Digital Commons Network^™

Spring Commencement: May 17, 2025, University Of North Dakota

UND Commencement Programs

UND Spring Commencement program from May 17, 2025.

Power Dynamics In Arctic Community And Citizen Science: Perspectives From Youth, Educators, And Scientists, Clement Sarah

Arctic and Northern Studies

Arctic research is shifting from a culture of scientist-driven inquiry and extractive relationships with Indigenous communities to a culture more conscious of local priorities and reciprocal research relationships. Today, Arctic research has dual goals of studying circumpolar issues through large-scale research and collaborating with local individuals and communities. The emergence of methods like community and citizen science (CCS), in which non-scientists participate in research, has risen in popularity to meet these priorities. The broad aims of CCS are to advance scientific understanding; aid decision-making; and support individual outcomes. I address the third aim by investigating three growing, yet understudied, groups …

Gothic Gender And Colonized Women: A Gothic Feminist Reading Of Women As The Subaltern In Evelina And Northanger Abbey, Abigail Chandler

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Evelina by Frances Burney and Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen are two woman-authored, Gothic texts that explore themes of feminism and coming of age as subaltern in a patriarchal context. The main character in each must enter the world and become disillusioned to the reality that they are treated as subhuman because they are women. The term subaltern refers to those living in the margins and their suppressed “potential for life and creativity, in given historical circumstances” (Pandey 4735), and primarily focuses on ethnic or racial oppression in postcolonial settings; however, this thesis explores the idea of women in patriarchal …

Assessing The Contribution Of Geography And Host Use To Genetic Structure In New York Populations Of The Parasitoid Wasp, Aphidius Ervi, Haley J. Plasman, David M. Althoff

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Host-associated differentiation (HAD) been proposed as a general mechanism for differentiation of many groups of parasitic organisms including plant-feeding insects and their natural enemies. In particular, parasitoid wasps that attack herbivorous insects have many life habits similar to other parasitic taxa, suggesting that HAD also may be important in differentiation. We tested for the population genetic signature of HAD in a parasitoid wasp, Aphidius ervi (Haliday), a biocontrol agent that uses many species of aphids throughout Europe, but is mainly limited to the clover and alfalfa host-races of the pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum (Harris) in North America. We assessed allelic …

Modeling Weasel Distributions In Ohio Using Novel Survey Methods, Tanner Hammond

Student Research and Creative Activity Expo

Using data collected from novel adapted-Hunt drift fence technique (AHDriFT) camera systems, we model the possible distribution of three understudied weasel species across Ohio.

Commencement [Program], May 16-17, 2025, University Of Northern Iowa

UNI Commencement Programs

Contents:

Board of Regents --- 2
Institutional Leadership --- 2
Ceremony Symbols & Traditions --- 3
Academic Honorary Organizations --- 4
University Ambassador Organizations --- 5
University Honors Program --- 6
Graduation with Honors --- 6
Legacy Graduates --- 6
Military Science --- 7
Merchant Scholarship --- 7
Outstanding Student Leader --- 7
Commencement Student Speakers --- 7
Purple and Old Gold Awards --- 8
Lux Service Award --- 9
7 p.m. Program --- 10
College of Social & Behavioral Sciences --- 11
Division of Online Education & Individual Studies --- 24
10 a.m. Program --- 27
College of Education …

University Of Nebraska At Omaha Commencement: May 2025, University Of Nebraska At Omaha

Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

El Presidio Hispano-Colonial: Estudio Del Discurso Moderno De Fortificación Del Imperio Español A Traves De Planos Y Mapas, Javier E. Astorga Villarroel Ph.D.

Latin American Studies ETDs

This dissertation project delves into the processes of ideation, design, projection, and knowledge-transfer around the Presidio, an iconoclastic fortification system deployed by the Spanish Empire while projecting its colonial power toward the Transatlantic region. Based on Bruno Latour’s classic theory on the agency of networks of meanings (also known as new materialism) applied to historical cartography, my investigation examines the production of techno-military knowledge around the presidios as they were depicted through plans, maps, and manuals while mapping out border areas over North America and the Caribbean, from the 17th to the 19th centuries. With archival research work performed at …

05-20-25 Bor Meeting Agenda, Patricia Serna

HSC Committee (A subcommittee of the UNM Board of Regents)

05-20-25 BOR Meeting Agenda

Generative Ai For Thematic Analysis In A Maternal Health Study: Coding Semistructured Interviews Using Large Language Models, Shan Qiao, Xingyu Fang, Junbo Wang, Ran Zhang, Xiaoming Li, Yuhao Kang

Faculty Publications

Study Objectives: The coding of semistructured interview transcripts is a critical step for thematic analysis of qualitative data. However, the coding process is often labor-intensive and time-consuming. The emergence of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) presents new opportunities to enhance the efficiency of qualitative coding. This study proposed a computational pipeline using GenAI to automatically extract themes from interview transcripts. Methods: Using transcripts from interviews conducted with maternity care providers in South Carolina, we leveraged ChatGPT for inductive coding to generate codes from interview transcripts without a predetermined coding scheme. Structured prompts were designed to instruct ChatGPT to generate and summarize …

The Connection Between An Unequitable Distribution Of Care Responsibilities And A Widening Gender Nutrition Gap In Latin America, Alexis Nicole Bodlak

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

The notion of care refers to activities that satisfy the basic needs of existence and reproduction. Within rural communities, care work such as the production and preparation of food contributes to food security at the household level. Care work supports the paid workforce, allowing workers to focus on commercial productive activities that generate economic income in rural communities. Women perform 6.3 to 29.5 more hours per week than men in unpaid care work, reducing their time for income-generating activities and personal nutrition management. Affecting their economic independence and ability to access and consume nutritious food. Studies show that in food-insecure …

Barriers Rural African American Mothers Experience Accessing Healthcare, Lovelia Dixon

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Walden University College of Psychology and Community Services This is to certify that the doctoral dissertation by Lovelia Latrese Dixon has been found to be complete and satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the review committee have been made. Review Committee Dr. Tracy Jackson, Committee Chairperson, Human Services Faculty Dr. Antoinette Pigatt, Committee Member, Human Services Faculty Chief Academic Officer and Provost Sue Subocz, Ph.D. Walden University 2025 The study examined the barriers African American mothers living in rural areas face when accessing healthcare due to lack of information, transportation, and affordability. Understanding the …

Inclusive Workforce Development For An Equitable Low-Carbon Transition, Shannon Sanchez-Youngman, Gabriel Pacyniak, Melanie Sayuri Sonntag, Addison Fulton

Natural Resources Journal

The shift to a low-carbon economy will require a massive build out of low-carbon technologies, which in turn will require millions of new laborers with specific skills. Similarly, the decline of fossil-fuel industries will require retraining and new job opportunities for laborers in these fields. At the same time, there is an emerging scholarly focus on a “just transition” to a low-carbon economy. This essay conceptualizes inclusive workforce development as a key component of a just transition. Inclusive workforce development promotes policies that reach and effectively serve the broadest possible range of people and communities. In particular, inclusive workforce development …

Water Governance And Water Futures In The United States And Australia, Robert Haskell Abrams

Natural Resources Journal

The world’s hydroclimate has become more extreme in the last several decades—a phenomenon described in technical terms as the loss of stationarity. Focusing particularly on the drought-induced stresses, this Article examines water governance in the American West and Australia seeking aspects in the laws, institutions, and approaches of each nation that could be adapted to advantage by the other in coping with the onset of reduced flows in major river basins—most prominently, the Colorado in the U.S. and the Murray-Darling in Australia. Significant similarities of history, settlement of arid regions, and legal systems abound. These include Anglo settlement bringing riparian …

Identity Development In Adolescent Females Through Mentorship, Kelly L. Jones

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

The goal of this project is to examine how identity is developed in adolescent females and how mentorship can play a role in this phase of life with the aim to achieve positive outcomes with the participation in a mentorship program. There are many different factors that play into how one’s identity is developed but the aim of this project integrates a variety of areas that research has found to be crucial. Additionally, approaching female adolescent identity development through a multicultural lens is imperative for those in the counseling field. Therefore, the need for this type of program created with …

Pedaling Toward Justice: Exploring The Role Of Community Advocacy In Shaping Bicycle Policy In Oakland., Claire Farrell Lowe

Master's Projects and Capstones

The way people move through a city fundamentally shapes their access to jobs, essential services, and economic and social opportunities. While Oakland’s bicycle infrastructure has improved over the past decade, vehicle-centric planning has historically sidelined cycling, creating mobility inequities. This thesis examines the role of community advocacy in advancing equitable bicycle planning and prioritizing cycling infrastructure as a core element of urban development. This thesis project follows the question: what role do advocacy groups play in addressing the gaps between the Oakland Bicycle Plan and its implementation? Through policy analysis, community engagement, and interviews with key informants from Bike East …

Translanguaging 101 For Adult Esol Teachers, Shae Green

Master's Projects and Capstones

Although translanguaging has gained recognition in K–12 education and research over the past decade, it remains largely underutilized in adult ESOL classrooms. This presentation introduces the concept of translanguaging and offers practical strategies for its implementation with adult learners, addressing a gap in both research and practice. Grounded in the theoretical framework of Community Cultural Wealth, this conference presentation challenges deficit narratives by affirming students’ linguistic and cultural knowledge as valuable classroom resources. Drawing on research that highlights the benefits of utilizing students' home languages for language acquisition and identity affirmation, this presentation equips educators with tools to foster more …

Assessing Climate Change Resilience Strategies In The Central American Coffee Industry, Calvin Saribay

Master's Projects and Capstones

Coffee is one of the most valuable commodities on the planet, responsible for a global annual income of over $200 billion. The longevity of the coffee industry is directly threatened by the adverse effects of climate change. This report evaluates various climate change resilience strategies used in the Central American coffee industry, including agroforestry farming methods, crop hybridization, and coffee-sector specific climate action programs. The assessment was done through a literature review of two opposite coffee farming methods, a case study of a prominent F1 hybrid coffee breeds, and a program analysis of a coffee-specific climate action program in Costa …

Who Owns The Wind: The Absence Of Community Wind Farms In California, Sky Berry-Weiss

Master's Projects and Capstones

Community ownership structures for wind farms have been around for decades, particularly in European countries, due to high socioeconomic benefits. Given these significant benefits, one might expect community wind to thrive in the United States—especially in a state like California, which prides itself on progressive climate policy and renewable energy leadership. Yet utility-scale community wind remains largely absent from research on California’s energy system, raising questions about its existence in the state. To pinpoint how many utility-scale community owned wind farms are in California, this study surveys every operational wind turbine in the state. After classifying each wind farm by …

Gis And The 1944 U.S.–Mexico Treaty: Rethinking Transboundary Governance Under Climate And Demographic Stress, Pedro L. Sarabia

Master's Theses

This thesis examines the structural limitations of the 1944 U.S.–Mexico Water Treaty in the context of intensifying climate stress and growing population demand. Using GIS-based raster analysis of precipitation from 1981 to 2024, it maps hydrological trends in treaty-bound basins—particularly the Rio Grande and Lower Colorado—which exhibit persistently low and variable precipitation. These conditions, coupled with institutional rigidity, threaten the sustainability of binational water management. In addition to quantitative analysis, the study includes a qualitative assessment of transboundary governance dynamics, highlighting how institutional fragmentation and policy contention impede adaptive responses. The Treaty’s current surface-water-only framework excludes groundwater management, real-time data …

Climate Shocks, Crop Yields, And School Enrollment In Rural Ethiopia, Mallika Matharu

Master's Theses

This study investigates how climate-induced shocks to agricultural productivity affect school enrollment in rural Ethiopia. Using five waves of panel data from the Ethiopia Living Standards Measurement Study (LSMS) and satellite-derived weather indicators, I estimate the causal effects of crop yields, specifically Teff, Sorghum, and Maize, on children’s school attendance. To address the endogeneity of agricultural output, I instrument crop yields with agro-climatic measures such as growing degree days (GDD), harmful degree days (HDD), and soil moisture during the Meher growing season. The main empirical strategy uses a two-stage instrumental variable approach with region and wave fixed effects. Results suggest …

The Long-Term Effect Of Universities On Local Technology, Dafina Rizvanolli

Master's Theses

This paper studies the long-term effects of universities on local economic complexity, contributing to new evidence on how higher education institutions shape local productive capabilities over time. While extensive research documents universities’ positive impact on development, fundamental questions remain about the mechanisms through which they operate. Our study employs the Economic Complexity Index (ECI), a measure that captures the diversity and ubiquity of regional economic structures, to provide novel insights into universities’ influence on local economies. Building on Andrews (2023), we exploit historical natural experiments in university site selection during the 19^th and 20^th centuries in the U.S. …

Building Community As A Christian Value: Exploring How A Private Catholic High School Fosters A Sense Of Belonging, Ruth M. Gomez

Master's Theses

This qualitative study explores the experiences of students of color at a private, predominantly White, Catholic high school. It analyzes how race influences how students feel a sense of belonging. The study focused on the sense of belonging at St. Rose Preparatory, a pseudonym for a Catholic, coeducational, and prestigious school in an affluent city in the Bay Area. The research is guided by three questions: (a) How do the institutional practices in a Private Catholic school impact how students of color (Black, Indigenous, LatinX, Asian, Pacific Islander) experience a sense of belonging that sustains students of color culture? To …

Decolonizing Education In The Post-Independent Madagascar By Utilizing Malagasy As The Primary Language Of Instruction In Schools, Patric R Razafimahafaly

Doctoral Dissertations

When the French colonial power structured the education system in Madagascar during colonization (1896-1960), they oriented it toward French needs and interests (Rosnes & Rakotoanosy, 2016). One of the relics of the French colonial influence that significantly affected Madagascar since its independence in 1960 is the choice of language of instruction in its domain of education. Even though Madagascar has its sole spoken and written language, “Malagasy,” that people use every day, it has decided to borrow French and utilize it as the language of instruction and administration for its people (Dahl, 2011; Rosie, 2012; McCaughey, 2020; Pirbay & Rosenboom, …

Cannabis Impacts On Native Lands: On The Need For Inclusion Of Native Perspectives In Extension Work, Jeremy Sorgen, Seth Larosa, Jennifer Sowerwine, Van Butsic, Peter Nelson, Melanie Mccavour, Shasta Gaughen, Anna Starkey

Journal of Extension

This article highlights the need for Cooperative Extension to increase awareness of Tribal concerns around activities that impact land, natural resources, and water. A research team at UC Berkeley worked with a Tribal Advisory Committee to conduct a survey of Tribal representatives’ perceptions of cannabis impacts on Native lands and cultural resources. The results show that there is widespread concern among Native communities about the environmental impacts of cannabis cultivation, especially to water quality, access, and availability. These concerns underscore the need to include Native communities in Extension’s agricultural and natural resource activities across all regions and sectors.

In Search Of Educational Justice: Lived Experiences Of Community College Presidents And Their Authentic Critical Leadership, Juan Felipe Arzola

Theses and Dissertations

There are several gaps in research related to the fields of study of community college leadership and its influence on shared governance discussions and decision-making. The purpose of the current study is to address the gap in the study of community college leadership and its influence on shared governance discussions and decision-making through a critical, intersectional investigation of authentic critical leadership and its potential to influence shared governance group discussions and decision-making in distinctively different ways than those advocated by mainstream leadership theories. Participants participated in semi-structured interviews and were observed in a shared governance group meeting to identify evidence …

An In Depth Examination Of Educational, Family, Economic, And Personal Determinants On Academic Performance, Engagement, And Stress: A Comprehensive Study Among Engineering Students, Oumaima Larif

Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the effects of family, education, economic, and personal factors on students’ decisions to pursue engineering as a profession and their long-term impact on performance as engineering students. We adopted a mixed-method approach, collecting data through surveys administered to undergraduate and graduate engineering students at Mississippi State University. The study results revealed that family, education, economic, and personal factors profoundly influence students' decisions to study engineering. We found that parental expectations, background information, and socioeconomic status, in conjunction with cultural norms, values, gender expectations, and religious beliefs, affect students. Additionally, this study identified gaps in the existing literature …

Best Practices In Community College Adult Education: Literature Review And Synthesis, Jon H. Lightsey

Theses and Dissertations

This study emphasizes the importance of adult education students and the critical lack of knowledge about promoting their success on satellite campuses in rural and low socioeconomic areas. This study aims to investigate best practices in adult education at community colleges to maintain the number of students enrolled until their program or training is completed. The high School Equivalency Diploma options include the GED, HiSET, and Competency-Based High School Equivalency Option. The results indicate adult education students might be more successful if they received the support services needed, such as counseling, tutoring, time management, and goal setting. This literature review …

Stakeholder Opinions On Design And Management Strategies At The Pharr Mounds Site, Lauryn Elizabeth Polito

Theses and Dissertations

The Pharr Mounds site along the Natchez Trace Parkway is a culturally significant burial location that is visited by thousands each year. This site is home to the remains of an ancient group of individuals that the current Chickasaw Nation are descended. To provide culturally sensitive management strategies, enhance visitor experience, and to analyze the perspectives of others on design solutions, a mixed-method approach including individual interviews and online surveys were used for three main stakeholder groups including members from the Chickasaw Nation, employees from the National Park service, and public site visitors. Questions addressed mound significance, site accessibility, interpretation, …

“Here For Everyone” (?): How Intimate Partner Violence Service Organizations Address Community Needs And Transgender Inclusion In The Deep South, Brian Tesch

Theses and Dissertations

Transgender individuals face disproportionately high rates of intimate partner violence (also known as IPV) when compared to other sociodemographic groups. Despite this prevalence, IPV service organizations in the Deep South (e.g., Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina), a region of the U.S. encompassing several rural communities and characterized by traditional gender norms and conservative Christian religious values, may have difficulties meeting the unique needs of transgender IPV survivors. This dissertation explores two key areas: (1) the perceptions of IPV service organization staff members in the Deep South concerning how their agencies assist members of the transgender community, and (2) …