Digital Commons Network^™

The End Of Constitutional Amendment In The U.S. ?, Floersheimer Center For Constitutional Democracy, Brennan Center For Justice, Wilfred U. Codrington Iii, Jessica Bulman-Pozen, Richard L. Hasen, Andrea Katz, Julie Suk, Michael Waldman

2025–2026 Flyers

No abstract provided.

Pseudonymetry: Real-Time Interference Management System For Accountable And Cooperative Spectrum Sharing Using Embedded Watermarks, Meles Gebreyesus Weldegebriel

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation presents the design, analysis, and experimental validation of Pseudonymetry, a real-time interference management framework that enables accountable and cooperative spectrum sharing. By embedding lightweight watermarks into secondary-user transmissions, the proposed approach allows devices to be aware of, identify, and respond to interference at the individual transmitter level. This makes it possible to achieve dynamic and safe coexistence between primary and secondary users (PUs & SUs) without requiring data demodulation or additional receiver infrastructure. In this way, the feedback-based mechanism helps close the gap between administrative spectrum coordination and real-time interference enforcement, enabling accountable and privacy-preserving coexistence among heterogeneous …

Am. Civil Liberties Union Vs. Clark Cnty. School Dist., 142 Nev. Adv. Op. 24 (March 26, 2026), Jacob Stephenson

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

Information contained in an investigative file is exempt from the NPRA’s general disclosure requirement to the extent that the information is confidential under NRS 289.080.

In Re: Courtney Miller

2026 Decisions

USDC for the Middle District of Pennsylvania

2026 March 26 - Tennessee Weekly Drought Summary, Tennessee Climate Office, East Tennessee State University

Tennessee Climate Office Weekly Drought Summaries

No abstract provided.

Strengthening Our Community Through Nashville Book Connection, Jonathan R. Loftis, Molly Ryan, Rawanne Al-Nimri, Ava Nix, Shezza Siddiq, Mehraiel Elaarag

SPARK Symposium Presentations

This project focuses on working with a community partner, Nashville Book Connection. A Nashville-based non-profit, NBC provides elementary level students with access to book that they get to take home and keep. Choosing from a large library, each student is able to pick from a plethora of books that they are interested in for the week. NBC works with several schools in the Nashville area, including Explore! Community School, where our project was able to take root and flourish.

Interview With Orca Award Winner David Hage, Unl Chemistry; Drug-Protein Interactions, Mark Griep, David Hage

UNL ORCA Interview Series

Prof. David Hage was awarded the ORCA in 2018. He was born in La Crosse, Wisconsin, and earned a bachelor’s in chemistry at the University of Wisconsin in La Crosse. Next, he earned a doctorate from Iowa State University and did postdoctoral work at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. In 1989, he joined UNL as an assistant professor of chemistry and quickly rose through the ranks. He has won many awards and, for the past 13 years, has been the James Hewet University Professor of Chemistry. Allow me to share some remarkable facts about Dave before we get into …

Variable Responses To Surface Washing Methods Used On Euplatypus Compositus (Curculionidae: Platypodinae) Prior To Fungal Isolation, Connor Biser, Jiri Hulcr, Miranda Barnes, Seth Bybee

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2026

Ambrosia beetles (Platypodinae and Scolytinae) are a group of weevils that burrow into the xylem of trees and inoculate symbiotic fungi. These fungi grow in the walls of their galleries and serves as the beetles’ food source.1 [Fig. 1] This system of symbiotic interaction is highly convergent, and some beetles carry plant pathogens.2 Understanding the community of fungi associated with ambrosia beetles can help us assess forest risks and describe evolutionary patterns. When isolating fungi from beetles, researchers often include a preliminary surface washing step to limit superficial contaminants from the surface of the beetle. There have been no comparisons …

Unlikely Relationships: Plant Growth Promotion With Fish Waste Microbes, Thomas W. Scharf, Brad Geary

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2026

1st Place - Open House Presentation

• Aiding plant growth is becoming more important as climate conditions continue changing in key wildlands and farmlands.
• Future Fresh Farms has created a product from fish waste, addressing this need.
• This study aimed to compare the outcomes of plants grown with MicroRevive, derived from fish waste, against plants grown with other growth promoting bacteria (PGPB).

Uncovering The Roles Of Environment And Phylogeny In The Expression Of A Shared Morphological Trait In Squamates, Austin Rejcek, Dylan Mcmullen, Logan Gren, Randy L. Klabacka

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2026

Addressing the roles of adaptive and nonadaptive processes in trait evolution is a major focus of evolutionary biology

Recently, we observed an undescribed morphological trait on the eyelids of squamate lizards - AKA ''Palpebral combs'' (See photos)

This trait appears to be widespread within lguania, although there is consistent morphological variation between species of varying ecologies

Uav Imaging: Reliability Of Drone-Captured Images In Ecological Work, Andrew Sevy, Steven L. Petersen, Russell Torgersen, Otto De Grof, Austin Housley

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2026

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)-based imagery offers a scalable, repeatable method for surveying large landscapes, with the potential to reduce field effort while increasing detection consistency.

Despite growing interest in UAV applications, the accuracy of drones in identifying small, irregular features like stud piles remains poorly quantified, creating uncertainty about their reliability for management decisions.

Three Lower Extremity Muscle Volumes Predict Countermovement Jump Height In Collegiate Basketball Players, Josh Vandenakker, Jacob Green, Malorie Wilwand, Micahel Davie, Steven D. Arnold, A. Wayne Johnson

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2026

The countermovement jump (CMJ) is an essential ability in basketball, and increased jump height provides players with a competitive advantage.

Sport-specific data connecting MRI-derived muscle volumes to CMJ mechanics and height remains limited.

Our aim: To examine correlations between CMJ height and the muscle volume of the soleus, quadriceps, and gluteus maximus in collegiate basketball players.

The Web Hunter: Gut Metabarcoding Of Thread Legged Assassin Bugs (Emesinae; Reduviidae), Julia Fordham, Samantha Standring

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2026

Thread-legged assassin bugs (Emesine) have frequently been observed on Baguada giganteus spider webs and have specialized morphology thought to evolve from hunting spiders. There is little to no research regarding the diet preferences for the majority of Emesinae species, and it remains unclear to what extent their diet consists of spiders. This research project utilized gut metabarcoding techniques to better understand the dietary behaviors of four emesine species: Emesa annulata, Polauchenia schubarti, Tagalis dichroa, and Bagauda giganteus.

The Role Of Nmda And Mglur5 Receptors On Hippocampal Depotentiation, J.H. Cummings, E. Sandberg, J.G. Edwards

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2026

Depotentiation of LTP, the cellular mechanism of learning and memory, is thought to be the primary mechanism of forgetting.

Prior research in our lab investigated metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5) and its role in depotentiation and noted differences between males and females.

Preliminary data on NMDA receptors using AP5 (an antagonist) identified interesting findings, though n values are too low currently to draw conclusions.

The Impact Of Social Media On Attention And Memory, Jared Mcfarlane, Nathan Mangum, Ryan Ensign, Andrew Lloyd, Samuel Storm, Jared Nielsen

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2026

Social media has become nearly ubiquitous in recent years. However, relatively little is known about how its use is related to cognition. This study investigates the potential connection between our social media use habits and our cognitive abilities, specifically sustained attention and episodic memory.

The Fungi Behind The Forest: How Mycorrhizal Diversity Changes In Great Basin Bristlecone Pine In Response To Tree Age And Resource Availability, Zeb M. Mendenhall, Otto W. Groff, Austin J. Housley, Steven L. Petersen

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2026

2nd Place - Open House Presentation

Great Basin bristlecone pine (Pinus longaeva, hereafter bristlecone) is one of the longest living organisms on the planet1 (Fig.1).

Bristlecone form symbiotic relationships with Ectomycorrhiza (ECM) to gain important resources in dry, nutrient poor soils2 (Fig. 2).

Very little research exists on the relationship between bristlecone and ECM, limiting our understanding of how these trees survive.

This project investigates how ECM diversity changes in bristlecone with age and different resource availabilities.

Species Dynamics And Potential Invasion In The Restored Streams Of East Maui, Hannah Breinholt, Isabelle Hunter, Sarah Cole, Seth M. Bybee, Rachel L. Wood

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2026

100+ years of water diversions in East Maui disrupted this connectivity, threatening native species and their habitat

In 2018, stream flow was restored to 22 streams

Endemic amphidromous fish in East Maui streams depend on intact flow from mountains to sea (mauka-to-makai) and are especially vulnerable to habitat disruption and isolation [1]

Has stream restoration enabled native fish species to recolonize or has it created openings for non-native species?

Shoot Apical Meristem Size And Inflorescence Morphology In Gilia, Madeleine Glover, Clinton Whipple

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2026

Gilia, a genus of wildflower native to the western United States, is a promising new model for evolutionary developmental biology. Two closely related Gilia species, G. capitata and G. yorkii, are able to produce a fertile hybrid, though they differ in many morphological features, including inflorescence architecture. G. capitata has a tight capitate inflorescence with a high solitary flower number, while G. yorkii has a much more open inflorescence, with a solitary flower number of one. Analysis of shoot apical meristem (SAM) size in relationship with solitary flower number (SFN) will provide a deeper understanding of the evolution of this …

Self-Reported Longest-Held Occupation Type In Relation To Epilepsy In Late Life: A Pooled Cohort Analysis Of Incidence And Prevalence, Daniel Guerrero Gutierrez, Sofia Pelagalli Maia, Hyunmi Choi, Jose Gutierrez, Natalie Bello, Mary L. Biggs, Emily M. Briceño, James F. Burke, Lisandro D. Colantonio, Mitchell S.V. Elkind, Annette L. Fitzpatrick, Christopher Gonzalez, Alden L. Gross, Lei Huang, Emily L. Johnson, W. Craig Johnson, Cheng-Shiun Leu, Deborah A. Levine, Minghua Liu, W.T. Longstreth Jr., Richard P. Mayeux, Sylwia Misiewicz, Dolly Reyes-Dumeyer, Tatjana Rundek, Danurys Sanchez, Steven J. Shea, Tian Wang, Carolyn W. Shu, Evan L. Thacker

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2026

Epilepsy in late life is influenced by biological, behavioral, social and environmental factors

Lifetime occupation type may capture socioeconomic, environmental, and long-term physical exposures relevant to brain health (e.g., manual labor, stress levels, neurotoxic exposures) that could influence neurological aging

Seizure Propagation And How Ketones May Help Mitigate Harmful Effects, Jacob Wassmer, Melissa L. Blotter, Isaac Stubbs, R. Ryley Parrish

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2026

Status epilepticus (SE) is a seizure state characterized by continuous ictal activity lasting over 5 minutes. SE frequently becomes unresponsive to frontline antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), resulting in refractory status epilepticus (RSE), a neurological medical emergency with a mortality rate as high as 38% in some studies. To assess how SE develops over time, we have characterized an ex vivo brain slice SE model using a high-resolution multi-electrode recording system. The system contains over 4000 electrodes with less than 60μM of space in between each electrode. With this unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution, we have identified key features of SE that …

Research Process Toward The Creation Of Transgenic Beetles, Abraham B. Alton, Nathan Dauk, Jonah Jex, Brian D. Jensen, Sandra Hope

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2026

Honorable Mention - Poster Design

Create a generalizable, reliable, and efficient procedure for insect genetic modification.

Insects born parasitic diseases such as malaria cause hundreds of millions of deaths each year. Many of these diseases could be eliminated if we had a reliable method for genetically modifying insects.

Rapid Kitchen Compost As A Growing Media, Rebecca Kerr, Shannon V. Nelson, Bryan G. Hopkins

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2026

ReencleTM composters decompose most food waste within 24 hours (~90% reduction).

Compost can be an excellent source of nutrients for plants and improve soil structure and water retention.

Objective: Determine the effectiveness of kitchen compost as a soil amendment for growing lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.), and Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.).

Potential Role Of Atr In Slower Aids Progression Associated With Hiv-1 Vpr Mutant R77q, Ava Wilstead, Sidney T. Sithole, Bradford K. Berges

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2026

HIV-1 typically induces necrotic T cell death, resulting in chronic inflammation that drives Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) progression. However, mutations in viral protein R (Vpr) are associated with altered disease outcomes. The HIV-1 Vpr mutant R77Q is linked to individuals that do not progress to AIDS without treatment, termed a longterm non-progressor (LTNP). The Berges lab has shown that R77Q infection results in reduced overall cell death compared to wild-type (WT) virus, while inducing increased apoptotic cell death.

Nest-Site Selection Of Chukar (Alectoris Chukar) In Western Utah, Julyn S. Robinson, Jacob T. Barnes, Heather L. Talley, Randy T. Larsen

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2026

Fitness for species in arid systems is strongly influenced by reproductive success, particularly in ground nesting birds. Chukar (Alectoris chukar), an introduced and popular game bird throughout the west, provide recreational hunting and ecological value, yet the habitat features influencing their nest placement and nesting success remain poorly understood.

Muscle Transplants: Science Fiction Or Modern Medicine?, Erastus Evans, Mason Kephart, Benjamin Long, Jake Sorensen

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2026

The loss of skeletal muscle from trauma or surgery results in limited regeneration and long-term dysfunction. Muscle transplants replenish lost cellular and structural tissue to improve healing and recovery of strength. Juvenile tissue offers a promising alternative to adult tissue due to the increased satellite cell and myofiber content.

Meta Analysis Of The Riverine Barrier Hypothesis In Mainland Southeast Asia, Gavin Kohl, Christian Furness, Eleanor Savage, Perry Van Wagoner, Randy Klabacka

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2026

Understanding the drivers of biodiversification is an important objective in evolutionary biology

Yet much is still unknown regarding the mechanisms that drive biodiversity in species

Identifying barriers between lineages is a viable approach to discovering potential drivers

Ketone Bodies May Mitigate Metabolic Dysfunction In A Model Of Migraine, T. Luke Shafer, Dallin S. Nevers, Rachel Ricks, Clayton Dunford, Tyler Poulos, Isaac Stubbs, Coleson Cheney, Benjamin T. Bikman, R. Ryley Parrish

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2026

Honorable Mention - Open House Presentation

• Spreading depolarization (SD) is a slow-moving wave of ionic redistribution.
• SDs propagate through cortical tissue in patients experiencing migraine with aura, as well as traumatic brain injury (TBI), ischemic stroke, and seizure.
• Recovery of ionic homeostasis following SD is metabolically taxing; an energetic deficit is associated with long-term mitochondrial damage.
• Ketone body supplementation is a promising therapeutic for epilepsy and migraine, although its mechanisms are not fully understood.

Iron Nutrition In Hydroponically Grown Quinoa, Ezra A. Larsen, Daniel L. Lamb, Shannon V. Nelson, Geneva M. Bell, Bryan G. Hopkins

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2026

• Iron (Fe) deficiency is a global health challenge
• Fe is an essential plant nutrient and limiting factor for many food crops
• Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.), a nutrient dense pseudocereal, is of growing importance for food security
• Quinoa is often grown in alkaline soil, where Fe is particularly limiting
• An improved understanding of how Fe affects quinoa growth could improve yields and help increase dietary iron intake

Investigating The Role Of Tnf In Hiv-1 Infected Cell Death, Brennan B. Wells, Sidney Sithole, Bradford Berges

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2026

HIV-1 is the causative agent of the terminal disease AIDS. Clinical studies have determined that patients infected with a mutant of HIV-1, Vpr-R77Q, do not progress towards AIDS. Subsequently, our lab has discovered two notable differences between the Vpr- R77Q variant and WT HIV-1: increased levels of apoptosis in infected cells (which is thought to contribute to the lack of AIDS progression), and decreased levels of inflammatory cytokines, namely Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF). The purpose of this ongoing experiment is to investigate the potential inverse correlation between TNF levels and apoptosis levels through the introduction of additional TNF cytokines to …

Investigating The Mechanisms Of Yersinia Ruckeri Inhibition By A New Strain Of Pseudomonas Fjordensis, Kyler Linton, David Erickson

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2026

Pacific freshwater fish are less likely than Atlantic freshwater fish to exhibit Enteric Redmouth Disease (ERM), or Yersiniosis as caused by Yersinia ruckeri. Based on the hypothesis that these fish may harbor commensal bacteria that inhibit Y. ruckeri growth, I isolated many kinds of commensal bacteria from fish intestines collected from Alaska and local streams. In previous studies, I have isolated novel bacteria capable of expressing inhibitory activity against Y. ruckeri via co-culture experiments. One of these bacteria is a strain of Pseudomonas fjordensis. Through genome-wide mutagenesis techniques, a possible gene has been unveiled that may be contributing to this …