Digital Commons Network^™

Navigating The Polycrisis: A Systems-Foresight Approach To Career Guidance For Generation Alpha In Dubai, Sumaiya Abdul Samad Muhammed

Theses

The global labor market is navigating a ”polycrisis” of technological disruption and macroeconomic volatility, rendering linear career trajectories obsolete. Traditional K-12 career guidance relies on industrial-era ”predict-and-place” methodologies, which fail to equip Generation Alpha for an economy defined by structural job churn. This misalignment is especially critical in Dubai, where the ambitious mandates of the Dubai Economic Agenda (D33) and Education 33 (E33) require an agile, future-ready talent pipeline. This study aimed to design and validate a foresight-driven advisory framework to replace static vocational matching with continuous futures literacy. Employing the Systemic Foresight Methodology (SFM), the research diagnosed the structural …

Antidistillation Sampling For Classification Models, Khawaja Abaid Ullah

Theses

Knowledge distillation enables adversaries to replicate the functionality of proprietary machine learning models by querying their APIs and training surrogate student models on the returned soft-label distributions. Antidistillation Sampling (ADS), recently proposed for large language models, perturbs the output distribution of a teacher model at inference time to degrade the quality of the resulting distilled model while preserving utility for legitimate users. We adapt ADS to the supervised classification setting and identify a structural obstacle to its direct transfer: the high-confidence, near-one-hot output distributions characteristic of well-trained classifiers leave insufficient probability mass on non-target classes for the additive penalty to …

Ai In Action: Redefining Loan Default Prediction For The Digital Lending Era, Joe Vinson Ukken

Theses

Credit risk assessment remains a very important part of financial institutions, particularly within the rapidly evolving digital lending environment. The research explores the effectiveness of five machine learning models—Logistic Regression, Decision Tree, Random Forest, Gradient Boosting, and Support Vector Machine—in predicting loan default using both financial indicators and categorical borrower attributes. The study is motivated by the growing availability of structured borrower data and the need to evaluate whether advanced machine learning algorithms can be implemented over conventional credit scoring methods. A publicly available L&T Vehicle Loan Default Prediction dataset comprising 233,154 borrower records and 41 structured attributes, the CRISP-DM …

The Efficacy Of Ethical Data: An Analytical Study By, Lamar Gebara

Theses

As artificial intelligence and machine learning models become increasingly embedded in decision-making systems across industries, questions about the ethical sourcing of data have grown more pressing; model performance relies heavily on vast, diverse datasets, many of which are harvested without consent, transparency, or equitable representation. This study aims to compare analytics outcomes (accuracy, bias, fairness, and explainability) between ethically sourced and unethically sourced datasets. Using CRISP-DM methodology, the study will develop matched classification models on both dataset types, evaluate their performance and fairness using open-source tools such as Fairlearn and AIF360, and assess broader implications for trust, accountability, and regulatory …

Subject. Object. Thing., Cristin Hand

Theses

Subject. Object. Thing. is part of an accumulating record of self-construction and self-reflection. The work considers the complications of visibility through self-portraiture, how the desire to be seen exists alongside the impulse to withhold, obscure, and substitute. Working across photography, performance, collage, and sculptural constructions made for the camera, I fragment, disassemble, and reconfigure my body as photographic subject and material. This exploration is structured around a series of oppositions; concealment/exposure, anonymity/specificity, subject/object, naked/nude, and destruction/reconstruction. I do not attempt to resolve these oppositions. Instead, I consider where these categories blur, contradict themselves, and become unstable. Central to this inquiry …

Tom: Toward A Design Language For Object Personality, Mike Minerva

Theses

Design has been chasing seamless efficiency for decades, creating smoother interactions, more compliant objects, and experiences that disappear entirely. When an object is frictionless, it does not lack personality. It has a personality. One that is obedient, meaningless, and remarkably boring. An object that pushes back has boundaries, and that resistance comes from a position of caring. Objects have always been able to refuse. What is new is that the refusal can now come from inside the object, from memory, adaptive thinking and a disposition toward the person using it. Expressed consistently over time, that agency is perceived as personality. …

Atmospheric Noise Analysis In Observations From The Tomographic Ionized-Carbon Mapping Experiment, Audrey Dunn

Theses

The Tomographic Ionized-carbon Mapping Experiment (TIME) instrument is a ground-based millimeter-wavelength grating spectrometer that illuminates a cryogenically cooled array of 1920 transition-edge sensor (TES) bolometers. The goal of TIME is to generate line intensity maps of singly ionized carbon ([CII]) during the Epoch of Reionization, when hydrogen became reionized by stellar radiation and the first galaxies were forming. This measurement requires a detailed understanding of the noise, most notably the 1/f noise from the time-varying atmosphere. In my thesis work, I performed an analysis of the power spectral density (PSD) and a traditional principal component analysis (PCA) on TIME data …

Perceptual Evaluation Of Deep Learning Models For Hdr Reconstruction Under Severe Overexposure, Alireza Rabbanifar

Theses

Overexposure in imaging systems leads to irreversible loss of scene information due to sensor saturation, resulting in degraded perceptual quality and limited dynamic range. While recent deep learning approaches have shown promising results in correcting mild to moderate overexposure, their performance under severe overexposure and their perceptual quality in HDR image generation remain less understood. In this work, a comparative evaluation of four representative models—Multi-Scale Exposure Correction (MSEC), Illumination-Adaptive Transformer (IAT), LEDiff, and X2HDR—is conducted across multiple scenes and levels of overexposure, with particular emphasis on severe overexposure conditions. The evaluation focuses on the perceptual quality of the reconstructed HDR …

Like A Rolling Lychee, George Meng

Theses

I grew up in Shanghai, China—a megacity with over 25 million people. I was privileged enough to avoid the grueling fate of taking the National College Entrance Examination (Gaokao). At 16, I moved to Sewanee, a small college town in rural Appalachia with a population of only 3,000. Overshadowed by that curiosity was the collision of two worlds and my sense of belonging and identity. I wasn’t fully aware of how I watched and copied others’ behaviors and mannerisms to blend in as an adolescent. Being a minority in the middle of nowhere Tennessee meant I was conditioned into fitting …

Validity Of The Schrage Equation In Prediction Of Evaporation Rate Of Liquid N-Dodecane In High-Pressure Nitrogen Gas: A Molecular Dynamics Study, Wazih Tausif, Jordan Hartfield, Md Amin Haque, Zhi Liang

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Evaporation of liquid fuel in a high-pressure air is a process that critically influences fuel–air mixing in advanced propulsion systems. In this work, we use molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to study the validity and accuracy of the Schrage equation in quantifying the evaporation and condensation rates of n-dodecane (a diesel surrogate) in air (approximated as N2 gas) with gas pressure varying from 0 atm to above the critical pressure of n-dodecane. The MD simulation results show that the evaporation coefficient (αe) is higher than the condensation coefficient (αc) at the evaporating n-dodecane surface and is lower than αc at the …

Mechanisms Of Synergy Between Nanosecond Pulsed Electric Field (Nspef) And Cold Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Discharge (Cap) In Pancreatic Cancer: The Role Of Ros-Mediated Oxidative Stress And Apoptosis, Zobia Minhas

Biomedical Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is a highly lethal malignancy characterized by poor prognosis and resistance to conventional therapies. Novel treatment strategies are needed to overcome this resistance. Non-thermal physical modalities, including nanosecond pulsed electric field (nsPEF) and cold atmospheric pressure plasma discharge (CAP), have emerged as potential anticancer approaches; however, the mechanisms underlying their combined effects remain unclear.

This study evaluated whether nsPEF enhances CAP-induced cytotoxicity and investigated the associated molecular mechanisms using the murine Pan02 pancreatic cancer cell line. Cell viability was assessed by WST-1 metabolic activity assays and electric cell–substrate impedance sensing (ECIS). Intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) were …

Climate-Adaptive Urban Arboretum: Designing Tree Diversity And Landscape Resilience Against Climate-Related Tree Diseases In Fargo, North Dakota, Rojin Ghafori Dehgolan

Landscape Architecture Theses

This thesis explores how climate change may influence the severity of Oak Wilt Disease and Dutch Elm Disease in Fargo, North Dakota, and how landscape design can respond to future urban forest health challenges. Urban trees are essential components of green landscapes because they provide shade, aesthetic value, ecological benefits, and social comfort. However, climate change is altering environmental conditions such as temperature, precipitation, soil moisture, humidity, drought, and flooding, all of which can influence plant disease development. This research focuses on two major tree diseases: Oak Wilt Disease, caused by Bretziella fagacearum, and Dutch Elm Disease, caused by …

Prairie Haven: Combating Urban Sprawl With Ecological Landscape Assemblage In Forest Lake, Minnesota, Ryan Anthony Calhoun

Landscape Architecture Theses

Contemporary residential developments frequently default to sprawl, creating fragmented environments that lack both environmental resilience and authentic human interconnection. This thesis explores how landscape architects can utilize Assemblage Theory to design residential developments where sustainable materials, ecological systems, and social elements dynamically assemble to create a meaningful, human-scaled sense-of-place. By synthesizing the structural planning efficiency of New Urbanism, the ecological imperatives of Landscape Urbanism, and the metrics-driven performance of Ecological Urbanism, this research develops a hybridized operational approach to residential development. Applied to a master plan in Forest Lake, Minnesota, the design for “Prairie Haven” demonstrates how treating a neighborhood …

Living Shorelines: A Regenerative Landscape Approach To Coastal Protection And Community Resilience In Bhasan Char, Bangladesh, Anamul Hoque Mojumder

Landscape Architecture Theses

Bhasan Char is a newly formed, unstable silt island in Bangladesh which is home for more than one million Rohingya refugees—an ethnic Muslim minority from Myanmar who have fled decades of systematic persecution and violence—suffering from an ecological and humanitarian crisis. This community faces extreme vulnerability from cyclones and sea-level rise on a landscape of profound precarity.

Traditional hard-engineered defenses are costly, ecologically damaging, and ineffective against the island’s dynamic geomorphology. This research proposes a regenerative "Living Shorelines" model, intersecting coastal resilience with refugee empowerment through Blue-Green Infrastructure. Drawing on successful global precedents in Vietnam and the USA, the study …

Border Patches: Reconnecting Ecology And Human Experiences At The U.S.-Mexico Border, Shima Goodarzi

Landscape Architecture Theses

International borders are among the most engineered and ecologically fragmented landscapes in the world. Along the U.S.-Mexico border, infrastructure systems such as walls, patrol roads, and cleared enforcement zones have disrupted wildlife movement, fragmented habitats, altered hydrological systems, and limited social interaction between neighboring communities.

This thesis develops a digital environmental twin framework to evaluate ecological and social connectivity within the San Diego-Tijuana border region. Using ArcGIS Pro and ArcGIS Urban, spatial datasets including land cover, habitat suitability, hydrology, circulation networks, and urban density were analyzed to identify areas with high ecological potential and opportunities for intervention.

The research informed …

Beyond The River's Edge: Reimagining Riverfront Parks And Landscapes For Stormwater, Flood Resilience, And Public Spaces In Fargo, Nd, Moumita Roy

Landscape Architecture Theses

Riverfront parks play an important role in managing stormwater, reducing flood risks, and improving ecological resilience in flood-prone cities. In Fargo, North Dakota, the Red River corridor functions as both a recreational landscape and a critical floodplain system, yet the stormwater and flood performance of these parks has not been systematically evaluated. This study developed a GIS- and hydrologic modeling–based framework to assess the landscape performance of Fargo’s riverfront parks and explore design strategies for more resilient public spaces. Using ArcGIS Pro, remote sensing, DEM analysis, field observations, and InfoWorks ICM simulations, the research identified runoff accumulation zones, flood-prone areas, …

At The Crossroads: Designing For Livability And Community Identity In An Era Of Rapid Suburban Growth In Rogers, Minnesota, Reagan Johnson

Landscape Architecture Theses

At the Crossroads explores how landscape architecture can guide suburban growth while strengthening livability, connectivity, and community identity in Rogers, Minnesota. As Rogers continues to expand within the Twin Cities metropolitan region, the city faces challenges associated with suburban sprawl such as limited pedestrian connectivity and the potential loss of local identity. This thesis focuses on a 128.4-acre site near the historic Fletcher crossroads and proposes a landscape-driven design approach organized around historic preservation, walkable public spaces, a parks and open space network, and mixed residential development. Inspired by Garrett Eckbo’s belief that community form results from community design, the …

Link To Home + Back: A Transit-Oriented Mixed-Use Bridge Between Neighborhood, Nature + The City Of Lynnwood, Wa, Rushell Paola Martinez Reyes

Landscape Architecture Theses

Link to Home + Back: A Transit-Oriented Bridge Between Neighborhood, Nature + The City of Lynnwood, WA. Is a project that seeks to help achieve a better connectivity in an area close to the City Center Station that is currently lacking connectivity in all aspects but, vehicular traffic. This is an important issue to resolve, since with a better connectivity and pedestrian and cyclist circulation the chances of people walking to and from the transit station to make use of it increase dramatically, which eventually helps reduce the pollution produced by vehicles. This research aims to study if transit-oriented development …

Green Space Behind Bars: Designing For Resident Wellbeing At The Heart River Correctional Center Near Mandan, Nd, Kaja Holtz

Landscape Architecture Theses

This design thesis reimagines the environment of the Heart River Correctional Center by transforming the outdoor space into a therapeutic space for resident wellbeing. The current environments of minimum security correctional centers in the United States, focuses heavily on security and control without the emphasis on rehabilitation and reentry. In response, the design introduces organic pathways for framed views and meandering, social areas to promote joyfulness and meditative spaces for reflection and healing. Along with other programs and integrating these specific therapeutic spaces, this project aims to shed light on an overlooked environment and design for wellbeing.

Forging Resiliency: Designing For Wildfire Defenses In The Pyrocene Age In Paradise, California, Rebecca Anne Heide

Landscape Architecture Theses

Wildfires are becoming larger, hotter, and more destructive. California has been strongly impacted by large-scale wildfire disasters, with a number of fires in recent history resulting in significant loss of life and infrastructure. The Camp Fire, which destroyed over 85% of the town of Paradise, California in 2018, is one such event. Landscape architecture is a discipline uniquely positioned to address wildfire disaster resilience. This project uses case studies and ArcGIS data to reimagine a 1,600-acre site directly East of the town of Paradise, California. By using a multi-layered wildfire management strategy that uses the principles of resist, co-create, and …

Resilient Placemaking: Enhancing Community Identity, Streetscapes, And Public Spaces In Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, Ellen R. Nampel

Landscape Architecture Theses

This thesis provides a plan to revitalize downtown Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, by improving its public spaces. While the downtown is currently stable, this research proactively addresses future risks like economic decline and the loss of local identity. By combining placemaking with urban resilience strategies, the study shows how better street designs can bring people together and support local businesses. The proposed design focuses on three goals: turning empty lots into flexible event spaces for community gatherings, making streets safer and easier to walk by reducing car dominance, and using local branding to celebrate the city’s history. These changes aim to …

Hydrologic Harmonies: Weaving Water Corridors Into Fargo's Park, Trail, And Open Space Network, Isaac Janssen

Landscape Architecture Theses

This thesis investigates how Fargo’s river corridors can be redesigned as connected, multi-functional public landscapes that strengthen community access, expand recreational opportunities, and support nature-based education. Although the Wild Rice and Red Rivers shape the city’s identity, decades of flood-control infrastructure and fragmented access have limited the public’s relationship with these waterways. As Fargo continues to grow and adapt to changing hydrologic conditions, the need for resilient, accessible, and educational riverfront spaces has become increasingly urgent.

Using a mixed-method approach that integrates literature review, precedent analysis, GIS-based site assessment, and iterative design exploration, this project develops a framework for reconnecting …

Neal F. Newman, Neal F. Newman

Faculty CVs

No abstract provided.

Malinda L. Seymore, Malinda L. Seymore

Faculty CVs

No abstract provided.

Peter R. Reilly, Peter R. Reilly

Faculty CVs

No abstract provided.

Susan T. Phillips, Susan T. Phillips

Faculty CVs

No abstract provided.

Susan S. Fortney, Susan Saab Fortney

Faculty CVs

No abstract provided.

Lisa A. Goodman, Lisa A. Goodman

Faculty CVs

No abstract provided.

Gary M. Lucas, Jr., Gary M. Lucas Jr.

Faculty CVs

No abstract provided.

Redefining An Icon: Stadium Integration Into The Urban Center To Promote Community Engagement, Culture, And Identity In Dallas, Texas, Brandon Lee Peterson

Architecture Theses

This thesis is an exploration into how stadium design can foster community engagement, cultural identity, and urban vibrancy in the United States. While many American stadiums often remain isolated from the urban fabric, located on city outskirts or suburbs and used solely for events, European models demonstrate the value of walkable, accessible, and integrated stadiums within mixed-use neighborhoods. Through a multidisciplinary review of urban design theory, economic factors, and programming needs, this research highlights the limitations of current U.S. stadium developments, such as issues of accessibility and underutilized public investment. Using a proposed downtown Dallas soccer stadium, the thesis offers …