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General Catalog 2025-2026, Utah State University

University Catalogs

This catalog contains information on the Academic Departments and Programs as well as Course Descriptions for the above school year at Utah State University.

Synthesis, Characterization, And Biological Activity Of Ni(Ii) And Co(Iii) Thiosemicarbazone Complexes As Potential Anticancer Agents, Jack Martin

Pitzer Senior Theses

The mechanics by which Reactive Oxygen Species work is an area of great interest given ROS’s wide range of biological applications. From cell signaling and mitochondrial regulation to pathogenesis and tumor cell death, varying concentrations of ROS in a system can lead to a whole host of positive and negative effects. In a similar vein, thiosemicarbazones are known to be equally useful for their myriad of antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, and antitumoral effects. They have been at the core of the pharmaceutical world or the better part of the last century. The purpose of this work is to synthesize, characterize and …

Verification Of Real-Time Smoke Simulations: A Case Study On Early Summer North American Wildfire Events, Daniel Bonilla

Pitzer Senior Theses

As wildfire intensity and frequency escalate in times of unprecedented climate change and severe droughts, it is important to enhance forecasting models that accurately and efficiently predict wildfire smoke movement. NOAA’s experimental Rapid-Refresh Forecasting System with Smoke and Dust (RRFS-SD) aims to improve upon the High-Resolution Rapid Refresh- Smoke (HRRR-Smoke), by extending the domain to include all of North America and incorporating new developments in physics and wildfire parameterizations. Our work explores the process of adding satellite Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) data, through AERONET, as an additional method of verification of the RRFS-SD experimental model. Using a case study on …

Breathing A New Life Into Industrialized Cities: Adapting Warehouses In The Inland Empire, Mazzy Rosenast

Pitzer Senior Theses

This thesis explores adaptive reuse as a design strategy to repurpose aging warehouse infrastructure in the Inland Empire, specifically Rancho Cucamonga, in order to reclaim and reintegrate the urban fabric around community needs, rather than defaulting to demolition and erasure. As urban spaces become increasingly saturated, resources dwindle, and environmental concerns escalate, the need to creatively build and repurpose our urban fabric becomes a critical conversation among architects, urban planners, and designers. The Inland Empire (IE) - comprising Riverside and San Bernardino Counties - has been overtaken by the logistics industry, transforming its landscape into a patchwork of freeways, cargo …

Wellbeing Against The Odds: Confronting Obstacles To Collective Wellbeing In Greater Los Angeles, Ethan H. Yao

Pitzer Senior Theses

Governments and organizations at the national, regional, and city levels are increasingly adopting wellbeing measurements and objectives to redefine progress. However, despite the inspiring successes of some wellbeing-based governance efforts worldwide, emerging initiatives face significant barriers and challenges, especially in the United States. This research employs a case study approach to examine the obstacles that have faced three collective wellbeing projects in the Greater Los Angeles region: the Pomona Valley Wellbeing Project, the Santa Monica Wellbeing Project, and the LA Regional Wellbeing Summit. Through a multi-methods qualitative approach (archival research and semi-structured interviews), this thesis finds that institutional fragmentation, limited …

Optimizing Decision-Making In A Cerebral Palsy Model Using Reinforcement Learning, Richard Ampah

Pitzer Senior Theses

This study presents an original interdisciplinary investigation into how reinforcement learning (RL) can model motor and cognitive defects and potentially improve motor and cognitive functions in individuals with cerebral palsy (CP), a non-progressive neurological disorder that impairs movement and adaptability. Integrating computational neuroscience and machine learning, the research applies policy gradient methods and Markov Decision Processes (MDPs) to simulate adaptive learning in agents with and without CP-related constraints.

The central aim is to compare the cumulative rewards of optimal policies, derived from value iteration, and human-like learning policies using the REINFORCE algorithm, both with and without the Bellman baseline. The …

The Chesapeake Pearl: A Proposal For An Environmental Public Art Installation, Samuel I. Reichard

Pitzer Senior Theses

In this thesis, I lay the foundation for an environmental art project along Chesapeake Bay. It includes an analysis of relevant literature and case studies, as well as a proposal for the project. The Chesapeake Pearl (working title) would be a 20-foot spherical aquarium that will visually display the water filtration capacity of eastern oysters and native seagrass, aiming to inspire curiosity around these organisms and the greater Chesapeake Bay ecosystem. The project exists at the intersection of environmental art and environmental education and seeks to promote learning and public engagement through visually demonstrating a scientific process, the water filtration …

Visions Of The Garden: Transforming The Former Claremont Golf Course Into The Coastal Sage Mosaic, Ella C. Kim

Pitzer Senior Theses

A thirty-three-acre parcel of land sits at the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains at a vulnerable wildland-urban interface (WUI), raising key ecological concerns. This parcel, a former golf course, is the focused site for this conceptual landscape and restoration plan. The now-neglected site has no proposed plans for restoration or development yet holds significant potential for transformation. Stakeholders’ conflicting visions range from land preservation, ecological restoration, Indigenous land rights, commodification for revenue and development, and prioritizing the needs of the natural environment in coexistence with modern human enjoyment. The conceptual plan addresses these critical considerations in verbal and visual …

Would You Recommend This Picture To Your Friends? A History Of Hollywood Test Screenings, Myles Mikulic

CGU Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation examines Americans’ relationship with information gathering in the 20th century through the lens of the Hollywood market research technique of movie test screenings. During the post-production phase of a narrative commercial film, a studio will typically hold a test (or preview) screening to gauge audience reaction. An unfinished version of the film is screened before an audience of nonprofessional “regular moviegoers,” after which viewers fill out questionnaires. These can range from the generalized, such as favorite characters or whether you would recommend the film to friends, to the granular, such as the depiction of violence in a war …

The Arts And Student Engagement: Correlational Insights For School Accountability Of Low Income, English Learners, And Foster Youth, Paul Treesuwan

CGU Theses & Dissertations

This quantitative study examined the relationship between students’ engagement in the arts and their engagement in both academic classes and the broader school community within a diverse, urban, public charter high school. Using survey data from 251 students in grades 9–12, analyses explored whether arts engagement was associated with academic and school-community engagement and whether these relationships differed across English Learner (EL), low-income (F/R), and foster-youth subgroups. Results revealed that arts engagement was moderately and positively correlated with both academic engagement and school-community engagement confirming consistent cross-domain associations. ANOVA analyses detected no statistically significant differences in engagement levels by EL, …

Essays On The Effectiveness Of Diversion Programs In The United States Criminal Justice System, Tairy Ayon

CGU Theses & Dissertations

The United States criminal justice system is at a transformative time, with growing public support for reforms that prioritize rehabilitation over punishment. In response to this shift, prosecutor-led diversion programs are being introduced in areas where they were previously absent and expanded with increased resources in regions already established across the United States. This dissertation measures the effectiveness of these programs in three ways and uses data from six diverse U.S. jurisdictions. In the first chapter, I focus on how age-based eligibility criteria shape participation in diversion programs and its effectiveness in reducing recidivism. To do this, I examine data …

Integrating Play Into Work: Top-Down And Bottom-Up Approaches To Building Work Engagement Through Play, Jordan Hamilton

CGU Theses & Dissertations

Evolving expectations of what work should look like among employees have inspired companies to revisit working conditions and find a balance between driving organizational outcomes and creating a positive work environment. Work engagement is a positive outcome for organizations and individuals (Bakker et al., 2020). However, interventions centered around driving engagement often are isolated programs that remove individuals from their typical work experience. Integrating play into work offers a strategy to develop employee resources, assisting in actualizing organizational goals and cultivating a positive workplace culture through enhancing work engagement. In this mixed methods dissertation, which involves interviews with leaders (Study …

Queen: The Remaking Of Character In The Modernist Novel, Ann L. Wilson Green

CGU Theses & Dissertations

Virginia Woolf famously declared that, “on or about 1910 human character changed,” prompting her to call for a change in the way novelists depicted character. I study one such character, Queen Victoria, to trace how Woolf and James Joyce reimagined how to depict a historical figure in a novel. What is Queen Victoria in the Modernist novel and why does she begin to appear? She is a symptom and symbol of a problem the Modern writers were trying to work out. Despite having an ambivalent or even hostile relationship with the Queen, she is one of the most represented historical …

Facilitating The College Transition Of Undocumented And Citizen Students Of Mixed-Status Families: A Mixed Methods Study Of The Role Of Public High School Counselors As Social Capital Agents, Jenifer L. Kelson

CGU Theses & Dissertations

Undocumented and citizen students from mixed-status families (UCM students) encounter numerous obstacles when transitioning to college due to their citizenship status or that of an immediate family member. Due to the current anti-immigrant political environment, these college-going obstacles have been exacerbated. Public high school counselors play a vital role in facilitating the college transition of UCM students, yet their work remains understudied. This mixed-methods dissertation positions counselors as social capital agents, building upon and expanding social capital theory, the concept of the institutional agent, and the role of significant others from the Wisconsin Model of Status Attainment. This study explores …

Paths To Mathematics Success: A Path Analysis Of Educational Expenditures To Math Outcomes Of Latine Students, Aldo Ramirez

CGU Theses & Dissertations

This quantitative critical study employed multiple linear path analysis models with difference scores to investigate the effects of funding adjustments on mathematics learning rates for Latine students. The theoretical framework integrated the Education Production Function with the QuantCrit frameworks to untangle the complex web of relationships associating educational funding adjustments and the academic outcomes of Latine students. The study specifically examined these relationships across U.S. districts stratified by poverty level (20%). To strengthen the causal inference and enhance control over confounding variables, the research design incorporated several key methodological features: (1) the use of difference scores to control for baseline …

Petroleum Reservoir Dynamics, Mehdi Zeidouni

E-Textbooks

The book is structured into nine chapters, each designed to build a comprehensive understanding of reservoir engineering principles. Chapter 1 introduces the discipline and its connections with other areas of petroleum engineering. Chapters 2 through 5 address steady-state flow and its various complexities: Darcy’s equation and its limitations (Chapter 2); flow geometries and skin factor concepts (Chapter 3); compressible oil and gas flow (Chapter 4); and non-horizontal flow using the flow potential concept (Chapter 5).

In Chapter 6, the pressure diffusivity equation is explored alongside key concepts of radius of investigation and average reservoir pressure. Chapter 7 delves into the …

Ditching Deference: Redefining Particular Social Groups In The Wake Of Loper Bright, Claire E. Pellegrin

Emory Law Journal

Thousands of individuals flee gang-related violence and seek asylum in the United States every year. Many of these asylum seekers claim they suffer persecution because of their membership in a “particular social group” targeted by the gang’s brutality. Left undefined in the 1951 Refugee Convention, “social group” is interpreted by U.S. immigration agencies in an increasingly restrictive manner. Over the years, the Board of Immigration Appeals has adopted a three-part test for social group membership, and using these criteria, immigration courts often deny social groups based on opposition to gang recruitment. Thus, the United States is at odds with prevailing …

How Theories Of Art Can Inform Debates About Ai, Jessica Silbey

Emory Law Journal

Debates about artificial intelligence (AI) tend to swing between the optimistic and the apocalyptic. I propose a less binary approach that frames conversations about AI from the perspectives of theories of art and creativity. Whether we agree that AI is artificial or intelligent, whether it should be constrained or liberated, we cannot deny its influence on literary, artistic, and innovative production. AI may be described as simply a new tool to produce art and science, like the camera or the microscope, or it may transform and reshape art and science, the way the internet transformed global communication. Either way, these …

Gis Minor, Geology & Geography

Program Revisions/Additions

No abstract provided.

Ba Mathematics Teacher Licensure, Mathematics And Computer Science

Program Revisions/Additions

No abstract provided.

Bs Public Health Emdp Option, Public Health

Program Revisions/Additions

No abstract provided.

Electrical Engineering, Physics

Program Revisions/Additions

No abstract provided.

Satellite Based Crop Yield Predictor, Muhammad Hadi, Moeen Haider, Muddasir Rizwan, Ahmed Raza, Hassan Atiq

BSCS Final Year Projects

This project presents a satellite-based crop yield prediction system tailored for Pakistan’s key crops. Leveraging multi-source satellite imagery from Landsat and Sentinel-2 combined with historical provincial yield data from AMIS, the system predicts crop yields using a custom convolutional neural network (CNN). The model incorporates feature engineering, data preprocessing, and hyperparameter tuning to improve accuracy. Experimental results demonstrate promising predictive performance with an error rate as low as 10.35%. This work addresses agricultural productivity challenges by enabling data-driven decision making for policymakers and stakeholders.

Stool Rules: Evaluation Of Fidaxomicin Use Before And After Formulary Addition And Implementation Of Use Criteria, Anna Koeva Pharmd

Pharmacy Residency

Presented at the Midyear Clinical Meeting.

This evaluation found that appropriate use of fidaxomicin improved after addition to formulary with use restrictions, along with a decrease in 30-day CDI recurrence.

Naloxone Addition To The Nursing Admission Order Set: A Retrospective Review, Sydney Pelnick Pharmd

Pharmacy Residency

Presented at the Midyear Clinical Meeting

Nurse access to naloxone improved after implementation of standing order. Post-implementation outcomes demonstrated more appropriate use of naloxone. An increase in opioid utilization within 12 hours of naloxone supports a greater use for intended purpose.

Masthead, Volume 75 Issue 3 (2025)

Case Western Reserve Law Review

No abstract provided.

True Threats And The Neuroscience Of Fear, Paul E. Mcgreal

Case Western Reserve Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Expressive Power Of Protecting Intimate Privacy: A Comparative Study Of Legal And Platform Measures, Danielle Keats Citron, Jonathon W. Penney, Alexis Shore Ingber

Case Western Reserve Law Review

No abstract provided.

Agencies, Appropriations, And Abortions: The Use Of Federal Funds In The Post-Dobbs World, Nathaniel Gray Sommers

Case Western Reserve Law Review

No abstract provided.

Deepfakes, Deep Skepticism, And The Privacy Dividends Of A Default Of Distrust, Marc Jonathan Blitz

Case Western Reserve Law Review

No abstract provided.