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 2024
Metaheuristics for White-box Path Attraction Attacks in Hidden Markov Models, Brandon Koch
Addressing Aggressive Behaviors in Long Term Care Settings: How Do Caregivers Feel Supported?, Betty Kortey
Comparative Analysis of Data Augmentation on Sentiment Analysis in Three Distinct Languages, Hyesu Lee
Changing Careers, Changing Identities: The Role of Strong and Weak Ties on Career Change Decisions, Christopher S. Lienemann
Every Blessing, Annie Lindenberg
"Flowers in the Concrete”: Anti-Violence Nonprofit Leadership and Primary Prevention in Minnesota, Kim Lohse
Intelligent Traffic Management Systems, Mohammad Mazhar
Comparative Study of Robotic and Manual Welding in A Low Volume-High Mix Manufacturing Environment: Case Study of JR TEST 2, Pooma Pragna Mysore
College Instructors’ Experience with Flexibility through Pandemic Teaching, Kate Marie Quesenberry Orugboh
Optimizing Production in an Electronics Manufacturing Industry Using Six Sigma: A DMAIC Approach to Process Enhancement, Shubham Parekh
Age-Related Microaggressions: A Semi-Replication, Stephanie Patt
Comparative Study of Robotic and Manual Welding in A Low Volume-High Mix Manufacturing Environment: Case Study of Lift Ring, Sai Sasank Pothamsetti
Caregiving for a Formally Abusive or Neglectful Parent: A Qualitative Interview Study of Caregiver Motivations, Hannah Radcliff-Hoy
Dance as a Collective Action: Creating Relationships, Communities, and Change, Parisha Rajbhandari
Side Effects May Very, Abigail Reed
Contention One is Our Identity: An Exploration of Queerness in the Collegiate Debate Sphere, Douglas Roberts
The Dusk Maiden: Benefaction, Logan Roling
“Even the hardest stone can fracture:” Racialization, Reproductive Control, and the Wake of Slavery in N.K. Jemisin’s The Fifth Season, Elsbeth Sanders
Comparative Study of Robotic and Manual Welding in A Low Volume-High Mix Manufacturing Environment: Case Study of Cross Head, Niloufer Sarah
Characterizing the effects of melatonin on reproduction in green anoles (Anolis carolinensis)., Nicholas T. Shankey
A Qualitative Analysis of Community-Dwelling Older Adults’ Perspectives of Elderspeak, Katelynn Shimanski
Comparative Study of Robotic and Manual Welding in A Low Volume-High Mix Manufacturing Environment: Case Study of JR Test 3, Mayank Srinivasamurthy
Comparative Study of Robotic And Manual Welding In A Low Volume-High Mix Manufacturing Environment: Case Study Of Tail Gate, Aditya Suggula
Navigating New Frontiers: Unveiling Student Insights on the Integration of AI-Language Models in Writing Instruction, Yasmine Telwana
Fish & Obelisks, Margaret Thomas
Leveraging Machine Learning & Deep Learning Methodologies to Detect Deepfakes, Aniruddha Tiwari
Evaluating the Effects of Topographic Position on Soil Carbon Content in Prairie Pothole Agricultural Landscapes, Grace Uchytil
A Preliminary Study on Intra-Departmental Abuse in a Central American Police Force, Emily Veroeven
Theses/Dissertations from 2023
Fox Lake – Havanoid Interaction: An Analysis of Eleanor Site Pottery, Rahman Abdullayev
Effect of Decorating Super Paramagnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles with Silver Nanoparticles on their Magneto-Photo Thermal Heating Efficiency, Anthony Joseph Afful
An Exploration of Differences in Perceptions of Gerotranscendent Behaviors Between Younger and Older Adults, Gabrielle E. Anderson
To Capture the Sea, Hannah Anderson
Production Stage Management for A Christmas Carol, Jenna Atherton
Stress Levels of Bisexual Individuals in Mixed-Orientation Relationships, Amanda Bartley
Languishing without a Human Touch: Directing In The Next Room or The Vibrator Play, Sarah Belfrage Honerman
Above and Below, Kristen Brown
fourpaintingSomedrawingsandaprintbehindapillar, Sam R. Brown
A Long Road, KenDarian Ortae Carter
A Machine Learning Approach to Deepfake Detection, Delaney Conrad
The Bizzare Fantastic, True Dabill
Queer Void: Autoethnographic Notes on Queer Melancholy and Transgender Shame, Lake Davis
Machine-Learning Based Model Predictive Control for a Three-phase Inverter, Arturo De La Cruz
Tales from Respite, OH, Jacob Thomas Demers
Investigating miRNA Regulation of the Human APOBEC3 Enzymes, William Dietrich
Parcels, Holly N. Dodge
Neither Fully Queer Nor Somali?: What Queer Somalis' Narratives Reveal About Space, Identity, and Community in Western Diaspora, Dominik Drabent
Education Based on Graduate Marginalized Perspective, Bryanna Edwards
Rechazos del español: Una comparación de mexicanos monolingües, hablantes de herencia y aprendices de español, Maribel Fernández Moctezuma
Design and Development of Smart Wardrobe Technology, Mikhail Filatov
Identifying Barriers to Dental Care Among Hispanics in Southwest Minnesota, Lissette Garza
Life History, Resource Allocation, and Phenology of Diploid Flowering Rush (Butomus umbellatus) Collected from Populations in Ohio and New York, Maxwell G. Gebhart
Análisis de La Mujer: Revista Mensual de Literatura y Variedades, la primera revista ecuatoriana escrita por mujeres (1905-1906), María Alejandra González Pástor
New Industry: The Town that Owned the Future, Talitha Greaver
From “The Loss of the Innocents” to “Crisis Actors”: Media Portrayal of Rampage School Shootings From 1998-2021, Justice E. Greene
The Creation of Choreography for Disney's High School Musical, John Greer
Development of a Permanent Magnet Spherical Motor with 3 Degrees of Freedom, Eric T. Hanson
Demon Off the Trail, Jack Harris
Utility Lines, Carolyn Hartwell
Location of the Fibronectin Binding Domain on the Fibronectin Attachment Protein of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis, Chrissy Rose Hattery
Analysis and Observation of Decomposition of Immature Pigs in the Minnesota Winter/Early Spring, Rachael Herbes
Not Just Women: Trans Representation in Print News Media Following the Overturn of Roe v. Wade, TL Jordan
Celebrity, Music, and Public Persona: A Case Study of Taylor Swift, Elaina K.M. Junes
Partisan Selective Exposure on Social Media During the 2020 Presidential Election, Grayce Lemon
Age-Related Microaggressions: A Follow-Up Descriptive Study, Hannah M. Lewis
Public Perceptions of Exonerees’ Deservingness of Compensation and Expungement, Elizabeth Jeanne Lopez
Inkblot, Jayden Lopez
A Comparison of Highly Disturbed Agricultural Soil and Natural Forested Soil as it Affects Decomposition, Haley Madden
A Mexican American Stuck in Egypt: Poems about everyday Chicano expatriate life in the Cradle of Civilization, Thomas Maldonado
The Role of Insulin-Like Growth Factor I in the Development of the Cerebellum in Euthyroid and Hypothyroid Mice, Prathibha Mangedarage
Revisiting the Blue Earth Oneota Taxon, Samuel Marcucci
Novel Amino Acids Dictate Differences in SIVmac239 and HIV-2 ROD9 Vpx Cellular Localization, Hunter D. Mayhew
Tradiciones, Selena Medellin
Justice-Impacted Black Males’ Perceptions of How Life Skills Coaching Helped Overcome Barriers to Housing, Healthcare, and Employment, Isreal W. Moses IV
Above & Below, Kelly N. Munson
Good People: A Collection of Short Stories and Essays, Cordis Paldano
Environmental Heterogeneity as a Driver of Understory Vegetation Composition in Midwestern Oak Savannas, Jean Pengra
What Does a Rooster Say?, Kim Pfeffer
The Transient, Pritika Pradhan
Development of a Reinforcer Assessment: A Measure of Potential Reinforcers in the Lives of Older Adults, Nicole A. Praska
Navigation: One Woman's Quest to Hitchhike Around the World on Sailboats, Glenda Reed
Teacher-Led Active Classroom Breaks to Improve Student On-Task Behavior: A Dose-Response Study, Abbey M. Riese
Creating the Role of Richard III for Richard III, Travis Grey Robertson
An Archeozoological Analysis of the Vosburg Site in Southern Minnesota, Madison M. Rutter
Seeking Translation, Taryn Sakry
Application of the Fine Sediment Biotic Index to Three Drain Tiled and Ditched Agricultural Systems in Southern Minnesota, Bailey Sanders
APOBEC3 Regulation by Thyroid Hormone, Michelle Santiago
"Effects of Chronic Clothianidin Exposure on Various Aspects of Oncorhynchus mykiss (rainbow trout) Development", Jacob Schmid
Graduate Student Awareness of Student Services, Shayla Schumacher
Biogeography of functional traits and fire regimes in oak species (Quercus) across the United States, Ashley Selee
Teaching Culture in the Argentinian EFL Classroom: Beliefs, Practice and Challenges, María Mercedes Sempé
The Satanic Ritual Abuse Panic: Correlates and Implications for Therapists, Mariah Severud
THE BODY OF A FROG A Memoir on Searching for Ways to Love an Unconventional Self, Aarron Sholar
From Farm to Table to Factory: Paths of Cambodian American Foodways, A. C. Smith
