Digital Commons Network^™

Synthesis Of Novel 1,2,3-Triarylnaphthalenes Via Intermolecular Dehydro-Diels-Alder Reaction, Ethan C. Dailey

Honors Theses

The photo-dehydro-Diels–Alder (PDDA) reaction is a useful method for the construction of substituted naphthalene derivatives from acyclic precursors. While intramolecular variants of this transformation are well established, intermolecular PDDA reactions remain rare due to challenges associated with controlling reactivity under photochemical conditions. Previous studies suggest that electron-withdrawing substituents can promote intermolecular cycloaddition by increasing alkyne polarization and stabilizing reactive intermediates. In this work, the effect of enhanced electron-withdrawing character on intermolecular PDDA reactivity was investigated through the incorporation of a 2,3,5,6-tetrafluoropyridinyl substituent. Corresponding alkyne substrates were synthesized and subjected to photochemical conditions, resulting in the formation of 1,2,3-triarylnaphthalene products. The …

The Privacy Paradox: How Does Concern About Privacy Impact Actions In The Digital Age?, Julia Laduke

Honors Theses

The privacy paradox occurs when people claim to care about their digital privacy, but do not take actions to keep their data from being spread across the internet. This study examines college students, being primarily Generation Z, and their concerns and actions regarding digital privacy and security. A survey of 15 college students, 7 in humanities and 8 in STEM, was used to analyze their thoughts and concerns about their digital privacy. This survey also asked whether they took actions concerning their privacy, and if so, what tools they used to protect it. The results show that about 50% of …

Calibrating Human Trust In The Age Of Generative Ai: An Examination Of Ethical And Social Challenges, Abigail M. Mondido

Honors Theses

Generative AI (GenAI), a set of AI technologies with the ability to generate original, human-like outputs, is beginning to transform the way that information is distributed, composed, published, obtained, analyzed, and consumed. GenAI has seen massive adoption by internet users, businesses, and organizations in recent years despite the persistence of major ethical concerns and social implications. In particular, existing research has identified multiple critical trust-related issues associated with AI in general, including widespread mistrust and distrust, overreliance on AI, and a lack of trustworthiness of AI. There remains a need for a broader understanding of these issues as they relate …

Skill Growth And Development In An Honors Experiential Learning Course, Julia D. Lyashevskiy

Honors Theses

Problem-solving skills are crucial for students in both schoolwork and the workforce as they help individuals and groups work through obstacles and come up with solutions to a problem. To help prepare students, the Innovation in Honors Lab at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga is a hands-on, interdisciplinary course that provides an experiential learning opportunity to practice skills while working directly with community partners to find and solve a local issue. This research tracks the development of six specific skills that students use throughout the class. The skills included communication, creative thinking, decision making, problem solving, conflict resolution, and …

The Effect Of Chronic Aerobic Exercise On Working Memory: A Study On Young Adults, Alexandria J. Morris

Honors Theses

Physical activity is essential for optimal health. Cognitive function is a major part of that, and can be evaluated through working memory (WM). This thesis examines the impact of physical activity on WM in young adult college students. It reviews existing research on exercise and WM, highlights gaps in the literature focused on this demographic, and explores the importance of chronic and moderate to high-intensity exercise to WM. There is existing research that examines the correlation of WM and physical activity for both acute and chronic exercise, as well as for children, adults, and older adults. Acute aerobic exercise shows …

Post-Dobbs: Observed Maternal And Infant Health Outcomes, Erin P. Yenawine

Honors Theses

This research investigates how the variance in abortion legislation and access across the United States has impacted infant and maternal health. This builds upon previous research identifying a relationship between abortion policy and quantity of births, (Myers et al., 2025; Bell et al., 2025) abortion policy and infant and maternal health pre-Dobbs (Gardner, 2024), and an emerging body examining the health outcomes post-Dobbs for mothers and infants (Gemmill et al., 2025; Gressler & Lewis, 2025). Scholars indicate that primary contributors to increases in infant mortality may be the continuation of pregnancies with congenital abnormalities and compounded barriers of access to …

“Who Are We?”: Exploring Adolescent Identity And Community Through Collaborative Mural Art, Rachel E. Stacy

Honors Theses

This thesis explores how participation in a high school mural club influences students’ sense of personal identity and community. By creating and leading a mural club, I guided students in designing and painting murals around their school and extending this work into the local community, all focused on how students defined themselves within the context of the school’s motto: “A Star is Rising”. I used qualitative methods including surveys, observational notes, artist statements, and visual documentation to examine and analyze how students experienced identity and collaboration throughout the process. The findings show that the creation of these murals provided students …

Creative Nonfiction Essays, Colby S. Langley

Honors Theses

To write about the present with any authority requires a keen eye for the past. To write from our lives into meaningful creative nonfiction requires a firm understanding that experience is the composite of life experience blending into the current moment. The writing is then drawn irreversibly towards emotion: indulgent and oppressive. The extremity of emotion dictates the difficulty of transcribing the experience onto the page, and violence is a source of both extreme emotion and experience. It is important to note that I am primarily considering personal violence for this essay, while societal and institutional violence have their own …

A Narrative Of The Plague Doctor And How Its Historical Context Translates To The Modern View Of The Plague Doctor, Callie P. Johnston

Honors Theses

The Plague Doctor was once a historical figure who practiced medicine primarily on those infected with the bubonic plague. The plague doctor, as a historical figure and physician, has been transformed in modern culture and media. Originally perceived as a harbinger of both hope and death, the Plague Doctor has undergone a historical transformation from a masked physician to a more stylized character that appears in modern media, digital art, toys, costumes, video games, and popular culture. This thesis examines the evolution of the Plague Doctor from its historical role as a plague physician to its current iconography as a …

Evaluating The Effects Of Urbanization On Meiofauna Biodiversity In Chattanooga’S Lentic Ecosystems Through Gis Applications, Keyle M. Bryant

Honors Theses

Urbanization is a leading driver of biodiversity loss in freshwater ecosystems, yet its effects on meiofauna—microscopic invertebrates that serve as key bioindicators of ecosystem health—remain poorly understood in lentic environments. This study evaluated the effects of urbanization on meiofaunal biodiversity in ten lentic waterbodies across Hamilton County, Chattanooga, Tennessee, by integrating environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding, in-situ abiotic measurements, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS)-based land use analysis. Water samples were collected between January and April 2023 and processed using 18S rRNA amplicon sequencing to assess biodiversity as richness (amplicon sequence variants or ASVs, phylogenetic diversity or PD, and community composition). Land …

How Do Community Gardens Contribute To A Thriving National Park City: A Case Study Of Chattanooga, Tennessee, Ansley B. Barry

Honors Theses

On April 3, 2025, Chattanooga, Tennessee became the first National Park City (NPC) in North America. With a long, industrial history, Chattanooga has made quite the pivot from being widely renowned for its low air quality and particulate pollution to being recognized as the Best Outdoor City in the US by Outdoor magazine. The goals emphasized by the National Park City campaign are creating a city-wide common interest of community-led sustainability efforts. While the initiative highlights many important initiatives to make the city more sustainable and resilient, community gardens are noticeably left out of the conversation. This paper argues that …

Dissociation, Anxiety, And The Vestibular System: Understanding The Impacts Of Anxiety, Panic, And Dissociation On The Vestibular System, Julian Achata

Honors Theses

Previous research indicates that vestibular dysfunction is associated with symptoms of anxiety, panic, and dissociation. The present study will investigate anxiety, panic, and dissociation symptoms and identify the connections between reported symptom severity and vestibular functionality. This study will focus on three different hypotheses: 1) higher levels of dissociation will correlate with increased vestibular disruption; 2) higher levels of anxiety will correlate with increased vestibular disruption; 3) higher levels of panic will correlate with increased vestibular disruption. Six virtually administered self-report measurements were used to identify the variables: Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Depersonalization Derealization Inventory (DDI), Dissociation Experiences Scale-II (DES-II), …

Environmental Awareness And Community Sentiments In A Superfund Site: A Study Of South Chattanooga, Mia Dial

Honors Theses

The concept of environmental injustice refers to the disproportionate exposure of marginalized communities to environmental hazards, often resulting from the placement of industrial sites, waste facilities, or other environmentally harmful infrastructure in areas with limited political and economic power. Alton Park, a historically underserved neighborhood in Chattanooga, Tennessee, faces elevated environmental risks due to its proximity to the South Chattanooga Lead Superfund Site and legacy industrial contamination. This study used semi-structured individual interviews to assess community awareness, perceptions, and behaviors related to environmental hazards in Alton Park. Residents generally reported some awareness of the Superfund site, though knowledge was often …

Resilience By Living With The Land And Community: A Case Study Of A Local Food Forest, Olivia Beck

Honors Theses

Imagine a public space where food, leisure, outdoor activity, and community engagement occur in one place, all in an urban forest ecosystem. For many, this is a hopeful vision of the future, and that is exactly what the idea of an urban food forest provides. In agroecology, a food forest or forest garden consists of planting diverse edible plants and mimicking the patterns of natural ecosystems. The intricate planning and design ensure the forest is self-sustaining, much like a natural forest, making it very resilient once established. However, they face many challenges and take time to grow and develop to …

Preliminary Vascular Plant Checklist Of The City Of Chattanooga, Matthew J. Scott

Honors Theses

The City of Chattanooga, Tennessee was designated as a National Park City in April 2025 by the National Park City Foundation. Yet, there has not been a comprehensive vascular flora compiled for the city, though there have been extensive collections and observations made of the plant biodiversity in the area from the late 1800s onward. The goal of this project was to examine both the existing herbarium collections and public observation records from iNaturalist to compile a preliminary vascular plant checklist for Chattanooga, and to include conservation and ecological data for the species currently documented to provide a holistic review …

Growing Change: A Gis Spatial Analysis To Plan Urban Gardens In Chattanooga, Carson A. Chalk

Honors Theses

Food insecurity and limited access to fresh nutritious food in Chattanooga is a prevalent issue, primarily among lower socioeconomic households, and can put strain on overall well-being. This study aimed to identify suitable vacant parcels in Chattanooga where urban gardens could be developed using a GIS-based spatial analysis. Spatial data involving vacant parcels, slope, zoning, and proximity to grocery stores was cross referenced with socioeconomic data focused on poverty rates, vehicle ownership, and mean household income to identify the most suitable sites in areas of greatest need. Sites identified as suitable through GIS were then visited to verify their suitability. …

Glass Vault - A Novella, Christopher M. Young

Honors Theses

This book focuses on several themes, but the core topics I wanted to discuss were family, mental health, and grief. One of the initial premises I wanted to pursue was the creation of a perfect storm in which all enjoyment came at the cost of a painful reality. Amber is a woman who has gone through several devastating events, struggling to accept the reality she finds herself in. By virtue of the incredibly unlikely scenario of finding and falling in love with a rich man, she already has a difficult time believing that the things around her are real sometimes. …

Exploring The Alignment Between Medical School Outcomes With Residency Competencies: A Modified Delphi Study, Sally A. Santen, Luan Lawson, Jose A. Negrete Manriquez, Marjorie Westerveld, Laurah Turner, Anita Wilson, Phd, Yoon Soo Park, Eric S. Holmboe, Michael S. Ryan, Medical School Outcomes Milestone Study Group

JeffMD Academic Affairs

PURPOSE: Facilitation of competency-based medical education adoption would benefit from alignment between medical school (undergraduate medical education [UME]) and residency (graduate medical education [GME]) assessments. This study explores the strength of an a priori alignment of medical school assessments with residency competency domains to guide programmatic assessment and research.

METHOD: In fall 2023, the authors (US faculty with UME and GME expertise) used a 2-phase Delphi consensus approach (9 participants in phase 1 and 16 in phase 2) to independently map medical school assessments to the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education competency domains (0, no association; 1, some or …

Contrasting Roles Of Downed Wood And Leaf Litter In Structuring Aphaenogaster Ants And Other Forest-Floor Arthropod Communities, Danielle E. Dolan

Great Lakes Center Masters Theses

Forest floors are dynamic and spatially heterogenous landscapes characterized by differing amounts of light, temperature, and moisture. Bounded substrates, like downed wood and leaf litter, add further complexity to this landscape. Specifically, downed wood is noted for its ability to retain a higher moisture level than the surrounding environment, and as such can serve as an ideal microhabitat for desiccation intolerant organisms (e.g., salamanders and eusocial insects). Here, I attempt to disentangle the relationship between forest floor arthropods and microhabitat selection (i.e., downed wood vs leaf litter) on a northeastern forest floor. The ant, Aphaenogaster picea, was chosen as my …

Marketing The Library: Engaging Law Students With Dynamic Displays, Lisa A. Gooden, Ariel Newman

Faculty Works

Academic law libraries increasingly serve as dynamic, student-centered spaces that extend beyond traditional collections. This article explores practical and creative approaches to marketing library resources through engaging, low-cost displays and interactive experiences. Drawing on initiatives at the University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Law Library, the authors highlight strategies for introducing students to multiple formats of legal study aids, promoting faculty scholarship through institutional repositories, and fostering a welcoming library environment with interactive and frequently refreshed displays. Examples include multimodal displays that integrate print and digital resources, the use of QR codes and design tools to showcase faculty research, and …

A Creative Climate Framework For Developing Leaders Who Can Navigate Complexity, Uncertainty, And Change Now And Over Time, Christa M. Heydt-Hernandez

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

As organizational environments grow increasingly volatile and complex, leaders face a widening gap in the skills hardest to cultivate in adults: creative thinking, systems thinking, and human-centered design thinking. Yet leadership development has prioritized culture over climate, overlooking a more direct lever for change. This project argues the gap is fundamentally developmental: the skills most demanded of today's leaders are best introduced across childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood—long before the workplace—through what the author terms the Long Game of Leadership Development. In response, this project introduces the Creativity Steward™ framework, a longitudinal model grounded in developmental psychology, creative climate research, …

The 5i’S Framework Of Creative Self-Leadership, Maggie Cubbler

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

The purpose of this Master of Science in Creativity and Change Leadership project is to establish a framework for Creative Self-Leadership (CSL) development. Viewed through a gendered lens, the framework addresses how women's intrapersonal processes—the 5I's of introspection, interoception, intuition, imagination, and intrinsic motivation—are often compromised by sustained environmental and systemic pressure, and proposes practices designed to restore and strengthen these internal guides.

By recalibrating these intrapersonal processes toward accurate self-knowledge, CSL employs the science of creativity to lead women in their own quest for change, agency, and resilience while remaining cognizant of the dynamic between her and her environment.

Redesigning The Fashion Show Production Process Through Creative Leadership And Structured Communication, Kerrisa K. Johnson

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

The creation of an organized, rehearsal-driven, communication-focused paradigm for fashion show production is presented in this master's project. The purpose of the project was to address recurrent issues in fashion production settings, such as poor rehearsal preparation, unclear role expectations, and misunderstandings between designers, models, and production teams. The project, which was based on systems thinking, creative leadership, and Creative Problem Solving (CPS), aimed to restructure the production process to enhance teamwork, clarity, and overall performance.

The project's main outcome is a comprehensive Production Model Handbook that may be used in independent, college, and growing fashion show settings. A multi-phase …

Techno-Imagination: Elevating Creativity Through Xr And Ai, Christopher Spitzer

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

Techno-Imagination: Elevating Creativity Through XR and AI explores the history of creativity and computing technology, supported by research and academic literature, and looks at the possibilities of a convergence between the two. In parallel, a brief biographical story of the author shares how a passion for creativity emerged, along with a growing interest in science and technology—specifically extended reality—which ultimately came together in the creation of this master’s project. The project also highlights how the Creative Problem Solving (CPS) process was used alongside AI bots and twenty research-based creative thinking skills in developing the business model canvas. Finally, the outcome …

Acute Effects Of Tempering On Biomechanical Tissue Characteristics In The Lower Back, Danielle Rae Marie Alley

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Body tempering (BT) is a novel, myofascial release technique that is growing in popularity among sports medicine and performance practitioners. No studies have explored its effects on biomechanical tissue characteristics or its influence on perceived disablement within the thoracolumbar spine region. The aim of this study was to examine the acute effects of BT on soft-tissue characteristics and perceived disablement in the thoracolumbar spine region. A randomized controlled trial was used to study 22 young adults (10 males, 12 females, age=21.1±0.68 years, height=170.6±11.8 cm, mass=65.2±14.2 kg). Treatment group participants received a 1-minute BT treatment to the soft tissues of their …

Do I Say This Out Loud? Perceived Popular Campus Opinion And Political Voice Among College Students In A Hyperpolarized Climate, Madeline T. Dauphin

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

The purpose of this study was to see if college students who perceive their political beliefs to be in the minority on campus will be less likely to express their political opinions in a hyperpolarized environment. This was done by fielding an original study to collect quantitative data from college students, mainly in the Midwest. The survey measured students’ perceptions of their campus political climate, student comfort expressing their own political opinions, and the frequency with which they self-censor their political opinions. I found that perceiving one’s political views to be in the minority on campus was associated with a …

The Impact Of Sensory Processing Disorder On Elementary-Aged Students In The Classroom And Proper Teacher Responses, Sophia Slater

Senior Honors Theses

Sensory processing disorder (SPD) is when an individual cannot correctly process an incoming stimulus from the surrounding environment. This is prevalent in young children as they are beginning to learn about the world around them. Their inability to properly process information through their senses affects their daily lives and creates a challenge for them. There are also co-occurrences of SPD with both autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactive disorder. Since most of a child’s time is spent in the classroom, it is imperative that teachers understand the disorder and proper strategies to assist these students as they learn. Occupational …

Pediatric Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome: An Integrative Review, Esther Maclean

Senior Honors Theses

Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, otherwise known as (POTS) is a neurological condition that affects the autonomic nervous system. POTS often presents in adolescent women. This review looks at research surrounding possible treatment modalities including pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions. The goal of this review is to increase healthcare provider knowledge surrounding POTS and increase the speed and efficiency at which POTS is diagnosed and treated in adolescents. This will be done by surveying the current research for best treatment methods, common comorbidities, and reasoning for delayed diagnosis. Common symptoms seen in POTS include syncope and pre-syncope, dizziness, fatigue, and decreased cognitive …

Is God An Illusion? Comparing Parasocial Relationships And Relationships With God, Parker J. Gungor

Senior Honors Theses

This thesis seeks to distinguish the parasocial relationship (PSR) from a relationship with God. A PSR is a one-sided relationship with a parasocial figure (PSF) such as a celebrity that gives the illusion of reciprocity. Since neither God nor the PSF interact with people in the same manner as standard reciprocal relationships, several key psychological theories are examined to highlight the similarities and differences between the relationships. A research gap is identified regarding the reciprocity of a relationship with God, so a study is proposed to compare the perceived responsiveness between a PSF and God. In comparing the perceived responsiveness …

An Exploration Of The Autorotating Pendulum Model, Vlad Nita

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Autorotation is the spontaneous rotation of an object, usually caused by an external fluid flow. The study of autorotation has many physical applications, such as in the design of wind/water turbines. In this thesis, we explore a nonlinear pendulum ordinary differential equation (ODE) which is used to model rotating plates in a fluid and has the capacity to reveal autorotation. In the context of an ODE, autorotation emerges as a bifurcation past oscillations, when the initial velocity of the system crosses a particular threshold. In his classic study from 1983, Lugt [14] utilizes this equation to capture experimental autorotation. Copeland’s …