Digital Commons Network^™

Social Mobility Beliefs Predict Competence Stereotype Gaps Between The Poor And Rich, Gregory Tee Hng Tan

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

The poor tend to be viewed as less competent than the rich. This dissertation examined whether social mobility beliefs shape perceived rich-poor competence gaps. When society is seen as highly mobile, people may attribute economic outcomes to internal abilities than external constraints, thereby widening the rich-poor competence gap. Conversely, perceiving low mobility may shift explanations away from internal abilities toward external constraints and narrow the gap. Four studies tested this theory. Study 1 examined the relationships between self-reported mobility beliefs, attributions, and competence of rich and poor targets among Singapore and UK participants. While higher mobility beliefs predicted stronger internal …

Study Of Onshore And Offshore Upwind And Downwind Wind Turbine Configurations: Performance Differences And Aerodynamic Characteristics, Ahmed Ismail

Mechanical Engineering Theses

The aerodynamic performance and loading behavior of large- scale wind turbines depend heavily on atmospheric inflow conditions and rotor orientation. While upwind turbines remain the most common design in the industry, recent progress in materials, aeroelastic modeling, and control systems has sparked renewed interest in downwind configurations. This study aims to assess how ABL characteristics and rotor orientation affect the aerodynamic performance of a utility- scale wind turbine. A CFD framework was built in ANSYS Fluent to model the NREL 5 MW Reference Wind Turbine. Transient simulations employed the SST k–ε turbulence model under various inflow conditions: uniform, onshore, and …

Sunshine Pump: A Trailer-Mounted Solar Powered Water Pump System, Dylan Quan Dinh, Duncan Campbell

Electrical Engineering

The Sunshine Pump is a trailer-mounted, off-grid solar powered water pumping system that delivers approximately 1,000 gallons of water per day from a well of approximately 250 feet total dynamic head to an above-ground storage tank on a rural ranch in Los Osos, California. The system captures solar energy with a 1,500 watt photovoltaic array consisting of four 375 watt panels wired in series, regulates that energy through a maximum power point tracking stage integrated into an all-in-one inverter/charger, stores it in a 4,800 watt-hour LiFePO4 battery, and converts it to 230 volt AC power to drive a 0.75 horsepower …

Numerical Investigation Of Shock-Induced Deformation Of Bubble-Laden Droplets, Juan Roldan

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Rain impact can be a source of surface erosion on hypersonic vehicles, and the severity of each impact depends on droplet velocity, mass, and final shape, all of which are set by how the droplet breaks up under shock loading. Real droplets are expected to carry entrained non-condensable gas (NCG) nuclei from their formation. This dissertation investigates whether the purely mechanical, pressure-driven response of these nuclei, independent of vaporization, is large enough to measurably alter the internal pressure field and early deformation of a shock-loaded droplet.

The droplet and surrounding gas are modeled with a compressible, diffuse-interface, axisymmetric Eulerian framework …

Leader Election System For An Unmanned Ground Vehicle Swarm, Milan Chhetri, Brendan Beas, Paul Levin

Electrical Engineering

This senior project presents the design and implementation of a leader-election system for a leader-follower unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) swarm using embedded control and wireless communication. The objective of the project is to improve the robustness and mission longevity of a multi-agent robotic system by allowing the swarm to dynamically select the most suitable leader during operation. Each UGV is equipped with an ESP32 microcontroller, DWM1000 Ultra-Wideband (UWB) ranging modules, an MPU-6050 inertial measurement unit (IMU), motor drivers, and supporting power electronics to enable communication, sensing, and autonomous control. A battery monitoring subsystem was developed using the ESP32's built-in Analog-to-Digital …

Maximum Power Point Tracker And Dc/Dc Converter, Isabel Aguas, Madeline Steiner, Haley Blouin, Tristan Asquith, Ellijah Garcia

Electrical Engineering

The product is a solar Maximum Power Point Tracker (MPPT) with an integrated DC-DC converter for efficient power extraction from a solar module. The MPPT optimizes solar energy, sourcing power to a 12V battery which is the source of a DC-DC converter operating as a variable voltage output for various applications, capable of providing voltage greater or less than the voltage supplied by the solar module. The DC-DC converter outputs a manually adjustable DC voltage within the range of 5-50V. Both MPPT and the DC-DC converter are functional for standard solar modules with power ratings ranging from 50-400W, open circuit …

Archimedean Spiral Antenna Array With Klopfenstein And Exponential Tapered Balun Feeds, Leo Joseph Alvelais Iv, Paul Obrecht, Naguib Abdulla, Preston Mavady, Collin Fan

Electrical Engineering

This project presents the design, fabrication, and experimental evaluation of a broadband 3x3 Archimedean spiral antenna array tile for 2.8-3.8 GHz. Each element combines a two-arm spiral on Rogers RO4350B, a printed 50 to 150 Ω tapered balun, and a conductive backplane. Klopfenstein and Exponential feed implementations were modeled in Ansys HFSS, generated and tuned with automated scripting, fabricated, and evaluated with calibrated network and anechoic-chamber measurements. The Klopfenstein-fed hardware met the -10 dB input-reflection criterion across the project band. The exponential array provided a broad matched response but reached approximately -8 dB near 2.95 GHz. Measured center-element patterns retained …

Vision-Based Autonomous Tracking Rover, Alejandro Ahumada, Erick Ayala, Jonathan Chavez

Electrical Engineering

AAC Vision designed and constructed a vision-based autonomous tracking rover capable of exploring an indoor environment, avoiding obstacles, generating a two-dimensional LiDAR map, detecting a standard orange basketball, and approaching the target without manual steering. The rover uses a Raspberry Pi 4, an Intel RealSense D435 RGB-D camera, an RPLIDAR C1, four JGB37-520 Hall-encoder motors, dual H-bridge motor drivers, a 12 V battery, and a custom aluminum chassis measuring approximately 8 in by 12 in and weighing 6.7 lb. The final mission emphasized reliable target discovery rather than travel between predetermined points. The software integrates Python, OpenCV, Ultralytics YOLO, RealSense …

Winning Economically: A Statistical Analysis Of Payroll Allocation Within Major League Baseball, Ryan St.Clair

Senior Theses

This thesis analyzes payroll trends within Major League Baseball (MLB) across the last ten seasons (2015-2024). By examining spending habits across teams, several strategies have been identified, bucketing teams into profiles that allow for easier comparison and insight into optimizing roster construction.

Team success is measured through two statistics: Winning Percentage and Wins Above Replacement (WAR). Winning Percentage determines which teams succeeded each year, while WAR adds color to each team's record. WAR measures a player's value holistically. Essentially, it shows how many more wins he provides compared to a replacement level player. A replacement level player is a minor …

Multidisciplinary Inverse Robust Co-Design Of Materials, Products, And Manufacturing Processes, H M Dilshad Alam Digonta

Theses and Dissertations

Realizing the design for Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME) requires the materials, product, and manufacturing-process disciplines to be designed together. Because these disciplines interact and influence one another's decisions, coordination is needed among their distributed decision-makers. Their interactions are captured through the processing-structure-property-performance (PSPP) linkages, which must be established from limited, costly data. Moreover, each discipline introduces its own sources of uncertainty, and these propagate through the process chain to influence final product performance. The effective realization of the product-material-manufacturing system, therefore, calls for a co-design approach that enables the concurrent coordination of the interacting disciplines while quantifying and managing …

The Study Of How Sensory Marketing Techniques Used By Beauty Brands Influence Engagement And Consumer Perception On Social Media Platforms, Particularly By Evoking Specific Consumer Emotions, Eeshani Juthani

Digital Marketing Theses

This study describes how a consumers' attitude towards beauty products on social media is affected by sensory marketing techniques and cues. This study also examines how sensory marketing tactics and elements such as sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste affects the way a consumer engages with content on social media platforms like Tiktok and Instagram.

How Can Bison Conservation And Reintroduction Onto Native Prairie Habitat Increase Land Health And Restore Indigenous Cultural Importance?, Malaney Peterson

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

For millenia, bison roamed the native prairie by the millions, stretching from the rain shadow of the Rocky Mountains to the Mississippi River, and from Canada down to Texas. This once thriving ecosystem quickly went from thriving to near extinction within a few decades after the arrival of Europeans in North America. The downfall of the bison was a strategic plan devised not only to eliminate bison, but also indigenous peoples and the prairie on which they lived. According to research, both bison and the native prairie are considered to be ecologically extinct, meaning they will never be able to …

Hmong Cultural Literacy Curriculum To Preserve The Hmong Language And Culture, Pa Kou Vang

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The Hmong language is considered a dying language as Hmong youth feel the pressure to assimilate into American culture and language while adapting to economic and survival needs in the United States. The curriculum designed for this project uses the concept of culturally sustaining pedagogy, which provides a theoretical framework for designing an instructional unit focused on Hmong language, history, and cultural identity. The purpose of this capstone was to develop an instructional unit that supports Hmong language and cultural preservation among Hmong students at the secondary grade level. To inform the curriculum’s development, a comparative study was conducted in …

Arts Integration In Special Education, Emily Sanderson

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This capstone examines the use of arts integration interventions in special education services. Art is inherently adaptable and can be used to create engaging lessons accessible to all learners. Grounded in inclusive education, constructivist, social-emotional learning, disability identity, and self-determination theories, the literature review examines how arts-integrated activities can support students with disabilities in communication and expression, emotional and behavioral development, and cognitive and academic engagement, as well as impact students’ identity, autonomy, and social development. Building on this research, the author studied the Welsh school system at Aberystwyth University, visiting five local schools and interviewing twelve teachers of students …

Skills-Based Classrooms In Adult Education, Svetlana Quirk-Lazarev

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

In today's rapidly evolving labor market, skills-based and hands-on learning have become central to adult lifelong education. Numerous studies highlight that "learning by doing" is the preferred and most effective approach for adults, who increasingly seek education that aligns with real-world demands and career advancement. Despite the growing emphasis on skills-based learning, gaps remain between educational programs and real-world expectations.

To understand how a skills-based course can affect employability outcomes for adult learners, we must first examine the root barriers in adult education. Adult learners face a very different set of obstacles compared to children. As cited further, some of …

Increasing Engagement Among Reluctant Learners: The Impact Of A High Interest Ela Media Analysis Unit In Secondary Classrooms, Anab Muqtar

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

In the world of secondary education, figuring out how to engage our most reluctant students is one of the most difficult lessons for an early career educator to learn. This struggle during my early years of teaching prompted this capstone’s curricular focus. This capstone project sought to answer the following research question: How can a high interest ELA media analysis curricular unit impact the engagement of reluctant learners in a secondary grade level ELA course? Research found that through incredibly intentional curricular design, teachers can engage our most struggling students. Reconnecting students with their purpose for learning and teaching them …

Teaching Writing To Secondary Students In An Age Of Ai, Justine Morris

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Writing teachers in secondary schools across the world have seen a surge of student work written by artificial intelligence (AI), which has led to many new challenges. These challenges include: additional time spent grading, more conflict with students and parents, and an overall lack of resources to address AI use in the classroom. This capstone works to respond to some of these new challenges by exploring the skills built through the writing process and how AI may support or hinder these skills. This project is based on cognitive theory and observations of schools in both the United States and Wales. …

Advanced Mathematics In The Elementary School: Supporting Teachers And Students Through A Resource Compilation, Abigail Friedel

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Addressing the needs of every student within an elementary mathematics classroom is a difficult and time-consuming task that educators are charged with. The range of abilities in a general education classroom can span multiple grade levels, especially in upper elementary. Teachers are often encouraged to focus on students that are below grade level, which can lead to higher ability students being bored and disengaged when they are in the classroom (Livers et al., 2018). To address this issue, this capstone project seeks to answer the question of how can elementary classroom teachers best support their advanced learners in math after …

Banning Books In America: Exploring The Impact And Implications Of Censorship In Education, Mackenzie Carrane

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This capstone project, written and constructed by Mackenzie Carrane is entitled, “Banning Books in America: Exploring the Impact and Implications of Censorship in Education.” The purpose of this project was to research the causes and impacts of the book banning practice across America in the 21st century. The research question: why are books banned and challenged, and how does this censorship impact schools and communities they serve? stemmed from a childhood love for books. In particular, one book which was later banned in many schools. Research has shown that while book banning is often done under the guise of protecting …

A Genre-Based Approach To Teaching Employment Interview English For Adult English Learners In The United States, Caitlin Schueler

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Employment interviews represent high-stakes communicative events that can present particular challenges for adult English learners (AELs). Despite this, existing interview preparation materials often emphasize rehearsal of common questions, memorization of responses, and adherence to cultural norms instead of an intentional focus on the linguistic resources characteristic of employment interview discourse. This capstone project addresses that gap through the design of an eight-week curriculum for intermediate-level AELs. The curriculum is informed by Systemic Functional Linguistics, the Sydney School approach to genre pedagogy, Interactional Sociolinguistics, the Teaching and Learning Cycle, and Understanding by Design. Together, these frameworks guided the development of a …

Ntegrating Digital Tools Into English Instruction For Fulbright English Teaching Assistants In Taiwan, Alexandra Rankin

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This project examines how digital tools can be integrated into elementary-level English instruction by Fulbright English Teaching Assistants (ETAs) in Taiwan. The project was guided by two questions: How can Fulbright English Teaching Assistants effectively integrate digital tools into elementary school level English instruction, and what are the perceived benefits and challenges for teachers using these tools? A review of literature on the Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Program, Taiwan’s Bilingual 2030 policy, and technology integration in English language instruction informed the development of a Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) Advisor professional development workshop for ETAs and their Local …

Authentic Material Use In English Language Development Classrooms, Kenneth Fields

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

With attention on the topic of globalization at an all time high, more and more focus has been shifted towards student-centric, evidence-based approaches for second language education. In order to address the perceived need of more culturally-centered content, this project attempts to answer the question: What are the benefits of using authentic materials over grammar-based texts and how can authentic materials be implemented into low-proficiency ELD classrooms? Authentic materials, or materials created by native language speakers not for the purposes of L2 education, have been gaining more popularity among educational researchers as second language acquisition theories have begun to favor …

Teaching Through Turbulence: Social-Emotional Learning Resources For Students Experiencing Civil Unrest, Callista Pugh

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) began operating in Minnesota in early 2026; this paper provides evidence that educators saw immediate negative impacts on students' academic performance and overall well-being. This capstone project investigated the question: What social-emotional learning (SEL) resources can teachers implement during times of community unrest that affect students' emotional regulation and sense of safety? The research examined the immediate and lasting impacts on students who experience and/or witness unrest in their community, analyzed the use of popular SEL curricula as interventions for civil unrest, and identified specific intervention areas useful for students experiencing civil unrest. …

Moving Minds: Regulation Through Rhythm A Cross-Cultural Exploration Of Movement, Music, Wellbeing, Learner Voice, And Inclusion In Elementary Education In Wales And The United States, Steven Nasshan

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This capstone project explored how movement, music, wellbeing, learner voice, and inclusive educational practices observed in Wales can inform classroom instruction in the United States. Originally conceived as a project to develop movement-based interventions for students with Emotional Behavioral Disorders (EBD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), the study evolved into a cross-cultural qualitative exploration following participation in a study abroad experience in Wales. The guiding research question asked: How are movement-, music-, and wellbeing-based practices used in elementary classrooms in Wales compared with the United States, and how can these findings inform the development of practical resources that support student …

From Avoidance To Proud Ownership: Cultivating A Passion For Reading Through Project-Based Learning, Jessica Miller

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This capstone project examines how structured student choice embedded within a project-based reading curriculum can support engagement and comprehension among reluctant elementary readers. The curriculum was developed in response to the challenges experienced by students who disengage from reading or develop negative perceptions of themselves as readers. Instead of viewing reading reluctance as a fixed characteristic, this project explores how instructional decisions, student autonomy, reading identity, and meaningful opportunities to demonstrate learning may impact students’ relationships with reading. The development of the curriculum was guided by a research-informed design process rooted in literature on reluctant readers and reading identity, reading …

Finding The Confidence To Speak: Reducing Public Speaking Anxiety In Secondary English Students, Nickolas Johnson

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Public speaking is an essential academic, professional, and civic skill, yet many secondary students experience anxiety when asked to speak in front of peers and when assigned a presentation. This capstone project explored the question: How can secondary English language arts teachers develop methods to decrease anxiety around students who struggle with public speaking? The end result of this project is a Google Site resource guide that is designed for secondary English language arts teachers. The site provides background information on public speaking anxiety in the classroom, a bank of low-stakes speaking activities that can be used independently or in …

How Mentoring Can Close The Gender Gap In Post-Secondary Education, Jared Hinkley

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The purpose of this project was to examine the causes of the post-secondary enrollment gap between young men and women and create a curriculum that uses mentoring to help narrow the divide. The research question: How could mentoring for middle-school-aged males help narrow the post-secondary enrollment gap between boys and girls? was developed after self-reflection on my own middle school experiences, as well as reading well-documented support showing the need for male guidance, especially for young men. The literature reveals that school-based mentoring programs typically show limited success compared to community-based mentoring. However, some school-based mentoring focused on task-oriented goals …

Fostering The Success Of Indigenous Students: How Educators Can Address Systemic Barriers In Schools, Samantha Hamlin

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This qualitative study sought to gain information into the connection that Indigenous students have with education and the ways that educators can work to make education more accessible. The study gave background knowledge as to the history of Indigenous people and the greater implications of colonization. It explores ways that educators could incorporate Indigenous knowledge into curriculum to uplift and engage Indigenous students. The accompanying project is a compilation of ideas for lesson plans across subject areas that teach through an Indigenous lens, rather than a white centered one. In the conclusion, implications and limitations of the study are discussed …

Supporting Student Decision-Making In Extracurricular Participation: A Resource-Based Approach To Supporting Informed Engagement, Erik Knutsen

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The benefits of extracurricular activities have been extensively researched and confirmed, yet participation is not guaranteed. While schools may offer extracurricular opportunities, students and families are often expected to make decisions about participation without fully understanding the benefits, commitment, or context within their own situation. This capstone project explores the question: How do students come to understand the value of participating in extracurricular activities, and how can schools help support students and families as they evaluate extracurricular opportunities? Through a review of existing literature, this capstone examines the documented benefits of extracurricular participation; student engagement, motivation, and perceptions; student and …

American History And Immigration: Creating A Comprehensive Immigration Unit For An American History Class, Hawkens Bory-Baar

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This capstone addresses a deficit in social studies curricula which overemphasizes factual recitation of a narrow selection of history. Understanding that ethnic studies is another social studies topic which provides the lacking elements from mainstream history teaching, this project attempts to design an American history unit that is informed by the principles of ethnic studies and culturally relevant pedagogy. The research question being asked is: how can we best design an immigration unit for Minnesota studies or American history that effectively integrates ethnic studies into a mainstream curriculum? To achieve this goal, a unit has been designed that focuses on …