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In The Hull Of The Uss Disregard: An Analysis Of Secretary Of State Cordell Hull’S Execution Of Foreign Policy In East Asia And The Precipitation Of Armed Conflict Between Japan And The United States, Eric B. Hawkins

Theses

The political career of Cordell Hull was motivated primarily by trade policy and the courting of Central America through the negotiation of reciprocal trade treaties that helped stabilize, for the most part, the entire Western Hemisphere. He was an obvious choice for Roosevelt’s cabinet to address economic instability. But why was he chosen for Secretary of State? The Open Door Policy, adopted by many Western nations in East Asia during the early 20th century, was a petri dish primed for the growth of political strife and international conflict. With the warnings from Hull’s predecessor, Henry Stimson, placed on the back …

Independent- October 2025, Leslie Lozada

The Independent (1988-present)

No abstract provided.

Alfred Russel Wallace Notes 38. Alfred Russel Wallace's "Revolt Of Democracy": A Critical Analysis Of Early 20th Century Labor Theory And Its Contemporary Relevance, James Williams, Charles H. Smith Editor

Faculty/Staff Personal Papers

This article examines Alfred Russel Wallace’s political treatise The Revolt of Democracy (1913), analyzing his theoretical framework for addressing labor unrest and economic inequality in early 20th-century Britain. Wallace's work presents a comprehensive critique of competitive capitalism and proposes systematic government intervention to address structural poverty. Through close textual analysis and comparison with contemporary UK labor conditions, this study evaluates the enduring relevance of Wallace's economic theories and policy prescriptions. The analysis reveals significant continuities between early 20th-century and contemporary debates about living wages, government employment standards, and wealth redistribution, while highlighting both the prescience and limitations of Wallace’s analytical …

When Evidence Modeling Meets Knowledge Distillation: Towards Reliable Contrast-Enhanced Knowledge Distillation For Non-Contrast Medical Image Segmentation, Shuo Li

Faculty Scholarship

Contrast-enhanced knowledge distillation promises to transform medical diagnostics and reveal promising approaches for tumor segmentation on non-contrast medical images. However, existing methods related to contrast-enhanced knowledge distillation still make it hard to distill reliable contrast-enhanced knowledge for tumor segmentation due to the limitations of (1) unable to quantify uncertainty information for reliable contrast-enhanced and non-contrast knowledge modeling, which leads to an over-confidence cross-domain adaptation for transferring contrast-enhanced knowledge; (2) using vision information only ignores rich semantic features in medical language, which make it hard to model complex tumor enhancement feature. In this study, we propose an evidence-guided and tumor-aware knowledge …

Beyond The Plate: Equity-Focused Solutions To Childhood Nutrition And Family Well-Being, Lynn Brann, Rachel Razza, Xiafei Wang, Kristen Davis

The Lender Center for Social Justice

Food insecurity continues to affect millions of U.S. families, with nearly one in ten households with children struggling to consistently access nutritious food. This policy brief explores equity-focused solutions to childhood nutrition and family well-being, drawing on insights from parents of young children in low-income, culturally diverse households in Syracuse, New York. Through a participatory action research approach, parents shared their experiences, challenges, and hopes for improving their children’s eating habits and preserving cultural food traditions. The findings reveal that while parents are committed to providing healthy meals, systemic barriers such as financial constraints, limited access to culturally relevant foods, …

Wrack Lines Volume 25, Number 2, Fall-Winter 2025-2026, Nancy Balcom

Wrack Lines

Fall-Winter 2025-2026 issue of Wrack Lines explores 40 years of stewardship for Long Island Sound now and into the future, the work of the Long Island Sound Partnership, a pilot project using a new type of diving helmet to broadcast from undersea locations, a survey of public perceptions of the Sound, the life and legacy of former CT Sea Grant Director Edward Monahan, and the aspirations and reflections of recently retired CT Sea Grant Associate Director Nancy Balcom and her successor Jess Brandt.

Physical Education's Importance In Education, Tyler Phelan

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

School districts are looking to connect students with courses that will impact their futures. Research shows that physical activity is a key component of healthy well-being and sense of self. Physical education supports other areas of the curriculum, enhancing student learning and their learning experience. It also provides opportunities to improve self-control and reduce behaviors that can affect the student body. This study aims to identify the relevance of physical education to student achievement and disruptive behavior. Based on the literature, data were collected to examine the relationship between students' time in physical education courses, their GPA, and referrals to …

A Comparative Analysis Of Sel And Character Education Models: Impact On Instructional Time Loss And Student Behavior In Middle School, Clare Mcdowell

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

The purpose of this single-case, inquiry-based capstone project was to investigate the effectiveness of a systemic Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) program in mitigating instructional time loss caused by escalating student behavioral challenges in a middle school setting. The methodology involved analyzing administrative disciplinary referral data from a highly structured, multi-tiered SEL program (School A). Findings affirmed a clear inverse relationship: high-fidelity SEL exposure correlated with a significant reduction in disruptive incidents, which demonstrated the efficacy of proactive skill instruction in reclaiming instructional time. However, the study's central limitation was its inability to isolate the effect of the universal curriculum from the …

Student Perceptions Of Standards-Based Grading In High School Biology, Scott Bohlman

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

Standards-based grading (SBG) redefines the reporting of student achievement by focusing on proficiency in explicitly defined learning standards rather than the accumulation of points. Although SBG has the potential to improve student learning, variation in implementation can create student confusion and hinder effectiveness. This inquiry-based research project investigated student perceptions of SBG in high school biology classrooms at Cedar Falls High School in Iowa to determine whether the system helps students gain the necessary skills and accurately measures their academic ability. The researcher utilized a mixed-methods approach, collecting quantitative data through surveys of 23 high school biology students and qualitative …

Improving Teacher Expectations For Students With Disabilities, Noah Kullmann

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

Disability labels for students are indicators that are made known to classroom teachers before the beginning of the year and have the possibility to impact what a teacher might expect from a specific student. The purpose of this study was to better understand how disability labels impact the expectations that teachers have for students, and how providing training to teachers by informing them about the characteristics of a disability or research-based practices to use when teaching students with a specific disability impacts their initial expectations. The researcher administered five different surveys to a group of 31 high school and middle …

Trauma-Informed Practices At Lake Mills Community School, Rebecca R. May

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

t is important to know what the staff at Lake Mills Community School (LMCS) understands about childhood trauma, how it affects student success, how to best meet the needs of students who have trauma history, and how willing staff are to participate in trauma-informed professional development. To gain more insight on the matter, a survey was conducted among the entire LMCS staff including certified teachers, paraprofessionals, administration, and auxiliary staff. The entire staff was selected because the small size of the district allows interaction between all staff and students. Of the 105 staff members, 45 members (43%) completed the first …

The Effectiveness Of Visual Schedules In Fostering Self-Regulation Among Middle Schoolers With Adhd, Autism, And Other Learning Disabilities, Triston Rew

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

This paper explores the effectiveness of visual schedules in supporting self-regulation and on-task behavior among middle and high school students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Visual schedules are evidence-based tools that provide structured, predictable routines and help students transition between activities with reduced anxiety. A review of current research highlights their impact on increasing independence, reducing problem behaviors, and fostering engagement in both general and special education settings. The paper discusses studies that demonstrate measurable improvements in student outcomes, including reduced transition time and increased task completion. Additionally, teacher perceptions of visual schedules are examined, with …

Closing The Gap Between Students With And Without Individualized Education Plans, Mikayla Herron

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

The achievement gap between students with and without individualized education programs continues to be a concern in early childhood education. Finding strategies and interventions that help narrow this gap is important, especially when children are young and the gap is still relatively small. This inquiry-based research study explored the use of the AI tool Buddy.ai to determine whether it could support preschool-aged students with IEPs in improving early learning skills. The study also considered general education teachers’ experiences working to close the achievement gap in inclusive classrooms. A mixed-methods approach was used. Quantitative data were collected through pre- and post-assessments, …

Engaging Young Writers In The Early Childhood Classroom Setting, Andrea Rubel

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

Emergent writing is essential component of early childhood growth and development. Preschool students can struggle to engage in early writing activities. Research shows that scaffolding, explicit teaching, and meaningful connections help students' growth in emergent writing skills. This inquiry-based study aims to determine the effectiveness of these strategies in the early childhood classroom and evaluate any other effective strategies. This study included a mixed methods approach including reflective journals and scored student journals. The findings revealed that most students showed improvement towards the learning objective being observed and documented. The study also found that girls performed better than boys on …

Balancing The Digital Classroom: Examining Teachers’ Reliance On Technology In A Rural School District, Victoria Poisel

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

When the Wi-Fi goes down in a technology-dependent classroom, learning often grinds to a halt. This inquiry-based research study examined how teachers’ reliance on digital tools affects their ability to deliver effective instruction in a small, rural school district in northeast Washington. Sparked by the researcher’s firsthand experience during a three-week district-wide internet outage, the study explored how technology dependence influences instructional resilience and adaptability when access is disrupted. Conducted at Selkirk School District, the research included seven core subject teachers across grades 6-12 and combined survey data, reflective journaling, and a review of current literature on technology integration and …

Teacher Feedback And Its Impact On Student Achievement And Motivation, Aubrey Schmidt

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

Effective teacher feedback is a key component of meaningful learning, yet many students do not consistently receive feedback that clearly guides improvement. This inquiry-based study examined how intentional, process-oriented feedback influenced elementary students’ perceptions of their learning over a six-week period. The research focused on feedback that emphasized effort, strategies, and next steps, aiming to support students’ resilience, motivation, and confidence as writers. Findings showed steady increases in students’ understanding of what to do next, their motivation to try harder, and their belief in their own abilities. Writing scores also rose gradually, suggesting that consistent, growth-focused feedback may contribute to …

What’S Wrong With These Pictures? A Critique Of Waltz, Walt And Mcfaul, Jan Niklas Rolf

Journal of Strategic Security

Reflecting on the ideas that have been offered to explain interstate conflict, Kenneth Waltz famously identified three images of war. Waltz’s method to rule out certain causes as the underlying causes of war was to identify constant and variable variables. The fact that the variety in one variable is not matched by the variety in another variable then allowed him to question the assumed causal relationship between the two variables. But whereas in Man, the State, and War he argued that agency, because of its constancy, cannot explain variations in war and peace, in his later book Theory of International …

Can Bilateralism Endure? The 2023-25 Gaza War And The Abraham Accords Framework, Eli Sperling, Elizabeth Trumpfheller

Journal of Strategic Security

The Abraham Accords, signed in 2020, marked a significant shift in Middle Eastern geopolitics by normalizing relations between Israel and several Arab states: the UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco. These agreements emphasized novel types of Arab-Israeli economic partnerships, security cooperation, and public diplomacy, representing a shift from earlier Israeli peace deals with Egypt (1979) and Jordan (1994), which did not see significant growth in the states’ bilateral cooperation and coordination, particularly in non-security areas. And despite the unprecedented October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel and the ensuing Gaza and Lebanon wars, which intensified regional tensions and sparked widespread anti-Israel protests, the …

Shared Reading: Dialogic And Interactive Book Practices To Foster Oral Language Development Among Pre-K Learners, Jennifer Underwood

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

This inquiry-based capstone study examines how dialogic and interactive shared reading practices support oral language development and peer engagement among ELL preschool learners. Rooted in the framework of practitioner research, the project investigates how intentional teacher questioning, open-ended prompts, and structured peer-talk opportunities transform traditional read-aloud sessions into language-rich, participatory experiences. Conducted in an urban Head Start Pre-K classroom of fifteen full day students, with a focus group of ELL and special education learners, the six-week intervention implemented dialogic reading strategies 4–5 times per week. Data was collected through observation rubrics, teacher reflection journals, student artifacts, and short video analyses. …

Book Review: Evangelism Renewed: The Theological Revisioning Of Evangelism By Henry H. Knight Iii, Mark R. Teasdale

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Friends Of The Hilton M. Briggs Library, Fall 2025, Hilton M. Briggs Library

Friends of the Hilton M. Briggs Library Newsletters

Volume 11, Issue 1.

Features:
A brand-new collection: SD Livestock brand books span 130 years
Elizabeth Fox Named South Dakota Librarian of the Year
Notes from the Dean of the Library
Student Assistant Excellence Award Recipients
Archives launches Adopt a Collection program
Briggs Library Wish List
Lisa Lindell honored for outstanding scholarship
Grants benefit Archives collection and promote affordable learning

Keepin' Up With Popular Culture, David Arditi

Mavs Open Press Open Educational Resources - Archive

In Keepin’ Up with Popular Culture, Dr. David Arditi introduces students to popular culture as a way to view and understand society, politics, and culture. This book demonstrates to students the overall importance of popular culture in their lives. It explores the ways that language is used (and the way that we use language) to construct the world around us through popular culture.

To view the original version of this book, please go to its Pressbooks site: Keepin' Up with Popular Culture.

Rhythms: Music At The University Of Northern Iowa, V44, Fall 2025, University Of Northern Iowa. School Of Music.

Rhythms: Music at the University of Northern Iowa

Contents:

From the Director --- 3
Community Outreach --- 8
Amplify Alumni --- 11
Mariachi in Iowa --- 12
Jazz Notes --- 13
Scholarship Benefit Concert --- 14
Student Awards and Honors --- 16
Student Spotlight --- 18
Emeritus Faculty News --- 19
Faculty News and Activities --- 20
Faculty Spotlight --- 23
New Faculty and Retirements --- 24
Alumni News and Updates --- 26
Alumni Spotlight --- 27
From the Foundation --- 29
Opportunities to Give --- 30
Spotlight Series 2025-26 --- 34
Snapshots --- 35

Freshman Comp Ii Eng 24xx, Joao M. Da Silva

Open Educational Resources

This course uses a memoir to elicit themes related to addiction, family and interpersonal relationships. Additionally, it invites students to develop their own voices as they engage with academic discourse in the disciplines of psychology and addiction studies.

The Complexity Of Long-Distance Dependencies And Their Impact On Language Models, Abhijit Shrikant Mahalunkar

Doctoral

Sequential data modeling is an important challenge in various fields and in particular in natural language processing. Building effective sequential models faces a notable challenge in the form of Long-Distance Dependencies (LDDs) within the sequence data. Hence, successfully overcoming this challenge is imperative for developing robust and accurate sequential models across various domains and applications. To tackle this challenge, the first step is to conduct a detailed analysis of the complexity of LDDs observed in various sequence datasets. This thesis offers a thorough exploration and documentation of this analysis. An important finding from this thesis is the consistent patterns of …

Tall And Goodchild: In Memoriam David Tall (1941-2024) & Simon Goodchild (1950-2024), Bharath Sriraman

The Mathematics Enthusiast

I offer some remembrances of David Tall and Simon Goodchild, their impact on the mathematics education community, in addition to the aims and scope of this particular journal issue.

David Tall (15 May 1941 – 15 July 2024), Ian Stewart

The Mathematics Enthusiast

Ian Stewart’s remembrances of David Tall as a colleague at the University of Warwick.

David Tall And Advanced Mathematical Thinking, Keith Weber

The Mathematics Enthusiast

I discuss David Tall’s influence on advanced mathematical thinking.

Wonders Of Multiplication Table, Amir H. Asghari

The Mathematics Enthusiast

This paper originated as a talk for school teachers, aimed at demonstrating that the multiplication table is more than a simple memory aid. Instead, it is a powerful tool for exploring mathematical patterns and plays an essential role in both the discovery and teaching of mathematics. The initial goal was to illustrate how the table could act as a bridge between arithmetic, algebra, and proof. However, as the author delved into the table, its intricate structure began to unfold, with each idea seamlessly leading to the next. This evolution transformed the table’s utility far beyond its initial educational purpose. This …

Determinants Of Uptake Of Breast Cancer Screening Among Women Of Reproductive Age In Makueni County, Lola Ndirangu

MSc in Advanced Practice Nursing

Background: Breast cancer is the most diagnosed cancer in all women worldwide, with women in low and middle-income countries dying of the disease in disproportionate numbers because of late diagnosis and access to screening services. Sub-Saharan Africa is an under-researched area, and the level of screening uptake in Kenya, especially in rural and semi-arid areas, including Makueni County, is low. This research assessed the factors that determine the reproductive age women's screening uptake of breast cancer in Makueni County.

Methodology: The cross-sectional design was analytical and was conducted in Makueni County Referral Hospital, where 301 randomly chosen women …