Digital Commons Network^™

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 …

Seeing Emily, Zoe Muska

Theses & ETDs

“Seeing Emily” is a novella length work about Iris, a young woman who is returning to her hometown with her seven year old daughter after leaving an abusive marriage. When Iris left her small, nosy, hometown to go to college, she never wanted to go back. As a child, she and her two friends used to play a game where they got to be witches in the woods during recess. Then the three girls stumbled upon the body of another little girl, Emily. The novella switches between the past and present timelines as Iris is forced to return home and …

Significant Others: The Intersection Of Memory, Display, And Object Agency In Personal Material Culture, Molly Branham

Theses & ETDs

This thesis explores the complex, reciprocal relationship between individuals and their personal objects, framed through the interdependent network of display, object agency, and memory. Grounded in ethnographic fieldwork with young adults in Florida and Virginia, the research argues that domestic objects are not passive items but active participants that space a person’s identity and physical environment. Through the practice of display, individuals exercise agency by choosing what to exhibit and how to organize their space, which in turn regulates the visibility and emotional presences of the memories tied to those objects. The study further highlights how objects serve as physical …

Redefining New College Of Florida: The Impact Of Athletics On Culture, Identity, And Community, Kayla Gentry

Theses & ETDs

This study examines how the rapid expansion of athletics is reshaping the culture, identity, and community experience at New College of Florida. Using a qualitative and ethnographic approach, this research is based on ten in-person interviews with both student-athletes and non-athletes, along with my own observations as a student at the college. Because I am part of the New College community, I was able to see these changes in real time and connect my own experiences to the perspectives shared by others. The context of this study is especially important. New College was historically known as a small liberal arts …

Design And Synthesis Of Chiral Coordination Polymers For Chirality-Induced Spin Selectivity, Ashleigh Roberts

Theses & ETDs

Knowledge of the behavior of electrons is widely applicable across physics, chemistry, and biology, and is thus under constant research. An aspect that has been receiving much attention in recent decades is the electron spin polarization induced by interaction with chiral molecules, which the term chirality-induced spin selectivity describes. A major area of the experimental research focuses on the variables that influence the degree of spin polarization. The goal of this project is to take a step towards building an understanding of how the magnetism and conductivity of compounds composing a chiral crystal influence the degree of spin polarization it …

"Naija First Aid Al" - A Voice-Activated First Aid Assistant In Local Nigerian Languages, Esther Blessing Onoruke

Master of Fine Arts in Digital Media Culminating Experience

There are now major structural obstacles preventing Nigerian households from receiving emergency care right away. Manageable domestic events can turn into avoidable tragedies due to language barriers, delayed emergency response times, and a lack of basic first aid expertise. In addition to these health issues, Gender-Based Violence (GBV) continues to be a serious epidemic where survivors cannot safely seek assistance due to social shame and unequal power dynamics. A contemporary equivalent that is suited to the low-resource settings of today is required, much as the introduction of first aid manuals in 1901 effectively taught the public and democratized emergency care. …

Designing A Digital Media Experience: An Abundant Reflection On A Personal Journey In Higher Education, Student Experience, And The Adobe Creative Suite, Madison E. Warner

Master of Fine Arts in Digital Media Culminating Experience

This rumination is a capstone reflection iterating the importance of brand identity when designing, and how good design is directly tied to successful events. The author reflects their personal journey through working in the industry, to their time working for an academic institution designing events for students pursuing higher education. Directly correlating their experience as a Digital Designer at a marketing firm, the author talks about the foundation that makes an event successful through measured means of defining identity, recognition, and maintaining a consistent, professional brand. Within this paper, the author highlights some of their experience in large-scale event orchestration, …

Enhancing The Leaning Control And Braking Sensation Of A Virtual Reality Vespa Simulator, Joseph Boccuzzi, Wesley Bleck, Jacob Hannebaum

Honors Capstones

The 71 North Partnership Studio located in Northern Illinois University’s Founders Memorial Library has developed a prototype Vespa simulator featuring an interactive Virtual Reality (VR) game and reactive elements. A previous Mechanical Engineering Senior Design team developed the system and improvements after its original development were sought after over the course of the current school year. The system consists of a stationary bike that allows the rider to lean left and right, which in turn causes their in-game character to turn left and right accordingly, simulating the effect of riding a Vespa scooter within a VR environment. Improvements were made …

Optimization Of Stamped Tool Geometry Using Regression-Based Cost Models And Structural Constraints, Matthew J. Teague

Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Stamped steel paint can openers are simple tools but still require sufficient strength for the end user and low material consumption for the manufacturer. The goal of this project is to optimize the stamped design of a paint can opener by reducing material cost while maintaining structural rigidity and device performance. This was achieved in part by simplifying the tool’s geometry so that an equation for the mass could be developed analytically and checked against the simulation’s outputs. First, a 25-run design of experiments was created that varied the shaft length and the endloop diameter. Next, a CAD model for …

Trinities In World Mythology: Why Separate Cultures Construct The Same Cosmology, Autumn Scott

Undergraduate Fellows' Research

Numerous cultures throughout the world construct mythologies and cosmologies which include a triad, triple deity, or three world cosmology. Specifically, this refers either to belief in a singular deity with three forms, belief in a distinct group of three divine beings with a common characteristic, or belief in three cosmic realms, such as the human world, underworld, and divine world. This phenomenon occurs within Europe, South Asia and East Asia, as well as North America. While many may be familiar with the Greek Moirai and the Christian trinity, this pattern appears well beyond the ancient and medieval cultures who inhabited …

The Ends Of Silence: Inner Life In A Digital Age, Amber Castro

Communications and Digital Media Theses

In a world defined by acceleration and constant connectivity, this thesis examined how individuals experience attention, silence, reflection, and meaning within digitally saturated environments. Contemporary digital culture shapes not only how we communicate, but how we attend, reflect, and process experience. When stimulation becomes continuous, the temporal space necessary for sustained interior reflection shifts, altering the conditions under which individuals process emotion, tolerate silence, and construct meaning. Focusing on three generational cohorts, Generation X, Millennials, and Generation Z, this study explored how differing formative media environments shape patterns of attention, tolerance for silence, and practices of emotional processing. Drawing on …

How Does The Rise Of Ai-Generated Media Influence Public Trust In Audiovisual Communication?, Danny Mathew

Communications and Digital Media Theses

This study examines how the rise of AI-generated media influences public trust in audiovisual communication. As artificial intelligence technology advances, they have become capable of producing highly realistic images and videos that challenge traditional assumptions about the credibility of audiovisual media. This research uses a qualitative visual content analysis to compare AI-generated and authentic audiovisual content shared on social media platforms, specifically on platforms such as Instagram and Facebook. A dataset of 30 media samples was evaluated using a structured coding framework that evaluated visual realism, facial and visual inconsistencies, contextual presentation, indicators of AI generation, and perceived credibility. The …

Reducing Uncertainty For New Transfer Students: Improving Institutional Communication Of Transfer Resources, Mariah F. Laman

Graduate Student Creative Works

U.S. higher education institutions (HEIs) consistently invest in evaluating existing communication practices and creating new strategies to increase their enrollment and degree completion rates, with recent efforts motivated by predictive trends of an enrollment cliff among traditional first-year student populations. The Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) estimates that due to declining birth rates during and after the 2008 Great Recession, the nation’s number of high school graduates will peak in 2025, followed by a significant decline through 2041 (WICHE, 2024). As a response to these indicators, institutions are interested in refining their transfer student recruitment, advisement, and retention …

Soft Life Or Survival? The Digital Rebranding Of Black Womanhood In Online Culture, Elizabeth Revangil

Communications and Digital Media Theses

This thesis examines how Black women are using digital media, specifically the popular social media platform, TikTok, to redefine femininity through the soft life SOFT LIFE OR SURVIVAL 2 movement. Historically, Black womanhood has been tied to strength, resilience, and survival, leaving limited space for softness and emotional vulnerability. This tends to create unrealistic expectations, and an undeniable societal pressure on Black women to perform. In recent years, social media has created opportunities for Black women to challenge these expectations and present alternative definitions of the Black women identity, reshaped around peace, emotional well-being, and softness instead of strength. Using …

Place-Based Scholarship Utilization And Urban Black Males, Nkenge Amir Bergan

Dissertations

Despite the expansion of place-based scholarship programs across the United States, Black males from urban communities remain significantly underrepresented in post-secondary enrollment. Though these scholarships are designed to provide expanded or universal access to higher education, Black males disproportionately underutilize this financial resource. This qualitative investigation examines the lived experiences, perceptions, and contextual factors influencing Black males’ decisions regarding place-based scholarship utilization and college attendance.

This study, grounded in Critical Race Theory (CRT) and self-efficacy theory, employs a qualitative design to explore participant experiences. Participants are recruited through outreach to local alumni networks and community organizations, with eligibility limited to …

A Phenomenological Study Of Black College Students’ Belonging Built Through Meaningful Interactions With Black Staff At Predominantly White Institutions, Katelyn A. Hanley Semelbauer

Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological study is to explore how Black students at Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs) describe meaningful interactions with Black staff and how they make meaning of those interactions as it relates to building a sense of belonging. The conceptual framework for this study incorporates Strayhorn’s (2019) college students’ sense of belonging theoretical model as a foundation with Museus’s (2014) culturally engaging campus environment model as a lens for analysis of the findings.

Using a hermeneutical phenomenological approach, 12 Black undergraduate students were recruited to participate. Each of the students attended a public 4-year PWI in the Great …

Making Sense Of The Faith-Based School’S Mission: An Instrumental Case Study Exploring How The School’S Espoused Mission Is Enacted, Richard Mingerink

Dissertations

What happens in the space between a school’s espoused mission and the enactment of that mission in the classroom? For faith-based schools—institutions whose very identity rests upon a religiously grounded purpose—this question is not merely technical but existential. While these schools publicly espouse missions centered on a religious faith, research consistently suggests that what is proclaimed on paper is not always what is practiced in classrooms. The persistent gap between espoused mission and enacted practice raises a critical question: how do educators actually make sense of their school’s religious mission, and how does that sensemaking shape what they do?

This …