Metro Manila: A Case Study Approach For A Contextualized Urban Ministry Strategy, Ermela T. Dizon

Dissertations

Problem

Secularization shapes people's thinking, feeling, and behaving in the cities. Yearly, there is a rise in the number of de-religionized or secularized people in cities of the world who engage in pursuits of materialism and show declining interest in religion. Sociologists and missiologists postulate about the spectrum of secularity and the variety of secularism in different context. Since Metro Manila is one of the world's top highly urbanized and densely populated cities, the Seventh-day Adventist Church encounters challenges in reaching its secularized people. It is a new turf for the church. Pastors trained for rural settings may not understand …

Integral Missions: A Framework For Developing A Missional Community Engagement At New Ellis Chapel Baptist Church In Shelby, North Carolina, Paul Christopher Gash

Doctor of Ministry Projects

The Church is called to be passionate about leading the cause of being influential, inspirational, and impactful in the community that she is housed. God has commissioned all believers to embark the grand opportunity of effectively engaging the community through integral missions. The formation of this ministry project was born out of various studies that was researched that revealed a high degree of poverty that exists within the community where New Ellis Chapel Baptist Church is located. Additionally, during the development of this project, COVID-19 has plagued the world and caused an increase in mental health, emotional instability, financial constraints, …

Non-Governmental Organizations And Rural Development In Andhra: Challenging Or Reinforcing Social Hierarchies?, Anusha Chaitanya

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

This research examines how non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working on rural development in Andhra are structured to challenge or reinforce existing hierarchies in the society based on caste and gender, by focusing on NGO leadership. The right to equality as a fundamental right in the Constitution of India recognizes forms of inequality based on caste and gender. This right is significant to note because while most studies on NGOs focus on poverty as the central problem in a neo-liberal state (Dempsey, 2009; Fisher, 1997; Mercer, 2002; Tembo, 2003), they remain incomplete without considering socio-economic factors. These factors not only affect the …

Exploring School Psychologists' Perceived Preparedness, Self-Efficacy, And Motivations For Practice In Urban Schools, Kiley Callahan

Dissertations

The fundamental goal of school psychological service delivery is to enhance the learning and mental health of all students, regardless of their school setting. However, there is evidence to suggest that school psychologists' professional needs and experiences may differ based on the context in which they work. The urban school context, in particular, is associated with several challenges that may impact school psychology practice, including the impact of systemic barriers, systematic marginalization of children and families, and limited resources. To better prepare school psychologists to support urban learners, efforts to understand their training needs must be prioritized. Still, the views …

A Study Of Nones In Brazil And The Usa In Light Of Secularization Theory With Missiological Implications, Jolive R. Chavez

Dissertations

The growth of those who declare themselves to be Nones, or religiously unaffiliated, in Brazil and the USA has been continuously higher than that of the general population. In Brazil, they are the third-largest group in the religious field, behind only Catholics, and Pentecostal evangelicals. In the USA, they are the second largest group, after Protestants as a whole. The Nones, in their diverse groups, are more represented among the youth in both cultures, and reflect the modern and postmodern influences of contemporary secularism, being a product of the process of changing human thought.

This work studies the Nones, in …

Mission In The Margins: An Emplaced Missional Ecclesiology For The Brazilian Church In Urban Environments, Samuel Fuhrmann

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

Fuhrmann, Samuel Reduss. “Mission in the Margins: An Emplaced Missional Ecclesiology for the Brazilian Church in Urban Environments.” Ph.D. diss., Concordia Seminary, 2019. 217 pp.

As the church tries to engage in God’s mission in Brazilian metropolises, it needs to account for the reality of the favelas. Favela is a housing category that refers to an urban built environment where one encounters a rich social, cultural, and spatial diversity, and often the problems of violence and poverty, all of which configure a challenge to the church. How does the church understand this reality? How does urban missional ecclesiology account for …

Motivational Factors Leading To Exceptional Student Education As A Career Choice, Annissa Brockington

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

Districts nationwide continue to face the challenge of recruiting and retaining quality teachers for the classroom. The teacher shortage issue is bleaker when seeking teachers to fill some of the most critical subject areas needed such as math, science, and exceptional student education. The purpose of this study was to understand the motivational factors that contribute to an ESE teacher’s decision to remain in the teaching field. Over 600 ESE teachers were surveyed and asked to rate their satisfaction level over a range of multiple factors, and 247 teachers responded to the survey. Using quantitative methodology, a one-sample t test …

Low-Tip-Speed High-Torque Proprotor Noise Approximation For Design Cycle Analysis, Xavier G. Santacruz

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Noise reduction in aviation would enable urban missions that cannot be own with current generation helicopters because of their noisiness. This goal can be achieved by using electric motors as they are quieter and can produce higher torque at lower RPMs. Therefore, a proprotor system can be designed to exploit this characteristic potentially abating noise levels. This research performed noise approximations included with rotor aerodynamics for a single, electric-driven, hovering proprotor by creating a code meant to be used in design cycle analysis. The approximation was based on geometry by using the blade element momentum theory, and calculating the pressure …

Generating Trust In A Multiethnic "Church Of Christ/ Iglesia De Cristo," In Santa Paula, California, Robert G. Perez

Harding School of Theology Dissertations and Theses

No abstract provided.

Rethinking Evangelism As Discipleship: Equipping Followers To Live Incarnational Lives Outside The Walls, Lisa A. Willey

Doctor of Ministry

This dissertation explores how local churches can help lay people live incarnational lives of reaching out and connecting or building relationships in their communities with the potential to share the gospel. To live an incarnational life means to allow Jesus to live through you in a way that changes your life and allows you to do what you otherwise could not do on your own. To live the life of a disciple or follower fosters a missional mindset and the desire to build relationships. To spring off of Len Sweet’s concept of MRI (Missional, Relational and Incarnational)1 I will explore …

A Cosmopolitan Theology For Creating An Urban Missional Small Group To Reach Postmodern Generations In The City Of Lacombe, Alberta, Lyle Milton Notice

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

Many youths within the Canadian city of Lacombe, Alberta, are having difficulty finding traditional church attractive, engaging, relevant, and meaningful. Because of the prevalent postmodern mindset of youth in the community, thoughts toward church, religious gatherings, and organized religion are pessimistic and skeptical. Research has pointed out that faith-based community initiatives have been either lacking or ineffective in addressing the disengagement and disillusionment being demonstrated by postmodern millennials.

Method

The purpose of this study was to see if an urban missional small group made up of 10 to 15 youth would have a positive social spiritual impact on their …

Equipping Adventist Community Services Directors As Leaders For The Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Sung Kun Kwon

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

The Adventist Community Services (ACS) broad scope of services increasingly demanded competent leadership that was not always readily found in local churches. For this reason, ACS leadership began to plan an advanced leadership development program for the ACS personnel, pastors, and church members at the union, conference, local levels, and worldwide. Up to that time leadership development programs within ACS tended to be haphazard and inconsistent. While there were several conferences that provided local leadership development for ACS leaders, there was no centralized leadership development program. To effectively lead the organizations that served the various communities, it was necessary …

Interpreting Philippians 2:12, 13 Using The Great Controversy Metanarrative, Sikhululekile Daco

Master's Theses

Problem

Philippians 2:12, 13 present two paradoxical statements in direct juxtaposition. Verse twelve is an appeal to work out one’s own salvation, whereas verse thirteen acknowledges that it is God who does the work. How could Paul comfortably hold both views and present them in such close juxtaposition? How can this apparent contradiction of concepts be reconciled?

Method

While specialization in any given discipline affords the opportunity for greater depth of understanding, each theological discipline may augment one’s interpretation of a text. Philippians 2:12, 13 poses some interpretive challenges that can be mitigated by broadening one’s exegetical methodology to incorporate …

Toward Engaging The Secular: Charles Taylor's Modern Social Imaginaries, Human Flourishing, And Theological Method, Jenifer A. Daley

Dissertations

Increasing secularization seems to fly in the face of Christian proposals for a Scripture-only principle for theology. The question that this dissertation explores is "How will Christian theology tackle the resulting church-society impasse in a way that is both faithful to Scripture and intelligible contemporaneously without appearing to privilege one aspect over the other?" That is, "What form should theological method take to efficaciously engage the secular?" This study suggests that the answer might lie in an innovative fusion of Scripture with borrowed concepts from secular culture. Thus, this dissertation responds to the problem of the need for robust, multidimensional …

A Capitalist's Social Gospel: Frank Wakeley Gunsaulus And The Promise Of Upward Mobility, 1875-1921, Joshua Pretzer

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Frank Wakeley Gunsaulus was a preacher who began his ministry in 1875 as a little-known itinerant Methodist in rural Ohio. Within two decades, he became one of America’s most influential religious figures with a popular style and message of hope for the future. This paper examines the mission of this pulpiteer, who believed Jesus and industrial capitalism could solve the problems of labor conflict, poverty, and sin as the kingdom of God was gradually realized on earth. Where many social gospelers challenged the interests of capital to varying degrees, Gunsaulus was both the businessman’s firm defender and an advocate for …

Postmoderns In A Secular Setting: New Perspectives On Their Religiosity And The Mission Among Them, Bogdan Platon

Papers

No abstract provided.

Principles For Effective Relationships With Postmodern People In The Context Of Urban Mission, Bogdan Platon

Papers

No abstract provided.

Lcms Identity And Mission In The American Urban Context: Engaging Conian Black Theology Through Strategic Lutheran Missiology, Gregory Seltz

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

Seltz, Gregory P., “LCMS Identity and Mission in the American Urban Context: Engaging Conian Black Theology through Strategic Lutheran Missiology.” Ph.D. diss., Concordia Seminary, 2017. 304 pp.

This dissertation addresses the challenges of the American urban context by dialoging with James Cone’s Black Theology in order to construct an LCMS urban missiology. This LCMS urban missiology is a dynamic, Two-Kingdom, sacramental engagement strategy that addresses the issues endemic to the urban community for the sake of the community and for the sake of the Gospel. The American urban setting is fraught with challenges: identity politics, ethnic-sociological fragmentation, and the delegitimation-politicization …

Bridges, Not Towers: Connecting Universities And Local Communities For Community Writing Projects, Alicia Remolde

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

It has been argued that by bridging the educational resources of institutions of higher education with local, community literacy initiatives, adult literacy can be promoted outside of the university while imparting teaching and learning experiences to the on-campus community. The purpose is not to impart the values of the Ivory Tower but to create bridges through collaborative work and dialogue to achieve social or political action for the community members. This thesis will show how writing centers can foster transformative community and public writing spaces using the Montclair State University’s Center for Writing Excellence Seminar for Lifelong Learners as a …

A Strategy For Planting Missional Churches To Include And Disciple The Postmodern People In The South Of Brazil, Natal Gardino

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

In spite of the fact that the Seventh-day Adventist Church is growing in Brazil, the traditional evangelistic methods have not significantly reached people with a postmodern worldview, who (in this country) are generally younger, wealthier, and more educated. This present study was to mobilize the churches in the South of Brazil with information and strategies to include postmodern people in their evangelistic efforts both in the local church and in new planted churches as well.

Method

Curitiba Central Church was informed about the reality of the contemporaneous worldview, and leaders of the church and volunteers were trained, making the …

Public Subjects: Wayne State, Institutional Texts, And Public Rhetoric, Michael Mcginnis

Wayne State University Dissertations

Applying a public sphere approach to Wayne State, I argue that the university has defined itself as a public subject within public debates about race, educational access, and economic development in the city of Detroit, even when such commitments to its local urban public sphere have existed uneasily alongside its ambition to function as a research university with a primary research mission within a wider public sphere of peer research universities. I focus on Wayne State University’s urban mission and open for consideration the ways the university has both expanded and contracted its relationships to its local and academic public …

An Evaluation Of Wayne State University's Educational Evaluation And Research Program, Willie L. White Ii

Wayne State University Dissertations

This is a mixed-methods evaluation of the Educational Evaluation and Research program at Wayne State University. The process of evaluation involved determining the efficacy of triangulating qualitative and quantitative methods of evaluation in order to access the EER program's goal acquisition. The process of evaluation commenced with a qualitative method of interviewing faculty members and was triangulated quantitatively with a likert scale survey that was modified from Wayne State University's Student Evaluation of Teaching Survey (SETS). The Student Evaluation of the Educational Evaluation and Research Program (SEEERP) was designed to measure graduate students' perspectives of EER goals and objectives acquisition. …

Variable Speed Flapping Wing Micro Air Vehicle Using A Continuous Variable Transmission Design, Jason C. Chuang

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Flapping wing micro air vehicles (FWMAV) have very unique flight mechanics in two-wing orientation. Many challenges arise with two wing configuration: lift production, design construction, and control systems. Control surfaces used in fixed wings can be used but at low Reynolds numbers they become less effective. In order to truly mimic insects with two wings, control mechanisms must be developed. Since MAVs are designed to navigate through confined spaces they need to have many degrees of freedom in motion. One way is to use a continuous variable transmission (CVT) mechanism, by integrating its infinite gear ratios to change the flapping …

A Discipleship Model For The Hill Portuguese Seventh-Day Adventist Church Of Johannesburg, Dioi Cruz

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

The Hill Portuguese Seventh-day Adventist Church is a community composed of immigrants from Portugal, who were well established in Angola and Mozambique and who moved to South Africa after escaping the independence wars in the 1970s. Despite their professional success, they have not been successful in personal ministry outreach during the past years, resulting in a clear decrease of membership.

Method

This project sought to create, implement, and evaluate a strategy to help bring about inner healing and discipleship in order to increase the number of members witnessing creatively and reaching out to the Portuguese neighborhood of immigrants in …

Applied Theatre: History, Practice, And Place In American Higher Education, Joseph A. Obermueller

Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this paper is to examine the practice of Applied Theatre in order to better define the genre and make a case for its legitimization and inclusion in higher theatre education. By looking at the theatre practitioners of the 20th century who paved the way for its existence as well as modern practitioners, a definition will be distilled down to five core characteristics of the practice with several case studies illustrating those characteristics. Once a clear distinction has been made between Applied Theatre and other similar genres, the case will be made for why the field should be …

Spanish Missionization And Maya Social Structure: Skeletal Evidence For Labor Distribution At Tipu, Belize, Lara Kristen Noldner

Anthropology ETDs

The cultural and human biological outcomes of Spanish colonization of the Americas were diverse. This dissertation examines the effects of Spanish colonization on Maya social structure using skeletal evidence for the distribution of labor at Tipu, a mission site in west central Belize. Skeletal remains of indigenous Maya buried in the context of a church, and in accordance with European Catholic burial customs, were examined for enthesis development and the cross-sectional morphology (CSG) of upper and lower limb long bones. Nothing besides burial placement in relation to the church (inside or outside the walls) denotes social status among individuals. Bone …