Digital Commons Network^™

The Mechanical-Human Mismatch: Fatigue And Injury Prevention In Motocross, Mark Rivas

IdeaFest 2026

A research project into the risks and causes of injury in the sport of motocross. The research is focused on how the athlete can be better prepared through sport specific training for better technique and other factors. The sport specific training can be developed through the perspective of a physical therapist to develop more durable athletes. With more research the perspective can be utilized in the set-up of the equipment on the motorcycle and the protective equipment riders use can be made safer. The practices and methods used by PT's could be very valuable to the growth of the sport …

Emergent Disorder Induced Transport In Active Matter Systems, Josh Steimel

IdeaFest 2026

Creating randomized obstacles for magnetic particles to traverse in varying magnetic fields in hopes of finding immerging patterns. Responsible for creating CAD files in large quantities and making functional resin prints with obstacles on the micro-scale.

Adverse Effects Of Sleep Deprivation On Athletic Performance, Armando Morales

IdeaFest 2026

Sleep is crucial to physical recovery, brain function, and health which contribute greatly to athletic performance. Athletes often find themselves sleep deprived due to training demands, academic or work obligations, travel, and stress related to competition. Studies have shown that lack of sleep can have adverse effects on the body and brain. Endurance, recovery, reaction time, and decision making can all be decreased by sleep deprivation. This article reviews how sleep deprivation as well as sleep quality affect athletes' performance.

What Are You Compensating For?, Nathan Aguilar

IdeaFest 2026

Meta-analysis of muscle compensation and the side effects, both short term and long term. Understanding muscle activation response with induced fatigue, injury, and rehabilitation techniques and methods.

But What If I Hate It? The Intersection Of Collegiate And Career Pathways In Kinesiology, Tyler Yeo

IdeaFest 2026

The Progression of Kinesiology Degrees and the Career Opportunities Presented Post Grad: The Evolving Identity of the Study of the Body in Motion. Many students can enter the field without a full understanding of professional opportunities or required qualifications. Inconsistencies in degree structure, professional identity, and career pathways create challenges for student recruitment, workforce development, and professional recognition. Therefore, this literature review examines how kinesiology education aligns with workforce demands, professional identity, and future opportunities.

Professional Development On A Personal Level With Trinidad Coastal Land Trust, Ronica Reyes

IdeaFest 2026

As a college corp fellow I served at Trinidad Coastal Land Trust focusing on increasing coastal access in the form of stewardship workdays, trail maintenance, community outreach, and day-to-day operations. This work matters to all who come in contact with the Trinidad coast no matter the species. Through this experience I've made meaningful impacts and connections to place and people.

Methods For Degradation Of Pla-Quinoa Composites, Rafael Bernard

IdeaFest 2026

Polylactic acid (PLA) composites were created by integrating quinoa chaff that had been refluxed in a toluene and ethanol solution, with differing ratios of the chaff. These composites underwent testing such as bomb calorimetry, infrared (IR) spectroscopy, water uptake, water contact angle & degredation, antioxidant assay and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). A cellulase enzyme was also purified from E-Coli bacteria for use in degradation studies. Current tests indicate that the refluxing of raw chaff increases homogeniztion of composites, which in turn allows for the increase of certain physical properties as well as increased degredation. This gives promising results concerning the …

From Textbook To Treatment: Designing And Building A Bench-Scale Drinking Water Treatment System, Neeshelle Jaimes

IdeaFest 2026

In Humboldt County, California, the Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District (HBMWD) draws source water from the Mad River aquifer via Ranney Collectors, where natural filtration produces high-quality water that is disinfected prior to distribution to the cities of Arcata, McKinleyville, Eureka, Blue Lake and Manila. As a result, there is no conventional surface water treatment plant in the area for environmental engineering and water science students at Cal Poly Humboldt to visit and learn from. To address this lack of visibility, we developed a bench-scale demonstration water treatment plant for Dr. Yacob Tesfayohanes’ drinking water treatment course.This project scales down …

Your Brain As A Long Distance Runner, Sebastian Vaisset-Fauvel

IdeaFest 2026

Despite the performance benefits of endurance training, long-distance runners are at risk of declining performance and chronic fatigue when training load exceeds recovery capacity. Acutely, running can increase neurochemicals, blood flow, and neural activity, which temporarily enhances attetion and cognitive function. Chronically, running leads to structural and functional brain adaptations in regions involving memory, motor control, and decision making. However, Excessive training without adequate recovery can lead to Overtraining Syndrome (OTS) This review investigates how endurance running shapes the brain through acute and chronic adaptations, and how excessive training may shift these benefits toward maladaptive neural changes associated with overtraining …

What Is Contributing To Injuries In Adolescent Athletes, And What Are The Physical And Psychological Consequences?, Luis Sandoval

IdeaFest 2026

This review examines recent research covering the factors contributing to injuries in adolescent athletes and the associated physical and psychological consequences. Key contributors include excessive training loads without adequate recovery and early sport specialization. The review also explores how these injuries affect long-term musculoskeletal health, mental well-being, and continued sport participation. Findings highlighted the need for improved training guidelines, reduced early sport specialization, and a greater emphasis on long-term athlete development keeping mental health in mind.

Hydrotherapy As An Emerging Treatment For Children With Cerebral Palsy, Monserrat Rodriguez

IdeaFest 2026

This project explores cerebral palsy (CP) with a focus on classification, severity, and the role of pain in limiting movement and participation in children. It reviews common land-based interventions used in rehabilitation, highlighting their benefits in improving motor function and independence, as well as their limitations such as fatigue and reduced engagement. The project then introduces hydrotherapy as an emerging intervention, examining its benefits in improving movement, balance, and participation. Current research suggests hydrotherapy can enhance rehabilitation outcomes, especially when used alongside traditional therapies.

Eureka Silvercrest, Avyonne Currington

IdeaFest 2026

During my College Corps fellowship at Silvercrest HUD housing, I supported low-income seniors and disabled residents as they navigated complex social systems in a rural setting. I provided case management by connecting individuals to vital resources, simplifying documentation, and advocating for accessible medical transit. This work is critical because it builds self-advocacy skills and mitigates the severe isolation associated with rural poverty. This experience bridged my academic theory with real-world practice, synthesizing my BSW education into applied clinical skills as I advance toward my MSW and ultimate LCSW licensure.

Morphological Analysis Of Bands In E15 Region On Europa, Cade Napierala

IdeaFest 2026

This project is an analysis of Band Morphology on Europa, a moon of Jupiter.

A Lifetime Of Play, Aaron Muscarello

IdeaFest 2026

This is a research poster on play over the span of a human lifetime.

From Clumsy To Capable: Improving Awareness And Care For Developmental Coordination Disorder In Children, Mallory Akers

IdeaFest 2026

This project analyzing the effectiveness of current interventions and brings awareness to current lack of care for children with Developmental Coordination Disorder. It compares current diagnosis measures like MABC,TGMD-2, Bruininks-Oseretsky Test with interventions to give background of where we are currently to streamline care for the future. Findings show that Neuromotor task training (NTT) and CO-OP interventions are most effective in improving quality of care. Results suggest for improving this problem we can educate health professionals more in the subject and improve diagnosis streamline, implement more school based additional therapies to increase access to care, and improve parents involvement in …

Electricity To Motion, Rachel Prudhomme

IdeaFest 2026

This project examines the effectiveness of electrical stimulation therapies for improving motor function in children with cerebral palsy (CP). It compares Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES), Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES), and Therapeutic Electrical Stimulation (TES) using evidence from randomized trials and meta-analyses. Findings show NMES improves strength and walking ability, FES enhances functional movement and neuroplasticity, and TES supports flexibility and reduces spasticity. Results suggest that combining these approaches yields the best outcomes for mobility and daily function.

Resilience By Design: Evidence From The Richmond Resilience Initiative, Research Institute For Social Equity Rise, Morgan Woodle Phd, Albert Okwei, Yali Pang, Nakeina E. Douglas-Glenn

Research Institute for Social Equity

This report presents a programmatic evaluation of the Richmond Resilience Initiative (RRI), a guaranteed income program designed to support economic stability among Richmond Residents experiencing financial hardship. The evaluation focuses on participants in Cohort Two and Cohort Three, examining program impacts over the two-year periods during which participants received cash transfers. Guaranteed income (GI), the provision of recurring, unconditional cash transfers, has grown in popularity as a significant policy innovation for addressing economic insecurity and inequality in the United States.

Strategic Peer Region Selection For Economic Development, Xiaobing Shuai, Riley Ford

School of Professional and Continuing Studies Faculty Publications

Benchmarking against peer and aspirational regions is essential for economic development because it provides meaningful context for evaluating performance and shaping strategy. These comparisons help highlight regional advantages that attract new investments, as well as uncover gaps that may represent opportunities for future growth. ...

This article provides a practical, data-driven framework that economic development organizations can use to identify peer and aspirational regions, strengthen benchmarking efforts, and support strategy development. A case study illustrates how this can be applied to better interpret economic indicators and inform decision-making. For EDOs, this approach offers a more consistent way to evaluate competitiveness, …

Statistics 103a Instructor Guide, Elizabeth R. Wentworth

Open Educational Resources

This set of slides contains reading, original videos, activities and instructions for instructors to run a complete 12 week course in any modality. These resources can be used to supplement in-person instruction or can be used for either a hybrid or asynchronous course.

Does Digital Innovation Matter For Hospital Efficiency? Evidence From U.S. Hospitals, C. Christopher Lee, Shihui Fan, Jung Young Lee, David W. Hwang

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

Purpose – This study examines the impact of digital innovation on hospital performance, providing evidence to guide healthcare administrators and policymakers in making informed decisions regarding digital investment.

Design/Methodology/Approach – Using data from the 2020 American Hospital Association (AHA) U.S. Hospital Survey and the 2019 AHA Information Technology Survey, we empirically analyze the relationship between five dimensions of digital innovation—automation, cybersecurity, telehealth, health information exchange (HIE), and IT spending—and three efficiency indicators: occupancy rate, capacity productivity, and manpower productivity.

Findings – The results show that digital innovation has varying effects on hospital efficiency. Automation is positively associated with capacity and …

Joyful Literature As Life-Giving Pedagogy In Teacher Education, Katherine Egan Cunningham

Education Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

From Custody To Care: Understanding Mental Health And Recidivism In The Criminal Justice System, India Cox

UROP Posters

Previous studies on genetic influences in mental health disorders have been shown to correlate with incarceration rates in families. Consequently, there are individuals within the criminal justice system under the clinical threshold of a mental health diagnosis; it has been found that almost half of the incarcerated population was arrested due to acting upon their mental health disorder, while 27 to 38 percent developed PTSD while imprisoned. Furthermore, the serious and exhausting cycle of recidivism within the criminal justice system highlights the failure to provide the necessary mental health treatment required to support rehabilitation while incarcerated and prevent reoffending upon …

A Novel 3d Imaging Approach To Study Evolutionary Innovations In Solanaceae Inflorescences, Devin L. Jackson, Joonseog Kim, Wenheng Zhang Dr.

UROP Posters

Understanding the relatedness of angiosperms and the evolution of their inflorescence remains challenging, as these structures are highly modified and prone to convergent evolution. The current research describing inflorescence architecture, whether genetically or morphologically focused, typically relies on text based explanations, 2D images, or 3D based models created with CAD modeling software. This creates a disparity in the reader's understanding of these models since descriptions rely heavily on the author's interpretation of the inflorescence. The goal of our study is to bridge this disconnection by producing anatomically and color-correct 3D inflorescence models using Solanaceae flowers that readers can explore directly, …

Victimization Trauma And Eating Pathology; A Global Perspective, Madisyn E. Feliciano, Cate Morales, Kelsey Hagan

UROP Posters

Introduction: Exposure to traumatic events is a well-established risk factor for eating pathology, including binge eating, purging, restricting, and excessive exercise. This association has been primarily explored in higher-income countries, like the United States. The goal of this study was to elucidate the associations among victimization trauma (physical assault, sexual assault, and other unwanted sexual experience assessed) exposure and (binge eating, purging, restriction and excessive exercise) in a global sample of women.

Methods: Participants were 2,458 women attending universities across seven countries (US, UK, Canada, Germany, Iran, Turkey, Colombia) who were recruited through their undergraduate participant pool. Students who completed …

Addressing Eco-Ableism In Richmond, Virginia's Urban Master Plan, Ren Hollis

UROP Posters

As Richmond, Virginia, approaches its 300th anniversary in 2037 and continues implementing Richmond 300: A Guide for Growth, questions remain about whether individuals with disabilities are equitably represented in the city’s future planning. Richmond 300 is the comprehensive plan guiding Richmond’s policies, programs, zoning changes, and redevelopment. This master plan is a “living document” that will evolve as the city grows, meaning revisions and improvements are possible before its full implementation. This study asks: Is eco-ableism present in Richmond 300: A Guide for Growth, and how could the City of Richmond address this issue?

Ableism refers to discrimination against individuals …

A Sustainable & Universal Redesign Of Hickory Hill Park In Richmond, Virginia, Ren Hollis, Cynthia Lin, Kira Miller, Jackson Nivera, Patrick O’Shea, Corinne Tsou, Hayston Wines

UROP Posters

Urban green spaces provide essential environmental, psychological, and physical benefits, yet access to these resources is often inequitable. Cities are increasingly vulnerable to climate change, highlighting the need for adaptive design. This study focuses on the redesign of Hickory Hill Park in Southside Richmond, selected through a combination of site suitability analysis and qualitative survey. The guiding research question is: How can a park in Richmond be designed to optimize environmental resilience, accessibility, and community benefits?

The selection of a research location and scope used a mixed-methods approach integrating spatial analysis, environmental assessment, and community engagement. A site suitability analysis …

East To West: Cultural Attitudes And The Perceptions Of Death, Hannah F. Ahmed

UROP Posters

Death is a universal human experience, but cultures teach people to interpret it in different ways. These interpretations influence how individuals understand dying, how they cope with loss, what support looks like, and what meaning death makes in their lives. Eastern, spiritual, and religious traditions emphasize death as a natural transition or return to divinity rather than an endpoint, and as something one must prepare for. In these contexts, people often grow up hearing stories, prayers, and teachings that situate death within a broader journey. Because of this, death becomes something familiar and speakable rather than distant or frightening (Naderi-Afif …

Provenance In The Book Lab Library, Regan Spangler

UROP Posters

For my Distinguished English Major project, I am designing and implementing a catalog of the books in the Book Lab (VCU Campus, Hibbs Hall room 408). This consists of three major components. One, I am compiling a digital catalog of the collection, including book title, author, editor(s), Library of Congress call number, and provenance (in other words, previous owners and users). Two, I am adding corresponding physical cards to each book. Both the digital catalog and the cards include all information previously stated. The third component includes research into provenance of the Book Lab collection. Using David Pearson’s Books as …

Land, Development, And Tribal Identity In India: The Heavy Engineering Corporation (Hec) And Tribal Land Acquisition, Nishka Malhotra, Anila Surin M.U.P., Niraj Verma Ph.D.

UROP Posters

Tribal land in Jharkhand, India, has been cultivated for generations by Adivasis, one of the largest aboriginal tribes of India. After India’s independence in 1947, the government-owned Heavy Engineering Corporation (HEC) was established as a tomb to the industrial development of a new India. Land for the massive project came from acquiring large tracts of Adivasi land. Even in cases where compensation was paid, the social and cultural costs borne by Adivasis far exceeded the land's market value. Our research (a) traces this history of how the discourse of modernization and development was used to justify dispossession of land; (b) …

The Importance Of Hippotherapy: Improving The Lives Of The Disabled Through Alternative Therapy, Jennifer N. Stapleton

UROP Posters

For centuries, horses have been suggested as “healers” and “helpers,” although it wasn’t until the 1900s that horseback riding was scientifically proven as a treatment and rehabilitation method. The exploitation of hippotherapy, the implementation of the three-dimensional pelvic movement stimulated by the oscillation and gait of the horse to combat symptoms of diseases and disorders, has since become a flourishing field of study, but one that is often overlooked. Benefits of hippotherapy often include increased motor neuron function, facilitating proper anatomical alignment, and reducing spasticity. This research analyzes the diverse and dynamic nature of treatment that hippotherapy facilitates, exploring the …