Digital Commons Network^™

Winning Project: An Analysis Of Childhood Trauma And The Effects On Brain Development, Victoria L. Hober

2026 Lynn Haggard Undergraduate Library Research Award

The brain is a very perceptive, absorbent part of the human body, and childhood is an important time for growth. In childhood, the brain is constantly watching and evaluating every situation to improve itself and its functioning. The time when the brain is most plastic is referred to as the sensitive period, and when this period has passed, the brain becomes much more difficult to change (Downar & Eagleman, 2023). How an adult responds and reacts to the child is instilling key components in the brain that will later affect the child’s emotional and physical wellbeing. Childhood trauma, including physical/emotional …

Midwestern Farmers' Willingness To Engage With Precision Agriculture Technologies And On-Farm Precision Experimentation, Reagen G. Tibbs, Nicholas J. Heller, David S. Bullock, Maria A. Boerngen

Faculty Publications - Agriculture

Precision agriculture technologies (PATs) have revolutionized the agriculture industry and provide many benefits to farmers. Among these benefits is the ability to conduct experiments in a process known as on-farm precision experimentation (OFPE). By conducting these experiments and through collaboration with researchers, crop consultants, and extension agents, farmers can learn site-specific management practices to better address challenges in their operations. However, adoption rates of these technologies have remained below 50% in the United States. Furthermore, very few studies have explored the factors that influence a farmer's decision to conduct experiments, or their willingness to collaborate with external stakeholders such as …

An Analysis Of Gustav Mahler’S Use Of The Timpani With Reference To Historical Performance Practice And Contemporary Performances Of His Works., Stephen Kelly

Research Theses

Gustav Mahler (1860–1911) held important positions in Europe and America in the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century as a conductor of operatic and symphonic repertoire. As a composer, his output spans a significant transitional period in classical music, from Romanticism to early Modernism. His life and work represents a revolutionary period of change in many developmental aspects of the modern orchestra. Changing social norms, larger concert halls, and technical developments in instrument-making all combined to alter the presentation and, as a consequence, the reception of classical music during this time. As conductor of some of the finest orchestras …

They Deserved It!: Discourses Of Schadenfreude And Empathy On Reddit, Ben Durante

Undergraduate Symposium

No abstract provided.

Imperialist Implications Of A Military Coup In Latin America, Alanna Butters, Josefina Castillo-Miller

Undergraduate Symposium

In this paper, we analyze the United States' actions and rationales, rather than outcomes, for their overthrow of the Maduro regime in Venezuela on January 3, 2026. We seek to understand how this developing situation compares with prior examples of US imperialism across Latin America. We are particularly interested in the conflict between imperialist rhetoric and its actual effects. Imperialism damages Latin American States through instability due to economic dependency, political vacuums, violence against civilians, and loss of sovereignty. Imperialists veil motives such as economic control, global hegemony, and noble causes through the rhetoric of law and freedom. To understand …

The Weaponization Of Religion, Culture, And Politics During The Troubles In Northern Ireland, Erika Holmberg

Undergraduate Symposium

From 1968-1998, Northern Ireland experienced a wave of sectarian violence known as The Troubles. During this period, the fighting between Republican and Loyalist paramilitary groups caused countless civilian casualties, economic hardship, and social turmoil. This presentation will explore how each side justified their violent actions through promotion of cultural ideals, religious division, and political manipulation. Both sides of the conflict gained and lost public support based on how they presented each of these issues, and to this day, historians are uncovering their impact.

Zora Neale Hurston’S Sojourns In Tennessee, Glenda Alvin

Profiles/Papers for the Nashville Conference on African American History and Culture

No abstract provided.

Integrating Pilates Into Outpatient Occupational Therapy:A Complementary Approach To Traditional Rehabilitation, Ellie Drechsler

Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Doctorate - Doctoral Capstone Symposium

INTRODUCTION: Reformer Pilates, originally developed by Joseph Pilates as a holistic method to enhance strength, alignment, and mind–body integration, has gained increasing recognition for its therapeutic potential in rehabilitation settings. Despite evidence supporting its benefits for balance, chronic pain, functional mobility, and mental wellbeing, its use in outpatient occupational therapy (OT) and physical therapy (PT) remains limited. The purpose of this quality‑improvement project aimed to bridge that gap by developing an accessible, reformer‑based educational resource for clinicians with minimal Pilates experience and by evaluating client and clinician perceptions of its therapeutic value.

METHODS: Using mixed-methods surveys, qualitative and quantitative feedback …

Corporate Disclosure Meets Natural Language Processing: Topic Modeling, Disclosure Strategy, And Audit Implications, Wanxin Yu

2026

Corporate disclosures serve as a critical channel for firms to communicate their financial performance, strategic initiatives, and firm-specific risks. In recent years, rapid advances in natural language processing (NLP) have provided powerful new tools for extracting insights from the growing volume and complexity of corporate disclosures. This dissertation consists of three studies that explore how advanced textual analysis can reveal deeper insights into corporate disclosures, managerial behavior, and auditor practices.

The first paper (co-authored) develops a topic-based approach to measuring the substantive content of risk factor disclosures. Using an embedding-based topic modeling framework, we identify 30 interpretable risk topics and …

Creating An Effective Video Case-Based Teaching Tool To Enhance Undergraduate Clinical Skills, Tyler Kam

Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Doctorate - Doctoral Capstone Symposium

No abstract provided.

Enhancing Occupational Therapy Education In Cancer Rehabilitation​, Elizabeth A. Dorn

Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Doctorate - Doctoral Capstone Symposium

This doctoral capstone project aimed to enhance entry-level occupational therapy (OT) education by developing and evaluating evidence-based instructional materials addressing musculoskeletal and oncology rehabilitation within a doctorate curriculum. Designed as an oncology-focused experience, the project involved a two-phase approach: (1) testing educational techniques by implementation and evaluation of an elbow pathology lecture and lab, and (2) development of an asynchronous oncology rehabilitation unit informed by outcomes from the initial phase. The project was guided by the ASSURE instructional design model and emphasized active, visual, and case-based learning strategies to support clinical reasoning.

Student outcomes were assessed using pre- and post-lecture …

The Great Lakes Social Studies Journal Volume 6, Issue 1 Full Issue, Linda Doornbos Dr., Michele S. Phillips

The Great Lakes Social Studies Journal

None

Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury Resilience In Women’S Lacrosse: An Ecological Dynamics Approach, Annika Wozney

Undergraduate Symposium

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries in women’s lacrosse arise from complex interactions involving biomechanical, anatomical, and neuromuscular factors. The aim of this project was to review current literature on ACL injury and traditional prevention strategies in women’s lacrosse. Recent perspectives highlight limitations of traditional approaches that often fail to simulate the unpredictability of game environments. An ecological dynamics approach is proposed that considers elements of the athlete, playing environment, and game tasks to guide future research and practice in reducing the incidence of ACL injury.

01. Elfie, Second Edition (Novel - Ebook), Matthew Lipman

Early Elementary School Curriculum

Elfie is in the first grade and is so shy she can’t speak in class and can hardly even formulate a question. Yet little escapes her and her mind puzzles over everything that happens in class and at home. When the principal proposes a contest aimed at improving reasoning, her whole class is caught up in figuring out how sentences work and how distinctions and connections are made. At the same time, Elfie and her classmates discover many distinctions fundamental to inquiry: appearance and reality, the one and the many, parts and wholes, similarity and difference, permanence and change.

02. Elfie, Second Edition (Novel .Pdf Printable), Matthew Lipman

Early Elementary School Curriculum

Elfie is in the first grade and is so shy she can’t speak in class and can hardly even formulate a question. Yet little escapes her and her mind puzzles over everything that happens in class and at home. When the principal proposes a contest aimed at improving reasoning, her whole class is caught up in figuring out how sentences work and how distinctions and connections are made. At the same time, Elfie and her classmates discover many distinctions fundamental to inquiry: appearance and reality, the one and the many, parts and wholes, similarity and difference, permanence and change.

Necessary-Law Arguments, A. C. Paseau

Faith and Philosophy: Journal of the Society of Christian Philosophers

No abstract provided.

Development And Validation Of A Music Teacher Candidate Assessment, Phillip Hash

Faculty Publications - Music

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate the Music Teacher Candidate Assessment (MTCA), a rubric-based tool for evaluating student teachers in music classrooms. Factor analyses of scores issued by university supervisors (USs), cooperating teachers (CTs), and student teachers (STs) supported construct validity, explained 53.5% of the variance, and revealed two subscales: Pedagogy (I) and Professionalism (II). Concurrent validity resulted from a strong correlation (r_s = .83) between evaluators’ rubric averages and holistic ratings of performance. Inter-factor correlation (r = .65) confirmed discriminant validity. All groups exceeded the α ≥ .80 threshold for acceptable internal …

Session C: Co-Creating With Ai: Augmenting, Enhancing, And Elevating Instructional Design, Michael Mcvey, Angela Elkordy, Ian Natzmer

Learning Together at the Forefront of Change: GenAI Summit 2026

Instructional Designers are using Generative AI to support their work, and the panelists will share a new model for organizing how to think about AI's role in Instructional Design. In addition, we will share insights from the local founder of Odeum, a software application that allows designers to collaborate with AI to develop rich, immersive educational environments.

Investigating The Relationship Between Drug Overdose Deaths, Excessive Alcohol Drinking, And Adult Smoking In Urban And Rural Ohio Counties In 2025, Sumin Byoun, Anne Griffin

Scholarship in Medicine - All Papers

Deaths from drug overdoses have been increasing each year. Ohio ranks among states with the highest number of drug overdose deaths per year. There is a gap in the literature regarding discussions of how excessive alcohol drinking and cigarette smoking rates may predict drug overdose death rates in a community. First, this study investigates differences in excessive drinking, adult smoking, and drug overdose deaths between urban and rural counties in Ohio. Second, this study explores whether excessive drinking and smoking behaviors can predict drug overdose death rates in urban and rural Ohio counties. Data exclusive to Ohio counties was obtained …

Understanding The Impacts Of Food Insecurity On Education Outcomes In Ohio, Maria El Biri, Sreya Tummalapalli

Scholarship in Medicine - All Papers

Background: Food insecurity has been a growing concern in the United States, and prior research has shown how food insecurity in youth can correspond to negative psychosocial outcomes. Additionally, there are known disparities with access to food based on living in rural or urban counties. Objective: The goal of this study was to determine how differences in food security can impact youth educational outcomes in Ohio. Methods: Data from County Health Rankings & Roadmaps were obtained on variables such as access to healthy foods, food insecurity, high school graduation rates, average grade performance, and percentage of the population living in …

Infant Mortality In Ohio, Isabella Bacon, Alexis Jackson

Scholarship in Medicine - All Papers

Introduction: Infant mortality continues to occur at alarming rates that differ among various groups and states. Despite this, there has been a lack of intersectional examination of risk- and protective-factors. Methods: We examine how smoking status, education level, primary care to population ratio, teen birth rates, and urban vs rural status impact infant mortality rates in Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan, and Indiana using County Health Rankings data. Results: Ohio was shown to have no significant difference between urban and rural infant mortality rates; however,  risk-and-protective factors did differ. In urban counties, high school completion, teen birth rates, and primary care ratios …

Healthcare Administration And Ai: Enhancing Personalized Care And Workforce Sustainability, Arlene J. Nicholas Dr.

Faculty and Staff - Articles & Papers

Healthcare systems face growing strain from rising demand, administrative complexity, and workforce burnout. Artificial intelligence (AI), particularly in administrative functions, offers a promising solution. This paper examines AI-enabled tools such as electronic health record optimization, natural language processing, ambient AI scribes, inbox management systems, chatbots, and clinical decision support systems. Drawing on recent literature (2024–2026), evidence shows these tools can reduce documentation burden, improve workflow efficiency, and support workforce sustainability while enhancing patient care. Successful outcomes depend on transparent governance, staff engagement, and human-centered design, enabling AI to strengthen care delivery and build a more resilient healthcare workforce.

Voice Your Choice, Sarah Olson, Mercy Bustamante-Vizarretea, Hannah Bauman, Sally Hall

SPARK Symposium Presentations

Our proposal seeks to develop and implement a standardized Charge Nurse Interest Survey which will create a structured process for identifying those most interested and best suited for the position of charge for all registered nurses on a local med-surg unit. Nurses on this unit are appointed and eligible to serve in the charge nurse role after six months of experience on the unit. Research shows that charge nurses who demonstrate emotional stability, composure under pressure, strong organizational skills, and proactive planning contribute to improved team functioning and decreased workplace strain (Gottlieb & Gøtzsche-Astrup, 2018).

To clarify the charge nurse …

Accuracy Of The Nestlé Mini Nutritional Assessment® (Mna®) Screen In Identifying Prealbumin–Defined Malnutrition Amongst Spine Surgery Patients, Stylianos Mysirlidis, Luke Fischbach, Matthew Giammanco, Alex Zhang, Phillip Alexeev, Ryan Snowden

SPARK Symposium Presentations

Abstract:

Background:

Malnutrition is a significant risk factor for patients undergoing surgery, including those receiving spine surgery. These patients are at greater risk of adverse postoperative outcomes, impaired wound healing, and spinal fusion failure. Therefore, it is essential to identify at-risk, malnourished patients prior to intervention to mitigate any complications such as surgical site infections, unplanned readmissions, and reoperations. The primary focus of this study was to assess the accuracy of the Nestlé Mini Nutritional Assessment® (MNA®) on identifying true malnutrition amongst those patients undergoing spine surgery.

Methods:

We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 674 consecutive …

Observing Effects Of Social Isolation On Ethanol Preference In Carpenter Ants, Gregory Smith, Rivers Pope

SPARK Symposium Presentations

Alcohol consumption has been observed through humans and vertebrates for centuries to understand reward systems and behavior. Carpenter Ants, a social invertebrate model, have many similarities with humans including communication, stress-induced behavior, and structured societies. Past research has shown that Carpenter ants can have increased preference to ethanol and opioids in low concentrations. However, there has been little research on how isolation can influence ethanol preference. In this study, Carpenter Ants are separated into social and isolation groups over a five-day period and offered ethanol solutions alongside a natural sucrose diet to assess behavioral differences in preference for ethanol. It …

Music Therapy For Sensory Goals In Autism: Existing Evidence And Next Steps, Faith Cordle, Nicole Richard Williams, Dorothy Briggs, Brooke Irvin

SPARK Symposium Presentations

Background: As music therapists, we often assert that our field is evidence-based. Yet as in any health-care field, there is much opportunity to investigate the efficacy of certain techniques. Improving sensory integration and addressing hyper- and hypo-sensitivities are common music therapy goals when working with autistic individuals. Though music-based interventions for sensory goals are often theoretically coherent and anecdotally efficacious, concrete evidence for their efficacy is lacking. The aim of the current study was to a) identify existing research on music-based interventions for sensory outcomes in autistic individuals and b) identify concrete next steps and questions for researchers to investigate, …

The Impact Of An Aquatic Exercise Program On Self-Reported Balance And Confidence On Perceived Fall Risk: A Pilot Study, Antoney Labuschagne, Wesley Hopper, Bailey Watson, Alexis Ignatin, Ashtyn South, Whitney Dupree, Natalie Michaels

SPARK Symposium Presentations

Background: Each year, thousands of people experience one or more episodes of falling, that lead to a lasting impact in function and participation in daily life. Education regarding fall prevention is often focused mainly on the older adult population, but falls can happen at any age. Fear of falling and pain-related fear exists among adults at any age. The focus of this research study was to determine if participation in an aquatic exercise program that focused on balance, core body strength, and cardiopulmonary endurance could be utilized to alleviate the fear of falling and improve performance. Methods: Eight participants completed …

From Pilot To Dissertation Proposal: An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis Of The Professional Role And Boundary Spanning Experiences Of Va School Certifying Officials, Daina Hunter

SPARK Symposium Presentations

The effective support of military-connected students is a vital priority for higher education institutions, and the VA School Certifying Official (SCO) serves as a foundational support role essential to military-connected students’ use of Department of Veterans Affairs education benefits and institutional compliance (Hunter, 2026a; Semer & Harmening, 2015). SCOs’ perception of their professional role and their experiences navigating the complex spaces between regulatory agencies, their own higher education institution, and their students are the focus of this inquiry. This presentation highlights the evolution of a study from a two-participant pilot to a larger dissertation proposal using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). …

Don't Let Them Fall, Let Ai Call, Ella Mills, Sara Barker, Andreea Ifrim, Yvette Uwase

SPARK Symposium Presentations

This project proposes a nurse-led pilot of AI-supported predictive mobility monitoring on a cardiac medical-surgical unit, to improve early identification of high-risk mobility behaviors and enhance patient safety. Current fall-prevention strategies, such as bed alarms and virtual sitters, often alert staff after unsafe movement has begun, creating a reactive cycle that contributes to alarm fatigue and delayed intervention (Abbe & O’Keeffe, 2020). This initiative uses monitors with contactless infrared sensors to identify movement before patients exit the bed, an alert system that goes straight to the nurse and PCT phones, and a central console for floor management and care coordination. …

2026 Inscape, Morehead State University.

Inscape: Art & Literary Magazine Archive

The 2026 edition of the Inscape: Literary and Art Magazine.