Digital Commons Network^™

What The Yalta Conference For The Rights And Freedoms Of The Peoples Of Western And Eastern Europe Meant, Denis-Roxana Gavrila

Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024

Many books have been written on the subject of the Yalta conference, but the subject of this article is how the discussions in the winter of 1945 later influenced the fate of peoples around the world. Human rights were born at the end of the war, and among the protagonists who campaigned for them, were the conference leaders. The article below attempts to show the historical role the Yalta conference played, not only in terms of spheres of influence, but also how it shaped the rights and freedoms of the peoples of Eastern and Western Europe.

Citizenship And Virtue’ Are Requirements For Maintaining Liberty, Timothy P. O'Brien

Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024

In the twenty-first century, the United States of America has been caught in a time of increased polarization, the Republic has been fraying as the sense of community has cracked, where fanatics on the extremes of the political spectrum have contributed to the disruption of normal political order driven by normative agendas. The underlying political theories on which the nations was founded emerged from the ancient Greek philosophers and passed through the early Christian philosophers to the Framers of the Constitution of the United States of America. This article explores the foundations of citizenship and virtue as it applies to …

Blueberry Drone Ai: Estimating Crop Yield Using Deep Learning & Smart Drones, Luke Tonon, Brandon Mchenry, Anthony Thompson, Harper Zappone, Jacob Green, Hieu Nguyen, Thanh Nguyen

STEM Student Research Symposium Posters

This project seeks to assist blueberry growers in New Jersey estimate crop yield by developing software that allows autonomous drones to capture aerial images of blueberry bushes in the field, perform berry count, and identify blueberry conditions using deep learning models & computer vision.

The American Project And The American Soul, Darren Patrick Guerra

Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024

What is the role of virtue in the American political project in the American soul? This is a burning, if not, defining question in American politics today. This paper will briefly examine various contemporary accounts of the role of virtue in the American project and its impact on the future of American politics, and finally in turn the American soul. This paper will examine the works of Patrick Deneen, Robert Reilly, Dyer & Cooper, among others. It will argue that virtue, properly conceived, plays a vital role in American Politics and it must be connected to an objective moral order, …

Citizenship, Constitutionalism And Democracy, Daniel Fodorean

Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024

Romania, a former communist and monarchical country, can serve as a case study regarding how different forms of government have influenced the understanding and application of citizenship. How the citizen was understood and how citizenship was acquired or lost reflects the values that have been the basis of Romanian society at every stage of its evolution since the establishment of the Romanian state, in 1859, until now. The assumption is that each of the seven constitutions that Romania had, expresses citizenship in a specific way, associated with the form of government.

Upholding Liberty And Justice Through The Virtue Of Citizen Volunteerism, David W. Bolton

Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024

Alexis de Tocqueville observed that colonial Americans were preoccupied with civic duty, and he spoke to the beneficial power of early American volunteer associations which did not rely on government solutions. Colonial Americans resolved immediate communal needs through volunteerism and charity via civic and religious organizations. From de Tocqueville’s perspective, an essential element of being a good citizen was contributing to your community through volunteerism and charity. State and federal government overreach could be avoided by resolving local issues locally. The true nature of citizenship was to ensure liberty and justice through voluntary, philanthropic efforts and avoiding the mandated funding …

Mediterranean Security: Italian, United States, Nato, And North African National Interests From A Geopolitical Perspective, Mary Prentice, Umberto Bosna, Kueth Yul

Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024

This paper discusses important international issues related to the region of the Mediterranean Sea particularly focusing on Italy and North African security issues. Security and stability issues were researched. This region is interconnected through important geo-economic issues such as the gas pipelines that supply Italy with methane gas pass through the seabed of the Mediterranean Sea, connecting North Africa with Italy and the whole of Europe. In particular there are the gas pipelines that from Libya and Tunisia, across the Mediterranean Sea, arrive in Italy, supplying the entire nation with methane gas at a good price. Italy has promoted the …

The 5 Disruptions, Anthony Hughes

Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024

The end of GWOT, coupled with Russian failures in Ukraine, has created an uncertain strategic environment—similar to the environment after WWI. The Great War aftermath created a power vacuum exploited by rising powers—likewise, the GWOT and Russian aftermath has created a new multi-polar environment with a new actors competing to revise the balance of power. The emerging era is a Great Power competition marked by competitions between powers across different venues to accrue status relative to their competitors. After WWI, 5 Disruptions emerged to reshape the balance of power between states. These disruptions were: diplomatic, technical, military, economic and social. …

Unmasking Effects Of The Covid-19 Pandemic - The Social Emotional Learning Of Early Elementary Students, Jahnessa Chanontree, Katie Musfelt, Miranda Myers, Linnea Trujillo

Graduate Library Research Awards

No abstract provided.

Transformer Based Deep Learning Model For Sign Language Recognition, Ganzorig Batnasan

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

Sign language recognition research aims to develop systems and tools that can interpret and translate sign language into text or spoken language. During the past two decades, the challenges faced in this domain are multifaceted. This thesis on sign language recognition aims to address some challenges through various approaches. The foremost challenge addressed in this thesis is reduction in accuracy that uses transformer based deep learning architecture in addition to preprocessing steps that include augmentations and transformations. The augmentations and transformation helped increase the data size. Specifically, in-house signs were generated using different persons for initial results. The video frames …

Trends In Eliminating Biases In The Hiring Process Within The U.S., Juan Carlos Roxas

Graduate Library Research Awards

No abstract provided.

“Middle Schoolers Are Just This Special Kind Of Human Being”: Middle School Teacher Perspectives On Creating Hope For Their Students And Themselves, Sheeba Jacob

Graduate Library Research Awards

No abstract provided.

"Money That Flows In The Shadows": Citizens United, Dark Money, And The Need For Rhetorical Competence, Kristy Kocot

James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)

The 2010 United States Supreme Court decision, Citizens United v. FEC, has the potential to present a significant threat to American democracy. The landmark decision removed limits on corporate contributions, allowing disproportionate dark money influence from corporations in American political campaigns. This paper explores the ethical dilemmas of the Citizens United decision, drawing from peer-reviewed scholarly journals, legal documents, and advocacy organizations to highlight the negative impact that dark money has on American politics. Citizens United and its aftermath demonstrate the necessity for rhetorical competence in a democracy with broad protections for individual and corporate speech. The paper argues …

Enhancing The Antibiotic Properties Of Meropenem With Hydrophobic Ion-Pairing, Krishna Paul, Bidhan Barua, Lark Perez

STEM Student Research Symposium Posters

Antibiotic Resistance is one of the most urgent global threat to humankind. Most antibiotics are hydrophilic in nature while proteins and peptides are lipophilic. Enhancing lipophilicity of the antibiotic by HIP can increase solubility of the drugs in human and improve antibacterial effect as well. We hypothesized that formation of a hydrophobic drug complex would change the physical properties of the antibiotic and enhance its antimicrobial activity.

Biblical Duty And Government, Katherine Musgrove

Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024

Christian duty toward government and what it entails has been debated many times. There are arguments that say the church’s main focus should be on influencing and being involved in governmental affairs, and there are arguments that Christians should just stay out of politics. However, from a Biblical perspective, what does the relationship truly look like between a Christian and the government? Is there a Biblical obligation to be involved in government? Looking at the Bible as well as other primary and scholarly sources, most evidence leads to a more balanced opinion that it is wise for people to be …

The Duality Of Machiavellianism In Regard To Modern Political Philosophy, Rebekah Honaker

Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024

The principles of human nature and a realist system of governance irrevocably clash in Niccolò Machiavelli’s most profound works despite his personal convictions remaining seemingly steadfast. Yet, the term ‘Machiavellian’ reflects a relatively one-sided delineation of ideas proposed by the early modern political philosopher. His principles on constructing and maintaining absolute power through corruption, immorality, provocation of fear, coercion, and a general natural human depravity are far more often associated with his legacy on modern politics. However, many alternative principles of republicanism, self-governance, popular sovereignty, and balance of power have a significant presence in his career. Many scholars view the …

City On A Hill: A Reflection On Christian Ethic And Human Morality, Mayce Combs

Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024

In John Winthrop’s sermon A Model of Christian Charity (1630), he spoke to his congregation of the mission God had called them to. With the creation of a new blended nation, the only way to be exceptional was to reflect the gospel in policy, action, and foremost thought. Philosophers from ancient times to today acknowledge that an individual is made up of the soul and their body. From the soul, comes thought, reason, empathy, and a connection to a divine being who deciphers what is morally unjust. The body is a sinful, self-seeking vessel that does not have the ability …

Transit Access And Mobility Challenges Among Rowan University Students, Raven Vijayakumar, Nathalie Calvachi, Cedric Gadie, Qian He

STEM Student Research Symposium Posters

College students can face unique mobility challenges and are an essential group of riders who rely on public transportation. For commuting students, public transportation or the campus shuttle can be one of the most relied-on ways to get to school. For on-campus students, access to public transportation can play an important role in their well-being and academic performance. This project conducts a comprehensive survey study to understand the access to transit service, mobility challenges, and impacts on student well-being and academic performance at Rowan University.

Status Of Aquatic Turtle Populations At Rowan University During The 10-Year Period Between 2013 And 2023, Megan Heminghaus, Joanna Guldin, Robert Keefe, Rose Mularadelis, Jalynn Justice, Angela Fields, Patrick Crumrine

STEM Student Research Symposium Posters

Monitoring turtle populations can help to assess population viability and estimate the effects of human impacts on populations.

The focal species of the present study are common and at lower risk of experiencing drastic declines than more susceptible species. Monitoring the population change of common species can inform how more vulnerable species may respond to human impacts.

Previous studies have shown that the proportion of female turtles in populations decreases as urbanization increases due to higher levels of risk when females leave ponds to lay eggs.

The landscape around Holly Pointe, Discovery Hall, and the Student Center has experienced significant …

Characterization Of Lysozyme Stability In The Presence Of Lonic Liquids, Madison Scott, Ramzy T.M. Malak, Daniel Obeid, Chun Wu, Timothy Vaden, Gregory A. Caputo

STEM Student Research Symposium Posters

Hen egg white lysozyme (Lyz) has been a well studied model system in biophysical investigations for decades. The protein is a small, primarily helical, highly soluble protein that is both commercially available and easily accessible. lonic liquids (ILs), often referred to as room-temperature ionic liquids or molten salts, have garnered great interest in the last 15-20 years as potential components of electrochemical devices or applications. More recently, the biocompatibility of these molecules has developed an increased interest in the field, especially considering that some IL species can stabilize biomolecular structures while other ILs strongly destabilize 3D structures. In this study, …

Myoglobin Unfolding And Protein Stability With Tmg, Eustratios R. Kossis, Dimitra N. Kossis, Kristen Rass, Taha Shahbaz, Gregory A. Caputo, Timothy Vaden

STEM Student Research Symposium Posters

Myoglobin, a widely studied protein in biophysics, is a small, helical, and highly soluble protein that has been investigated for decades. Its heme prosthetic group facilitates easy analysis of its folding state through absorbance spectroscopy. Ionic liquids (ILs), particularly room-temperature ionic liquids or molten salts, have gained significant attention in the past 15- 20 years for their potential use in electrochemical devices. Recently, their biocompatibility has become a focal point in research, given that certain IL species can either stabilize or destabilize biomolecular structures. This study employs absorbance and fluorescence spectroscopy to examine how amino acid-based ILs, specifically tetramethyl guanidine …

Identifying V. Cholerae's Autoinducer To Manipulate Its Quorum Sensing, Jason X. Tran, Daniel Palacio, Lark Perez

STEM Student Research Symposium Posters

• Vibrio cholerae is a gram-negative anaerobic bacteria that inhabits brackish or saltwater areas.

• Causative agent of cholera, which results in acute diarrhea and dehydration.

• Uses quorum sensing, a cell density dependent method of communicating with other bacteria and regulating its entire lifecycle of infection. (gene expression of functions such as biofilm formation, virulence, and more)

• Vibrio cholerae determines bacterial population based on the secretion of several signaling molecules called an autoinducer from others of their kind.

• Upon adequate accumulation, they can deactivate their virulence and begin to leave their host’s body to continue infecting other …

Monotypic: Evolution And Adaptations Of The World's Most Distinctive Species, Emerson Harman, Amanda Almon

STEM Student Research Symposium Posters

"Monotypic: Evolution and Adaptations of the World’s Most Distinctive Species" is a BFA and Honors Capstone exhibition focused on introducing the public to the unique qualities of plants and animals that are the sole extant representative of their taxonomic family or higher classification. The exhibition is centered around the use of illustrative infographics to effectively deliver scientific information in an engaging manner to a wide audience. "Monotypic" explores the individual evolutionary adaptations that make each of these lineages so distinct from any of their living relatives while also touching on the interactions with their environments, relationships with other species, and …

Restorative Parks And Emotional Wellbeing In Camden City, Nj, Benjamin Woodward, Hannah Genereux, Jonathan Hansel, Mahbubur Meenar

STEM Student Research Symposium Posters

The content presented in this poster is associated with two projects that focus on the intersection of restorative park design and the emotional and mental wellbeing of park users within the context of the City of Camden, NJ, a community that has faced environmental injustices for many decades. Both projects are initiated by the Rowan University Community Planning + Visualization Lab, with one funded by NASA and the other by the Rowan University Catalyst Grant program. Collaborators include Rowan students, faculty, as well as researchers from external entities, both national and international. Additionally, the Rowan University Planning Studio 2023 participated …

React Native Photo & Video Streaming/Processing Api Integration, Anamaria Oharciuc, William Carr, Sushanth Ambati, Ryan Blaisdell, Kyle Reed, Jack F. Myers

STEM Student Research Symposium Posters

RunSignup is a software company specializing in event management technology. Event organizers, known as Race Directors, utilize their platform to create and manage events, organize media albums, stream their events to the public, and more. In order to allow Race Directors to complete these actions in real-time at their events, RunSignup asked our team to develop a mobile app. With the app, Race Directors would be able to upload and stream photos to the event’s photo albums as soon as they are taken, and they could livestream the event to YouTube directly from their mobile device. Even if the device …

Blueberry Drone Ai: Smart Farming Of Blueberries Using Artificial Intelligence And Autonomous Drones, Robert Czarnota, Anthony Segrest, Anthony Thompson, Harper Zappone, Hieu Nguyen, Nguyen Thanh, Ik Jae Lee, Lori Green, Tuan Le

STEM Student Research Symposium Posters

This project seeks to assist blueberry growers in New Jersey with preventing blueberry scorch disease. Plants can’t be cured of scorch, so they have to be removed to prevent the disease from spreading to other bushes. This project aims to use object detection and classifier machine learning models in order to detect scorch disease with photos from intelligent drones. Images are first tiled, then processed through and convolutional neural network that detects scorch symptoms. Lastly, a fully connected neural network is implemented to make a final prediction.

Using Data Mining To Analyze Job Reviews, Nicholas Bornkamp, Tony Breitzman

STEM Student Research Symposium Posters

Job review websites like Glassdoor are not always clear on how well the company operates, especially as viewed from differing levels of employment. For instance, a middle or upper manager from Amazon may have an overall positive review of the company with minor issues about it, but someone who works in the warehouse may have a mixed experience. To solve this issue and determine any correlation between employee level and their review, data mining techniques were utilized such as website scraping and neural network training to develop a model that analyzes employee reviews.

Missionlog R - Air Force Mission History Report Management System With Encryption & Database Integration, Matthew Bachrach, Sam Jeffery, Michael Lim, Joe Johnston, Jack Healy, Andrew Siciliano, Jack F. Myers

STEM Student Research Symposium Posters

MissionLog R is a mobile and web application designed to allow for the filing, confirmation, and finalization of a mission history report for the US Air Force. The mobile application is used by filing members to fill out their report on their issued iPad. The form has been fitted with data validation and ghost data so the user knows what type of input that specific field is looking for. The web application can be used by the filing member to import their report from their iPad if no WiFi was available when they filled out the report. Then, the confirming …

Estimating Changing Marshland Habitat And Conservation Potential For Diamondback Terrapins In New Jersey Under Climate Change And Development Pressures, Jacqueline Ganter

STEM Student Research Symposium Posters

The diamondback terrapin, a brackish water turtle native to the eastern US, is listed as a species of ‘special concern’ in the state of New Jersey, due to decreasing habitat from development and changing climatic conditions. Diamondback terrapins reside in saline marshes and wetlands and nest in sandy substrate, primarily beaches and dunes, in June and July. The state of New Jersey is vulnerable to both sea level rise, leaving diamondback terrapin habitats and nesting areas at risk of inundation under future climate scenarios, and, as the most densely populated state, subject to continual development pressures on potentially conservable land. …

Self-Sovereign Digital Identities, Maryam M. Ahmed, Bijayata Shrestha, Nick Ivanov

STEM Student Research Symposium Posters

In today's digital landscape, the dominance of internet giants over our digital identities raises concerns regarding user control and privacy. These companies aggregate vast amounts of data from diverse sources, ranging from online interactions to personal information shared on their platforms. This centralized control impedes individual autonomy and privacy. To address these challenges, we propose Self-Sovereign Digital Identities (SSDIs) as a solution. SSDIs empower individuals with control over their online identity information, encompassing ownership, security, privacy, and portability. By decentralizing identity management, SSDIs offer users autonomy and enhance privacy protection. Moreover, we introduce Sans-Chain Smart Contracts, a novel approach to …