The Master's Market: Analyzing the Role of Marketization in Public Education Reform

Since the Bush administration passed the "No Child Left Behind Act" two decades ago, policy interventions aimed at improving America's education system have embraced a market-based approach, based in the belief that expanding options for choice can improve the quality of public schools and the educational outcomes of marginalized students attending them. But, the efficacy of public-school alternatives that market policies have expanded, particularly charter schools, is widely contested. Further, scholars have criticized how marketization targets and at times exploits the marginalized students in the urban enclaves these policies are most frequently enacted in. Scholars have long recognized the contradiction of market-based reform, but the roots of the marginalization that school choice perpetuates remains widely debated and the introduction of the market only complicated their analyses. In her famous essay critiquing the academy’s habitual failure to meaningfully engage non-normative theory, research, and ways of knowing, black lesbian scholar and writer Audre Lorde states that “the master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house. They may allow us temporarily to beat him at his own game, but they will never bring about genuine change” (Lorde, 1979, p. 151). In this thesis I borrow from Audre Lorde’s analytic of “The Master’s Tools” to explore how market-based education policies fail to meaningfully address educational inequity. as Lorde articulates in her 1979 speech on a different matter, market policies have at best allowed educators to “temporarily beat him at his own game” (Lorde, 1979, p 151). That is, produce uneven outcomes that suggest a version of equity but are far from “bringing about genuine change” (Lorde, 1979, p 151). This paradigm, termed “The Master’s Market,” offers an approach to Critical Policy Analysis frameworks that recognizes the market as a co-conspirator in the maintenance of systemic injustices often attributed primarily to systems of governance.No embargoAcademic Major: African American and African StudiesAcademic Major: Public Management, Leadership and Polic

Metabolic Adaptations in Cereibacter sphaeroides: Bypassing Pyruvate Carboxylase for Carbon Assimilation

Central carbon metabolism is a network of biochemical pathways encompassing intermediates and reactions that every carbon substrate must pass through to become cellular material. The entry point into this network varies by substrate, thereby determining the pathways used to replenish essential metabolite pools. Cereibacter sphaeroides serves as a model microorganism for studying energy metabolism and carbon assimilation due to its versatile growth modes and metabolic pathways. Pyruvate carboxylase, encoded by the pycA gene (rsp_2090) in C. sphaeroides 2.4.1, is of particular interest given its role in carboxylating pyruvate to form oxaloacetate, a precursor metabolite and branching point for biosynthetic pathways. Substrates such as lactate require pyruvate carboxylase to synthesize oxaloacetate, which is essential for producing certain amino acids and pyrimidines. However, succinate as a substrate can bypass pyruvate carboxylase as oxaloacetate is synthesized through fumarate and malate. Using succinate as a carbon substrate, it was possible to isolate the in-frame pycA deletion mutant CSΔpycAHB through assembly PCR and homologous recombination. As expected, CSΔpycAHB was unable to grow with media containing L-lactate as the carbon source. However, after prolonged incubation with L-lactate, suppression was observed, as the culture reached a final optical density comparable to the wild type. Upon re-inoculation into L-lactate medium, growth resumed even after intermediate transfer to succinate, suggesting genetic suppression. Two independent suppressors were isolated using succinate medium plates and surprisingly these two suppressor strains exhibited different growth patterns. Although they were derived from the same parent strain, the doubling time of suppressor HBΔsupp12/24-2 with succinate during phototrophic growth was 1.7-fold longer than HBΔsupp12/24-1 and wild type, allowing to consider the existence of more than one bypass. These findings give insight into the metabolic flexibility of C. sphaeroides and its ability to adapt to the loss of pyruvate carboxylase through different bypasses or mechanisms. Understanding these metabolic adaptations is crucial for comprehending microbial resilience and has broader implications for metabolic engineering, synthetic biology, and biofuel production.No embargoAcademic Major: Microbiolog

Examining Confidence in Perceptions of ASL Russian and Portuguese

There are common misconceptions about American Sign Language (ASL) such as it is mostly gesture or that it is easy to learn. These misconceptions can lead to parents delaying the teaching of ASL to their deaf children which could cause developmental delays and permanent problems. This project examined people’s confidence in guessing ASL signs and compared it to confidence in guessing words from an unknown foreign spoken language. An experiment was adapted from a study done by Sehyr and Emmory (2019) which asked participants to guess what ten different ASL signs meant in English. It was changed to also have the participants rate their confidence in their guess. This experiment was further adapted to replace ASL signs with words from Portuguese and Russian. Experiment 1 collected accuracy and confidence ratings from 713 participants across 425 signs. Participants were inaccurate and overconfident in their guesses. Confidence was correlated with accuracy but there was a higher correlation with dominant guess percentage and confidence which indicates that there is a hidden group consensus that leads to confidence. Experiment 2 (Portuguese) and 3 (Russian) collected accuracy and confidence ratings from 98 and 95 participants respectively across 30 words from each language. Both experiments had lower accuracy and confidence on average than ASL. However, both experiments had correlations between confidence and dominant guess which indicates that it is not just accuracy that contributes to confidence. Additionally, in experiment 2 and 3 participants were flatly asked whether they thought ASL was easier to learn than other languages. On average, participants thought ASL was easier to learn than spoken languages. This project indicates that on average people are disproportionately confident in ASL compared to spoken foreign languages, and that misconceptions of ASL still persist.Alkire Grant scholarshipURG scholarshipNo embargoAcademic Major: Psycholog

Securing Fragile Cargo in Modern Electric Vehicle Storage Space - FrunkFlex

Human Experience (The Ohio State University Denman Undergraduate Research Forum)As electric vehicles (EVs) become more prominent in the automotive market, manufacturers are introducing front trunks, or "frunks," as additional storage solutions. However, many existing vehicle storage options are bulky, aesthetically unappealing, and primarily offered by third-party retailers. My project, FrunkFlex, addresses this gap by developing a retractable strap system that secures items in the frunk while maintaining flexibility, ease of use, and integration with the vehicle's design. The goal is to increase the functionality of this unique cargo space while ensuring items remain secure during transport. To explore potential design solutions, I conducted primary and secondary research, including interviews with potential users and market analysis of existing storage solutions. My initial focus was on artists transporting fragile and expensive supplies, but the project evolved to accommodate a broader audience. Prototyping helped refine the design, ensuring it was intuitive and effective. The final prototype was developed using flexible and cushioned materials to balance durability with adaptability. Through formative assessments, I tested how different storage solutions affected organizational speed and efficiency. I found that users prioritized container size over color-coding when organizing items. These insights informed the final FrunkFlex design, which offers a streamlined, space-efficient storage method. The project was further refined through industry feedback from our partners at Honda Research and Development, ensuring it aligns with both user needs and manufacturer requirements. FrunkFlex reimagines storage in EVs by providing a secure, adaptable, and integrated solution for frunk storage. While the initial design prioritized a niche audience, market research led to a more universal approach. This project highlights the balance between user-centered design and market viability, emphasizing the need for innovative solutions as EV adoption grows. Future iterations could explore modularity and additional material advancements to further enhance usability.Honda Automotive Research and DevelopmentNo embargoAcademic Major: Industrial Desig

Implementation of an Evidence-Based Education Intervention to Mitigate Incivility Among Nursing Leaders

The organization of focus for this initiative is a National Cancer Institute (NCI) designated Comprehensive Cancer Hospital that is part of a large Midwestern Academic Medical Center. At this organization, stressors that were incurred through the pandemic led to the deterioration of relationships between two groups of nursing leaders, the Administrative Nursing Supervisors (ANS) and the unit leaders (ULs). Communication between these leaders had become uncivil and disruptive to the organization. After reviewing the literature, it was determined that an educational intervention utilizing a TeamSTEPPS® approach in conjunction with cognitive rehearsal was an effective way to mitigate incivility. The two groups of leaders participated in an in-person Civility Training which demonstrated success in meeting the project objectives of raising awareness of incivility and reducing the number of escalated concerns that couldn’t be resolved between a unit leader and an ANS. The project objectives were measured by administering the Clark Workplace Civility Index to the participants pre and post intervention which demonstrated a statistically significant improvement at p<0.05 after the intervention. The second objective was measured by comparing a baseline of five escalated uncivil interactions a week pre-intervention to post, which decreased to two or less per week. The implications of this initiative indicate that Civility Training can have a positive impact on civility between nursing leaders, which could be beneficial in all areas of nursing.A three-year embargo was granted for this item

Iron Carbene-Mediated Methylation of Carboxylic Acids

Carboxylic acids are the 9th most common functional group found in drug molecules and are found in many natural products including amino acids, steroids, and fatty acids. Functionalization of carboxylic acids is very important, as esters are the 15th most common functional group found in drug molecules. The two most common methods used to methylate carboxylic acids to make esters include (i) Fischer esterification, utilizing strong acid and methanol, and (ii) diazomethane, utilizing a high energy (and often explosive) diazo intermediate. These harsh methods leave little room for functional group tolerance and selectivity. Additionally, these methods require significant safety precautions if done on scale. We have developed an iron mediated methylation of carboxylic acids using dibromomethane as a carbene precursor. Our method shows excellent functional group tolerance while using mild and inexpensive reagents. Methylation can be done on a wide range of carboxylic acids to form ester products with alkyl, benzyl, allyl, halide, and heteroatom substituents, as well as on common drug molecules and amino acid motifs. Robustness exploration, mechanistic studies, and initial rate experiments were also done to further explore the system. In conclusion, we developed a robust, mild, and cost-effective methylation of carboxylic acids with high functional group tolerance.A one-year embargo was granted for this item.Academic Major: Chemistr

Time-of-Day Effect in Response Bias in Working Memory and Cognitive Control Tasks

Human cognitive performance varies greatly throughout the day. These time-of-day effects are thought to be the result of circadian and homeostatic rhythms that modulate neuronal arousal in different brain regions. Previous work has found variations in performance throughout the day across multiple cognitive domains (e.g., working memory, attention, cognitive control). To test the reliability of these effects, we conducted a meta-analysis of time of day and synchrony (performing at a time congruent with one's circadian preference, e.g. morning people in the morning) effects. Our meta-analysis revealed substantial publication bias in the literature, suggesting that these effects may be less reliable than they appear. We followed this up by investigating whether strategy or ability contribute more to time-of-day/synchrony effects using the signal detection parameters sensitivity and response bias. Sensitivity can be thought of as a measure of ability, while response bias measures strategy. Using the AX-Continuous Performance Task (AX-CPT) and a change detection task we examined the effect of time of day on sensitivity and response bias in an exploratory analysis of a large dataset along with a better controlled follow-up experiment. We found a time-of-day effect in response bias but not sensitivity in the controlled experiment, but not in the large exploratory analysis., These results provide preliminary evidence that variations in cognitive performance throughout the day may result from differences in strategy rather than differences in ability.No embargoAcademic Major: NeuroscienceAcademic Major: Psycholog

Fostering Sustainable Behavior in Ohio Parks and Promoting Local Tourism

“Sustainability” as a term referring to ecological balance emerged in the 1970s. Since then, the term has exploded in popularity world-wide, with extensive use in political debates, social movements, and media coverage. In the politically diverse state of Ohio, the term “sustainability” can be contentious. Literature reviews and interviews with Ohioans reveal multiple reasons for their lack of engagement with sustainable practices, including feelings of alienation, discomfort, and anxiety linked to narratives surrounding sustainability. These feelings lead to hopelessness—which can present as anger, grief, or disinterest towards the cause.  Unfortunately, rejecting sustainability has serious environmental consequences, many of which have been observed by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR). In response, ODNR launched its ConServe Ohio initiative, promoting sustainable management and visitor behavior in their parks. But, how could ODNR get angry, upset, or disinterested Ohioans to participate? In a survey of 62 participants with moderate-extensive involvement in sustainability efforts, hope was cited as the primary motivator to get (and stay) involved). Two research questions thus emerged: What sparks hope? How can hope inspire people to act sustainability in Ohio State Parks? Interviews, design conjectures, and formative prototype assessments yielded key insights. For some, financial gain is the primary pathway to hope. For others, hope comes from acting for the betterment of the environment in a tangible way. And for others, it means seeing their communities thrive.  The Trash to Cash waste management system tackles the challenges faced by ODNR while embracing the diverse perspectives of Ohioans and supporting the unique needs of our ecosystems and local economies. The system includes three key components: collection bins, reward “coins” made from native wildflower seed paper, and an exchange program where these coins can be redeemed for discounts at local businesses. As tourism becomes an increasingly important economic driver in rural Ohio, Trash to Cash not only eases the strain of waste management on local communities but also encourages visitors to support the places they explore by spending locally.The Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Parks and WatercraftNo embargoAcademic Major: Industrial Desig

Dysfluent in Fiction: Vocal Disability and Nineteenth-Century Literature

Introduction: The stammering century -- Lisping lovers : plotting dysfluent union in Thackeray and Brontë -- Refusing to grow up and speak right : prosthetic authorship and dysfluent choice in Dodgson -- "The dumb detec(k)tive" : Braddon's professionalization of the mute role -- Our American cousin, our dysfluent nation : celebrity speech disorder on the transatlantic stage -- "I have cut loose your stammering tongue" : enslavement, dysfluency, and the vocal metaphors of freedom -- Coda: "Th-th-th-that's all, folks!

Improving Nutrition for Patients with Severe Burns Utilizing a Nurse-Driven Volume-Based Enteral Feeding Protocol

Proper nutrition is critical in all phases of healing burn wounds. The importance of nutritional support in severely burned patients is well documented, but the provision of adequate nutrition to this population is frequently suboptimal. Enteral nutrition helps to meet these nutritional goals. A nurse-driven volume-based feeding (VBF) approach focuses on the goal volume a burn patient receives in a 24-hour period. This initiative’s objective is to utilize a nurse-driven protocol to optimize the nutritional intake the severely burned patient receives. The purpose of the quality initiative was to improve successful utilization of VBF for hospitalized burn patients who require EN. Secondary objectives were to evaluate adoption and fidelity to the protocol. To meet these objectives, an electronic VBF protocol was activated within the EMR in a surgical intensive care unit for severely injured burn patients. Nursing staff were educated on the protocol and key components for reaching 80% of target nutritional values. Protocol adoption and fidelity were tracked among eligible patients for 10 weeks. Among the six severely burned patients admitted during the observation period; findings indicate a high utilization of the VBF protocol. This included 100% for ordering, 100% for documentation of required components, and 100% of patients meeting nutritional goals of 80%. Implementation of an electronic VBF protocol increased the number of patients who received target nutritional goals. Use of a standardized protocol, combined with education, auditing, and ongoing evaluation may be an effective method to align current practices with evidence-based recommendations.A three-year embargo was granted for this item