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Newsletter Fall 2026, University Libraries

Annual Reports & Newsletters

No abstract provided.

Expert Faculty Consensus-Based Development Of The Mindful Streamlining Self-Assessment Tool To Address Content Overload, Caroline A. R. Lindsay, Suzanne Galal, Deepti Vyas, Vista Khosraviani, Leslie Bayers

Academic Affairs Faculty and Staff Articles

Objective

Methods

Examining The Commonalities In Lived Experiences Of Performing Arts Students Who Have Faced Peer Victimization, Thomas Velisaris

University Honors Program Senior Projects

This study utilized a qualitative meta-analysis approach to determine commonalities in students who have experienced peer victimization due to their participation in a performing arts program. Accounts of peer victimization of performing arts students were gathered across multiple qualitative and mixed methods studies. These accounts were systematically analyzed, data were assigned codes, and sorted into metacategories. From those metacategories, common themes were created, including: 1) The performing arts are not cool, 2) The performing arts are for women, 3) The performing arts are gay, 4) Black artists receive backlash. The meta-analysis identified commonalities within these findings, including: peers attempting to …

Serenade In C, Chloë M. Robinson

AWE (A Woman’s Experience)

It was an abrupt event, and it deserves an abrupt introduction: I was seventeen years old when I survived a lightning strike. We were on a church camping trip with a large group that included my dad and younger sister. The first night at camp, over fifty teenagers played lawn games on a grassy field after dinner. It was drizzling on and off that day, and we were excited to take advantage of the momentarily clear skies. At about 7:45 p.m., I was under a tree with my dad, trying to set up a croquet set for everyone to use. …

Uab Libraries News, 08/09 2026, Uab Libraries

UAB Libraries News

No abstract provided.

Analyzing The Effects Of Biodegradable Plastic Fragments On Maize Development And Defense Signaling, Ulysses Hampton

Theses

As plastic use shifts from non-degradable to biodegradable materials, the effects of biodegradable plastic fragments on crop physiology remain unclear. This study investigated how biodegradable plastic fragments influence maize development, transpiration, and defense signaling. Among five plastic types tested, poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT), polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), polycaprolactone (PCL), polylactic acid (PLA), and thermoplastic starch (TPS). PBAT and TPS showed the most significant effects and were selected for further oxylipin analysis. Results indicate that biodegradable plastic fragments can alter oxylipin signaling pathways in subtle but meaningful ways, suggesting that these materials are not inherently risk-free alternatives to conventional plastics.

Investigating The Role Of Patient-Provider Interaction Quality And Illness Interference In Patients' Basic Psychological Need Fulfillment And Subjective Well-Being, Rebecca Erin Elwood

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Patient-provider communication occurs between patients and medical professionals. This type of communication is experienced by most U.S. adults yearly, and it can lead to positive health outcomes. The purpose of this study was to examine the role of this type of communication in patient’s lives overall. Specifically, the study considered if good quality patient-provider communication is associated with people feeling an overall sense of autonomy, competence, relatedness, and an overall positive experience of their life. It also considered how much symptoms or treatment of health issues impact people’s lives. Data in the study was collected through an online survey with …

Fibrous Protein Biomaterials: Characterization Of Solitary Bee Silk And Cocoons, And Development Of Recombinant Hagfish And Bee Silk Materials, Oran Wasserman

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This dissertation explores two complementary aspects of fibrous protein biomaterials: the characterization of understudied naturally occurring solitary bee silk and cocoons; and recombinant expression and biomaterial formation of recombinant hagfish intermediate filaments (rHIF) and a single Osmia lignaria Say (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae) silk protein. Some solitary bee species, which make up about 75% of all bee species, spin silk to construct protective cocoons during development. Despite the importance of silk and cocoons to the solitary bees' life history, their properties remain largely unexplored. This dissertation presents a novel method for isolating and testing individual silk fibers without interfering with the development …

Bpsou Grove Gulch Sedimentation Bay Draft Remedial Action Construction Completion Report (Ccr), Woodard & Curran

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Sustainable 3d Store Design On Consumer Online Shopping Behavior, Sophie G. Roussel

Apparel Merchandising and Product Development Undergraduate Honors Theses

Sustainability has become a significant factor in shaping consumer shopping habits. Companies are implementing 3D store designs to provide a more immersive and interactive experience. Further study is needed to investigate whether a sustainable, green-focused 3D storefront shifts consumers’ satisfaction with online shopping and their intention to buy products from a sustainable store. This study seeks to fill the research gap by examining how sustainable 3D store design influences consumer shopping behavior. Specifically, three distinct 3D store mockups were developed using Visual Retailing (VR) technology. The same number of visually appealing features, products, and store layouts was used to make …

Market Rate Survey & Narrow Cost Analysis: 2026 Worksheet, Nh Department Of Health And Human Services

New Hampshire Early Care and Education Research Consortium

Child care providers in New Hampshire can use this worksheet to gather the information they will need to complete the 2026 Market Rate Survey and Narrow Cost Analysis. Not all questions may be relevant to each program. All questions should be answered with information current as of September 15, 2026.

Bridging Animal Production And Human Nutrition: How Production Ecology Shapes The Nutritional Quality Of Terrestrial Animal Foods And Human Omega-3 Status, Joseph Vinod Varre

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

The question at the center of this dissertation is simple: does the way food is produced change the quality of the food itself in ways that matter for human health? Across a series of studies on bison meat, eggs, and human dietary intervention, the answer was yes. This work began with a broad look at the modern food system and the nutritional consequences of industrialized diets. In particular, it focused on the growing imbalance between omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids in the Western diet. This balance matters because omega-3 fats support heart, brain, and immune health, and diets high in …

Dbssnet: Dual-Branch Spectral-Spatial Network With Data-Driven And Knowledge-Guided Band Selection For Uav Hyperspectral Wheat Rust Detection, Subin Kim

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Wheat rust is a serious plant disease that can reduce crop yield and quality. In practice, the disease is often noticed only after visible symptoms appear, when some damage may already be difficult to reverse. This thesis studies whether drone-based imaging can help detect wheat rust earlier and more reliably in field environments. 

Unlike an ordinary color photograph, a hyperspectral image records reflected light at many narrow wavelengths. These measurements can reveal useful information about plant condition, but they are also high dimensional, noisy, and difficult to analyze when only a limited number of labeled field samples are available. To …

Nicotine Aerosol Self-Administration And Reward Potentiation: Using A Preclinical Model Of Vaping To Investigate The Stimulus-Enhancing Properties Of Nicotine, Kiernan T. Callister

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States and worldwide. Nicotine, the primary component of tobacco, is responsible for the addiction to tobacco and nicotine products, such as Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS). The widespread consumption of these products is motivated by several complex properties of nicotine, such as its ability to increase the rewarding value of stimuli in the environment. Although reward enhancement has been demonstrated via smoking and other forms of nicotine intake, it is unclear if these effects extend to electronic cigarettes. The present study used an animal model of …

Multispecies Weed Detection Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles And Deep Learning Object Detection Models In Utah Forage Crop Corn Field, Utsav Bhandari

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Weeds cost global agriculture over $32 billion annually and reduce crop yields by nearly one-third. Current weed control relies heavily on spraying herbicides uniformly across entire fields, leading to herbicide-resistant weeds, environmental harm, and increasing costs for farmers. A smarter approach is detecting weeds from the air and spraying only where they are present. This could dramatically reduce herbicide use while protecting crop yields. This thesis developed a complete system for identifying weeds in corn fields using drone-captured images and artificial intelligence. Working in commercial forage corn fields in Cache Valley, Utah, high-resolution aerial images were collected and used to …

Bees In The Trap: Leveraging Bumble Bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Bombus) Bycatch For Ecological And Genetic Insights, Tori L. Strausser

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Managers rely on insect monitoring traps to detect insect pests that harm crops and protect food and other agricultural production. However, these traps also capture non-target insects, including bumble bees, raising concerns about whether repeated trapping could harm pollinator populations. This thesis explores whether bees caught as non-targets, also called bycatch, in routine pest monitoring traps can be used to better understand bumble bee populations, and whether traps pose risks to their long-term persistence. Using bumble bees collected from pest surveillance traps placed in crop fields across Utah, this research examined seasonal patterns in body size, timing of capture, and …

Agronomic And Economic Evaluation Of Alternative Forage Crops Under Irrigation Technologies And Deficit Irrigation, Shikha Sharma

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Water is becoming more limited in the western United States, including Utah, so farmers need forage crops that can produce well while using less irrigation water. This study examined how different forage crops respond to reduced irrigation and different irrigation application methods, and whether some crops can provide better economic returns under limited water conditions.

Field studies were conducted at three Utah locations, Cedar City, Logan, and Vernal, from 2020 to 2024. The alternative forage crops included teff, sorghum-sudangrass (sudex), and forage rye. For economic comparison, conventional forage crops included alfalfa, corn, and three-way small grains. Four to five irrigation …

Three Essays In Discrete Choice Analysis: Valuation, Attention Level, And Spatial Heterogeneity, Marcelo Pignatari

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Understanding how people value food labels and environmental goods is essential for designing policies, incentives, and market mechanisms that improve the well-being of the population. In this study, we found that a local label indicating that fruit was produced in Utah makes Utahns value strawberries, gala apples, and dried tart cherries more. An organic label has a similar effect, which is especially strong for dried tart cherries. In contrast, a freshness label only increases value for fruits with a shorter shelf life, such as strawberries. We also found that people who chose to access clarifying information about what these labels …

Youth Agricultural Engagement And Its Association With Dietary Diversity, Household Food Insecurity, And Nutritional Status In Southwest Nigeria, Sherif Olasoji

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Youth remain underserved in nutrition research, policy, and programming despite being an integral part of the food systems. While the nutrition-sensitive agriculture framework has been established, there is limited evidence demonstrating how youth engagement in agriculture can serve as a pathway to improve nutritional outcomes. The study assessed youth agricultural engagement and its association with household dietary diversity, household food insecurity, and nutritional status in southwest Nigeria.

Using a cross-sectional design, data on socio-demographic characteristics, agricultural engagement, dietary diversity, household food insecurity, body mass index, and skin carotenoids were collected from 143 youth aged 15 to 35 from Ekiti, Osun, …

Sensitivity Analysis Of A Low-Power Wireless Capacitive Charging System To Inform Thermal Limitations And Battery Size Reduction Potential For Electric Passenger Vehicles, Karmen Teuscher

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

The purpose of using electric vehicles instead of internal combustion engine vehicles that burn gas is to reduce pollutants in the air and potential environmental impacts such as climate change. EVs produce much less air pollutants than ICEVs but manufacturing the EV batteries and the repeated recharging still contributes to the overall air pollution.

Capacitive power transfer systems can wirelessly charge vehicles through the road as they drive along highways or stop at traffic lights. If vehicles charge as they drive, an opportunity opens to reduce the size of the battery while maintaining the same driving range. Reducing the size …

Investigating Factors That Affect Students' Help-Seeking Strategies In A University-Level Foundational Mathematics Course, Randall I. Haws

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Quantitative literacy, or the ability to understand and use mathematical information, is an important skill developed in college. However, required math courses can be a major obstacle for many students, and those who struggle to complete them are more likely to leave school without earning a degree. Understanding why some students seek help while others do not is key to improving student success.

This study explores how students in a university-level foundational mathematics course (college algebra) seek help and what factors influence their use of available support services. A total of 118 students completed a survey about their help-seeking behaviors, …

Pesticide Dissipation In Agroecosystems – Exploring Pesticide Fate And Transport Mechanisms To Protect Alternative Pollinators, Calvin Luu

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Honey bees are the most well-known pollinators, but there exists thousands of other bee species that contribute to pollination; one such group of bees are the solitary bees. True to their namesake, solitary bees do not live in hives like honey bees. Some solitary bees, like alfalfa leafcutting bees (ALCB) and blue orchard bees, can pollinate crops more efficiently than honey bees. However, since they live solitary lives, pesticide exposure is much more harmful to their overall population. If one honey bee dies from pesticide exposure, the hive can still survive, and the queen bee will continue producing offspring. If …

Integrating Space Use And Demography To Support Management Of An Endangered Alpine Ungulate, Danielle J. Berger

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

The places animals choose to live affect the food they find, the dangers they face, and the weather conditions they experience. These experiences influence whether individual animals survive and reproduce, which in turn affects the size and health of animal populations. Although scientists have long believed that animal movements play an important role in population trends, there has been limited real-world evidence showing this connection. Advances in GPS tracking technology now allow researchers to follow animals over long periods and better understand how movement influences survival. Using 20 years of GPS tracking data from the endangered Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep …

Resilience, Hope, And Posttraumatic Growth Among Yazidi Refugees, Erin Elizabeth Larson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Although it has been more than a decade since the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) imposed genocide upon the Yazidi people, an ethnic minority indigenous to Kurdistan, research on the psychological health of this community is lacking. While traumatic experiences and the accumulation of stressors can overwhelm one’s capacity for resilience, making it especially difficult for refugees to adapt and recover from their experiences. Posttraumatic Growth Theory posits that individuals may overcome such challenges and even undergo positive life transformations. Data were collected from Yazidi young adults using an online survey and examined the associations between resilience, hope, …

"Building Something Great!": Fifth-Grade Teachers Nurturing Hope Through Professional Learning Communities – A Telling Case, Matthew H. Huffaker

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Teachers and educational leaders face numerous obstacles that can seem insurmountable but overcome through collaboration. “High-hope thinking provides a special advantage when we face obstacles in our goal attainment” (Snyder, 1994). Effective PLCs provide the fertile ground for teacher collaboration, influencing schoolwide communities and student learning (DuFour et al., 2016; Hord, 2004; van Es, 2012). Collaboratively identifying challenges and coming up with solutions with the support of others (what effective PLCs do) is an ideal setting for observing hope.

This study explored how hope is fostered among teachers during their weekly professional learning community meetings. Further, this study examined how …

Method Validation Of The Cdc Bottle Bioassay And A Historical Record Of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons In Glacier National Park, Evah F. Peard

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Certain contaminants can persist in the environment for long periods of time, build up within living tissues, travel far from their origin, and harm both ecosystems and organisms. This thesis focuses on two types of contaminants: insecticides and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Insecticides are manufactured to control pests while PAHs are found in oil and gas products and can be produced by industry, vehicle engines, and wildfires. Understanding how harmful these contaminants are and where they end up in the environment is critical for protecting environmental health.

First, I evaluated a widely used test developed by the Centers for Disease …

From Evidence To Impact: Supporting Sensemaking And Instructional Revision In Stem Classrooms, Bonni Jones

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Science and math literacy is crucial for informed citizenship and economic competitiveness, yet many students leave school without developing the critical thinking skills needed to understand and solve complex issues or pursue STEM careers. This disconnect often stems from traditional teaching methods that emphasize memorization and following steps over authentic reasoning and problem solving. This dissertation addresses this challenge by identifying how teachers in research studies have taught STEM in ways that develop students' ability to think, reason, and problem-solve like real scientists.

By analyzing research on instruction that incorporates modeling, inquiry, and sensemaking, and working directly with teachers, this …

Social Support As A Resource In Emerging Adulthood: Examining Siblings' Unique Potential, Leslie A. Page

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This dissertation consists of three studies that examined the influence of multiple relational processes and partners across adolescence and emerging adulthood. Drawing on family systems (Bowen, 1978; Cox & Paley, 1997) and social convoy (Antonucci et al., 2013) theories, social support was conceptualized as a relational dimension that shapes how close others function as resources during key developmental transitions. With this perspective, siblings were included as important, but relatively understudied, members of the social convoy who may provide enduring and flexible support that is extremely relevant for this population. In Study 1, support was treated as an outcome of longitudinal …

The Effects Of Psychological Stress On Gut Health In Mice Fed Either A Healthy Diet Or The Total Western Diet, David Keenan Thomas Prescott

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

The Total Western Diet (TWD), a rodent diet designed to model the typical American dietary pattern, has been shown to worsen inflammation and colitis severity in mice. Psychological stress has also been associated with increased intestinal inflammation, barrier dysfunction, and alterations to the gut microbiome. The goal of this study was to determine whether combining the TWD with psychological stress would further worsen colitis severity and alter the gut microbiome. To investigate this, mice were fed either a healthy control diet or the TWD and exposed to psychological stress using a social disruption stress model. Colitis was induced using established …

Impact Of Chronic Stress And Nutrition On Functional Connectivity And Neural Networks In Young Kichwa Children From The Ecuadorian Amazon Rainforest, Matthew L. Cook

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Early childhood is a critical period for brain development. Positive and negative experiences during this time can have lasting effects on learning, health, and well-being. However, most research on children’s brain development has been conducted in wealthy, industrialized nations, leaving important gaps in our understanding of how children develop in other cultural and environmental contexts.

This study examined brain development in Indigenous Kichwa children living in two rural communities in the Ecuadorian Amazon Rainforest. The goal was to better understand how chronic stress and nutrition may influence a child’s developing brain during early childhood. Children participated in noninvasive brain assessments …