Governance Seams, Brett Frischmann, Paul Ohm

Faculty Publications

This Essay formalizes the concept of governance seams and develops theories for what they enable; how they arise; why they are some- times dismantled; and how, why, and when regulators might step in to protect endangered governance seams or to create new ones. Governance seams are socially constructed boundaries, borders, and interfaces that harness friction-in-design to enable governance. Governance seams mediate interactions among components of sociotechnical systems and between different parties and contexts. Delineating boundaries, borders, and interfaces as loci of transparency, coordination, and oversight supports mechanisms for deliberation, contestation, and protection, both by those within and those outside the …

Photocatalytic Nanoparticle Treatment Of Cyanotoxins In Harmful Algal Blooms, Brian Baird

Civil Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Harmful Algal Blooms (HAB) have the ability to cause detriment to water bodies, ecosystems, and human health. Furthermore, current evidence suggests that these events are becoming increasingly common due to factors such as increased pollution and global warming. While there are current methods to treat water that is negatively impacted by the bacteria and toxins associated with HABs, these methods are often costly and inefficient. The purpose of this research is to explore a potential treatment option that uses titanium dioxide photocatalytic nanoparticles attached to a retractable net to treat toxins produced by HABs in situ. Specifically, the toxin …

Innovations In Football Protective Headgear, Henry Bethel

Civil Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Adding impact reduction to football protective headgear decreases the reactionary acceleration experienced by the cranium. Utilizing an iteration of the National Operating Committee for Standards in Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE) method of testing per ASTM F429, a drop tower was fabricated, and 27 drop tests were conducted upon a standard helmet (control) and the Summerlin model helmet (test), measuring the maximum acceleration experienced by each drop. Drop tests involved variable heights and test angles with three drops being made per combination. The Summerlin model drops were conducted until failure, occurring at the third 3” drop at the “front” location at an …

Understanding The Bond Strength Of Bcsa Cement Repair Concrete To Portland Cement Concrete, Brenden Simmons

Civil Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Concrete structures deteriorate over time, and there is an increasing demand for quick repair solutions. Belitic calcium sulfoaluminate (BCSA) cement, a type of rapid setting cement, is thought to be a more sustainable and convenient alternative to portland cement in repair concrete applications. Indicated by the name, rapid setting concrete can set up quicker than traditional portland cement concrete. Because of this, there has been a lot of research about the properties of rapid setting concrete mixes. One of the most popular topics is the strength of the concrete itself. However, there is a need for more research to understand …

Mythos Series (Mythos: The Greek Myths Reimagined, Heroes: The Greek Myths Reimagined, And Troy: The Greek Myths Reimagined) By Stephen Fry, Phillip Fitzsimmons

Faculty Articles & Research

Book review of Stephen Fry's Mythos series, reviewed by Phillip Fitzsimmons.

Ethnicity, Nationalism, And Football: Exploring The Construction Of Ethnic Identities And Their Manifestations For Athletic Club Bilbao And Celtic Football Club, Kelly Wetherton

Honors Theses

This thesis centers on the construction of ethnic identities for fans of Athletic Club and Celtic F.C. and the two clubs’ roles in evincing nationalism. Utilizing survey data from an online, anonymous survey posted to fan forums, the research aimed to determine which of the three leading theories of ethnicity—primordialism, instrumentalism, or social constructivism—was most applicable to the formation of identities for Basque Athletic Club fans and Irish Celtic fans. The results demonstrated that the theory of social constructivism most closely aligns with the case of Basque Athletic Club fans while the identities of Irish Celtic fans can best be …

The Relationships Between Academic Entitlement, Grit, Prospective Memory, Retrospective Memory, And Undergraduate Gpa, Kathrin Underwood

Honors Theses

The present study was conducted in order to investigate the relationships between academic entitlement, grit, prospective memory, retrospective memory, and GPA. To investigate these relationships, participants were asked to fill out multiple questionnaires including the AEQ, PRMQ, and the Grit Scale survey. GPAs for participants were taken from the Institutional Research, Effectiveness, and Planning office. The results of this study showed that students with high grit scores were more likely to have lower academic entitlement, higher GPAs, and higher prospective and retrospective memory scores. Ultimately, these results suggest that certain traits and abilities may be predictive of academic success. Looking …

The History And Development Of Solo Tuba Repertoire, Vasilios Tidwell

Honors Theses

The tuba's solo repertoire increased in quantity and quality as a result of developments in the instrument’s design and usage. Following the invention of the tuba in 1835, instrument makers experimented with design concepts to maximize the versatility and potential of the bass brass voice. Composers explored the various uses of the instrument, eventually making the tuba part of the standard orchestral instrumentation by the mid-nineteenth century. Following the instrument's acceptance into bands and orchestras, the first solo works for tuba emerged in the late nineteenth century.

Evolving from novelty pieces accompanied by wind or brass bands, tuba solo music …

Self-Assembly Of Exfoliated Graphene Flakes As Anticorrosive Coatings For Additive Manufactured Steels, Kaleb Hood, Wen Qian, Savannah Krupa, Annie Dao, Sarah Ahmed, Samuel Olson, Jun Jiao, Multiple Additional Authors

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study demonstrates the feasibility of using liquid exfoliation of expandable graphite into multilayer exfoliated graphene flakes (EGFs) to form a self-assembled thin film on an air–water interface. The film can coat the surface of additive manufactured (AM) steel substrates to enhance surface properties, specifically AM 316 stainless-steel (AM316), AM 8620 steel (AM8620), and samples of the same alloys made by conventional manufacturing (CM) processes. Liquid exfoliation offers a high yield route for an EGF coating that can cover up to 95% of the sample surface with a single application. The thin, flexible EGFs can coat a rough AM metal …

Direct Spectroscopic Observation Of Cross-Plane Heat Transfer In A Two-Dimensional Van Der Waals Heterostructure, Du Chen, Matthieu Fortin-Deschênes, Yuchen Lou, Huiju Lee, Kenji Watanabe, Takaaki Taniguchi, Fengnian Xia, Peijun Guo, Multiple Additional Authors

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Two-dimensional (2D) transition metal chalcogenides (TMDs) have drawn significant attention in recent years due to their extraordinary optical and electronic properties. As heat transfer plays an important role in device performance, various methods such as optothermal Raman spectroscopy and time-domain thermoreflectance have been developed to measure the thermal conductivity and interfacial thermal conductance in 2D van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures. Here, we employ the vibrational-pump-visible-probe (VPVP) spectroscopy to directly visualize the heat transfer process in a heterostructure of multilayer h-BN and monolayer WS2. Following an impulsive vibrational excitation of h-BN in the mid-infrared, we probe the heat transfer …

Flow Development And Entrainment In Turbulent Particle-Laden Jets, Laura K. Shannon, Bianca Viggiano, Raúl Bayoán Cal, L. G. Mastin, Alexa R. Van Eaton, Stephen Solovitz

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Explosive eruptions expel volcanic gases and particles at high pressures and velocities. Within this multiphase fluid, small ash particles affect the flow dynamics, impacting mixing, entrainment, turbulence, and aggregation. To examine the role of turbulent particle behavior, we conducted an analogue experiment using a particle-laden jet. We used compressed air as the carrier fluid, considering turbulent conditions at Reynolds numbers from approximately 5,000 to 20,000. Two different particles were examined: 14-μm diameter solid nickel spheres and 13-μm diameter hollow glass spheres. These resulted in Stokes numbers between 1 and 35 based on the convective scale. The particle mass percentage in …

Reliability Of Stored River Water As An Alternative For Consumption In Ekpoma, Nigeria: A Human Health Risk Assessment, Imokhai T. Tenebe, Eunice O. Babatunde, Jordan B. Neris, Cephas Mikano, Obiora B. Ezeudu, Onome C. Edo, Omowunmi H. Fred-Ahmadu, Chibuike D. Chukwuka, Nsikak U. Benson

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

With looming global water-related issues, the monitoring of water quality for household and industrial consumption has become more pertinent. Rivers in nearby towns serve as primary water sources for Ekpoma town. 123 samples of stored river water were collected from 41 sampling locations and physical properties - pH, electrical conductivity (EC), salinity, temperature, and total dissolved solids (TDS) - were measured in situ using the Hanna edge® Multiparameter EC/TDS/Salinity Meter-HI2030. Atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS) was used to detect and measure the concentration of potentially toxic metals (PTMs): Al, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn. The measured concentrations were …

Bacterial Contamination Levels And Brand Perception Of Sachet Water: A Case Study In Some Nigerian Urban Neighborhoods, Imokhai T. Tenebe, Eunice O. Babatunde, Chinonso C. Eddy-Ugorji, Egbe Etu E. Etu, Nkpa M. Ogarekpe, Chikodinaka V. Ekeanyanwu, Oladapo A. Diekola, Oluwarotimi S. Oladele, Obiora B. Ezeudu

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Sachet water (SW) is a major source of drinking in most Nigerian homes, thus making it a possible conveyance medium for health risks due to contamination if persist rather than for replenishment of the body. This study collected SW from three busy neighborhoods in South-West Nigeria and investigated for the presence of indicator bacteria (Escherichia coli (E. coli), Total Coliform (TC), Total Heterophilic Bacteria (THB), Staphylococcus (Staph)) and some physio-chemical parameters (total dissolved solids (TDS), pH, electrical conductivity (EC), and salinity). Multi-variable and exploratory statistical methods were applied to the results to determine correlations between bacterial contamination levels and perceived …

Devouring The Milky Way Satellites: Modeling Dwarf Galaxies With Galacticus, Sachi Weerasooriya, Mia Sauda Bovill, Andrew Benson, Alexi M. Musick, Massimo Ricotti

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Dwarf galaxies are ubiquitous throughout the universe and are extremely sensitive to various forms of internal and external feedback. Over the last two decades, the census of dwarf galaxies in the Local Group and beyond has increased markedly. While hydrodynamic simulations (e.g., FIRE II, Mint Justice League) have reproduced the observed dwarf properties down to the ultrafaints, such simulations require extensive computational resources to run. In this work, we constrain the standard physical implementations in the semianalytic model Galacticus to reproduce the observed properties of the Milky Way satellites down to the ultrafaint dwarfs found in the Sloan Digital Sky …

Designing And Creating A Prototype Board Game, Kurtis Woodward

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Abstract

The goal of this project was to create a fantasy style board game prototype that is playable and enjoyable for people new to fantasy tabletop gaming. I assembled a group of 4-5 regular tabletop board game players to play test the game as well as a second group of 4-5 family members and friends to play test who aren't regular board game players. We began with a general base game that evolved with each playtest from feedback given by the playtesters. After about 18-20 play tests, I settled on game mechanics and moved on to creating the assets of …

A Director's Take On The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time, Billie Williams

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This paper examines what it is like to be an assistant director. The play, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time was adapted from a book by Mark Hadden that is structured as if the main character was the writer. The stage production reworks that concept and turns it into a “play within a play”. The story is about a boy named Christopher, his broken family and his struggle with autism. When the director, Cara Harker first approached me about being an assistant director, I struggled with anxiety and not feeling like I had a real place in …

The Process And Flow Of Animation: For The Record, Dylan Gordon

Undergraduate Honors Theses

A comprehensive study in the processes of animation in various forms, from concept to simple layout animation to complex overlapping action and splining, and even lighting and texturing, I will be using a popular podcast musical as a basis to study the pipeline that’s used to create an industry animation.

“The Escapades Of Cat & Dog” The Process Of Creating A Children’S Book From Start To Finish, Cosette Simmons

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The focus of this thesis project was to learn and understand the amount of work that goes into children’s book illustration, as well as bringing the story of another’s to life. “The Escapades of Cat & Dog” was written by my grandfather, George Petrella, to tell the story of my mother and her sibling’s pets going on kooky adventures. The script was given to me back in 2017-2018 not to long after my grandmother, Jane Petrella, passed away due to cancer. The result consists of a 36 page 9 by 9 inch fully illustrated book intended to be …

Exploring Eclectic Styles And Original Compositions In Bluegrass And Acoustic Music, Justin Alexander

Undergraduate Honors Theses

In the creation of my thesis project, I aimed to record a collection of music that highlights my influences and creative voice as an artist within the bluegrass/acoustic music genres. In collaboration with friends and colleagues that I have met during my time at East Tennessee State University, I have successfully recorded a project that surveys my current influences and creative voice as an artist, instrumentalist and composer. One goal I had for this project was to highlight compositions that I have written on acoustic guitar. Before attending ETSU, I did play some acoustic guitar, though I was primarily a …

College-Related Stress And Substance Use: Experiences Of Honors And Non-Honors Students, Melanie Fischer

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Although there is a wealth of research knowledge related to risk behavior engagement of the general student population, there is less specifically reported about honors students. To address this gap in research, non-honors and honors students were surveyed to determine possible differences in risk behavior engagement. Students were recruited through the East Tennessee State University psychology subject pool and via direct email messages to an honors student-specific listserv. We hypothesized that honors students would have differences in terms of GPA and number of credit hours, endorse more substance use and have more perceived stress compared to non-honors students. The survey …

Racially Segregated Housing And Its Impact On Urban America, Bailey Norris

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Throughout the late nineteenth century, into the twentieth century, and the twenty-first century, Black Americans have faced displacement, segregated housing, and limited economic prosperity. Due to this inequality, Black American’s face difficulties as they try to resurrect their hopes of the American Dream. To assess the experiences of Black Americans and the impact of racially segregated housing on Urban America, an examination of legislation, state-funded segregation, structural and systemic racism, and the acts of individuals in creating barriers to success for Black communities becomes necessary. This thesis works to understand and answer the question: to what extent does racially segregated …

Say His Name: Othello, Paul Robeson, And Racism In America, Brett Strother

Undergraduate Honors Theses

In Shakespeare’s Othello, Othello faces societal pressures of racism as he marries Senator Brabantio’s White daughter Desdemona. This creates the main plot, and the villain of the play, Iago, plots against him which leads to the destruction of Othello’s reputable character. Othello is transformed into a violent, murderous husband by Iago’s villainous ploy fueled by using racial slurs, and Othello’s final form matches the name his enemies assign him. Stripping Othello of his name and portraying him as “the Moor”, a term used to describe a category of Black persons viewed as barbaric, is a tactic used throughout time …

Synthesis Of A Phenyl Substituted Zinc Dipyrrin Complex For The Purpose Of Analyzing Aromatic Substitutions On The Characteristics Of Compounds Of This Class, Kole Owen

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The field of photochemistry is as innovative in development as it is broad in application. However, utilization of energy from the sun’s electromagnetic radiation remains secondary to the combustion of fossil fuels for the global energy consumption. This is neither a sustainable nor renewable system, and it has contributed to a major decline in the health of our global environment as the greenhouse gases emission has led to an incline in global temperatures and ocean acidity. To develop effective ways to utilize solar energy, experimental effort is being directed towards the understanding of photosensitizers, molecules which absorb solar radiation and …

Market Analysis And Strategy Formulation For Appalachian Cast Iron, Perry Kate Chumbley

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Marketing as a revenue generator for businesses seeks to entice consumers into making a final purchase. How this is achieved varies greatly depending on the size of firm, the goods or services being advertised, distribution channels, and other factors. This manuscript includes the creation of a marketing strategy for a small, online business, Appalachian Cast Iron, through the investigation of current literature, and analyses of the external and internal environments. The results provide strategies for areas in which the firm has opportunities to improve.

Erwin's Second Story: Founding A Community Theatre, Bailey Robinson

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Erwin, Tennessee is a small town located just outside of Johnson City. The town is beautiful and the people are kind, but it lacks one thing - a community theatre. In an effort to increase student interest in the local high school drama department, allow community members of all ages a chance to perform, and to provide entertainment to the small town, I have worked to form a community theatre named Second Story. Founding a nonprofit community theatre comes with many challenges. In this thesis I will walk through my efforts and what all went into this labor of love. …

Radic Voice Authentication: Replay Attack Detection Using Image Classification For Voice Authentication Systems, Hannah Taylor

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Systems like Google Home, Alexa, and Siri that use voice-based authentication to verify their users’ identities are vulnerable to voice replay attacks. These attacks gain unauthorized access to voice-controlled devices or systems by replaying recordings of passphrases and voice commands. This shows the necessity to develop more resilient voice-based authentication systems that can detect voice replay attacks.

This thesis implements a system that detects voice-based replay attacks by using deep learning and image classification of voice spectrograms to differentiate between live and recorded speech. Tests of this system indicate that the approach represents a promising direction for detecting voice-based replay …

The Role Of Storytelling In Digital Brand Marketing: A Case Study Of Tennessee Hills Distillery And Brewstillery, Cassidy Blackwell

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study evaluates the impacts of brand storytelling on customers of a craft brewery and distillery in East Tennessee. Brand storytelling is well researched, but has not been applied to niche sectors and customer response. The study consisted of a 15-question survey distributed to customers of Tennessee Hills Distillery and Brewstillery (TN Hills), and received 139 responses. The results were that despite a seeming trend of lack of engagement with the business, respondents value brand stories and can identify unique brand characteristics. Respondents’ answers reflected a personal connection with TN Hills, and connected the brand to grander ideals like the …

Rbac Attack Exposure Auditor. Tracking User Risk Exposure Per Role-Based Access Control Permissions, Adelaide Damrau

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Access control models and implementation guidelines for determining, provisioning, and de-provisioning user permissions are challenging due to the differing approaches, unique for each organization, the lack of information provided by case studies concerning the organization’s security policies, and no standard means of implementation procedures or best practices. Although there are multiple access control models, one stands out, role-based access control (RBAC). RBAC simplifies maintenance by enabling administrators to group users with similar permissions. This approach to managing user permissions supports the principle of least privilege and separation of duties, which are needed to ensure an organization maintains acceptable user access …

Parents’ Adverse Childhood Experiences In Relation To Parent-Child Emotion Socialization, Emily Thompson

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Parents’ adverse childhood experiences in relation to parent-child emotion socialization

Objective: Parents have an integral role in a child’s development of important emotional and psychosocial processes through emotion socialization. The goal of this paper is to examine the presence of adverse childhood experiences during the parents’ childhood and adolescence alongside the parents’ responses to their child’s emotional expression. The impact of adverse childhood experiences on a parent’s ability to socialize their child’s emotions is a key factor in the continued objective of cultivating positive parent-child interaction and improving adolescent mental health.

Methods: Participants were 165 adolescents and their parents. Adolescent …

Social Media Marketing Strategies For Small Businesses: A Comprehensive Guide To Success And Growth, Isaac Deel

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Social Media Marketing Strategies for Small Businesses: A Comprehensive Guide to Success and Growth, explores the use of social media marketing strategies for small businesses.The purpose of this study is to identify specific strategies, techniques, and best practices for successful social media marketing. Social media has become a powerful marketing tool for businesses to promote their products and services. However, small businesses face unique challenges in the marketing landscape, including limited resources and low marketing budgets. Social media provides a low-cost, highly effective way for small businesses to reach new audiences and communicate with potential customers. With the right strategies, …