Graduate Theses and Dissertations is a collection of completed and approved graduate works. These works are collected through the Graduate School submission process and are approved by the faculty, student and the University of South Dakota. For more information please contact: grad@usd.edu and visit usd.edu/grad
Theses/Dissertations from 2023
The Impact of Immersive VR verses Desktop VR Technologies on Learning Attainment and Sense of Presence, Haley Renee Hoffman
Proteostasis & Neuroinflammation in Alzheimer's Disease, Christa C. Huber
CONNECTED GOVERNMENT: AN EXPLORATION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND KING AND STIVER’S THEORY OF CONNECTED GOVERNMENT, Lilia Iokhvidov
OF TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR AND TRANSFORMATION: ELUCIDATING GENE FUNCTION IN THE COMMON ICE PLANT, Mesembryanthemum Crystallinum, Chinenye Lilian Izuegbunam
Closing the Digital Divide: Understanding Organizational Approaches to Digital Accessibility in Higher Education, Angela Kae Jackson
Stories of Midwest Higher Education Public Safety Administrators, The Clery Act, and Keeping Campuses Safe, Bryant Jackson
Reading Utopian Pedagogies: Discovering the Practical Here and Now of Utopian Thinking, Carter Johnke
EVALUATING THE EFFECTS OF A SOCIAL SKILLS TRAINING PROGRAM FOR CHILDREN WITH ASD GENERALIZED TO A P.E. SETTING, Anissa Johns
MOLECULAR INVESTIGATION OF MINOR GENOMIC POPULATIONS AND BIOLOGICAL EXPOSURES IN HUMAN HEALTH, Brandon Ned Johnson
Trauma and the American Dream: Frictions of the Dominant Fiction in Steinbeck and Smith, Mary Johnson
The Effects of Anthropogenic Modification To the Landscape on Turtle Distribution and Health in South Dakota, Anna C. Kase
“I am Still Dakota”: Assimilation, Education, and Survival on the Lake Traverse Reservation, Katherine Victoria Kemp
A STUDY OF VERBAL RUMINATION, RELATIONSHIPS, STRESS AND IDENTITY ON HEALTH COMMUNICATION IN COLLEGIATE ATHLETICS, Landon Mary Ellen Kemp
FROM MORTARS TO MORTARBOARDS: MILITARY VETERANS TRANSITIONING FROM ACTIVE DUTY TO HIGHER EDUCATION, Joseph Alan Knoer
Investigation of bacterial infection and immunity in the body louse, Lauren Mae Kress
Promoting Well-Being Among Intercollegiate Student-Athletes: A Gratitude Intervention Using Positive Psychology, Laura Kruger
MONITORING MOVEMENT AND RANGE EXPANSION OF SILVER AND BIGHEAD CARP (HYPOPHTHALMICHTHYS MOLITRIX, H. NOBILIS) IN SOUTH DAKOTA TRIBUTARIES OF THE MISSOURI RIVER, Lindsey Ann Pearl LaBrie
INTENTIONAL MISDIAGNOSIS AND ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS OF MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELORS WORKING WITH MANAGED CARE, Emily Lake
Deadly Emotions: The Argument for Tempered Feeling in British and American Literature of Sentiment, Miranda Anne Liebsack
FUNCTIONALIZING METAL-ORGANIC SUPER-CONTAINERS (MOSCs) FOR SELECTIVE ANION RECOGNITION, Hanying Li
MITOCHONDRIAL ROLES IN DEVELOPMENTALLY PROGRAMMED HEART DISEASE, Eli John Louwagie
Molecular Biofilm Inhibitors on Noble Metal Surfaces, Mahamadu Tiah Mahama
Mathematical Analysis of Convolutional Neural Networks, Daniel McCarter
WORKING MEMORY PERFORMANCE: IS SUBJECTIVE MEASUREMENT A BETTER PREDICTOR THAN COGNITIVE LOAD?, Megan McCray
WORKING MEMORY PERFORMANCE: IS SUBJECTIVE MEASUREMENT A BETTER PREDICTOR THAN COGNITIVE LOAD?, Megan McCray
The Impact of Resilience and Professional Practice Demographics on the Professional Quality of Life of Recreational Therapists, Kelley McCubbin
ACADEMIC FREEDOM AND THEOLOGICAL COMMITMENTS IN ATS ACCREDITED INSTITUTIONS, Leon Miles
Explorations of a Topology Constructed on the Maximal Ideals of a Boolean Algebra, Abbigal Moos
DON’T PUT ALL YOUR EGGS IN ONE BASKET: INCREASING SURVIVORSHIP IN A HEADSTARTING PROGRAM FOR THE ENDANGERED HINE’S EMERALD DRAGONFLY (SOMATOCHLORA HINEANA), Lauren Michelle Morris
MENTORING DEEP LEARNING MODELS FOR MASS SCREENING WITH LIMITED DATA, Suprim Nakarmi
THE EDUCATOR’S EXPERIENCE INCORPORATING BLENDED LEARNING IN A SECONDARY CLASSROOM, Kiki Nelsen
TEACHER RETENTION: PERCEPTIONS OF TEACHERS AND SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION IN RURAL SCHOOLS IN NEBRASKA, Andrew Offner
Growing up Ghanaian: The Well-being of Ghanaian Children in the United States and Ghana, Akua Bemma Opoku
Adaptation to Sport Retirement in Division I Student-Athletes, Andrea Cota Powell
ANALYZING PULMONARY ABNORMALITY WITH SUPERPIXEL BASED GRAPH NEURAL NETWORKS IN CHEST X-RAY, Ronaj Pradhan
Redeeming Femininity: A Steinian Catholic Feminist Reading of Flannery O'Connor's Short Fiction, Amanda Pugh
Correlation of Motivations to view Facebook Video Advertisements with Willingness to View Future Advertisements, Mokhlisur Rahman
DEVELOPMENT OF NOVEL HPGe DETECTOR FOR RARE EVENT PHYSICS, Mathbar Singh Raut
FACTORS INFLUENCING HARD RUNNING DISTANCES IN NCAA DIVISION I FEMALE SOCCER PLAYERS, Isaac A. Sam
Integrated STEM Learning Activity: Effect on Student Engagement and Learning, Leslie Deitrich Sauder
Teacher Retention: Retaining Teachers in High-Needs, Urban Secondary Schools in a Midwest State Post-Pandemic, Christopher Kenneth Schmit
Inkjet Printing of SERS-based Inks for Covert Anti-Counterfeiting Labels, Erin E. Schnetzer
POSITIVE BEHAVIOR INTERVENTION AND SUPPORTS (PBIS): IMPROVING STAFF BUY-IN WITH PBIS IN A RURAL DISTRICT IN THE MIDWEST, Christena Schultz
INDUCTION AND MENTORING PROGRAMS: PATHWAYS TO NEW TEACHER RETENTION AND SUCCESS, Valerie Kim Seales
An examination of Pell grant recipient graduation rates and institutional expenditures at public baccalaureate institutions, Lamont Alphonso Sellers
Background Discrimination of a Neutrino Detector with Dense Neural Networks, Perry Siehien
DYNAMIC LUMINESCENCE OF LEAD DOPED CALCIUM ZINC GERMANATE FOR ANTI-COUNTERFEITING, Levi Spencer
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SECURITY CONCERNS FOR UNIVERSITY WORKFORCE AND SUPPORTING INFRASTRUCTURE DURING A PANDEMIC, Garrett Stevens
MULTIMODAL LEARNING: GENERATING PRECISE CHEST X-RAY REPORT ON THORAX ABNORMALITY, Gaurab Subedi
MULTIMODAL LEARNING: GENERATING PRECISE CHEST X-RAY REPORT ON THORAX ABNORMALITY, Gaurab Subedi
The Effectiveness of the Teaching Interaction Procedure for Young Children with Developmental Delay, Bailey Nicole Swain
Childhood Maltreatment and Suicidal Ideation: The Role of Insecure Attachment, Alexithymia, and Negative Urgency., Surabhi Swaminath
Attachment Network Structures and Adult Mental Health, Junnan Tian
Utilizing the Alternative Model of Personality Disorders (AMPD) to Identify Sexual Aggression in Men, Ryan Van Fossen
The complex art of wearing multiple hats: A case study analysis of dual-role administrators in rural school districts, Abi Van Regenmorter
ESTABLISHING A SENSE OF COMMUNITY WHILE MEETING THE NEEDS OF ONLINE ADJUNCT INSTRUCTORS, Melissa Weber
Disconnected, frustrated and withdrawn: Institutional policy implications for equity in student and faculty community, Jessica Marie Welsh
DEVELOPING MESOPOROUS SILICA NANOPARTICLE-BASED STIMULI-RESPONSIVE NANOCARRIERS FOR DELIVERY OF SMALL MOLECULE THERAPEUTICS AGAINST COLON CANCER CELLS, Nisitha Lakmal Wellala Wijewantha
DOCUMENTING RANGE EXPANSION OF TWO INVASIVE TICK (ACARI:IXODIDAE) SPECIES IN EASTERN SOUTH DAKOTA, Braden Wojahn
DOCUMENTING RANGE EXPANSION OF TWO INVASIVE TICK (ACARI:IXODIDAE) SPECIES IN EASTERN SOUTH DAKOTA, Braden Wojahn
CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE MENTAL HEALTH: PROVIDING FOR MIDWESTERN HISPANIC/LATINX COMMUNITIES, Sara Leila Zare
Theses/Dissertations from 2022
BiofilmGeneSet: Leveraging Multi-Omics Data Mining and ICA To Discover Biofilm Stage Genes of Interest from Condition-Specific Expression Dataset, Mathew Olakunle Alaba
2D respiratory sound analysis to detect lung abnormalities, Rafia Sharmin Alice
Use of Threat Assessment in South Dakota Schools, Damon Alvey
A Mixed Methods Approach to Understanding Participant Perspectives on Return of Individual Research Results, Jyoti Angal
A JOB-DEMAND RESOURCE THEORY AND PSYCHOLOGICAL FLEXIBILITY INTEGRATED MODEL OF POLICE OFFICER BURNOUT, Lucas David Baker
Cosmogenically-induced backgrounds in LEGEND, Clay Douglas Barton
MOLECULAR GENETIC INVESTIGATION OF TWINS, FAMILIES, AND POPULATIONS, Jeffrey John Beck
ENCOURAGING PERSISTENCE AMONG NATIVE AMERICAN NURSING STUDENTS BY FOSTERING CULTURAL IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT AT A PREDOMINANTLY WHITE UNIVERSITY, Valeriah Rose Big Eagle
INVESTIGATING THE ROLE OF PHONOLOGICAL AWARENESS IN THE TRAINING OF PHONETIC TRANSCRIPTION WITH SLP STUDENTS, Jennifer Kay Binkley
FEMALE SUPERINTENDENTS AND NEGOTIATIONS: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY OF THE INFLUENCE OF GENDER IN THE MIDWEST, Kathryn R. Blaha
Analyzing the academic achievement of secondary virtual learners during the COVID-19 pandemic: A mixed methods case study, Christina Kaye Board
Ecological Changes of the Lower Niobrara River Valley and Lewis and Clark Lake Delta from Past to Present, Madalyn Christine Bollig
The Ellows, Julie Boutwell-Peterson
Understanding how different personality models can predict non-suicidal self-injurious behaviors, Rachel Chavin
THE DERIVATION OF GEOLOGIC ECOSYSTEM SERVICES FROM GEODIVERSITY IN THE BLACK HILLS REGION OF SOUTH DAKOTA AND WYOMING, James Campbell Cooke
Abomination, Elias Joel Donstad and Anneliese Donstad
Density Functional Theory of Samarium(II) Reactivity in THF and Water, Parisa Fasihianifard
DEVELOPMENT OF A TARGETED DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEM FOR INTRACRANIAL ATHEROSLEROTIC DISEASE, Kirby Fuglsby
DEEP FEATURES TO ANALYZE PULMONARY ABNORMALITIES IN CHEST X-RAYS DUE TO COVID-19, Supriti Ghosh
Challenges to Career as a Source of Meaning and Satisfaction Among Certified Athletic Trainers in the United States of America, Nicole Marie Glasgow
Semiconducting polymer dots-based ratiometric fluorescent probes for detection of biomarkers, Shuyi He
INITIAL IMPLEMENTATION OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL SYSTEMS OF SUPPORT FOR ANISHINAABE KINDERGARTENERS: STUDENT OUTCOMES AND TEACHER PERCEPTIONS, Dustin Everett Hinckley
FRAMEWORK FOR THE EVALUATION OF PERTURBATIONS IN THE SYSTEMS BIOLOGY LANDSCAPE AND INTER-SAMPLE SIMILARITY FROM TRANSCRIPTOMIC DATASETS — A DIGITAL TWIN PERSPECTIVE, Mariah Marie Hoffman
FINES, FEES, RACE, AND SOCIOECONOMIC DISADVANTAGE, Joshua D. Houy
Psychological Functioning and Community Support in Adolescents Exposed to a School Shooting, Jessica Taylor Kelly
User Experience in the Visual Notifications on Smart Devices, Young Ae Kim
ELECTRON DEFICIENT FLUOROARENES: BRIDGING DEOXYFLUORINATION AND ANION-π INTERACTIONS TO PRODUCE NEW FLUORINATION REAGENTS, Jordan Houston Kramer
THE IMPACT OF USING POW+ TREE WITH HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WITH ADHD: STORY WRITING AND PERCEPTIONS, Katie Page Kroeze
IDENTIFYING THE IMPACT OF ONLINE TOOLKIT TRAINING ON PARAPROFESSIONALS IN TWO RURAL STATES, Kyle William Laughlin
Confined In (Patri)Architecture: How Gothic and Horror Literature Exposes Ongoing Violence and Oppression Against Women, Clara A. MacIlravie Cañas
Analyzing Cough Sounds for the Evidence of Covid-19 using Deep Learning Models, Muntasir Mamun