Digital Commons Network^™

The Correlation Between Depression And Gendered Racism Among Black Women, Charmagne M. King

Dissertations

Black women face unique challenges related to intersecting racial and gender-based discrimination, often referred to as gendered racism. Previous research has indicated this form of oppression may significantly affect mental health, particularly depression. However, few studies have examined how gendered racism interacts with racial identity and demographic factors (e.g., age, marital status, geographical location) to predict depressive symptoms. Using a sample of 164 self-identified Black women, this study investigated the correlational relationship between gendered racism and depression among Black women and examined how gendered racism, racial identity, and key covariates (age, marital status, and geographical location) predict depressive symptomatology. The …

Understanding The Afghan Newcomer Experience From The Perspectives Of Teachers And Students, Elisabeth C. Trost

Dissertations

Newcomer English learners (ELs) often arrive in the United States having fled persecution, economic or political oppression, war, or natural disasters in their country of origin. They are new to the English language, new to the American school system, at times well into their educational journey, and sometimes have missed out on significant amounts of formal schooling. Many also carry trauma from the circumstances that forced them to leave their homes. Most schools are not fully equipped to welcome these students and their families into the learning community, nor are they prepared to address the unique challenges newcomer ELs face. …

Technology Infusion In Higher Education Curriculum: A Case Study Of The Strategic Educational Leadership Program, Chloe R. Kiser

Dissertations

This program evaluation examines the integration of technology-infused curricula in the Strategic Educational Leadership (SEDL) program at National Louis University (NLU). With the growing need for digital competence in educational leadership, especially highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic, the study used the International Society for Technology Education (ISTE) Standards for Education Leaders to guide recommendations for curriculum enhancement. A mixed-methods approach explored how faculty currently infuse technology, key outcomes of aligning with ISTE standards, essential digital skills for doctoral students, and challenges faculty face in implementation. Findings revealed a shared interest among faculty and students in practical, real-world technology applications. The …

A Phenomenological Qualitative Study Of Sense Of Community In An Inner-City Parochial School: Expanding The Seats At The Table., Mary Andree Darnall

Dissertations

St. Angela’s School is an elementary school in the Austin area of Chicago. This phenomenological qualitative study examined Sense of Community (SOC) at St. Angela’s, operationalized as “The feeling that St. Angela School is welcoming, psychologically and physically safe, that I matter, I am respected, and that I belong.” As an inner-city, parochial school, St. Angela’s has seen extensive changes in the neighborhood and the student population, both in ethnicity and enrollment. The last two principals requested a study of its SOC to identify solutions as diminished enrollment and teacher turnover have threatened its continued existence.

Thirty-three individuals …

Building Bridges: Union Efforts To Address Stress Among Educational Staff, Theodore Michael Hamilton

Dissertations

This mixed-methods study examines the relationship between administrative support and educator stress and burnout in a post-COVID unionized school district. Grounded in Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory, the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model, and the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping, the study surveyed 102 educational professionals and conducted semi-structured interviews with union delegates. Quantitative findings revealed that 75% of staff worked beyond contracted hours, and 63% assumed additional unpaid responsibilities. Lower levels of perceived administrative support were significantly correlated with higher burnout and greater intent to leave the profession. Qualitative thematic analysis identified key stressors, including inconsistent administrative communication, escalating student …

Empowering Educational Leaders: Enhancing Administrative Leaders’ Effectiveness Through Strategic Professional Development, Elizabeth Reed

Dissertations

This study analyzed the current state of professional development opportunities for administrative leaders across ten U.S. states. The research aimed to explore trends, perceived needs, and gaps in professional learning programs for educational administrators. The central research question guiding this study asked: How do administrative leaders perceive and experience existing professional development opportunities, and what areas require strategic improvement? A mixed methods approach was used, with survey data collected from administrative leaders serving in K–12 school settings. The survey instrument was designed to assess participants' perceptions of the relevance, effectiveness, and accessibility of their current professional development experiences. Data analysis …

Bridging The Gap: Exploring The Intersection Of Formal Mental Health Services And Informal Social Supports In Bipoc Communities, Patrice D. Patton-Campbell

Dissertations

Despite growing awareness of mental health disparities, BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) communities continue to face significant barriers in accessing culturally responsive mental health care. This dissertation explores the intersection between formal mental health services and informal social supports such as family, religious institutions, and community networks to understand which systems are more trusted, accessible, and effective for BIPOC individuals. Grounded in Urban Liberation Psychology and guided by decolonial and culturally responsive care frameworks, this qualitative study draws from focus groups and interviews with 33 participants, including both community members and service providers from the Chicagoland area and …

Narratives Of Latina Teacher Candidates On Subtractive Schooling Experiences And Their Language Identity, Joao Goebel

Dissertations

The subtractive nature of bilingual education in the United States has long impacted the language identities of Latinx students. Despite being raised in multilingual environments, many are schooled in systems that devalue their home languages and prioritize English-only instruction. This study explored how these dynamics influenced Latina teacher candidates’ perceptions of their own bilingualism and professional identities. The purpose of the study was to examine how Latina teacher candidates understood and constructed their language identities in the context of their K–12 and higher education experiences. The study used narrative research centered on four Latina teacher candidates enrolled in an undergraduate …

Traditional Institutions As Change Agents: Understanding Cultural Norms And Practices Promoting Gender-Based Violence In Nigerian Communities, Titilayo Ogunbambi

Dissertations

Traditional institutions in Nigerian communities hold a strong cultural foundation and significantly influence cultural norms and practices. Due to the increasing need for effective community-based approaches in addressing social and health problems on a global scale, we explore the attitudes and behaviors of traditional institutions as custodians of cultural customs and norms related to gender-based violence (GBV) and examine their potential role in ensuring community safety. By addressing harmful gendered norms and practices, traditional institutions could become key agents of change, promoting meaningful social transformations. This study explores the dynamics cultural norms and practices play in community safety, emphasizing the …

Land Access As Liberation: A Qualitative Study On Faith, Food, And Farming Of Urban And Rural Black Land Stewards In The United States, Dominique Edwards

Dissertations

Since 1920, Black farmers in the United States have held less than 2% of the nation's farmland, a direct result of race-based discriminatory policies embedded within federal, state, local, and county-level institutions (Daniel, 2013). Structural barriers—ranging from exclusionary lending practices by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to the systematic dispossession of land through legal loopholes, heirs’ property laws, and violent racial terror—have contributed to this staggering decline in Black land ownership (Gilbert et al., 2002). The erosion of Black agrarian landholdings intensified in the latter half of the 20th century, as government programs, civil rights legislation, and technological advancements, …

Imri Newsletter, June 2025, International Marian Research Institute

IMRI Newsletter

• Welcome from IMRI director
• Congratulations to Pope Leo XIV
• Marian Studies Spotlight: "Weaving Ways of Knowing Mary"
• "All Things Marian" podcast
• Announcement: Journal of the International Marian Research Institute
• Upcoming events
• Recent events
• Alumni news
• Marian Studies at the University of Dayton
• Recent IMRI publications and presentations
• Call for Marian Fellows
• Save the date: IMRI and IPI anniversary celebration

Drop Ceiling Inspection Robot, Kris Chon, Henry Fang, John Hoang, Kevin Zhang

Electrical and Computer Engineering Senior Theses

Electricians face significant health and safety hazards when inspecting drop ceilings, including exposure to dust, asbestos, and the risk of falls. To address these challenges, this project proposes a lightweight, autonomous robot capable of inspecting drop ceilings and assisting with wire tracing tasks—thereby distancing electricians from hazardous environments. The robot employs tread-based mobility to navigate fragile ceiling panels, integrated ultrasonic sensors and bumpers for obstacle avoidance, and an antenna system to detect and follow energized wire signals. Visual feedback is provided to the operator through a real-time video feed over a secure NoMachine interface, with manual and semi-autonomous operation modes …

“You Can Rise Back Up Again”: Using Photovoice To Understand Healing From Intimate Partner Violence Among Lgbtq+ Racial-Ethnic Minority College Students, Stephanie Lim

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a longstanding public health crisis that has been linked to deleterious mental and physical health issues and negative academic outcomes among college students. Further, IPV disproportionately affects LGBTQ+ individuals and certain racial-ethnic minority students. Campus services are not adequately meeting the needs of these survivors and these efforts would be better informed by centering students disproportionately affected by IPV. Guided by intersectionality and minority stress theories, the current photovoice study examined the strengths that fostered healing and the challenges that LGBTQ+ racial-ethnic minority survivors faced in their recovery journeys. Participants were eight LGBTQ+ racial-ethnic minority …

Dreamvisions+: Virtualizing Medieval Poetics In Multimedia Performance, Mac Waters

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

DreamVisions+ is a transdigital and transhistorical odyssey into the realm of fiction and truth, reality and virtuality. Rooted in the tradition of late medieval dream-vision poems—wherein religious or political allegories unfold through dreaming protagonists—DreamVisions+ stages a multimedia dream vision of the digital age, reading medieval dream visions as proto–virtual reality. Through the creation and analysis of DreamVisions+, a full-length solo multimedia performance, I synthesize live electroacoustic music, XR technologies, and 3D game environments with medieval textual and visual iconography to construct a porous, unstable dream world that collapses medieval and digital imaginaries.

Situating my work within broader political …

(Wp 2025-02) How Does The Fomc Form Forecasts? An Adaptive Learning Approach Utilizing Sep Data, Stephen J. Cole

Economics Working Papers

This paper examines how FOMC participants construct their Summary of Economic Projections (SEP) forecasts. FOMC expectations are assumed to contain two components: (1) an endogenous part that follows an adaptive learning model and (2) an exogenous part defined as sentiment (waves of optimism and/or pessimism). The results include key policy takeaways. The forecasts of FOMC members are responsive to new economic information. Their sentiment about future GDP growth and inflation also displays persistence and is correlated with each other. Moreover, FOMC participants rely more on their endogenous/learning model to form expectations. However, sentiment plays a larger role during and around …

Health And Wellbeing: A Report Of The 2022 U.S. Transgender Survey, A. Rastogi, L. Menard, G. H. Miller, W. Cole, Daniel Laurison, J. Caballero, S. Murano-Kinney, R. Heng-Lehtinen

Sociology & Anthropology Faculty Works

The 2022 U.S. Transgender Survey (USTS) is the largest survey that examines the experiences of transgender people in the United States. The National Center for Transgender Equality (now Advocates for Trans Equality) conducted the survey in the fall of 2022 and 92,329 binary and nonbinary transgender respondents from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and U.S. military bases took the survey. The USTS was an anonymous, online survey for transgender people ages 16 and older in the United States and was available in both English and Spanish. The 2022 survey followed the 2015 USTS …

Investigating Terrorist Use Of Improvised Explosive Devices In The United States: Evidence From Us Federal Court Cases, 2009 – 2024, Angie Benda, Austin C. Doctor

Political Science Faculty Publications

Terrorist use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) remains a persistent and evolving threat within the United States. Until now, few data collection and analysis efforts have focused on the systematic capture of terrorist bombing plots and attacks. Filling this evidence gap, this research note presents and analyses an original dataset of US federal charges associated with terrorism-related IED incidents in the United States observed from 2009 through 2024. The data features 110 related cases, the analysis of which indicates a sample peak in the use of IEDs in terrorist incidents occurred in 2024. Incidents are not siloed to a specific …

Pride And Joy: Nebraska History (Banners), Claire Du Laney Dunker, Haleigh Diltz

Pride and Joy: Nebraska History

Banners for the "Pride and Joy: Nebraska History" exhibit that explores the history of LGBTQIA2S+ communities throughout the state of Nebraska. LGBTQ+ individual and community histories are an important part of Nebraska and the nation. This traveling exhibit seeks to share evidence of community gatherings, activism, publications, organizations, and other important topics.

This history is more complex than can be expressed in a single exhibit. Communities continue to experience joy and sorrow, community engagement and turmoil, resilience and discrimination. This is not an exhaustive LGBTQIA2S+ history. At this time, no one has written that comprehensive history. There are more stories …

Quantifying Return On Controls In Llm Cybersecurity, Richard Helder Moulton

Masters Theses & Doctoral Dissertations

As large language models are increasingly deployed in real world systems, concerns about their security have grown. While these models demonstrate impressive fluency and utility, they are also susceptible to a variety of attacks, including prompt injection, data leakage, and adversarial manipulation. These vulnerabilities pose serious risks in high stakes environments where privacy, reliability, and trust are essential. Despite emerging efforts to document and mitigate such issues, a gap remains in the ability to systematically measure the effectiveness of proposed defenses in a quantifiable and reproducible manner.

This research addresses the question: how can security vulnerabilities in language model based …

Biofeedback For Upper Limb Bionics, Arissa Anaya, Adam Moger, Connor Bly, Theodore R. Hughes

Biomedical Engineering

The purpose of this document was to present a senior design project from Cal Poly sponsored by Matt Robinson at the Hanger Clinic in San Luis Obispo to provide biofeedback for users of upper limb protheses. This project focuses on individuals with trans-radial upper limb amputations, including patients with congenital limb deficiencies who use trans-radial prosthesis, who receive very little or no sensory feedback from their prosthetic device. This sensory feedback device was intended to be used as a training tool with a myo-electric hand-like upper limb prosthesis in a clinical setting. This document provides an overview of the different …

Single-Sided Hearing Assistance Application, Harryson Nguyen, Jp Haratani

Electrical Engineering

The product is a hearing assistance smartphone application which aims to improve the quality of life of people with single-sided hearing loss/deafness by providing them with a cheaper and more reliable alternative to medically-prescribed hearing aids. Due to development setbacks, the product instead uses open-ear earbuds. Since the earbuds are not directly inserted into the user’s ear canals, they will not obstruct the hearing of the user’s non-deaf ear, and the user will still be able to hear the sounds that come from their non-deaf side. Some users may find that Bluetooth earbuds can be quite expensive, but are ultimately …

Wireless Communication In Autonomous Vehicles, Ethan Paul Spalard, Alan Rubalcava, Jarnail Singh Sanghera

Electrical Engineering

This project focuses on building a realistic, standards based V2X communication platform using DSRC (IEEE 802.11p) to support future autonomous vehicle control research. The system is built around commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware, specifically the NXP i.MX 8XLite – V2X Evaluation Kit, which integrates an automotive-grade processor and the SAF5400 V2X modem to handle low-level DSRC transmission in the 5.9 GHz band.

We successfully completed the hardware bring-up, verified over-the-air communication between two nodes, and performed initial RF characterization using a spectrum analyzer. The SAF5400 was confirmed to operate on all seven DSRC channels (172–184), maintaining the correct 10 MHz bandwidth …

Piezoelectric Actuator Driver System, Daniel Hoefer

Electrical Engineering

This work presents the design, fabrication, and testing of a high-voltage piezoelectric actuator driver system purposed for integration into defense and aerospace precision motion control applications, particularly those in laser optics. The core challenge addressed was the mismatch between the standardized 28V DC power bus used in military systems and the significantly higher voltage requirements of piezoelectric actuators. Existing commercial drivers were evaluated and found unsuitable for field deployment due to inadequate ruggedness, excessive complexity, or power limitations. Consequently, a modular system architecture was designed featuring four independent driver channels, each using a high-voltage, high-current linear amplifier topology to scale …

Direction Finding From Aerial Platforms With Amateur Radio Arrays, Ben Duval Iii, Esteban Perez

Electrical Engineering

This senior project presents the development of a communication network designed to remotely control and program a distributed digital antenna array for autonomous synchronization and calibration. The system facilitates command transmission using a custom BPSK communication protocol operating in the UHF band (430–450 MHz) and employs a two-tone waveform to extract frequency, phase, and timing offsets between array nodes. These offsets are critical for aligning received signals in preparation for digital beamforming. The array comprises four nodes: three aerial units and one ground-based control unit. Each node is built using a LimeSDR Mini 2.0, Raspberry Pi, portable battery pack, and …

Mesh-Networked Uav Swarm: Experimental Leader-Follower Formation Control, Toma Grundler, Jack Ryan

Electrical Engineering

In recent years, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have demonstrated significant potential for multi-agent coordination applications, yet reliable formation control algorithms remain challenging to implement in real-world environments. This report presents the design, simulation, and hardware implementation of four leader-follower formation control strategies for UAV swarms. The implemented algorithms include a semi-rigid PI controller based on forward and lateral distance error, a hybrid PID controller utilizing mixed error signals with velocity and position feedback, a simplified velocity-based PID controller operating on individual coordinate components, and a GPS offset controller with direct positional control. MATLAB simulation validated controller performance in four different …

Framework For Multi-Agent Coordination And Distributed Localization In Micro-Uavs, Minwoo Park, Nikolas Tambornini

Electrical Engineering

Micro-UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) due to their inexpensive nature and compact form factor have shown an increase in prevalence throughout a multitude of applications including, but not limited to: search and rescue, military reconnaissance, and agriculture monitoring. However, for a majority of these high impact applications, a swarm of micro-UAVs are required and furthermore mandate that they are able to cooperatively and autonomously coordinate with each other. For long, controlling and communicating between a user and a singular micro-UAV has been a well known and solved problem, however the same can't be said for swarms of micro-UAVs. This project seeks …

Digital Drone Arrays: Two-Tone Communication, Armin Behbahani, Alejandro Martin Cosper, Landon Leroy John Foster, Mont Ziadoon Murad

Electrical Engineering

Over the last few years, there has been great interest in distributed antenna arrays. These arrays require each element to be precisely located and synchronized with each other in time, phase, and frequency. To this end, a drone-mounted, two-tone communication system was developed. It uses a transmit-retransmit-receive architecture, which obtains all of the necessary data required to compute and correct the phase, frequency, and time differences between each element while estimating distance. When integrated into a distributed array of drones, this two-tone communication system will be essential for reliable operation.

Test Equipment Automation And Remote Operation Curriculum Senior Project, Raheel Rehmatullah

Electrical Engineering

The goal of this project is to create new lab procedures and lab bench permutations for Cal Poly EE students to implement automated Test and Measurement equipment into their electrical engineering education. Currently EE students at Cal Poly have no classroom based opportunities to learn about leveraging software skills and test equipment knowledge in order to automate measurements, which is a valuable skill for an electrical engineer in the workforce. The curriculum outlined in this project will include three experiments, each leveraging an instrument controller, and Python as the primary scripting language. Each procedure will require students to write Python …

Autonomous Mapping Rover, Garrett Jones, Timothy Kyle Chu, Eugenio Caruso Pasos

Electrical Engineering

This report details the design, implementation, and evaluation of "Rovero," an autonomous mapping rover developed as a senior project. Rovero integrates state-of-the-art technologies, including ROS2 for communication, SLAM algorithms for mapping, and sensor fusion for accurate navigation. The project aimed to achieve robust autonomous operation in indoor environments, leveraging a combination of LiDAR, IMU, and encoder data for real-time decision-making. Key challenges addressed include path planning, obstacle avoidance, and integration of multiple sensor inputs. Results demonstrate successful mapping capabilities and efficient navigation performance.

Project Owl: Quad Rc2, Ethan Cy Zane

Electrical Engineering

Quad RC2 is a new radio designed to be compatible with the Cluster Duck Protocol (CDP). It must be able to act as all parts of the mesh network and be able to find its location with GPS. Much of the RC2 effort is already completed. This project ports the previously developed firmware to the new board and runs tests to assess its capabilities.