Digital Commons Network^™

Perceptions And Metaperceptions Of Bison In The West, Riley Rush Comstock

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Effective coexistence between wildlife populations and the people that live with them requires an understanding of how people feel toward the species and their management. Bison occupy a unique place in conservation history and management. Once extirpated across nearly all of their range and only recently introduced to areas outside of large tracts of federal land, they are now a jurisdictionally challenged species, with varying management paradigms across a patchwork of landowners and managers. Recent research has shown how activating different social identities can distort people’s attitudes toward species. Here, I explore whether activating urban and rural identities distorts people’s …

Supporting Data – T-3 Stream Stage And Streambed Well Data, Mclean County, Il, April 12, 2025 To November 1, 2025, Eric Wade Peterson, Eric Brunner

Faculty Publications - Geography, Geology, and the Environment

Between April 12, 2025, and November 1, 2025, observation wells at the T-3 site in central Illinois were monitored at an upstream and downstream site along the stream. A conductivity, depth, and pressure (CTD) sensor inside each well collected continuous in-situ measurements for the water column height (mm), the water temperature (°C), and the water conductance (mS/cm). The available dataset provides in-situ readings every 15-minutes from seven (7) locations: upstream stream, streambed, and shallow aquifer, downstream stream, streambed, and shallow aquifer, and Well 12, and provides the air temperature.

The Online Atlas Of Illinois: Teaching The Geography Of The Land Of Lincoln, John C. Kostelnick, Jill Freund Thomas, Amy M. Bloom

Faculty Publications - Geography, Geology, and the Environment

From the introduction:

The state atlas, with a variety of thematic and reference maps, has an established history within cartography in part due to the convenience of using political boundaries to organize map content for presentation to wide audiences. Several US states have produced state atlases to highlight their unique history, physical geography, and human geography (e.g., Meacham and Allan 2003). Such atlases may be designed for general map enthusiasts, and they may play an important role in the teaching of regional geography and key concepts that students may find more relatable when presented in a familiar geographic context.

Atomic Sameness: Static Placemaking And Nuclear Dynamism, Rex J. Rowley

Faculty Publications - Geography, Geology, and the Environment

Dozens of locations across the United States were impacted by the development and deployment of American atomic weapons. Some of these places continue to change along with the world around them. Other sites remain in intentionally static space. Using a cultural landscape approach, this paper analyzes two such places that represent two broad groups of static atomic landscapes: 1) atomic testing sites; and 2) remnant sites for containment of stored materials and byproducts from the processing and extraction for and scientific testing of atomic technology. Influencing the static nature of such landscapes is a combination of intentional government-led efforts to …

Law’S Limits: Abortion And The Social Determinants Of Health, Maya Manian

Scholarly Articles in Law Reviews & Journals

After Dobbs: How the Supreme Court Ended Roe but Not Abortion (“After Dobbs”) is a prescient and timely response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade and upended nearly five decades of constitutional protection for abortion. In this meticulously structured oral history, law professor David S. Cohen and sociologist Carole Joffe center the voices of abortion providers, clinic administrators, funders, and advocates from across the country. After Dobbs, not only documents the extraordinary persistence of abortion supporters in the face of legal devastation but also bears witness to …

Geographies Of Resistance: Pushing Back Against Neoliberalism From Chiapas To Atlanta (Episode 24), Miah Sciavi-Munoz, Mickey Mcguire, Eli Davies

OtterPod

No abstract provided.

Research Productivity On Obesity In The Arab World: A Bibliometric Analysis (2004–2023), Jamil Adnan Samkari, Ahamd Azam Malik

Saudi Medical Journal

Objective: To examine obesity research trends in Arab countries to inform policies and interventions. Methods: A bibliometric analysis was conducted using the Web of Science database accessed via King Abdulaziz University’s electronic library. Publications on obesity research in Arab countries from 2004 to 2023 were analyzed using R-Bibliometrix. Key parameters included publication volume, leading authors and institutions, funding sources, keyword co-occurrence networks, and collaboration patterns. Results: Obesity-related research output in Arab countries demonstrated consistent growth from 2004 to 2023, with a threefold increase in publications since 2015. Regional and international collaborations have intensified, although disparities in research productivity persist across …

Teacher Education For Religious Diversity In British Columbia: Policy Recommendations For Sikh And Chinese Mahayana Buddhist Inclusion, Ashton Kemper

Laurier Undergraduate Journal of the Arts

No abstract provided.

From Frontier To Folk: Changes In Canadian Identity Through Constructions Of Land In Canadian Crusoes And Anne Of Green Gables, Aibhlin Janicki-Zeballos

Laurier Undergraduate Journal of the Arts

No abstract provided.

Beyond Judicial Intent: The Agency Of The Defense Counsel In Ozawa’S And Thind’S Supreme Court Cases, Bret K. Luchs

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

This thesis seeks to examine how specific legal strategies by the defense counsel in Ozawa v. United States, 260 U.S. 178 (1922), and United States v. Bhagat Singh Thind, 261 U.S. 204 (1923), compelled the Supreme Court of the United States into a reactive and contradictory position. A re-examination of Ozawa and Thind delves deeper into the legal briefs and arguments made by Takao Ozawa and Bhagat Singh Thind, alongside their legal teams. These briefs, opinions of the court, past lower court cases, and personal statements by Ozawa and Thind demonstrate how they did not surrender to the confines of …

A Law Enforcement Paradigm For The New Form Of Money, Jim Harper

Journal of Law, Technology, & the Internet

Over the last two centuries, transfers of money have evolved from movements of tangible things to digital communications events. Over the last half-century, financial surveillance law has taken root. The product of the two trends is a comprehensive, global financial surveillance regime that has substantial costs in both dollar terms and in values such as privacy, free speech, and autonomy. Those costs appear to vastly outstrip the benefits of such surveillance. Along with its infirmity as policy, general financial surveillance stands on shaky constitutional ground in the United States. It impedes the full development of digital forms of money and …

Northeastern Illinois University, Academic Catalog 2026-2027, Northeastern Illinois University

Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

St. Peter’S And The Altar: An Exploration Of Its Transformation And Its Development As The Focal Point Of Sacred Space, Chloe Balkcom

2026 Research Poster Competition

This study explores the evolution of the high altar at St. Peter’s, tracing its history as a ritual focal point within the basilica. Rooted to being the presumed burial site of the Apostle Peter, the basilica served as a primary testing ground for the evolving relationship between altar, relic, and liturgy. Arguably, the altar's gradual formulation in its position from a movable object to a fixed structure, mirrors the actual Church’s broader effort to find its identity, authority, and ritual practice following the legalization of Christianity. Through architectural, material, and liturgical analysis across the centuries, the paper examines spatial consequences …

Broadcast Meteorology Minor, Communication And Journalism

Program Revisions/Additions

No abstract provided.

Human Geography Bs, Geology And Geography

Program Revisions/Additions

No abstract provided.

Gis Certficate, Geology And Geography

Program Revisions/Additions

No abstract provided.

A Preliminary Study On A Variant Recension Of De Excidio Troiae, Kailee Rowe

2026 Research Poster Competition

This undergraduate research is a work of textual criticism identifying and evaluating a variant redaction of Dares Phrygius' De excidio Troiae that originated and circulated in Britain and Wales during the High Middle Ages. De excidio Troiae is a Latin text ascribed to Dares Phrygius, purportedly a soldier who had written a firsthand account of the Trojan War. Since knowledge of Greek was rare in the West during the medieval period, this text became one of the prominent sources for learning about the Trojan war. I am looking to a redaction, or version, of the text that appears to have …

Stuck In The Middle?: A Design Project To Support Do Not Qualify (Dnq) And Other Struggling Students At The Elementary Level, Steven T. Hartnett, Kevin M. Parkinson, Whitney M. Wayman

Doctor of Education Capstones

This dissertation in practice is designed to support New Kent County Public Schools, which noticed an increase in students being referred for special education services without a concomitant increase in students being found eligible for such services. Systems mapping revealed a root cause of this discrepancy is that the division lacked a comprehensive intervention plan consistently implemented, and - as a result - some students were referred for special education services not due to the presence of a potential learning disability, but merely for lack of other available options. Using tenets from design thinking and design-based research, the project co-created …

The Ettrick Trail Town Guide: Trail Tourism As An Economic Revitalization Strategy, Dagny Oakley

Master of Urban and Regional Planning Capstone Projects

The Ettrick Trail Town Guide: Trail Tourism as an Economic Revitalization Strategy in Ettrick, Virginia provides context-specific strategies for the Ettrick community to utilize to capitalize on existing and future trail infrastructure. This plan outlines demographic trends, development patterns, and trail networks, and establishes actionable recommendations for transforming Ettrick into a trail hub. Utilizing the Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) framework, this plan focuses on existing strengths within the community as it pertains to trail tourism, and investigates how these assets can be capitalized on. Key recommendations include improving both physical and cultural connections to trails, adopting marketing and branding …

Restructuring Actor Training For Psychological Wellbeing, Caroline C. Byce

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis highlights the importance of performer mental health as it relates to performance pedagogy. Based on a comprehensive review of traditional western actor training methods, survey data, and interviews, this research proposes a framework through which educators, directors, and performers alike can acknowledge both the artistic value and psychological harm prevalent in many prominent acting techniques. The insights put forth by this thesis extend beyond theatre acting and into television and film acting respectively, culminating in a series of practical steps -transferrable to any medium - for implementing a restructured and more human-centered approach to classrooms, workshops, and rehearsal …

What Is School For? Interpreting Purpose And Practice In A Microschool Case Study, Cammie D. Justus-Smith

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines how one microschool interprets and enacts the purposes of schooling through a qualitative case study of Summit School, an Acton Academy affiliate in a mid-sized Southern city. Situated within broader debates about school choice and alternative education, the study explores how Summit’s vision, structures, and participant experiences illuminate enduring tensions in schooling: civic versus economic aims, public good versus private benefit, and innovation versus institutional continuity. Drawing on interviews, focus groups, observations, and school documents, the study treats Summit not as representative of microschools broadly, but as a bounded case through which larger questions about educational purpose …

Identifying Mobility Hub Suitability In The Mid-Sized United States Urban Area Using Weighted Overlay And Percentile Based Local Peak Analysis, Eric Asplund

Theses and Dissertations

IDENTIFYING MOBILITY HUB SUITABILITY IN THE MID-SIZED UNITED STATES URBAN AREA USING WEIGHTED OVERLAY AND PERCENTILE‑BASED LOCAL PEAK ANALYSIS

By Eric Asplund

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Urban and Regional Planning at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Virginia Commonwealth University, 2026.

Major Director: Dr. Ivan Suen, Ph. D., Associate Professor, Faculty of Urban and Regional Studies and Planning

Shared mobility hubs are increasingly posited in transportation planning as interventions supporting multimodality, sustainability, and equitable access, but guidance on evaluation of potential hub locations remains uneven, particularly in mid-sized United States cities where …

Within The Ruin: A Modern Brewery Rebirth, Karim Asarzadeh

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis project focuses on the revitalization of the historic ruins of the James River Steam Brewery in Richmond, Virginia. The project transforms the forgotten industrial structure into a modern brewery with a second-floor restaurant addition and community gathering spaces while preserving the historic masonry ruins. It showcases a holistic design approach that considers all aspects of the building, including its connection to the urban context and landscape, as well as its architecture, interiors, and furniture. The project demonstrates how a holistic design approach can create stronger spatial connections and more cohesive environments. In particular, it offers a strategy for …

The Effects Of Overwash On Barrier Island Evolution And Building A Barrier Island Measure Of Resistance, Beth Thomas

Theses and Dissertations

Barrier islands are critical for coastal communities, as they serve as a natural buffer against storm surge, waves, and the effects of rising sea levels, protecting life and property. These islands continuously evolve due to both normal and severe environmental conditions; global warming makes it increasingly difficult to predict the evolution of these islands due to increases in storm frequency and intensity. We present a cellular model of barrier island evolution consisting of biotic and abiotic processes including the effects of vegetation, wind, ocean currents, and gravity. The model is used to predict the future evolution of barrier islands off …

In-Between Echoes, Jiayi Liang

Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, I explore memory, diaspora, labor, and intergenerational trauma through constructed photography and experimental film. Informed by Homi K. Bhabha’s concept of the Third Space, I examine how identity is shaped through displacement, cultural negotiation, and inherited memory. Drawing from my relationship with my grandmother and my experience as a Chinese woman living in diaspora, I consider labor as both survival and care, tracing how domestic gestures and emotional structures continue across generations. Through collage, reconstruction, and animation, I rework fragments of family archives, colonial landscape imagery, and personal photographs to address grief, racialized perception, belonging, and the …

Embodied, Relational, And Rooted: A Social Work Portfolio, Deneen Pancari

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

This portfolio reflects my professional and personal growth over the past three years of the University of Montana!s (UM!s) Online Master of Social Work (MSW) Program and showcases my understanding of advanced social work competencies (University of Montana School of Social Work, n.d.). My background includes yoga facilitation and preschool education, where I developed a strong appreciation for early childhood development and mindfulness. I never imagined how this path would lead me into clinical work in eating disorder recovery, adolescent therapy, and somatic-based interventions, which focus on the connection between the mind and body. My MSW coursework and practicum experiences …

Exploring The Lived Experiences Of Families Of Students With Significant Disabilities In Accessing Community Transition Supports In Rural Settings, Michael David Green Jr.

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The transition process beyond high school can be daunting for students with disabilities and their families. Families often encounter difficulties accessing community-based supports after students leave the K–12 education system despite federal legislative mandates under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). Rural contexts further complicate the experience for families accessing adult services after high school. The current hermeneutic phenomenological study explored how families of students with significant disabilities experienced accessing community transition supports after leaving high school in rural contexts. Through the lens of van Manen’s hermeneutic phenomenology, the study explored …

Who Makes The Jury? Demographics And Decision-Making In The Jury Process., Ana B. Pons

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Within the American judicial system, juries have played a central role in promoting representation and fairness in the courtroom. However, limited information exists on whether prosecutorial decisions during jury selection, jury composition, or jury behavior differ based on the sex, race/ethnicity, type of case, political ideology, or geographic location of potential jurors. Following PRISMA guidelines, this scoping review synthesizes 48 peer-reviewed articles published between the 1940s and 2026 to examine whether prosecutorial decision-making and jury outcomes vary based on the sex, race/ethnicity, type of case, political ideology, or geographic location of potential jurors. Findings indicated that men are disproportionately selected …

Between Borders - The Realities Of Immigration Limbo, Jennifer C. Valenzuela

Honors Undergraduate Theses

In this research, I looked into different immigration pathways in the United States and determined different characteristics from those pathways that might be leading the Latino population into a limbo status. With the Latino population being the largest minority group in the United States, and the continuously growing number of Latino immigrants, I decided to do this research to spread awareness of possible barriers and struggles that Latinos might face when applying for an immigration pathway. I researched the different immigration pathways, focusing on Asylum, TPS, and Family Reunification, to understand the requirements that each requires to apply and the …

Intersectional Dynamics Of Race And Gender: Voting Behavior And The 2024 U.S. Presidential Election, Daniella Basdeo

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Presidential elections do more than choose a leader; they give us an inside look at how identity shapes voters’ choices. The 2024 election made this especially clear. Looking at Kamala Harris, who represents multiple underrepresented identities, we see a candidate who is not only a woman and a person of color, but specifically a woman of color running at the national level. This election is the first time we see several minority identities in a candidate in a presidential race, and what makes this unique is that, at the national level, it is much harder for candidates to be fully …