Youth Basketball Development Camp: Planning, Implementation, And Reflection, Jaden Ty Mathis

Whittier Scholars Program

Basketball has always been a huge part of my life, shaping who I am both on and off the court. As a senior at Whittier College and captain of the basketball team, I have experienced firsthand how powerful the game can be in teaching discipline, teamwork, and leadership. From a young age, I spent countless hours practicing, learning from my coaches, and growing as a teammate. Through these experiences, I learned that success does not happen overnight. It requires patience, consistency, and a willingness to work through challenges.

I was fortunate to have mentors who believed in me and pushed …

Carmen Manrique De Quintero: A Forgotten Legacy In Colombian Piano Music, Lina Maria Luisa Marín Diaz

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

This doctoral document investigates the life and piano works of Carmen Manrique de Quintero (1871–1931), a pivotal yet overlooked figure in Colombian music history. Positioned as a stylistic bridge between the nineteenth-century estética del salón [salon aesthetics] and the professionalization of the Colombian composer, Manrique de Quintero’s output represents a sophisticated synthesis of European forms and Colombian national rhythms. Despite her membership in the influential Garay artistic lineage and her prolific body of work, her legacy has suffered from editorial blurring, fragmented documentation, and systematic intellectual appropriation. Using a multidisciplinary approach of genealogical reconstruction and artistic archaeology, this study restores …

Global Comparison Of Radiation Safety And Patient Dose In Chest X-Ray Imaging: Practices In The Usa, Africa, And Asia, Khanh L. Ha, Kevin Tran, Ikhlas Musa

Research Methods Poster Session 2026

No abstract provided.

From Burnout To Resilience: Evidence-Based Strategies To Promote Nurse Well-Being, Rachell Nguyen

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

Purpose: To review and translate evidence-based interventions into practical strategies for promoting mental health, preventing burnout, and fostering resilience among nurses.

Background: Nurses are experiencing unprecedented challenges to mental health and well-being, calling for the systematic adoption of research-supported interventions to maintain the workforce and improve patient care outcomes.

Methods: A comprehensive review of evidence-based interventions was conducted across individual, interpersonal, and organizational levels, focusing on promoting nurses' mental health, preventing burnout, and building resilience.

Findings: Mental health promotion has strong empirical backing through mindfulness-based interventions, as shown by systematic reviews that consistently report reductions in stress and anxiety. Peer …

Caregiving For Older Adults: How The Child And Dependent Care Credit Could Help, Gabrielle Pepin, Yulya Truskinovsky

Upjohn Institute Policy and Research Briefs

No abstract provided.

Hospital-Acquired Pressure Injury Prevention Using A Care Bundle In A Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit, Sarah Dolick

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Project Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this quality improvement DNP project was to implement a preventative care bundle to reduce the number of hospital-acquired pressure injuries.Compliance with bundle elements was monitored through weekly bedside audits. HAPI data were collected for 12 weeks pre-intervention and 12 weeks post-intervention to evaluate outcomes. The project utilized Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles to refine implementation and address barriers in real time.

Background: The project was implemented in a 32-bed neuroscience intensive care unit in an academic center in the Texas Medical Center.

Results: After implementation of the care bundle, average HAPIs decreased from 4.6 per survey (pre-intervention) to …

Seeding Disease From The Gut: Glyphosate, Microbiome Disruption, And Parkinson’S Pathology, Paden Parisot, Sydney Boutros, Ty Naymik, Sabrina Wilson, Allie Higgins, Katie Hettel, Trevor Walker, Kaitlyn Carver

2026 Undergraduate Research Showcase

The use of agricultural pesticides and herbicides in the United States has increased steadily since the 1960s. Glyphosate, the most widely used herbicide globally, is the active ingredient in glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs) such as Roundup®. Emerging evidence suggests that GBHs may adversely affect human health by crossing the blood-brain barrier, increasing oxidative stress and genotoxicity, and disrupting reproductive processes. Chronic exposure to environmental toxicants, including pesticides, has also been associated with neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease (PD). Notably, higher PD mortality rates have been reported in regions with elevated GBH exposure. Early PD pathology is characterized by the accumulation …

Molecular Cloning And Bioinformatic Analysis Of S. Aureus Surface Antigens For Chimera Vaccine Development, Jack Wood, Ruben Ferreira Paiva, Micah David, Juliette Tinker

2026 Undergraduate Research Showcase

Staphylococcus aureus is a primary cause of bovine mastitis, which has significant agricultural and economic implications, affecting the health of cattle and dairy production globally. As antibiotic resistance increases, providing a preventive vaccine is essential to alleviate the economic burden and improve herd health. The goal of our research is to identify and clone immunogenic S. aureus genes that can serve as components of a future cholera toxin chimera subunit vaccine targeting S. aureus infections. The target genes, which encode potential surface antigens, were amplified by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and directionally ligated into a high-expression vector that will create …

Improving Interagency Processes Within The Idaho Child Fatality Review Taskforce, Carmela Lencioni, Paige Kunst, Hilary Hammerbolt

2026 Undergraduate Research Showcase

The Idaho Child Fatality Review Team (CFRT), established in 2013 under Executive Order No. 2012-03, brings together multidisciplinary experts to review deaths of children under age eighteen across Idaho. The team identifies recurring risk factors and informs strategies to prevent future fatalities. While CFRT is unique to Idaho, similar review teams operate nationwide as part of broader child safety efforts. The primary project goal was to examine child fatality patterns and conduct trend and geographic analyses using CFRT data. Qualitative case data were converted into a quantitative dataset, with risk factors coded as dichotomous variables. However, early assessment revealed substantial …

The Cultivating Of The American Mind: Challenging Misconceptions Of Gen Z Through Shared Values, Sailor Nelson

2026 Undergraduate Research Showcase

This study addresses growing misunderstandings across generational and cultural groups in an increasingly globalized world (e.g., Spencer, 2023; Kamal & Courtheyn, 2024). These divides are often reinforced by in-group/out-group mentalities and misconceptions surrounding values and behaviors. These misconceptions obscure shared foundations of meaning-making and illuminate persistent social disconnects between groups (i.e., generations, e.g., “The Coddling of the American Mind” by Haidt & Lukianoff, 2018). Drawing on “Southern theorizing” (Kamal, 2024), this project emphasizes the importance of attending to diverse knowledge systems and lived experiences to better understand how values are constructed and expressed.

Using thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006), …

Staff Education On Early Sepsis Recognition For Medical-Surgical Nurses In The Acute Care Setting, Nadine Nzenga Udom

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In this staff education project, I targeted early sepsis recognition and response among medical-surgical nurses. The practice gap at the site was nurses’ limited knowledge of sepsis indicators and screening tools, which contributed to delayed escalation of care. The practice-focused question guiding the project was “Does educating medical-surgical nurses on early sepsis recognition and response improve knowledge of early sepsis recognition and response?” I applied the analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation (ADDIE) and Johns Hopkins Evidence-Based Practice (JHEBP) models to design a structured sepsis education program for nursing staff. I searched for peer-reviewed literature via databases accessed through the …

The Effect Of Burnout On Intention To Resign Among Adult Protective Services Investigators, Derek Frank Wachter

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Adult Protective Services (APS) workers play a crucial role in providing care, support, and services to older and adult clients with special needs. There was a lack of empirical data on the long-term retention of APS investigators and on how burnout affects their intentions to resign. Departments consistently rely on a cycle of using newer, less experienced investigators who may not know about community and state services or department policies and procedures to connect clients. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine the relationship between personal, work-related, and client-related burnout and APS investigators’ intention to resign. Data …

Public Policy Design In Georgia Child Support And Fatherhood, Troy Gathers

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Child support policy in the United States has been widely studied as a method to ensure financial responsibility; however, existing research has identified concerns regarding enforcement practices and their disproportionate impact on African American noncustodial fathers in Georgia. Limited qualitative research examined how Georgia fathers experience and interprets these policies, creating a gap in understanding how policy implementation influences paternal engagement. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine how African American noncustodial fathers in Georgia perceived the child support process and to explore how modernization of enforcement policies might improve paternal engagement. Guided by policy feedback theory, this …

Perceptions Of Fourth-Year Undergraduate College Students With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder On Academic Success, Olympia Shante Jenkins

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem addressed through this study is the low graduation rate of students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) across the United States. Guided by Mezirow’s transformative learning theory, the purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the perceptions of fourth-year undergraduate college students with ADHD on the academic support or methods that contributed to their perseverance in college. For this basic qualitative design, semistructured interviews were conducted with 10 undergraduate college students who self-reported a diagnosis of ADHD and had successfully completed the first 3 years of their education. Through thematic analysis and open, inductive coding, the following …

Investigating The Relationship Amongst Nursing Students’ Academic Self-Efficacy And Mindfulness, Joshua Josey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Undergraduate nursing education presents ongoing challenges related to student stress and persistence, and the COVID-19 pandemic further complicated these existing challenges for many students and programs. In this quantitative, correlational, cross-sectional study, the relationships among state mindfulness, trait mindfulness, and academic self-efficacy in undergraduate nursing students were examined and whether state and trait mindfulness predicted academic self-efficacy was tested. Participants were recruited through nursing student Facebook groups and completed an anonymous SurveyMonkey questionnaire that included the State Mindfulness Scale, the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale, the Academic Behavioral Confidence Scale, and demographic items. Data were collected over 6 weeks ending August …

Performance-Based Budgeting Implementation Strategies For Improving Financial Performance, Waleed Ibrahim Alsyaegh

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The lack of effective strategies for allocating organizational financial resources can lead to adverse business outcomes. Business managers are concerned about the ineffective allocation of financial resources, as it can impede financial performance and sustainability.Grounded in stakeholder theory, the purpose of this qualitative single-case study was to explore the performance-based budgeting strategies that business managers use to sustain financial profitability. The participants were 10 business managers who oversee subsidiaries that successfully implemented performance-based budgeting.Data were collected through semistructured interviews and the review of organization documents. Through thematic analysis, four themes were identified: (a) traditional versus contemporary budgeting; (b) importance of …

Exploring The Experiences Of Faculty Members Educating Students Virtually Post-Covid-19, Raven Ashley Richardson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted higher education, requiring institutions to rapidly transition to virtual learning environments and leaving faculty to manage increased workloads, stress, and challenges related to instructional quality and student engagement. The problem in this study is traditional faculty continue to experience these challenges in the post pandemic academic landscape, with implications for faculty wellbeing and student success. The purpose of this qualitative generic study was to explore experiences of traditional college faculty members educating students while transitioning from in-person to virtual learning environments post-COVID-19. Guided by the ecological systems theory, multilevel influences on faculty experiences were examined. …

The Lived Experiences Of The Strong Black Woman Cultural Convention On Black Women Counselors’ Emotional Intelligence, Pranati Walker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Emotional intelligence (EI) is a critical competency for counselors due to the relational and emotionally demanding nature of counseling. Although existing literature explored EI among Black women broadly, limited research examined the experiences of Black women counselors (BWCs). This descriptive phenomenological study was guided by the philosophy of phenomenology and explored the lived experiences and impact of the SBW cultural convention on the EI of BWCs. The researcher explored the lived experiences of BWCs regarding the SBW cultural convention and its impact on emotional intelligence. Participant data from eight semi-structured interviews were collected. The participants identified as female gender identity, …

Women Veterans’ Experiences Applying For Veterans Affairs Compensation For Military Sexual Trauma-Related Ptsd, Bridget Strong

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Military sexual trauma (MST)—sexual harassment or assault during military service—is more common among women and is a leading cause of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Veterans Affairs (VA) disability for MST-related PTSD offers financial support, free healthcare, and validation, but women face barriers and uneven access to supports (veteran service organizations, trained advocates, trauma-informed clinicians), reducing their chances of favorable decisions. In this generic qualitative study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 purposively sampled women veterans representing diverse service eras, branches, and adjudication outcomes. Analysis was guided by feminist theory to shift focus from individual blame to structural factors, including how …

Assessing Visual Analysis Skills With Board Certified Behavior Analysts: A Replication And Extension, Daniella Fronte

Thesis Projects

Visual analysis of single-subject data is a necessary decision-making method in the field of behavior analysis. This analysis helps practitioners evaluate the efficacy of their interventions and informs subsequent decisions to complete, continue, modify, or discontinue an intervention. The purpose of this study was to assess behavior analysts’ visual analysis skills and to evaluate whether using a decision-making flowchart increases correct clinical decisions. Talk-aloud data were used to analyze errors in behavior analysts’ decision-making. Additionally, the extent to which participants rated the flowchart’s significance and effectiveness was assessed. Four of 16 participants reached mastery in the baseline phase without access …

Environmental Dna Barcoding For Non-Model Organisms: Challenges And Outcomes Of Developing Barcodes For Freshwater Mussels, Nicholas Duellman

Longwood Senior Theses

Freshwater mussels are a keystone species providing crucial ecosystem services and river composition resiliency. Globally, they remain one of the most imperiled invertebrate groups, facing threats of water quality declines and urban development. Traditional field sampling can often be laborious and ineffective in surveying rare species’ distributions. Anecdotal evidence suggests the presence of freshwater mussels within the Appomattox River; the specifics of population sizes and suitable habitat remains an open question. Environmental DNA (eDNA) usage in conservation ecology has increased dramatically within the past two decades, being a far less invasive and cost-demanding option than traditional surveys. In an effort …

Sex-Aware Genome-Wide Assessment Of De Novo Variants In Autism Across Coding And Noncoding Regions, Tychele N Turner

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) shows a consistent sex bias, yet how sex shapes de novo variant (DNV) risk across coding and noncoding sequence remains unclear. I analyzed DNVs in > 41,000 parent–child sequenced trios from three ASD family-based cohorts and compared DNV characteristics and enrichment patterns in males and females. Notably, these trios included individuals with ASD as well as those without ASD. I developed a new sex-aware DNV caller (HAT-FLEX) and thoroughly evaluated each candidate DNV using an additional tool introduced in this study, SNOW, to generate a high-confidence callset. RESULTS: I identified enrichment of missense and loss-of-function (LOF) …

The Role Of Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence In Crewed Mars Missions, Jordan Neuman

Student Publications and Presentations

The suggestion of implementing Artificial Intelligence (AI) in crewed missions to the Martian surface can revolutionize mission operations, psychological support, and ethical decision‑making under challenging conditions. This study is a structured, qualitative literature review of current AI research for the future of human space exploration. It uses publicly available peer‑reviewed journal articles and NASA/ESA technical reports on AI for Mars missions. Using Perplexity, the researcher first prompted the AI tool to identify recurring topics across these sources and generate themes. The researcher independently reviewed all sources to confirm and refine those themes. Three themes—mission autonomy, local resource utilization and life‑support, …

Preserving The Untold Stories: Leveraging Emerging Technologies (Ai And Machine Learning) For Archiving Hidden Histories Of Children And Families Impacted By The Little Rock School Integration Crisis, Oluseyi Noah Adebanjo

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis challenges the dominant narrative of the Little Rock School Integration Crisis by recovering the hidden histories of families and siblings who made integration possible but have been systematically overlooked by historians. While existing scholarship focuses on the Little Rock Nine as individual heroes, this research demonstrates that integration was fundamentally a family crisis requiring collective decision-making, economic sacrifice, and multigenerational support networks. Through close reading of published memoirs, newspaper clippings, school board minutes, and original oral history interviews with Phyllis Brown and Dr. Sybil Jordan Hampton, this study reveals how approximately 200 eligible families were systematically reduced to …

A Cross-Sectional Study To Explore Healthcare Providers’ Wellness: Current Challenges & Gut Health, Linda Liu, Simi Joseph

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

Background: Healthcare provider well-being is essential for high-quality patient care. However, stress, burnout, and demanding work environments negatively impact physical and mental health, including gut health. The gut-brain axis underscores the link between gastrointestinal function, stress, and well-being, yet limited research has explored gut health among healthcare professionals.

Purpose: This study assessed the prevalence of gastrointestinal symptoms among healthcare providers and examined associations with stress levels, clinical environment, and quality of life in acute and outpatient settings.

Framework: Guided by the Biopsychosocial Model, this research explored how biological, psychological, and social factors influence the well-being and gut health of healthcare …

Fostering A Healthy Academic Environment In Nursing Education, Donna M. Hedges

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

A healthy academic environment is foundational to the preparation of future nurses, the retention of faculty, and the overall success of nursing education programs. This presentation examines the multidimensional nature of a healthy academic environment, highlighting psychological safety, equity and inclusion, supportive infrastructure, academic integrity, and collaborative learning as critical elements. Drawing from relational-cultural theory and caring science, the presentation explores how these elements shape outcomes for students, faculty, and institutions. Common challenges—including incivility, limited resources, and faculty workload strain—are discussed alongside evidence-based strategies to foster resilience, collegiality, and organizational change. Implications for practice, policy, and research are identified, underscoring …

Integrating A3 Thinking To Drive Collaborative Clinical And Operational Improvements, Deltra Muoki, Sarah Fleming, Eliud Faz, Dan Hootman, Whitney Adams

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

Introduction: Delivering high-quality care and achieving optimal outcomes rely on efficient clinical processes. Continuous improvement enhances care (Endalamaw et al., 2024), and staff should identify evidence-based solutions to drive change.

At this 350-bed Magnet-recognized hospital, clinical and operational teams worked in silos despite shared goals. Clinical staff used gap analyses, while operational teams applied A3 problem-solving to determine whether issues required kaizen events or quick fixes. A3 supports root cause analysis, targeted interventions, and outcome evaluation (Brennan & Wendt, 2021).

However, no standardized process existed for submitting or tracking gap analyses or A3s. In Q1 2025, only two A3s and …

Systematic Review Of Multi-Level Determinants And Equity Implications Of Mode Of Birth In The U.S., Abdul-Manaf Mutaru, Cynthia Nicole Lebron, Wonsuk Yoo, Alexa Parra, Lunthita Duthely, Thomas Mike O'Shea, Hudson P. Santos Jr.

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

Background: Giving birth by surgical operation (cesarean birth) is linked to complications such as postpartum infection, rehospitalization, and respiratory issues in newborns. However, the cesarean rate remains high, accounting for 32.4% of all births in the United States (U.S.). Understanding the impact of factors beyond the individual level is crucial for developing interventions to reduce preventable cesarean births and promote health equity.

Purpose/Aim: This systematic review synthesized evidence from U.S.-based studies to identify factors beyond the maternal level that are associated with mode of birth (vaginal or cesarean).

Methods: We searched PubMed, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and CINAHL for studies …

Disparities In Policing Through The Lens Of Indigenous Communities In Michigan: A Research Proposal, Abigail Ruddle

Honors Theses

This study examines the historical and contemporary factors shaping relationships between Indigenous communities and law enforcement in the United States, with a specific focus on tribal nations in Michigan. Using a historical framework that includes treaty-making, forced removal, and evolving legal decisions, this research examines the use of treaties and diplomacy to initiate new socio-political structures in Native American communities. Similarly, the emergence of policing in the United States impacted the relationship between law enforcement and Indigenous communities by creating hostility and distrust. The existing literature highlights themes of police violence and the paradoxical nature of over-policing and under-policing in …

Anterior Cruciate Ligament (Acl) Injuries In Female Athletes: Implications For Prevention And Rehabilitation, Natalie Amm

Honors Theses

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are among the most common lower limb injuries and pose significant physical, psychological, and long-term functional challenges for athletes. Additionally, research has suggested that females are up to eight times more likely to experience an ACL injury than their male counterparts. This increased risk is multifactorial with risks including anatomical structure, neuromuscular control, strength deficits, and hormonal fluctuations. However, the elevated risk of ACL injuries in female athletes may not solely be caused by biological differences, but also due to training programs and sports being designed around male athletes. This pushes us to change the …