Digital Commons Network^™

Questioning The Accusation That Francois Duvalier Impersonated Baron Samedi, Tess Rosbarsky

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Historians, anthropologists, and journalists have all claimed that Haitian dictator Francois Duvalier modeled his personal style after the Vodou spirit, or Loa, Baron Samedi. Guarding the crossroads between life and death, Baron Samedi is a member of the Gede family, a group of vulgar and mischievous spirits who mock authority. The Baron wears a top hat, dark suits, and sunglasses with one lens popped out. Duvalier’s signature look also included a black suit and hat which he paired with his thick lens glasses. This research provides evidence against this claim holding that these stylistic choices could more easily be explained …

The Effects Of Bone Health And Variation On Saw Mark Signatures, Lily A. Ambrose, Richard A. Gonzalez

Research Day

Introduction

Bone health and structural variation are multifactorial. Population, environment, age, diet, and health influence the overall functional morphology of bone and its response to stressors. Reduced cortical porosity, trabecular thinning, and low bone mass are common indicators of age-related and pathological changes, affecting a significant portion of the population. Because of this, bones encountered in medicolegal investigations often differ from what is considered “normal.” The structural integrity of bone needs to be considered because density influences mechanical strength and response to external forces.

In criminal dismemberment cases, forensic scientists analyze saw marks to identify tool class and reconstruct events. …

The Cat, The Shoe, And The Bayonet: Kinship With Magically Concealed Items In A 19th Century Missoula Home, Logan E. Nickel

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

In 2016, UM faculty and students excavated a mummified cat, a girl's shoe, and a Civil War bayonet concealed within the structure of a late 19th century house. My research led me to discover that the intentional enclosure of certain objects considered to be magically protective into the walls or foundations of family dwellings is a longstanding practice found across the world, including in the northern European context from which the homeowners descended. Tracing the historical and archaeological record of so-called concealment or foundation rituals, I examined the continuities and changes in such practices from ancient northern European religions through …

Hope Among Venezuelan Migrants In Colombia, Chadrick Tyler D. Bailey Jr

Undergraduate Research Conference

This paper looks at how hope shows up in the lives of Venezuelan migrants living in Colombia. Because of ongoing political and economic problems in Venezuela, many people have been forced to leave their homes in search of safety and better opportunities. In Colombia, even though migrants may find more stability, they still face challenges like low wages, discrimination, and difficult living conditions. Despite all of this, hope continues to play an important role in how they move forward.

Rather than treating hope as just positive thinking, this paper shows how it is something people build through real-life experiences, culture, …

Representation And Placement Of Emerging Bilinguals In Gifted Education, Morgan Bailey

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

The underrepresentation of bilingual students and students from diverse cultural backgrounds in gifted education programs remains a persistent equity concern in the United States. As of 2021, 10% of public school students were emerging bilinguals, yet they comprise only 3% of gifted education classrooms (Serrano, 2019). This disparity highlights systemic barriers in identification and placement practices.

This presentation will provide a comprehensive review of research on gifted identification practices and their impact on emerging bilinguals, with the goal of promoting increased equity in education and improving understanding of how better practices can be implemented.

Sources include peer-reviewed journal articles from …

Benefits And Challenges Of The Use Of Narrative Texts In Linguistic Analysis, Logan J. Sites

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

In this presentation, I consider some benefits and issues of the use of narrative texts for linguistic research. The discussion is framed by the analysis of the Séliš-Ql̓ispé suffix -m based on narratives transcribed by Hans Vogt in 1937. The stories were recounted by One-Eyed Tom and translated into English for Vogt by Joe Abrahamson. The data in this presentation is taken from Camp 2007 and Ward 2008, two interlinearizations (morpheme by morpheme analyses) of several of the Vogt texts. The analysis of -m provides an opportunity to demonstrate the usefulness of narratives in linguistic work, as Camp (2007) and …

The Future, And History Of Uzbek-Kyrgyz Relations In Kyrgyzstan, Luke J. Jensen

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Kyrgyzstan was once hailed as Central Asia’s Island of Democracy, as one of the realms in which hope for a democratic post-Soviet world seemed brightest. Today Kyrgyzstan is near-forgotten, with next to no western media attention, significantly less economic support, and rampant internal problems. Kyrgyzstan today suffers from corruption, disastrous minority relations, and a generally high level of poverty. The focus of this paper is to examine how minority relations, primarily Uzbek-Kyrgyz, have deteriorated in Kyrgyzstan, and what can and should be done, politically, socially, and economically to help ease the tension in Kyrgyzstan. The primary points of focus for …

Military Medals And Fraternal Jewels Of America: Analysis, Care, And Cataloging, Anna Kropf

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

This project produced a guidebook focused on providing instructions on proper technique for laboratory analysis, collections management, and cataloging practices pertaining to American military medals and fraternal insignia. While fraternal phaleristics is relatively unstudied, military medals and awards have been extensively studied and are fairly common in museum collections. Both are important sources of historical information and thus should be treated with respect and handled with care. Fraternal and military insignia indicate membership or achievement within a social group and hold different meanings for different members of the public. Their conditions vary depending on various environmental factors including humidity, temperature, …

Hurc 2021 Program, James Huff

Ex Sapientia Loqui

The program for the 2021 inaugural session of Harding Undergraduate Research Conference (HURC), sponsored by the Harding Honors College and the Arkansas Eta chapter of Alpha Chi.

Igniting Actor Imagination Through Ignatian-Inspired Exercises And Praxis In Performance: Teaching Thea. 351 The Last Days Of Judas Iscariot, Maria Victoria Lingbanan

LMU Theses and Dissertations

This paper proposes an emerging approach to actor training that deepens imaginative engagement by integrating Ignatian Spirituality into theatrical practice. It argues that an Ignatian‑inspired method—The Imagination Exercises, rooted in the Spiritual Exercises in Daily Life (SEEL)—effectively enhances the actor’s capacity for empathy, character investment, and emotional truth. Drawing on scholarship in acting, performance studies, and Catholic spiritual tradition, the study outlines a step‑by‑step application of these exercises within an undergraduate acting course. The method is implemented through lecture, rehearsal, and performance labs, culminating in a staged reading of The Last Days of Judas Iscariot. The paper demonstrates how the …

The Intangible Nagpra, Trevor Reed

Maryland Law Review

No abstract provided.

Land Epistemic Ethic: Exploring The Complex Intersection Of Human Bodies, Land, And Identity In Middle Belt Nigeria Cosmologies, Fwangmun Oscar Danladi

International Journal on Responsibility

The Indigenous cosmologies of Nigeria’s Middle Belt emphasize the relationship between human bodies and the land, transcending Western epistemological binaries and revealing profound socio-religious insights into environmental responsibility. Practices such as the burial of newborns’ umbilical cords, often dismissed as animistic or fetishistic, embody a sacred connection to the land that emphasizes belonging rather than ownership. Using an autoethnographic approach, this study critically examines these cosmologies and identifies how the sacredness of land can serve as a repository of communal memory and potential. By reframing land not as a possession but as a relational entity, this research challenges dominant narratives …

The Citation Statement As Feminist Citational Praxis, Melissa Chomintra

Feminist Pedagogy

A key component of feminist information literacy and feminist research is the development of a citational praxis. One of the ways that students can foster their citational praxis is by writing a citation statement as part of their iterative research process. The purpose of this original teaching activity (OTA) is to teach students how to develop a citational praxis. The activity provides students with an introduction to citational praxis, the purpose of a citation statement, and the tools and strategies to implement it in their own research.

The Proceedings Of The International Civil Aviation English Association (2024) Conference, Malila Prado, Jennifer Roberts, Robert Fowler Jr., Capt. R. Alejandro (Alex) Perez, Alice Perez, Meng Ye, Eric Friginal, Yadan Luo, Amber Wanwen Wang, Haryani Hamzah, Ramsey Ferrer

International Civil Aviation English Association

It is with great honor that we present you with the proceedings of ICAEA 2024, which took place in Hong Kong SAR, China. ICAEA 2024 was hosted by The Polytechnic University of Hong Kong, or simply PolyU, led by Professor Eric Friginal. The conference brought together academics and practitioners, all to discuss the advancements in aviation English all over the world.

The papers in this volume reflect part of the rich discussions of the conference. Themed Research and Development in Aviation Communications: Practical Applications in Training and Assessment, the conference showcased keynotes, presentations, and workshops about the evolving field of …

No. 13, Archaeological Investigations At Kellytown (40wm10): A Fortified Late Mississippian Village In Middle Tennessee's Harpeth River Drainage, Davidson And Williamson Counties, Tennessee

TDOT Archaeology Publications

No abstract provided.

April 15, 2026 Faculty Senate Minutes, University Of South Carolina

Faculty Senate

No abstract provided.

Traditions Of Belief In The Supernatural By Latter Day Saints, Christopher H. Smith

Individual Item Submissions

No abstract provided.

Commonwealth Times 2026-04-15

Commonwealth Times, 1969-

No abstract provided.

Do Not Dismiss: How Community Is Built Through Kpop And Their Fandoms, Re Steinberg

Senior Seminars and Capstones

Fans of the music genre Kpop have been dismissed as juvenile or unimportant by some scholars and social commentators. Existing scholarship tends to focus on how the kpop fandom creates a space where the fans form groups amongst themselves, ex: dance cover groups, rather than how the fandoms influence individual motivations and benefits of participation. My aim with this study is to consider the effects that Kpop fandoms have on how fans identify and present themselves, feel a sense of belonging, and partake in the creative process. By using methods of oral history and content analysis of online social spaces, …

Mapping Serial Killer Life Pathways With Behavior Sequence Analysis, Morgann Lynn Brafford

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are known to influence criminal behavior in adulthood, their potential influence on serial killer actions has not been scrutinized. This study was an investigation of how ACEs might affect serial killer actions later in life. The trauma-control model provided a conceptual framework for the investigation. Marono et al.’s research featuring behavior sequence analysis (BSA) was broadened to examine the impact of psychological abuse, sexual abuse, physical abuse, violence against animals, head injury, and bullying serial killer behaviors like stalking or sexual assault. The participants were 364 anonymized male serial killers from the Radford/Florida Gulf Coast …

Angkringan Names In Semarang: A Linguistic Landscape Study, Nurul Maghfiroh, Suhandano Suhandano, Aprillia Firmonasari

Bahasa dan Seni: Jurnal Bahasa, Sastra, Seni, dan Pengajarannya

The article reveals the linguistic landscape study of angkringan names in Semarang City. It covers language preference, language inference, and language preservation on signages. Researchers collected 140 pictures of angkringan signages from 10 sub-districts of Semarang. Observation and interviews are also conducted to obtain comprehensive linguistic landscape data. Qualitative analysis indicates that there are two naming patterns: monolingual and bilingual. The monolingual analysis identifies that the most preferred language code is Javanese, followed by Indonesian, English, and Sanskrit. Meanwhile, in the bilingual pattern, the dominant language combination used is Indonesian-Javanese, followed by Javanese-English, Javanese-Indonesian, Javanese-Dutch, Sanskrit-English, and Sundanese-English. Meanwhile, angkringan …

Saltfish And Seedcake: Examining Fantasy Through Food Studies, Isabella Martins-Simonsen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2020 - Present

Although mundane and often overlooked in reality, in fantasy, food, like all other things, is entirely symbolic. Therefore, considering food closely when analyzing a fantasy text offers unique insights into the world being developed, the characters within that world, and the author’s own understanding of both the real and “secondary” world. In this paper, I consider the foods of Earthsea, Narnia, and Middle Earth to offer various perspectives on the worldbuilding and examine the implications of different foods in these well-known settings. For example, the tea served in Narnia creates a fantasy world that is more normal than the strange …

Tradition, Transition, & Identity: Models Of Masculinity In Marvel Superhero Films, Mikey Brown

INSPIRE Student Research and Engagement Conference

• Media & Film
  • Shapes cultural values, social expectations and ideas about identity
• Marvel Cinematic Universe
  • One of the most influential forces in todays pop culture (Johnson 2012)
• Masculinity & Adolescence
  • Adolescence use media to understand identity & social expectations

Missing Children: The Underrepresentation Of Youth In Mental Health Data, Sammie Mcdonald

INSPIRE Student Research and Engagement Conference

While research continues to grow, it is apparent that there are still gaps in knowledge. This research was inspired by my ongoing internship at Allen Child Protection Center, where I have seen children left behind for not recognizing an outdated radio during cognitive testing, as well as my experience as a fraternal twin with a 10 year diagnosis gap between me and my brother. This led me to investigate diagnostic disparities in children’s mental health data.

To better understand if children are experiencing mental health diagnosis disparities, I am analyzing 9 waves of data from the Substance Abuse and Mental …

State-Corporate Crime In Agricultural Markets: The Lynch Livestock Fraud Case, Leah Blaine

INSPIRE Student Research and Engagement Conference

• Livestock dealers connect farmers to markets
• Dealers control weighing and classification
• Farmers rely on dealer-reported measurements

Programs Agenda 4-14-26, Angela Brock

Programs Committee (PC)

No abstract provided.

Approved Programs 4-14-26, Angela Brock

Programs Committee (PC)

No abstract provided.

Front Matter

Texas A&M Law Review

Front Matter.

Ucc Agenda 4-14-26, Angela Brock

UCC Agendas/Minutes

No abstract provided.

Ucc Minutes 4-14-26, Angela Brock

UCC Agendas/Minutes

No abstract provided.