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Evolution As Spatial Projection, Charles H. Smith, Ngoc Nguyen

Faculty/Staff Personal Papers

A theory combining explanations for the nature of three-dimensional systems and evolutionary processes is advanced, set to a geometric simulation, and then discussed in the context of several empirical studies bearing on its validity. The concept “evolution” is first discussed, then related to Baruch de Spinoza’s ideas on natural philosophy, including his concept of the conatus. These ideas are then extended by posing the possible existence of a general form of natural systems subsystemization leading to the extended space condition. A geometrical/topological simulation study projecting spatial relations among subsystem structures interpretable through entropy maximization and multidimensional scaling methods is presented, …

Exploring The Mental Health Experiences Of First-Time Parents: A Qualitative Study., Taylor Ryan

Doctor of Social Work Capstone Projects

While transitioning into parenthood, one in five mothers will experience Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders (PMADs), and fathers are more likely to experience mental health disorders than their non-parenting counterparts. Although PMADs are experienced by many first-time parents, it is unclear if parents receive sufficient education on how to identify these symptoms and how to access the necessary resources. The current qualitative study explores the experiences of individuals who identify as first-time parents (N = 7) aged 25 to 34, with a child under 2 years old. Applied thematic analysis was used to identify themes related to first-time parents’ experiences …

The Epidemic Of Unsheltered Men In The United States And Its Public Health Consequences: A National Public Health Priority, James E. Leone, Awo-Yusra H. Musa

Bridgewater Review

People experiencing homelessness refers to an individual or family lacking a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence and affects a diverse group of people in the United States (National Alliance to End Homelessness, 2025). This may include living on the streets, in cars, parks, or abandoned buildings as well as shelters, transitional housing, or people facing an imminent loss of housing without another identified residence (CDC, 2024). Homelessness affects all demographics ranging from age (youth and elderly) and ethnicity to gender and even class. Secondary to experiencing a lack of stable housing, individuals also face food scarcity, employment instability, and …

Improving Emergency Management Standards In A Community Hospital Emergency Department, Christian Lanphere

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Background: This quality improvement (QI) project used a pre-test/post-test design to evaluate whether targeted emergency management training improved emergency department (ED) nurses’ preparedness for mass casualty incidents (MCIs). A purposive sample of 25 ED nurses with fewer than ten years of experience from a community-level ED participated. The PICOT question examined whether participation in structured emergency management education would significantly improve nurses’ knowledge, skills, and abilities, as measured by the Emergency Preparedness Information Questionnaire (EPIQ).

Aims/Objectives: The project aimed to enhance ED nurses’ preparedness for chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive (CBRNE) MCIs. Objectives included delivering a comprehensive CBRNE-focused educational …

Enhancing Registered Nurse Handoff And Documentation Adherence With An Acute Stroke Care Handoff Tool: A Quality Improvement Project, Grace Olson

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Background: Inconsistent and nonuniform RN stroke handoffs are a major barrier to meeting quality metrics set by The Joint Commission. Effective RN stroke handoffs enhance communication, documentation adherence, and supports better patient outcomes.

Objectives: The purpose of this QI project was to enhance stroke care by using a structured RN handoff tool. Outcomes for evaluation consisted of two components: 1) increase stroke metric documentation adherence rates and 2) increase RN satisfaction on stroke handoff.

Methods: A pre-implementation and post-implementation design was used for this project on a medical stroke unit at a community hospital in the mid-Atlantic region. Implementation of …

The Introduction Of Tailored Nurse-Led Lifestyle Education To Improve Quality Of Life For Adolescent Dermatology Patients With Or At-Risk For Pcos: Dnp Project Final Paper, Molly Donovan

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a prevalent endocrine disorder affecting reproductive-age females, with symptoms often emerging in adolescence. Lifestyle modifications have been shown in evidence-based research trials to improve PCOS-related symptoms and patient quality of life, yet structured evaluation and education on comprehensive disease management is often lacking in specialty settings.

Objectives: The purpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) quality improvement project was to evaluate the impact of individualized lifestyle-focused nursing education on body image concerns, emotional well-being, health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and confidence in disease management among adolescent females diagnosed with or at risk for …

Columnas: The Honors Program Newsletter At Bentley University, Amanda Li, Wilson Jan, Michael Raphael, Alexandra Rieckehoff, Karina Wu, Michael Shehata, Nilufar Noorian, Eloise Weintraub

Honors Program

INSIDE THE MODERN WORLD

Page 2: Stepping Out by Amanda Li

Page 3: Inside the Corporate Slop Bowl by Wilson Jan

Page 4: The Silencing: An Evaluation of the Global Attacks on the Right to Protest by Michael Raphael

THE SOUND OF CHANGE

Page 5: The Social, Cultural, and Economic Impact of Bad Bunny by Alexandra Rieckehoff

Page 6: Streaming Changed Music, But Is It Fair to Artists? by Karina Wu

Page 7: Feeling the Music: How Haptic Wearables Are Changing the Way We Experience Sound by Michael Shehata

SHIFTING SYSTEMS

Page 8: The Story Behind Davos, One of the …

Antitrust, Vampires And Bloody Acquisitions, Theodosia Stavroulaki

Fordham Law Review

Private equity has rapidly seized control of large swaths of the U.S. healthcare system. This Essay argues that its takeover is not a story of efficiency or innovation but one of extraction. Drawing on a substantial body of research, it shows that private equity acquisitions are associated with rising healthcare costs, inferior care, reduced access to essential services, and deteriorating working conditions for physicians and nurses—harms that fall most heavily on marginalized communities.

These outcomes are not accidental. They stem from the private equity business model, which relies on leveraged buyouts, aggressive cost cutting, and roll-up strategies designed to generate …

We Learn By Doing, Leading, And Competing: Women In Athletics And Physical Education At Bridgewater And Beyond, 1890-1960, Maura Rosenthal, Orson Kingsley

Bridgewater Review

Our 2026 Maxwell Library exhibit and accompanying digital exhibit (https://vc.bridgew.edu/exhibit/) share the story of physical education at Bridgewater State Normal School through course catalogs, gymnasium uniforms, student reflections, and faculty voices. It also highlights items from the Kathleen Bertrand and Linda Lundin Honoring Women in Sports Collection to trace the history of women in baseball and show how their opportunities to compete evolved alongside major social changes and educational movements in the first half of the twentieth century. The work of this exhibit is a collaboration and part of Maura’s Presidential Fellowship project.

Energetic And Reproductive Consequences Of A Pacific Herring Spawning Event For Seagrass-Associated Pipefish In Sitka, Alaska, Katie Sands

Theses & ETDs

Each year, ecologically, culturally, and economically significant Pacific herring spawn en masse, with Sitka Sound in southeast Alaska hosting some of the largest spawning events. During Pacific herring spawning season, herring eggs coat kelp and seagrass over miles of shoreline, often blanketing seagrass beds. A poorly studied fish species, the bay pipefish (Syngnathus leptorhynchus) offers a model for how resident seagrass-associated fishes experience these spawning events; little is known about the movement patterns of these syngnathids, but they are unlikely to leave seagrass habitats during herring spawning season. To assess the impact of herring spawning season, I surveyed pipefish twice …

Imidacloprid Effects On The Survival And Cutaneous Microbiome Of Northern Leopard Frogs, Evelyn Margaret Osterloo

Honors Thesis

Amphibians are experiencing population declines due to habitat loss, climate change, and diseases, particularly chytridiomycosis caused by the fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis. Protection from this fungal infection stems from the cutaneous microbiome. Pesticides have been shown to affect amphibians in a variety of ways, including reducing survival, locomotor performance, and accumulation in body tissues. Pesticides may also lead to changes in the cutaneous microbiome affecting amphibians who rely on these organisms as an anti-Bd defense mechanism. To investigate the effect of imidacloprid, a neonicotinoid insecticide, Northern Leopard frogs (Lithobates pipiens) were subjected to sublethal concentrations (control = …

Peer Support In The Emergency Department: The Impact Of Mentorship On Nurses' Feelings Of Support And Role Satisfaction, Erin Lownsbery

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Background: Emergency department (ED) nurses experience high levels of burnout and turnover due to heavy assignments, boarding, and the physical and emotional demands of practice. The transition from student to practicing nurse in the ED is particularly challenging, with many new-to-practice nurses reporting decreased feelings of support following orientation.

Aims/Objectives: This DNP project aimed to plan, implement, and evaluate a peer mentorship program in the ED of a large, urban, academic Level I trauma center in the fall of 2025. The program’s impact on new-to-practice nurses’ feelings of support and role satisfaction, as well as overall participant satisfaction, was evaluated …

Telemedicine For New Immigrant Children In The Us: A Tool For Equity Or Another Layer Of Disparity, Niriksha Ravi, Michael Olaseni Bamgbose, Yousra Yehia Abdelkhalek, Saloni Parkar, Yossef Alnasser

GW Research Showcase 2021-2026

No abstract provided.

Expanding Food Insecurity Screening Across Pediatric Clinical And Community Settings In The South Bronx: A Quality Improvement Initiative, Sana Amreen, Merve Ladik, Emmy Trinidad, Shanta Neupane, Anju Paudel, Yossef Alnasser

GW Research Showcase 2021-2026

No abstract provided.

Improving Early Detection Of Diastolic Dysfunction Through Community-Based Cardiovascular Screen In Underserved Adults, Roya Sakhizada

GW Research Showcase 2021-2026

No abstract provided.

Burnout Interventions For Health Profession Students And Trainees: A Systematic Review, Alys Barton, Lauren Muñoz, Jordan Herring, Randl Dent, Patricia Pittman

GW Research Showcase 2021-2026

No abstract provided.

Association Of American Cancer Society Lifestyle Guideline Adherence With Colorectal Cancer Patient Outcomes And Characteristics, Sophia Latif, Sofia Kim, Jessica Richards, Intifa Biswas, Rui Zhang, Siddhi Patil, Grace Lee, Laura Rozek

GW Research Showcase 2021-2026

No abstract provided.

Physical Activity And Burnout Syndrome In Undergraduate Students At Gwu, Peter Park, Leslie Davidson

GW Research Showcase 2021-2026

No abstract provided.

Lipoprotein(A) And Incident Peripheral Artery Disease The Atherosclerosis Risk In Communities Study, Kaleb Lema, Emma K. Stapp, Minghao Kou, Shoshana H. Ballew, Ning Ding, Ron C. Hoogeveen, Christie M. Ballantyne, Maya J. Salameh, Kunihiro Matsushita, Melinda C. Power

GW Research Showcase 2021-2026

No abstract provided.

From Pixels To Pediatrics: How Ai Is Reimagining Pediatric Radiology Worldwide, Sana Amreen, Ahmed Khairy, Fakeha Masood, Ngan Chu, Anju Paudel, Ayantoyinbo Oluwabusayomi, Abdelrahman Aly Mohamed, Yossef Alnasser

GW Research Showcase 2021-2026

No abstract provided.

Now You Sea Me, Now You Don't: A "Climate Displacement Equity" Framework For Sinking Nations, Meera S. Aiyer

William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review

Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are a unique set of states that are disproportionately impacted by climate change impacts and are highly vulnerable to economic, cultural, and environmental harms. While many are islands, SIDS also include non-island states populated with predominately coastal communities. The United Nations recognizes 39 sovereign states and 18 associate members as SIDS. SIDS account for over 1,000 islands across the globe, but the total population across them amounts to 65 million people, less than one percent of the global population. SIDS contribute less than one percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, the main cause of modern-day …

The Vicious Cycle Of 'Disaster-Recovery-Disaster' And Sids: Lessons From The Icj Advisory Proceedings On Climate Change, Chhaya Bhardwaj

William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review

The core argument of this Article is that the current theoretical and legal frameworks are insufficient to fully comprehend the circumstances of the Small Islands Developing States (SIDS), which claim to be in a “constant state of recovery or disaster.” The SIDS continue to suffer, as the extreme climate events become more frequent, severe, and compounding. The existing theoretical and legal frameworks assume that every disaster that begins must end, as does the recovery period following the disaster. However, in the case of some SIDS, the disaster or recovery period never ends. For example, sometimes, another disaster strikes even before …

Climate Justice For Puerto Rico: The Right To Stay And Energy Sovereignty, Camila Bustos, Mercè Martí Exposito

William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review

Following Hurricane María and subsequent disasters, Puerto Rico has experienced displacement, infrastructure collapse, and intensified economic exploitation through austerity policies championed as part of a disaster capitalist agenda. Climate change threatens self-determination globally, but its impacts are amplified by asymmetrical power relations. For Puerto Rico, climate vulnerability cannot be separated from colonial subordination. The Trump administration’s contemptuous response to María, PROMESA’s imposition of austerity, and the redirection of renewable energy funding toward fossil fuel infrastructure—each reveals how climate injustice compounds colonial injustice.

Drawing on international human rights law—particularly the rights to self-determination and to stay—we examine how Puerto Ricans assert …

The Resilience Of What, Exactly, To What, Exactly, Along The Coast? Adapting To More Than Just Human Migration, Robin Kundis Craig

William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review

The world’s coastlines are changing as a result of climate change and ocean acidification, creating drivers of human adaptation efforts— efforts that may increasingly include migration inland. Rising sea levels tend to get most of the attention as coastal migration drivers, because they represent the force most likely to physically push residents away from the coast through inundation, coastal erosion, and/or destruction of coastal water supplies.

However, climate change and ocean acidification are also changing the world’s coasts ecologically, and these ecological changes also drive coastal adaptation, testing the adaptative capacity and ecological resilience of coastal communities. This Article examines …

Cyclones Of Crime: How Environmental Degradation In Haiti Strengthens Gangs In Governmental Power Vacuums And How The International Community Can Respond Beyond Military Intervention, Stephanie Minor

William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review

In Haiti, the ground beneath people’s feet, both politically and literally, has never stopped shifting, as cycles of gang violence and environmental disasters feed each other in a relentless spiral of instability. This Note intends to be an analysis of the cycle of gang violence and environmental disasters, along with possible legal and organizational solutions. It begins with a very brief historical analysis of how the situation has progressed from state creation to present day and how Haiti’s colonial past shaped its current governance problems. At its creation in 1804, Haiti became the first state founded by enslaved persons through …

Social Murder, Marissa Jackson Sow

Washington and Lee Law Review

In recent years, variations on Engels’s concept of social murder have been adopted into British legal and sociological lexicons to conceptualize the state’s reckless sacrifices of its most vulnerable populations—people deemed socially undesirable, legally undeserving, and economically redundant. The state allows these populations to die a multitude of deaths by failing to protect them; notably, victims of social murder are relegated to society’s underclasses, if not completely excluded from the body politic, before they are physically eliminated. Social murder is neither genocide nor ethnic cleansing; instead, social murder captures the elimination of groups of people via atrocious events for which …

1981, Carliss Chatman

Washington and Lee Law Review

42 U.S.C. § 1981 should have solved a pervasive problem in American capitalism—when white economic interests do not converge with the contract rights of Black people, they are excluded from the market in a way that causes systemic harm. This Article proposes that the failure to enforce 1981 in the past may render it more harmful than beneficial in the present climate of retrenchment. The realities of racism combine with the lack of economic interest convergence to make combatting contract inequality on a contract-by-contract basis legally precarious, nearly impossible to properly evaluate, and difficult to economically incentivize. This is in …

Drug War Repair Guarantees, Amber Baylor

Washington and Lee Law Review

Drug legalization, especially cannabis legalization, is a critical step forward in states’ willingness to address systemic disparities, privacy intrusions, violence, and other harms of the drug war. Yet, reforms center on legalization and repair through a narrow lens, focused on changes to the penal code. The public has found that narrow forms of legalization cannot serve their purported reparative purpose. Narrowly drawn legalization is illusory. Drug war harms and punishment for legalized substance use continue. Legalization reforms are vulnerable to political trends, resulting in rollback and retrenchment of drug war operations.

Legalization cannot deliver on its reparative terms without guarantees. …

Education As A Right, Homelessness As A Crisis: The Displaced Futures Of American Homeless Youth, Tina Pham

Washington and Lee Law Review

Homelessness in the United States has been a humanitarian crisis affecting youth as one of its most vulnerable populations. Education is one of the few opportunities to break through this cycle of poverty. Recognizing the gap in education for homeless students and other students, Congress enacted the McKinney-Vento Act, which guarantees homeless youth educational rights to access public education. Following the Supreme Court’s decision in Grants Pass v. Johnson, however, the rise of criminalizing policies, such as encampment sweeps and anticamping ordinances, threatens the success of the Act. These policies not only destabilize families, but they also leave homeless youth …

Storycomposerai: Supporting Human-Ai Story Co-Creation Through Decomposition And Linking, Shuo Niu, Dylan Clements, Marina Margalit Nemanov, Hyungsin Kim

Computer Science

GenAI's ability to produce text and images is increasingly incorporated into human-AI co-creation tasks such as storytelling and video editing. However, integrating GenAI into these tasks requires enabling users to retain control over editing individual story elements while ensuring that generated visuals remain coherent with the storyline and consistent across multiple AI-generated outputs. This work examines a paradigm of creative decomposition and linking, which allows creators to clearly communicate creative intent by prompting GenAI to tailor specific story elements, such as storylines, personas, locations, and scenes, while maintaining coherence among them. We implement and evaluate StoryComposerAI, a system that exemplifies …