Digital Commons Network^™

Growing Alum Crystals, Todd Carroll, Daniela Gutierrez Rubio, Kevin Dang, Samuel J. Whempner

Research & Creative Achievement Day

One of the easiest crystal growth experiments uses Alum powder to dissolve in water. The dissolved material slowly forms with seed crystals to create larger crystals. As the dissolved material is depleted, more is added to continue the crystal growth. Four different concentrations were used for seed crystal growth. Those crystals were attached to a string and hung in a bath of Alum solution. Different strategies were used to grow crystals and in some cases dissolve crystals.

Weatherwise Bench, Ella R. Carr, Beckett Malaise, Dominic Perez, Matt Wooden

Research & Creative Achievement Day

Current outdoor seating concepts seem to be either heavy and bulky yet durable or light and easy to move, but lacking durability. How about combining the best of both worlds to create a seat that is light and easy to move, but also durable. WeatherWise is a sleek, carbon fiber bench that incorporates a honeycomb core to ensure a lightweight product that is also durable. The carbon fiber provides a sleek look and added strength. The design allows the bench to be outdoors in all types of weather from hot, sunny summer days to cold, snowy winter nights. The design …

Identifying Spatial Inhomogeneity In An Industrial-Scale Autoclave Polymer Reactor Using Computational Fluid Dynamics, Elijah Yoder

Liberty University Research Week

Because of the exothermic nature of polyethylene polymerization, process improvements must be performed carefully. Reactor failure can occur due to thermal runaway in which the added heat increases the reaction rates, increasing the temperature further, and so on. This is dangerous, because the pressure increases along with temperature, and it can explode if it exceeds the design conditions of the reactor. This makes experimental work obviously dangerous, so researchers often prefer simulations. Although, a common assumption is that the reaction mixture is perfectly homogeneous, lessening its applicability. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) makes no such assumptions and can resolve internal temperature …

Aerodynamic Performance Analysis Of High-Powered Rocket Airbrakes, Simon Babcock, Samuel Worthington, Sophia Batchelor

Liberty University Research Week

This research investigates the use of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to derive a coefficient-of-drag (Cd) profile for a high-powered rocket with an active airbrake control system to drive precise apogee control and trajectory prediction. High-fidelity CFD simulations are used to produce a reliable drag-coefficient function across relevant Mach numbers with airbrakes retracted and extended into the relative airstream, enabling more accurate trajectory modeling and control strategies for rockets employing aerodynamic drag modulation. This accurate drag characterization is critical as small deviations in the rocket’s Cd can significantly alter the predicted launch behavior and stability during high-powered flight. Prior work in …

Exploring The K-12 Educational Experiences Of First-Generation Hispanic Undergraduate Students, Stephanie Hernandez-Lopez

Liberty University Research Week

Research Question: This qualitative study examines how first-generation Hispanic undergraduate students perceive their K-12 educational experiences and how these shaped their transition into higher education. Method: Through semi-structured interviews with four participants, the research identifies recurring themes, including parental involvement, language barriers, access to resources, motivation, and preparedness for college. These insights contribute to understanding systemic factors behind the achievement gap and inform strategies for more equitable educational support. Conclusion: Overall, the findings show that first-generation Hispanic students’ college readiness is shaped by the combined effects of limited early academic rigor, inconsistent school–family communication, and assumptions about home academic support. …

Quantitative Stewardship Of The Great Commission: A Linear Programming Approach To Missionary Allocation In India, Isaiah Mellace

Liberty University Research Week

This project investigates how linear programming can be used as a decision-support tool to inform missionary allocation across unreached people groups in India. The central thesis is that quantitative optimization methods can help identify regions of greatest unmet need and minimize the number of resources required to complete the Great Commission. Prior work in operations research has demonstrated the effectiveness of linear programming for resource allocation problems in logistics, healthcare, and humanitarian aid; however, such methods have rarely been applied to missiological contexts. Using figures from Joshua Project’s South Asia data, a mixed-integer linear programming model was constructed with assumptions …

Machine Learning-Based Defect Identification Using Resonant Ultrasonic Spectroscopy, Abigail Richard

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

Resonant ultrasonic spectroscopy (RUS) is a common non-destructive testing (NDT) technique that is used for quality assessment of the parts and components in various applications. RUS is performed by exciting samples by an external load and capturing its vibrational frequencies to be analyzed and find irregularities to classify parts. RUS has been investigated to test additively manufactured Inconel 718 samples for the feasibility of accurate quality assessment. Frequency and amplitude data was collected, transformed using z-score normalization and then analyzed using different classification algorithms. Machine learning algorithms has been deployed for defect classification of good and bad samples. These findings …

Project Akira: Data Mining And Merging, And Training A Custom-Built Gpt To Produce Therapist-Like, Ethically Coherent Responses, Rocco Moore, Joshua Farara

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

Numerous artificial intelligence GPT models are trained on various language dataset types, including ethical and mental health dialogue, to produce ethically coherent responses, and these datasets are opened and merged together via the efficient processes of data mining and data merging. To explore how companies such as OpenAI and Microsoft achieve these goals, we implemented our own custom-built GPT, named AkiraGPT, which has recently and historically had issues generating ethical responses, simulating self awareness, and has sometimes generated incomprehensible, contextually irrelevant responses. In addition to that, AkiraGPT would sometimes have it's responses be "cut off." 

Our goal with our research …

Comprehensive Characterization Of Lake Floor Sediments, Clarks Hill Lake, Southeastern Usa., Oluwatunmise Emmanuel Akanmu

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

Oluwatunmise Akanmu¹, Aguinaldo Silva², Jéssica Franzon Cruz Santo³, Edward L. Lo^1,4

¹School of Earth, Environment, and Sustainability, Georgia Southern University

2Faculty of Engineering, Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul

3Faculty of Data Science, SENAI São Paulo

4Institute of Water and Health, Georgia Southern University

Sediment geochemistry plays a fundamental role in regulating nutrient availability, cycling organic matter, and moderating primary productivity in aquatic systems. The Clarks Hill Lake (J. Strom Thurmond Reservoir) is a temperate reservoir filled in 1952 along the Savannah River, which forms the Georgia–South Carolina state line. The …

Chattla+ - Can Llms Write Correct Tla+ Specifications?, Eric Spencer

Undergraduate Research and Engagement Symposium

TLA+ is a programming language used by companies like Amazon and Microsoft to mathematically prove a system is correct via specifications. We evaluate 30 LLMs on 205 public TLA+ specifications, achieving only 8.6% semantic correctness. Model size doesn't predict quality, DeepSeek r1:8B outperforms it's 70B variant. ChatTLA+, our fine-tuned GPT-OSS-20B model, uses TLC model checking as a path toward reliable formal specification synthesis through reinforcement learning.

Effects Of Exercise And Chemotherapy Treatments On Survival And Climbing Activity In Drosophila Melanogaster With Different Mitochondrial Genotypes., Amber A. Haines

Research & Creative Achievement Day

Mitochondrial variation plays a role in energy production, physical performance and responses to physiological stress. This study investigated how Drosophila melanogaster, fruit flies, mitochondrial differences and exercise affected survival under the cisplatin and climbing abilities. Fruit flies with different mitochondrial genotypes were assigned to exercise and non-exercise groups. These groups were then split and assigned to either sugar or cisplatin, a chemotherapy drug. Survival rates and climbing ability, a measure of neurodegeneration, were monitored after the treatment. This study will provide information about how mitochondrial variation and exercise can influence responses to environmental and chemical stress.

Deep Tissue Massage-Induced Muscle Damage Associated With Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (Doms), Stress, And Rhabdomyolysis, Lily M. Ekert, Ella R. Halopka, Micah Maddio, Marisa Wood, Bailey Kerkow, Logan Murphy, Ashley Wise

Research & Creative Achievement Day

Deep tissue massage is a common treatment method used to aid in muscle recovery, reduce pain, and promote overall physical well-being. However, there is limited research explaining its biochemical effects at a cellular level, particularly in relation to muscle damage and systemic inflammation. Severe cases of muscle tissue breakdown are Rhabdomyolysis, which is discussed with an emphasis on clinical evidence rather than biochemical aspects. The goal of this study is to determine whether deep tissue massages cause cellular damage and tissue inflammation. This testing will be done through quantitative measurements of biomarkers within the bloodstream. In previous studies, four specific …

Evaluating Movement-Based Detection Of Moose Calving Using Gps Collar Data, Lauren A. Beck

Research & Creative Achievement Day

Moose (Alces alces) give birth during a short seasonal window and exhibit distinct changes in movement behavior, including long-distance travel followed by a period of localized movement while caring for newborn calves. Previous research has shown that these patterns can be identified using GPS collar data; however, it remains unclear whether movement data alone can reliably predict calving events. This study evaluated whether movement-based metrics derived from processed GPS collar data from the 2013 calving season could be used to develop a predictive model for calving. Movement data were compiled into a dataset of daily movement features and event-level summaries, …

Growing Alum Crystals, Jackson A. Struhar, Alexis M. Freiboth, Ana N. Schneider

Research & Creative Achievement Day

Alum, also known as Potash, is used to can pickles. Alum powder was used to create seed crystals. The seed crystal was hung in a jar submerged in distilled water with alum powder dissolved to attempt to grow an Alum crystal over the Spring semester. Three different concentrations were used to determine changes associated with crystal growth and quality. Numerous strategies were employed throughout the semester as growth methods worked and did not work.

Growing Large Alum Crystals, Wyatt N. Laborde, Will Gunderson, Kyle R. Behrens

Research & Creative Achievement Day

Alum forms a colorless cubic crystal that can grow to the size of a small apple over the span of 2-3 months of growth in a concentrated solution. Many different seed crystal solutions were used to obtain large clear seed crystals. The best seed crystal was attached to a string and suspended in various concentrations of Alum solution to allow for the seed crystal to grow into a large crystal. By monitoring the weight of the crystal, the solution concentration was adjusted for optimum growth.

Spatio-Temporal Detection Of Mitotic Events Using A Cnn-Based Approach, Andy Yan

Research & Creative Achievement Day

Carcinogenic changes are known to influence both the timing and progression of mitosis in colorectal cancer cells, which makes quantitative analysis of mitotic events an important but challenging problem. In DNA-only time-lapse microscopy, these events tend to be short-lived, visually inconsistent, and relatively sparse, so methods based on dense segmentation are often not a good fit, especially when pixel-level annotations are limited. In this project, we developed a spatio-temporal CNN-based method to detect mitotic events in DNA-only time-lapse microscopy. Mitosis detection was treated as an event localization problem rather than a segmentation task. Each event was represented by its center, …

Agiliti Health Rental Model Development, Nicole Braun, Alissa Pettit

Research & Creative Achievement Day

In the modern healthcare landscape, managing medical technology efficiently is vital to patient outcomes. However, healthcare facilities often struggle with equipment management during volatile, influenza-driven patient surges. This project presents a data-driven reporting framework designed to transition Agiliti Health from reactive equipment management to a proactive consultative approach, ensuring hospital preparedness during peak seasonal demand. The primary objective was to design a reporting suite that transforms disconnected data streams into actionable strategic insights. The methodology involved centralizing internal logistics data from Azure Databricks and integrating external trends from the Center of Disease Control. Technical implementation required rigorous data cleaning using …

Design And Fabrication Of A Composite Torpedo Baseball Bat, Peyton A. Lee, Carter Mathison, Jaden J. Schwantz, Noah Misukanis, Cole V. Stalberger

Research & Creative Achievement Day

Observing current trends in Major League Baseball, there has been increasing interest in torpedo-style wood bats due to their unique weight distribution. Unlike traditional bat geometries, the torpedo design shifts more weight toward the hands, improving balance and allowing for greater control throughout the swing. This project applies the same concept using composite materials so that high school and college players can also have access to this design innovation. The proposed bat is constructed from carbon fiber reinforced polymer with an epoxy resin to create a lightweight and durable structure. The design aims to maintain the performance benefits of the …

Purification And Investigation Of Bromelain Enzyme From Pineapple, Elsie J. Dahnert, Leah O. Hanson, Regan E. Stafanoni, Reyna Olson, Eion D. Hinkle, Muaj-Infinite S. Yang

Research & Creative Achievement Day

Bromelain proteins are a group of digestive protease enzymes that act as a chemical defense to prevent grazing. Bromelain is often taken as a dietary supplement in an attempt to support digestion, and it is used as a meat tenderizer in the restaurant industry. Extracting Bromelain from pineapple, especially the skin, leaves, and stem of the plant, can create a value-added product from what is widely considered to be agricultural waste. In this research, we examined the difference in Bromelain concentrations between the flesh of the pineapple and the skin, leaves, and stem of the pineapple, and the efficacy of …

2026 Conference Program, Georgia Southern University

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

Conference Program

2026 Urs Abstract Booket, Undergraduate Research Center, Minnesota State University, Mankato

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Complete Schedule of Events for the 28th Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium at Minnesota State University, Mankato.

Indigenous Māori Defend Digital Sovereignty Over Big Tech’S Free Trade Rules, Jane Kelsey

Indian Journal of Law and Technology

In 2016, Indigenous Māori in Aotearoa New Zealand challenged the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (‘TPPA’) for breaching the colonial government (Crown) obligations to them under the 1840 Tiriti o Waitangi. This was lodged before a Tribunal particularly established to inquire into such breaches. In 2021, the Tribunal upheld that claim, finding that the TPPA e-commerce provisions failed to protect Māori identity and Indigenous knowledge. Since then, the Crown and Māori have sought means to reconcile these competing paradigms within the unequal power relations of a colonial government and Indigenous Peoples – denied the sovereignty affirmed to them in 1840. This case …

The Role Of Ai In Judicial Translation: Ensuring Access To Justice In Vernacular Languages, With Special Reference To Marathi, Bhushan Raut

Indian Journal of Law and Technology

This paper examines the role of artificial intelligence in judicial translation to enhance access to justice in India’s multilingual legal system, with a specific focus on Marathi. It situates judicial translation within the constitutional framework and Rule of Law theory, arguing that linguistic accessibility is essential to legal agency and fairness. Through doctrinal, empirical, and comparative analysis, the paper evaluates initiatives such as SUVAS, highlights gaps in vernacular availability of landmark judgements, and identifies challenges relating to accuracy, accountability, and legal semantics. It proposes a hybrid AI–human model and policy reforms to ensure reliable, scalable, and inclusive translation practices in …

The Illusory Normativity Of Rights-Based Ai Regulation, Yiyang Mei, Matthew Sag

Indian Journal of Law and Technology

Whether and how to regulate AI is now a central question of governance. Across academic, policy, and international legal circles, the European Union is widely treated as the normative leader in this space. Its regulatory framework, anchored in the General Data Protection Regulation, the Digital Services and Markets Acts, and the AI Act, is often portrayed as a principled model grounded in fundamental rights. This Article challenges that assumption. We argue that the rights-based narrative surrounding EU AI regulation mischaracterises the logic of its institutional design. While rights language pervades EU legal instruments, its function is managerial, not foundational. These …

ثوابت وتساؤلات فإمكانية حلول فيما خص إيفاء الديون المحررة بالعملة الأجنبية في ظل الأزمة المالية, ݒول الحاج شاهين

Proche-Orient, Études juridiques

The seminar entitled “Repayment of Debts Denominated in Foreign Currency Amid the Financial Crisis” addresses the severe financial turmoil Lebanon has been experiencing since the end of 2019, marked above all by the sharp depreciation of the Lebanese pound. This collapse created profound difficulties in repaying debts denominated in foreign currency, and in some cases made repayment impossible. The issue is closely tied to Lebanon’s reliance on foreign currencies, particularly the U.S. dollar. Anticipating such risks, many Lebanese citizens had safeguarded their savings by depositing them in banks in foreign currency, as protection against the recurring devaluation of the national …

The Public Private Partnership (Ppp) Method: Insights From The Arab Region Context In General And Dubai Market In Particular, Rita Waked

Proche-Orient, Études juridiques

The Public Private Partnership (PPP) as a form of association involving a public entity and a private person has become a global innovative trend for governments seeking to finance their infrastructure, and has gradually established itself as a driving force of the economic recovery in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. This article examines the PPP’s main features and the pillar of its success, at a time where it is experiencing a resurgence of interest in Arab countries, and in particular in Dubai where the adoption in 2015 of a PPP law reflects the Emirate’s consciousness of the importance of …

Adaptive Behavioral Security System With Real-Time Closed-Loop Response For Web, Mobile, Api, And Ai Agent Protection, Duncan Ndegwa Ndungu

Defensive Publications Series

This publication discloses six interrelated security inventions implemented in the DevFortress SDK v4.8.0: (1) Credential Aliasing — replacing real authentication credentials with cryptographically random aliases (supporting 10 generation methods including CSPRNG, HKDF-SHA256, BLAKE3, and FPE/FF3-1) so that a complete breach of the monitoring service yields zero valid credentials; (2) a Three-Mode Closed-Loop Response Engine achieving sub-10ms automated threat remediation via external, internal, and hybrid modes; (3) a Behavioral Baseline Engine using adaptive EWMA across eight feature dimensions for novel attack detection; (4) Cross-Alias Correlation using Locality-Sensitive Hashing for distributed attack identification and simultaneous cluster revocation; (5) Graduated Rate Limiting with …

Temporal Blind Spot Failure In Serverless Cloud Systems: How Ai Agents Cause Cloud Disasters, Aaron Burton

Defensive Publications Series

This disclosure defines and documents Temporal Blind Spot Failure, a recurring agentic AI failure mode in which autonomous AI agents operating inside serverless cloud systems take actions that are locally rational but catastrophic across complex cloud environments. Temporal Blind Spot Failure is distinct from prompt injection, memory poisoning, and output hallucination. It occurs because the agent decides one step at a time and cannot see how its choices compound across the systems those choices touch. This disclosure establishes Temporal Blind Spot Failure as a named category of agentic AI failure modes, describes how it shows up across the model, the …

Configurable Document Requirement Checklist Engine For Real Estate Transaction Types, Aaron Burton

Defensive Publications Series

A configurable checklist engine for real estate document collection that maintains per-transaction-type requirement definitions specifying required documents, acceptable file formats, expiration rules, and submission deadlines. The engine tracks completion percentage across all parties in a transaction by comparing submitted and verified documents against the active checklist. Transaction types include residential purchase, commercial lease, refinance, and 1031 exchange, each with distinct document requirement sets that administrators can modify without code changes.

Deliberative Constraint-Field Multi-Agent Systems (Dcf-Mas): A Framework For Fate-Constrained, Narrative-Consistent Autonomous Workspaces, Johny Manuel-Devadoss

Defensive Publications Series

Contemporary multi-agent systems are predominantly designed around optimization, task decomposition, and explicit coordination protocols. While effective in structured environments, these paradigms struggle with long-horizon reasoning, irreversibility, and systemic constraints that are not directly observable. This paper introduces Deliberative Constraint-Field Multi-Agent Systems (DCF-MAS), a novel framework that reconceptualizes multi-agent coordination as a process of collective deliberation operating within latent constraint fields and irreversible state transitions. DCF-MAS departs from optimization-centric orchestration by introducing three foundational mechanisms: Shared Deliberative Substrates, Latent Constraint Fields, and Irreversible State Transition Engines. These mechanisms enable agents to reason collectively, adapt to hidden systemic limitations, and account for …