Digital Commons Network^™

1785 Parisian Salon Project: New Methods And Practical Innovations In Digital Heritage Reconstruction, James Hutson, Charles O'Brien, Wesley Wolfe, Kayla Kraff, Trent Olsen

Faculty Scholarship

The 1785 Salon Unreal Engine Reconstruction Project represents a significant advance in digital heritage and immersive art historical research by combining generative AI-based asset creation, modular user experience (UX) design, and historically informed workflows. During the Spring 2025 phase, the project achieved major milestones, including the successful development of a replicable pipeline for transforming 2D reference images into period-accurate 3D sculpture models using generative AI and digital sculpting tools. Simultaneously, a robust and adaptable Inspection System was engineered within Unreal Engine, offering granular interaction controls, bilingual (English/French) content integration, dynamic metadata display, and enhanced accessibility. These innovations collectively enabled historically …

Selected Projects: Set Design And Projection Design, Audrey Kearl Coleman

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

Theatrical scenic and projection design for the stage.

The Wavering Future Of Democracy In Latin America, Brianna N. Bleeck

Political Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

The erosion of democratic governance in Latin America has emerged as a critical area of concern for political scientists, policymakers, and international organizations. Historically, the region has experienced fluctuating political landscapes marked by periods of democratic consolidation followed by authoritarian regression. Throughout the 20th century, countries such as Chile, Argentina, and Brazil witnessed military dictatorships resulting from socio-economic crises and political instability. Despite widespread democratic transitions throughout the 1980s and 1990s, contemporary Latin America faces new challenges that threaten its democratic integrity. The resurgence of authoritarian tendencies within the region coincides with escalating homicide and assault rates in many countries, …

Political Nonverbal Dynamics: An Analysis Of Smiles In Contentious Political Events, Megan Zingerman

Political Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study analyzes smiles during the 2024 U.S. Presidential Debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, revealing how nonverbal cues act as emotional signals and social tools. Findings indicate Harris displayed a significantly higher percentage of smiles than Trump. Limitations include potential human error in coding and influences of facial cosmetic procedures. The analysis underscores the importance of nonverbal communication in political settings and suggests future research on specific types of smiles, such as fear smiles, which are less understood in the context of political interactions.

Conversations With Friends: How Gender And Politics In The 2024 U.S Presidential Election Was Perceived By The People And By The Numbers, Hadley H. Burke

Political Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

The 2024 U.S. presidential election were largely unprecedented, with President Joe Biden withdrawing from the race and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic Nominee mere months before election day. The events that followed were rife with opportunity to explore the intersection of gender and politics, a topic of increasing relevance as women have become more politically active over the past century. Going beyond the traditional gender gap research, which demonstrates the divergent voting patterns of women and men, this research seeks to understand how the gender of the candidate influences vote choice. Using empirical data on the gender …

The Effects Of The Expanded Pandemic Unemployment Assistance On Non-Standard Workers' Financial And Mental Wellbeing, Juhyun Bae

Political Science Faculty Publications

During COVID-19, for the first time in U.S. history, Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits were extended to non-standard workers who are not typically eligible for that. Given the exclusion from the social security system, this offers an important opportunity to investigate such benefits on their economic and emotional security. To estimate it, I analyze staggered difference-in-differences and triple difference models using the Household Pulse Survey. I found that the early termination of the expanded pandemic UI program led to increases in financial and mental difficulties among residents, especially non-standard workers with more difficulty in paying expenses and depression. These findings suggest …

Reinforcement Learning For High-Dimensional Tradespace Exploration In Multi-Objective Optimization, Aaditya Kothavade

All Theses

Engineering design optimization often requires balancing multiple competing objectives while navigating complex, high-dimensional tradespaces. Despite significant advances in tradespace exploration techniques, current methods face critical challenges in efficiently navigating high-dimensional design spaces. As the number of design variables and competing objectives increases, traditional multi-criteria decision-making and optimization methods struggle to explore the vast solution space comprehensively. The curse of dimensionality exacerbates this issue, making it impractical to analyze all possible solutions and effectively identify trade-offs between objectives. Additionally, the computational complexity of high-dimensional spaces further complicates optimization, making exhaustive solution analysis infeasible. Traditional multi-objective optimization methods rely on static Pareto-front …

Application Of Regression Techniques On Designed Economic Data, Naomi O. Edegbe

All Theses

Evaluating stock market data and public companies' performance is an overwhelming task for day traders and brokers in the United States and internationally. As a financial metric of a company's overall valuation, earnings per share is a commonly researched measure of a company's profitability. We investigate relationships between earnings per share, multiple financial measures reported from company income statements, and classifiers such as market capitalization and sector. Multiple linear regression models are developed and assessed for this data. Results conclude that there is a significant difference between sectors and earnings per share recorded for a given company. Individual stock analysis …

Stability Of Holes In Granular Raft, Plabon Kumar Saha

All Theses

A granular raft at an oil–water interface exhibits unique mechanical properties, including the ability to form and sustain stable holes. In this study, we experimentally investigate the formation, stability, and collapse dynamics of holes in particle rafts composed of micrometer-sized particles. Holes are created using a hollow cylinder, which generates a meniscus that inhibits particle motion, thus stabilizing the hole. Stable holes are formed when their size reaches a critical value, which depends upon the capillary length. The critical hole size does not depend upon the circularity of the hole. We show that capillary forces due to the presence of …

False Information Attack Detection In A Connected Vehicle Environment With Quantum Inspired Long Short-Term Memory, Jean Michel M. Tine

All Theses

Wireless communication Systems enabling Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) and Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) data exchange, supported by technologies such as Cellular-V2X (C-V2X), has introduced significant cybersecurity challenges, particularly the threat of false information attacks that can compromise traffic safety and efficiency. In this thesis, the author focuses on identifying false information cyber-attack on V2I, in which vehicles are sending Basic Safety Messages (BSMs) to a Roadside Unit (RSU) and RSUs are collecting, processing and communicating data back to Connected Vehicles (CVs) to support different CV applications. Despite advances in anomaly detection using Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) networks, these models often struggle with computational efficiency …

Race, Sex Work, And Spatial Segregation In Storyville, New Orleans, Paige M. Magoto

All Theses

Storyville, New Orleans, operated as a legalized vice district from 1897 to 1917. This 38-block area facilitated sex work and prostitution “across the color line,” perpetuating and encouraging the practice of white men seeking sexual acts from Black women and women of mixed-race descent. I engage with multiple interacting subsections of historiography within this thesis project. The historiography spans Southern history from the early nineteenth century in the Old Antebellum South until the early twentieth century in the Progressive Era. The broader historiographic dimensions of labor and sexuality were also influential in curating this research project, engaging with the evolving …

The Rise And Fall Of The Contagious Diseases Acts: An Examination Of The Legislative Influences, Medical Discourse And Repeal Arguments, Elizabeth Henderson

All Theses

The Contagious Diseases Acts (CDA) were the most important legislative intervention concerning sexuality in the nineteenth century. The CDA was a public health measure passed to address the spread of venereal disease amongst the British Army and Navy, and targeted Britain's most vulnerable women – sex workers – because they were blamed for being the presumed cause and primary mode of spreading venereal disease. This resulted in the legalization of what critics of the CDA would call surgical assault, or instrumental rape, of working-class women suspected of being sex workers. Historians who study sexuality and sex work in Britain have …

Beyond Just The Negros’ Art: Langston Hughes And The Poetic Renewal Of Black Musical Tradition, Samuel Adewumi

All Theses

Where do we begin the study of Black music in America? Is there even a beginning to it? As a poet, how does Langston Hughes contribute to its continuance during the Harlem Renaissance? These are some of the questions that shape the trajectory of this research. In it, I set a precedent for African orature in future studies of Black music in America. Essentially, I trace the survival of African orature and Langston Hughes’s role in the sustenance and utility of its style and themes in the early 20th century. Through it, I argue that Hughes’s poetry serves not as …

Modeling Dna Repair In Escherichia Coli Using A Boolean And Stochastic Framework, Gabrianne Ivey

All Theses

DNA can be damaged through both internal and external sources. Therefore, cells have created methods to repair DNA damage. In Escherichia coli, the system responsible for DNA repair is termed the SOS response. This system consists of more than 50 genes and contains three main repair pathways: nucleotide excision repair, translesion synthesis, and homologous recombination. The response is initiated when DNA lesions result in the accumulation of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA). The protein RecA is activated by binding to ssDNA and is then denoted RecA*. RecA* assists in the auto-cleavage of LexA which is the primary repressor protein involved in …

Capitola, The Newsboy, As A Story-Paper: Movement, Serialization, And The Rewriting Of Domestic Space In E.D.E.N Southworth’S The Hidden Hand, Emma B. Pinson

All Theses

E.D.E.N. Southworth’s The Hidden Hand was immensely popular among nineteenth century American readers. These readers would have read the novel in a story-paper before it made its debut in novel form. Similar to a newspaper with the exception being that the content is fiction, readers would rush to purchase a new edition each week. In this thesis, I argue that both the content and print form of The Hidden Hand disrupt the separate gender spheres in nineteenth century America by encouraging a young girl’s movements in public spaces. What I call a separate separate gender sphere allows women and young …

The Shame Of (Be)Longing In Jamaica Kincaid's Lucy, Grace S. Miholic

All Theses

This thesis examines the role of shame in Kincaid's Lucy. Separated into four separate sections, the thesis moves through Lucy’s relationship with her boss, Mariah, her Antiguan mother, and the shame that is identified at the end of the novel. In the introduction, I identify the passage that frames the novel around shame. I then identify my thesis, which centers around Lucy’s shame and her inability and refusal to situate herself with neither Mariah nor her mother’s expectations. The second section of the thesis revolves around Mariah and the form of feminism that skews her perception and expectations of …

Quantifying The Transformation Of The Built Environment As A Result Of Cooper River Bridge Construction In Charleston, South Carolina, Catherine Claire Jackson

All Theses

The demolition of historically undervalued vernacular architecture for the construction of transportation projects has created a large-scale, cumulative loss of architectural heritage nationwide. This thesis quantifies the architectural loss caused by the construction of the series of Cooper River bridges in peninsular Charleston and Mount Pleasant. This study assesses the transformation of the built environment as a result of each bridge’s construction by determining the quantity of architectural loss, identifying forms and materials of architectural loss, and differentiating the effects of bridge construction on the more rural Mount Pleasant side compared to the urban peninsular Charleston side. Also assessed in …

Sensory Elements And Perceived Value In Cosmetics Packaging, Laurel G. Kunkel

All Theses

This research looked at how different sensory features of packaging can affect the way Generation Z consumers feel about a product's value. Focusing on a high-end sunscreen brand called Oasis Sunscreen Co., four packages were created with a unique sensory element. 53 college students were surveyed to see which package they preferred. The results showed that the visual aspects of the packaging were the most important, with over half of the participants choosing the visually appealing package as their favorite. Scented packaging also caught people's attention, while features that involved touch were appreciated but not as influential. The study suggested …

Migration And Diaspora: An Intersectional Feminist Reading Of Lucy By Jamacia Kincaid., Benjamin Oluwakayode Akinlabi

All Theses

This thesis explores how migration and diaspora shape the intersectional experience of Black women through a close reading of Jamaica Kincaid's Lucy. Drawing on Black feminist thought, I make a case using analytical and theoretical frameworks to expand intersectionality to account for global movement and memory. Intersectionality must move beyond national borders to account for how power travels with people. I argue that migration works externally through movement and displacement, and diaspora works internally through memory. There is a location in the United States, but there is always a look back through memory and the two conflict. Lucy's migration …

Resurrecting Mslrp The Diagnosing, Documentation, And Demonstration Of Miniaturized Sequential Liquid Lignin Recovery And Purification, Robert Booth Whiting Lowery Jr

All Theses

A pilot plant designed for the Sequential Recovery and Purification of Liquid Lignin was downsized to perform optimization and minor adjustments at a reasonable time and operational cost. Multiple failed runs proved the need for a redesign, and an analysis was performed to solve the newly discovered scaling issues.

Operators identified several common failure points of the mSLRP and theorized several methods to rectify them. This included a rework of both procedural elements, the physical construction of the pilot plant, and the actual code and control of the pilot plant’s operating system, LabVIEW.

Runs were attempted, and eventually, the corrective …

Assessing Student Satisfaction Using Courses Generated By Artificial Intelligence, Althaf Hussain Kallamadugu

All Theses

This research explores the effectiveness of using Artificial Intelligence (AI)-generated voice-over presentations as an alternative to traditional human-narrated lectures in online education. The study focuses on students preparing for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Part 107 exam for Commercial small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUASs). By comparing AI-generated lectures with human-narrated content, the research aims to assess the impact of AI on student satisfaction, engagement, and performance. A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining quantitative analysis of exam scores and survey data with qualitative insights from student interviews. The methodology includes the creation of AI-generated voice-over presentations, survey distribution to both control …

Modality Distillation Using A Sam-Guided Multimodal Teacher For Unimodal Wildfire Segmentation And Temperature Prediction, Michael N. Marinaccio

All Theses

Wildfires are one of the world’s most devastating natural disasters that affect the environment, communities, and more critically, humans that live in and around those communities. Due to the threat of large-scale destruction in landscapes and human inhabited areas, it has become increasingly more important to develop wildfire detection, management, and suppression strategies to mitigate and prevent these negative outcomes. Wildfire research encompasses many different areas. Most notably, the development of communication, navigation, remote sensing, and monitoring systems. In wildfire monitoring, limitations discovered in-ground and satellite observation have shifted the focus toward Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) based wildfire research, which …

Micro Wind Turbine - Modelling And Testing, Mohammad Uzair Bhati

All Theses

The global energy demand continues to rise as people consume more electricity to power their personal electronics, electric vehicles, and consumer products such as outdoor tools. To generate renewable energy, large scale solar and wind farms continue to receive the most commercial attention. However, portable wind energy turbines have the potential to generate sufficient power for cell phones and other electronic devices. There are two types of wind turbines, horizontal and vertical axis each having their pros and cons. Vertical-axis wind turbines are the main focus of this thesis, with a reduction in their form factor or size and portable …

Speaking Up: A Courage Framework Of Bipoc Voices In The Workplace, Aishah Khan

All Theses

Despite the many beneficial outcomes of voice in the workplace, employers and employees do not often utilize it to its full potential, particularly those from historically marginalized groups. Past literature has examined the many ways in which the experience of minority-group members differs from that of majority-group members; however, scarce work has been done exploring the “mental calculus” that those from marginalized groups go through when deciding whether to advocate for themselves or others at work. To provide insight into this specific experience, I manipulated representation and context in a novel fashion – and examined if and how safety, risk, …

Athlete Soreness Self-Reporting For Increased Sports Recovery, Marissa Bennett

All Theses

With 70-80% of athletes choosing to withhold soreness/injury-related information from sports staff (Jessiman-Perreault et al., 2016; Whatman et al., 2018), the need for more research in this sector of sports communication is apparent. This study aimed to take a step in closing that research gap by identifying barriers to soreness reporting and taking measures to try and work around those barriers in partnership with a Division I, southeastern, public university football team over the course of the 2024 season. The 2024 season’s data was then compared to data collected in the 2021-2023 seasons. Exploratory research into a Division I, southeastern, …

Tattoo Stereotypes In The Workplace: Can Being A Tattooed Female Increase Perceptions Of Hireability?, Gabrielle A. Rufrano

All Theses

There is ample research supporting that having a visible tattoo can hinder one’s chances of being hired because of the application of negative stereotypes typically associated with being tattooed. However, recent evidence has demonstrated that tattooed individuals can be positively stereotyped, and that job context can influence customer attitudes and behaviors towards them, suggesting that tattoos can benefit employees in certain job types (Ruggs & Hebl, 2022; Timming, 2017). Gender differences in this body of literature have not been thoroughly explored, but interestingly, there is conflicting evidence on the perceptions of visibly tattooed women. Across two experimental studies and a …

The Impact Of Quality Of Life And Recovery Capital On Inhibitory Control In Patients On Medication For Opioid Use Disorder, Caroline K. Jeffries

All Theses

The opioid crisis persists as a global health challenge, necessitating a comprehensive understanding of the complex interplay between psychological factors and neurocognitive responses among individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD). Two such psychological factors include recovery capital, an individual's internal and external resources to supporting recovery, and quality of life. Past work suggests that positive levels of recovery capital and quality of life may enhance individuals’ ability to regulate emotions and manage cravings. However, it is unclear how these variables are affected when buprenorphine is taken. This study investigates the influence of recovery capital and quality of life on inhibitory …

Evaluating Climate Benefits In The Conservation Reserve Program: Methane Emissions And Carbon Storage In Restored Wetlands, Annika Kuleba

All Theses

As climate change progresses, Nature-based Climate Solutions (NbCS) have emerged as a key strategy for mitigation. Historically, wetlands were drained to increase arable land area, resulting in habitat degradation and soil erosion. To address these issues, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) incentivizes wetland restoration under the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), in which landowners retire agricultural land to reestablish native habitat. Although wetlands can act as carbon sinks, they are also sources of methane, a more potent greenhouse gas (GHG). Therefore, the effectiveness of wetlands as a NbCS remains under debate due to assumed high methane emissions. Wetland functions …

Exploring Antimicrobial Performance And Compostability Of A Pectin-Based Film, Jessica Hardiman

All Theses

Packaging is considered one of the most important parts of the food supply chain. Packaging affects many aspects of the food product, such as acceptability, safety, nutritional quality, and it also provides a means of communication with the consumer. Although many people are aware of the great benefits packaging provides to the food sector, fewer think about the repercussions that occur from the waste that is generated from packaging, or the waste from the food inside the package. There is little research done on the development of compostable and antimicrobial packaging, which could reduce plastic and improve food safety. In …

Application Of Remote Sensing In Mapping Callery Pear Distribution And Biomass Estimation In The Southeastern United States, Kavi Raj Awasthi

All Theses

Callery pear (Pyrus calleryana Decne. Rosaceae) is a rapidly spreading invasive species in the southeast United States (US) that hampers the function of native tree species and the forest ecosystem. Native to Southeast Asia, the species has encroached on the natural and secondary vegetation habitats of the Southern US in recent years. This study attempted to 1) map the Callery pear across the southeast US and 2) model the aboveground biomass (AGB) of individual Callery pear trees.

We used Callery pear locations and winter imageries of Sentinel-2, Sentinel-1, L-band radar, and terrain imagery for mapping purposes. In addition, we …