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Unl Emeriti And Retirees Association Newsletter, May 2026

UNL Emeriti and Retirees Association: Newsletters and Other Materials

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Emeriti and Retirees Association Newsletter, May 2026

Message from the ERA President, Vicki Highstreet

Welcome to new members

Recipe

Volunteer service

Funding opportunity

Wake up your well-being

Programming recaps

Celebration of life: Larry Dlugosh

Memory moments

"Market Shift Liability" For Generic Drugs: Market Share Theory's Eccentric New Cousin, Lars Noah

UF Law Faculty Publications

Market share liability, which permits allocating proportional responsibility to each tortious member of an industry when victims cannot identify the exact source of their injurious exposure, enjoyed its judicial heyday in the 1980s. It originated in the peculiar setting of litigation over a distinctive cancer that developed decades after in utero exposure to the drug diethylstilbestrol (“DES”), which a few hundred companies had produced and sold for the prevention of miscarriages before federal regulators withdrew it from the marketplace. Although judges have occasionally attempted novel extensions of this theory to other products, and academic commentators remain fascinated by its use, …

Sense Of Belonging And Self-Efficacy Of Women In Stemm At The University Of South Alabama, Emilie Dedeaux

Honors Theses

Despite decades of calls and initiatives to diversify science, technology, engineering, math, and medicine (STEMM) disciplines, females are still more likely to leave STEMM career paths compared to their male peers, which is often depicted as a 'leaky pipeline'. Females in STEMM often report greater social alienation, greater selfdoubt, lower sense of belonging and academic satisfaction due to a mismatch in values in STEMM disciplines. STEMM values have traditionally been normed by cisheteronormative, white, male ideologies . While extensive research has focused on the barriers females experience in STEMM that reduce sense of belonging , less research has focused on …

Targeting The Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex With Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation To Improve Depression And Anxiety In Parkinson's Disease, Brock Renicks

Honors Theses

The aim of this study is to observe the outcomes of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) as a treatment for Parkinson’s Disease (PD). This study will primarily look at changes in depression and anxiety, as these symptoms are often comorbid with Parkinson’s Disease. Transcranial direct current stimulation is a non-invasive, very low-intensity form of electrical stimulation of the brain. It is being increasingly used as a form of treatment for Parkinson’s Disease and depression and anxiety, however the literature is ambiguous, showing mixed results throughout various studies, with no standardization of tDCS administration. To determine the effect of tDCS on …

Beyond The Court: Pickleball's Impact On Balance And Gait In Older Adults, Riley Scott Ahrndt, Abby Nicole Bertsch, Emma Florence Boris, Gabrielle Elizabeth Rheay, Isabella Cason Whiston

Physical Therapy Scholarly Projects

Background and Purpose: Older adults are at a greater risk for falls due to many variables that may include decreased balance, lower extremity strength, slower agility, and impaired gait mechanics. Daily physical activity has been shown to help combat age-related deficits. The popularity of pickleball is growing fast and may provide an option for exercise that incorporates strength, agility, balance, and aerobic effort. The goal of this study was to examine the effects of pickleball on the balance and agility of older adults participating in the National Senior Games organization.

Methods: The modified version of the Senior Athlete Fitness Exam …

Compassion In A Warrior Culture: Emotionally Supportive Leadership Among U.S. Military Veterans A Phenomenological Study, Peter Hofmann Phd

Leadership Studies

This qualitative phenomenological study examines how U.S. military veterans with leadership experience describe and make sense of emotionally supportive leadership within the context of a traditionally hierarchical and stoic military culture. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with veterans across service branches, the study explores how participants interpret relational leadership behaviors involving care, responsibility, and responsiveness to others’ suffering, and how these behaviors are shaped, constrained, or legitimized within a warrior-oriented institutional context. Particular attention is given to veterans who self-identify with service-connected conditions, as their experiences illuminate how leadership identity and emotional regulation evolve during and after military service. Participants consistently …

Soil Moisture Regime Effects On Near-Surface Soil Chemical Properties In Alfisols Under Native Tallgrass Prairie In Arkansas, Sydney M. Talley

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Tallgrass prairie ecosystems provide many crucial ecosystem services, including nutrient cycling and storage, organism habitat, and soil and water conservation. However, tallgrass prairies are considered an endangered ecosystem, particularly in the Ozark Highlands and Grand Prairie regions of Arkansas, where less than 0.05% of Arkansas’ original prairie land area remains. Understanding soil nutrient supplies over time in native tallgrass prairie ecosystems is critical for quantifying the success of restoration and rehabilitation activities. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of soil moisture regime (SMR) (i.e., aquic and udic), region (i.e., Ozark Highlands and Grand Prairie), and their …

Environmental Enrichment Preferences And Play Behavior In Commercial Turkey Hens, Paul Dang

Poultry Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Commercial turkey production contributes significantly to the U.S. agricultural industry, yet studies on positive welfare indicators, especially play behavior, are limited. This study evaluated turkey hen interactions with two environmental enrichments (straw bales and pecking stones hung from the ceiling) and the expression of play behavior in turkey barns. Three commercial turkey hen barns were equipped with environmental enrichments and time-lapse video cameras. Play behaviors were recorded during transect walks in two barns using 30-second scans of disturbed and undisturbed patches. Regional use of space around enrichments was quantified through region-of-interest (ROI) analysis of time-lapse images collected from days 16-31 …

Social Isolation Predicts Altered Reward Circuit Connectivity And Future Behaviors In Adolescents, Mason Lucas, Josiah Leong

Psychological Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Adolescence is a period of transition from childhood to adulthood when people explore risky behaviors, and stressors during adolescence can change structural brain connectivity. Previous research has found weaker structural connectivity between reward circuits and future cognitive impairments among children raised in orphanages. Comparative research in mice suggests that social isolation after bullying can damage these connections and induce alcohol seeking. We tested whether social isolation was related to lower connectivity of targeted structural connections and anxious behaviors in adolescent humans. We analyzed data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study and found 522 subjects had experienced extreme social isolation. …

Evaluating Spect Neuroimaging In Psychiatric Diagnosis: A Critical Review And Proposed Randomized Controlled Study, Kiley Carter

Senior Honors Theses

Mental illness affects a substantial proportion of adults in the United States, yet psychiatric diagnosis remains subject to diagnostic variability. Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) is a neuroimaging technique that measures cerebral blood flow and has been proposed as an adjunctive tool for psychiatric evaluation. Existing literature reports group-level perfusion patterns associated with certain psychiatric conditions, suggesting potential utility in diagnosing complex or treatment-resistant cases. However, critics of SPECT emphasize the absence of randomized controlled data demonstrating improved patient outcomes. To address this gap, a prospective randomized controlled trial comparing standard psychiatric care with SPECT-guided evaluation is proposed. The proposed …

Snp Recovery And Eye Color Prediction Accuracy From Exogenous Human Hair: Evaluating The Impact Of Hair Color And Shaft Location, Kaitlyn Bennett

Master's Theses

Forensic science increasingly relies on DNA evidence; however, traditional short tandem repeat (STR) analysis has limitations when applied to degraded samples, such as hairs in the exogen phase. This preliminary study investigates the recovery and prediction accuracy of IrisPlex single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from exogen-stage human hair samples to determine how factors like hair color and shaft location influence SNP recovery and phenotypic eye color predictions. The analysis focuses on the IrisPlex SNPs rs12913832 (HERC2 gene) and rs1800407 (OCA2 gene), which are strongly associated with eye color variation. Hair samples were collected from twelve donors aged 18-26, representing natural brown, …

Targeting The Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex With Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation To Improve Depression And Anxiety In Parkinson’S Disease, Brock Renicks

Poster Presentations

Around 40% of people with Parkinson’s Disease experience depression and anxiety (Zhao et al, 2025). Depression and Anxiety have been said to be localized to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (Brunoni et al, 2016). Transcranial Direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been shown to modulate depression and anxiety by targeting the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (Sreeraj et al, 2023). It is beneficial due to its cost, portability, and simplicity of use. Thus we will be assessing the efficacy of tDCS in reducing depression and anxiety in individuals with Parkinson’s Disease.

Hannah, Nora Brigid Monahan

Theses and Dissertations

Hannah is a contemporary adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's Hedda Gabler, which reimagines Ibsen's heroine as a "stealth" (or undetected) transsexual woman living among the American conservative elite in Washington D.C. Newly married to George Taylor, a charismatic but financially strained far-right media personality, Hannah struggles to maintain the façade she has constructed when Eliot Loving, a volatile political streamer and figure from past, reappears in her life. Their collision, orchestrated by the manipulative power-broker Judge Brock, upends Hannah's sense of self and forces her into a desperate struggle for her own autonomy and security. In a deliberate subversion of …

Transcriptomic Responses Of Teleost Fishes To Thermal And Environmental Stress: A Synthesis Of Rna-Seq Studies, Aleen Ammar

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Climate change is driving rapid shifts in aquatic ecosystems, increasing the frequency and intensity of environmental stressors that affect survival, species distributions, and productivity. Alongside increases in temperature, stressors, such as hypoxia and acidification, are also intensifying with climate change. Teleost fishes exhibit substantial variation in tolerance to such environmental stressors. These range from specialists with narrow limits to generalists capable of persisting across fluctuating conditions, complicating predictions of vulnerability under ongoing environmental change. Transcriptomic approaches, particularly RNA sequencing (RNA-seq), provide a powerful approach for linking environmental stressors to physiological responses by quantifying genome-wide changes in gene expression. To assess …

Phenological Shifts In Reproductive Timing Of Bay Scallops (Argopecten Irradians) In New Jersey Following Subspecies Replacement, Ross John Choate Jr.

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Bay scallops (Argopecten irradians) are commercially, ecologically, and recreationally important bivalves that have undergone major shifts in New Jersey over the past 25 years, including the extirpation of the southern subspecies from New Jersey in 2001 and its replacement by the northern subspecies from Long Island by 2004. This transition altered reproductive timing, reflected in changes to the Gonadal–Somatic Index (GSI) as well as the timing of visual gonadal conditions exhibited during specific months. Early post-reestablishment data showed peak GSI in June and July, consistent with Long Island populations, but recent observations indicate a shift toward August and September peaks, …

Assessing Decadal Changes In Eelgrass Communities From Barnegat Bay, Nj, Janelle Marie Delcastillo

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Zostera marina (eelgrass) is a widely distributed marine angiosperm across northern hemisphere coastlines, yet many regions have experienced substantial declines due to disease, coastal development, and other anthropogenic stressors. Barnegat Bay is the only estuary in New Jersey that still supports extensive eelgrass beds, although it has undergone notable losses over the past five decades. To evaluate decadal-scale ecological change, we collected sediment cores in 2025 from a site with historical data spanning 2001–2010. Overall faunal densities remained relatively consistent, but several taxa exhibited clear shifts in abundance. Amphipods in the Phoxocephalidae and the isopod Erichsonella increased, whereas the cold-affinity …

Historic Patterns Of Growth And Destruction In Nj Seagrass Meadows, Masen Eck

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Seagrass meadows are one of the many habitats worldwide under threat from human disturbance and worsening climate conditions. This habitat provides many critical ecosystem services to coastal environments, which is why conserving and restoring seagrass meadows is critical. This study investigates the long-term success and failures from several eelgrass restoration sites in Barnegat Bay, New Jersey. Aerial imagery from multiple years were digitized in ArcGIS to assess restoration trajectories over time. Three of the sites were assessed over a period of twelve years (2012-2023), and one site was assessed twice (2021 and 2023). Results from these time series analyses showed …

"Some Women Make It Look So Easy": An Analysis Of Jenny Offill's Fragmentary Novels And Their Critique Of Postfeminist Sensibility, Kimberly Crooks

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Jenny Offill’s novels Dept. of Speculation and Weather are each narrated by a woman who exists in a postfeminist era that insists upon the achievability of a happy work-life balance. Despite the lofty career aspirations now afforded to women, the protagonists find themselves burdened by the gendered responsibilities that disproportionately hold them responsible for domestic duties, childcare, and emotional labor. Both protagonists use a fragmented narrative style to convey their consciousness, and the texts are composed of hundreds of short fragments that include memories, self-reflections, philosophical musings, lines of poetry, fun facts, questions, and more. While the narratives do not …

Shape Variation In The Mandible Of The Borophagine Canids And Implications For Predatory Behavior, Benjamin Neavear

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The borophagines are an extinct lineage of canids that inhabited North America for more than 20 million years. This group included genera such as Aelurodon, Borophagus, and Epicyon. Borophagines are commonly referred to as “bone-crushing dogs” because their skull morphology converged with that of extant hyenas, predators capable of consuming bone. The purpose of this study was to determine whether convergence was present in the mandible, an anatomical structure strongly correlated with feeding behavior, particularly in the genera Aelurodon and Borophagus. It was hypothesized that most borophagine taxa possessed mandibular shapes similar to those of hyenas. Numerous mandibular characters were …

Words And Phrases That Matter: A Corpus Analysis Of Vocabulary And Phraseological Coverage In Myanmar's High School English Textbooks, Kaung Hla Zan

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

"Myanmar’s high school education relies on centralized EFL textbooks as the primary source of English input for a significant population of Myanmar youth. Following curriculum reforms aiming for communicative competence, this study provides a corpus-based evaluation of the lexical and phraseological composition of Grades 10 to 12 (high school) textbooks. Using a multi-list approach, this study profiled the textbooks against the New General Service List (NGSL) and the Academic Vocabulary List (AVL) for vocabulary coverage. To determine the frequency and coverage of academic phrases, the textbooks were profiled against three lists of academic bundles identified by Simpson-Vlach and Ellis (2010), …

Inertial Dynamics Of Non-Spherical Particles In Fluid Flows, Takashi Yashiro

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

We investigate the dynamics of small inertial spherical and non-spherical particles in fluid flows. We consider the Maxey-Riley-Gatignol (MRG) equation, which models well the motion of spherical inertial particles in low Reynolds number flows. To study how shape affects the dynamics, we implement a corrective factor on the Stokes drag term in the MRG equation. This corrective factor, or shape factor, is based on the geometric properties of the particles. The Basset-Boussinesq history term in the MRG equation is often neglected to simplify analytical and computational studies involving the equation. We include this history term and implement a multi-step integration …

An Invasion Of The Intimate Sphere: The Manipulation Of Libido Under Totalitarian Regimes, Elyssa Lucero

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This paper examines the temporal nature of libidinal control in the totalitarian systems represented in George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four and Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. Arguing that the most enduring forms of domination operate through the reorganization of desire, the essay explores how regimes intervene in familial, romantic, and social attachments to redirect affective energy towards the state. Orwell depicts a primitive, reactive phase of control in which attachments are violently ruptured, whereas Huxley imagines an advanced system that operates through preemption, never allowing attachments to form. Drawing on Freud’s theory of redirected libido, Berlant’s theory of Cruel Optimism, Marxist …

Constant Connectivity To Work, Health Behaviors, Physical Symptoms: Exploring Boundary Management Practices That Can Help, Christina Christodoulou

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The workday inevitably exposes employees to numerous demands that induce stress reactions. Without sufficient recovery (i.e. returning stress reactions to baseline), individuals risk experiencing chronic psychological, behavioral or physical strains. With the rise of constant connectivity to work, recovery is becoming more of a challenge. However, research on the recovery-related consequences of constant connectivity, particularly its impact on health behaviors and physical health outcomes, remains scarce. To fill this gap in the literature, this research explored the relationship between constant connectivity, boundary management practices, health behaviors, and physical symptoms using a mixed-methods, multi-study design. A mixed methods pilot study (N …

Performative Racial Allyship And Ally Ambivalence: A Qualitative Study, Peter D. Goldie

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Racism is rampant in and outside of higher education institutions (HEIs). Preliminary research has found that white allyship--or white people's efforts to dismantle racism by partnering with People of Color--can be beneficial to Black communities when done authentically and in ways that center Black voices, perspectives, and liberatory goals. However, a growing body of scholarship has found that white people seldom show up as allies in meaningful ways. Instead, they frequently resort to performative racial allyship (PRA), or behaviors that are meant to signal solidarity with a marginalized racial group yet are superficial and self-serving. To support effective antiracism efforts, …

Navigating Reentry: A Life Course Inquiry Into The Structural And Personal Dimensions Among Returning Citizens, Julie Chowdhury

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This qualitative study explores how returning citizens experience incarceration and reentry across the life course, focusing on the interplay of structural conditions, relational contexts, and human agency. Guided by Life Course Theory (LCT), reentry is conceptualized not as a discrete post-release transition but as a developmental process shaped by cumulative disadvantage, institutional stratification, and linked lives. Data were drawn from in-depth semi-structured interviews with formerly incarcerated adults in the northeastern United States and analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Findings show that incarceration and reentry are experienced as relational and multigenerational processes embedded within family systems and constrained opportunity structures, rather …

Exploring Student Feelings, Knowledge Related To Menstruation And Menstrual Education: A Cross-Sectional Survey, Ella A. Handel

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Menstrual, reproductive, and sexual health education in the United States remains inconsistent in both content and delivery. This inconsistency often leaves adolescents underprepared for developmental milestones such as menarche and contributes to ongoing stigma and discomfort surrounding menstruation. This study examined participants’ feelings and perceptions related to menstruation and menstrual education. Using a cross-sectional descriptive survey design, a mixed-methods approach was employed to collect data from 29 college students aged 18 to 19 years at a large public university in Arkansas. Quantitative data from Likert-scale items were analyzed using descriptive statistics, while qualitative open-ended responses were reviewed and organized into …

Spring 2026 Title Of Blueprints For The Mind: How The Design Of Public Built Environment Impacts The Mental Health Of Youth, Faith Holton

Interior Design Capstones

Blueprints for the Mind investigates how public built environments influence the mental health of youth, with attention to rising rates of anxiety, depression. Through a multidisciplinary approach bridging environmental psychology, public health, interior architecture, and usercentered design, this project identifies the environmental factors shaping young people’s emotional well-being. Findings reveal that sensory conditions such as lighting, acoustics, layout, materiality, and predictability directly affect youth comfort, focus, and emotional regulation. Field research with students (ages 13–15) and an expert interview with licensed social worker Carmen Ortega-Cline further demonstrate that overstimulating, crowded, or unclear environments heighten stress, while semi-private, naturally lit, and …

Through The Lens Of Zoology, Madalyn Haun

Interior Design Capstones

Current zoo and sanctuary models often fail to meet the complex psychological, behavioral, and spatial needs of endangered and rehabilitated wildlife, resulting in chronic stress and welfare compromises. Beyond the Cage presents a transformation approach to zoological design, shifting the paradigm from entertainment-based displays to a “welfare-first” philosophy. This book argues that effective captive care requires expansive, species-appropriate habitats that facilitate natural behaviors, rather than merely simulating natural aesthetics. Through the lens of modern zoology, this work explores the implementation of groundbreaking exhibit re-creation, focusing on habitat enlargement, precise climate change control, and innovative environmental enrichment. A central pillar of …

The Physical, Chemical, And Emotional Discourse Of Hormonal Disruption By Microplastics And Nanoplastics, Lily Warken

Theses & ETDs

Microplastics (MPs)1 and nanoplastics (NPs) are emerging as a growing concern within the health field as plastic use continues to rise. These particles have been increasingly recognized for their potential to act as endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), interfering with normal hormonal signaling and receptor function. This study examines the molecular, hormonal, and reproductive impacts of MPs and NPs on the human body, with particular attention to the importance of endocrine homeostasis and its sensitivity to disruption. In some cases, MPs and NPs and their adsorbed contaminants may mimic endogenous hormones and interact with hormone receptors, further complicating regulatory processes. Special emphasis …

(De)Composing Transhumanisms: Fungal And Trans Ecologies In Jeff Vandermeer's Annihilation, Miles Nives Qapevewni Enriquez-Morales

English (MA) Theses

This thesis project analyzes the novel Annihilation (2014) by Jeff VanderMeer and situates the biologist’s transformation and transition in the book in a trans ecological framework. By expanding on foundational texts such as Jackson Jesse Nash’s “‘I Am Not Returning Home’: A Transgender Reading of Jeff VanderMeer’s Annihilation”, this paper argues that representations of fungus in Annihilation present a possibility for trans futurity rooted in transformation, ecological entanglement, and a rejection of binary thought. Additional articles from Transgender Studies Quarterly and A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies orient this fungal transformation in the larger framework of rejecting normative …