Digital Commons Network^™

Data Structures & Algorithms Prep Hub: A Technical Interview Preparation Tracker, Andrew J. Pinkerton

ATU Scholars Symposium

This project examined how consistent practice with data structures and algorithms (DSA) can improve problem solving skills and preparation for software engineering technical interviews. The goal was to strengthen foundational algorithmic knowledge while developing a structured practice routine that could continue beyond the semester. From week 3 through week 12, four LeetCode style problems were completed each week, focusing on core interview topics including string manipulation, arrays, linked lists, hash tables, sets, and dynamic programming. Each problem required implementing a solution, identifying edge cases, and evaluating time and space complexity to determine the most efficient approach. Through this process, common …

Investigating The Effect Of Kcl Stress In Raphanus Sativus, Mason P. Oelke

ATU Scholars Symposium

Presented by Stephanie Nelms at the Arkansas INBRE Conference on November 7-8, 2025.

Presented by Mason Oelke at Arkansas Tech Scholar's Symposium on April 9th, 2026.

Potassium is an essential macronutrient for plant growth and development, yet excessive potassium fertilization can induce salt stress with detrimental consequences for crop productivity and nutritional quality. Despite its agricultural relevance, potassium chloride induced stress remains significantly understudied compared to classical sodium-based salinity. This thesis investigates the physiological, biochemical, and molecular responses of Raphanus sativus to KCl stress using an integrated approach that combines germination assays, mineral profiling, and gene expression analysis.

Radish seeds …

Interacting Dark Energy Models And The Cosmic Coincidence Problem, Gunner W. Hodges

ATU Scholars Symposium

Cosmological models are a tool used to understand the mysterious nature of dark energy and dark matter by predicting how these dark sector components have shaped the expansion of the universe. The cosmic coincidence problem stems from the present day densities of dark energy and matter sharing very similar magnitudes when previously we expect a much larger difference in orders of magnitude. The current best-fit model, ΛCDM , assumes dark energy is non-interacting; however, assuming that dark energy instead does interact could serve to alleviate this cosmic tension. We define an interaction where we relate the density of dark energy …

Prediction Of Future Mushroom Fruiting Success And Dispersion Based On Models Of Changing Surface Air Temperature In Oaxaca, Mexico, Frida Martinez

ATU Scholars Symposium

Mushrooms serve various purposes, including medicinal, culinary, and cultural significance for indigenous groups, as well as recreational and ecosystem services. Oaxaca, Mexico, is a hotspot for mushroom biodiversity including the following varieties: Amanita muscaria, Schizophyllum commune and Coprinellus disseminates. The purpose of this study is to determine if a changing Mean Surface Air Temperature will have an influence on these mushrooms. We obtained, analyzed, and compared historical and future climate data from the World Bank Group Climate Change Knowledge Portal to identify if any of the mushroom species would be impacted. The study revealed a general trend of warming Mean …

Grassland Bird Community Responses To Fire Management, Mason H. Dillard

ATU Scholars Symposium

Vegetation structure plays a major role in determining avian community makeup. Controlled burn frequency changes vegetation structure and consequently the makeup of avian communities. To examine this relationship, I surveyed breeding birds in grasslands and savannahs of the Ozark Mountains, Arkansas River Valley, and Northwest Arkansas. I created models to outline the relationship between these three factors (avian community, fire management, and vegetation structure.) I also examined surrounding land cover and patch size as potential variables that may impact avian community structures.

I will outline the role fire management plays in determining the makeup of breeding bird communities in grasslands, …

Proactive Mental Health Assistance Via Agentic Llm Chatbots With Retrieval-Augmented Generation, Shaira Wajiha

ATU Scholars Symposium

Mental health challenges such as anxiety and depression are widespread, yet often remain unaddressed due to stigma, financial barriers, limited access to professionals, or personal reluctance. To address this gap, we present an accessible AI-powered chatbot that provides preliminary conversational support with empathetic, context-aware responses. The chatbot is trained and evaluated on two publicly available counseling conversation datasets from Huggingface, enabling it to learn and maintain therapeutic dialogue patterns. We compare three advanced LLMs, such as Llama3.1, Mistral 7b, and Qwen3, evaluating them on relevance, empathy, conciseness, and contextual understanding, and all models demonstrate high response quality. Incorporation of a …

Out Of Alignment: Grant Administrator And Principal Investigator Views On Internal Grant Success, Impact, And Roi, Stephanie Mccombs, Matt Karpov, Miasha T. O'Neal

Research Development Review: The NORDP Journal

This study aimed to define, evaluate, and standardize the concepts of success, impact, and return on investment (ROI) in the context of internal grant administration. Understanding these elements is crucial for institutions aiming to maximize the value derived from internal funding. This preliminary research study explored the varying definitions of success, impact, and ROI across institutions, recognizing disparities between Grant Administrator and investigator perspectives. Survey questions were designed to investigate these definitions and assess current practices. Participants included 117 Grant Administrators (GAs) and Principal Investigators (PIs) at various institutions, recruited through the NORDP network. The study utilized a mixed-methods approach, …

Examining Outcomes Of Client Education Interventions To Reduce Caffeine Intake In The College-Age Population, Mackenzie Leonard, Mikayla Evans

James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)

This scoping review aimed to explore health interventions that address excessive caffeine consumption in college students aged 18–23 years. Excess caffeine intake is associated with a range of health concerns, including neurological, cardiovascular, and behavioral issues, highlighting the need for effective interventions to mitigate its impact on overall wellness. The literature exploring interventions aimed at modifying health behaviors among the college student population is notably limited. Furthermore, there has been a lack of studies replicating interventions aimed at reducing caffeine intake. These gaps suggested the need for further investigation and exploration of reports pertaining to health promotion. The results of …

Incorporating Local Expertise Into Environmental Research And Management, Jessica Black, Amy E. Scaroni, Stefanie L. Whitmire

Forestry and Natural Resources

This article is for researchers, government staff, land planners, and natural resource managers. In this paper, we will outline why incorporating local expertise works to scale down national or regional research to make it more useful for local communities. We will also provide examples of how a community’s knowledge about their local ecosystem, referred to as local ecological knowledge (LEK), can fill data gaps and contribute to improved land and wildlife management.

Developing Machine Learning Algorithms For Highly Imbalanced Neonatal Disorder Data, Ali Nawaz

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

Neonatal disorders such as low birth weight, very low birth weight, extremely low birth weight, preterm birth, and very preterm birth increase the likelihood of high neonatal morbidity or mortality and call for early identification. However, the rarity of occurrence of these conditions in the clinical datasets has resulted in a severe class imbalance, raising questions about the application of binary classification models to them. Therefore, this thesis proposes a sequential methodological framework for neonatal disorder detection under different assumptions related to the availability of labels. Initially, binary classification experiments are conducted to analyze the behaviour of commonly used classification …

Tavern Table: A Peer-To-Peer Online Platform For Collaborative Dungeons & Dragons Campaigns, Dustin Needham, Kristen Avery, Aidan Martin, Seth Poindexter

ATU Scholars Symposium

Designed to address the lack of free, accessible, and feature-complete online Dungeons & Dragons gameplay platforms, Tavern Table gives users the ability to create or participate in Dungeons & Dragons campaigns online via peer-to-peer multiplayer. This platform is targeted primarily for two sets of users: Dungeon Masters (the game masters), who will be creating and hosting campaigns for players to participate in, and the players participating in said campaigns. We chose the Unity Real-Time Development Platform to develop Tavern Table as it was a free and effective platform that supported 2D game development as well as peer-to-peer multiplayer. To create …

Simple D&D: A Web-Based Character Creation System For Dungeons & Dragons, Brennan M. Bondio, Dalton N. Tate, Landon F. Boyd

ATU Scholars Symposium

Dungeons & Dragons, published by Wizards of the Coast, is a widely played tabletop role-playing game that requires players to create detailed characters governed by structured rule systems. Character creation involves managing interdependent attributes, calculations, and constraints that can be difficult for new players and time-consuming even for experienced participants. These complexities create a barrier to entry and reduce efficiency during gameplay preparation.

This project addresses that challenge through the development of Simple D&D, a web-based character creation system designed to streamline and automate rule-driven character configuration. The system aims to reduce manual calculation errors and setup time while maintaining …

The Influence Of Fairytales On American Children’S Literature, Victoria Gómez

Research Days

Fairy tales have played a crucial role in children's literature, shaping cultural narratives and imparting moral lessons to young readers. This research examines how traditional European fairy tales, particularly those from the Brothers Grimm and Charles Perrault, have been adapted within American children's literature. This study explores the significant role of Disney in reshaping these narratives for mass audiences and analyzes how core fairy tale themes persist in contemporary children's books. Through literary analysis, this study investigates how European originals, such as Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Beauty and the Beast, have evolved in American adaptations. Additionally, historical research will trace …

Automatic Labeling Of Real-World Pmu Data: A Weakly Supervised Learning Approach, Yunchuan Liu

Research Days

This paper presents a weakly supervised learning framework for real-world event identification in transmission networks using phasor measurement unit (PMU) data. The growing integration of renewable energy sources has introduced greater variability in grid conditions, intensifying the need for accurate event detection. Although high-resolution PMU measurements enable event identification to be formulated as a classification problem, traditional supervised learning approaches are hindered by the scarcity of labeled data, and acquiring large-scale, high-quality labeled PMU datasets remains prohibitively expensive. To overcome this challenge, we propose an automated PMU data-labeling method that combines domain knowledge with machine learning techniques through the use …

‘Ghost Franchises’ And Their Branding Challenges: Have They Eliminated Too Many ‘Touchpoints’?, Marko Grunhagen

Atlantic Marketing Association Proceedings

No abstract provided.

Overcoming Negative Perceptions Of The Sport Of Hockey When Promoting Hockey To African American Parents Of Young Athletes: An Exploratory Study Of Potential Obstacles, George W. Stone

Atlantic Marketing Association Proceedings

No abstract provided.

Global Apparel Companies Adjusting Their Supply Chain Strategies To Post-Covid-19, Alan D. Smith

Atlantic Marketing Association Proceedings

No abstract provided.

The Courier, Summer 2024, Tennessee. Historical Commission.

Tennessee Historical Commission

No abstract provided.

Using Ai To Develop A Model For Conducting International B2b Sales Without A Passport, Memo Diriker, Judi Billups

Atlantic Marketing Association Proceedings

No abstract provided.

The Courier, Winter 2025, Tennessee. Historical Commission.

Tennessee Historical Commission

No abstract provided.

Maladaptive Influences Of Direct-To-Consumer Pharmaceutical Advertising: The Moderating Influence Of Age And Consumer Loneliness, Sanjay Puligadda

Atlantic Marketing Association Proceedings

No abstract provided.

The Courier, Summer 2025, Tennessee. Historical Commission.

Tennessee Historical Commission

No abstract provided.

Caring For Caregivers: A Health Care Marketing Opportunity, Yvette Lynne Bonaparte Dr.

Atlantic Marketing Association Proceedings

No abstract provided.

The Courier, Fall 2025, Tennessee. Historical Commission.

Tennessee Historical Commission

No abstract provided.

The Courier, Winter 2026, Tennessee. Historical Commission.

Tennessee Historical Commission

No abstract provided.

Unlocking The Potential Of Social Media And Networks: Meditation Practices, Terry Damron, Dr. Joseph Cangelosi

Atlantic Marketing Association Proceedings

No abstract provided.

Sustainability And Technology Aspects Of Supplier Performance, Alan D. Smith

Atlantic Marketing Association Proceedings

No abstract provided.

Collective Enactment Of Myth: The Case Of D&D, Isaiah Waterhouse, Jon Littlefield

Atlantic Marketing Association Proceedings

No abstract provided.

Chatgpt In Higher Ed: How To Navigate And Incorporate, Emory Hiott, Darin Gerdes

Atlantic Marketing Association Proceedings

No abstract provided.

Building Community Through Service Learning: Textual Analysis Of Students’ Blogs In Pr Education, Mark Borchert

Atlantic Marketing Association Proceedings

No abstract provided.