At Minnesota State University, Mankato, every graduate student completes a capstone for their program. Most programs include a thesis/dissertation or alternative plan paper (APP) option, but many programs provide other capstone opportunities.
This is a collection of theses submitted by graduate students from various programs.
A thesis is an extensive original research paper resulting in a significant contribution to new knowledge.
Theses/Dissertations from 2019
Developing a Testing Instrument to Evaluate the Performance Of 3D-Printed Body-Powered Prosthetic Hands, Araz Al-dawoodi
Development of a Sensing System for Underground Optic Fiber Cable Conduit Mapping, Sherif Bakr
Long-Term Urban Forest Cover Change Detection with Object Based Image Analysis and Random Point Based Assessment, Raoul Blackman
Incentive-Use in Worksite Wellness Programs in MN Government Agencies, Sandra Bromley
Program Review of Naloxone Training Within the Wisconsin Department of Corrections’ Community Corrections Division, Chelsea Calhoon
Macromorphological and Microscopic Effects of Temperature in a Controlled Environment on the Process of Decomposition in Bone, A. Marie Cato
Holy Alliance? Navigating Evangelical Political Identity in the Era of Donald Trump, Anthony Comer
Spinning Charlotte's Web: Resident Perceptions and Neutralizations of a Slaughterhouse Town, Ashley L. Flaherty
Annual and Seasonal Measurements of Home Ranges and Habitat Use by Female Elk (Cervus elaphus) in Northwestern Minnesota, Alicia E. Freeman
Assessing Facilitator Adherence for the Delivery of Cognitive Training Programs to Older Adults, Lydia Fry
Study of American Wood Pellet Stove Emissions, Sergio Gamarra
The Pre-Roche Lobe Overflow Evolution of Massive Close Binary Stars: A Study of Rotation, Wind Enhanced Mass-Loss, and the Bi-Stability Jump, Thomas C. Gehrman Jr.
Managing Variability in Assembly Lines, Sumanth Gokapai
The Effects of Heat-Killed Echinostomatid Parasites on Mice Treated with Dextran Sodium Sulfate (DSS), Natalie Gooder
Certified Nursing Assistant Turnover & Impacts on Rural Skilled Nursing Facilities A Qualitative Study & Recommendations for Practitioners, Marisa E. Hansen
Evaluation of a Cognitive Training Program and its Effects on Healthy Older Adults, Nathan Jensen
A Statistical Analysis and Machine Learning of Genomic Data, Jongyun Jung
The Relationship Between Seasonal Breeding and Deiodinase Expression in the Green Anole Lizard, Hyejoo Kang
Effects of Psychological Need Satisfaction on Proactive Work Behaviors, Shota Kawasaki
Positive and Negative Effects of Social Media on Adolescent Well-Being., Katie Kennedy
Mass Wasting Investigation and Assessment in the Midwest: Case Study of the Minnesota River Valley, New Ulm to St. Peter, Minnesota, USA, Melissa Kohout
Teacher Awareness and Perceptions of Social Media Use and Cyberbullying in Belize, Abbey Linderholm
Adaptive Smoothing Parameter in Kernel Density Estimation and Parameter Estimation in Normal Mixture Distributions, Sabiha Mahzabeen
Assessing Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of Hand Hygiene Among University Students, Linda Afia Mbroh
Cliff-Top Dunes in the Lower Chippewa River Valley of West-Central Wisconsin, Jason Millett
Comparison Between Brief Acceptance and Cognitive Interventions: Assessing Public Speaking Performance in Socially-Anxious Individuals, Soultana Mpoulkoura
Revoicing in Undergraduate Physics Education: A Case Study, Elizabeth Noël Olson
Thévenin Equivalent of Solar Cell Model, Chiedozie Osigwe
George Eliot’s Middlemarch and Florence Nightingale: Friendship and Respect Influences Reform in Sanitation, Hospitals, and the Training of Nurses, Kerrie A. Patterson
Flow Fields Past Grain Bins as it Relates to Vertical Axis Wind Turbine Placement Optimization, Jon Richter
The Relationship Between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Social Communication: A Survey Study, Chey Maree Robertson
MATLAB GUI Based Educational Simulation Tool Box for Power Analysis, Tharuka Senevirathne
The Effects and Experiences of Stigma in the Minneapolis Strip Club Industry, Machensey Shelgren
Developing a Commercial Product Using a Consumer Grade 3D Printer, Calvin Smith
Evaluating the Effects of a Stimulus Equivalence Protocol to Teach Bullying Identification to School-Aged Children, Courtney Sowle
Impact of Self-Determined Motivation on Work Behavior and Response to Cognitive Remediation in Individuals with Schizophrenia, Desmond Spann
Blood Pressure Screening Practices Among Dental Hygienists, Mariah Sullinger
The Effects of Elderspeak on the Mood of Older Adults with Dementia: A Preliminary Report, Kenia Torres-Soto
“Writing is hard, but I think I like it”: Identity (Re)Construction of Female Refugee and Immigrant Adult Language Learners in the US., Svenja Trommler
Working Conditions for Erotic Dancers: A Review of Health and Safety Concerns from a Minneapolis Based Needs Assessment, Alexander Twohy
Effect of Process-Oriented Guided-Inquiry Learning (POGIL) on Preservice Elementary Teachers' Understanding of Biological Classification, Mackenzie Volz
The Scenic Design of Bye Bye Birdie, Erin Wegleitner
Burnout Levels of Teachers Within a Selected School District in Minnesota, Adam Whirley
Demography, Risk, and Power: An Examination of the Deceased Patient Population at the Hastings State Hospital, 1900-1978, Dawn T. Whitney
Optimization of Energy Harvesting Mobile Nodes Within Scalable Converter System Based on Reinforcement Learning, Chengtao Xu
Application of Droop Control and Synchronization for Single-Phase Inverters in AC Microgrid Integration, Shuai Yang
Tracing Life Histories Through Biological Manifestations in a 19th-20th Century Midwestern Poor Farm: Asymmetry, Robusticity, and Adaptive Response at the Milwaukee Poor Farm, Samantha Zahn-Hiepler
Theses/Dissertations from 2018
Robust Power Interface for Smart Grid with Renewable Energy Source-to-Grid Functionality, BoHyun Ahn
A Macromorphological Analysis of End Scrapers from Sites Associated with Two Phases of the Oneota Tradition, the Blue Earth and Spring Creek, in Southern Minnesota, Joshua Bradley Anderson
Working Mothers: The Relationship Between Intensive Mothering and Work-Family Conflict, Casey E. Baker
Evaluation of a Cognitive Training Program for Older Adults with Mild to Moderate Cognitive Decline, Kelly Bergstrom
American Nursing Students' Immersion Experience in Ghana: A Qualitative Study, Srijana Bhandari
Profile in Scale, Jason Boldt
How Graduate Experience Changes Beliefs in Working with Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Populations: A Survey Study, Stephanie Bove
Racial Identities on Social Media: Projecting Racial Identities on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, Nolan Brinkman
The Directing of Melanie Marnich's These Shining Lives, Kristin Fox
Transgender Individuals among an Online Adult Baby Diaper Lover Community Sample: An Exploratory Study, Elizabeth Gibson
Technical Direction of Little Women, The Musical, Matt Gilbertson
"It's Because You Are White": A Qualitative Study on the Impact of Whiteness and White Privilege in Interracial Relationships, Adrienne Gruenes
Evaluating Stigmatizing Attitudes among Clinicians Toward People with ABDL and Pedophilic Interests, Katlyn Hanson
The Direction of Why Torture is Wrong, and the People Who Love Them, Donald Hart
"We Considered Ourselves a Team:" A View of Co-teaching from the Perspectives of Graduate Teaching Assistants and Students, Alyssa Harter
Agricultural Intensification in the Midwest: Impacts on Regional Surface Humidity, Andrew Hill
Bullying in Senior Living Facilities: Resident Perspectives, Kathryn Ira
Self-Disclosure, Gender, and Patient Satisfaction in the Doctor-Patient Relationship, Khadiza Tul Jannat
Across an Ecotone: An Analysis of Late Prehistoric Artifacts from Southern Minnesota, Jamison M. Jordan
The Costume Design of Little Women the Musical, Emily Kimball
Race, Stigma, and the Politics of Black Girls Hair, Vanessa King
The Effects of a Cognitive Training Program for Cognitively Intact Older Adults, Caroline Kinskey
The McClelland Site (21GD258) and the Oneota Tradition in the Red Wing Region, Jasmine Koncur
The Criminalization of Poverty: The Impact of Cash Bail System on Black Women in New Orleans, Salome Kushindana
The Vendor in a Retail Setting: A Survey, Jesse LaPorte
Gender Differences in Development Center Performance in a Healthcare Organization, Samuel Lawson
An Examination of Inattentional Blindness in Law Enforcement, Gregory Lee
Augmentation of Music, Kyle Lenzen
The Sex/Gender Distinction in Contemporary Gender and Women's Studies Introductory Textbooks, Kyle Lighty
Operational Research: Multi-Period Stowage Policies Within a Multi-Zone Storage Framework., Joseph Loeffler
More than Cracking Backs: Exploring Patient-Careers in Chiropractic Care, Timothy J. Loney
Patterns of Trematode Distribution from Hosts Collected at Lake Winnibigoshish, Minnesota, Scott Malotka
Creating the Role of O'Brien in 1984, Andoni Marinos
Band Filling and Temperature Effects on Electrical Conductivity in Strongly Correlated Hybridized Electron Systems, Dylan T. Meyer
Car-less Cities, Maryam Moeinian
Modeling of Small-Scale Wind Power System with Virtual Synchronous Generator, Sahithi Nannapaneni
MISFITS, Hanna Newman
The Effects of Surface Albedo and Initial Lignin Concentration on Photodegradation of Sorghum Bicolor Litter, Joshua Niere
Assessment of Stress Related Issues and Coping Mechanisms among College Students, Emeka Okoro
Predicting Invasive Carp Habitat Suitability in the Minnesota River, Minnesota, Melissa Oubre
Rape Culture in Disney Animated Princess Movies, Patricia Paulson
To Pass or Not to Pass? Constructing and Negotiating Biracial Identity, Anthony Peavy