Digital Commons Network^™

Storytelling In Undergraduate Engineering Courses As Inclusive Curriculum: Improving Students’ Sense Of Belonging, Identity, And Persistence, Brooke Heller

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The engineering field experiences high attrition rates and a historical lack of diversity in the United States. Sense of belonging and identity have been shown to impact persistence, especially for people from historically marginalized communities. This three-paper dissertation is focused specifically on this phenomenon in academia and methods of contributing to improving and progressing conditions. To pivot to a new paradigm in which people from diverse backgrounds feel welcome and valued, there is a need for more inclusive practices in the field, particularly in the form of curriculum in academia. Inclusion has been shown to improve outcomes for students from …

Effects Of Sensor Separation On Flux Calculations In The Eddy Covariance Method., Maria D. Vergara Murillo

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Rice production contributes approximately 8% of global anthropogenic methane emissions. Methane (CH₄) is a powerful greenhouse gas with a global warming potential 28 times greater than carbon dioxide (CO₂) which makes it important to monitor for understanding and mitigating its contribution to climate change. The Eddy Covariance (EC) method is used to monitor greenhouse gas emissions such as CO₂, CH₄, etc. As part of the EC method, the instruments on the EC towers are used to record the gas concentrations in the atmosphere; these concentrations are then run in the EddyPro software …

Flowermd: A Flexible Library Of Organic Workflows And Extensible Recipes For Molecular Dynamics And Machine-Learned Coarse-Grained Simulations Of Isotropic And Anisotropic Systems, Marjan Albooyeh

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are essential tools for understanding and predicting material behavior at the atomic and molecular scale. While numerous open-source software packages exist for different stages of MD simulations, assembling a seamless, end-to-end workflow for complex multi-step simulations remains a significant challenge. In this work, we develop FlowerMD, a flexible and extensible Python-based software package that automates molecular simulation workflows, improving both reproducibility and ease of use.

FlowerMD provides modular components that simplify the end-to-end execution of MD workflows, from system initialization and force field application to simulation execution. It also automates multi-step simulation workflows through Recipes—predefined, modular …

Laboratory Earthquakes In Heterogeneous, Meter-Scale Faults: Collaborative Research With Utah State University, And University Of Texas At Austin, Srisharan Shreedharan

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

Optimizing The Peter Kiewit Institute Course Schedule Using Answer Set Programming, Joshua R. Gryzen

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

This project introduces a program that automates the process of minimizing conflict between classes that students are likely to take simultaneously at the Peter Kiewit Institute at the University of Nebraska Omaha using Answer Set Programming. The main objectives of this project are to encode the specifics of a schedule regulation for courses pertinent to computer science majors, identify critical conflicts between the courses in a given schedule, and propose an assignment of timeslots. More specifically, a scheduled section is assigned a new timeslot, which is a combination of days, start time, and end time, from the list of timeslots …

"Integrative" Vs "Integration": Stem Skills And Concept Development In 6th Grade Students, Kathryn Chain

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

As a whole, interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education in schools is on the rise at a national level, and it is widely recognized that the development of skills and concepts in science, technology, engineering, and math are not only beneficial to students, but are in fact necessities for future citizens of an increasingly global world (Kelley & Knowles, 2016.) Despite this increasing acceptance and awareness of the need for STEM literacy, there is a critical lack of guidelines on what STEM education actually entails and how to effectively integrate these concepts and skills into the educational …

A Future For The U.S. Department Of Education, Keith V. Allen

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

This thesis examines the persistent inequities within the U.S. public education system, particularly affecting low-income and underserved communities. Despite the founding mission of the U.S. Department of Education to ensure equitable access to quality education, systemic disparities continue to prevent millions of students from realizing their full potential. By exploring the Department’s historical evolution, this research highlights three critical areas undermining educational equity: unequal funding, an overreliance on standardized testing, and the lack of universal access to preschool and higher education. The thesis argues that equitable funding is not merely a financial issue, but a moral imperative—an investment in the …

Optimization And Personalization Of Fitness Routines Using Mathematical Models, Tyson M. Kerr

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

This project aims to develop a mathematical model for generating personalized workout plans tailored to individual fitness goals, preferences, and constraints. By leveraging optimization techniques such as linear programming and genetic algorithms, the model will address key questions, including how to maximize efficiency and consistency in workout plans and which methodologies are best suited for specific fitness objectives. The model involves data collection on user inputs and exercise attributes, defining objective functions for different goals, and integrating constraints like session duration. The implementation will utilize the Python library PuLP to prototype the model, alongside a user-friendly interface for input and …

Phoneme Recognition For Pronunciation Improvement, Matthew Heywood

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

This project aims to improve English pronunciation by investigating speech errors and developing a tool to provide precise feedback. The study focuses on creating a new pronunciation tool that offers localized feedback, identifies specific errors, and suggests corrective measures. By addressing the shortcomings of current methods, this research seeks to enhance pronunciation refinement.

Utilizing cutting-edge technology, the tool leverages speech-to-phoneme AI models and modified lazy string matching algorithms to compare the user's spoken input with the intended pronunciation. This allows for a detailed analysis of discrepancies, providing users actionable insights into their phonetic errors. The speech-to-phoneme AI models mark a …

The Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On The Curriculum Orientations Of High School Teachers, Matthew G. Howard

Education Doctorate Dissertations

Teacher beliefs, particularly about the aims of education, impact what they teach, how they teach, and how they assess learning. Understanding how those beliefs were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic offers insights about COVID’s long-term influence on education. This cross-sectional quantitative study utilized Eisner and Vallance’s (1974) curriculum orientations framework to examine the beliefs of high school teachers, as well as their perceived changes in belief after the pandemic. The study utilized the previously validated Survey of Curriculum Orientations (SCO) as an instrument. A total of 305 high school teachers from a large school district in a major metropolitan area …

Icylib: A Scalable Solution For Reproducible Image Classification Workflows, Leo Williams

Data Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

With the rapid expansion of e-commerce over time, ensuring the diversity and quality of product images has become a critical challenge infeasible for human completion. In conjunction with Walmart Global Tech for the Team 1 Data Science Practicum Project, image classification models were trained to assess product image sets, but training and deploying such models often involves repetitive code and inefficient processes. This thesis presents a reusable modeling library, named IcyLib, designed to streamline the training, validation, and testing of image classification models as well as dataset importation using PyTorch. IcyLib provides a structured yet flexible approach for model implementation, …

Extending Simulation-Enhanced Bayesian Optimization Of System Designs: A Computational Study, Luke Kim

Data Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

This honors thesis builds off work initially accepted for publication in the Proceedings of the 2025 IISE Annual Conference & Expo, which introduced “Simulation-Enhanced Bayesian Optimization” (SEBO)—a hybrid testing optimization approach that combined the usage of unbiased but costly physical experiments with the usage of cheaper but potentially biased computer experiments to optimize engineered systems. The original study established the SEBO methodology and demonstrated its effectiveness on a multimodal, two-dimensional benchmark function. Expanding on the work performed, we conduct a broader evaluation of the SEBO framework through parameter testing and experimentation under a variety of additional benchmark functions. This investigation …

Enhancing Product Image Classification: Utilizing Machine Learning Models For Retail Applications, Avery A. Thompson

Data Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

The expansion of e-commerce has continued at a blinding pace since the COVID-19 pandemic, and retailers are constantly looking for new ways to retain customers. Ensuring that diverse and well-classified images are on product pages has been a paramount method for retailers to ensure retention as they increase product engagement and sales and enhance user experience. Managing and labeling these vast catalogs of images by hand is becoming increasingly infeasible, so some online retailers have started to turn to automated classification models to assist them. Accuracy in these classification models is integral, as a good image classification model can improve …

Drainage Area Limitations Of Single Watershed, Peak Flow Estimates From Nrcs Methods, Timothy A. Maughan, Rollin H. Hotchkiss, Riley Hales

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

Most state Department of Transportation roadway design sections predict peak flow for culvert design using, amongst other approaches, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) TR-20 technology. Even though this technology is more than 50 years old, there are no clear guidelines for how large a single watershed drainage area may be while remaining appropriate for predicting peak discharge with this method. Our objective was to identify the drainage area where TR-20 peak flow predictions significantly deviate from flow frequency predictions. We developed flow frequency estimates for 130 small-area stream gage sites in rural Nebraska and compared the calculated return period discharges …

An Algebraic-Combinatorial Proof Of A Bézout-Type Inequality For Mixed Volumes Of Three-Dimensional Zonoids, Gennadiy Averkov, Ivan Soprunov

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications

We present a new algebraic-combinatorial approach to proving a Bézout-type inequality for zonoids in dimension three, which has recently been established by Fradelizi, Madiman, Meyer, and Zvavitch. Our approach hints at connections between inequalities for mixed volumes of zonoids and real algebra and matroid theory.

Becoming A Computer Scientist: Multimethods To Make Sense Of Professional Computer Scientist Identity Development, Tim Ransom

All Dissertations

Professional identity development is both a powerful pedagogical tool and an excellent indicator of overall life satisfaction for students.

This work investigates the experience of undergraduate students as they develop their professional identities into computer scientists. A multimethod research plan makes use of quantitative ethnography (QE) and interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) to understand the lived experiences of eight undergraduate computer science students professional computer scientist identity development and the messages social media presents about that professional identity.

First, a quantitative ethnography is conducted to investigate the expression of professional computer scientist identity in relevant online communities. This investigation into the …

A Comparative Analysis Of Nf-Κb1 Gene Regulatory Sequence Methylation In Normotensive And Hypertensive Kenyans, Aaryan Barlas Piracha

Honors Theses

Accounting for the majority of deaths worldwide, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) present the greatest health challenge of the twenty-first century. Specifically, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) exceed all other NCDs in annual deaths and especially affect low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Hypertension, being the primary risk factor for CVD, affects over 75% of adults in LMICs due to inadequate health care and preventative measures. Additionally, epigenetic modifications of DNA are important mechanisms that regulate gene expression; DNA methylation, in particular, affects cytosine residues in cytosine-phosphate-guanine (CpG) islands on regulatory sequences. Previous research in our laboratory analyzed percent methylation at 8 different CpG islands …

Effects Of The Gravity Gradient On The Path Of 1i/‘Oumuamua, Hannah R. Richardson

Honors Theses

In October 2017, the asteroid 1I/’Oumuamua first passed into viewing range [1]. The asteroid is notable for being the first interstellar object to enter the solar system. 1I/’Oumuamua was also unusual in its geometry; it is thought to have an aspect ratio of 6:1 and a length of approximately 400 m [2] [3]. The asteroid was observed to experience a non-Keplerian acceleration estimated to be on the order of 1⇥10−6 m s2 . Several theories have been proposed for the cause of this acceleration, all of which are non-gravitational in nature: volatile outgassing, photon pressure, and solar winds [1][4]. However, …

Composition And Rich/Lean Loading-Dependent Density Measurements Of A Series Of Aqueous Ionic Amines For Co2 Capture, Claudia Nguyen

Honors Theses

As climate change worsens worldwide, there is a drive to develop more efficient and sustainable methods to mitigate its impact through carbon capture methods like carbon dioxide scrubbing. Carbon scrubbing directly captures carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from industries or power plants before they are released into the environment. The CO2 captured can be utilized for various applications or can be stored underground. However, this method faces numerous challenges, such as the degradation of the solvent or corrosion of equipment. As a result, research has expanded to find a better medium to overcome these issues. In particular, aqueous ionic amines (AIA) …

Comparative Analysis Of Classical And Machine Learning Pathfinding Approaches, Miguel Gapud

Honors Theses

Pathfinding is an essential task for any autonomous robot. Graph-based classical pathfinding algorithms and machine learning approaches have both been used for this end, but they are often not compared against each other. An implementation of end-to-end (E2E) pathfinding using Proximal Policy Optimization (PPO) and an Alexnet architecture is compared against an implementation of Hybrid A*. A digital twin in Unity3D is used as the testing environment with the Clearpath Dingo as the pathfinding robot. In machine learning, the robot is controlled using PPO through ROS-Noetic with a camera as its sensor. Hybrid A* and its controls are implemented directly …

Toujours Beaucoup: Representations Of Childhood And Education In 20th Century French Literature And Cinema, Delaney Drury

Honors Theses

The Third Republic’s reforms established France’s public education system on several foundational ideals: upholding republican values, resisting autocratic authorities, promoting critical thinking, and promoting personal liberty and freedom of thought. This project explores French literature and cinema with significant representations of education for the purpose of examining to what extent such ideals are upheld or undermined in their portrayals of education. Such an examination of French education and its underlying values is significant in such a time in history when France is experiencing a “contemporary crisis of republican schooling” (Sachs 179). Alongside the historical significance of such studies, the more …

Toxicity And Biodegradability Of Novel Boronium Vs Conventional Ammonium-Based Antimicrobial Compounds In Wastewater Treatment Systems, Noor Shalan

Honors Theses

Quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) are highly effective as disinfectants, herbicides, and pesticides; thus, overuse causes elevated levels of residual toxicity in domestic and industrial wastewater. QACs can be toxic to essential bacteria breaking down pollutants in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and can remain untreated in effluent, harming the environment, and contributing to antibiotic resistance, posing risks to human health. Novel boronium-based antimicrobial compounds have demonstrated efficacy in eliminating bacteria, fungi, and viruses. If the boronium compounds exhibit lower residual toxicity, they could offer a promising alternative to QACs. Because these compounds are still in development, their potential toxicity to the …

The Search For Slow Particles And Magnetic Monopoles With Nova, John Clark

Honors Theses

Singular magnetic poles, north or south, have been theorized to exist for hundreds of years. In the modern day, the elusive singular magnetic pole still remains undiscovered. The appearance of this particle would help confirm many Grand Unified Theories, GUTs, and revolutionize our understanding of some of the fundamental forces of the universe. Fermilab's NOvA collaboration is working on ways to screen and detect magnetic monopoles and other slow-moving particles coming from outer space alongside their main mission to study neutrinos. The aim of this work is to determine and improve the Far Detector’s efficiency at identifying slow moving particles. …

Ghosts In Glass: Ghost Crabs As Judges Of Glass Sand For Coastal Restoration, Emily Parrish

Honors Theses

Over 60% of the Gulf of Mexico coastline is actively eroding, which has resulted in thousands of miles of lost coastline over the last 100 years. This drastic loss of coastal land highlights the dire need for coastal restoration across the entirety of the Gulf Coast. A vital aspect of restoring these eroded areas is replenishing eroded substrate, traditionally conducted through offshore dredging of substrates which comes with high economic and ecological costs. Recycled glass sand may be able to fill this role and reduce our reliance on dredging while lowering the amount of glass waste entering landfills each year. …

Solution Of Preconditioned Nonsymmetric Saddle Point Systems Through Modified Conjugate Gradient Iteration, Samson Ayo

Dissertations

In this dissertation, we present an iterative method (Preconditioned Nonsymmetric Saddle Point Conjugate Gradient) for simultaneously solving forward ($A{\bf x}={\bf b}$) and adjoint ($A^T{\bf y}={\bf g}$) linear systems. Our approach involves constructing an augmented nonsymmetric saddle point matrix that has a real positive spectrum and developing a conjugate gradient-like iteration for this matrix. We investigate the use of Schur Complement preconditioners with block-diagonal factorization computed by an incomplete QR factorization of $A$ to speed up the convergence of our method and compare the results to the preconditioned generalized least squares residual (GLSQR) and quasi-minimal residual (QMR) methods. We develop quadrature …

A Hierarchical Soft Computational Model For Optimizing Agricultural Uavs: Recruiting Neutrosophic Theory And Tree Soft Sets, Mona Mohamed, Nurhan Alaa, Bilal Arain, Karam M. Sallam

Neutrosophic Systems with Applications

Precision agriculture is being transformed by Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), which make it possible for yield optimization, targeted spraying, and sophisticated crop monitoring. With an emphasis on their operational capabilities, economic feasibility, and environmental implications, this research explores the revolutionary potential of UAV technology in contemporary farming systems. Practically speaking, the procedure of opting UAVs for agricultural applications is complicated by several competing aspects, inherent uncertainties, and differing stakeholder agendas. This paper suggests a new hybrid decision framework that combines Tree Soft Sets (TrSS), Neutrosophic theory, and Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) to methodically handle these issues. Hence, the robust hybrid model …

St. Cloud Dam: Is The Renewable Energy Worth The Ecological Consequences, Adam Novak

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

The St. Cloud hydroelectric dam is a smaller dam located in central Minnesota on the Mississippi river. The dam causes many environmental issues related to stopping freshwater fish migration, lack of nutrient loading at the bottom of the dam, and a general loss of biodiversity on the Mississippi. Dam removal is an option to solve many of the problems that the dam produces, but it will remove a large amount of renewable energy that powers St Cloud. Do the renewable energy benefits of the St Cloud dam outweigh the ecological benefits of its removal? This poster examines whether the renewable …

The Numerical Method For Finding All The Zeros Of A Function F (X) On An Interval [A,B], Franissa Simon

Honors Theses

In this study, we develop a simple mathematical method for finding all the roots of a function on a specified interval. Existing classical numerical methods, including the Bisection Method, Secant Method, and Newton Method, cannot find all the zeros of a function f (x) on an interval [a,b]. Popular numerical root solvers like Matlab’s ‘fzero’, Maple’s ‘fsolve’, and SageMath’s ‘find_root’ typically yield only a single zero. This thesis explores a proposed interval computation bisection method, a systematic approach based on the traditional Bisection Method and interval computation. Unlike traditional bisection, which relies on the intermediate value theorem, this approach uses …

Consultation Summary For Proposed Declared Pest Rates 2025/2026, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Biosecurity published reports

Under the Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Act 2007 (BAM Act) the State raises a Declared Pest Rate (DPR) from land or leaseholders (hereafter landholders) in prescribed areas (DPR Areas) and matches the funds raised from the rate dollar-for-dollar.

The combined funds are made available to Recognised Biosecurity Groups (RBGs) who provide support to landholders to fulfil their obligations under the BAM Act to manage widespread and established declared pests on their land. A community-led and coordinated approach is considered the most effective way to support landholders to manage these types of pests.

Each year, the Minister for Agriculture and Food …

How Criminal Offenders Offend Society’S Equality Expectations, T. Markus Funk

SMU Law Review Forum

The public’s concern over safety and rising crime rates dominated opinion polls and played a significant role in the 2024 presidential election. This article argues that, although much has been written on the offender’s state of mind and the concrete harms offenders impose, what is missing is a more victim-centric understanding of the full scope of crime’s consequences.

Criminal offenders’ selfish, self-directed conduct subjugates the victims’ legally protected interests and conveys that they do not consider their victims’ rights sufficiently important or deserving of conduct-guiding respect. Offenders, in short, differentiate themselves from the social group by adopting the harmful mindset …