Digital Commons Network^™

Shaping Engineering Technology Students’ Perceptions Of Manufacturing Through Experiential Learning In A Flipped Classroom – A Case Study, Rustin Webster

School of Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

This study examined how an introductory, survey-based manufacturing systems and processes course – which uniquely integrated a flipped classroom structure and multiple experiential learning elements – influenced engineering technology (ET) students’ perceptions of careers, workforce expectations, workplace dynamics, and essential industry skills within manufacturing. Pooled qualitative data from 52 ET student’s pre- and post-course reflection surveys, administered across four cohorts, were analyzed using topic modeling, sentiment analysis, comparative assessments, keyword frequency analysis, and/or impact assessment. The data offered valuable insights into students understanding of essential job skills, definitions of a good job, and perceptions of factory work. Before the course, …

Exploring Familial Lymphoma And Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, Rhea Mahajan

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This project aims to investigate the familial incidence of lymphoma and Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) within the patient population at Gabrail Cancer Center (GCC). Using the Electronic Medical Record from the past ten years, patients with current or historical diagnoses of lymphoma or CLL will be identified and surveyed (along with using patient records, including consult notes, hospital notes, MD notes, etc.) to extract any family history of these cancers. The project will analyze clinical outcomes in these cases, and analyze whether there were multiple family members to have been affected by lymphoma or CLL (or other cancers), and see …

An Introductory Guide To Trauma Informed Care, Isabella Fallon

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This project will consist of researching and analyzing at least 30 scholarly and government publications about trauma-informed care (TIC), resulting in a literature review at between 20-25 pages in length. TIC encompasses direct practice with clients, assessment tools, organizational structure and policy, as well as governing documents that impact service delivery. This literature review will build on the work of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's Concept of Trauma and Guidance for a Trauma-Informed Approach, focusing on providing practical examples of the physical and mental impacts of trauma, trauma-informed frameworks, trauma-informed tools/assessments, and trauma-informed policy, while analyzing and …

Explorations Of Social-Emotional Learning In The Arts, Lydia Boyer

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The purpose of this Honors Research Project was to explore social-emotional learning as a practice, to find effective applications for schools, to highlight the connections between the arts and social-emotional learning, and to provide useful methods for the actual implementation. There is a focus on the five main competencies of social-emotional learning which are self- awareness, social-awareness, self-management, relationship-building, and responsible decision- making skills which are translated into various class practices and art projects. Social-emotional learning is a mindset rather than merely a practice and has been practiced latently in education. Art education and social-emotional learning share congruencies in standards, …

Ingestion Of Expanded Polystyrene By Procambarus Spp: A Toxicology Report, Garrik Neill Catania, Panagiotis Antonios Tsarouhas

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This project aims to be a toxicology report into the ingestion of expanded polystyrene by Procambarus spp. The goal would be to prove that ingestion of this plastic could lead to harm of the crayfish and that its presence in the environment of the crayfish could be a serious ecological problem. This project will take three groups of ten crayfish each and over a period of approximately seven weeks the crayfish will be monitored for changes due to their respective treatments. One group will serve as the control and will have nothing unique happen to them, one will serve as …

Quantifying The Effectiveness Of Rhamnolipid As A Biocide: Assessing Comparability Of A Modified Solution, Rosemary Sterling

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The CO2 induced corrosion of carbon steel in oil and gas pipelines, exacerbated by sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB), poses a serious threat to infrastructure. This study evaluates the effectiveness of rhamnolipid (RhL), a biosurfactant, as a corrosion inhibitor and potential SRB biocide in simulated pipeline environments. Using a Postgate-C Modified Produced Water Simulant, which demonstrated electrochemical behavior comparable to industry-standard solutions while sustaining SRB, corrosion trials were conducted with and without RhL. Mass loss and electrochemical data revealed that RhL significantly reduced corrosion rates—by 85% on average and up to 99% instantaneously in a 4-day trial. Visual and analytical results from …

Perceived Shoulder Discomfort In Adolescent Swimmers, Abigail Daniel

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Competitive swimming is a sport that athletes traditionally start at a young age, training for many years to build up an aerobic base, learn the best techniques of the sport, and gain experience racing. While this increases the ability to perform and adapt to training in the sport, it also can lead to shoulder tightness, soreness, and even injury. PURPOSE: To investigate any correlation between the perceived shoulder discomfort of adolescents to flexion and extension measurements. METHODS: Participants (N=25) were recruited in person from a swimming club. Swimmers were between 13-18 years old and varied in participation level from recreational …

Delivery Method For Dissolvable Staples, Brian Nguyen, Colleen Kroah, Bethany Fogle, Sean Brown

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Surgical staples play a vital role in modern medicine by enabling efficient wound closure and tissue repair. However, traditional metal staples often require removal, increasing patient discomfort and the risk of infection. Dissolvable staples offer a promising alternative, eliminating the need for removal while maintaining secure wound closure. Despite their potential, current delivery systems for dissolvable staples face significant challenges, including inconsistent deployment, lack of precision, and inadequate integration with surgical workflows.

Developing an optimized delivery system is critical to maximizing the benefits of dissolvable staples. Such a system must ensure reliable performance, precision, and ease of use while maintaining …

Adult Human Rib Variation Of Symmetry Among Many Populations, Madison Irish

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Human rib morphology is a central focus within the exploration of ribcage biomechanical properties and thoracic traumas, with the use of anatomical models being crucial in clinical, academic, and forensic settings. Despite the significance, there is little existing research on bilateral asymmetry of the ribcage, and many models use the assumption of symmetry between right and left rib pairs. This study investigates morphological right and left rib pair asymmetries using high-resolution imaging and 3D reconstruction techniques among a diverse population of sex, age, and populations. Symmetry was tested using three variables: pitch, radius of curvature, and roll among rib pairs …

Assessing Impact Of Molecular Diagnostics On Time To Optimal Antibiotic Therapy In Pediatric Staphylococcal Bacteremia, Manith Humchad, Kelly Williamson

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Timely optimization of antibiotic therapy is critical in pediatric patients with blood infections, particularly those caused by Staphylococcus aureus. This retrospective study evaluated the impact of molecular diagnostics on time to optimal therapy and discontinuation of unnecessary antibiotics at Akron Children’s Hospital from January 2020 to April 2023. Patients with Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) were more likely to be on appropriate empiric therapy (i.e. vancomycin) before culture results, whereas Methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) cases were de-escalated to beta-lactams. The median time to optimal therapy was 3.7 hours for episodes of MSSA. Infectious Disease (ID) consultation significantly influenced antibiotic management, with …

Substance Use Prevention For Lgbtq+ Youth And Young Adults, Dustin Braley

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal Statement: Improve mental health outcomes among LGBTQ+ youth by reducing the prevalence of substance use through strategic prevention measures.

Significant Findings: LGBTQ+ youth experience significantly higher rates of substance use compared to their heterosexual and cisgender peers, often as a way to cope with systemic discrimination, family rejection, and a lack of culturally competent support (Marshal et al., 2008; Madireddy & Madireddy, 2022; Mallory, Brown, & Sears, 2019; The Trevor Project, 2022). This paper examines how family-centered models like FCU and FAP can improve prevention by addressing parent-child dynamics and supporting LGBTQ+ youth. It explores barriers created by discriminatory …

African American Vernacular English: A Qualitative Study On Its Use In American Foreign Language Classrooms, Rickkay L. T. King

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative research study examines how foreign language (FL) instructors perceive Black students' use of African American Vernacular English (AAVE) in the classroom. Historically, negative connotations of AAVE have colored the perspectives of the general public and educators alike. This collective case study of FL instructors gathered in-depth data through semi-structured interview questions. These research findings have the potential to impact world language curriculums in America positively, particularly those tailored to students with home language backgrounds different from Standard American English (SAE). Despite increasing overall college enrollment and bachelor’s degree attainment, Black students continue to have some of the lowest …

Critical Success Factors For U.S. Fintech Startups In The Post-Covid-19 Era: Applying The Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Framework, Wen Hua

Theses and Dissertations

The extradentary surge of financial technology (fintech) enterprises has fundamentally transformed contemporary financial markets, yet extant scholarly literature exhibits a notable absence of a unified and theoretically grounded framework for explicating fintech startups’ success (Hamza et al., 2025). This dissertation addresses this theoretical lacuna by synthesizing an integrative entrepreneurial ecosystem framework to illustrate the critical success factors (CSFs) that catalyze fintech venture performance (Conley, 2014). Drawing upon established theoretical foundations, this research employs a multi-method research design, and develops a comprehensive framework for fintech startup companies’ success. The methodological approach commenced with a systematic meta-analysis of theoretical paradigms, establishing a …

Psychotherapy And Changes In Adult Attachment: A Systematic Review, Meghan Kussman

Theses and Dissertations

Attachment insecurity is a transdiagnostic vulnerability factor linked to a wide range of emotional and relational difficulties. Although early attachment patterns tend to be relatively stable, research indicates that attachment orientations can change over time, particularly in response to significant relational or therapeutic experiences. This systematic review examined 39 empirical studies published between 2000 and 2024 to determine whether engagement in psychotherapy is associated with changes in adult attachment security. Eligible studies assessed attachment both pre- and post-treatment using validated self-report measures (e.g., Experiences in Close Relationships Scale; ECR) or interview-based measures (e.g., Adult Attachment Interview; AAI), and reported statistically …

Purpose-Driven Curriculum For 9th-12th Grades For Adulthood Careers & Life Gratification, Destiny Krystle Chioma Nnadozie

Theses and Dissertations

A purpose-driven or purpose-based curriculum is not the standard required for high schools in the United States. Students in grades 9th-12th are educated based on a curriculum that covers mathematics, English, science, and social studies (De Roux & Riehl, 2022; Xiao et al., 2018). The unique individual purpose of each student, realized while in high school, is not considered a priority, leaving students to enter their adult careers lacking true career fulfillment due to this misalignment (Baroudi et al., 2017; S. Lyons et al., 2015; H. Wu, 2024).  Using a qualitative systematic review research design, this study aimed to explore …

The Influence Of Fictional Storytelling On The Student Experience In A Gamified Classroom, Arrash Jaffarzadeh

Theses and Dissertations

This exploratory case study evaluated how the use of gamification and game-based learning (GBL) with the added element of storytelling affected engagement and attitudes of children ages 9 to 13 as they participated in quests to complete their learning objectives.  Archived artifacts of a computer technology class in a northern California private school using the Applied Computer Technology Education (ACTE) framework taught to grade 4-8 provided the data for the study.  Each quest was comprised of a fictional story that tied to the lesson. These stories involved the three archetypes of the warrior (herald), healer (ally), and mage (trickster) on …

Best Practices Of Vietnamese Catholic Priests Leading Vietnamese Community Parishes In Orange Diocese, Phuc Viet Nguyen

Theses and Dissertations

The Catholic Church is the largest church all over the world and is also the largest one in the United States (Pew Research Center, 2013). Over the past decades, great crises inside the Catholic Church have raised significant concerns for its leadership practices, especially for its governance and administration on the diocese and parish level. Moreover, the issue of immigrants also compounds the problem when there are different ethnic communities inside one single parish. In some dioceses like Orange County, which is one of the most culturally diverse dioceses in the United States (Diocese of Orange, 2018), the urgency of …

Upskilling California’S Public Health: An Assessment Of An Online Data Science Program, Michelle Ruiz

Theses and Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed critical gaps in public health workforce data capabilities, prompting increased investment in data science training. This instrumental case study examined the effectiveness of University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health's online data science training program, developed in partnership with the California Department of Public Health to strengthen the state's public health workforce. The study analyzed program artifacts collected between October 2023 and September 2024, including Course Analytics Reports documenting enrollment patterns and Course Evaluation Reports structured according to considering the first two levels of Kirkpatrick's Four-Level Training Evaluation Model (1994). Analysis of nine courses revealed …

Lifelong Learning And Perceived Quality Of Life: An Exploratory Study Of Older Adult Learners In Southern California, Guadalupe Salgado-Shower

Theses and Dissertations

This exploratory study examines the impact of lifelong learning programs (LLPs) on the perceived quality of life among older adults (OAs) against a global demographic shift towards an aging population (Narushima et al., 2018). With the number of people aged 60 and above projected to nearly double by 2050, understanding and enhancing the well-being of OAs has become imperative (United Nations, 2019). Lifelong learning (LL), involving the continuous acquisition of knowledge and skills irrespective of age, emerges as a promising avenue for improving cognitive functioning, social engagement, and emotional well-being among OAs (Longworth & Davies, 2017). This exploratory study adopts …

Student Success, Suicide Rates: A Correlational Study Of Pressures On, And Expectations For High School Students In The United States, Matthew Baham

Theses and Dissertations

Suicide among high school students has become a growing health crisis, with mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation increasing at an alarming rate. The purpose of this quantitative research is to explore the correlation between high school graduation requirements, pressures associated with college applications, and rising suicide rates among high school aged students in grades 9 through 12. With the increase in academic demands, standardized tests, extracurricular activities and a competitive college admissions process, has created an enormously high-pressure environment in high school education. These stressors are shown to have an intense impact on high school …

Latina Physician Assistants In Clinical Leadership Roles: Motivations, Challenges, And Insights, Ana Ruiz-Peña

Theses and Dissertations

Despite the rapidly growing Latino population in the United States, only a few of them are physicians, physician assistants (PAs), or nurses. This limited representation becomes smaller with Latina PAs in clinical leadership roles, leading to a health disparity that could negatively impact the health care of the Latino community. To gain a deeper understanding of this issue, the researcher conducted a phenomenological qualitative study examining the lived experiences of Latina PAs in clinical leadership roles, focusing on their motivations, challenges, and strategies for overcoming these barriers. The study was theoretically grounded in theories related to culture, gender, and socioeconomic …

Teacher Stress, Well-Being, And Adaptation To Innovation, Amanda Leanore Pelloth

Theses and Dissertations

Teachers face many sources of stress; however, a consistent source is prompted by the need to cope with change as districts adapt to shifting paradigms. This study intended to fill Rogers’ (2003) KAP gap and the failure of innovations by infusing the study of well-being and emotion into the narrative by incorporating the transactional relationship between technostress and implementation efforts into the technochange process. The study investigated teachers’ cognitive appraisals of technochange (primary appraisal) and their adaptational coping processes (secondary appraisal) to understand how implementation impacts teachers’ well-being and their adaptive processes. A parallel convergent mixed methods approach with an …

R&D Efficiency Of Drug Development At Universities, John Aylworth

Theses and Dissertations

Research and development (R&D) efficiency in the pharmaceutical industry is a measure of the relative value of new and novel products cast against the costs required to make them. For six decades, the R&D efficiency of large pharmaceutical companies has declined to critical levels. Most recently, nearly half of the companies studied were experiencing negative R&D efficiency, or products whose costs to bring to market outweigh the value they offer both commercially as well as to the health and well-being of society (Schuhmacher et al., 2023). One of the most prominent consequences of the inefficiencies plaguing the drug development industry …

The Cognitive And Positive Aspects Of Language Brokering Among Latinx Individuals: An Integrative Systematic Review, Jacqueline Juarez

Theses and Dissertations

English has been the prominent language spoken in the United States; however, with the rise of the Spanish language, it is imperative to address how Spanish speakers navigate spaces. Research has found mixed findings about the outcomes of serving as a language broker. This integrative systematic review aimed to identify and analyze literature on Latinx language brokers regarding cognitive strategies and abilities and the positive processes and perceptions that contribute to enhancing mental health. This review also sought to focus on factors that may contribute to resiliency over time for Latinx language brokers. A total of 31 studies were included …

The Use Of Humor In Mental Healthcare: A Systematic Review, Blake Song

Theses and Dissertations

Humor has been observed, practiced, and documented as an essential feature of society for thousands of years. However, there is still no formalized or widely referenced clinical guidance on how to effectively and appropriately utilize humor in mental healthcare despite ample research over the last 70 years noting the many potential benefits. This lack of guidance may, at least in part, be due to unresolved concerns pertaining to the use of humor in counseling and healthcare settings. For instance, humor is believed by some to be potentially distracting or undermining to the counseling process if used inappropriately. This continued absence …

Self-Compassion And Leadership Effectiveness At Work, Janette Muñoz

Theses and Dissertations

Leaders are currently facing unprecedented times in the workforce, with rapid technological advancements, complexity with geopolitical implications and economic fluctuations, and employee disengagement. Through these changes, leaders are expected to make business decisions, guide their teams, and deliver business results. To navigate these complexities, the role of business leaders is evolving, making self-compassion and associated practices potentially important for leaders. Complexity and the speed of change may lead to an increase in challenges and mistakes experienced at work, actual or perceived, which may lead to decreased internal capacity, higher stress and potentially burnout. This study explores the relationship between self-compassion …

Structural And Functional Analysis Of Translation Inhibition By Betacoronavirus Non-Structural Protein 1, Michael Brandon Vetick

Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dissertations

humans: SARS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2, and MERS-CoV. Key to their viral lifecycle is Non-structural protein 1 (Nsp1), an essential pathogenicity factor that potently restricts the cell’s antiviral response. Despite poor protein sequence conservation of Nsp1 between evolutionarily distant β-CoVs, these proteins have proven to be highly conserved both functionally and structurally. Nsp1 functions by inhibiting host gene expression through contacts made with two mRNA ribonucleoprotein (mRNP) complexes: the initiating ribosome and the Nxf1/Nxt1 mRNA nuclear export complex. It is believed that two Nsp1 functions occur on the ribosome: Nsp1 is able to coordinate cleavage of the host mRNA and Nsp1 is able …

On Developing A Behavioral Paradigm To Measure Intolerance Of Uncertainty: The Ambiguous Approach Index, Heather Clark

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research in clinical psychology over the last 40 years has solidified intolerance of uncertainty (IU) as an important transdiagnostic etiological and maintenance factor of affective psychopathology. Theoretically, IU is the dispositional cognitive tendency underlying anxiety related avoidance behaviors, such as worry, checking, and hypervigilance which lead to increased functional impairment. IU is associated with increased severity of numerous psychological concerns including anxiety, depression, and other commonly comorbid conditions. Further, higher levels of IU are found in clinical than non-clinical samples, emphasizing its role in mental health outcomes. However, behavioral paradigms used to differentiate between individuals of different diagnostic groups or …

Structure And Function Of Sulfated Fucans And Fucosylated Chondroitin Sulfates: Therapeutic And Mechanistic Insights, Marwa Farrag

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are heteropolysaccharides widely exploited in the clinic and as molecular models in biomedical research. Marine-derived GAG analogs, particularly sulfated fucans and fucosylated chondroitin sulfates exhibit unique and diverse glycan motifs that are not found in the typical mammalian GAGs. The distinctive structures of the marine sulfated glycans (MSGs) not only expand the structural landscape of GAG-like molecules but also provide valuable platforms to elucidate structure-activity relationships and explore their potential as novel scaffolds for glycan-based therapeutic development. This dissertation presents the isolation, structural characterization, controlled depolymerization, and functional evaluation of several MSGs, highlighting their therapeutic potential, particularly those …

On Planar Brownian Motion Singularly Tilted Through A Point Potential, Barkat Mian

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

We construct a family of time-inhomogeneous two-dimensional diffusion processes, defined over a finite time interval [0, T]. These diffusions have transition density functions that are given by the integral kernels of the semigroup corresponding to the two-dimensional Schrödinger operator with a point potential at the origin. Although, in a few ways, our processes of interest are closely related to two-dimensional Brownian motion, they have a singular drift pointing in the direction of the origin that is strong enough to enable the possibility of visiting there with positive probability. Our main focus is on characterizing a local time process at the …