Arts and Humanities Commons^™

The Development Of Nationalism In The Indian Case, Sriram Madhusoodanan

Grace Allen Scholars Theses

Narratives, particularly historical narratives, frame our identities: they tell the story of our origins and provide us with direction to guide future action. Considering the numerous movements they have fostered in past 200 years, few identities have been as powerful a motor for social change or emerged as loudly on the world stage as national identities. In this context, India presents a unique case. In attempting to classify it, India could be labeled a multi‐nation state, due to the immense diversity of linguistic, cultural and ethnic groups that reside within it, each with its own particular historical narrative and myths …

How Bad Will Climate Change Get?: Factors And Mechanisms Of Global Warming, Joseph F. White

Grace Allen Scholars Theses

This report attempted to answer the question, “How Bad Will Climate Change Get?”. This was accomplished by, first, presenting a current assessment on the science of Global Warming. Factors and causes were analyzed with heavy emphasis on the paleoclimate record and the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report. The report, which released in 2007, is considered by many scientists to be too optimistic and conservative as it neglects to account for various feedback mechanisms and other drivers that can impact climate. Thus, the next part of this report does a thorough and complete review of all mechanisms that can drive future climates. …

Implementation Of Low Impact Development In Modern Urbanization As Exampled Through Capstone Design, Allyson G. Risner

Grace Allen Scholars Theses

This thesis is a continuation of my Engineering Capstone Design. The design itself involves the site plan of a fictitious mixed-use development in Polk County, Florida. The initial design was completed as a group (consisting of five people) under the fabricated engineering firm Lever Engineering, LLC and was completed as if it would be submitted to the County for actual approval.

The project was designed over a 20 acre site (with an additional 10 acres available for purchase) in Winter Haven, Florida that is currently being used as a neighborhood park with several youth baseball fields. Lever Engineering was given …

A Proposal For A Student Office For Sustainability And Awareness, Frank Michael Malatesta

Grace Allen Scholars Theses

The environment has been neglected for too much of the history of industrialized society, Only now, after much damage has occurred, are nations beginning to support environmentally friendly policies and initiatives. Despite the effort, the need for change has not hit the all of thepopulation with a "Jolt." One of the best places to develop a sustainability mindset is at the University level. Universities must lead the example as the focal points of their respective communities and as the training grounds for the leaders of tommorrow. Currently, the University of South Florida falls short in the endeavor. The University lacks …

Walking The Walk: An Examination Of Āl Murrah Bedouin's Motives For Continued Nomadism, Benjamin Mehanni

Grace Allen Scholars Theses

The Āl Murrah, a Bedouin tribe in Saudi Arabia, practice nomadic pastoralism to this day. They continue to resist the pressures to settle exerted by government sponsored settlement programs, as well as the rise of a modern capitalist economy, whose growth increases the cost of living. The Āl Murrah’s motives for resisting sedentarization are based on a collectivist value system that defines a high quality of life based on accessing the desert and camels’ milk, having the freedom to decide when and where to herd their camels, and gaining the respect of their family and community. These factors are contingent …

James Joyce, Samuel Beckett, And The Confines Of Autonomous Language, David M. Vassalotti

Grace Allen Scholars Theses

The act of communication is one contingent upon successful translation. Drawings, gestures, and speech are all approximations used in order to convey ideas and information. For the most part, these methods of communication serve their purpose, but there are certain ‘things’ (for lack of a better word) which cannot be communicated through any conceivable language. Each person has their own unique set of experiences and memories. Each individual mind is unique in how it interprets a word, an action, a color, a smell, etc. If a hundred people hear the word ‘dog,’ each one will envision a different image in …

The Sustainability Of The Roman Forum, David Gargiulo

Grace Allen Scholars Theses

If walls could talk, what would the crumbling walls of the Curia Hostilia, the Temple of Venus and Roma, or any other structure in the Roman Forum tell us? Surely, tales of the glory of the Roman Empire that erected them would be told in their deserved splendor. However, the Forum Romanum tells the tales of thousands of others as well, the saga of the people who lived around those walls for more than 2000 years. For instance, the Forum’s loss of many of its marble and other stone taken by those in desperate need of building materials in the …

The Effectiveness And Efficiency Of Female Chief Executive Officers, Robin Crauthers

Grace Allen Scholars Theses

Female Chief Executive Officers lead 2.4% of the top 1000 companies in the United States (Fortune). Why does such a large gender gap exist? There are many possible reasons. However, since a public company’s goal is to increase its value and maximize its profits, the only acceptable excuse for the continued gender gap is if women CEOs are not as efficient and effective as male CEOs.

Financial ratios provide a comparison measurement of efficiency and effectiveness when compared to industry standard ratios commonly computed. This study uses current and quick ratios, inventory turnover ratios, debt to equity ratio, return on …

The Design Of An Autonomous Recycling Robot, Eric Davidson

Grace Allen Scholars Theses

For my thesis project, I worked in a team with five electrical and a mechanical engineer, to design and build an autonomous robot. This robot needs to be able to locate, collect, sort, and store to recycle beverage containers to be able to compete in the 2009 IEEE Southeast Conference Hardware Competition. The robot consists of a U-shaped base, with a robotic arm with a front-loaded shovel connected to the arm. Ultrasonic pings are then used to find and position the robot towards the container. Then front sweepers are used to sweep the container into the shovel. To realize that …