Digital Commons Network^™

The Role Of Individual Values In Bryant University's Sustainability Efforts, John Boccuzzi Iii

Honors Projects in Data Science

This research examines student, faculty, and staff perspectives on sustainability at Bryant University, with the goal of understanding how individual values align with the university's environmental initiatives. The objective is to assess perceptions of Bryant's current sustainability practices, explore how effectively these efforts are communicated across campus, and identify potential gaps between institutional action and community awareness. To achieve this, the study gathers qualitative data through an open-ended survey and applies sentiment analysis to interpret student attitudes toward sustainability. By analyzing these responses alongside Bryant's sustainability marketing efforts, this research will identify gaps between student engagement and institutional messaging The …

An Analysis Of New York’S Drug Policies: Comparing The Effectiveness Of Punitive Punishment Versus Rehabilitation In Preventing Recidivism, Zed Agarwal

Student Publications & Research

The persistent failure of punitive drug policies, exemplified by the Rockefeller Drug Laws, necessitates a critical re-examination of how society addresses drug offenses. For decades, New York State has been at the forefront of both the implementation of harsh drug sentencing laws and the subsequent development of innovative rehabilitation alternatives. The trajectory of this policy evolution reveals a profound shift in understanding the nature of addiction and the most effective approaches to reducing drug-related crime. When New York enacted the Rockefeller Drug Laws in 1973, they represented the epitome of punitive drug policy by imposing mandatory minimum sentences of fifteen …

Mitigating American Wealth Inequality With Universal Basic Income: Perceptions From Social Service Professionals, Caitlin Dinneen

Harold L. Hodgkinson Award for Outstanding Dissertation

Extreme wealth disparities between the richest and poorest Americans are a problem in the United States. Although the existing literature has established mixed results regarding the efficacy of universal basic income as a tool to alleviate income inequality, no one has studied the perspectives of social service professionals in Minnesota. The purpose of this study was to identify the perceptions of Minnesota based social service professionals regarding universal basic income through the lens of Benet’s polarities of democracy framework. The research question for this study was what are the perceptions of Minnesota based social service professionals regarding the potential impact …

‘I Feel Like The Most Important Thing Is To Ensure That Women Feel Included…’: Immigrant Women’S Experiences Of Integration And Gender Equality In Iceland During Times Of Crisis, Marya Rozanova-Smith, Embla Eir Oddsdóttir, Andrey N. Petrov

Faculty Publications

Enabling gender equality by empowering women to fully engage in modern society is fundamental for building resilient and sustainable communities. While Iceland is recognized as a global leader in gender equality, the experiences of various immigrant groups can differ considerably, especially during crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic and recovery. Given the rapid increase in the immigrant population in Iceland, it is crucial to gain a deeper understanding of the processes surrounding immigrant women’s integration strategies, with an emphasis on gender equality through the lens of intersectionality. The main objective of this qualitative study is to explore the gendered impacts …

Mitigating American Wealth Inequality With Universal Basic Income: Perceptions From Social Service Professionals, Caitlin Dinneen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Extreme wealth disparities between the richest and poorest Americans are a problem in the United States. Although the existing literature has established mixed results regarding the efficacy of universal basic income as a tool to alleviate income inequality, no one has studied the perspectives of social service professionals in Minnesota. The purpose of this study was to identify the perceptions of Minnesota based social service professionals regarding universal basic income through the lens of Benet’s polarities of democracy framework. The research question for this study was what are the perceptions of Minnesota based social service professionals regarding the potential impact …

Synergies, Partnership Outcomes, And Lessons Learned: A Qualitative Evaluation Of Cancer Center-Coalition Engagement, Aubrey Villalobos, Sarah Chavez, Bettina Drake, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Nine National Cancer Institute-Designated Cancer Centers received supplemental funding to expand community outreach and engagement activities through a partnership with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-funded comprehensive cancer control coalitions. This article reports on an evaluation of these awards focused on organizational relationships and partnership outcomes.

METHODS: The National Cancer Institute, community outreach and engagement, and coalition representatives co-designed the evaluation, which involved document review and 18 semistructured interviews with 16 community outreach and engagement and 19 coalition representatives. Artificial intelligence-generated interview transcripts were dual-coded in NVivo, version 20/R1, software.

RESULTS: The funding generated a diverse collection of projects …

Evaluation Of Sustainable Building Construction In The Kingdom Of Bahrain, Haya Alqahtani, Bahaaeddin Alareeni

Journal of Sustainable Construction Materials and Technologies

Sustainable buildings revolve around the concept of sustainability – to manage limited resources in order to meet the needs of the present generation without compromising the future generations. The present research aims to evaluate both practical and theoretical application levels of sustainable building constructions in the Kingdom of Bahrain via sustainability indicators. To carry out this research, the population size is based on architects, contractors, and policy and decision makers from the Kingdom of Bahrain, this research adopted a quantitative research approach by using survey questionnaires and the data analysis was performed with the statistical software Statistical Package for Social …

Connecting Continents: Historical Analysis Of European Immigrants And Their Impact On Connecticut’S Development, Alexander Kasperuk

Academic Festival

Immigration has been a constant factor of historical growth in America’s history, forging newfound developments across a variety of fields. Whether it be fluxes of immigration affecting the nation as a whole or just within a single state, the impetus behind this research was to uncover how immigrant communities within the state of Connecticut were able to establish themselves within the state’s history. The research examines the work of local historians, museums, US Census data, naval records and genealogical records to uncover how a series of European immigrant groups partook in unique trends that significantly impacted the state’s development through …

Roots Of Resilience : Building A Sustainable Community Orchard For Food Equity And Environmental Stewardship In Missoula, Elle A. Vandzura

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

This project aims to research the benefits of a sustainable community orchard in Missoula, with a focus on promoting nutritional equity, enhancing local food security, fostering environmental stewardship, and strengthening community engagement. Building on the proven success of Garden City Harvest’s community garden program, I will demonstrate how community orchards can further strengthen the local food system. Through a focused research approach, I will identify and implement best practices for the development and management of community orchards, with a particular emphasis on strategies that promote nutritional equity and environmental sustainability.

My research will include thorough reviews of case studies, academic …

Confronting Housing Challenges In West Virginia, Dawson Bernard, Gabrielle Frazier

CRC Research Symposium

The housing crisis in the United States has become a growing concern, with a lack of affordable, quality housing, and increased rates of homelessness. While this issue affects the nation as a whole, it takes on unique dimensions in rural and economically challenged places like West Virginia. What are the key trends and challenges in housing in West Virginia, and how do they impact housing quality, affordability, and access? Many communities across the state of WV are grappling with aging housing infrastructure, lack of new development, and economic instability. Motivated by both an omission in data and pressing housing issues …

College Of Liberal Arts Annual Awards Ceremony, 2025, Lee Cohen, University Of Mississippi. College Of Liberal Arts

Liberal Arts Awards

The College of Liberal Arts presented awards to its faculty, staff, students, and alumni in the Gertrude C. Ford Center Student Union Ballroom.

Expanding Incoming First-Year Students’ Knowledge With Campus Sustainability Education And Efforts At Higher Education Institutions, Katie Gorman

Masters Projects

The purpose of this project is to address the lack of guidance, support, and opportunities incoming first year students have in learning about campus sustainability and environmental efforts and education despite increasing student interest regarding these topics. Providing more accessible, inclusive, and welcoming opportunities that are available to all students before their arrival on campus can support an easier transition for incoming first year students to their respective institutions. This project creates a plan for institutions to implement a set of interventions and initiatives that allow students the ability and opportunity to further their learning in these topics.

Effective Health Care Leadership Strategies For Increasing Nurses’ Retention Rates In Hospitals, Jennifer Cole

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Some health care leaders lack effective strategies to improve and sustain nursing retention rates, resulting in significant operational costs. Grounded in the Herzberg’s two-factor theory, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry was to explore practical strategies health care leaders use to improve nursing retention rates in hospital settings. The participants were four health care leaders from California hospitals selected through purposive sampling based on their experience implementing successful retention strategies. Data were collected using semi structured interviews, and data triangulation was completed by utilizing the Bureau of Labor Statistics data, California state nursing board reports, and a professional nursing …

Reimagining Faculty Retention And Governance In Regional Public Universities, Cabdulcasiis Maxamed Ciise

Masters Projects

This project addresses the faculty retention crisis in regional public universities (RPUs) by examining how neoliberal governance, characterized by performance metrics, market-driven funding, and corporate leadership, has restructured academic work and eroded shared governance. The purpose was to explore faculty burnout, disengagement, and leadership gaps, and to develop resources that support more ethical and collaborative institutional cultures. Using Labor Process Theory, Critical Social Theory, and Organizational Citizenship Behavior as guiding frameworks, this literature-based project analyzed the structural and ideological conditions driving faculty attrition and institutional instability. Research included an extensive review of peer-reviewed literature on neoliberalism in higher education, faculty …

Cultivating A New Agricultural Ethos: An Environmentalist Reading Of John Steinbeck And Barbara Kingsolver, Will Fletcher

English Honors Theses

This thesis examines the agricultural criticisms of John Steinbeck in conversation with those of Barbara Kingsolver. It argues that Kingsolver answers Steinbeck’s agricultural criticisms in her own works with a vision of an improved food system that benefits farmers, consumers, and the environment. The first chapter looks at the 1939 classic The Grapes of Wrath, arguing that Steinbeck levels four main criticisms against industrial agriculture, all of which point towards a social movement aimed at protesting against the exploitation of the natural world. The second chapter opens with a dialogue between Steinbeck (informed by The Grapes of Wrath and Travels …

051 - Good Food Buffalo Coalition: Key Findings Within Community Action Planning, Annika Hurley

GREAT Day Posters

The Good Food Buffalo Coalition is dedicated to bringing the Good Food Purchasing Program to Western New York. The coalition aims to shift food procurement practices in Buffalo Public Schools by focusing on sustainability, community values, and nutritional equity. By moving away from the lowest bidder system, the coalition seeks to prioritize nutrition, workers' rights, sustainability, animal welfare, and local economies. We want Buffalo Public Schools to provide food in a way that supports these values and goals. The coalition hosts listening sessions to gather opinions and ideas to develop an action plan guiding the coalition’s work moving forward. To …

Just Home: Understanding Cycle Of Housing Instability And Justice Involvement In Missoula County, Mckenzie Javorka, Elizabeth Sabbath, Kaitlin Fertaly

Independent Living and Community Participation

The Just Home project in Missoula County, Montana, is a collaborative initiative supported by the MacArthur Foundation to address the intersection of housing instability and justice system involvement. Led by Homeword, Inc. and the Missoula County Community Justice Department, the project seeks to develop sustainable, community-driven solutions that reduce incarceration and improve housing outcomes for vulnerable populations. To inform this work, the University of Montana’s Rural Institute for Inclusive Communities conducted a comprehensive community needs assessment using mixed methods, including administrative data analysis, qualitative interviews with service providers, and community engagement with unhoused and justice-involved individuals.

Findings show that housing …

A Multi‐Sector Mixed Methods Study Of Stroke Services In The Philippines: Insights From Government Officials And Organisational Leaders, Sarah Buckingham, June Ann De Vera, Lorraine Faeldon, Bridie Kent, Angela Logan, Aira Ong, Nena Marie Santos, Paula Melizza Valera, Jonathan Marsden

School of Nursing and Midwifery

ObjectivesThis study aimed to illustrate the state of stroke care and rehabilitation in the Philippines through the perspectives of local government officials, policymakers, and organisational leaders. It sought to identify challenges, opportunities, and recommendations for improving stroke policies and services across different administrative levels.MethodsMixed-methods approach involving a structured survey of 131 local government officials and in-depth interviews with eight key stakeholders. Survey participants included Department of Health (DoH) officials, local chief executives, policymakers, Local Government Unit (LGU) employees, and representatives from non-government agencies. Interviewees comprised leads and managers from the DoH and representatives from organisations including the Philippine Academy of …

A Multi-Sector Mixed Methods Study Of Stroke Services In The Philippines: Insights From Government Officials And Organisational Leaders: Sarah Buckingham, June Ann De Vera, Lorraine Faeldon, Bridie Kent, Angela Logan, Aira Ong, Nena Marie Santos, Paula Melizza Valera, Jonathan Marsden, Sarah Buckingham

School of Nursing and Midwifery

ABSTRACTObjectivesThis study aimed to illustrate the state of stroke care and rehabilitation in the Philippines through the perspectives of local government officials, policymakers, and organisational leaders. It sought to identify challenges, opportunities, and recommendations for improving stroke policies and services across different administrative levels.MethodsMixed-methods approach involving a structured survey of 131 local government officials and in-depth interviews with eight key stakeholders. Survey participants included Department of Health (DoH) officials, local chief executives, policymakers, Local Government Unit (LGU) employees, and representatives from non-government agencies. Interviewees comprised leads and managers from the DoH and representatives from organisations including the Philippine Academy of …

Strengthening Community Engagement And Addressing Enrollment Decline In A Title I Rural School Through Theater Arts And Parental Involvement, Jason Porter

Doctor of Education (EdD)

This Improvement Science Dissertation in Practice (ISDiP) examines the impact of integrating theater arts into the English Language Arts (ELA) curriculum at Sierra Union School to increase parental involvement, increase student attendance, and improve student behavior. Using a convergent parallel mixed method design within an Improvement Science framework, the study uses both quantitative survey data (attendance tracking, discipline records, parent/guardian volunteer hours, staff and parent likert surveys) and qualitative observations (semi-structured interviews, observation notes and reflective memos, NIC feedback) for determining the effectiveness of integrating theater arts in developing a stronger school-community connection. Survey results indicate that the majority of …

2025 Scholarly Productivity Report, Missouri University Of Science And Technology

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Scholarly Productivity Reports

No abstract provided.

Developing An Online Community Advisory Board (Cab) Of Parents From Social Media To Co-Design An Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Intervention: Participatory Research Study, Regan M. Murray, Shawn C. Chiang, Ann C. Klassen, Jennifer A. Manganello, Amy E. Leader, Wen-Juo Lo, Philip M. Massey

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Social media health interventions have grown significantly in recent years. However, researchers are still developing innovative methods to meaningfully engage online communities to inform research activities. Little has been documented describing this approach of using online community advisory boards (CABs) to co-create health communication interventions on social media.

OBJECTIVE: This study describes the formation, engagement, and maintenance of an online CAB focused on co-creating a health education intervention for parents regarding the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. The study provides guiding principles for public health researchers implementing such CABs in future digital health interventions.

METHODS: In May 2020, Twitter was …

K-12 Administrators' And Teachers' Perceptions Of Legal Requirements For Providing Inclusive Education, Rebecca Kay Berger

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

At a large school system in the northwestern United States, students who received specially designed instruction services at the middle school study site were not always included with nondisabled peers in general education classes to the extent possible. The theoretical framework guiding this study was Vygotsky’s social constructivist paradigm, which says shared experiences shape people. Using a mixed methods, nonexperimental research design, data were collected using a concurrent, embedded strategy using a pre- and posttreatment online survey with 17 teacher-participants for the pretreatment survey and 11 participants for the posttreatment survey. The treatment in this study was a district-approved professional …

“I’Ll Walk Out If You Walk Out”: A Comic On How Students Of Color Utilize Racial Micropolitical Literacy In Their Everyday Lives, Josephine Pham, Talitha Angelica Acaylar Trazo

Occasional Paper Series

Advocating for an expansive view of Youth Participatory Action Research that considers everyday practices in mundane life as essential for building just and thriving futures, the authors co-created a comic to illustrate the inventive ways youth of color co-create educational possibilities for racially just futures in everyday classroom life. Framed through a racial micropolitical literacy framework and based on a real-life narrative, their scholarship in comic form invites youth, practitioners, and scholars to re-frame and re-present learning, teaching, studying, and living educational justice in renewed ways. Specifically, the authors highlight the ingenious practices of youth of color who are already …

Complexity, Coordination, And The Politics Of Global Health Emergencies: Institutions, Actors, And Responses, Jennifer M. Kerner

Political Science ETDs

This dissertation examines the politics of global health emergencies through three interconnected studies. First, it analyzes the declaration of Public Health Emergencies of International Concern (PHEICs), revealing that while World Health Organization (WHO) protocols influence decisions, political factors may also play a role. Second, a case study of the 2014 Ebola outbreak explores the complexities of international response coordination. It highlights the importance of established protocols, clear leadership, and effective communication, while also noting the challenges posed by resource constraints and inter-organizational dynamics. Third, the research investigates the impact of military involvement in global health emergencies. It reveals that military …

Hope College Abstracts: 24th Annual Celebration Of Undergraduate Research And Creative Activity, Hope College

24th Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2025)

The 24th Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity was held on April 11, 2025 in the Richard and Helen DeVos Fieldhouse at Hope College and featured student-faculty collaborative research projects. This program is a record reflective of those projects between the 2024-2025 academic year.

Bryant University Research And Engagement Day Program

Bryant REDay (Research and Engagement Day)

No abstract provided.

A Comparative Study On Energy Derived From Biomass, A.M. Algarny, I.M. Al-Naimi, M.A.M Alhefnawy

The Journal of Engineering Research

The paper promotes sustainable community through empowering the production and utilization of biomass renewable energy. The aim of this paper is to urge societies to adopt sustainable energy practices and resources; the objective is to appraise the possibilities of biomass energy produced through a neighborhood in Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia. The system incorporates an evaluation of the measure of biomass created, then utilizes two ascertaining techniques to gauge whether the measure of energy can be delivered. The computation strategies are hypothetical, with one drawn from past works and the other from a Biomass Calculation Template performed as part of the …

Designing For Mental Health: Introducing A Student Wellness Center, Gabrielle Figueroa

Student Research Symposium

This research highlights the critical role of the built environment in shaping mental health outcomes, emphasizing the need for more thoughtful, collaborative design practices. While previous studies have recognized the importance of therapeutic spaces, they often lack a focus on specific mental health conditions like anxiety & depression. This study brings together insights from mental health and design professionals, advocating for environments that prioritize comfort, flexibility, and emotional safety. By bridging gaps between disciplines and emphasizing user-centered, sustainable design, it offers a more comprehensive approach to creating spaces that truly support mental health and well-being.

Effective Engagement Strategies For Management To Increase Job Satisfaction Within Virtual Teams, Judy R. Ramphal

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Job satisfaction within virtual teams is a significant challenge for many corporations, affecting goal achievement, retention, and performance. Some managers of medium to large companies lack strategies for the engagement of virtual team members to ensure job satisfaction. Grounded in Herzberg’s two-factor theory, the purpose of this qualitative, multiple case study was to explore effective engagement strategies that some managers of medium and large companies use to increase job satisfaction within virtual teams. Participants included five upper-level managers from five companies who were successful in managing engagement strategies in virtual teams. Thematic analysis revealed three major themes: continuous communication with …