Digital Commons Network^™

Online Technologies And Culturally Responsive Pedagogy Workshop Presentation Slides, Daniel Matishek

Open Educational Resources

The workshops address online technologies such as learning management systems, screen capture tools, communication tools, online teaching pedagogy, and online learning assessments. Additionally, through an emphasis on culturally responsive pedagogy, participants will explore how knowing students' values and experiences can be used to inform teaching, selecting curriculum content with students in mind, using student-centered teaching techniques, and creating a supportive environment online.

Rising Tides, Rising Solutions: A Maryland Program Proposal To Navigate The Flood Insurance Frontier, Renae Hee Eun Lee

Maryland Law Review Online

No abstract provided.

Ship Shaping: How Congress And Industry Influenced U.S. Naval Acquisitions From 1933-1938, Henry H. Carroll

Harvey M. Applebaum ’59 Award

Studying shipbuilding politics across time can yield key insights into present-day shipbuilding acquisition reform issues, such as the effects of naval industry consolidation and potential “ally-shoring” of warship production on domestic political support for future naval funding. Past studies of naval acquisitions during the late interwar period often focus on how President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the Navy Department prepared the nation for the beginning of World War II. However, Congress and the shipbuilding industry played an often-overlooked role in creating the political support needed to expand the Navy during the tumultuous late interwar period. Self-interested domestic interest groups were …

Surveyor: Scratching For A Wild Moon, Nina Grigg

Harvey M. Applebaum ’59 Award

At the dawn of the space race, neither the moon as a destination nor man’s physical presence there were foregone conclusions. In order to get to that all important "first step," NASA had to dissect the Moon as a romantic symbol into concrete ground that space boots could tread on. Identifying these sites on a terrain so uniquely hostile to human habitation required remote exploration mediated by totally encapsulating technology. However, in the attempts of scientists and engineers to objectively explore the lunar wilderness, they unintentionally transformed it into an extension of the urban landscape. Once only conceivable as a …

Music Education Within An Autism Support Classroom: Building Community And Educational Skills, Emma Lamberti

Honors Theses

The purpose of this action research study was to explore how music education might provide a sense of community, develop educational skills, and discuss general best practices for teaching students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in a middle school autism support classroom. To examine community, educational skills, and best practices, this study completed two cycles of action research. The curriculum in Cycle 1 consisted of typical music lessons for a general music classroom. Interviews with teachers and students, video observations, and researcher reflections after each lesson were used to inform the development of Cycle 2. Cycle 2 retained the overall …

Psychological Well-Being And Music Among Children, Elle Chrampanis

Honors Theses

The purpose of this instrumental case study was to explore how music supports kindergarteners’ well-being in an elementary music classroom through the lens of PERMA, a framework for well-being developed by Martin Seligman. PERMA stands for positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment. An additional goal was to see how applicable this framework was to kindergarteners. Accordingly, a five-week music program was developed and taught at a local elementary school. A typical elementary music curriculum was developed consisting of lessons that included a welcome song, a rhythm activity, a musical storybook, the sequential learning of a song, and a goodbye …

Campus Sexual Assault: Title Ix Regulations, Mandatory Reporting, And Minimization, Meghan E. Quinn

Honors Theses

Campus sexual assault (CSA) is an ongoing and rising crisis that affects many young adults in the United States. Although CSA rates have continued to rise, it is still an institutionally under-examined issue. One major factor that has aimed to reduce CSA within the campus environment is the increase in Title IX and mandatory reporting (MR) policies and regulations. Thanks to laws, like Title IX, the general population has become more educated and aware of sexual assault – even in the face of increased prevalence rates. Therefore, CSA research is necessary in order to get to the root of this …

Monitoring Aerosols With Time Resolution With A Rotating Drum Sampler Using La-Icpms For Elemental Analysis, John V. Piorkowski

Honors Theses

This thesis presents a comprehensive study on the characterization and application of a rotating drum sampler for air quality monitoring, with a focus on aerosol composition analysis using Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICPMS). The study aimed to determine (1) the cut-off points of the drum sampler to better understand its performance characteristics and (2) to investigate indoor air quality, specifically within makerspaces on Bucknell University’s campus. The research highlighted the novelty of applying LA-ICPMS for time-resolved aerosol composition analysis, demonstrating the potential for low-cost pollution concentration studies. The characterization experiments did not yield expected results, but the …

Understanding Para-Athlete Inclusion In Post-Secondary Athletics, Rayven J. Sample

Honors Theses

This qualitative study utilized thematic analysis of six interviews with elite Para-athletes who were currently enrolled at a four-year undergraduate institution and were actively competing or training in any Para-sport to understand inclusion of Para-athletes within the NCAA. This investigatory research sought to identify barriers present in the NCAA’s structure and advocate for positive change as more Para-athletes desire to access collegiate athletic resources due to increasingly higher standards of performance within Para-sport. Para-athletes discussed five key themes during interviews; “Disability Mindset” or the way athletes conceptualized their presence within the athletic environment; sources of education available to athletics staff …

Examining The Relationship Between Subclinical Borderline Personality Disorder And Social Support Networks, Gabriella D'Alicandro

Honors Theses

The purpose of my study was to investigate the relationship between subclinical Borderline Personality Disorder and social support in situational measures such as social provisions, network size, and network satisfaction as well as dispositional measures such as support seeking and socially supportive behaviors. I hypothesized that BPD scores would be negatively correlated with all dispositional support measures. I also predicted that in situational support measures, BPD would have a negative correlation. I hypothesized when confronted with romantic stressors participants would receive more support when confounded with the workplace stressors. Participants (N= 178; 146 women 28 men, 3 nonbinary individuals, and …

Exploring The Nexus Gender Equality And Economic Development In China: A Comparative Analysis, Hejie Liu

Honors Theses

This study will document the extent to which China continues to be affected by the influence of traditional gender norms, and the degree to which gender relations in China are changing in terms of culture, behavioral norms, labor force participation, and family structure. The study will also document the Chinese government’s family planning policy and marriage law that reflect traditional gender norms. In establishing the current state of gender equality in China, this study will assess the current and potential future impact of gender norms on economic growth and population growth. Subsequently, the Chinese experience will be contrasted with Japan …

The Populist Wave: Unpacking The Global Drivers Of 21st Century Right-Wing Populist Support, Ellie Fallon

Honors Theses

This thesis investigates the underlying causes of the global rise in right-wing populism support in the twenty-first century. I will examine both the origins of these shifts in public opinion and their consequences for political systems and global interactions. My analyses will take two forms: (1) a cross-national analysis of the rise in right-wing populism in 34 of the 38 member states of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to explore the demographic factors that exhibit a relationship with populist attitudes and (2) case studies of right-wing populism in the contemporary United States (with particular attention to former …

Big Data Visualization For Black Sigatoka Disease Of Bananas And Pathogen–Host Interactions (Phi) Of Other Plants, Soichiro Takashashi, Prasanna Rajbhandari, Richard S. Segall

Arkansas Biosciences Institute

Black sigatoka is a leaf spot disease affecting banana plants that has caused significant yield reductions of up to 50% (Arman et al., 2023). This research presents data visualizations of 8,761 data points related to black sigatoka in banana plants, encompassing attributes such as time, canopy temperature, and relative humidity. The paper also reviews related work, including the application of data mining to plant studies, the use of deep learning neural networks for plant disease data, and the use of machine learning for predicting crop yields and detecting disease. Additionally, it presents big data visualizations for 20,952 values obtained from …

Defending The Role Of A Principle Of Proportionality In Just Punishment, Emma Mecklenburg

Honors Theses

What makes a punishment just or unjust is a familiar topic that the public and scholars alike recognize as an important question. Many factors are involved in conversations surrounding the just length of sentences, but this paper will specifically investigate two central questions: First, what makes a punishment just, and second, what role does a principle of proportionality play in thinking about just punishment.

The Value Of Prison Education: Evaluating The Impact Of Education Through Desistance, Cheryl Chan

Honors Theses

The United States faces an epidemic of incarceration, draining resources, disrupting families, and hindering societal participation. Prison education emerges as a method to address this cycle, with vocational and academic programs being pivotal. While vocational programs are more common, their long-term efficacy remains uncertain. Academic education, exemplified by programs like the Bard Prison Initiative, provides incarcerated individuals with an opportunity to change. Typically, the success of these programs are measured using recidivism. However, recidivism has become too narrow of a measure to properly capture the nuances of an education. There has been an emerging body of scholarship studying desistance and …

Functionalized Gold Nanoparticles And Halogen Bond Interactions With Neonicotinoid Pesticides, Molly Mccuen “Mackey” Sherard

Honors Theses

Neonicotinoid (NN) pesticides have emerged globally as one of the most widely used agricultural tools for protecting crops from pest damage and boosting food production. Unfortunately, some NN compounds, such as extensively employed imidacloprid-based pesticides, have also been identified as likely endangering critical pollinating insects like honey bees. To this end, NN pesticides pose a potential threat to world food supplies. As more countries restrict or prohibit the use of NN pesticides, tools are needed to effectively and quickly identify the presence of NN compounds like imidacloprid on site (e.g., in storage areas on farms or pesticide distribution warehouses). This …

Diagnostic Utility Of Chest Radiographs In Children With Clinically Diagnosed Pneumonia As Per The Kenya Basic Paediatric Protocol, Ivy Waruguru Wakahora

Master of Medicine in Imaging and Diagnostic Radiology

Introduction; Pneumonia causes significant morbidity and mortality in children globally, emphasizing the need for accurate diagnosis. While chest radiographs have traditionally been the gold standard for diagnosis, recent international guidelines discourage their routine use in paediatric community acquired pneumonia (pCAP). Despite this, chest radiographs are still regularly acquired for pneumonia diagnosis, resulting in practice variations and imaging overutilization. This study aims to evaluate the diagnostic utility of chest radiographs in children with clinically diagnosed pneumonia as per the Kenya Basic Paediatric Protocol (KBPP).

Materials and methods: Data was retrospectively reviewed of 159 paediatric patients at Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi …

Should The Future Of Ais Conferences Be Hybrid?, Traci Carte, Matthew Nelson, Monica J. Garfield, Athanasia Pouloudi, Mani R. Subramani, Guillermo Rodríguez-Abitia, Souren Paul

Faculty Publications - Information Technology

Academic conferences provide a needed opportunity for academic community members to come together and share ideas. COVID-19 forced AIS to host conferences remotely for two years. From that experience, we learned a few things about virtualizing our conference activities including the potential for virtual conferences to widen participation and membership. In this paper, we reflect on that learning through a lens informed by reviewing published work on conference hybridization. We also make recommendations for how future conference chairs can think about AIS conferences. Changing how our conferences are delivered is risky, but simply returning to the old normal is also …

The Constitutionality Of The Privatization Of The Prison Industry, Eric Gallant

Student Works

No abstract provided.

“The Copyright Claims Board: Based On The First Six Months Of Claims, Are Early Trends Proving Proponents Or Opponents Correct?”, David J. Cassidy

Student Works

No abstract provided.

Nfts Are Confusing: Addressing The Likelihood Of Confusion Inquiry In The Nft Context, Nathan Glazer

Student Works

No abstract provided.

Ai Hacks For Educators, Kevin Yee, Laurie Uttich, Eric Main, Elizabeth Giltner

UCF Created OER Works

No abstract provided.

Out Of Hand: Why Federal Protection Of Biometric Privacy Is A Pressing Issue In U.S. Employment, Emily Harmon

Wyoming Law Review

The practice of using biometric identifiers such as fingerprints, facial recognition, and eye scans in place of usernames and passwords is becoming widespread in the workplace. Because of the lack of federal protection, employers may compel employees’ participation in biometric-enabled systems as a term of employment. A person’s biometric data cannot be replaced and is often linked to personal and financial accounts. Additionally, employers collecting biometric data often rely on third parties for information technology service and storage. Biometric data collection creates the potential for data breaches, for system malfunctions, and for third parties to learn additional information about the …

The Economic Impacts Of Digital Nomads In Medellin, Colombia, Bernadette Patricia Farmer

Honors Theses and Capstones

As a result of increasing internet accessibility and the rise in popularity and possibility of remote work following the COVID-19 pandemic, workers from advanced economies have applied the work-from-home routine while visiting different countries. These destination cities have lower living costs and remote workers can experience increased purchasing power and new cultures. To fully take advantage of their professional autonomy, these workers, known as digital nomads, stay in each international location for one to three months before traveling elsewhere – conveying their propensity for nomadism. Digital nomads (hereafter referred to as DNs) have economic impacts on their host cities in …

Thin Places: A Six Week Prayer Guide For Experiencing God In Your Everyday, Keith Riley

Doctor of Ministry

My NPO statement is that at Menlo Church, Menlo Park Campus there is a lack of applied knowledge for adults in how to listen to God. My ministry context is at Menlo Church which is a historic presbyterian church set in the highly educated and affluent town of Menlo Park, which is in the San Francisco Bay Area. I began working at Menlo Church in 2019 and found there was a general intellectual knowledge of prayer and spiritual formation. This intellectual knowledge of spiritual formation has been influenced by leadership of John Ortberg as senior pastor, and other voices such …

"Exceedingly Unpersuasive” - Discrimination, Transgender Students, And School Bathrooms, Mark Dorosin

Journal Publications

This Article is organized chronologically, in an effort to more effectively reflect the nearly identical fact patterns, timelines, and intersecting opinions of these cases. Part I provides the factual background of both cases. Part II summarizes the substantial preliminary litigation in Grimm; Part III examines the district court ruling in Adams; Part IV analyzes the summary judgment ruling in Grimm. Part V covers Adams’ first appellate ruling; Part VI discusses the Fourth Circuit’s ruling in Grimm three weeks later, and Part VII considers the aftermath of that decision. Parts VIII and IX explore the second panel ruling in Adams and …

Machines Make Mistakes Too: Planning For Ai Liability In Contracting, Mark Sayre, Kyle Glover

Journal of Law, Technology, & the Internet

Recent advances in artificial intelligence have set off a frenzy of commercial activity, with companies fearful that they may fall behind if they are unable to quickly incorporate the new technology into their products or their internal processes. At the same time, numerous scholars from the machine learning community have warned of the fundamental risks that uninhibited use of artificial intelligence poses to society. The question is not whether artificial intelligence will cause harm, but when, and how. The certainty of future harm necessitates that legal scholars and practitioners examine the liability implications of artificial intelligence. While this topic has …

Tiktok, Copyright, And Justice, Brittany Morris

Journal of Law, Technology, & the Internet

In 2019, the Copyright Office refused registration for two "dances" that were highly recognizable and traceable to specific individuals. The "Carlton" was refused because it is a "simple routine that is not registrable as a choreographic work." The "Milly Rock" was also refused registration on the same grounds. Epic Games was selling the dances as an add-on to its wildly popular video game, Fortnite, which primarily derives profits from microtransactions. The app TikTok is experiencing an analogous problem. In July 2021, Black Creators were on strike from the app.1 They alleged that the original dances they created for the app …

Telehealth In Reproductive Health Care: A New Frontier In The Fight For Abortion Access, Katie Corwin

City University of New York Law Review

The COVID-19 pandemic played a crucial role in establishing the use of telehealth in all aspects of health care with one huge exception: abortion. Conservative politicians often do not categorize abortion as health care, leading to a stark contrast in the treatment of reproductive health care, particularly in terms of telehealth availability. This Comment examines state laws relating to telehealth abortion, how lawmakers restrict access to abortion by attacking telehealth abortion, and the resulting legal uncertainty for patients and practitioners. The central argument of this Comment is that legally protecting and expanding telehealth is imperative for increasing access to reproductive …

Validating The Critical Teaching Behaviors Midterm Feedback Instrument For Enhanced Teaching Effectiveness And Student Engagement, Claudia Cornejo Happel, Chad Rohrbacher, Teha Cooks, Jenna Korentsides, Joseph R. Keebler, Carmen Van Ommen, Kimberly N. Williams, Lauren Barbeau

Publications

This study, conducted at a private STEM university in the Southeastern United States, presents a series of qualitative and quantitative data validating the Critical Teaching Behaviors Midterm Feedback Instrument (CTB-MFI). The instrument’s validity and reliability were tested through a mixed-methods approach involving faculty surveys, statistical analyses, and a student experience survey and focus groups. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) suggests that the CTB-MFI model has excellent fit across multiple indicators, as well as excellent convergent validity. However, low discriminant validity indicates possible correlations between categories of critical teaching behaviors. Data further show that faculty and students perceive the instrument as …