Digital Commons Network^™

Message Malware: File Vulnerability Scanning In Messaging Apps, Miah Mason

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

As messaging platforms become primary communication hubs within highly secure environments, they introduce significant vulnerabilities regarding file sharing with potential malicious content. This research, an honors extension of the Northrop Grumman sponsored Capstone project ‘LockTalk’, evaluates the technical abilities of automated file scanning methods within messaging platforms like Slack, Microsoft Teams, or our own developed platform LockTalk. This paper investigates a variety of scanning methods and their applications, with particular emphasis on comparing the qualities of static scanning, used in signature-based detection, and dynamic scanning with heuristics. Furthermore, this paper investigates the differences and advantages of both End-to-End Encryption (E2EE), …

Success In Motion: A Comparative Thematic Analysis Of Patient Success In Inpatient And Outpatient Physical Therapy, William T. Gish

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Physical therapy is practiced across a wide range of clinical settings that differ substantially in patient populations, goals, and care timelines. While standardized outcome measures are commonly used to evaluate treatment effectiveness, little research has examined how physical therapists themselves define successful outcomes  or whether those definitions vary across inpatient and outpatient contexts. This study employed a qualitative mixed-methods design to explore how physical therapists conceptualize success in clinical practice. Ten licensed physical therapists participated in semi-structured interviews, which were analyzed using thematic analysis.

Supplementary quantitative data were collected via an online background survey. Five primary themes emerged: goal-oriented, patient-centered …

Comparative Analysis Of Secure Messaging Systems: Peer-To-Peer Vs Client-Server Architecture, Maddie Luth

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

This research serves as an honors extension of a capstone project sponsored by Northrop Grumman, focused on the development of a secure messaging application, LockTalk. The study evaluates the performance of peer-to-peer and client-server network architectures within a messaging system. It compares these architectures based on key factors such as security, privacy, and reliability. The results are used to determine the most suitable architecture for implementation in LockTalk, with particular emphasis on protecting sensitive communications. This work highlights the trade-offs involved in selecting a network architecture and provides guidance for developing secure and efficient messaging platforms.

Trad Lives Of Tiktok Wives: Rhetorical Strategies Of Mormon Wives On Tiktok, Makena L. Colson

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Recently in the United States there have been debacles over gendered spaces in the home and workplace as debates spark over who a homemaker can be in a modernized society. TikTok, a short-form video social media app, is a way members of the younger generation communicate with one another over political and world events and discuss with one another in real time. The “tradwife” phenomenon on TikTok is examined here by using Walt Fischer’s Narrative Paradigm to show how what popular tradwife influencers’ words matter to a generation of adolescent girls and young mothers. Three popular influencers, Nara Smith, Hannah …

Cultural Influences On The Association Between Gender Typicality And Self-Perceived Competence In Adolescents Across Multiple Countries, Alexa Mcinerney

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Participants were early adolescents from Bogota, Colombia; Curitiba, Brazil; Montreal, Canada; and Shanghai, China. Correlations between gender typicality and social, cognitive, and physical competence were examined across cultural contexts. Gender typicality was strongly, positively correlated with social competence, and weakly, positively correlated with physical competence. Classroom-level collectivism and individualism were tested as moderators of the examined associations but did not significantly impact the relationships. Place and gender effects were analyzed. Three-way interactions between gender typicality, gender, and place were significant for social and physical competence. Gender typicality and social competence were distinctively weakly related among boys in Bogota. Gender typicality …

Using Ai For Data Loss Prevention, Camden A. Wright

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Data Loss Prevention (DLP) systems play a critical role in protecting modern systems that handle sensitive information from both accidental and malicious exposure. Traditional DLP approaches often rely on static rules and methods that can struggle to adapt to complex and evolving data patterns. This paper presents a hybrid DPL system that integrates machine learning-based message classification, rule based policy enforcement, and context-aware access control to improve both detection accuracy and decision reliability. In addition, the system introduces a second stage access control model that evaluates user context, including role of clearance level and job title to determine whether access …

Analysis Of The Effects Of Astaxanthin On Human Colorectal Cancer Cells, Kara A. Walters

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Astaxanthin (AXT) is an antioxidant carotenoid that is produced by the microalgae Haemococcus pluvialis. This supplement is best known for its potential health benefits including anti-inflammatory, antitumor, immunomodulatory, anticancer and antidiabetic activities. Astaxanthin is marketed as an oral dietary supplement and is widely used in the nutraceutical industry as well as a coloring agent in the food industry. Since Astaxanthin has been increasingly popular as a dietary supplement, cytotoxicity is relevant to consumer exposure. Obtaining the IC50, the concentration that inhibits 50% of cell growth, is important to find how Astaxanthin may interact with cancer, and this can be found …

Lost In Translation? The Role Of Language In Hispanic Healthcare, Amy Aguilar Portillo

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Language and cultural understanding can play a critical role in delivering effective and life-changing care. Certain barriers, such as limited English proficiency, can impact the patient's overall experience.  This study was designed to gain healthcare professionals’ perceptions of the impact language and culture can have on patients' experience. Each participant was asked to complete a Likert survey in which they were asked to rate the level to which they disagree or agree with various statements. Findings suggest that healthcare professional perceive the Spanish language as influencing clinical outcomes, patient understanding, and overall health. The findings also highlight potential improvements to …

Spring Dance Concert 2026 (Emerge) Playbill, Providence College Department Of Theatre, Dance, & Film

Playbill and Promotion

Providence College Department of Theatre, Dance, & Film

Angell Blackfriars Theatre

Spring Dance Concert 2026 (Emerge)

May 1, 2026, 7:30PM

May 2, 2026, 2PM

Director, Nina Kossler

Lighting Designer, Elissa Pensa Cerros

Choreographers: Elizabeth Graney, Caroline Guanci, Jade Bocciarelli, Caroline Puccini, Rowan Locascio-McLaughlin, Kiley Vallee, Heidy Guzman, Ella Ford, Gabriella Girard, Julia Mele, Emma Daigneau, Anna Gross, Camryn Lowry, Alyssa Rago, Grace Sittig

Dancers: Lola Blessington, Simone Chabot, Noël Rose DeRosa, Ella Ford, Elizabeth Graney, Katherine Pritchard, Kiley Vallee,  Elaina Bartolini, Alyssa Dalto, Caroline Guanci, Heidy Guzman, Riley Joyce, Heidi Nicholls, Anna Bernat, Jade Bocciarelli, Lauren Gerew, Julia Mele, Grace …

Utilizing Brain Computer Interfaces That Interact With A Virtual Keyboard, Skye Lilienthal

Honors Theses

A brain-computer interface (BCI) can allow someone to utilize electrical signals in their brain to complete tasks using a computer. BCIs can help people take advantage of technology to type without the need for a traditional keyboard setup. This paper used the OpenBCI Mark IV to test the effectiveness of non-invasive BCIs with dry electrodes within the OpenViBE P300 Speller. This paper shows how to use the P300 speller through a setup pipeline. Results indicate that electrode placement affects P300 accuracy and that areas related to visual processing improve accuracy, suggesting that P300 signals can be detected within OpenBCI Mark …

Designing For Wellbeing: Expanding Frameworks, Deepening Impact, Leandro Miletto Tonetto

DRS Summer Meetings

No abstract provided.

Being Scared In A Secondary Universe: Experiencing The Self Through The Horror Film, Emily C. Hueser

Media and Cultural Studies Honors Projects

This paper explores the horror film as a site of self-creation. Using Michel Foucault and Maurice Merleau-Ponty, I argue that the horror genre primes the viewer for an embodied, affective experience, and the resulting interaction between self and screen constitutes and redefines the self. By engaging with Jordan Peele’s Get Out, David Cronenberg’s Videodrome and The Fly, and Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance, I explore how horror films engage our physical bodies and rework our experience and understanding of race, disability, and collectivity. These interactive experiences of filmviewing allow us to conceptualize the cinema as a tangible site of identity creation, …

You Are Me, And I Am You: Bias, Ai, And The Academic Self, Frances E. Anderson

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

Being black, brown, caramel, immigrant, French speaking, divorced, mother of six, economically disadvantaged, neurodivergent, foster care graduate, survivor of abuse, child of divorce, and health-impacted person, I’ve often examined the wheel of power and privilege with sadness and dismay. In contrast, being white, catholic, intellectually advantaged, athletic, American, Canadian, middle-class, mathematics mastermind, and Doctor of Education, I’ve needed to examine this wheel fiercely as I come face-to-face with my privilege. Through reflection and self-interrogation, I carefully and imperfectly consider how my bias informs me of my disposition towards others, my educational privileges, and my experience in the world of academia. …

Barriers To Justice: A Comparative Analysis Of Barriers To Legal Aid Across Missouri Counties, Grace Fentress

Political Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study explores the complexity of the issue of legal aid and specifically the disparity in access to it across the state of Missouri’s counties, as they represent 115 different counties with diverse demographics throughout the state. By examining the number of legal aid organizations, funding levels, eligibility thresholds and geographical barriers, this study aims to identify what underlying factors contribute to disparities in legal accessibility. It is critical to address this question as the need for legal services is ever present and it is important that everyone has access to adequate representation. The findings of this study would ultimately …

Observation And Reflection Of Neighborhood And Community 2026: Social Determinants Of Health Related To Air And Food Quality, Ryan Christian, Shridula Kotakondla, Yousef Emara, Adel Zeibo, Hwajeong Yi, Ava Boutrous, Jordan Hicks, Nicolas Basaka

Patient Education Projects

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Iterative Scientific Modeling On The Development Of Scientific Reasoning In Middle School Students, Dan Tinklenberg

Master of Education Program Theses

This action research study examined the impact of iterative scientific modeling on the development of scientific reasoning in middle school students. Twenty-five 7th and 8th grade students participated in an eight-week intervention in which they built, tested, and then revised scientific models followed by reflection questions. A pre- and post-assessment was used to measure growth in student ability to explain science phenomena, to make predictions, and to construct evidence-based arguments. Quantitative data shows a statistically significant improvement in post-test scores (p = 1.067E-9). Qualitative data from student interviews shows increased attention to detail, improved clarity in scientific communication, and enhanced …

“Shaken Off The Shamefast Band”: Lady Knights In 16th Century Italian And English Romance Epics, Rita Lawlor

Theses & ETDs

This thesis examines the depiction of female knights in three romance epics, the Orlando Furioso (1532), the Gerusalemme Liberata (1581), and the Faerie Queene (1590, 1596). As a hybridized genre, the romance epic is forced to mediate the political imperatives of Vergilian epic with romance’s centralization of individual desires. The lady knight serves as a reflection of this generic hybridization due to her origins in both the Aeneid and the Italian romance cycle. The central role of the lady knight within romance epic becomes precarious, as Vergilian epic necessitates that she remains a marginal figure within the text, because she …

Caribbean Sea Fan Health And Disease: Investigating Aspergillosis At Cayos Cochinos, Honduras, Jayden Ponsford

Theses & ETDs

Coral reefs represent one of the most biologically rich environments on the planet, providing habitat, protection, and resources for numerous marine species. Soft corals, particularly gorgonians, are essential to reef health by providing environmental services such as habitat, food, and nutrient cycling. However, these organisms are increasingly threatened by environmental stress and disease, including the fungal pathogen Aspergillus sydowii (Bainier & Sartory Thom & Church 1926), which commonly infects Gorgonia ventalina and G. flabellum (sea fans). They are eukaryotic organisms belonging to the kingdom Animalia, phylum Cnidaria, class Anthozoa, order Alcyonacea, family Gorgoniidae, and genus Gorgonia. In this study, I …

Coping With A Prenatal Down Syndrome Diagnosis: Availability And Helpfulness Of Support Systems, Chiara Cervoni

Theses & ETDs

The aim of this study was to examine the availability and perceived helpfulness of formal (e.g., clinical and psychosocial community) and informal (e.g., partners, family, friends, special person, online resources, local community) support systems for first-time mothers of children with Down syndrome across three points in time: after prenatal diagnosis, one month after birth, and 9 to 12 months after birth. A total of 2 mothers completed a survey exploring their experiences with different resources across the three times. It was predicted that informal support systems would be more helpful than formal support systems. The responses were then analyzed through …

Seeing Emily, Zoe Muska

Theses & ETDs

“Seeing Emily” is a novella length work about Iris, a young woman who is returning to her hometown with her seven year old daughter after leaving an abusive marriage. When Iris left her small, nosy, hometown to go to college, she never wanted to go back. As a child, she and her two friends used to play a game where they got to be witches in the woods during recess. Then the three girls stumbled upon the body of another little girl, Emily. The novella switches between the past and present timelines as Iris is forced to return home and …

Significant Others: The Intersection Of Memory, Display, And Object Agency In Personal Material Culture, Molly Branham

Theses & ETDs

This thesis explores the complex, reciprocal relationship between individuals and their personal objects, framed through the interdependent network of display, object agency, and memory. Grounded in ethnographic fieldwork with young adults in Florida and Virginia, the research argues that domestic objects are not passive items but active participants that space a person’s identity and physical environment. Through the practice of display, individuals exercise agency by choosing what to exhibit and how to organize their space, which in turn regulates the visibility and emotional presences of the memories tied to those objects. The study further highlights how objects serve as physical …

Redefining New College Of Florida: The Impact Of Athletics On Culture, Identity, And Community, Kayla Gentry

Theses & ETDs

This study examines how the rapid expansion of athletics is reshaping the culture, identity, and community experience at New College of Florida. Using a qualitative and ethnographic approach, this research is based on ten in-person interviews with both student-athletes and non-athletes, along with my own observations as a student at the college. Because I am part of the New College community, I was able to see these changes in real time and connect my own experiences to the perspectives shared by others. The context of this study is especially important. New College was historically known as a small liberal arts …

Design And Synthesis Of Chiral Coordination Polymers For Chirality-Induced Spin Selectivity, Ashleigh Roberts

Theses & ETDs

Knowledge of the behavior of electrons is widely applicable across physics, chemistry, and biology, and is thus under constant research. An aspect that has been receiving much attention in recent decades is the electron spin polarization induced by interaction with chiral molecules, which the term chirality-induced spin selectivity describes. A major area of the experimental research focuses on the variables that influence the degree of spin polarization. The goal of this project is to take a step towards building an understanding of how the magnetism and conductivity of compounds composing a chiral crystal influence the degree of spin polarization it …

"Naija First Aid Al" - A Voice-Activated First Aid Assistant In Local Nigerian Languages, Esther Blessing Onoruke

Master of Fine Arts in Digital Media Culminating Experience

There are now major structural obstacles preventing Nigerian households from receiving emergency care right away. Manageable domestic events can turn into avoidable tragedies due to language barriers, delayed emergency response times, and a lack of basic first aid expertise. In addition to these health issues, Gender-Based Violence (GBV) continues to be a serious epidemic where survivors cannot safely seek assistance due to social shame and unequal power dynamics. A contemporary equivalent that is suited to the low-resource settings of today is required, much as the introduction of first aid manuals in 1901 effectively taught the public and democratized emergency care. …

Enhancing The Leaning Control And Braking Sensation Of A Virtual Reality Vespa Simulator, Joseph Boccuzzi, Wesley Bleck, Jacob Hannebaum

Honors Capstones

The 71 North Partnership Studio located in Northern Illinois University’s Founders Memorial Library has developed a prototype Vespa simulator featuring an interactive Virtual Reality (VR) game and reactive elements. A previous Mechanical Engineering Senior Design team developed the system and improvements after its original development were sought after over the course of the current school year. The system consists of a stationary bike that allows the rider to lean left and right, which in turn causes their in-game character to turn left and right accordingly, simulating the effect of riding a Vespa scooter within a VR environment. Improvements were made …

The Ends Of Silence: Inner Life In A Digital Age, Amber Castro

Communications and Digital Media Theses

In a world defined by acceleration and constant connectivity, this thesis examined how individuals experience attention, silence, reflection, and meaning within digitally saturated environments. Contemporary digital culture shapes not only how we communicate, but how we attend, reflect, and process experience. When stimulation becomes continuous, the temporal space necessary for sustained interior reflection shifts, altering the conditions under which individuals process emotion, tolerate silence, and construct meaning. Focusing on three generational cohorts, Generation X, Millennials, and Generation Z, this study explored how differing formative media environments shape patterns of attention, tolerance for silence, and practices of emotional processing. Drawing on …

How Does The Rise Of Ai-Generated Media Influence Public Trust In Audiovisual Communication?, Danny Mathew

Communications and Digital Media Theses

This study examines how the rise of AI-generated media influences public trust in audiovisual communication. As artificial intelligence technology advances, they have become capable of producing highly realistic images and videos that challenge traditional assumptions about the credibility of audiovisual media. This research uses a qualitative visual content analysis to compare AI-generated and authentic audiovisual content shared on social media platforms, specifically on platforms such as Instagram and Facebook. A dataset of 30 media samples was evaluated using a structured coding framework that evaluated visual realism, facial and visual inconsistencies, contextual presentation, indicators of AI generation, and perceived credibility. The …

Reducing Uncertainty For New Transfer Students: Improving Institutional Communication Of Transfer Resources, Mariah F. Laman

Graduate Student Creative Works

U.S. higher education institutions (HEIs) consistently invest in evaluating existing communication practices and creating new strategies to increase their enrollment and degree completion rates, with recent efforts motivated by predictive trends of an enrollment cliff among traditional first-year student populations. The Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) estimates that due to declining birth rates during and after the 2008 Great Recession, the nation’s number of high school graduates will peak in 2025, followed by a significant decline through 2041 (WICHE, 2024). As a response to these indicators, institutions are interested in refining their transfer student recruitment, advisement, and retention …

Increase Of Corporate Offices In Worcester, Ma, Francisco Hernandez

Master of Public Administration for Senior Leadership

The city of Worcester currently located in the heart of Massachusetts, benefits from a strategic position with access to multiple highways connecting various states and cities. With 12 colleges in the area, the city attracts a diverse workforce with varied backgrounds and experience. However, Worcester faces a challenge in increasing its professional workforce by attracting businesses to establish headquarters within the city. While Worcester offers lower costs for setting up offices compared to Boston, businesses often still gravitate towards Boston due to its more developed infrastructure and higher income and education levels. Boston currently serves as a hub for various …

Soft Life Or Survival? The Digital Rebranding Of Black Womanhood In Online Culture, Elizabeth Revangil

Communications and Digital Media Theses

This thesis examines how Black women are using digital media, specifically the popular social media platform, TikTok, to redefine femininity through the soft life SOFT LIFE OR SURVIVAL 2 movement. Historically, Black womanhood has been tied to strength, resilience, and survival, leaving limited space for softness and emotional vulnerability. This tends to create unrealistic expectations, and an undeniable societal pressure on Black women to perform. In recent years, social media has created opportunities for Black women to challenge these expectations and present alternative definitions of the Black women identity, reshaped around peace, emotional well-being, and softness instead of strength. Using …