Digital Commons Network^™

Changing The Narrative: Exploring Post-Traumatic Growth In African American Women Who Identify As Transformational Leaders After Experiencing The Foster Care System, Leah Angel Vance-Daniel

Education Doctoral

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the lived experiences of African American women who identified as transformational leaders and who successfully navigated adulthood after experiencing the foster care system. Post-traumatic growth (PTG) theory served as the theoretical framework for this study, which reflects a positive mental shift brought about by struggling with at least one extremely difficult life circumstance. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight African American women, and five themes emerged from the data analysis: (a) Journey to Transformational Leadership: Self-Awareness, Vulnerability, and Self Acceptance; (b) From Repeating to Repairing; (c) You Either Have to Lie …

Volume 17, Christian O’Neill, Kyara Greene, Savva Sidorov, Laura Bisaillon, Luke Clemmer, Hannah Gordon, Kitt Benson, Taylor Blount, Rachel Danzitz, Nicholas Duellman, Chase Gionis, Hima Fernando, Seth Franzyshen, Onyx Gonzalez, Bryan Lin, Samantha Start, Ysabel Wells, Maggie Duncan

Incite: The Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship

Introduction Dr. Amorette Barber, Director, Office of Student Research

From the Editor Dr. Hannah Dudley-Shotwell

Cover Artist’s Statement Maggie Duncan

On Mentoring Dr. Yulia Uryadova

Ukrainian Resistance in the Face of Russification: Nestor Makhno and Anarchism

by Christian O’Neill

Life Vest by Kyara Greene

Isolation and 16S rRNA Identification of Bacteria from Fire Department Connection Pipe by Savva Sidorov

The Effectiveness of Planned Exercise in Reducing ADHD Symptoms in Children by Laura Bisaillon & Luke Clemmer

Linguistic Analysis on Confidence and Communication Strategies with Disparities Between Sign Fluency and Hearing Impairment by Hannah Gordon

Freedmen in Indian Territory by Kitt …

Analyzing The Evolution Of Science: Topological Cycles And Community Detection In Knowledge Networks, Frances C. Mcconnell

Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science Honors Projects

How scientific knowledge grows and organizes itself is a central question in the study of science. This thesis uses tools from topology and network science to detect and characterize knowledge gaps—places in a field’s literature where related concepts do not co-occur. We develop a metric to quantify the degree of interdisciplinarity of each gap, using the community structure of the underlying network as a proxy for subfields. Across a wide range of fields, gaps reliably span multiple subfields and evolve in recognizable temporal patterns, highlighting new insights into how scientific fields are structured and their stage of development.

Understanding Delays In Emergency Department Care: A National Analysis Of Wait Times, Gregory Forsberg

Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science Honors Projects

Emergency department (ED) wait times remain a persistent bottleneck in the United States healthcare system, impacting patient outcomes, hospital efficiency, and equitable access to care. This study analyzes nationally representative data from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS), a complex, multi-stage probability sample. Using survey-weighted analyses and predictive modeling, we examine the effects of patient characteristics, triage acuity, and visit timing. Results indicate that operational and system-level factors, including hospital capacity, geographic region, and temporal variation, are among the most influential predictors of ED wait times

The Intersection Of Dark Triad Leadership And Organizational Commitment: Examining The Efficacy Of Educational Intervention Among K–12 Central Office Peer Leaders, Monica R. Shallenberger

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The intersection of toxic leadership traits and workplace loyalty remains a critical area of study within educational administration. The purpose of this quantitative, quasiexperimental study was to examine whether a targeted educational intervention, an asynchronous online minicourse focused on the dark triad leadership traits of Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy, influenced the organizational commitment of U.S. K–12 central office peer leaders. This study addressed a gap in the literature regarding proactive strategies for peer leaders, defined as coworkers in leadership positions who are not in supervisory roles over the toxic leaders. I employed a one-group pretest and posttest design to measure …

"Am I A Man Or A Muppet": A Rhetorical Analysis Of Generative Ai’S Representation Of Gender, Jessica Boaz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines how generative artificial intelligence constructs and performs gender roles through a rhetorical analysis of the fully AI-generated podcast Fairytale Forensics. Drawing on theories of constitutive rhetoric, stereotyping, and McLuhan’s approach to the medium, this thesis investigates how AI-generated hosts interpret classic fairy tales while simultaneously reproducing and negotiating gender norms through the lens of prosopopoeia, metonymy and synecdoche. These performances rely on normative gender stereotypes that align with broader societal expectations, thereby potentially reinforcing existing cultural assumptions about masculinity and femininity. Ultimately, it demonstrates that AI-generated discourse does not merely reflect human biases but actively participates in …

Timing Of Parental Divorce And Spiritual Behavior In Young Adulthood: A Quantitative Study, Marcus A. North

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: While the literature on divorce and its impacts on children currently is quite robust, additional information can be contributed to specific factors that impact spiritual outcomes later in life. This research study sought to investigate the relationship between a child’s age at the time of their parents’ divorce and their subsequent spiritual behavior in young adulthood.

Methods: Cross-sectional survey was created, utilizing two previously validated instruments: Daily Spiritual Experiences Scale (DSES) and the Centrality of Religiosity Scale (CRS-15). The survey was administered online through Qualtrics software; participants were recruited through non-random purposive sampling, as well as participant snowballing.

Results: …

Arthur The Knight-King: Protector Of Land, Preserver Of Culture, John Anthony Edwards Ii

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The study of Arthurian literature has evolved and changed drastically over the past few centuries. The methodologies and research on King Arthur have taken a variety of approaches and covered all manner of topics, such as the Celtic roots of Arthuriana or discussion of ideals like chivalry. However, the discussion of Arthur’s character has stagnated due to the prevalence of discussing the ideology of kingship or the historical validity of a man called Arthur. A view of Arthur’s character as examined by the canon as a whole has yet to be explored. This thesis presents a new mode of interpretation, …

"We're Not The Exception. We're The Expectation.": Black Undergraduate Men Disrupting The Dominant Discourse Through Narratives Of Persistence And Belonging At A Predominantly White Institution, Michael M. Mack

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Black undergraduate men (BUM) at predominantly White institutions (PWIs) have often been portrayed through deficit-oriented narratives that emphasize barriers and premature departure while minimizing the voices of those who persist and cultivate belonging. The researcher addressed this problem by examining how BUM at a private PWI narrated their persistence and belonging, and how their narratives disrupted the dominant discourse about Black men in higher education. Literature regarding BUM at PWIs has too often centered obstacles and attrition while overlooking the voices, strategies, and experiences of BUM who persist. Therefore, Black men’s narratives were solicited to better understand what enabled persistence …

Senior-Level Administrators’ Perceptions Of Deliberately Developmental Organization Principles And Employee Retention At Historically Black Colleges And Universities (Hbcus), Caprinia L. Taylor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) have faced persistent challenges retaining qualified faculty and staff, threatening the environments they are uniquely positioned to create. High turnover, limited professional development, and inadequate support undermine employee well-being and student outcomes. This qualitative phenomenological study explored senior-level administrators’ perceptions of deliberately developmental organization (DDO) principles and their relevance to employee retention at HBCUs. Guided by DDO and organizational culture theory, the study examined how leadership practices, professional development, psychological safety, and organizational culture intersect with retention and belonging. Data were collected through semistructured interviews with participants across diverse HBCU contexts. Participants were selected …

Navigating The Shift: Supporting Health Sciences Faculty Transitioning From Industry To Asynchronous Online Education, Joshua D. Snyder

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative exploratory study examined how new online instructors in the health sciences division of a North Texas community college experienced institutional onboarding and professional development as they transitioned from industry roles into asynchronous online teaching. As community colleges expand online instruction to meet the needs of nontraditional learners, many health sciences faculty enter academic roles with strong clinical expertise but limited preparation in online pedagogy. Guided by the community of inquiry framework and self-efficacy theory, this study explored instructors’ perceptions of their preparedness for asynchronous teaching; the instructional challenges they encountered, particularly related to student engagement; and the types …

A Qualitative Study On Exploring The Underrepresentation Of Women Of Color In Fortune 500 Executive Leadership, Cherrese J. Belt

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this study the researcher examined the persistent underrepresentation of women of color in senior leadership roles within Fortune 500 companies. Despite the increasing number of highly qualified women of color, access to executive-level leadership opportunities remains disproportionately limited. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the barriers experienced by women of color in advancing to senior leadership positions and to identify strategies used to navigate these barriers. The researcher collected data through semistructured interviews with 10 women of color in management and senior leadership roles, each with over 15 years of professional experience in the United …

The Guardian The Month Of May 2026, Wright State Student Body

The Guardian Student Newspaper

News articles from The Guardian for the Month of February 2026. The Guardian is the official student-run newspaper for Wright State University. It has been published regularly since May of 1965.

Dor-E: Final Design Report, Arav Singh, August Hogen-Esch, Bruce Le, Patrick Mcgee, Spencer Major

Mechanical Engineering

I. PROBLEM STATEMENT

The Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary contains a diverse array of benthic habitats that remain largely undocumented due to the financial and logistical barriers of deep-sea exploration. Traditional high-end autonomous underwater vehicles and remotely operated vehicles capable of reaching 1000-meter depths require significant surface support infrastructure and hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding. Furthermore, navigating protected ecological zones demands strict adherence to "Leave No Trace" principles. Conventional benthic landers and submersibles routinely leave metallic debris behind; many submersibles use galvanic timed releases that corrode in seawater over a set period of time or heat-activated bolts to …

Usa V. Steven Newkirk

2026 Decisions

USDC for the District of New Jersey

Tammy Conklin V. Abec Inc

2026 Decisions

USDC for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

Treatment And Interventions For Sexual Assault In Humanitarian Contexts: Addressing Gaps In Refugee And Idp Camp Care In Myanmar, Erin Nash

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) remains a pervasive yet under-addressed issue in humanitarian settings. Refugee and internally displaced person (IDP) camps along the Thai– Myanmar border represent a complex nexus of protracted displacement, ethnic conflict, and limited access to medical and psychosocial care. Although the prevalence of sexual assault in these contexts is well-documented, there is a critical gap in the literature regarding effective, context-specific treatment and intervention strategies. This capstone project conducts a comprehensive review of existing research on sexual assault care in humanitarian crises worldwide and assesses its applicability to displaced ethnic minorities from Myanmar. The analysis considers …

Attachment And Betrayal: Post-Infidelity Attachment Issues With A Focus On Gender, Taylor Forsythe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Infidelity represents a significant relational trauma that may disturb attachment processes such as trust, emotional intimacy, and closeness. There is a gap in the literature on how different infidelity exposures may relate to these attachment responses; more so, there is a dearth of information on the gender differences for attachment issues following any kind of infidelity. The purpose of this study aimed to examine differences in avoidant and anxious attachment across infidelity groups (no infidelity, non-sexual infidelity, sexual infidelity), and a further comparison of gender differences in those groups. Participants (N = 151) completed online surveys in a larger study …

Identifying And Addressing Burnout Among Nurses In Cache Valley And The Surrounding Salt Lake Metropolitan Area, Teegan Alma Martinez

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Background: Nursing burnout has emerged as a critical issue within modern healthcare systems, with widespread implications for nurse well-being, patient safety, and organizational performance. Characterized by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment, burnout affects an estimated 30% to 60% of nurses, particularly in high-acuity settings. The persistence of burnout highlights the need to better understand its contributing factors, consequences, and effective strategies for mitigation.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence and contributing factors of nursing burnout, evaluate its impact on nurses and patient care, and identify effective interventions. Additionally, this study aimed …

Ihelp Foundation 2025 Uganda Medical Mission, Kade Spencer Robison

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Uganda faces significant barriers to health care access, particularly in rural communities, due to physician shortages and limited resources. As a result, care is concentrated in urban areas, leaving rural populations disproportionately affected by both communicable and noncommunicable diseases.

This Honors Capstone project focused on preparing for and supporting the iHelp Foundation’s 2025 Uganda Medical Mission. The iHelp Foundation works to reduce barriers to care in Uganda by partnering with local hospitals to provide short-term rural clinics and specialized surgical care for advanced otolaryngological conditions.

In this project, I contributed to mission preparation by training volunteers and coordinating physician licensing. …

Cleared For Takeoff, Sydney Steed

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Cleared for Takeoff is a podcast I created aimed at helping aviation students navigate the challenges of flight training and the aviation industry as a whole. Aviation is a unique field filled with new terminology, rigorous testing, as well as demanding training. This can often feel overwhelming to those just starting out. The goal of this podcast is to bring students together, give insight into different training paths, and share real stories from those who have experienced both success and setbacks. Throughout the podcast, I explore what separates students who excel from those who struggle, discuss the pros and cons …

Utilizing Pine Needles To Compare Spatial Profiles Of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (Pahs) In Two Urban Areas, Autumn Jensen

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are an important class of semivolatile air pollutants known for their adverse health impacts. This research used conifer needles as passive air samplers to create spatial maps of two Utah cities (Rose Park and Spanish Fork) to compare overall PAH exposure and identify any differences in their congener profiles or PAH “fingerprints”. Conifer needles were chosen due to their prevalence as a passive air sampler in previous research and their ubiquity in urban and suburban environments. Second year needles were collected and the concentrations are considered to be an annually averaged view of the PAH concentrations …

Community Justice Advocates: Increasing Access To Legal Resources In Utah, Natalie Maria Rust

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

A large access to justice gap exists among defendants in debt collection cases. The gap arises from steep legal fees, a lack of accessible resources, and the complexity of the legal system. The Community Justice Advocates of Utah was founded in 2024 through the Utah Regulatory Sandbox and authorized under the Supreme Court of Utah to bridge this gap. Community Justice Advocates (CJA) are trained human service professionals authorized to provide limited-scope legal advice in various areas. The Transforming Communities Institute (TCI) at Utah State University joined this network in 2025, launching a pilot program training human service professionals in …

Effects Of M6a Dna Methylation By Bacterial Methyltransferase In Colorectal Cancer, Fabian Alejandro Mendoza Galvan

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Effects of m6A DNA methylation by bacterial methyltransferase in colorectal cancer Fabian Alejandro Mendoza Galvan Advisory Professor: Angela H. Ting, Ph.D. Fusobacterium nucleatum animalis (Fna) is found in the human oral cavity and gut. A distinct clade of Fna is primarily enriched in the tumor microenvironment (TME) and within colorectal cancer (CRC) cells. This clade DNA methylation pattern is primarily catalyzed by a cell-cycle regulated methyltransferase (CcrM) ortholog, M.FnI, that targets the GANTC sequence motif through methyl-6-Adenine (m6A) DNA methylation. We hypothesized that M.FnI enzyme can induce m6A methylation abnormalities in CRC cells to promote cancer progression. Evidence for endogenous …

A Tractable Nematode Model For The Emerging Fungal Pathogen, Candida Auris, Melissa Martinez

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Candida auris is an emerging multidrug-resistant opportunistic fungal pathogen. It

poses a significant threat to immunocompromised patients and those with prolonged stays in

healthcare facilities. C. auris spreads rapidly in health care facilities through enhanced

colonization of skin and abiotic surfaces. The genetic factors contributing to this ability and to

the virulence, drug resistance, and stress-tolerant nature of C. auris are largely unknown.

Current animal models of C. auris infections are not well standardized and report conflicting

results. Additional animal models of virulence are needed, especially those amenable to high-

throughput analysis. The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has been validated as …

Targeting Breast Cancer Brain Metastasis Through Novel Combination Of Fda-Approved Orally Active Blood-Brain Barrier Permeable Ret And Tgli1 Inhibitors, Joshua Cha

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Breast cancer is the most diagnosed cancer in American women, and breast cancer brain metastasis (BCBM) exhibits the worst prognoses with a life-expectancy averaging at 6 months. This short life expectancy is largely attributed to the lack of effective treatment. Many challenges remain unsolved, including the limited number of actionable targets for targeted therapy and effective blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeable drugs that are safe without promoting drug resistance. Therefore, there is an urgent call for identification of novel therapeutic targets and development of BBB-permeable drugs. One of the potential targets identified by our lab for BCBM targeted therapy is the …

Pattern Dynamics And Stochasticity Of Brain Rhythms And Spike Trains In A Tauopathy Mouse Model Of Alzheimer’S Disease, Clarissa M. Hoffman

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Systems neuroscience posits that every aspect of perceived physical reality, every aspect of animal and human behavior, and every cognitive phenomenon emerges from patterns of neuronal activity. While most researchers embrace this idea, there are major difficulties in describing and analyzing these complex neuronal dynamics—spike flows produced by cells ensembles, synchronized extracellular field oscillations, and other patterns—which limits our understanding of how the activity of individual neurons and the whole-animal cognition and behavior might be connected. In particular, we lack the approaches and even the semantics for connecting the individual cell outputs and the integrated results of their activity. Current …

Characterization Of Staphylococcus Aureus Clinical Isolates From Deep Musculoskeletal Infections For An In Vitro Biofilm Model For Phage Therapy, Raquel C. Luna

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

The rise of multidrug-resistant (MDR) infections is a growing concern in the treatment of deep musculoskeletal infections (MSKIs) and orthopaedic device-related infections (ODRIs). Staphylococcus aureus is responsible for about one third of these infections due to its strong biofilm forming capacity, presence on human skin, and the large number of antibiotic-resistant variants. Bacteriophage (phage) therapy is now being considered as a treatment for MDR MSKIs/ODRIs. We are investigating the use of phage encapsulated into or adsorbed onto biodegradable microspheres for local delivery to the site of these MDR infections. We determined that the anti-staphylococcal phage K effectively lyses the S. …

Technical Development, Optimization, And Clinical Implementation Of Quantitative Magnetic Resonance Imaging Methods For Radiation Oncology, Lucas Mccullum

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has gradually grown more important in the field of radiation oncology. This paradigm shift has grown from initial experiments with MRI of cancerous lesions in the early 1970s, to the integration of MRI images for radiation therapy treatment planning (i.e., MRI-Simulation) in the early 1980s, to the combined MRI linear accelerator (MR-Linac) becoming commercially available in 2018 which can simultaneously image a tumor and treat it with radiation. However, due to its novelty in radiation oncology, its full potential for the integration of quantitative MRI-based biomarkers has yet to be fully realized.

Therefore, this dissertation will …

From Antigen Presentation To Tumor Control: Mechanisms Of Type I Conventional Dendritic Cell-Based Cancer Vaccines, Josue E. Pineda

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Type 1 conventional dendritic cells (cDC1s) are important for generating and sustaining antitumor immunity. Accordingly, the abundance of cDC1s in human tumors correlates with improved outcomes in cancer. Capitalizing on this role, we previously demonstrated that vaccination with in vitro-derived murine cDC1s elicits durable tumor control in multiple preclinical models; however, the immunological mechanisms underlying the efficacy of cDC1 vaccination remain unclear. Here, we examined whether in vitro-derived cDC1s resemble tumor-infiltrating DC populations and whether MHC-I and MHC-II antigen presentation contribute to cDC1-mediated tumor control following vaccination in melanoma.

As expected, MHC-I- or MHC-II-deficiency had minimal impact on …