Digital Commons Network^™

Sapientia Ex Machina: Engaging Ai As A Meaning-Making Tool For Philosophical Practice, Austin M. Pritchett

SPARK Symposium Presentations

This paper sets out to examine whether a Large Language Model can serve as a genuine interlocutor in philosophical inquiry. With a grounding in the phenomenology of Maurice Merleau-Ponty, and in conversation with other works in philosophy on AI, language, and the mind, the author determines the extent to which an AI's contributions to conversation can be said to participate in understanding and meaning-making rather than merely simulate it, thereby making evident the extent to which it is useful in philosophical practice.

Cellular And Molecular Characterization Of Ube3a Function In Cic-Dux4 Sarcoma, Jesse D. Walker

Theses

CIC-DUX4 sarcoma (CDS) is a rare and extremely aggressive soft tissue sarcoma that primarily affects children and young adults. CDS is characterized by an oncogenic chromosomal translocation. Current treatments for CDS are similar to those in other sarcomas like surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. Treatments, however show that CDS responds poorly compared to other sarcomas, due to relapses of localized disease at high rates and short duration response of treatment, proving the importance of understanding CIC-DUX4’s complex role on how it regulates overall gene expression in CDS cells from a molecular approach.

UBE3A is a ubiquitin protein ligase that plays a …

How Q-Succeed-Cny Connects Local Residents To Emerging Semiconductor And Quantum Career Opportunities, Moamer Hasanovic

SyracuseCoE

This slide deck is from Professor Moamer Hasanovic's talk, "How Q-SUCCEED-CNY Connects Local Residents to Emerging Semiconductor and Quantum Career Opportunities," presented at SyracuseCoE's April 2026 Research & Technology Forum.

Foundations For Change: A Year-One Analysis Of Thinking Maps Professional Development In Secondary Education And Classroom Adoption, Tiffani Isaacson

Boise State Graduate Student Projects

Following two years of Thinking Maps professional development, educators at the secondary level have increasingly integrated them into instruction; leading to improvements in student engagement, organization and explanation of thinking. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of Thinking Maps professional development in enhancing instruction. Survey results showed that staff found the training beneficial and felt comfortable utilizing Thinking Maps. To support proficiency both the curriculum coach and teacher trainer provided weekly structured activities with video instruction that modeled implementation, reinforcing student understanding and increasing staff confidence. Thinking maps showed promising results as an instructional tool. with continued reinforcement they will further …

The Significance Of Vaccine Education In Vaccination Status, Emma Webb

Honors College Theses

In recent years, more of the general population of the United States has become skeptical about vaccines and overall vaccination numbers have declined. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, vaccines have become somewhat of a controversial topic due to varying opinions about the adverse reactions and effectiveness of vaccines. The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a correlation between a person’s overall knowledge of vaccinations and a person’s vaccination status by asking a series of questions about the science used in vaccines and identifying the participant’s vaccination status in regards to influenza and Covid-19. This study also asked …

Suds & Smiles: Empowering Confidence Through Hygiene Education, Yarkara Calhoun, Mikayla Cosby, Alona Johnson, Harmony Ware

Expo Student Presentations

2026 Spring Expo Poster Presentation

• Service-Learning

Applying Aba In Early Learning Classrooms: A Service-Learning Experience At Mitchell’S Place, Ligaya Gapud, Maria Hopkins

Expo Student Presentations

2026 Spring Expo Poster Presentation

• Service-Learning

Improving Interprofessional Communication: Efficient Huddles In Outpatient Care, Emily Holston, Kate Green, Alison Hernandez, Sarah Swatzell, Bela Patel, Cori O'Neal

Expo Student Presentations

2026 Spring Expo Poster Presentation

• Health Sciences & Health Professions

Gold & Blue Law Edition, Spring 2026, St. Mary's University - San Antonio, Texas

Gold & Blue Law Edition

This is the Spring 2026 edition of Gold & Blue Law Edition which is St. Mary's University's official School of Law publication.

Sacrifice And Survival: Encountering Colonialism And The Bounds Of Christian Humanitarianism In The Cherokee Nation From 1819-1833, Avery Maples

Kaplan Senior Essay Prize for Use of Library Special Collections

As Maggie Blackhawk illuminates in the 2023 foreword of the Harvard Law Review, the United States government has had free rein to legally subordinate Indian tribes throughout its history. As the first ever foreword to be written by a Native American woman, let alone on the topic of Indian borderland constitutionalism, Blackhawk explains the inextricable nature of federal Indian law from the development of American constitutional jurisprudence. This legacy of oppression has been intentionally crafted throughout nineteenth and twentieth-century litigation and forms the basis of federal Indian law. Supreme Court cases such as United States v. Kagama in 1886, Lone …

From “I” To “We”: A Computational Analysis Of Gen Z, Collective Identity, And Generational Discourse On Reddit, Andre Mccloud

IPHS 484: Senior Seminar

Throughout time, generational differences have been studied primarily through surveys and self-report measures. These methods capture what we think but tell us little about how generations communicate and express themselves. I conduct a different method of analysis in this study. Instead of asking generations what they think, I analyze how they naturally communicate. This is done by analyzing 4,972 Reddit posts across generation-specific subreddits: r/Over60 (Boomer), r/GenX, r/Millennials, and r/GenZ. No keywords are used in the collection, allowing for natural collection of topics occurring in the subreddits. The data is analyzed using five approaches: LDA topic modeling, VADER sentiment analysis, …

Classical Music Isn’T Dead: Audience Development And Marketing Strategies For The Mid-Sized American Orchestra, Rachel Ferrara

IPHS 484: Senior Seminar

The American symphony orchestra is widely perceived to be a dying institution. This research investigates that perception and finds that it is largely unsupported. Sector revenue is growing, new households are entering concert halls, and younger audiences are engaging with orchestral music at higher rates than previous generations. However, Americans rate symphonies the least welcoming of any cultural institution, and strategies widely adopted to address declining attendance have been shown to be ineffective as conversion tools. The problem lies in marketing and communication. This project synthesizes sector-wide research and case studies to identify which audience development strategies are supported by …

Hacking Human Attention: Ai Influencers Aspect-Based Sentiment Analysis And Behavioral Analytics, Ayesha Aslam

IPHS 484: Senior Seminar

AI influencers are hyper-realistic computer-generated models designed to look and behave like real social media influencers. This study uses Aspect-Based Sentiment Analysis (ABSA), qualitative content labeling, and quantitative regression modeling to analyze how AI influencers on Instagram generate audience engagement. User comments were classified into key aspects including Human Projection, AI Awareness, Controversy, Parasocial Attachment, and Exploitation/Spam, with each associated with positive, negative, or neutral sentiment. Post content types and caption strategies were structured into analyzable features, while engagement metrics including likes, comments, and engagement rate were examined across these categories. A linear regression model was used to estimate the …

Remove To Recruit: The Short-Term Efficacy Of Invasive Shrub Removal In A Minnesota Floodplain Forest, Claire S. Wiley

Biology Honors Projects

Within Midwest floodplain forests, there is a lack of long-term studies focusing on native tree recruitment post invasive shrub removal. With interacting threats such as emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis), invasive earthworms, and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), land managers need particular information about these ecosystems in order to better understand how to protect them. This study aims to explore the efficacy of the removal of Rhamnus cathartica and Lonicera spp. in promoting native tree recruitment within a Minnesota floodplain forest along the Mississippi River. Results revealed that post removal ash (Fraxinus spp.) seedling abundance …

Issue Iv: Sátya, Moby Yang, Patrick Van Hoven, Sofie Robinson, Emma Cohler, Konstandina Deleidi, Teneil Reddy

Sátya

No abstract provided.

Empowering Early Childhood Leaders: A Strength-Based And Ecological Approach To Leadership Development, Dora Sanders

PhD in Education

Professional development models for early childhood (EC) leaders are often generic and deficit-focused, overlooking their diverse strengths, contexts, and experiences. This study addressed that gap by exploring how EC leaders identify and leverage their strengths to enhance leadership effectiveness and how professional development can be differentiated to meet their unique needs. Using a qualitative phenomenological design, eight EC leaders representing varied educational backgrounds and community contexts were engaged. Semi-structured interviews captured their lived experiences, which were analyzed thematically through the lens of the strengths-ecological leadership framework designed by the researcher that integrated individualized professional development, strengths-based leadership, and ecological systems. …

Experiences That Influence Nurse Educators To Stay, Dana L. Crowder

PhD in Education

By 2030, the World Health Organization (WHO) predicts a worldwide RN shortage of nearly 5.7 million (Poole & Spies, 2022; WHO, 2024a). The need for more RNs necessitates the need for more students to graduate nursing programs; however, in 2024, almost 66,000 qualified applicants were not accepted into nursing programs because of limited space due to a shortage of nurse educators (AACN, 2024b; Welch et al., 2023). A nurse educator shortage exacerbates the national nursing shortage, ultimately decreasing the quality of patient care and positive patient health outcomes. The purpose of this phenomenological, qualitative study was to understand why nurse …

Empathy, Compassion Fatigue, And Resilience In Central Florida Firefighters And Ems Personnel, Lisa M. Correll

PhD in Education

The purpose of this nonexperimental quantitative study was to determine the relationship between empathy, compassion fatigue (CF), and resilience in firefighters and EMS personnel. Career firefighters and EMS personnel (N = 76) in Central Florida participated in an online survey that included demographic information, the Empathy Assessment Index, Professional Quality of Life Scale, and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale-10. Participants reported high perceptions of empathy (M = 4.11), resilience (M = 3.98), and quality of life (M = 3.28), but CF was perceived at low levels (M = 2.97). Empathy was not predictive of CF, indicating that overall empathy alone does …

How Leaders And Followers Make Meaning: Perceptions Of Spiritual Leadership And Organizational Culture, Joshua J. Yancey

PhD in Organizational Leadership

This dissertation was grounded in the premise that spiritual leadership behaviors significantly influence organizational culture within faith-based nonprofit organizations yet remain insufficiently understood as lived experiences across organizational levels. While prior scholarship has established theoretical links between spirituality, leadership, and organizational outcomes, fewer studies have examined how such leadership is perceived by both leaders and followers within real organizational contexts. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how spiritual leadership behaviors were experienced and interpreted in relation to organizational culture, mission alignment, morale, and work meaning within a faith-based nonprofit setting. Data were collected from fifteen participants …

A Mixed Methods Moderation Analysis Of Historical Trauma, Enculturation, And Drinking Among Southwest Indigenous Young Adults, Antonia M. Young

Psychology ETDs

Multicultural efforts to understand how enculturation could reduce alcohol-related harms among American Indian and Alaska Native and Mexican American young adults in the Southwest United States have been lacking. The present mixed methods study tested the cross-cultural applicability of Walters et al.’s (2002) Indigenist Stress-Coping Model, which suggests enculturation moderates the relationship between historical trauma and drinking, between these groups using moderated linear regression. Participants (N=120) completed an online survey with items from the Historical and Intergenerational Trauma Transmission Questionnaire (HITT-Q), the Vancouver Index of Acculturation (VIA) heritage subscale (i.e., enculturation), NIAAA’s 30-day drinking consumption questionnaire, and one …

The Digital Mesa, Elisha Allen, Dawn Davis, Eva Padilla, Olivia Torres Jojola, Sally Bowler-Hill, Dang Vu, Johnny Baker, Ryan Sishc, Agastya Vanapalli

The Digital Mesa

Stories and Innovation from the UNM Online, IDI (Institute of Design and Innovation), and IT Academic Technologies Teams.

Masthead

UC Law SF Journal on Gender and Justice

No abstract provided.

Policy Design, And The Repeal Of Ghana’S Emissions Levy Act: A Multiple Streams Framework Analysis, Anthony Amotoe-Bondzie

Collected Student Papers

Ghana’s 2023 Emissions Levy Act (Act 1112) imposed charges on large industrial emitters and vehicles, intending to internalize pollution costs and raise government revenue. This study applies to Kingdon’s Multiple Streams Framework (MSF) to explain the policy’s rapid repeal. Drawing on legislative texts, official reports, and media accounts, it categorizes influences into the problem (rising living costs), policy (design features), and politics (stakeholder mobilization) streams. Key findings reveal that the levy’s mixed design, a per-ton CO₂ fee on industry combined with a flat vehicle ownership tax, undermined its climate rationale and appeared more as a revenue grab. Implementation gaps exacerbated …

Research Day 2026 Program, Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School Of Medicine

Research Day

No abstract provided.

Closing The Loop In Sustainable Fashion: Recycling Textile Waste And Its Environmental, Social, And Consumer Impacts, Anthony Amotoe-Bondzie

Collected Student Papers

Fast fashion has intensified textile waste, emissions, and social inequities across global supply chains. This study examines sustainable fashion frameworks and the role of textile recycling in advancing circularity. It employes a qualitative integrative literature review synthesizing interdisciplinary research on waste streams, recycling technologies, policy instruments, and consumer behavior. However, advanced recycling technologies offer environmental benefits but remain limited in scale. Nonetheless, rising consumption offsets efficiency gains, while economic and behavioral barriers hinder systemic change. Technological innovation alone is insufficient; circular design, regulatory enforcement, and reduced overproduction are essential for sustainable transformation.

Law School Record, Vol. 72, No. 2 (Spring 2026), Law School Record Editors

Law School Record

• Message from the Dean
• A new program launches for public interest leadership
• Law-themed children’s books and games in the D’Angelo Law Library
• The Path To Legal Academia
• Climate in the Balance
• Asked & Answered
• Theory in Practice
• Three faculty members received distinguished professorships
• Students reflect on what they learned in the inaugural AI Lab
• Scenes from around the Law School
• Development News
• Development News: Alumna receives prestigious fellowship
• Recent Books by Alumni
• In Memoriam
• Giving Back: Sean Carney, ’90, and Mimi Gilligan JD/MBA, ’91

2026-04-01 Caudill Connection, Morehead State University. Caudill College Of Arts, Humanities And Social Sciences.

Caudill Connection

Caudill Connection newsletter for April of 2026.

Documents From The April 1, 2026 Meeting Of The Associated Students Of The University Of Montana (Asum), University Of Montana--Missoula. Associated Students

ASUM Governing Documents, 2019-present

Agenda and meeting minutes from the April 1, 2026 meeting of the Associated Students of the University of Montana (ASUM). The following resolutions were discussed and passed by roll-call vote:

SB19-25/26: Resolution Regarding Student Activity Fee

SB20-25/26: Resolution Regarding an Increase in the UC Fee

SB21-25/26: Resolution Amending ASUM Bylaws

Dipl 6801 Us Foreign Policy In Latin America And The Caribbean, Benjamin Goldfrank Phd

Diplomacy Syllabi

This seminar examines the major foreign policy doctrines applied by the United States in Latin America from the Monroe Doctrine through the Good Neighbor Policy and the Alliance for Progress until the recent agendas combining the “War on Terror” and “Free Trade” (and now the “Donroe” Doctrine?). We will ask questions such as how US policy is shaped, why it has changed over time, which policies are most effective in securing mutually beneficial relationships, and what the policy options are with regard to key issues such as trade, immigration, drugs, and democracy promotion. The seminar focuses on developing analytical, writing, …

Dipl 6311 Na Master's Research Project, Omer Gokcekus Ph.D.

Diplomacy Syllabi

This course provides students with the opportunity to conduct supervised research on a policy issue and to prepare a formal report. The report should contribute to the understanding of a policy issue and should include more in-depth analysis and research than a term paper in a graduate seminar course. Each report should include either analytical and/or quantitative analyses, whichever is/are the appropriate and necessary one(s). Students will have an option to work either on a pre-defined project or on their own projects after getting the instructor’s written approval.