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 2025
EUGENOL LOADED CALCIUM CITRATE PARTICLE AS A pH TRIGGERED DRUG RELEASE SYSTEM AND A REDUCING AGENT FOR Au (III), Sadia Afrin
The Relationship Between Superintendent Servant Leadership Behavior and Principal Job Satisfaction in South Dakota, Matthew Alley
BENEFITS OF A HYBRID LEARNING ENVIRONMENT ON WORK-LIFE BALANCE, Thomas Robert Anez
Synthesis, Characterization, and Ligation Behavior of Pyridine-based Dipyrazolyl Ligand, Michael Annor
IMPLEMENTING LEARNING WALKS: AN ACTION RESEARCH STUDY IN A PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL, Kay Bass
SOCIAL ANXIETY AND CANNABIS USE CONTEXT, Brooke Beckius
SOUTH DAKOTA'S PATH FORWARD: EDUCATION PROFESSIONALS ON FORMAL FREE-STANDING SEL COMPETENCY STANDARDS, Kirsten Biersbach
HYPOTHALAMIC PARAVENTRICULAR NUCLEUS G⍺q/G⍺s AND RGS2 SIGNALING PATHWAYS MEDIATE SYMPATHOEXCITATION AND SODIUM RETENTION IN HYPERTENSION, Shane Harold Boomer
Voices from Within: Understanding Native American Student Journeys in Predominantly White Institutions: A Phenomenological & Autoethnographic Study, Collette Bowman
MECHANOCHEMICAL SYNTHESIS OF GERMANATE PHOSPHORS FOR LUMINESCENCE-BASED DATA ENCRYPTION, Zachary Burmood
Elucidating the non-shivering thermogenesis response in the Black-capped chickadee (Poecile atricapillus), Sweta Chand
SYNTHESIS AND LUMINESCENCE STUDIES OF EUROPIUM DOPED ZINC LEAD GERMANATE PHOSPHORS, Anika Nawar Chowdhury
Educational Trouble In Paradise: Student Perception of Teaching Behaviors and It's Relation to Intrinsic Motivation and Academic Achievement, David McHale Davis
Advocacy in School Psychology: Insights from a National Survey of Practices, Challenges, and Future Directions, Catherine Falk
INSTRUCTIONAL COACH EVALUATION: CO-REFINING AN EVALUATION TOOL FOR IMPROVED FEEDBACK, Charles Folsom
Partners in Death: Introducing an Ethic of Care to Online Funeral Home Rhetoric, Lindsay Catherine Gagnon
Upward Distortion and Organizational Culture, Benjamin Gellerman
SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING IN OUT-OF-SCHOOL TIME SETTINGS: A MIXED METHODS INVESTIGATION OF PERCEIVED NEED, Kaitlin Halbert
Amplified Voices of Students in Higher Education: Support and Artificial Intelligence Use, Shanice Merlene Hall
UNVEILING UNIVERSAL MENTAL HEALTH SCREENING: SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS’ PERSPECTIVES, PRACTICES, AND THE ROLE OF DEMOGRAPHICS, Gracie Taylor Hansen
Mobility-Stress Dynamics: What Audit Scores Can Tell Us About Mobility Patterns and Stress, Mason Hatwan
THE STUDY OF KNEE AND ANKLE SAGITTAL PLANE ANGLES FOR ON-COURT VERSUS OFF-COURT CUTTING, Alexi Rebecca Hempe
TIDAL LOVE NUMBERS FOR A NON-ROTATING TWO-FLUID NEUTRON STAR: INTERIOR SOLUTION, Gregory G Jaurequi
CALCIUM CARBONATE MICROPARTICLES AS ACID RESPONSIVE TARGETED DRUG DELIVERY CARRIERS FOR ORAL DISEASES AND ITS ANTI-BACTERIAL ACTIVITY, Hem Raj Joshi
SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF TRIPLY DOPED UPCONVERSION NANOPARTICLES FOR ANTI-COUNTERFEITING APPLICATIONS, GOPALA KRISHNA MURTHY KALAPALA
Mental Fatigue Effect On Joint Repositioning, Collin Kehrwald
Design and Validation of a Multiple Axis, Passive 3D-printed Ankle-Foot Prosthetic for Functional Gait, Brogan Rene Landeen
THE EFFECTS OF A GAME-BASED SOCIAL SKILLS INTERVENTION ON SOCIAL SKILLS ACQUISTION FOR AUTISTIC YOUTH IN TRAINING AND GENERALIZED SETTINGS, Sales Libby Ann
Leveraging CRISPR technology to model Beta-propeller Protein Associated Neurodegeneration and explore mechanisms of neurological dysfunction, Brandon Lee Meyerink
SECONDARY SCHOOL LEADERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF THEIR ROLE IN MITIGATING CYBERBULLYING, Masey Pechholt
THE LIVED EXPERIENCES OF FATHERS WITH TRANSGENDER CHILDREN UNDER 18 IN STATES BANNING GENDER-AFFIRMING CARE, Ashley Perez
Death on the Hill, Katie Piper
RECRUITMENT, REPROGRAMMING, AND FUNCTION OF TRPV1+ SENSORY NERVES IN THE DEVELOPMENT AND PROGRESSION OF HEAD AND NECK CANCER, Anthony Restaino
Body size distributions of riverine freshwater plankton communities, Staci Ann Reynolds
Barbara Strozzi (1619-1677): Empowerment in the Life and Madrigals of the Venetian Virtuosa, Abigail Rockhill Beckler
Will This Be Graded? A Multiple Case Study Analysis of High School Principals’ and Teachers’ Grading Beliefs, Adam Rudebusch
MARKERLESS MOTION CAPTURE HARDWARE FOR INTEGRATION INTO COMPACT SPACES FOR CLINICAL MOVEMENT ASSESSMENTS, Ryan Rykhus
PERCEPTIONS OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE USE TO ENHANCE FEEDBACK FOR PRESERVICE TEACHERS DURING FIELD EXPERIENCES, Betsy Schamber
THE ROLE OF GRADES ON LEARNING IN HIGHER EDUCATION, Kindra Schneider
Investigating Trauma-Informed Practices Impact on Teacher Well-Being and Burnout, Philip Walter Schonebaum
Advancing Nucleophilic Fluorination: Synthesis of Alcohol Intermediates and Development of “Naked” Fluoride Source, Amit Sharma
HYDROGEN PEROXIDE PRODUCTION FROM LIGHT-DRIVEN WATER OXIDATION VIA NICKEL OXIDE-TITANIUM DIOXIDE HETERONANOCRYSTALS, Mahfuz Ahammed Swadhen
AMERICAN INDIAN SURVIVORS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND SELF-PERCEIVED MENTAL HEALTH AFTER SEEKING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SERVICES, Arial Swallow
CHILDHOOD BETRAYAL TRAUMA, PSYCHOPATHY, AND PTSD: THE ROLE OF AMBIGUITY TOLERANCE, DISTRESS TOLERANCE, AND IMPULSE CONTROL DIFFICULTIES IN A COLLEGE SAMPLE., Surabhi Swaminath
EXAMINING HOW CHILDREN AND PARENTS PERCEIVE CHILD MEDICAL PROCEDURES AND THE IMPACT ON PSYCHOLOGICAL WELLBEING, Jessy Thomas
Alexander and the Influence of Aretē, Alex Toupal
BLATTELLA GERMANICA AS A VECTOR OF SALMONELLA TYPHIMURIUM, Matthew Turner
The Third Person Effect: Misinformation and Disinformation of News on Racism, Jody-Ann Kadine Tyson
INVESTIGATION OF MULTIPLE FACTORS INFLUENCING THE VECTOR-BORNE TRANSMISSION OF SALMONELLA TYPHIMURIUM VIA BLATTELLA GERMANICA, Landen Sean Van Hulzen
CHILDHOOD BETRAYAL TRAUMA AND SUICIDAL IDEATION: THE ROLE OF EARLY MALADAPTIVE SCHEMAS AND INTERPERSONAL PROBLEMS, Christine Yost
Cold War Karl Mundt: the Utility of Anticommunism during the Eightieth Congress, Wattier Zachary
EFFECTS OF MENTAL FATIGUE ON GAIT PERFORMANCE AND VARIABILITY, Ali Zardosht
A Phenomenological Study of Hispanic and Latinx Community Mental Health Care Providers, Sara Zare
CONVERGENCE IN CANCER: INTEGRATIVE MULTI-MODAL MODELING FOR PAN-CANCER DRUG RESPONSE PREDICTION, Jessica Zylla
Theses/Dissertations from 2024
EXPLORING THE EXPERIENCE AND IDENTITY OF ASSOCIATED FACULTY TEACHING IN A DOCTOR OF PHYSICAL THERAPY PROGRAM, Catherine A Bilyeu
MYOKINE PROBDNF-P75NTR SIGNALING IN SKELETAL MUSCLE INJURY AND STERILE INFLAMMATION, Katherine Aby
DEVELOPMENT OF LOW THRESHOLD GERMANIUM DETECTORS FOR THE SEARCH OF LOW MASS DARK MATTER, Pramod Acharya
ONLINE PERCEIVED SOCIAL SUPPORT AND ITS ASSOCIATION WITH PSYCHOPATHOLOGY IN RURAL AND URBAN YOUTH, Ellen Alexandra Knowles
Traumatic Stress, Sexual Abuse-Related Shame Severity, and Participation in Commercialized Sex Based on Childhood Sexual Abuse, Barbara Ann Bailey
THE EFFECTS OF THE VIDEO MODELING PRODUCT GEMIINI© ON VERBAL RESPONSE PRODUCTION OF INDIVIDUALS WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER WHO ARE NONSPEAKING OR MINIMALLY SPEAKING, Miranda Ann Galvin
The role of UCHL1 in skeletal muscle development and regeneration, Ryan Antony
CHARACTERIZING SEX DIFFERENCES IN HPV NEGATIVE HEAD AND NECK SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA, Sarah Barclay
EVALUATING THE LENGTH OF CLINICAL ROTATIONS IN MEDICAL LABORATORY SCIENCE EDUCATION, Kendal Beazer
Crisis Intervention Model Effectiveness in South Dakota City and Rural Schools, Nicole Ann Bechen
IMPLEMENTING THE SCIENCE OF READING CONCEPTS: A CASE STUDY ON PERCEPTIONS OF PRE-SERVICE PREPARATIONS AND READINESS LEVELS AT MIDWEST UNIVERSITIES, Jerri L. Birger
Educational Attainment: American Indians/Alaska Natives Phenomenological Study of a Northeast Nebraska Indian Reservation, Stacy Brasch
EXPLORING THE ROLE OF NONMUSCLE MYOSIN II IN RENAL THICK ASCENDING LIMB EPITHELIAL CELL PROTEIN TRAFFICKING AND ORGANELLE ARCHITECTURE, Brook Busselman
Shame and Social Interaction Quantity and Quality in Daily Life: The Moderating Effect of Social Anxiety, Rachel C Bock
Shame and Social Interaction Quantity and Quality in Daily Life: The Moderating Effect of Social Anxiety, Rachel C Bock
DIFFERENCES IN PERSONALITY PATHOLOGY AMONG NON-SUICIDAL SELF- INJURY AND SUICIDAL BEHAVIOR PATTERNS: A LATENT CLASS ANALYSIS, Rachel Chavin
DESIGNING FLUORESCENT MOSCS FOR POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS IN ILLICIT DRUGS DETECTION, Robyn Nicole Cook
Fluorinated thiophene containing aromatics and their polymers for energy storage and semiconductor applications, Blessing Damilola Ishola
Development Of Cryogenic Scintillation Detectors For The Search Of New Physics, Keyu Ding
UTOPIA AND DYSTOPIA IN SHAKESPEARE’S PLAYS, Wenhui Duan
An Examination of the Degree to which the BIA Models Representative Bureaucracy in Selected Lakota Communities, Melissa Eagle Bear
ADVANCED OPTICAL BIOSENSING USING RATIOMETRIC FLUORESCENT POLYMER DOTS AND NANOZYME, Shuyi He
ADDRESSING SPIRITUALITY IN THE COUNSELOR SUPERVISION RELATIONSHIP, Andrew H. Gerodias
NEAR INFRARED UPCONVERSION NANOPARTICLES MODIFIED WITH SEMICONDUCTING POLYMERS FOR ANTI-COUNTERFEITING, Abraham Chibuikem Ikeji
REDCEDAR EXPANSION, COTTONWOOD DIEBACK, AND BIRDS ALONG THE MISSOURI NATIONAL RECREATIONAL RIVER, Nadeesha Dilrukshi Illeperuma Arachchige Done
Toward Attention-Based Feature Fusion for Medical Image Analysis, Anup Khanal
Increasing on-task behavior and academic engagement with students with attention hyperactivity disorder using self-management approaches in a secondary general education classroom, Kelsi Anne Kinnunen (Burfeindt)
REGIONAL AND LANDSCAPE SCALE EXAMINATION AND ATTRIBUTION OF VEGETATION CHANGES TO SOCIAL-ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEM DRIVERS IN KAZAKHSTAN, Venkatesh Kolluru
A METHOD OF MEASURING HOT CHARGE CARRIER DRIFT MOBILITY IN GERMANIUM DETECTORS, Kyler Kooi
Activation of molecular oxygen for the selective oxidation of alkenes catalyzed by hollow Mn3O4 nanoparticles, Pranab Kumar Nandy
Pain Anxiety and Pain Interference as Mediating Factors in the Relation of Childhood Trauma and Fear of Cancer Recurrence, Jennifer Kuo
A FIELD-BASED STUDY OF DUST EMISSIVITY IN THE NORTHERN CHIHUAHUAN DESERT, U.S.: TESTING THE PREFERENTIAL DUST SOURCE SCHEME, Gwenn L Harsha
IMPLEMENTING A STEPPED CARE MODEL: A CASE STUDY OF TWO COLLEGE COUNSELING CENTERS, Stephanie L Johnson-Kane
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND NEWS CONSUMPTION: A STUDY OF TRUST, CREDIBILITY AND TRANSPARENCY IN AUTOMATED JOURNALISM, Julia Lobo Paes
The Parentification of Eldest Daughters, Isabella Loraina Ciarico