Digital Commons Network^™

Sailing To The Stars Iss Experiment: Results And Conclusions From Light Sail Deployments In Microgravity, Verena Padres, Parishee Bajaj, Venkata Chalamalasetty, Claire Kim, Joshua Umansky-Castro, Dionna Parina, Gabriella Elcsics-Gonzalez, Cameron Goddard, Ethan Francolla, Mason Peck, Andrew Filo, Alex Burke, Olivia Gámez Holzhaus, Heath Mills, Christopher Kelly

Small Satellite Conference

Sailing to the Stars is a mission to test the deployment of free-flying light sails on the International Space Station (ISS). The objective is to understand how different deployer designs affect the stability of both the CubeSat Deployer and the light sail during and after the deployment event. Data from the IMU onboard the deployer and video footage from wall-mounted cameras are used to analyze these dynamics. The findings shall inform the design of future missions that employ this free-flying ChipSat-sail architecture.

The hardware launched with Crew-11 on August 1^st, 2025. Nicole Ayers conducted the experiment on August …

Lighting Up The Moon: A Scheduling Framework For Cislunar Space Based Solar Power Orchestration, Vaibhav Bhosale, Andrew Woo, Ada Gavrilovska, Christopher R. Valenta, Ketan Bhardwaj

Small Satellite Conference

Surviving the Lunar Night

• 14 Earth day lunar nights
• More batteries, more mass, higher cost

Generalized Attitude Control For Small Spacecraft, Patrick Mckeen, Niclas Scheuer, Kerri Cahoy

Small Satellite Conference

Published controllers are derived for one actuator set, pointing goal, orbit, and disturbance model. Porting one means reproducing the paper, validating the implementation, then changing hardware and mission assumptions together.

Unmanned Aerial Support Program In Portland Police Bureau: A Case Study, Eiryn Renouard

Dissertations and Theses

With the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) adopting drone technology in 2024 as a tactical tool, officers have begun to experience change in the way they approach their roles as they learn to work in conjunction with this new technology. Known as the Unmanned Aerial Support program (UAS), this drone program is embedded into PPB's patrol unit. The recency of the program offers an opportunity to examine how a new program using new technology builds its culture and impacts the perspectives and behaviors of its participating officers. By interviewing officers and conducting field observations of the officers and drones in action, …

India's New Urban Development Regime And The Mirage Of Inclusion: The Urban Challenge Fund And City Economic Regions, Mathew Idiculla

Journal of Law and Public Policy

This paper examines two recent additions to India’s urban development paradigm—the Urban Challenge Fund (UCF) and City Economic Regions (CERs). The Union Budget 2025–26 introduced the UCF, with a ₹1 lakh crore corpus to position cities as growth hubs, followed by CER, offering seven city clusters ₹5,000 crore each over five years through a reform and results-based ‘challenge mode’ financing mechanism. This paper examines the policy frameworks of the UCF and CER and evaluates how they fit into broader trends in India’s urban development policy and engage with questions of social and democratic inclusion. It traces UCF and CER against …

Analysis Of Satellite Drag, Orbit Tracking, And Associated Operational Impacts In Very Low Earth Orbit (Vleo), Angela Crews, Adrian Bryant, Nicholas Ratajczyk, Alec Yenawine, Conor Benson, Chris Roseman, Sara Swenson, Greg Furlich, Rick Marcusen, Sierra Flynn, Chris Pankratz, Scott Palo, Iain Boyd, Marcin Pilinski

Small Satellite Conference

Large constellations of SmallSats in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) are now delivering critical capabilities for missions in Earth observation, navigation, and communications. Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO), defined here as below 400 km altitude, is emerging as a new frontier for SmallSat constellations due to its unique advantages. VLEO offers improved spatial resolution for Earth observations, reduced latency, increased signal power, and a naturally self-cleaning orbital environment. However, operating spacecraft in VLEO is non-trivial as the spacecraft must overcome the residual atmosphere at these altitudes and the resulting increase in aerodynamic drag and atomic oxygen fluence. As interest grows in …

Development, Verification And Operations Of The Technology Demonstration Payloads On The Source-2 Education Mission At The University Of Stuttgart, Marlin Kanzow, Manfred Ehresmann, Daniel Galla, Sabine Klinkner, Aaron Schmidt, Max Bode, Saulius Juodkazis

Small Satellite Conference

The Stuttgart Operated University Research Cubesat for Evaluation and Education 2 (SOURCE-2) mission serves as a student-led hands-on education project at the University of Stuttgart. Developed jointly by the Institute of Space Systems (IRS), and the Student Small Satellite Association (KSat e.V.) at the University of Stuttgart, the mission enables students to apply theoretical knowledge within an interdisciplinary 6U+ CubeSat project while simultaneously serving as a technology demonstration platform for sustainable space technologies. The payload suite targets future On-Orbit Servicing (OOS), Active Debris Removal (ADR), and next-generation small satellite missions. This paper presents the development, verification strategy, and planned in-orbit …

System Integration And Pre-Launch Verification Of The Scion-X Mission: Lessons Learned From A High-Fidelity Flatsat Campaign, Binson Shih-Bin Lee, Yu-Shun Wang, Tzu-Wei Hung, Shao-Yu You, Sin-Yu Tsui, I Chen, Yu-Hsiu Tien, Chieh Lung, Yi-Yu Chang, Yi-Chung Chiu, Loren Chang

Small Satellite Conference

The SCION-X (SCintillation and IONosphere eXtended) mission, a 12U CubeSat from National Central University, Taiwan, is scheduled for launch in Q3 of 2026. Designed to perform in-situ ionospheric plasma measurements, hyperspectral aerosol monitoring, and Solar EUV irradiance quantification, the spacecraft integrates a complex multi-payload suite that also includes an amateur radio APRS transponder. As the mission transitions from the Critical Design Review (CDR) phase to flight readiness, the student team implemented a comprehensive FlatSat campaign to bridge the gap between theoretical design and physical reality. This paper presents the "Next on the Pad" status of SCION-X, focusing on the critical …

Flight Path: A Microservices Message-Passing Flight Software Architecture For Cesiumastro Element One Satellite, Dylan Pfeifer, Russell Gleason, Nick Bourdon, David Gholami, Daniel Zilavy, Dan Barrera, John Storey

Small Satellite Conference

The CesiumAstro Element One Satellite, designed for multi-band phased array communications in Low Earth Orbit, required a new approach to satellite flight software. The variety of new devices on the satellite bus, fast-paced development schedule, and combination of in-house and purchased subsystems required flight software to incorporate a mixture of programming languages, a mixture of open source and proprietary software, and a pairing of high Technology Readiness Level (TRL) frameworks with new, first-flight software. To achieve integration, assembly, and test on compressed schedule, the flight software paradigm focused on microservices-brokered access to hardware and a message-passing based coordination between software …

Mirzo Ulugbek 6u Cubesat: Modular Structural Design, Analysis, And Ait For Earth Observation Mission Deployment, Hery Steven Mindarno, Louis Alferd Gauvain Lefort, Khabibullokh Olimjon Ugli Azimjonov, Iwase Tomoya, Aashish Sarode, Chinathip Narongphun, Reynel Josue Galindo Rosales, Mehmet Esit, Hanadi Abdalla, Kaito Hamada, Victor Schulz, Jose Rodrigo Cordova Alarcon, Hirokazu Masui, Takashi Yamauchi, Necmi Cihan Orger, Kentaro Kitamura, Mengu Cho

Small Satellite Conference

The Mirzo Ulugbek satellite is a 6U CubeSat designed for Earth Observation (EO) and equipped with a high-resolution camera system. Developed in collaboration between the Kyushu Institute of Technology (Kyutech) and the Uzbekistan Space Agency, Mirzo Ulugbek will be deployed directly from a launch vehicle into a Sun-Synchronous Orbit (SSO) to enable continuous Earth observation. This paper presents the modular structural design, analysis, and Assembly, Integration, and Testing (AIT) processes that ensure the satellite’s robustness during launch and reliable operation in orbit. The modular design allows efficient integration, disassembly, and reassembly of subsystems, enhancing flexibility during testing. This design approach …

Multi-Modal Detection And Attribution Algorithm For Low Power Edge Compute Hardware, Margaret Michelsen, Jackson Gardner, Shawn Jones, Jackson Kulik, Mario Harper

Small Satellite Conference

We present a multi-modal detection and attribution algorithm for maritime domain awareness designed to execute on low-power FPGA-based edge compute hardware. Spaceborne hyperspectral sensors generate data volumes far exceeding practical downlink capacity, yet the onboard compute platforms available for real-time processing operate within strict power, memory, and radiation constraints. The proposed algorithm fuses RX anomaly scoring, ACE matched filtering, multi-spectral index evaluation, wake-aware spatial scoring, and spectral glint cancellation in a five-stage pipeline designed for hardware-efficient execution. Mixed-precision quantization assigns FP16 arithmetic to covariance-sensitive stages and INT8 to threshold-based spectral computations, achieving a 12.4× model size reduction and 6.1× compute …

Mechanical Design Of A 100-Chipsat Suborbital Deployer For The Descent Mission, Richard Zheng, Ocean Saric, Will Kully, Henry Wolf, Peter Nguyen, Sarah Cooper, Christopher Draikiwicz, Adam Yonas, Joshua Umansky-Castro, Mark Lohatepanont, H. Todd Smith

Small Satellite Conference

DeSCENT (Demonstration of Suborbital ChipSats Ejected from New Shepard Test Flight) aims to deploy 100 ChipSats –gram-scale spacecraft– from Blue Origin’s New Shepard launch vehicle. Led by students of the Cornell University Space Systems Design Studio in collaboration with JHU-APL, the experiment characterizes ChipSat dispersion and free-fall kinematics from the K´arm´an line while exploring their potential for distributed sensing for atmospheric science. This paper outlines the design, integration, and test of the ChipSat deployer to be mounted on the New Shepard propulsion module in coordination with the JHU-APL JANUS payload. Details are shared on the overall mechanical design, driven by …

Lunar Intelligent Navigation Neural Architecture (Linna), Gleisson Bezerra, Pedro Fernandes Varela, Felipe Oliveira Tavares, Renan Guilherme Menezes, Lidia Shibuya Sato, Luis Eduardo Loures

Small Satellite Conference

This paper presents the design and preliminary validation of the Lunar Intelligent Navigation Neural Architecture (LINNA) payload, a technology demonstration integrated into the SelenITA mission—Brazil’s first lunar CubeSat. The experiment is motivated by the future needs for autonomous state estimation in the Very Low Lunar Orbit (VLLO) regime, where Mascon-induced gravitational anomalies challenge traditional inertial-only navigation. The primary goal of LINNA is to evaluate the feasibility of conducting onboard, vision-based positioning as a future auxiliary system for autonomous Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC). LINNA operates as a standalone technological experiment, using a nadir-pointing optical sensor to capture lunar surface data …

The Solar Neutrino And Astro-Particle Physics (Snappy) Cubesat Development, Brian M. Sutin, Edward Bierens, Brian Doty, Atri Dutta, Jonathan Folkerts, Brooks Hartsock, Kyle Messick, Holger Meyer, Daniel Reichart, Nick Solomey, Mark Crystal, Miguel Rodriguez-Otero, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Robert Mctaggart, James Cutler, Joel Steinkraus, Jose G. Rivera

Small Satellite Conference

The SNAPPY CubeSat, which was launched May 3, 2026, will demonstrate and space qualify the νSol neutrino-detection technology. The NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program funded the νSol study to determine the scientific and technical challenges associated with a solar neutrino detector operating in close orbit around the Sun, such as a Parker Solar Probe–like orbit at 7 solar radii and potentially as close as 3 solar radii. This program began in 2017 and has continued with funding from NIAC and NASA’s Heliophysics Division. The νSol technology detects solar neutrinos using a gallium isotope which decays by …

Neutron-2: A Dual Cubesat Mission For Three-Dimensional Mapping Of Neutron Radiation In Low Earth Orbit, Miguel Nunes, Piper Kline, Kenoi Salvador, Peter Englert, William Edmonson, Craig Hardgrove, Erik B. Johnson

Small Satellite Conference

Neutron interactions in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) remain a poorly characterized component of the space radiation environment, despite their potential to significantly impact spacecraft electronics, materials, and crew health. Unlike primary charged particles, most neutrons in LEO are secondary products generated when high-energy protons and heavy ions from galactic cosmic rays or solar energetic particle events interact with atoms and molecules in Earth’s atmosphere. The production rate of these secondary neutrons is strongly dependent on atmospheric density, which varies with altitude, geomagnetic position, and solar activity, leading to spatial and temporal variability that is not well captured by current radiation …

Flight Model Development And Initial Operational Results Of The Rapid Alert Demonstration Satellite Arica-2, Hayato Mabuchi, Takanori Sakamoto, Motoko Serino, Shuntaro Morikawa, Shion Nojima, Rento Okita, Satoshi Moriyama, Seiya Shigeoka, Teruaki Enoto

Small Satellite Conference

AGU Remote Innovative CubeSat Alert System-2 (ARICA-2) is a 2U CubeSat designed to demonstrate rapid alerts for transient astrophysical events such as gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) by utilizing commercial satellite communications. Because GRBs are difficult to predict and have very short durations, immediate detection and rapid alert dissemination to enable follow-up observations by other instruments are critically important for understanding these phenomena. This satellite aims to address this challenge by adopting commercial satellite communication systems as its alert transmission method. The spacecraft is equipped with commercial satellite communication terminals, including Iridium SBD and Globalstar STX-3. The onboard computer (OBC) is Sony's …

Operational Challenges And Lessons Learned For Very Low Earth Orbit Cubesats, Adrian Bryant, Angela Crews, Sierra Flynn, Scott Gennari, Marcin Pilinksi, Nicholas Ratajczyk

Small Satellite Conference

Interest in Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO) for small satellite applications has surged in the past half-decade, from industry, scientific, and governmental institutions. Operating at VLEO altitudes is incredibly challenging. The density of the residual atmosphere, and therefore the drag force experienced, grows exponentially as the orbital altitude decreases. The high-drag environment complicates orbit determination, minimizes anomaly response time, increases momentum management requirements, and may require significant re-concepting of operations. The Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) SmallSat Operations (SMOPS) group had the unique opportunity to partner with the University of Colorado Boulder National Security Initiatives (CU NSI) and …

Ground-Based Magnetic Attitude Determination For Low-Cost Cubesat Missions, Johnny Mccaskill, Evan Jellison, Jackson Holden, Blagoy Rangelov

Small Satellite Conference

This work presents the development and validation of a low-cost attitude determination approach for small satellites operating in low Earth orbit using only magnetometer data. The proposed method leverages measurements of Earth’s magnetic field collected by onboard magnetometers in conjunction with orbital information processed on the ground. By comparing observed magnetic field vectors with reference values generated from the World Magnetic Model, the system estimates the satellite’s orientation with minimal onboard processing requirements. The resulting attitude solution is then transmitted back to the spacecraft for potential use in attitude control or mission planning.

Because all computation occurs on the ground, …

R5 Spacecraft 7, 9, And 10: Proximity Operations, Optical Comm, And Edge Compute, Sam Pedrotty, James Berck, Jack Wisbiski, Kelly Mann, Andrzej Jackowski, Jacob Nunez-Kearny, Robin Onsay, Faheem Quazi, Thomas Kirven, Rob Stoddard, Jordan Fogg, Roger Hunter, Anup Parikh, Alex Bongiovanni, Shrusti Jain, Cassidy Kuehl, Kyle Merry, Luke Duffield

Small Satellite Conference

The Realizing Rapid, Reduced-cost high-Risk Research (R5) project has designed, assembled, integrated, tested, delivered, and launched three spacecraft with three unique missions in fiscal year 2026. Each spacecraft has applied lessons learned from the prior to enhance the cost and schedule reductions of the R5 process while reducing risk and maximizing spacecraft capabilities. Spacecraft 7 (R5-S7) completed suborbital proximity operations around a Falcon 9 upper stage in November of 2025 using an industrial LiDAR for relative navigation. Spacecraft 10 (R5-S10) launched on Transporter 16 and is intended to build on R5-S7’s mission by completing proximity operations in orbit around a …

Arcstone: Calibration Of Lunar Spectral Reflectance From Space - One Year On-Orbit Performance, Michael Cooney, Cindy Young, Mark Banchy, Noah Ryan

Small Satellite Conference

Arcstone is a 6U CubeSat launched June 2025 to demonstrate in-space validation of an approach for measuring the lunar disk reflectance to a high degree of accuracy, which will be used to create a new lunar model for calibration of reflected solar instruments. The mission was funded via NASA's InVEST program and had design input, analysis, management and operation from NASA Langley Research Center with multiple collaborators doing additional design work, calibration, and analysis. The Arcstone instrument is a hyperspectral instrument spanning the spectral range from 350 nm to 2300 nm. Arcstone views the Moon and the Sun controlling detector …

I Think I'M Falling For You: Xvi Mission's Final Days In Orbit, Lee Jasper, Erika A. Chavez, Andrew A. Knuth, Adam T. Reinelt, Cameron Shideler, Jayce Thedford, Declan Byrne, Michael Dompke

Small Satellite Conference

The Air Force Research Lab’s (AFRL) Small Satellite Portfolio (SSP) created the XVI CubeSat which was launched on SpaceX’s Transporter 8 in June of 2023. 

XVI remained operational from June 2023 until its deorbit on January 7, 2026. Throughout its lifetime, the team maintained the vehicle and used XVI for experimentation and training purposes. However, due to the sun's low activity around this time frame, and intentionally lowering the drag/cross sectional area of XVI on orbit, the spacecraft was able to stay in orbit for months beyond its initial predicted re-entry. 

Between January 4th and January 7th, XVI was tracked …

Student-Led Operational Framework And Initial On-Orbit Lessons Learned In Multifunctional Membrane Mission Helios-R, Daichi Ishido, Masanori Matsushita, Yuki Takao, Ahmed Kiyoshi Sugihara, Osamu Mori, Tetsuya Kusumoto, Yukiho Ohtsuki, Yuto Nakagawa, Haruhito Ohki, Kaho Nakagawa, Shusaku Tsuruya, Masaaki Shigematsu, Fumiya Aono, Kaine Amakawa, Akihiro Kushima, Ayumu Kawasaki, Jiro Takada, Hinata Yamamoto, Reiji Kobayashi, Ryuki Shimizu, Hiroaki Yoneda, Hirona Kawahara, Junya Taguchi, Satsuki Yokohori, Tomoyo Shibata, Kazuki Hamatsuki, Mao Takata, Toshiyuki Hori, Hiroaki Ito, Akihito Watanabe, Sota Kume, Atsuki Ochi, Takuma Komaba, Hiraku Sakamoto, Atsushi Shirane, Kenichi Okada, Ayako Torisaka, Nobukatsu Okuizumi, Yasutaka Satou, Yasuyuki Miyazaki, Atsuhiko Senba

Small Satellite Conference

To enable a broad range of space activities, small satellites require innovative solutions for lightweight, high-power generation. HELIOS-R (Harvesting Energy with Lightweight Integrated Origami Structure), co-developed by JAXA, Institute of Science Tokyo, and Sakase Adtech Co., Ltd., is a pioneering multifunctional membrane component. Launched in December 2025 as part of the RAISE-4 mission, it integrates thin-film solar arrays, a 5G array antenna, and an interferometer antenna on a 1-meter equilateral triangular membrane. This paper details a reliable operational framework developed by a diverse, student-led team from JAXA/ISAS to address stringent operational constraints and technical challenges arising from severe launch delays. …

Advancing Wavelet-Adaptive Interference Cancellation To Enable Cubesat Constellations For High-Fidelity Ac Magnetometry, Surya S. Kalluri, Alex P. Hoffmann, Mark B. Moldwin, James W. Cutler, Yethinder Ragav Lakshmi Kumar, Lauro V. Ojeda

Small Satellite Conference

Dense CubeSat constellations equipped with science-grade AC magnetometers offer a transformative path toward high spatial and temporal resolution of several magnetospheric phenomena that large spacecraft missions cannot resolve. Realizing this vision demands boomless magnetometry– due to deployment risks and resource constraints on nano/micro satellite platforms in large scale –capable of operating in the presence of intense spacecraft-generated electromagnetic interference without the spatial separation that conventional booms provide. This paper advances the characterization of the Wavelet-Adaptive Interference Cancellation for Underdetermined Platforms (WAIC-UP) algorithm across different frequency regimes and two distinct classes of test data. In the 50 Hz to 30 kHz …

Passive Thermal Imaging And Failure Detection Of Large-Area Space Structures Using Spin Crossover Composite Skins, Edward Pomianek, Codrin Tugui, Denise Maria De Andrade, Mihai Duduta

Small Satellite Conference

Deployable solar arrays are among the most failure-prone structures on spacecraft, and on small satellites their large area, low mass, and mechanical complexity make faults both more likely and harder to observe. Electrostatic discharge, string arcing, and localized hot spots can degrade or disable an array, yet the mass and harness penalties of distributed point sensors are difficult to accommodate within CubeSat resource budgets. This paper presents a passive, camera-readable sensing skin based on spin crossover (SCO) composite films that converts thermal events on a large-area structure into persistent optical information. The active material, [Fe(NH₂trz)₃]Br_{2 …}

An Ai-Enabled Ground Processing Pipeline For Image Restoration And Super-Resolution In 1u Cubesat Missions, Juan Bernardo Calabrese, Manuel Alejandro González Mendoza, Eduardo De La Vega Segura

Small Satellite Conference

The inaugural 1U CubeSat mission of Universidad Panamericana represents a shift in academic remote sensing, prioritizing ground-segment intelligence to overcome the physical and computational constraints of a 10-centimeter cubic form factor. Given strict power limitations, the satellite utilizes a low-cost, space-qualified XCAM C3D imaging system providing moderate-quality 1.3MP imagery with a ground sample distance (GSD) of approximately 360 meters at an altitude of 550 kilometers. To transform these raw frames into high-value Earth Observation products, this paper details an automated ground station framework hosting a modular image processing pipeline. The pipeline combines traditional image processing—including histogram equalization and edge enhancement—with …

Itasat2 Conceptual Architectural Design Of A Multi-Band Communication Framework For Distributed Cubesat Formation Operations, Renan Guilherme Soares Menezes, Edson Wander Do Rego Pereira, Bruno Leonardo Schuster, Pedro Casarin, Pedro Henrique Antero Lira, Luiz Fernando Da Cunha Silva, Matheus Esteves, Lidia Shibuya Sato, Ana Di Iorio, Luis Eduardo Vergueiro Loures Da Costa

Small Satellite Conference

The growing operational complexity of distributed CubeSat missions in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) demands communication architectures that provide robustness, responsiveness, and mission-level adaptability. The ITASAT2 mission, composed of three coordinated CubeSats operating in controlled relative motion, serves as a representative case to investigate how a multi-layer communication architecture can support formation flying, responsive maneuver planning, space situational awareness (SSA), distributed payload operations, and increasing levels of onboard autonomy within strict SWaP constraints. This paper proposes and analyzes a multi-band communication architecture designed to improve both operational resilience and communication responsiveness. The architecture combines a primary telemetry, tracking, and command (TT&C) …

Synthesis, Thermal Stability, And Ionic Conductivity Of Phenyl-Extended Viologen Ditriflate Salts: Tailoring Properties Via Oxyethylene Chain Length, Seonghyeok L. Cox, Emily Moon, Si L. Chen, David King, Haesook Han, Pradip K. Bhowmik, Calvin Ng Yi Bin, Thamil Selvi Velayutham, Alfonso Martinez-Felipe

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Research

Six new phenyl-extended viologen salts with oxyethylene groups paired with triflate anions (OTF) have been synthesized using anionic ring-opening and ring-closing reactions (ANRORC) and metathesis reactions with LiOTf salts. The salts, which contain terminal oxyethylene chains of varying lengths ((CH₂CH₂O)_n, n = 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7), are named PEOn-OTF. These materials exhibit a fluorescence response and possess high thermal stability, with processing windows up to approximately 300 °C, as confirmed by thermogravimetric analysis. While samples with short chain lengths (n = 1, 2, and 3) undergo crystallization observed …

Effect Of Personal, Organizational, And Work Attributes On Long-Term Care Nurses’ Intent To Stay, Marilyn J. Hodgins, Caitlin Mcarthur, Janice M. Keefe, Rick Audas, Carole Estabrooks, Rose Mccloskey, Gail Tomblin Murphy

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

A stable workforce is key to creating and maintaining a positive work environment, enhancing productivity, reducing adverse events, and lowering recruitment and orientation costs (De Vries et al., 2023). Stability in staffing of long-term care (LTC) facilities is particularly important given the vulnerability of the residents and increasing complexity of their physical and psychosocial care needs (Calver et al., 2025; Virdo & Daly, 2025). However, before action can be taken to address high turnover rates among LTC staff (Gandhi et al., 2021), factors influencing such decisions need to be understood.

PURPOSE: To examine extent that LTC nurses’ intent to stay …

Advancing Quality In Online Nursing Education: A Global Perspective, Kaneez R. Odgers, Shantha Franks

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

The global shift toward online and hybrid nursing education has transformed how nurses learn, offering flexible pathways for students across diverse geographic and socioeconomic contexts. As nations continue to face nursing shortages, digital and distance education models have expanded access, yet ensuring high-quality, competency-based preparation in virtual environments remains a major challenge. Concerns include the adequacy of virtual learning for developing clinical reasoning, variability in clinical training standards across countries, and disparities in technological access that directly affect learning outcomes. These issues reflect findings in current literature, showing the need for evidence-based strategies to ensure that digitally educated nurses are …

Harnessing Expert Insights To Strengthen Hiv Care Through Innovative Programme Development, Mebelo Medupe, Deliwe Rene Phetlhu

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Purpose: The aim of this study was to develop and validate an education programme designed to improve the quality of life (QoL) of people living with HIV (PLHIV) on antiretroviral therapy (ART) in the Johannesburg Metropole. The Delphi technique was employed to gather expert consensus on the content, scope, and relevance of the program to ensure its appropriateness and effectiveness.

Methods: A three-round Delphi process was conducted with ten purposively selected experts, including HIV/AIDS specialists, practitioners, nurses, and PhD students with relevant experience. Round one involved the development of an initial questionnaire based on literature review and previous research, which …