Digital Commons Network^™

Cartoons From Dickinson Poetry, Abby B. Tarr

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

This zine interprets poems by Emily Dickinson through cartoons. The drawings do not replace the poems. They offer a different way to understand them, translating abstract language into clear, visual moments. This approach shows how meaning can shift when it moves between forms, from text to image. The zine invites readers to engage with Dickinson’s work in a different format while still preserving the original work and context.

A Modal Analysis Of Human Dignity, Alexander S. Eberspacher

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

This work examines the history of the human rights tradition and philosophically compares it to the natural law tradition as most pre-eminently developed in Catholicism. It then turns to examine how Catholicism offers a philosophically sound base for universal dignity through the light of Saul Kripke’s modal work, while the Universal Declaration of Human Rights cannot account for such.

Pussy Protest! Protest Zines To Uplift Marginalized Voices, Alekz Nelson

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

A publication of 4 separate zines made up of 12 pages each. The zines delve into the history of the Americans with Disabilities Act, trans women and their music artistry, lack of lesbian media, and inmate working conditions. These zines aim to not only raise awareness towards these issues, but spark action from readers by providing practical and doable options to pursue. With societal attitudes and political administrations becoming more conservative, spreading this information and awareness is vital to ensure that these alternatives ways of life are not forcibly erased.

Message Malware: File Vulnerability Scanning In Messaging Apps, Miah Mason

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

As messaging platforms become primary communication hubs within highly secure environments, they introduce significant vulnerabilities regarding file sharing with potential malicious content. This research, an honors extension of the Northrop Grumman sponsored Capstone project ‘LockTalk’, evaluates the technical abilities of automated file scanning methods within messaging platforms like Slack, Microsoft Teams, or our own developed platform LockTalk. This paper investigates a variety of scanning methods and their applications, with particular emphasis on comparing the qualities of static scanning, used in signature-based detection, and dynamic scanning with heuristics. Furthermore, this paper investigates the differences and advantages of both End-to-End Encryption (E2EE), …

Developing The Ability To Arrange For Jazz Ensembles, Cameron Jordan

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

This capstone consists of six jazz arrangement projects of increasing complexity that were done in the spring semester of 2024 by myself. The six arrangements have been attached via pdf in the sequential order they were created throughout the semester. Each attached arrangement includes a word schematic detailing what each section of the song is specifically doing from an arranging perspective, a score that lines up each instrumental part acting as a roadmap for the songs, and individual parts for each instrument so that the songs can be played by ensembles equipped with the proper instrumentation. The first two projects …

Writing Center Alumni: How Their Work Works For Them, Summer Dingman

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Writing centers (WC) serve as an indisputably useful campus resource that serves a broad group of students and faculty. With their role of helping individuals at any and all stages of the writing process, they prove that all writing skills can be supported and grown through visit(s) Though as proved by existing scholarship – which serves as the foundation for this project – from the University of Wisconsin Madison’s Peer Writing Tutor Alumni Research Project (PWTARP) designed by Harvey Kail, Paula Gillespie, and Bradley Hughes as well as Florida International University’s version of PWTARP titled “Writing Tutor Alumni Takeaways: Pros …

Barriers And Facilitators Of Childhood Immunization: A Mixed Methods Assessment Of Health Care And Community Health Professionals’ Observations, Jenny Dong

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Childhood immunization has led to significant decreases in the burden of infectious disease morbidity and mortality. Despite these contributions, U.S. childhood vaccination rates have been declining in recent years, and updates to the federal immunization schedule have removed recommendations for several childhood vaccinations. Amid such an uncertain public health landscape, understanding how environmental conditions affect childhood immunization behaviors is crucial for ensuring that children receive the vital protections vaccines offer. Thus, the purpose of this study is to examine the barriers and facilitators of childhood immunization observed by Nebraska health care professionals (HCPs). This study utilized an online questionnaire and …

Success In Motion: A Comparative Thematic Analysis Of Patient Success In Inpatient And Outpatient Physical Therapy, William T. Gish

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Physical therapy is practiced across a wide range of clinical settings that differ substantially in patient populations, goals, and care timelines. While standardized outcome measures are commonly used to evaluate treatment effectiveness, little research has examined how physical therapists themselves define successful outcomes  or whether those definitions vary across inpatient and outpatient contexts. This study employed a qualitative mixed-methods design to explore how physical therapists conceptualize success in clinical practice. Ten licensed physical therapists participated in semi-structured interviews, which were analyzed using thematic analysis.

Supplementary quantitative data were collected via an online background survey. Five primary themes emerged: goal-oriented, patient-centered …

Comparative Analysis Of Secure Messaging Systems: Peer-To-Peer Vs Client-Server Architecture, Maddie Luth

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

This research serves as an honors extension of a capstone project sponsored by Northrop Grumman, focused on the development of a secure messaging application, LockTalk. The study evaluates the performance of peer-to-peer and client-server network architectures within a messaging system. It compares these architectures based on key factors such as security, privacy, and reliability. The results are used to determine the most suitable architecture for implementation in LockTalk, with particular emphasis on protecting sensitive communications. This work highlights the trade-offs involved in selecting a network architecture and provides guidance for developing secure and efficient messaging platforms.

Trad Lives Of Tiktok Wives: Rhetorical Strategies Of Mormon Wives On Tiktok, Makena L. Colson

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Recently in the United States there have been debacles over gendered spaces in the home and workplace as debates spark over who a homemaker can be in a modernized society. TikTok, a short-form video social media app, is a way members of the younger generation communicate with one another over political and world events and discuss with one another in real time. The “tradwife” phenomenon on TikTok is examined here by using Walt Fischer’s Narrative Paradigm to show how what popular tradwife influencers’ words matter to a generation of adolescent girls and young mothers. Three popular influencers, Nara Smith, Hannah …

Cultural Influences On The Association Between Gender Typicality And Self-Perceived Competence In Adolescents Across Multiple Countries, Alexa Mcinerney

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Participants were early adolescents from Bogota, Colombia; Curitiba, Brazil; Montreal, Canada; and Shanghai, China. Correlations between gender typicality and social, cognitive, and physical competence were examined across cultural contexts. Gender typicality was strongly, positively correlated with social competence, and weakly, positively correlated with physical competence. Classroom-level collectivism and individualism were tested as moderators of the examined associations but did not significantly impact the relationships. Place and gender effects were analyzed. Three-way interactions between gender typicality, gender, and place were significant for social and physical competence. Gender typicality and social competence were distinctively weakly related among boys in Bogota. Gender typicality …

From Feeling To Faith: How Affective Experience Gives Rise To Religion, Asia Wewel

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

This paper argues that religion is the intelligible, structured response to distinct pressures arising from within human experience itself. Drawing on Schleiermacher, Otto, Kant, and Becker, the paper traces religion's emergence through four phases. The first establishes that religious feeling is pre-conceptual and categorically distinct from ordinary emotion. The second works through Otto's correction of Schleiermacher: the genuinely religious encounter is not dependence intensified but the numinous. The third shows that Kant, arriving from an entirely different direction, reaches the same destination: practical reason diagnoses a radical evil the will cannot correct alone, demanding an ethical commonwealth that mirrors …

The Undergraduate Education And Scientific Literacy: Exploring How College Influences Student Perception Of Covid-19 Events, Peyton Brooking

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Current undergraduate students received much of their education following the events of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of these students experienced pandemic events before receiving any or most of their science-based higher education. Exploring their progress through higher education, and how it retroactively influenced their perception of pandemic events, serves as an informative research area. This study explores how undergraduate education in the sciences influences student engagement with complex recent events in science. In addition, this study asked how higher education builds confidence in interpreting this information. Additionally, students were surveyed to understand their scientific literacy baseline at the beginning of …

“Am I A Criminal?”: How College Students Conceptualize Misconduct And Crime, Talia J. Norby

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Institutions of higher education play a critical role in regulating student behavior; however, existing research has given limited attention to how students themselves interpret conduct addressed through campus disciplinary systems. The present study examined how college students differentiate institutional misconduct from crime in university settings and whether those judgments are associated with perceptions of institutional legitimacy. Data was collected through an online Qualtrics survey administered to 146 students at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Participants were presented with six vignette-based scenarios depicting campus-relevant behaviors and asked to classify each as criminal or non-criminal, rate its perceived severity, and identify …

Using Ai For Data Loss Prevention, Camden A. Wright

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Data Loss Prevention (DLP) systems play a critical role in protecting modern systems that handle sensitive information from both accidental and malicious exposure. Traditional DLP approaches often rely on static rules and methods that can struggle to adapt to complex and evolving data patterns. This paper presents a hybrid DPL system that integrates machine learning-based message classification, rule based policy enforcement, and context-aware access control to improve both detection accuracy and decision reliability. In addition, the system introduces a second stage access control model that evaluates user context, including role of clearance level and job title to determine whether access …

Analysis Of The Effects Of Astaxanthin On Human Colorectal Cancer Cells, Kara A. Walters

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Astaxanthin (AXT) is an antioxidant carotenoid that is produced by the microalgae Haemococcus pluvialis. This supplement is best known for its potential health benefits including anti-inflammatory, antitumor, immunomodulatory, anticancer and antidiabetic activities. Astaxanthin is marketed as an oral dietary supplement and is widely used in the nutraceutical industry as well as a coloring agent in the food industry. Since Astaxanthin has been increasingly popular as a dietary supplement, cytotoxicity is relevant to consumer exposure. Obtaining the IC50, the concentration that inhibits 50% of cell growth, is important to find how Astaxanthin may interact with cancer, and this can be found …

Soft Skills In The Workplace: A Comparative Analysis, Meg Rothfuss

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Soft skills are defined as any non-technical ability related to how you do your work. While hard skills are commonly thought of first when it comes to job responsibilities, soft skills are increasingly important to the success of any role. Soft skills can be broken into the broad categories of cognitive, interpersonal, and intrapersonal skills. The goal of this study was to define the soft skill profiles of different industries and compare the similarities and differences across industries. To do this, an interview and survey were conducted including employees from a variety of industries. The interviews compared the IT and …

Reckitt-Benckiser And Buprenorphine: Opioid Addiction Treatment, Drug Monopolies, And Consumer Implications, Peri G. Heyen

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

The opioid crisis in the United States is a deadly epidemic that demands fair and accessible treatment for those affected. The introduction of buprenorphine for opioid addiction disorder in 2002 allowed for the first treatment of the disorder beyond the time intensive and stigmatized practices of methadone clinics, which proved to be revolutionary. Reckitt-Benckiser (“Reckitt”) and former subsidiary Indivior were able to gain a legal monopoly of buprenorphine through their orphan drug exclusivity designation on Suboxone tablets that was approved by the FDA. Once orphan drug exclusivity was near expiration and generic competition began to prepare to enter the market, …

Lost In Translation? The Role Of Language In Hispanic Healthcare, Amy Aguilar Portillo

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Language and cultural understanding can play a critical role in delivering effective and life-changing care. Certain barriers, such as limited English proficiency, can impact the patient's overall experience.  This study was designed to gain healthcare professionals’ perceptions of the impact language and culture can have on patients' experience. Each participant was asked to complete a Likert survey in which they were asked to rate the level to which they disagree or agree with various statements. Findings suggest that healthcare professional perceive the Spanish language as influencing clinical outcomes, patient understanding, and overall health. The findings also highlight potential improvements to …

Utilizing Brain Computer Interfaces That Interact With A Virtual Keyboard, Skye Lilienthal

Honors Theses

A brain-computer interface (BCI) can allow someone to utilize electrical signals in their brain to complete tasks using a computer. BCIs can help people take advantage of technology to type without the need for a traditional keyboard setup. This paper used the OpenBCI Mark IV to test the effectiveness of non-invasive BCIs with dry electrodes within the OpenViBE P300 Speller. This paper shows how to use the P300 speller through a setup pipeline. Results indicate that electrode placement affects P300 accuracy and that areas related to visual processing improve accuracy, suggesting that P300 signals can be detected within OpenBCI Mark …

Social And Economic Identity As Predictors Of Voter Support For Government Poverty Spending And Redistribution In Mississippi: A Study Of Mississippi Poll Responses, Alexandra L. Williams

Honors Theses

This study examines the factors that shape voters’ opinions on government spending for the poor in Mississippi, with particular attention to the roles of sex, race, party identification, income, and education. Drawing on pooled data from the 2010, 2012, and 2014 Mississippi Polls conducted by Dr. Steve Shaffer and the Mississippi State University Social Science Research Center, this research employs both bivariate and multivariate analyses to evaluate how social (demographic) and economic variables influence political attitudes toward poverty-related government spending.

The findings indicate that both social and economic variables play meaningful roles in shaping political preferences. Women and Black Mississippians …

The Problem Child Of Defense: A Comprehensive Historical Analysis Of The Inherent Imbalances And Structural Contradictions That Have Plagued The United States Military Acquisitions System For Eighty Years, Shepherd E. Dollahon

Finance Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis examines the structural contradictions and systemic failures that have defined the United States defense acquisitions system across eight decades of reform. Beginning with the creation of the Department of Defense in 1947 and proceeding through the Hegseth-era reforms of 2025, this analysis traces the cyclical pattern by which each successive administration identified procurement dysfunction, issued legislative remedies, and declared progress — only to produce new failures while leaving the underlying pathologies intact.

The central argument is that the defense acquisitions system has never suffered primarily from mismanagement or insufficient oversight, but from a structurally embedded incentive architecture that …

Barriers To Justice: A Comparative Analysis Of Barriers To Legal Aid Across Missouri Counties, Grace Fentress

Political Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study explores the complexity of the issue of legal aid and specifically the disparity in access to it across the state of Missouri’s counties, as they represent 115 different counties with diverse demographics throughout the state. By examining the number of legal aid organizations, funding levels, eligibility thresholds and geographical barriers, this study aims to identify what underlying factors contribute to disparities in legal accessibility. It is critical to address this question as the need for legal services is ever present and it is important that everyone has access to adequate representation. The findings of this study would ultimately …

The Impact Of Iterative Scientific Modeling On The Development Of Scientific Reasoning In Middle School Students, Dan Tinklenberg

Master of Education Program Theses

This action research study examined the impact of iterative scientific modeling on the development of scientific reasoning in middle school students. Twenty-five 7th and 8th grade students participated in an eight-week intervention in which they built, tested, and then revised scientific models followed by reflection questions. A pre- and post-assessment was used to measure growth in student ability to explain science phenomena, to make predictions, and to construct evidence-based arguments. Quantitative data shows a statistically significant improvement in post-test scores (p = 1.067E-9). Qualitative data from student interviews shows increased attention to detail, improved clarity in scientific communication, and enhanced …

“Shaken Off The Shamefast Band”: Lady Knights In 16th Century Italian And English Romance Epics, Rita Lawlor

Theses & ETDs

This thesis examines the depiction of female knights in three romance epics, the Orlando Furioso (1532), the Gerusalemme Liberata (1581), and the Faerie Queene (1590, 1596). As a hybridized genre, the romance epic is forced to mediate the political imperatives of Vergilian epic with romance’s centralization of individual desires. The lady knight serves as a reflection of this generic hybridization due to her origins in both the Aeneid and the Italian romance cycle. The central role of the lady knight within romance epic becomes precarious, as Vergilian epic necessitates that she remains a marginal figure within the text, because she …

Caribbean Sea Fan Health And Disease: Investigating Aspergillosis At Cayos Cochinos, Honduras, Jayden Ponsford

Theses & ETDs

Coral reefs represent one of the most biologically rich environments on the planet, providing habitat, protection, and resources for numerous marine species. Soft corals, particularly gorgonians, are essential to reef health by providing environmental services such as habitat, food, and nutrient cycling. However, these organisms are increasingly threatened by environmental stress and disease, including the fungal pathogen Aspergillus sydowii (Bainier & Sartory Thom & Church 1926), which commonly infects Gorgonia ventalina and G. flabellum (sea fans). They are eukaryotic organisms belonging to the kingdom Animalia, phylum Cnidaria, class Anthozoa, order Alcyonacea, family Gorgoniidae, and genus Gorgonia. In this study, I …

Coping With A Prenatal Down Syndrome Diagnosis: Availability And Helpfulness Of Support Systems, Chiara Cervoni

Theses & ETDs

The aim of this study was to examine the availability and perceived helpfulness of formal (e.g., clinical and psychosocial community) and informal (e.g., partners, family, friends, special person, online resources, local community) support systems for first-time mothers of children with Down syndrome across three points in time: after prenatal diagnosis, one month after birth, and 9 to 12 months after birth. A total of 2 mothers completed a survey exploring their experiences with different resources across the three times. It was predicted that informal support systems would be more helpful than formal support systems. The responses were then analyzed through …

Predicting Personalized Myocardial Fibrosis Response Patterns Using A Mechanistic Signaling Network Model, Jared Noel

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Myocardial fibrosis is a key driver of heart failure progression and exhibits substantial patient-to-patient variability, complicating the development of effective personalized therapies. In this study, we present an integrated computational framework that combines a mechanistic signaling network model with patient-specific proteomic data to predict individualized fibrotic responses and therapeutic strategies. Using proteomic measurements from the Framingham Heart Study, we generated personalized baseline states and performed systematic in silico perturbation screens to evaluate candidate drug targets across 132 signaling nodes. Results reveal that while global network response structure is conserved, therapeutic efficacy varies widely between patients in both magnitude and breadth, …

Death Is Life: A Terror Management Perspective On The Relationship Between Spiritual Music And Death Anxiety, Opal Phillips

Theses & ETDs

To explain how people cope with fears of death, Terror Management Theory (TMT) proposes that individuals use two mechanisms to defend against unconscious death anxiety: cultural worldview (CWV) and self-esteem (SE). CWV is the environment one immerses themself into and internalizes to gain a sense of immortality, whereas SE is the extent to which an individual feels like they are upholding the standards of their CWV. The present study seeks evidence that may lead to the development of more accessible forms of exposure therapy by evaluating whether spiritual music can alleviate death anxiety. Participants (n = 72) listened to two …

Punk, Gavin Reiter

Theses & ETDs

This thesis is a collection of eight fictional short stories, a braided essay, a fictional radio transcript, and an author’s note. Across these pieces, I try to capture the atmosphere of language and imagery that I feel I live in, that of “punk,” shaped by absurdity, brutality, and rage. To me, punk is about separating myself from the world around me, whether through music, driving, violence, or distance. At the same time, that need to be separate often leads me back to other people who feel the same way. This tension between isolation and connection runs through the collection. Most …