Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

A Narrative-Restorative Framework For Addressing School Bullying, Tristan Patel, Michelle Myers, Daniel Stewart

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

Bullying in schools is often addressed through punitive deterrence practices, solution-focused counseling, or restorative conferencing. These approaches often fail to recognize or account for the power imbalance that ultimately sustains bullying. This article discusses a narrative-restorative intervention to address bullying as a relational and communal issue, rather than relying on isolation or deterrence practices. The limitations of the dominant models discussed highlight the role of power in shaping bullying dynamics and connect legal and ethical responsibilities of narrative-restorative practices. Situated within the framework of California education law and professional ethical standards, at its core, undercover anti-bullying teams aim to redistribute …

Investigation Of Bio-Inspired Design Tools In Satellites, Spoorti Nanjamma

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

This study investigates the application of Biologically Inspired Design (BID) tools within student-led satellite design teams, with the goal of enhancing early-stage systems engineering practices. As CubeSat missions become increasingly complex and resource-constrained, there is a need for approaches that support innovative yet structured problem-solving. While BID has shown promise in other engineering domains, its practical integration into satellite design, remains limited. To address this gap, three interactive workshops were developed and implemented with a Embry-Riddle Aeronautical university CubeSat team – Project COMET. The first workshop focused on functional decomposition, guiding students to express subsystem behavior in verb–noun form and …

Human-Centered Modeling Of Traffic As A Complex System, Poorendra P. Ramlall

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Traffic systems are driven not only by motion, but by interaction: vehicles influence one another, drivers continuously adapt to surrounding behaviour, and cognitive processes shape decisions that can propagate through the flow of traffic. Understanding these layered interactions is essential for improving traffic safety and for designing the next generation of intelligent, connected, and automated transportation systems. This PhD research develops a multiscale, data-driven framework for identifying, modelling, and ultimately interpreting interaction structure in traffic systems. The work first established an information-theoretic basis for this problem, demonstrating how information flow can uncover directional relationships in traffic dynamics and help infer …

Artificial Intelligence (Ai) In Mental Health: Perceptions Of Ai Therapists, Ulker Yusupova

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

This study explores how people perceive Artificial Intelligence (AI) therapists compared to human therapists, focusing on differences in empathy, effectiveness, and competence. As AI tools like ChatGPT and mental health chatbots become more commonly used for emotional support, it is important to understand how users evaluate them in comparison to human professionals. To begin addressing this, in the first part of the study, participants reviewed therapist-client conversation transcripts and identified whether they believed the therapist was human or AI-generated, helping us validate the materials for the main study. Notably, initial findings suggest that participants frequently relied more on surface-level language …

Is It Safe To Speak Up? A Theoretical Examination Of The Measurement Of Psychological Safety, Carissa Aumack

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

When working with teams, certain factors will dictate whether they function well or not, with one such factor being psychological safety. Psychological safety (PS) is determined by a shared belief that, within the team, it is safe to take interpersonal risks (Edmonson, 1999). This definition does not entirely encapsulate the concept of PS, as it focuses on the concept as a team-based belief and does not consider how individual beliefs of PS can differ from the collective. A cursory literature review was conducted (8 articles related to PS), and based on the findings, a nomological network (i.e., a representation of …

Quantitative Analysis Of A Single Operator’S Flight Behavior In Simulation, Zackrey Schraeder

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS), or more commonly known as drones, have become increasingly used for a variety of applications, and more research has emerged studying the human-machine interaction and pilot performance metrics. Current research focuses on desired behaviors or aggregated pilot data which does not provide a holistic picture of an individual pilot’s flight behaviors, which are shaped by their own experience, preferences, and risk tolerance. The study investigates whether an individual pilot’s flight behaviors can be considered a pattern or if there is enough flight-to-flight variability to consider the behaviors inconsistent. A series of 20 flights were conducted in …

Assessing Attachment To Ai: Understanding The Theoretical Correlations And Consequences, Brianna Broderick

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Current research on Artificial Intelligence (AI) focuses on its capabilities and our understanding of it as an instrumental tool (i.e., utility completing tasks). However, as its ability to replicate natural language improves through both text and voice, an ever-growing number of users have turned to AI for emotional companionship. Concern grows as prior research on technology dependency suggests AI bonding may lead to less interaction with others and, in extreme circumstances, has already led to cases of suicide and divorce. Kasturiaratna & Hartanto (2025) developed the AI Attachment (AIA) scale, consisting of three factors, which include: emotional closeness (i.e., personal …

Exploring Generation Z Pilots' Approach To Training Automation: An Interview Study, Mary Bender

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Introduction. Today's pilots learn to fly on aircraft with sophisticated automated systems, such as the G1000. Although automation can reduce workload, over-relying on this technology can lead to decreased situational awareness, complacency, and a loss in manual flying skills (Parasuraman, 2000; Parasuraman et al., 2000; Parasuraman & Wickens, 2017; Taylor et al., 2020). Instructor pilots, in turn, are faced with the challenge of teaching students how to leverage a system that can affect their performance, both positively and negatively. The purpose of this study was to explore the strategies and challenges that instructor pilots face when training students on automation. …

Motivational Outsourcing: Ai, Self-Determination, And The Changing Nature Of Adult Learning, Zoe Spanos

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly embedded into adult learning and higher education, serving not only as a support tool for cognitive aid but also as a system that can shape how learners regulate their motivation and engagement. This presentation examines how the use of AI in adult learning contexts may support or undermine self-determined motivation, drawing from Self-Determination Theory (SDT). It is a conceptual paper that draws on existing literature and theoretical analysis, examining AI reliance from minimal use to full automation across SDT's three basic psychological needs: autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Motivation is essential for learning, but the quality …

Why Are Motorcyclist Fatalities Increasing?, Caroline Deck, Ana Cruz Beltrami, Riley Curran, Crystal Cutler

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, from 2019 to 2023 there was a 26% increase of motorcycle crash deaths. In 2023, motorcycle crashes accounted for 15.5% of all crash fatalities in the United States, despite accounting for 3% of registered vehicles. This literature review investigates the contributing factors to the increasing motorcycle fatality rates. In this review, rider characteristics, vehicle factors, roadway environments, and policy are examined for contributions to increased risk. Previous literature has primarily focused on behavioral and demographic factors when investigating this problem. However, evidence suggests that the conditions affecting crash severity and survivability have …

Is Lane Splitting/Lane Filtering Safe Or Dangerous?, Anastacio Doucas Nolas, Sierra Juliano, Shawn De La Osa, Kimberly R. Williamson

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

This course-based research project examines whether lane splitting and lane filtering are inherently dangerous or whether their safety depends on human factors and traffic conditions. Using published crash, behavioral, and policy literature, the project compares how these motorcycle maneuvers affect riders and other road users across different roadway environments. The analysis distinguishes lane splitting, which occurs between moving lanes of traffic, from lane filtering, which typically occurs at low speeds in stopped or slow traffic queues. Findings suggest that safety cannot be explained by the maneuver alone. Instead, outcomes are shaped by speed differential, driver perception failures, rider workload, intersection …

Catalyst: A Unified Framework For Orbital Debris Risk, Conjunction Analysis, And Space Policy, Tyler Barr

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Catalyst is an analyst grade mission console and offline simulation service that operationalizes the Embry Riddle MIT Orbital Capacity Assessment Toolbox Monte Carlo (E-MOCAT-MC) for Space Situational Awareness (SSA) aligned assessment, connecting scenario assumptions to time tagged events, quantitative stability indicators, and evidence preserving exports. E-MOCAT-MC serves as the authoritative generator of seeded scenario runs under explicit configuration control, ingesting locally served Two Line Element sets (TLEs) and persisting each run as a structured record containing configuration data, stochastic seeds, event logs, derived metrics, and replayable artifacts for deterministic analysis. Unlike systems that primarily visualize TLEs and object tracks, Catalyst …

Ai-Based Pilot Fatigue Monitoring For Enhanced Aviation Safety, Joshua Henderson, Alexander Landau, Braxton Moor, Jacky Yang, Caleb Difabio

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Pilot fatigue remains a persistent systemic operational hazard in commercial aviation because it can degrade attention, reaction time, decision-making, and crew coordination during safety-critical phases of flight. Although regulatory duty-time limits and Fatigue Risk Management Systems provide baseline protections, these controls rely heavily on voluntary reporting and post-event analysis, which may fail to detect fatigue in real time. The purpose of this project was to design and evaluate an artificial intelligence-enabled fatigue monitoring concept intended to reduce undetected pilot fatigue risk within the airline Safety Management System framework. The study applied a structured research approach including a literature review to …

Human Factors Challenges In Automated Flight Operations, Jorge Ivan Gonzalez Rivera, Zoe Guyette, Emma Hatten, Katie Huynh, Benjamin Marsh

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Automation complacency, a critical aviation hazard, is commonly seen amongst flight crews in high-automation commercial flight decks. This issue occurs when over-reliance on automated systems leads to a decline in manual flying expertise and situational awareness, posing a severe risk of loss of control in-flight (LOC-I) and catastrophic accidents. To bridge the safety gap between current operational demands for efficiency and the regulatory requirement for pilot proficiency, this study proposes the Manual Flight Compliance and Monitoring System (MFCMS). This solution integrates engineering and administrative controls to reduce automation-related risks by mandating 15 minutes of manual flight per hour during cruise …

Multimodal Interpretation Of Pilot–Controller Communications For Runway Safety Assurance And Enhanced Atc Situational Awareness., Chaebin Song, Juin Park

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Recent runway safety events have highlighted the importance of accurate and timely interpretation of pilot–controller communications, especially in complex airport environments where aircraft and ground vehicles interact on or near active movement areas. In light of the recent LaGuardia Airport collision, which has drawn attention to communication, coordination, and surface safety challenges, this project investigates how multimodal data can support air traffic controllers’ situational awareness and safety assurance. This study develops an in-progress framework that combines Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) of pilot–controller radio communications with ADS-B trajectory data to improve interpretation of operational intent and cross-check communications against observed aircraft …

Applying The Hfacs Framework: A Case Study Of Air Florida Flight 90, Ashley Perez-Galvan, Cenk Altinkum, Ryan Hunt

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Applying the HFACS Framework: A Case Study of Air Florida Flight 90 Abstract   This study applies the Human Factors Analysis and Classification System (HFACS), a widely used safety framework for identifying human and organizational contributors to accidents to examine the crash of Air Florida Flight 90 crash on January 13, 1982. The accident occurred shortly after takeoff from Washington National Airport during severe winter weather, when the aircraft failed to gain sufficient lift and impacted a bridge before entering the Potomac River.   The goal this analysis is to understand how multiple layers of human and organizational factors contributed to this …

The Impact Of Environmental Contributing Factors In Spatial Disorientation And Non-Spatial Disorientation Related General Aviation Accidents, Victoria Cornaro, Molly Mersinger

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

The Impact of Environmental Contributing Factors in Spatial Disorientation and Non-Spatial Disorientation Related General Aviation Accidents   Spatial disorientation (SD) is an inherent risk of flying and with a high risk of resulting in a fatal accident (Gibbs et al, 2011). SD related accidents occur when a pilot’s perception of the aircraft altitude, position, or relative motion conflict with reality (Benson, 1999). SD accidents are significantly more likely to result in a fatality than non-SD cases. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of different contributing factors on SD and non-SD general aviation accidents. We used the NTSB …

Customization That Clicks: Human Factors Evaluation Of A User-Centered Vehicle Customization System, Noah Clark, Shawn Mathura, Sarah Bailey, Paul Seal, Brandon Ibarra, Kailey Hrbek, Carissa Aumack, Kevin Sun, Olivia Honan, Kelly Nguyen, Caroline Deck, Brandon D. Dreslin

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Older adults (OAs) and drivers with disabilities (DwDs) often encounter challenges when customizing vehicle features (e.g., seat adjustment, lighting, climate control) because existing human-machine interfaces (HMIs) may not be designed to accommodate diverse sensory, motor, and cognitive capabilities. HarmonIQ is a biometric-based, user-centered vehicle customization system designed to improve accessibility and inclusivity for OAs and DwDs, developed by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) in collaboration with Bethune-Cookman University (BCU). This research, supported in part by the EcoCAR Electric Vehicle Challenge, builds on Fall 2024 proofs-of-concept and Spring 2025 initial development of HarmonIQ and its components, namely the driver profile software and …

Simplified Flight Controls For Urban Air Mobility (Uam), Sierra Martinez, Frank Cunningham Iv, Nicole Giordano, Olivia Honan, Katie Stubits, Heather Bond, Paul Seal, Brandon Ibarra

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Air taxis are meant to perform short-distance, lower-altitude flights in challenging terrain- whether it be maneuvering around skyscrapers in urban areas, or for emergency responders in remote, difficult to access areas. It is paramount that the control system is intuitive and user friendly, since air taxi pilots will likely receive less training than commercial airline pilots. The Human Factors Department is working to advance Urban Air Mobility (UAM) initiatives by evaluating alternative inceptors (ie. control systems) that might be used in Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) air taxi designs. The controller itself needs to have specific and distinct enough operations …

Beyond The Indicators: Community-Defined Sustainability In Bario, Sarawak, Rhonwyn Hagedorn

Capstone Collection

This study examines how Kelabit community members in Bario, Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo define and practice sustainability within community-based tourism (CBT), and how these local understandings align with or diverge from the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The study used a thematic analysis drawing on fifteen semi-structured interviews with Kelabit community members, supplemented by tourist questionnaires and document analysis of online tourism materials. Four themes emerged: sustainability as collective stewardship; community decision-making and collaboration; cultural identity as the core of tourism; and equity, participation, and the limits of growth. Findings suggest that Kelabit community members hold a holistic, relational, and …

The "3 A'S" Of Sport Specialization: Emerging Themes To Characterize Athletes' Sport Participation Pathway Decisions, Adelaide F. Stark, Justin S. Disanti Ph.D.

Undergraduate Research and Scholarship Symposium

In this study, former youth sport participants were grouped by their developmental sport pathways (i.e., if they specialized and when they specialized over the course of their participation) to identify emerging themes regarding why they chose their respective pathway, as well as how this impacted their sport experience. 948 participants completed a retrospective survey measure detailing their sport histories. Based on their specialization trajectory across their sport involvement (i.e., during elementary school, middle school, and high school) participants were sorted into three participation pathways – Early Specialization, Late Specialization, or Continued Multi-sport. Participants responded to open-ended questions about their decision-making …

Ctamj Forum On Mshsl Activities: Speech, Kathleen Walker, Scott Voss, Tanner Sunderman, Rebecca Meyer-Larson

Communication and Theater Association of Minnesota Journal

The CTAM Journal seeks to raise up voices from notable interest groups. Occasionally, individuals are asked to share their thoughts on issues that pertain to the target readership of CTAMJ.

For this special forum, four coaches share their voices on Minnesota State High School Speech: Kathleen Walker (Fairmont), Scott Voss (Apple Valley), Tanner Sunderman (Mounds Park), and Rebecca Meyer-Larson (Moorhead).

Everything I Learned About Teacher Noticing I Learned From Yoga Teacher Training, Grace Giorgio

Communication and Theater Association of Minnesota Journal

The following activity promotes teacher noticing as a pedagogical tool for teachers in training, with a focus on the public speaking classroom. Many students enter the public speaking classroom filled with performance anxiety and fears of how their peers will perceive them. When a teacher can tap into these concerns via by noticing how students are reacting in the moment, they can assuage those anxieties and fears. Hence, teaching instructors effective teacher noticing in teacher training improves the classroom experience for teachers and students alike.

The Chameleon Experience: Queer Identity, Mental Health, And Transformation, Cameron Penny

Communication and Theater Association of Minnesota Journal

In this autoethnographic piece, I examine the correlation between queer identity and mental health through reflective analysis of my own experiences within a Western socio-cultural setting. I expand external perspectives on the queer experience by highlighting the normalization of queer prejudice and its adverse impact on self-image. I share how the religious praxis of Catholicism enforces binary conformity by promoting dichotomous thinking that simultaneously constricts queer expression and subjugates implicit biases. In tandem, I utilize autoethnography as my medium because it provides a unique outlet to raise awareness for chronically stigmatized identities by centering marginalized voices (Atay, 2011; Chavez, 2013). …

Best Practices And An Agenda For Research In Benefits Communication, Kristi Egbert, Anne Kerber

Communication and Theater Association of Minnesota Journal

Benefits communication is information an employer/organization provides to employees about the types of benefit plans offered and information about them (i.e., health insurance, retirement, vacation time). Despite its importance to jobs across all sectors of the workforce, there is a dearth of current academic research regarding benefits communication. This paper defines benefits communication, examines its impact on organizations and workers, and explores existing research on best practices. Findings underscore the complexity of benefits material and emphasize the need for simpler and clearer language, employee-preferred formats, and adequate time for employees to review information and receive guidance from a knowledgeable source. …

State Of The World: Presidential Rhetoric At The United Nations, Jason A. Edwards, Zoe Hess Carney, Kory Hoyt

Communication and Theater Association of Minnesota Journal

In 1982, President Reagan spoke to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) for the first time. In doing so, Reagan established a presidential tradition that, we argue, created a new genre of presidential rhetoric. Like the State of the Union speech, presidents, in this address, outline their vision for U.S. foreign policy and global politics for the coming year. Specifically, presidents mediate on the history and values of the United Nations, assess the current state of global affairs, and offer policy recommendations to deal with those issues. Examining presidential rhetoric at the United Nations offers a heuristic to understand U.S. …

Communication & Theater Association Of Minnesota Journal, Volume 49, Issue 1, 2026

Communication and Theater Association of Minnesota Journal

Volume 49, Issue 1 (2026) of the Communication & Theater Association of Minnesota Journal.

Growth, Governance, And Organizational Crisis In Nonprofit Rowing Club: Failures In Leadership In A Growing Organization, Noah Legendre, Ehren R. Green

The COSMA Journal

This case explores governance and leadership challenges within a growing nonprofit sport organization governed by a volunteer board of directors. Within this case, the Litchberg Valley Rowing Club (LVRC), a rowing organization in a small community, experienced rapid growth in membership, financial resources, and competitive success. Despite this growth, the organization maintained informal governance structures and policies to guide its decision-making. In this case, the board of directors elected to terminate the head coach because of difficult contract negotiations and other issues at hand. This decision was met with public backlash, raising concerns about club leadership and the future of …

Amplifying Community Voices In Climate Policy: Attitudes On Climate Change And Decarbonization In Cache County, Cristina Chirvasa, Rivkah Haubner, Stacia Ryder

Transforming Communities

Climate change is altering global ecosystems and imperiling human health, but knowledge of these impacts does not always translate into adaptation and mitigation action. Many solutions fall under decarbonization, or the reduction and capture of atmospheric carbon. These actions are increasingly developed at more localized, sub-state levels. Thus, understanding the attitudes of Cache County, Utah, residents, including students and faculty at Utah State University, toward different decarbonization techniques will be important to building successful climate action plans and policies. Here, as part of a large-scale collaborative group of different on-campus departments and community partners, we held focus groups to examine …

Children Second Dialect Acquisition In North America, Iqbal Nurul Azhar, Mohammad Halili

Bahasa dan Seni: Jurnal Bahasa, Sastra, Seni, dan Pengajarannya

This article aims to examine the causes, social contributing factors, and the linguistic consequences of Second Dialect Acquisition (SDA henceforth) in children in North America, drawing on relevant articles. For children growing up in a monolingual region but then must live in a new space, acquiring second dialect can pave them to improve their communication skills, adjust their social and identity belonging. Yet why, how, and the linguistic consequence of SDA require further studies. We used the thematic synthesis in reviewing the existing related literature based on three steps: article identification, selection, and analysis. Six causes of SDA were found: …