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Illinois Wesleyan Announces Candidates For Graduation 2026, Ryan Gibson

Press Releases 2020-2029

No abstract provided.

Methodology For The Autonomous Deployment Of Capsules From An Underwater Host, Jack Stadtman, Emily Lopez, Matthew Gutekunst, Anthony Caruso, Gianluca Calgaro

Mechanical Engineering Capstone Design Projects

This project, conducted in collaboration with the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC), focuses on the design and development of a seafloor-resident system capable of autonomously deploying multiple unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) capsules. The primary objective was to create a low-cost, reliable, and negatively buoyant launcher that can store, select, and deploy capsules in a controlled sequence while maintaining stability and ensuring effective communication from a remote control station.

The final design consists of a tripod-style launcher integrating three main subsystems: a rotating top cap for capsule selection, a cylindrical holding drum for multi-capsule storage, and a bottom electronics and ballast …

Toray Plastics Rigging Project, Adam Lurgio, Benjamin Prew, Brandon Cipolla, Carl Bennett, Jiacheng Kang

Mechanical Engineering Capstone Design Projects

The Extended Bridge Bar Rotor Removal System was developed to provide a safe, structurally validated, and repeatable method for removing a 1,940lbs grinder rotor within a confined industrial cell at Toray Plastics. The existing removal process relied on vertical lifting and indirect maneuvering methods that increased risk exposure and operational variability. Manufacturer recommendations specified side extraction; however, the current configuration did not provide controlled lateral motion. The objective of this project was to design a lifting system capable of providing controlled three-axis motion while integrating with existing facility I-beams and remaining under a defined cost constraint. The final design consists …

Connection Survivability Under High Stress Situations, Riley Shannon, Alex Araujo, Jerrick Pajimna, Liam Rowland, Joseph Truong

Mechanical Engineering Capstone Design Projects

This final design report outlines how our team developed a detachable connection mechanism for the "Connection Survivability Under High Stress Situations" senior engineering capstone project. The objective is to design, prototype, and test a mechanical connection that engages four rails with a 21-inch diameter internal cylinder, each component being 3 feet in length. The connection must be able to toggle off and on when needed to secure the cylinder inside of its housing. The connection has to go inside the railing slot with the dimensions of 2.94” wide by 1.5” tall, and 36” long. Ideally this connection doesn’t affect the …

Uuv Recovery System & Test Fixture, Nicholas Dinatale, Zachary Mcbrine, Kenny Sposato, David Ferreira, Connor Theroux

Mechanical Engineering Capstone Design Projects

This report presents the final design, fabrication, and validation of a Mechanical Securing Arm System (MSAS) and associated test fixture for recovering an Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV) into a submerged, launch-tube-like structure. Sponsored by the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC), the project addressed the need for a reliable, low cost, scalable, and mechanically simple UUV recovery method while also reducing hydrodynamic interference caused by the existing tow tank armature setup.

A structured engineering design process was followed, beginning with literature and patent research, customer requirement development, engineering specification generation, and concept evaluation. The team generated 150 total concepts, with 30 …

Adjustable Linear Ratchet Wrench, Nate Babineau, Finn Forrest, Alex Destefano

Mechanical Engineering Capstone Design Projects

This project documents our year-long design and development of the Adjustable Linear Ratchet Wrench, an original mechanical consumer product developed for the Mechanical Engineering Capstone Design course. The goal of the project was to create a new mechanical device that addresses a common user need, has broad consumer appeal, can be produced within a realistic retail price range, and relies on core mechanical engineering principles. After evaluating multiple early invention ideas, our team narrowed the project scope to hand tools and selected the adjustable wrench as the product area because conventional adjustable wrenches are common, mechanically simple, and still limited …

Phenological Overlap In Obligate Plant-Pollinator Mutualism, Austin J. Carlson

2026 Spring Honors Capstones Projects

Plant-pollinator mutualisms require temporal overlap between flowering and pollinator activity, so climate-driven timing shifts can weaken the interaction and, in severe cases, destabilize the system. This work investigates how reduced overlap affects persistence in an obligate plant-pollinator pair using a coupled differential equation model in which a phenological overlap factor scales the saturating mutualistic benefit. Simplification with a constant overlap enables closed-form equilibrium and stability analysis, revealing that below a critical overlap threshold, coexistence is no longer maintained. Rescaling reduces the parameter space from ten quantities to seven dimensionless groups, and sensitivity analysis identifies the degree of species dependence and …

Neural Mechanisms Underlying Jung’S Active Imagination: A Review And Hypothesis, Charles R. Fox

Journal of Conscious Evolution

Active imagination is a key technique of Jungian analysis. Despite its centrality, and its potential importance beyond Jungian psychology to the area of systems neuroscience, psychology, and consciousness studies, there are no known neurological mechanisms underlying this psychological phenomenon. There is a history of using the types of mental imagery used in active imagination to explore consciousness. The development and use of active imagination is briefly reviewed, and a case is developed that the neurology underlying active imagination would be fruitfully explored by considering it a special case of mystical experience. Active imagination primarily uses the right hemisphere processing of …

Automating A Surface Finish Process, Zachary Lopes, Raul Fithian, Maria Morrow, Dilly Lapointe, Victor Suon

Mechanical Engineering Capstone Design Projects

This capstone project presents the design, development, and testing of an automated surface finishing system for industrial seals in collaboration with MagSeal. The motivation for this work stems from limitations in the existing manual sanding process, which relies on operator skill and introduces variability in surface finish, safety concerns, and operator fatigue. The objective of the project was to develop a compact, low-cost automated system capable of producing consistent surface finishes below 8 Ra while maintaining at least 80% process consistency, within a budget of $5,000 and a spatial constraint of 5 ft × 5 ft × 3 ft.

The …

Miracles Or Mirages? Miracle Language In Medical Communication, Thomas Yu

Senior Honors Theses

The current study seeks to understand how miracle language exists as a persuasive tool by examining the usage of miracle language in the discourse surrounding the release of Xolair for individuals with food allergies. This was accomplished by conducting a qualitative analysis of the miracle language employed by those engaged in the Xolair discourse. An extensive literature review was conducted to gain a foundational understanding of medical persuasion and miracle language, as well as an understanding of the theoretical foundations of this study. Twenty-four pieces of literature from pharmaceutical companies, and food allergy community members were chronicled and studied utilizing …

Fodder Maize Variety Trial: Broome 2021, Carla Milazzo, Samuel Crouch, Christopher Ham, Geoff Moore

Grain and other field crops research reports

• High yielding, highly digestible maize can be produced under irrigation on Pindan sands in northern Western Australia.
• Using high inputs, the biomass and digestibility of all trialled varieties equalled or exceeded varieties used in well-established maize growing regions of Australia.
• Eleven hybrid maize varieties were trialled near Broome. The average dry matter yield of all trialled varieties was 24t/ha at 10.5MJ/kg of dry matter.
• The impact of fall armyworm on yield was successfully reduced by using integrated pest management combining NPV virus (nucleopolyhedrovirus) with strategic insecticide applications.

Empowering Educators, Elevating Students: A Multifaceted Approach To Improving Student Academic Success, Amanda Huebner

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

This proposal examines the interrelationship between teacher professional development, collaborative planning time, and student academic achievement in rural middle schools. Drawing on data from a central Nebraska district, the study analyzes how targeted, job‑embedded professional learning and structured planning practices empower educators, reduce burnout, and increase engagement among seventh‑ and eighth‑grade students. Using an improvement‑science framework, the research seeks to inform systemic strategies that elevate both teacher efficacy and student outcomes.

A Pedagogy Of Connection: Potentials And Practices For The English Classroom, Alexandra Bissell

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

In a moment characterized by rapid technological advancement and sociopolitical volatility, the academy currently faces the need to redefine what a college education can offer students and reimagine how it delivers on that promise. This dissertation proposes a pedagogy centered on the process of connection as one way that English educators at the collegiate level might approach our teaching and respond to this call. Connection is relational, but also textual and conceptual, and I contend that establishing connection as the catalyst for our pedagogical practices is a powerful way to move forward and support our students’ intellectual growth as well …

Investigating Book Challenges: Reasons For Challenges, Changes In Public Opinion, And Removals In U.S. School Districts, Makena Nail

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

The American Library Association documented an increase in book challenges in the U.S. in recent years. These are attempts to censor or limit access to books on library and book store shelves and are mostly brought by organizations and elected officials. There is much more research on which particular books are challenged and the reasons for the challenges than on general public opinion about the need for limiting access to books (PBS, 2022; American Library Association, n.d.). Previous research demonstrates that when books are challenged, the underlying goal is protecting community values by limiting access to ideas that some believe …

Dividing To Survive, Fight, Or Ally: Understanding Terrorist Group Splintering, Makayla Wendland

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

The splintering of terrorist groups is extremely common, with members breaking from the ranks of an existing organization to establish a new, independent organization. At times, the process of splintering has produced some of the deadliest terrorist groups globally, significantly affecting the trajectory and intensity of conflict. Conversely, there are times when splintering can produce groups that quickly dissipate without having an impact. This variation in lethality frames the question at the center of this dissertation: how do splinter groups behave and operate in their conflict landscape?

I develop a new theory-based typology to explain variations in the behavior and …

Invention Capstone: Adjustable Mechanical Liquor Pourer, Alex Lambert, Colton Kingsbury, Ray Marsella

Mechanical Engineering Capstone Design Projects

This report presents the complete engineering design, development, testing, and evaluation of an Adjustable Mechanical Liquor Pourer. The objective of this project was to design a low-cost, purely mechanical device capable of delivering accurate, repeatable, and adjustable liquid volumes for both commercial and consumer applications. The design process followed a structured engineering methodology beginning with problem identification and research into existing dispensing methods, followed by patent analysis, competitive evaluation, and concept generation.

Initial design concepts relied on pressure-based fluid control systems intended to regulate flow through controlled air intake and vacuum formation; however, testing revealed that these systems were highly …

Ronald The Radiation Detection Robot, Layhla Morales, Glen Sleczowksi, Abigail Owusu Afriyie, Jon Budzenski, Incendium Price

Mechanical Engineering Capstone Design Projects

The goal of this project was to create an autonomous robot capable of searching an enclosed space for radiation and marking it both physically and on a graphical user interface. The main objectives for the robot were to map a 12 ft by 12 ft area in 15 minutes or less, move at a minimum speed of 0.75 ft/s, have a 60 minute battery life, measure radiation intensity and provide potential identification of radiation type, mark the radiation both physically and on a heat map, and operate using autonomous navigation along a predefined path. The robot is controlled by an …

Transforming Property & Casualty Insurance: The Impact Of Artificial Intelligence, James Capodanno

Honors Scholar Theses

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming the property and casualty (P&C) insurance industry by changing how insurers assess risk, price policies, detect fraud, process claims, and interact with customers. This paper examines the evolution of AI from machine learning to generative AI and agentic AI and evaluates the impact of these technologies on core insurance functions. Through a review of academic literature, industry research, and current insurance applications, the paper analyzes both the opportunities and challenges associated with AI adoption in P&C insurance.

The findings indicate that AI improves operational efficiency, underwriting accuracy, pricing precision, fraud detection capabilities, claims processing …

The Queer Family Farm: Exploring Agrifood Justice And Management Philosophies Among Lgbtq+ And Family Farmers In Minnesota And Wisconsin, Julia I. Castellano

Geography Honors Projects

Agriculture in the US countryside has long been idolized as a symbol of traditional American values via the “family farm” while queerness has become associated with avant-gardism and urbanity. This study contributes to the nascent but growing scholarship at the convergence of these seemingly opposing propositions: queer farming. Specifically, I contextualize LGBTQ+ farmers in Minnesota and Wisconsin through historical and modern perspectives on the dominant heteronuclear family farm and industrial agricultural landscape to understand how they approach farming in the absence of traditional gender roles and as predominantly small, alternative farmers. The family farm as we imagine it today is …

Food Sovereignty In Post-Apartheid South Africa: A Case Study Among Gardeners And Non-Gardeners In Genadendal, Western Cape, Timothy P. Delventhal

Geography Honors Projects

In post-Apartheid South Africa, large-scale commercial farming is promoted by the state as the only viable agricultural development model, while small-scale agriculture is marginalized in development discourse and the national land reform program aimed at addressing historical wrongs. However, food sovereignty movements across the Global South, such as Via Campesina, have promoted small-scale gardening for communities to gain control over their food systems and prevent the distancing of food from the labor that produced it. The research question investigated is whether people in the Genadendal area who grow their own food from gardens have better dietary diversity outcomes and increased …

They’Ve Been Waiting For Me A Long Time, Anna Minzer

Theses

They’ve Been Waiting for Me a Long Time is a photo-based project saturated in process, layers, and iterations. Using collage as a connective approach, They’ve Been Waiting for Me a Long Time interrogates the boundaries of the domestic and wild, the aestheticized and the abject and the trappings of gender in tension with queer values.      As my visual art encapsulates a variety of approaches, my sources and inspirations manifest from a variety of media—installation, literature, philosophy, photography, and wallpaper. With an assortment of influences, I demonstrate a proclivity towards the liminal. A prime purpose of They’ve Been Waiting for Me …

Red Lines, Green Blooms: Assessing The Effects Of Historical Environmental Disparity On Algal Communities In The Twin Cities, Mn, Georgia C. Akins

Environmental Studies Honors Projects

Redlining, a discriminatory housing policy from the 1930s, shaped lastng urban inequalites that may extend to environmental conditons. This study examines links between redlining and urban water quality in the Twin Cites using algal communites as indicators. Across 28 water bodies sampled in 2022 and 2024, physical, chemical, and biological metrics were compared by redlining grade. Results show limited relatonships between redlining and most variables, with only surface water temperature differing significantly. Nutrients and algal diversity were unrelated to redlining, instead reflectng present-day conditons. These findings suggest contemporary factors play a stronger role than redlining in shaping urban freshwater ecosystems.

Fossil-Fuels In A Decarbonized Country? Modeling The Drivers Of Icelandic Oil Sales, Inbal Armony

Environmental Studies Honors Projects

Although 100% of Iceland’s electricity comes from renewable energy sources, it still relies on fossil fuels for land transportation, marine transportation, aviation, and some industry. Understanding geographic nuances in oil use is critical to achieving Iceland’s goals of carbon neutrality by 2040. As the island has one primary urban center with two thirds of the population, information is lacking about oil use in non-Capital areas and a gap between state and municipal climate plans. Using newly available data of oil sales at the municipality-level in a Small Area Estimation model, we analyze drivers of oil sales across Icelandic municipalities. We …

A Comparison Of Simple And Differentially Signaled Vr Exchange-Production Schedules, David Duong

Thesis Projects

Token systems typically rely on the conditioned reinforcement effects of tokens to increase responding; however, there may be additional effects and properties as well. This study aims to compare rates of responding between simple VR exchange-production schedules, differentially signaled VR exchange-production schedules, and a control condition to evaluate the operant and respondent effects that token correlated stimuli have on responding. The rates of acquisition of flashcards terms with two college students were tracked. Results indicate that the schedule of reinforcement in place had little impact on the acquisition of flashcard terms, with similar rates of responding across all three conditions. …

Florence Normal College Quarterly, Faculty Of Florence Normal College

Documents

Faculty Quarterly Journal of Florence Normal College, March 1911.

Introduction To Computer-Aided Design Using Solidworks® : A Structured Approach To Parametric Modeling And Design Intent, Swapnil Moon

Open and Affordable Textbooks

This textbook introduces computer-aided design (CAD) using SOLIDWORKS® through a structured, design-centered approach that emphasizes parametric modeling and engineering reasoning. Rather than focusing solely on software commands, the material develops foundational skills in design intent, constraint-based modeling, and feature relationships to create robust, adaptable models.

The content is organized progressively, beginning with basic sketching and feature creation and advancing to complex part modeling, assemblies, motion studies, and engineering drawings. Each chapter builds upon prior concepts, reinforcing systematic modeling practices and promoting the development of system-level thinking required in real-world engineering design workflows.

Designed for undergraduate students with little or no …

Tissue-Specific Heavy Metal Accumulation And Sediment–Mangrove Dynamics In Port Everglades, Florida, Dimitrios Giarikos, Amy Hirons, Jason Gershman, Sophie Welch

SECLER Data

Coastal wetlands near industrialized waterways face increasing heavy metal contamination, yet the role of mangroves as biogeochemical buffers remains poorly understood. This study quantified 16 heavy metals in sediments and red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) tissues (roots, branches, and leaves) across four sites near Port Everglades, Florida, examining tissue-specific partitioning, contamination patterns, and sediment-to-plant transfer. The South Turning Basin (STB) was the principal contamination hotspot, with geometric mean (GM) concentrations of arsenic (As; 27.8 µg/g) and zinc (Zn; 203 µg/g) exceeding threshold effect levels, while Cu exceeded its probable effect level (PEL; 193 µg/g). Mercury (Hg) exceeded its PEL …

The Role Of Viewing Traditionally Gendered Media In Childhood On Influencing Adult Ideas Of Gender Roles And Relationship Ideology, Haille Mark

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Research suggests that the media children watch in their childhood has implications for their socialization, including identity formation, and understanding of gender roles. This study examines the role of children’s films on traditional gender roles and relationship expectations in adulthood. In the current study, female college students were surveyed to assess how the films they watched affected their “MRS” Degree seeking ideology, benevolent sexism, and traditional gender roles. Movies were coded using a scheme, which assesses themes of sexualization, objectification, agency and gender roles. A general linear model (GLM) was used to assess the association. The researcher hypothesizes a relationship …

The Rider (2026-05-04), Daniela Chapa-Reyes

The Rider Archives

Vol. 11, No. 29

Decision-Making Of Adult Children Not Using Schedule I Substances Like Their Parents, Deanna Alberta Mccloe

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.