Digital Commons Network^™

Tutortech: A Web App For A Smarter And More Efficient Tutoring System, Smarika Pathak

2025 Spring Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

The Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) department faces challenges with managing its tutoring services, especially tracking attendance, booking sessions, and overall management of the tutoring system - all of which severely limits the ability for tutors to connect and engage with students. To help overcome these issues, TutorTech, a web-based application that provides improved management of the tutoring system and supports more engaging learning experiences between students and tutors was designed. Through this project, the aim was to optimize the TutorTech search capabilities - assisting students to find tutors based on skills, while also considering the effect of user interface …

Generating Motivational Messages For Behavior Change: Encouraging Users To Be More Physically Active, Hananeel Pankaj

2025 Spring Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

High levels of sedentary lifestyles can cause adverse effects in individuals’ health. This has prompted researchers to analyze ways to increase physical activity, including the use of Large Language Models (LLMs) to generate motivational messages. While research has found LLMs to be feasible for this task, the findings are limited in availability and scope given that the research focuses on a conversational, chatbot setting—which is not ideal in the real world. This research assesses OpenAI’s GPT-4o mini’s (one of several models powering ChatGPT) ability to tailor messages towards a user. This is done by passing user health data to the …

Lack Of Infrastructure: Addressing Water Scarcity And Housing Needs In Sand Branch, Yannet A. Mercado

2025 Spring Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

In the outskirts of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex (DFW), unincorporated communities like Sand Branch face unstable living conditions. Sand Branch, one of the poorest communities in North Texas, has struggled with water insecurity for decades due to the lack of municipal water infrastructure. Residents often rely on donations from nonprofit organizations to meet their basic water needs. This paper explores how implementing a Rainwater Harvesting System (RWH) could enhance their independence and resilience by providing a more sustainable water source. This research examines Sullivan’s work on sustainable housing policies for low-income self-built communities and evaluates the feasibility of RWH as …

Beyond The Hard Hat: Examining Barriers Of Women In Construction, Allison Pham

2025 Spring Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

The construction industry is falling behind in female representation, with women only making up 11.2% of the industry. The existing labor shortage is further exacerbated by the limited interest among women to pursue a career in construction. The purpose of this research is to investigate the factors that contribute to the lack of women in the construction industry and explore how HR strategies can attract and retain women in construction careers. Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) reports from three different industries were used to analyze the percentage of men and women employees. Multivariate regression analyses were conducted to examine whether …

The Value Of Home: The Covid-19 Pandemic’S Influence On Living Space, Mental Well-Being, And Design Adaptability, Grace E. Woodall

2025 Spring Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

Grace Woodall, Architecture

Title: The Value of Home: The COVID-19 Pandemic’s Influence on Living Spaces, Mental Well-Being, and Design Adaptability

Faculty Mentor: Marisa Gomez Nordyke

The COVID-19 pandemic redefined how people worked, learned, socialized, and lived. This study examines how American young adults’ perceptions of home evolved during and after the isolating lockdowns. This work addressed how the COVID-19 experience altered home’s value in young adults, the spatial, mental, and experiential challenges of confined spaces during the lockdowns, and the architectural elements that responded to these shifts. By analyzing post-pandemic housing trends, a literature review of architecture, psychology, home design, …

The Golden Ratio In Classical And Contemporary Design Merges: Transitions In User Experience Through Architectural Styles, Shreya Bandi

2025 Spring Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

The Golden Ratio, often called the “divine proportion,” is a mathematical phenomenon found in nature that has significantly influenced artistic and architectural aesthetics. It notably altered the Greek Classical Period, where it advanced the idea of structural harmony. This research examines how the ratio evolves through Contemporary and Post- Modern Architecture as it merges classical style design elements with user-centric adaptations. By analyzing Cullinan Hall and Sainsbury Wing, which represent the convergence of old and modern styles, this study explores the Golden Ratio through golden rectangle identification and proportional sectioning techniques. The results indicate that the ratio evolves through user …

Elucidating The Role Of Transposable Element Derived Gene, Dplg3, In Drosophila Melanogaster, Kaisy A. Martinez

2025 Spring Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

A big fraction of most eukaryotic genomes is comprised of transposable elements (TEs). TEs are mobile genetic sequences often causing deleterious effects as they increase in copy number. On rare occasions, TEs can undergo molecular domestication, where the TE proteins are co-opted by the host to serve cellular functions. In Drosophila melanogaster, domestication from PIF/Harbinger TEs has resulted in five Drosophila PIF-Like Genes (DPLG1-4 and 8). This study focuses on investigating the function of DPLG3. In DPLG3 knock out lines, DPLG3-KO, a fraction of the progeny shows an abnormal gonad phenotype. We sought to confirm …

Wild West Healthcare: Addressing Healthcare Disparities In Rural Texas, Alexis K. O'Neal

2025 Spring Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

Rural communities in Texas face significant barriers to healthcare access, including geographic isolation, limited healthcare facilities, and shortages of healthcare providers, which exacerbate health disparities and contribute to poorer health outcomes (Bennett et al., 2019; Jafri et al., 2024). This study examines healthcare access disparities between rural and urban areas in Texas, focusing on the role of telehealth and its impact on vulnerable populations, such as older adults and cardiovascular patients. Regions of Texas were categorized into rural, metropolitan, and metroplex areas to analyze variations in healthcare outcomes and access. Rural areas, defined as those with populations under 200,000, struggle …

Development Of A Cost-Effective Daq For Measuring Brake Performance In Race Cars, Adrin Alias

2025 Spring Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

This project explores the feasibility of creating a cost-effective data acquisition (DAQ) system for high-speed, real-time brake performance testing of Formula SAE racecars. The research addresses the limitations of the current MoTeC DAQ system currently employed by the team, which is costly and time-consuming to set up for on-car testing. The team will use a brake dynamometer for steady-state comparisons of different brake pad compounds (senior design project), but evaluating real-world performance requires on-car testing. By systematically comparing various hardware platforms, sensors, communication protocols, and storage solutions, this project aims to balance cost-efficiency with reliability and performance. The research evaluates …

Assessing The Prevalence Of Ehrlichia Spp. In Ticks Associated With Canids In Arkansas, Eva J. Berryhill

Animal Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Canine ehrlichiosis is a disease that is commonly seen in dogs. In previous studies, the southeastern part of the United States has been identified as an area of high prevalence. Arkansas was included in the region where the prevalence is high. Changes in climate, household income, and tick population were identified as factors contributing to this high prevalence. Canine ehrlichiosis is caused by three Ehrlichia spp., which are E. canis, E. ewingii, and E. chaffeensis. Ticks are responsible for transmitting the disease, specifically R. sanguineus, D. variabilis, and A. americanum. For this study, the goal was to determine the prevalence …

Utilizing 16s Ribosomal Rna Sequencing To Identify Bacterial Species Colonizing Lame Birds With Bacterial Chondronecrosis With Osteomyelitis, Kara Hoover

Animal Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Broiler chicken lameness has become prevalent in recent years due to high growth rates in broilerchickens. Bacterial chondronecrosis with osteomyelitis (BCO), the main cause of lameness, is characterized by necrosis of femoral and tibial heads in affected birds. Heavier birds are more susceptible to mechanical stress in these regions, which results in microfractures, leading to lameness. BCO lameness poses huge financial pressure to the poultry industry, as 14-50% of flocks can become affected during outbreaks. The purpose of this experiment was to identify bacterial species present in birds with BCO lameness. A total of 1,560 chicks were randomly distributed into …

The Effect Of 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 Supplementation On Humoral Immunity Against Bacterial Chondronecrosis With Osteomyelitis Lameness In Broiler Chickens, Bailey Herberger

Animal Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Bacterial chondronecrosis with osteomyelitis (BCO) lameness, the most predominant locomotive illness in fast-growing broilers, causes substantial animal well-being issues and affects broiler production, leading to huge financial losses. Several strategies, including feed supplementations using organic trace minerals, vitamin D, probiotics, and prebiotics, have been utilized to alleviate BCO lameness incidences in broiler chickens. Previous studies have indicated that feeding an additive of Panbonis^®-G-1,25(OH)₂D₃ from Solanum glaucophyllum containing 1 µg/kg G-1,25(OH)₂D₃ to broilers for the first 28 days of their production cycle reduced BCO lameness by more than 50%. In this study, we …

Gad-7 Screening In Middle School Students: Evaluating The Effectiveness On Referral Rate Scoping Review, Bailey Hall, Cara Dennis, Kayla Drennen-Ferguson, Pamela B. Taylor, Laura Reed Dnp, Aprn, Fnp-Bc, Cne

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Purpose/Background

The prevalence of anxiety disorders among adolescents, mainly middle school-aged students, highlights the critical need for practical screening tools to support early detection and intervention. The Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) scale is widely utilized in various settings, but its efficacy in this specific population remains underexplored. This scoping review examines the use of the GAD-7 in middle school-aged students, evaluating its reliability, validity, and impact on referral rates to mental health services. The review also considers factors influencing anxiety and identifies gaps in current research.

Methods

Ten articles, published in peer-reviewed journals within the past decade and involving human …

Postpartum Depression Screening At First Year Well-Child Visits: Evaluating The Rate Of Maternal Ppd Detection, Chidera A. Speight, Bsn, Rn, Katherine Scarbrough, Bsn, Rn, Camille Jones, Bsn, Rn, Laura Reed, Dnp Fnp-C

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Purpose/Background

Postpartum Depression (PPD) is a concerning mental health condition characterized by feelings of extreme sadness, exhaustion, and challenges with maternal-infant bonding. PPD effects mothers’ ability to adequately care for themselves and their newborns. Current research suggests that one in seven women experience symptoms of PPD as late as 12 months postpartum. Despite screening guidelines set forth by the American Academy of Pediatrics, 50% of mothers with PPD will not receive a diagnosis.

This study aims to evaluate the rate of PPD detection at well-child visits occurring within the first 12 months postpartum by administering the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale …

Understanding The Impact Of Language Barriers And Visit Duration On Caregiver Satisfaction In Pediatric Primary Care, Gavin Miller

Health, Human Performance and Recreation Undergraduate Honors Theses

Background: Children from households that speak languages other than English (LOE) face barriers in accessing healthcare, leading to poorer health outcomes. Language barriers contribute to these disparities, often resulting in diminished communication between providers and families. Visit duration may play a key role in facilitating effective communication and improving patient satisfaction.

Purpose: This study examines how language barriers affect caregiver satisfaction in pediatric primary care, and whether visit duration mediates this relationship. We hypothesized that caregivers from LOE households would have comparable visit durations to English-preferring caregivers but report lower satisfaction due to receiving less information within that time. …

Surviving Their Stripes: Quality Of Life And Coping For Individuals With Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, Julianna L. Breazeale

Health, Human Performance and Recreation Undergraduate Honors Theses

Hypermobile type Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hEDS) is a subtype of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, a genetic connective tissue disorder with complexities involving joint hypermobility, tissue fragility and severe pain. Patients with hEDS often experience misdiagnosis, medical dismissal and years of waiting for a diagnosis. This study aims to evaluate the quality of life and diagnostic journey for patients living with hEDS. Qualitative, cross-sectional and semi-structured interviews were conducted in this study using a descriptive, phenomenological methodological approach. The specific phenomenon is the experience of the hEDS diagnosis and how that diagnosis further impacts patient life. The two primary research questions that we aimed …

The Role Of Geographic Area On Juvenile Delinquency: Evidence From The 2023 National Survey On Drug Use And Health, Sara G. Remy

Sociology and Criminology Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study explores the relationship between geographic area and juvenile delinquency, with particular attention to how this relationship varies across the following settings: large metropolitan areas, small metropolitan areas, and rural areas. Using nationally representative data from the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), the analysis focuses on youth under the age of 18 and incorporates additional social factors such as parental involvement, gender, grade level, and race/ethnicity. Results from my negative binomial regression models demonstrate that geographic area did not play significant role in delinquency overall. Income showed notable variation by geographic setting: in rural areas, …

The Rise Of Fitspiration: An Examination Of Social Media Influence, Body Image Concerns, And Online Harassment, Mary Owen

Sociology and Criminology Undergraduate Honors Theses

The fitspiration movement on social media has raised concerns about potential body image satisfaction issues and body standard internalization. The potential negative effects of body image dissatisfaction include disordered eating, excessive exercise, anxiety, depression, and a risk to online harassment victimization. This dissatisfaction from fitspiration is reinforced by pressures from family and friends. Relying on data from 347 respondents, the present study explores the potential relationship between fitspiration content consumption, body image dissatisfaction, social pressures, and experiences of online harassment. Bivariate correlations and regression analysis were employed to examine the connections between the variables. Results indicated that there was a …

Can Shame And Guilt Be Used As A Deterrent For Drug Use And Drug Crime Recidivism?, Megan Elizabeth Pesek

Sociology and Criminology Undergraduate Honors Theses

Introduction: The present study focuses on how shame and guilt can be used as a deterrent for substance use and substance-related crime recidivism. This research is significant because of on-going alcohol and other drug crime recidivism in the United States. About 68% of drug-involved offenders have been found to recidivate within three years of their release from prison. Understanding how guilt and shame affect one's drug use and crime recidivism is important in recovery. This study was influenced by Braithwaite's theory of reintegrative shaming: using shame and guilt as the specific deterrent for recidivism. Methods: Based on this theory, I …

Examining The Lasting Impacts Of Covid-19 On College Students And Professors, Honor S. Luna, Alexia Angton

Sociology and Criminology Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study analyzes the impact of COVID-19 on the mental health, academic performance, and socialization of college students, as well as college professors’ perceptions of their own mental health, workload, and observed changes in students. University of Arkansas undergraduate students were surveyed online about their pandemic experiences, and faculty members were interviewed on similar topics. Students reported a noticeable decline in mental health, primarily due to isolation, being confined to their homes, and reduced contact with friends. Faculty faced stress from the rapid shift to virtual learning, decreased student engagement, and the challenge of balancing work and family while maintaining …

Prosecuting The Material Support Of Terrorism In The Post-9/11 Era, Kathryn C. Hammonds

Sociology and Criminology Undergraduate Honors Theses

Before the attacks of September 11th, material support of terrorism using the 18 U.S.C § 2339B statute was hardly investigated and prosecuted. In the years following 9/11, however, the government began to charge and prosecute material support offenders at an increasing rate. Structural-contextual theory is used to explain this phenomenon by analyzing how the government utilized tightened coupling to expand what they looked for and charged under 18 U.S.C § 2339B. The current study furthers past literature by analyzing 2339B offender demographics, case outcomes, counts outcomes, conviction rates, and the length of sentences. The findings solve discrepancies in past literature …

“Cry Harder!”: How Parents Traffic Their Children Through Forced Child Begging And Child Labor, Abigail K. Bellocchio

Sociology and Criminology Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis examines the complex intersection of socioeconomic and cultural factors influencing forced child begging, a form of human trafficking, across different global regions. Through comprehensive literature analysis and examination of data from the Global K-anonymized Dataset from Counter-Trafficking Data Collaborative (2021), this research reveals a critical gap in human trafficking discourse: the absence of a unified definition and understanding of forced child begging. Despite affecting millions of children worldwide, forced child begging remains fragmented in academic literature, scattered across disciplines including child welfare, anthropology, and media studies rather than being centrally addressed in anti-trafficking frameworks. The research identifies that …

Examining The Motivational Circumstances Of Bias-Motivated Violence And The Likelihood Of Fatal Outcomes, Kathleen R. Sucher

Sociology and Criminology Undergraduate Honors Theses

Bias-motivated violence has emerged as an increasingly urgent social problem in the United States, with recent years witnessing significant rises in hate crimes against multiple marginalized groups. Although prior research has recognized that bias crimes are not motivated by a single factor, gaps remain in understanding how motivational circumstances relate to fatal outcomes and how situational factors differ between types of bias attacks. Using descriptive and bivariate analyses of cases from the Bias Homicide Database (2015-2022), this study examines the relationship between motivation, fatal outcomes, and incident characteristics in bias-motivated murders and attempted murders. Findings show that while predatory motivations …

How Gender Inequality Drives The Human Trafficking Industry, Jessie D. Sanders

Sociology and Criminology Undergraduate Honors Theses

There are currently more than 40 million people subjected to human trafficking worldwide. People living under forced servitude and sexual exploitation, people in forced marriages, and child soldiers are victims of human trafficking. Research has shown that 71% of these victims are women and girls, making human trafficking a disproportionately gendered issue. However, does gender impact trafficking as a whole? The crux of this study uses a literature review, a comprehensive summary, and a critical analysis of existing works on a specific topic to understand how gender inequality relates to human trafficking. This study will also include a correlation test …

The Fraught Path To Residency For International Medical Graduates, Fatima Mossolem, Nidhi Chaudhary, Kate Whelihan, Venkat Venkataraman

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Background:

International medical school graduates (IMGs) are a vital part of the physician workforce in the United States helping to combat the ongoing physician shortage. The Association of American Medical Colleges reported that 42.3% of hospitalists were IMGs, physicians that also comprise a significant part of primary care physicians in rural underserved areas. Students in a gray area of immigration statuses such as those in DACA or those that have lived in the US for years waiting to attain citizenship are automatically considered “international students” and have typically received less residency interviews, and have had a harder time matching into …

Comparison Of Graft Patency Between Sta, Ra, And Sv Grafts Of Intracranial Aneurysms Of The Internal Carotid Artery, Nassos Tziviskos, Hallie Tiburzi, Susrut Dube

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Abstract

Background: Patients with intracranial internal carotid artery (ICA) aneurysms that are not amenable to treatments like coiling, stenting, or clipping have limited treatment options. One option is vascular bypass of the aneurysm to introduce a stable route for cerebral perfusion, which can be performed using the superficial temporal artery (STA) or alternatively radial artery (RA) or saphenous vein (SV) grafts, among other vessels.

Methods: The major databases were searched to identify studies that explored graft patency and functional outcome for patients who underwent bypass for intracranial ICA aneurysms with STA, RA, or SV grafts and proportion meta-analysis was performed. …

Does The Private Prison Industry Perpetrate More Staff Sexual Misconduct Than In Federal Prisons?, Abigail Lutrick

Political Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

This paper compares the reported statistics of staff-on-inmate sexual misconduct allegations in privately and federally operated correctional facilities. The federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) was first created with the goal of protecting public safety and promoting rehabilitation for criminal offenders humanely. As decades have passed, and the support for the validity of this mission has wavered, the federal government has implemented oversight and remedial programs to report on the misconduct that is evident in prison management in an attempt to curb these incidents. Previous research in this field highlights the waning reliability of institutional indicators to the success of correctional …

The Different Rhetoric Between Upholding And Overriding Disability Rights Inside The United States Supreme Court, Shane Egan

Political Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

This paper seeks to explain the rhetoric the U.S. Supreme Court uses when deciding disability cases, specifically when the Court upholds or overrides disability rights. The paper attempts to show how when the Court upholds disabled rights they use passive and weak rhetoric, and utilizes active and enforcing rhetoric when overriding disability rights. This paper analyzes this rhetoric inside education, healthcare, and employment cases heard by the Supreme Court.

Comparative Trends In Campaign Finance For United States Senate Elections After Citizens United, Jackson P. Terrell

Political Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

While experts and laymen alike have agreed that United States politics have become more polarized over the last few decades, there are few answers about what has driven that polarization, as well as how that polarization has affected the campaign system. In addition, changes to campaign finance as a result of Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission, 558 US 310 (2010) altered the ways that money could be raised and spent to support or oppose candidates. The effects of these changes in presidential election campaigns have been well documented. This research will investigate changing trends in campaign finance in United …

Archival Research Project: History Of Suny Cortland Varsity Sports, 1950-2024, Maria Deraco, Ashley Schappi

Transformations: Presentation Slides

Students in History and Philosophy of Physical Education and Sport classes conducted archival research to compile a history of varsity sports at SUNY Cortland from 1950-2024. Student groups of three to four chose their topic from a list prepared by professor Nancy Kane. Working with the Cortland Memorial Library Archivist Brian Jirout and Cortland Sport Information Director Fran Elia, students created a spiral-bound collection of research papers detailing sports, facilities, and funders who have made the Cortland Varsity Sports program a SUNY success story. The project was begun and completed during the fall semester of 2024. Students met with the …