Digital Commons Network^™

Crime 101, Dennis Etzel Jr

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a film review of Crime 101 (2026), directed by Bart Layton.

Predictive Modeling In Social Media Deepfake Identification, Samuel Whatley Ii

Helms School of Government Spring Public Policy Conference

No abstract provided.

Cannabis Reclassification: Economic, Legal, And Ethical Implications Of Executive Order 12866, David Bolton

Helms School of Government Spring Public Policy Conference

No abstract provided.

Short-Form Content And The Long-Term Effects, Grace Brown

Research Days

This research aims to explain the rapid growth of short-form digital content. This is an exploration as to why platforms, like TikTok, have taken over modern entertainment. As media evolves away from long-form content with high-production towards short-form with minimal editing, audiences adapt. Short-form content allows social media users to scroll past “uninteresting” videos with ease, validates shortened attention spans and creates more economic incentives. TikTok has successfully developed a highly personalized and fast-paced algorithm, which many social media apps have attempted to mimic. This algorithm sustains engagement by encouraging rapid scrolling and continuous content consumption. While users can easily …

Modeling The Disruption Of Binding Of Three Ige Antibodies With Six Mutated Interaction Sites On The Arah2 Allergen, Amaan Khan, Hansi Parmar, Jyothi Vivekananda

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Peanut allergy is a life-threatening food allergy that affects millions of children and adults across the world. This issue presents serious public health concerns and heavy interest from the scientific community to find viable treatments that minimize immunological side effects. To better understand and explain the peanut allergy response, the literature was examined, and a 3D model was printed based on two protein database files. Arachis hypogaea 2 (Arah2) is the dominant peanut allergen protein. When Arah2 binds IgE antibodies, a strong allergic response is triggered. This reaction makes treating allergy patients with Oral Immunotherapy (OIT) difficult due to adverse …

Endoparasites In Magnificent Frigatebirds (Fregata Magnificens Rothschildi) From Southeast Florida, Usa, Isabelle Petty, Alexia Hilber

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The Magnificent Frigatebird (Fregata magnificens) is a pelagic seabird widely distributed across tropical and subtropical regions. Due to its wide-ranging foraging behavior and fish-based diet, these birds are susceptible to parasitic infections. However, little is known about the species' endoparasite communities. Despite its ecological importance, research on this species remained limited, particularly regarding the diversity and distribution of endoparasites. This study aims to investigate the endoparasite community in these birds. Specimens were collected from multiple rehabilitation centers from southeast Florida. A total of six individuals were examined (MAFR 2000, 3105, 3106, 3107, 3108, and 3109) for parasite presence …

Comparative Profiling Of Persistent Organic Pollutants In Alaskan Pink Salmon Roe And Muscle Tissue (Oncorhynchus Gorbuscha), Aleena Thomas, Megan Bailey, Luisa Torres

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are toxins that bioaccumulate through food chains--especially in marine ecosystems. They are primarily classified as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), each with 209 congeners associated with adverse human health outcomes such as cancer. Despite bans placed during the 2004 Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, POP concentrations have remained consistent. Alaskan pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) are integral to Southeast Alaskan River ecosystems as a major food source for humans and animals. Detecting POPs in roe provides evidence of maternal offloading, indicating that these pollutants persist across life stages and generations. Salmon …

Assessing Sediment Composition, Organic Matter, Metal Contamination, And Ecological Risks In Port Everglades, Florida, Elisa Prodhomme, Gabrielle Spankus

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Port sediments often accumulate heavy metals and organic pollutants from anthropogenic inputs. The planned expansion of Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA) raises concern that dredging may remobilize contaminated sediments, potentially affecting nearby benthic habitats, including coral reefs. To assess sediment quality, eighteen cores were collected from five port sites and one control site, along with additional surface sediments. Cores were sectioned at 10 cm intervals and analyzed for 14 metals (ICP-MS), percent organic matter, and grain size. Geo-accumulation index results indicated moderate to strong contamination by As and Mo, while ecological risk assessments suggested moderate to high overall metal …

Sold For Parts: Moral Connections Between Paid Surrogacy And Paid Organ Donation, Alessandra Coke

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Throughout this presentation, I make ethical arguments about paid surrogacy, based on established arguments regarding paid living organ donation possible due to similarities between the procedures. I establish the differences between conceptualizations of surrogacy: unpaid/altruistic and paid/compensated, and clarify what is meant by paid surrogacy. The primary similarity between paid living organ donation and paid surrogacy is that both practices are a 'voluntary' violation of bodily integrity for financial benefit. I argue that both practices due to financial incentives cannot truly be seen as voluntary. I argue that the reasons that are used to understand paid living organ donation as …

Snapping Shrimp Acoustic Activity As An Indicator Of Ecosystem Health Across Mangrove, Seagrass, And Coral Reef Habitats In The Florida Keys, Catherine Salazar, Alexander Wheeler

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Mangroves, coral reefs, and seagrass provide refugia, nursery areas, and feeding grounds for many marine species. These ecosystems have faced declines in habitat complexity through natural and anthropogenic causes. Passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) is used to track changes in habitat characteristics through the monitoring of acoustic species, like snapping shrimp. Snapping shrimp are among the most active species inhabiting shallow subtropical marine environments, and their abundance, often tracked through their acoustic activity, are strong indicators of a healthy ecosystem. This study compares the acoustic activity of snapping shrimp across mangrove, seagrass, and coral reef habitats in Key Largo, Florida, as …

Disrupting Stat3 Signaling In Glioblastoma Stem Cells Using Nitro-Modified Curcumin Analogs, Sneha Subhash, Swara Chindhade, Maria Moreno Hollweg, Kyuree Chang

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 (STAT3) is frequently overactivated in cancers, including glioblastoma (GBM), where its dysregulation is associated with aggressive disease and poor patient survival. STAT3 supports tumor progression by promoting proliferation, resistance to apoptosis, maintenance of cancer stem cells, and immune suppression. Although numerous STAT3 inhibitors are under preclinical and clinical evaluation, none have yet achieved FDA approval. GBM remains a highly lethal brain cancer with limited therapeutic options, underscoring the need for new targeted treatments. Nitro-containing compounds, known for their strong electron-withdrawing characteristics, are emerging as potential anticancer agents. A library of 41 nitro-containing chalcones …

Ticked Off: A Systematic Review Of Alpha-Gal Syndrome Mechanisms

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Alpha-gal syndrome is characterized by an IgE-mediated immune response against galactose-α-1,3-galactose. In the United States, the principal vector is the Lone Star tick, whose range has expanded nationwide. 110,000 cases have been reported since 2010, with the CDC estimating 450,000 as many cases go unrecognized. Vomiting, difficulty breathing, and hypotension can occur immediately or hours after exposure. Ongoing exposure to alpha galactose with AGS increases mast cell inflammatory response, raising coronary artery disease risk. Perioperative ingredients like gelatin, monoclonal antibodies, and stearic acid have triggered anaphylactic shock in AGS patients. These complications hinder diagnosis. The inclusion criteria required original research …

Reengineering Bone Health: Preventing Steroid-Induced Osteoporosis Without Jaw Damage, John Voudouris

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Glucocorticoid ("steroid") drugs are essential for treating autoimmune diseases, but long-term use often weakens bones, leading to a condition called glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis (GIO). In the United States, steroids such as prednisone and dexamethasone are prescribed to over 10 million patients annually, and roughly 30% of long-term users develop GIO, contributing $20-30 billion in annual health-care costs. To this end, bisphosphonates are commonly used to treat GIO by preventing bone-loss; however, they can also cause a serious adverse effect called medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ). Thus, safer jaw-protective treatments are urgently needed. In this study, we tested a different strategy …

Analyzing The Variation In Microplastic Intake Of Waterhyacinth And Pennywort In Lake Okeechobee, Aashvi Gowrisankar

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The Florida Everglades ecosystem faces many threats, including municipal pollution and agricultural runoff. This study compares the microplastic intake of two types of floating vegetation in Lake Okeechobee. Water hyacinth (Pontederia crassipes) has a greater root mass and surface area than its native equivalent pennywort (Hydrocotyle umbellate). We hypothesize that water hyacinth would have greater microplastic intake due to its increased capillary action. Our project was conducted using three guiding questions: which plant type had the greatest microplastic intake, did accumulation vary with location, and did concentration vary among roots, stems, and leaves in each plant …

Advances In Aortic Valve Replacement For The Recovery Of Elderly Patients In Southern Florida, Khushi Faldu

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Aortic stenosis, a narrowing of the aortic valve, is a significant health burden in aging populations, as in Broward County, Florida, where the elderly demographic is rapidly expanding. The classical approach to valve replacement is performed via Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement (SAVR). Recently, Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR), a minimally invasive alternative, has emerged as a life-changing option for patients with a high surgical risk. Using inductive methods, this study compiled and analyzed data from existing research records and publications comparing endothelial recovery following TAVR and SAVR. We aim to design a teaching case study to highlight how procedural choice …

When Peers Matter: Peer Communication And The Association Between Parental Dependence And Superiority Cognitions, Preya Pandya, Bala Sivani Paddala, Anisha Nandra

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Although parent-child relationships have been widely studied during childhood and adolescence, less attention has been given to how these relationships continue to influence adjustment during emerging adulthood. This developmental period is marked by instability and exploration, as young adults begin transitioning into adult roles such as higher education, employment, and long-term relationships. Research suggests that parenting continues to matter during this time, with successful separation-individuation representing a normative developmental task. Excessive parental dependence, however, may be associated with maladjustment. At the same time, peers play an increasingly important role in emerging adulthood, and positive peer relationships are often linked to …

The Developmental Journey Of A Servant Leader Rise To Serve, Sacrifice To Lead, James Elliker

Servant Leadership: Theory & Practice

The writings of Robert Greenleaf (1970, 1972, 1977, 1998) and the examples of ancients (Green, 2023), have inspired a number of research efforts on the efficacy of a leader as servant approach to modern leadership. Greenleaf’s core principles included the desire to serve first, the ability to help grow others into healthy servant leaders themselves, and the potential to impact a broader society. His unique and insightful essays also imply the preexistence of a leader who is willing to serve. This article presents a possible servant leader developmental model to accomplish such objectives. The model highlights how anyone, should they …

An Empirical Analysis Of The Financial Performance Of Servant Leadership Firms, Brett Cotten, Douglas Schneider, Danielle Navarrete

Servant Leadership: Theory & Practice

Prior research has found servant leadership to be positively associated with beneficial outcomes, including employee satisfaction, employee engagement, and employee commitment. Servant leadership theory suggests that these outcomes should translate into better financial performance. However, little research has examined the relationship between servant leadership and firm financial performance. To address this issue, we examine a number of profitability and efficiency ratios of servant leadership firms, comparing them to those of their non-servant leadership peers. We find that firms in our servant leadership sample tend to be more profitable and operate more efficiently than their non-servant leadership peers.

Alignment Of Servant Leadership Dimensions With Desirable Job Characteristics Drives Team Performance, Noah T. Currie

Servant Leadership: Theory & Practice

Organizations creating cultures of servant leadership continue to experience immense success in the business world and the nonprofit sector despite an ongoing lack of clarity of the concept. The aim of this paper is twofold, first to provide clarity by proposing an improvement to the definition offered by Laub (1999; 2004) and second to provide a conceptual model describing how servant leadership, mediated by intrinsic motivation as described by the Job Characteristics Model (Hackman & Oldham, 1980) and perceived organizational support, is positively related to team performance. Relating servant leadership to motivation, perceived organizational support and team performance provides leadership …

From Philosophy To Performance: Empirical And Practical Applications Of Servant Leadership, Kevin Hurt

Servant Leadership: Theory & Practice

No abstract provided.

Zenbrain: A Neuroscience-Inspired 7-Layer Memory Architecture For Autonomous Ai Systems, Alexander Bering

Defensive Publications Series

We present ZenBrain, an open-source memory architecture for AI systems that implements seven distinct memory layers inspired by cognitive neuroscience. Unlike existing approaches that treat AI memory as simple key-value storage, dual-layer retrieval, or LLM-driven reorganization, ZenBrain models the full lifecycle of human memory: encoding, consolidation, retrieval, decay, and active forgetting. The system integrates 12 neuroscience-inspired algorithms including FSRS-based spaced repetition, Hebbian learning dynamics for knowledge graphs, neuroscience-modeled sleep consolidation simulating hippocampal replay, emotional memory modulation, and Bayesian confidence propagation. ZenBrain is deployed in production as part of ZenAI with 9,228 passing tests, and is published as composable npm packages …

Private Property In The Social Contract: Locke Versus Rousseau, Adam Opp

Helms School of Government Spring Public Policy Conference

No abstract provided.

Epistemological Take On The Problem Of Evil: St. Augustine Vs. Rousseau, Emma Burns

Helms School of Government Spring Public Policy Conference

No abstract provided.

Innovator - Summer 2024

Innovator

06 - A Message from the President

10 - Time Machine

16 - The Nexus

32 - Our History

38 - Weaving a Legacy of Excellence

40 - Bridging the Gaps

44 - Harnessing the Qualities That Create Healthcare Heroes

48 - Question & Innovate

52 - Alumni Impact

54 - Ram Roundup

58 - Be Kind

62 - Class Notes

68 - In Memory

70 - Trivia

Advancing Equitable Faculty Evaluations: Refining Behavior-Based Rubrics For Systemic Change, Celia Freed

Miners Solving for Tomorrow Research Conference

Bias in faculty evaluations continues to influence decisions about promotion, tenure, and resource allocation, disproportionately affecting women and underrepresented faculty. To address these inequities, this study develops and implements behavior- and-outcome based evaluation rubrics designed to improve fairness, clarity, and consistency. Using a case study approach, calibration data, participant feedback, and refinement are used to guide rubric development and standardization. Over one academic year, this project progressed through data analysis, rubric revision, faculty feedback, and pilot implementation, followed by evaluation of its effectiveness. The study advances research on structured evaluation systems and examines how behavior-based criteria can potentially enhance inclusivity …

Quantifying The Impact Of Mobile Distractions On College Students' Attention Performance, Sonipriya Paul, Jessica L. Bolton, Ashwin Ashok

Artificial Super Intelligence (ASI) Conference

This research identifies that it is important to understand how humans sustain and recover attention to their primary activity amid mobile device interruptions. In this paper, we present our key findings and insights from an user-study based measurement of attention performance of graduate students. Ten participants (graduate students) independently completed attention tasks in an office environment (with no background noise) while receiving periodic messages (distraction), with continuous data recording on a wearable electroencephalography (EEG) headset. The attention tasks were designed in line with the standard GO/NO-GO test from psychology domain. Our experimentation included three variations of the GO/NO-GO test and …

2nd Annual Miners Solving For Tomorrow Research Conference - Undergraduate Schedule, Blake Bowman, Carter Lawson, Celia Freed, Adam Merchiori, Allie Dingfield, Catherine Skaggs, Drake O'Leary, Quinten Bachman, Elizabeth Bone, Joely Grace Hall, William Wisnasky, James Meyer, Sindhujaa Jaiganesh, Sophia Nicolette Petilla Militante, Brantley Carter, Adrianna Sasser, Alec Gamache, Micah Gargrave, Keagen Miller, Uma Adrianna Misra, Collin Gentry, Christy Johnson, Brady Carlson, Logan Williamson, Jivanji Sumariwalla, Hayden O'Dell, Elijah Brakensiek, Katharine Gray, Lukas Farthing, Jacob Harl, Landon Meyer, Nehemiah Milton, Lana Herkenhoff, Jenna Mueller, Lucas Ethington, Maya Southard, Aster Davidson, Ethan Beane, Jacob Penn, Connor Jordan, Amanda Hodges, Ethan Keuhn, Milan Jebaraj, Ariel Pilger, Sydney Clark, Maris Reinkemeyer, Manav Raja Vinotha, Punit Sesha Sai Turlapati, Benjamin Sullins, Benjamin Biehl, Jamie Koester, Aidan Sengupta

Miners Solving for Tomorrow Research Conference

No abstract provided.

2nd Annual Miners Solving For Tomorrow Research Conference, Blake Bowman, Carter Lawson, Celia Freed, Adam Merchiori, Allie Dingfield, Catherine Skaggs, Drake O'Leary, Quinten Bachman, Elizabeth Bone, Joely Grace Hall, William Wisnasky, James Meyer, Sindhujaa Jaiganesh, Sophia Nicolette Petilla Militante, Brantley Carter, Adrianna Sasser, Alec Gamache, Keagan Miller, Uma Adrianna Misra, Collin Gentry, Christy Johnson, Brady Carlson, Logan Williamson, Jivanji Sumariwalla, Hayden O'Dell, Elijah Brakensiek, Katharine Gray, Lukas Farthing, Jacob Harl, Landon Meyer, Nehemiah Milton, Lana Herkenhoff, Jenna Mueller, Lucas Ethington, Maya Southard, Aster Davidson, Ethan Beane, Jacob Penn, Connor Jordan, Amanda Hodges, Ethan Keuhn, Milan Jebaraj, Ariel Pilger, Sydney Clark, Maris Reinkemeyer, Manav Raja Vinotha, Punit Sesha Sai Turlapati, Benjamin Sullins, Benjamin Biehl, Jamie Koester, Aidan Sengupta, Antai Dong, Connor Bell, Dennis Dadzie, Joshua Gary, Adebayo Olayinka Oke, Deeshani Mitra, Yejun Kim, Josiah Mcdermott, Samiksha Aryal, Nicholas Brenner, Timothy Ennis, Maryam Sharifi Paroushi, Sujan Maharjan, Md Saiduzzaman, Hari Dhital, Manuela Isabel Arenas Alvarez, Eyuel A Getahun, Lucas Greiner, Amaneh Babaee, Shane Cairns, Nazish Khalid, Joseph Walton, Jie Shi, Ehsan Asheghianamiri, Mariam Elazhary, Makuach James Makeny Panther Athach, Rasman Mubtasaim Swargo, Shiva Kumar Goud Kasani, Pablo Jara, Sara Mccauley, Hartzell Weston, Al Mojahid Afridi, Matik Heskin, Nima Mahmoudzadeh, Effat Eskandari, Amitav Sen, Rabin Pandey, Amirhossein Habibi, Nuzaer Omar, Mizanur Rahman Jewel, Nathan Tibbetts, Manoj Twarakavi, Fahara Bristy, Akhrorbek Narmatov, Mahnaz Asgari Sooran, Tafang Hei, Nathan Roberts, Khosro Ghorbani Zadeh

Miners Solving for Tomorrow Research Conference

No abstract provided.

Ai Adoption Tensions For Organ Procurement Organizations, Joely Grace Hall

Miners Solving for Tomorrow Research Conference

Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to improve efficiency in healthcare, yet its adoption remains limited, with only 22% of healthcare organizations having implemented domain-specific AI tools. Adoption may be especially complex in specialized domains such as organ transplantation, where ethical, legal, and operational challenges are dominant. This study examined factors influencing AI acceptance within Organ Procurement Organizations (OPOs), focusing on technological, organizational, and environmental contexts.

Semi-structured interviews with 16 OPO executives from 10 OPOs revealed key tensions shaping AI adoption. We identified five tensions that are holding back OPO leaders from AI adoption, (1) misconceptions, (2) training approach, (3) …

Cross Correlation-Based Physiological Synchronization For Multi-Modal Wearable Cognitive Stress Monitoring System, Fariha Alam, Nora Tin, Razvan Voicu

Artificial Super Intelligence (ASI) Conference

Cognitive stress arises from sustained mental demand, information overload, or task complexity, and requires continuous monitoring for timely detection and intervention in real-world settings. It produces subtle physiological changes, including shifts in heart rate and autonomic activity that require continuous monitoring to detect reliably. Wearable sensors such as photoplethysmography (PPG) and electrodermal activity (EDA) enable non-invasive tracking of these responses. However, multi-modal sensor integration remains challenging, as hardware or software-level synchronization does not consider the physiological response delays. To address this, the study collected PPG and EDA sensor data from ten participants under two cognitive stress-inducing conditions. After preprocessing, heart …