Digital Commons Network^™

Experiencing Uncertainty: The Introduction Of Liminality And Latency In Speculative Mapping Of Lake Karla, Ioanna Sotiriou

Experiential Knowledge (EKSIG) Conference Series

GeoAI technologies have expanded the analytic power of cartography by processing vast geospatial datasetsto detect patterns, generate multiscale maps, and unify siloed information. Despite their innovation, suchsystems often reinforce static spatial conventions, treating maps as neutral outputs and uncertainty, whetherwithin datasets or landscapes, as an issue to be resolved. This paper calls for a critical reorientation ofGeoAI’s epistemological foundation, proposing that uncertainty be understood not as a limitation but as thefoundation for grounding new protocols of spatial representation. Building on the two key concepts of latencyand liminality, we develop a framework for understanding uncertainty as both an epistemic gap and …

Expert Insights Into Xr And Urban Digital Twins: Shaping Future Phygital Cultural Experiences, Vahide Sena Çoban, Asım Evren Yantaç

Experiential Knowledge (EKSIG) Conference Series

This study examines the potential benefits and challenges of making tangible and intangible cultural heritage accessible through future Urban Digital Twins (UDTs) from the perspectives of experts in cultural heritage, sociology, urban planning, and architecture. Leveraging Extended Reality (XR), UDTs may provide immersive, engaging interactions with cultural heritage within future phygital city experiences. Through such engaged research practices, we envision enhanced communication between researchers, decision-makers, and citizens. This study uses three focus group meetings with cultural heritage and design experts. It addresses two primary questions: how cultural heritage can be experienced and utilized in UDTs as XR facilitates access to …

Gut Microbiome Changes In Urbanizing Brazil And Their Implications For Metabolic Health, Jazmin Villalba Gimenez

CISLA Senior Integrative Projects

Urbanization has been associated with significant changes in diet, environment and lifestyle, all of which can influence the composition and function of the human gut microbiota. This meta-analysis systematically reviewed and synthesized findings from 11 studies examining gut microbiota differences between urban and rural populations in Brazil. The analysis focused on microbial diversity, taxonomic composition, dietary patterns, and implication for metabolic diseases such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. Results showed that rural populations consistently exhibited higher alpha diversity and greater abundance of beneficial short-chain fatty acid producing bacteria, including Prevotella, Faecalibacterium, and Treponema, reflecting traditional, high fiber diets. In …

Jim Crow Medicine: Race In Jama, 1883-1982, Han Koehle

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Using a historical approach I examined race discourse within the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) between 1883 and 1982 to better understand how race concepts connect to the production of medical knowledge and ignorance; how they influenced the production of legal and medical policy; how they related to the production and maintenance of health injustice; and how oppressions and injustices are interrelated. I found a clear differentiation between Jim Crow era and post-Jim Crow race discourse. Jim Crow era race discourse was characterized by a nested, bio-nationalist construct of race, an explicit commitment to White supremacy, a sense …

Connections, Peter Froehlich

LSU Master's Theses

A definitive shift in American social interaction has been taking place far longer than most realize. It is easy to point the finger at the prevalence of technology and social media, this has been a trend that has been going on since the mid to late twentieth century. Stemming from changes in design, the breakdown of scheduled social outlets, and shifts in technology have led to what some writers and sociologists are calling “The Anti-Social Century.”

Working through a making practice to promote the building of connections through social interaction, three different types of spaces were targeted for the exploration …

Be Ready For What's Next: A Reflection On My Internship With Kpmg, Megan L. Bundren

Honors Theses

During my audit internship with KPMG in Dallas, I had the opportunity to apply classroom knowledge from the Patterson School of Accountancy to real-world client engagements across a variety of industries. I participated in substantive testing, financial statement tie-outs, depreciation analysis, and internal control evaluations, which deepened my understanding of audit standards and procedures. My training at KPMG’s Lakehouse in Orlando and use of tools like KPMG Clara Workflow and Microsoft Excel’s DataSnipper enhanced my technical skills and audit efficiency. I also gained insight into global collaboration through KPMG’s Global Delivery Center in India. Through engagements such as Seaport Entertainment …

Institutions, Indigenous Peoples, And The Structure Of Power In Columbia River Basin Salmon Governance, Christopher Michael Page

Dissertations and Theses

As broad patterns of behavior influenced by norms and rules, institutions structure many aspects of modern society through coordination and the distribution of power. Due to the importance of common-pool natural resources to many aspects of society, they usually involve competition and lie at the intersection of multiple institutions. This combination of institutions, power disparities, and a competitive interest is what scholars have referred to as a "field." Fields can be complex, and the coordination among interests is generally done through a form of governance involving a wide array of laws, regulations, and actors. When at least one of these …

Evaluating Advanced Aerial Firefighting Technologies For Effective Implementation In Central Appalachia, Milo M. Heidkamp

Honors Theses

This thesis evaluates emerging aerial firefighting technologies, including training systems, aircraft-based sensing and surveillance systems, and unmanned aerial systems for effective implementation in Central Appalachia, and even more specifically, Eastern Kentucky. Due to the lack of municipal and state-owned manned aerial firefighting (suppression) aircraft, it was concluded that UAS and Multi-mission-capable sensing aircraft were the most practical for implementation. Two different proposals for the implementation of these technologies are made: One for the implementation of sensing and surveillance equipment on state-owned aircraft, and one recommends the widespread implementation of UAS for state and municipal fire protection agencies. By conducting a …

Discovery Of Film, Nikou Zabihi

Theses - ALL

In this paper, I introduce my personal journey into film—how I came to fall in love with it, and how my relationship with genres has shaped that passion. I explore how genres helped me shape my understanding of film, guiding the way I interpret and engage with different stories through their distinct characteristics and elements. I will explain why I'm fascinated by genres and how I aspire to blend them in my own creative work to craft unique experiences for my audience. My goal is to evoke connection and catharsis through films that reflect my understanding of genre, drawing from …

Managing Happiness In The Mexican Maquiladora Industry: A Turnover Management Challenge, Claudia M. Burgos Cruz, Reyna Virginia Barragan Quintero, Angel Contreras Cruz

Engineering and Technology Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study explores a turnover management case by implementing exploratory Human-Centered Design (HCD) strategies, combining a collaborative tool in a Mexican maquiladora in Tecate, Baja California. To reduce turnover, the tool was designed, prototyped, and tested to foster the emotional well-being of employees, enhance employee engagement, and promote a sense of belonging in the workplace. The company leaders and managers were trained to use the HCD prototypes, such as the Happiness Dashboard, a visual feedback system using emojis to collect data during regular shifts, and the Gemba Walks, a method for collecting information through observing and interacting with workers. Organizational …

Ecologies Of Urban Encroachment: How La’S Built Environment Shapes Urban Ecosystems And Wildlife, Ainsley Ramin

Student Theses 2015-Present

This paper examines the impact of Los Angeles’ built environment on its ecosystems and biodiversity through the destruction of wildlife corridors and habitats and the threats urbanization poses to its native species. Using both quantitative and qualitative data, Chapter 1 describes the current threats that wildlife faces and ecosystem services that are at stake in Los Angeles due to suburban sprawl and the impacts of urbanization on its ecosystems. This chapter introduces data on the decrease in population of important species and statistics on how urbanization has been encroaching on and breaking apart habitats. Chapter 2 explores the history of …

Predicting Crisis: Using Computational Methods To Forecast Crisis Conditions, Michelle Marie Johnson

Dissertations - ALL

The vast scale of digital information generated daily provides unprecedented opportunities to analyze human behavior in ways that can improve crisis prediction and response. This dissertation introduces PREDICT, a theoretical framework that reconceptualizes crises as predictable phenomena rather than unknowable disruptions. Grounded in chaos theory and complex systems theory, PREDICT operationalizes crisis prediction through three constructs: Perceived Rupture of Equilibrium (PRE), Dynamic Interactions (DI), and Crisis Trajectory (CT). These constructs enable a shift from reactive crisis management to proactive crisis forecasting by identifying early signals of instability, modeling stakeholder interactions, and mapping potential crisis trajectories. To test PREDICT, this study …

Hacking Adhd: Activating Adaptations Through Technological Affordances, Victoria Masi

Dissertations - ALL

The last two decades have brought about the actualization of powerful new affordances in online information environments. Online networking platforms such as YouTube, Reddit, Instagram, and TikTok have enabled individuals across the globe and in various marginalized groups to access information, take action, and form communities in ways that were never before possible. In the last decade, hacker culture has taken root in communities bound not by their passion for technology but empowered by the affordances of technology and bound by a shared need, motivation, and ethic. The accessibility of online affordances for marginalized populations combined with the re-emergence of …

Disparate Patterns In U.S. Emergency Medical Services And Data Missingness As A Socio-Technical Determinant Of Health, Mary Elizabeth Helander

Dissertations - ALL

Understanding health disparities is fundamental to population health and is essential for design and promotion of health policies that protect individuals from inequitable access, unfair treatment, and discrimination. However, despite broad reliance on technology and digital data, missingness is a common issue in patient health records. This research aspired to increase understanding of health outcome divergence through the lens of emergency medical events in the United States. Retrospective study focused on outcome missingness in the National Emergency Medical Services Information System (NEMSIS) years 2017 through 2023, a voluminous public research dataset consisting of roughly a quarter billion patient events. Only …

What Makes Me Feel Cold Is Not Winter Or Night, Yushan Liu

Theses - ALL

This thesis examines how cinematic form can render visible the lived experiences of displacement, temporal disjunction, and marginalization among transnational subjects, particularly international students navigating between legal regimes, emotional landscapes, and cultural systems. Through a practice-led methodology anchored in film theory, phenomenology, and spatial analysis, the project explores how space and time function not as narrative backdrops but as agents of affective rupture. The film WHAT MAKES ME FEEL COLD IS NOT WINTER OR NIGHT employs disjunctive spaces—such as parking garages, mini-golf courses, and restaurant interiors—as sites of perceptual tension, drawing from Deleuze’s concept of the “any-space-whatever.” These locations, stripped …

Love Against The Machine, Jalal Ghias Beygi

Theses - ALL

The ties that bind existence to meaning offer powerful forms through which we can examine the nature of Being. I examine technology through opposing concepts of death, time, and space. My work is a mirror reflecting how the technology of this century has evolved into an individualistic desire machine. While confronting these forces, it ultimately finds salvation through the exercise of inner freedom. Here, art becomes a form of resistance and reclamation, the last stand for humanity against commodifying systems.

The March Towards A Totalitarian Ecology: Making Sense Of 'Ecofascism' Through The Political Ecology Of German Nazism, Cassidy Glen Thomas

Theses - ALL

In recent years, the topic of ‘ecofascism’ has been increasingly engaged in both scholarly and popular contexts, but often with little clarity or consistency in how the term is defined—sometimes detaching the concept from historically-based understandings of ‘fascism’ altogether. This thesis intervenes on this front, thoroughly grounding the concept of ecofascism in fascism through an explication of the political ecology and economy of interwar and Nazi Germany. As this thesis shows, while it is inaccurate to speak of a cohesive ‘green-wing’ within the Nazi Party, the nascent German conservation movement played a key role in cultivating a range of ecologically-themed …

What We Carry Carries Us: Narratives Of African Immigrants Through Cultural Artifacts In The United States, Faizat Oladunni Asifat

Theses - ALL

In this thesis, I explore how African immigrants in Syracuse, New York, use cultural objects to navigate identity, memory, and belonging in a new environment. Through interviews, story circles, and personal narratives, it examines how everyday items transform into meaningful symbols of home, acting as emotional anchors and ways to preserve culture. The study reveals that these objects, though initially practical, gain significance through migration, helping individuals cope with the experience, maintain ties to their heritage, and negotiate hybrid identities. However, their meanings are fluid: some objects retain emotional and cultural weight, while others fade as immigrants adapt. Beyond personal …

Understanding The Spatial Characteristics Of Urban Morphology And Its Application, Md Sohel Rana

Theses - ALL

Rapid urbanization due to the population boom in urban areas changes the physical layout and structures of cities including buildings, streets, open spaces, and amenities, which are collectively defined as urban morphology. Microclimate dynamics of urban environments, such as airflow, heat retention, and pollution dispersion, are profoundly affected by urban morphology. Although the roles of urban morphology at small spatial scales (e.g., single buildings, building complexes, or buildings within a block) in microclimate dynamics have been extensively studied, the scale-up effect of buildings at the city scale on microclimate dynamics is still not fully understood. In this thesis, I examined …

Curricular Reconciliation: Equitable, Inclusive, And Accessible Approaches To Professional Writing Through Coalition-Led Technical Communication, Lerie M. Gabriel

Dissertations - ALL

This dissertation examines the process of revising a core professional writing course to integrate anti-ableist and anti-racist pedagogies throughout its design. Focusing on the pragmatic and theoretical aspects of this collaborative curriculum redesign, this dissertation examines how an intersectional, Black feminist approach to professional and technical communication curricula disrupts neoliberal legacies. In addition to limiting students’ critical thinking skills, interdependence, and imagination of workplace ethos, these legacies affect instructors' experience of teaching professional and technical writing (PTW), particularly those individuals who hold (multiply) marginalized identities. Through archival research and interviews, this dissertation contextualizes these revisions by exploring the rhetorical history …

Scrolling Through Chaos: Examining Tiktok For Sensemaking And Resiliency Information Behaviors During Lebanese Crises, Christy Khoury

Dissertations - ALL

The rise of the video-sharing application TikTok was rapid during the COVID-19 pandemic, as government-mandated isolation drove many to find comfort and fun indoors. Originally, the application was known for its entertaining content but has grown to be a space where conversations about critical, international events occur. With its unique application structure and behavior norms comes the opportunity to examine the application as a source of crisis discourse. This dissertation leverages a sociotechnical perspective and mixed methods analysis to investigate multimodal crisis discourse and information behaviors on the application concerning two recent Lebanese crises: the August 4, 2020, Port of …

Volume 2 Complete Issue, James W. Gallagher

The Geographical Bulletin

Volume 2 Complete Issue

Cover And Forewords, James W. Gallagher

The Geographical Bulletin

Cover and Forewords

Geography In Service To The Community, Albert Redsun

The Geographical Bulletin

For many years geographers spent much of their professional efforts describing the landscape and man's activities. These were noteworthy, necessary, and valuable contributions. As we grew (just as all disciplines do) we searched for those meaningful relationships of man and land. We still search. Many relationships are obvious. Many that will be discovered in the future will someday be obvious. It is clear that we will need the continuing quest by researchers in our field. Researchers now seek to predict. The introduction of quantification techniques has allowed for more refined analysis and prediction. As researchers open more and more doors …

Submission Of Papers, James W. Gallagher

The Geographical Bulletin

Submission of Papers

Hops In The United States, Edgar M. Hadley

The Geographical Bulletin

For more than a thousand years the virtue of the hop has been recorded, and it is possible that hops have been cultivated since prehistoric times. More than five hundred years have passed since the domesticated hops were brewed in middle Europe, but wild hops were used much earlier, and are brewed in Syria even today. Hops were introduced to England in the wild, but much later came into prominence after being introduced into Kent by Flemish immigrants about 15241.

Reminiscences, Winston Burton Jr

The Geographical Bulletin

Perhaps no other job affords the opportunity to influence the lives and minds of the younger generation than does teaching. As students reminisce, nearly everyone will recall a favorite professor and cite examples or instances in which his life was in some way influenced by his teachings or advice. In student circles at North Carolina Central University, the name of Dr. Theodore H. Speigner has often been brought up in this regard. Dr. Speigner has earned the distinction of being a great educator throughout the entire state of North Carolina as well as on the North Carolina Central University Campus. …

Letter To The Editor, Robert G. Buzzard

The Geographical Bulletin

Letter to the Editor

Land Use Bordering The Calumet River And Lake Calumet In Chicago, Illinois, William D. Curran

The Geographical Bulletin

The Calumet River-Lake Calumet area within the City of Chicago, Illinois comprises a complexity of manufacturing, transportation, service, and storage facilities at a magnitude rarely found other than in coastal port locations. The area contains a major portion of the Calumet district's heavy basic industries and constitutes the principal port area of metropolitan Chicago. The historical developments of the industrial and port activities in the area have been ably chronicled by Mayer' and Appleton' and do not bear repeating here. The objectives of this paper are to provide a detailed description and evaluation of the forty-nine sites bordering on the …

On The Perils Of Perceiving Perception, James E. Landing

The Geographical Bulletin

The emergence of man's perception of his environment within the discipline of geography as a suitable topic of pursuit is a most wholesome development. The recently articulated views of Saarinen through the publications of the Commission on College Geography provide an admirable springboard for those interested in pursuing the topic and obtaining an overview of what has already been pursued.' But geography teachers have, for years, been intuitively doing the same thing by discovering through their classroom contacts the correct and incorrect perceptions of students and teaching concepts based upon this knowledge. Although few of these have been conducted as …