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2025 F1rst Look, Nova Southeastern University

First Look

No abstract provided.

2025 Nsu Fact Book, Nova Southeastern University

NSU Fact Book

In 2025, NSU was recognized by the Carnegie Classification system as one of only 21 universities nationwide to hold all three of the following designations: Very High Research Activity (R1), Community Engaged Institution, and Opportunity College & University (OCU). Its R1 classification places NSU among the top tier of U.S. research universities, a milestone that reflects our continued growth and commitment to research that leads to real-world impact.. As an R1 institution, NSU is shining a new light on scientific discovery, medical breakthroughs, and technologies that advance quality of life: from pioneering treatments in neuro-immunology and cancer, to safeguarding coral …

Occupational Therapy's Role In Supporting Sustainable Trauma-Informed Wellness Practices In A Surfing Program For Women, Margaret J. O'Hara

Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Doctorate - Doctoral Capstone Symposium

Individuals living with trauma-related mental health conditions are often less participatory in meaningful occupations. Additionally, women are two to three times as likely as men to experience a trauma-related mental health condition or event (Olff, 2017). A local surf therapy organization was founded to provide local women who have experienced trauma an empowering community and meaningful activity to heal. The purpose of this quality improvement capstone experience was to enhance the sustainability of the skills taught within clinics through the creation and dissemination of a user-friendly resource platform. The skills specifically addressed are 1) Mindfulness, 2) Growth Mindset, 3) Comfort …

"Discovering The Mysterious Ocean: A New Approach To Igniting Children’S Interest In Marine Sciences", Laura Goretti

Theses & ETDs

This thesis presents the development of a series of interactive musical books designed to ignite children's interest in marine sciences. The project addresses the lack of ocean literacy and school curricula in children’s books by integrating ocean principles and the New College of Florida Marine Biology curriculum with art and hands-on activities. The books target kindergarten and early elementary-aged children as the importance of early exposure to scientific concepts and children's innate scientific inquiry are discussed. Current challenges in science education are examined, highlighting the possible tools that should be utilized to enhance students’ engagement, interest, and excitement towards marine …

I’M All The Fishes In The Sea: Creating An Animal Care Ethic From Spinoza’S Ethics, Denicia Finney

Theses & ETDs

Although Spinoza encourages us to understand Nature, and our place as parts in it, he felt inclined to say that the lower animals have nothing in common with our nature, and so ‘we have every right against them that they have against us’. Is he ultimately justified in making this claim? I believe that Spinoza's ethic, and the end that ensues from it would actually warrant fair consideration of the lower animals. I demonstrate this through the separation of the eternal essence and the particular essence which each individual is composed of. Insofar as humankind acts according to the universal …

Analyzing The Evolution Of Major League Baseball Hitting Strategies (1950–2010): A Machine Learning And Interactive Dashboard Approach, John Mcintosh

Theses & ETDs

This thesis examines the evolution of Major League Baseball (MLB) hitting strategies from 1950 to 2010 using statistical analysis and machine learning techniques. The study investigates changes in player performance metrics to determine how hitting styles have evolved, specifically focusing on distinguishing "power hitters" from "contact hitters." Principal Component Analysis “(PCA)”, t-distributed Stochastic Neighbor Embedding, and clustering methods, such as K Means Clustering, were applied to historical MLB data from Baseball Reference to reveal underlying trends and shifts in player roles over time. An interactive dashboard was developed utilizing Streamlit to visualize these trends dynamically. This was done by incorporating …

Who We Don’T See: Paternal Kinship In Adoption, Nikhita Razdan

Theses & ETDs

The topic of this research is discovering what defines the connection between adopted people and their biological fathers due to the lack of research regarding that perspective. The research was conducted through repeated in-depth interviews online and in person. The subjects that are addressed here involve the intersection between adoptees' gender and adoptive identity, biases held within the adoptive household, and negative biases towards their countries of origin. These topics assist in understanding the kinship found, or not found, between the participants and their biological fathers. Two frameworks are also presented here, deemed the Adoptive Environment Bias and the Motherland …

Taylor Karnopp, Senior Art Exhibition Portfolio, Taylor Karnopp

Senior Art Portfolios

This is work created for the Senior Art Exhibition Portfolio 2025. This work includes graphic design, package design, ad design, and brand identity.

Navigating Barriers: Challenges And Strategies For Adopting Artificial Intelligence In Qualitative Research In Low-Income African Contexts, Kahabi Isangula

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

Introduction:

 AI is transforming qualitative research. It enhances efficiency, accuracy, and depth in studies. Technologies like machine learning (ML), natural language processing (NLP), and large language models (LLMs) simplify tasks like transcription, coding, and thematic analysis. However, in low-income African settings, there are barriers to AI adoption. These include ethical concerns, infrastructure limitations, financial constraints, and technical skill gaps. Issues around data privacy and the dehumanization of research also add challenges.

Methods: 

This paper explores the challenges and opportunities of AI in qualitative research in low-income African contexts. It uses a descriptive approach, reviewing literature and personal experiences from rural …

Artificial Intelligence In Radiology, Olivia Sweeney

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Introduction: Artificial intelligence (AI) has increasingly transformed radiologic practice by improving diagnostic accuracy, streamlining workflows, and reducing interpretation errors. As AI integration has expanded across imaging modalities, questions have emerged regarding its effectiveness compared to traditional radiologist-only interpretation.

Purpose of Study: The purpose of this study has been to evaluate the impact of AI-assisted radiology on diagnostic accuracy, efficiency, and error reduction, while also assessing clinician perceptions of AI as a collaborative tool in imaging analysis.

Methodology: This qualitative study has used a systematic review of peer-reviewed literature published between 2015 and 2025, following PRISMA guidelines, combined with an interview …

Teaching On The Edge Of The Snap: Exploring The Constraints And Capacities Of Emotion Regulation, Kate Atwood Heyboer

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

This Improvement Science Dissertation in Practice (ISDiP) explored the barriers and supports for teacher emotion regulation at a small, suburban K-8 school district in the Northeast United States. The author utilized a mixed-methods convergent research design to evaluate the impact of an 8-week mindful awareness and educational neuroscience-based PD intervention on teachers’ emotion regulation abilities (ERAs). Teacher participants from grades K-5 attended five PD sessions utilizing curricular content from the MindUP “The Science and Practice of Well-being and Mindful Teaching” online program (The Hawn Foundation, 2025). The researcher merged qualitative data from participant interviews and narrative writing samples with quantitative …

How Climate Change And Environmental Policies Affect Impoverished Communities, Nicole Skala

Journal of Race, Gender, and Ethnicity

Climate change is a global problem that affects everyone, but not proportionately. Lower income communities face greater physical and economic impacts, and policies often fail to consider their needs. These communities struggle to adapt and recover from disasters due to limited resources, and they lack access to resilient housing. Major corporations like Exxon and Shell profit while their workers are underpaid for dangerous labor. Historically, regions like rural Appalachia have seen exploitation through industries like coal. People of Color (POC) communities experience environmental racism, suffering greater environmental harm due to systemic neglect. Increasing commodity costs can hurt lower income individuals, …

Artificial Intelligence And Illicit Drugs: A World Of Possibilities, Ralph A. Weisheit

Faculty Publications - Criminal Justice Sciences

Large scale drug production and distribution organizations (DTOs) are businesses. As such they face many of the same challenges faced by legal businesses, such as the creation of new drugs, supply chain issues, and identifying new markets. The legal business world is finding creative ways to meet those challenges utilizing artificial intelligence (AI). This discussion uses a horizon scan methodology to suggest how current and anticipated applications of AI in the legal business world might be adapted by large-scale illicit drug trafficking organizations. The focus in this discussion is on its potential application for the largest organizations that control the …

Introduction To The “Mappings” Issue, Asa Mittman, Dan Terkla

Peregrinations: Journal of Medieval Art and Architecture

No abstract provided.

What’S Cooking? How To Understand A Miniature Penis In A Pan, Jan Huyghe, Ann Marie Rasmussen

Peregrinations: Journal of Medieval Art and Architecture

No abstract provided.

The Advent Of The Astrolabe In St. Gallen And Notker Teutonicus’ Cosmographic Globe (C. 1015), Jost Schmid-Lanter

Peregrinations: Journal of Medieval Art and Architecture

No abstract provided.

Pedestrian Safety South Of Brigham Young University Campus, Emma Mayo, Alisha H. Redelfs

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2025

8,500 crossings happen on 800 North every day. In Provo last year, 57 car crashes involved pedestrians. A pedestrian’s view of the road is obstructed by cars parked on the right hand side of the road causing them to walk in the crosswalk to see if there is a car coming. Sidewalks on connecting streets are uneven and cracked. Multiple blocks on 800 North without a stop sign to slow drivers down. Currently no posted speed limit signs on 800 North. Drivers can’t see pedestrians crossing on 200, 300, 400, or 500 East because of inadequate lighting. Cars obstruct areas …

The Impact Of Family Variables On The Mental Health Of Gender Expansive Transitional Age Youth And Adults, Courtney Erdly

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

Gender expansive individuals are at an elevated risk for stress and poor psychological outcomes such as depression, substance abuse, and death by suicide due to minority stress. Family variables can either protect against or perpetuate poor psychological outcomes. There is need to examine specific protective and risk factors in families with gender expansive children. The present study explores the relationship between family and caregiver relationship variables and well-being in a sample of 39 gender expansive individuals. Participants completed an online survey consisting of questionnaires measuring current internalizing and externalizing symptoms and their perception of their family structure, functioning, and parental …

Looking Beyond The Blue: Exploring The Experiences Of Black Female Police Officers During Training, Stephanie M. Almodovar

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

This study employed a basic qualitative approach to explore the experiences of Black cisgender female police officers during the field-training segment of their police academy experience. Individual interviews were conducted using semi-structured questions to gain insight into how these officers interpreted and made sense of their experiences. The sample consisted of five Black female officers employed at accredited law enforcement agencies in the United States who had completed field training within the past decade. Data was collected through interviews and a demographic questionnaire. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed using both inductive and deductive coding. Four key themes emerged from …

The Impact Of Leadership Curriculum On High School Students’ Self-Efficacy, Shannon R. Brown

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

This explanatory sequential mixed methods-case study design grounded in Bandura’s Self-Efficacy Theory, examines the impact of leadership development curriculum on high school students’ perceived levels of self-efficacy as well as researching characteristics students report are most important for strengthening their self-efficacy. Quantitatively, via convenience non-probabilistic sampling, an online Qualtrics questionnaire was used to collect data from 17 students currently in high school who were enrolled in a one-semester leadership development course in their junior or senior year. Qualitatively, six students who completed the questionnaire participated in semi-structured interviews. Additionally, nine students who completed the questionnaire provided three different reflective artifacts …

Transforming Societies Through Peace Education: Lessons From Rwanda For Post-Conflict Reconstruction, Ahmad A. Bacha

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

Ending conflict through political settlement or military victory, supplemented by external aid, marks only a fragile beginning. While often necessary, such measures prove fundamentally insufficient to rebuild nations shattered by war, frequently failing to heal the deep invisible wounds, social fragmentation, generational trauma, and eroded trust that impedes presumable peace, potentially risking further societal fracture or conflict relapse. I argue that strategically implemented peace education is not a plus but a foundation for authentic, sustainable transformation. Standing on the shoulders of giants Galtung, Freire, and Danesh, grounded in rigorous qualitative and quantitative analysis of Rwanda’s post-genocide recovery (1994–2024), this study …

Adaptive Leadership In Hbcus: Navigating Hybrid Work Dynamics In A Post-Pandemic Era, Brittney A. Brooks

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

Leaders of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) institutions influence retention rates of HBCU employees. An organization's culture determines the behavior of its employees. When assumptions regarding organizational structure were made, communication about the company's expectations was often ignored, leading to employees becoming accustomed to the culture and resistant to change. This mindset hindered HBCU growth and the willingness to address the urgency for policy revisions. As institutions continue to transition post-COVID, adjusting human resource policies at HBCUs to cater to the individual needs of these employees is needed to maintain retention.

This exploratory mixed-methods research study investigated leadership in …

Get Back To Where You Once Belonged: A Homegrown Teacher Autoethnography, Jake Olimpi

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

This study centers on the experiences and identities of Homegrown Teachers (HGTs), defined for this research as teachers who graduated from the school/district in which they currently teach. Employing an autoethnographic methodology combined with ten interviews with volunteer HGT participants within a single suburban school district, this research aims to uncover and explore the lived experiences and identities of these educators. The purpose of this exploratory study is to gain a better understanding of the perspective of homegrown teachers and the ways that being a member of this group affects their professional practice as educators. Utilizing a theoretical framework informed …

Playing Hardball With Soft Money: A Qualitative Analysis Of K-12 Administrators' Experiences In The Esser Era, Mairead K. Barrett

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

This interpretive qualitative study aimed to understand K-12 administrators' experiences with the Elementary and Secondary Schools Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER) during its funding period and fiscal cliff. The study was guided by one research question: What were the perceptions and experiences of K-12 administrators during the ESSER funding window and its subsequent fiscal cliff? The study employed surveys and semi-structured interviews for data collection. Eight building administrators completed the survey, and nine district administrators were surveyed. The results of the building administrators were inconclusive in finding clear themes. The data collected from district administrators representing seven districts uncovered the following …

Employee Turnover & Retention In Rural Pennsylvania: A Public Vs. Private Sector Study, Dusty J. Zeyn

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

Employee turnover presents significant challenges for organizations, such as diminished productivity, loss of critical knowledge, and heightened recruitment costs. Effective retention of talented employees is vital for organizational success, yet many organizations face difficulties in managing turnover. This dissertation explores employee turnover and retention through the framework of Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory, which differentiates between motivators that enhance job satisfaction and hygiene factors that prevent dissatisfaction. Utilizing a multiple case study approach, the research examines one public sector organization and one private sector organization in Tioga County, Pennsylvania to analyze how Herzberg’s theory applies in varied organizational contexts and its impact …

Adverse Parent-Child Relationships And Relations To Psychopathology In Emerging Adults: A Multi-Method Examination, Sarah Jaweed

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

Throughout the lifespan, parent and child dyads have been well researched. Parenting behaviors can influence a child’s attachment towards the parent, and both elements have been linked to adult psychopathology (Ainsworth, Blehar, Waters & Wall, 1978; Baumrind, 1987; Bowlby, 1969). Various forms of assessments can quantify the constructs within the parent-child dyad, with the most common being self-report and behavioral coding. One assessment that has been underutilized is the vignette-based assessment. This method allows for greater uniformity and can provide additional information about the parent-child dynamics (Baudat, Zimmermann, Antonietti, & Van Petegem, 2017). It has been noted that few studies …

From Theory To Practice: A Mixed Methods Study On K-8 Teachers’ Experiences Transitioning To Urban Education, Brittini S. Piercy

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

This convergent mixed methods study focused on K-8 teachers’ experiences transitioning into urban education classrooms in Philadelphia, PA and Camden, NJ. The aim was to better understand teachers’ reflections of their experiences and the impact made by their teacher preparation programs. Connecting with Kramer’s Reality Shock Theory (1974) and Hochschild’s Emotional Labor Theory (1983), I examined how teacher preparation programs are disconnected from the reality of urban classroom experiences. This included an analysis on teachers’ expectations versus their reality and how they are managing their emotions during these transitions. In the quantitative phase, teachers (n=48) reflected on their preparation program, …

Providing Public Access To Government Information In University Depository Libraries: An Evaluation Of Public Service Values Within Small To Medium-Sized Public Institutions, Heather R. Getsay

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

The Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) was established by Congress to ensure public access to government information through America’s libraries. Administered by the United States Government Publishing Office, this federal program has existed for more than 150 years to “provide free, ready, and permanent public access to federal government information,” according to its mission. Comprised of libraries of various types, academic libraries constitute the majority of FDLP participants. Library professionals maintain awareness of and compliance with FDLP requirements, which include the legal obligation to make government publications available for free use by the public. Recent modernization efforts for the program …

Exploring Perceptions Of Accommodations In Ot Fieldwork: A Mixed Methods Study, Courtney A. Gohean, Courtney Gohean

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

This study employed a convergent parallel mixed-methods design to explore the perceptions and experiences of occupational therapy (OT) fieldwork educators, academic fieldwork coordinators (AFWCs), and Level II OT students with disabilities regarding accommodations during fieldwork. Quantitative data were collected through an online Qualtrics questionnaire completed by 45 fieldwork educators. Qualitative data were gathered through semi-structured interviews with seven AFWCs and seven OT students/new graduates who had used Section 504 accommodations during Level II fieldwork. Thematic analysis revealed key themes among students and AFWCs, including barriers to disclosure, variability in support and communication, the need for proactive planning, and concerns regarding …

Assessing The Effect Of Increasing The Frequency Of Copd Assessment Test Utilization On Rehospitalization Rates For Home Health Patients, Rebecca Goldberg

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

Abstract

This evidence-based practice Process Improvement (PI) project involves using the COPD Assessment Test (CAT) to decrease rehospitalization rates for home health patients with a diagnosis of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). The project includes having therapy clinicians complete the CAT during their in-home skilled visits, between home health nursing visits to increase the frequency of completion. The goal is to recognize symptoms of exacerbation early, engage patients in their own care, encourage communication with providers, initiate early intervention at home, and prevent rehospitalization. Patients with COPD experience frequent symptom exacerbations leading to anxiety, poor quality of life, and challenges …