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 2026
Effects of Continuous Cropping of Autoflowering Hemp on Rhizosphere Soil Microbial Communities and Plant Physiology, Eugene Gyan Afari
Evaluating Soil and Plant Health in a Wide-row Maize (Zea mays L.) Production System Integrated with Perennial Cover Crops and Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo), Sovika Bhattarai
Characterization of the Interaction of Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis Fibronectin Attachment Protein with Fibronectin at the Organism Level, Emmanuel Asare Boachie
Daughters of the Sea, Adrianne Braaten
Isn't Sugar Sweet? & Other Stories, Jacob Butlett
An Analysis of SLMs for Machine Translation of Healthcare Documents, Wyatt Clausen
The Sound Design for The Women of Troy, Anastasiia Didenko
Lifetime Subscription (And Other Options), Jake Griggs
Wreak Havoc, Cassandra E. Hampshire
Creating the Role of Aunt Eller in Oklahoma!, Phyllis Horridge
Impact of Cross-Client Heterogeneity in Federated Learning for Real-World Plant Disease Classification, Ritesh Janga
Rate Response of Curlyleaf Pondweed and Native Plants to Flumioxazin in Minnesota Lakes, Pearl J. Jensen
Doping and the Discourse of Crisis: A Communication Case Study of Paul Pogba, Emmanuel Karikari
Everything Will Hurt Forever Until Tomorrow, Elizabeth Kassuelke
Soil Organic Carbon and Soil Health Property Responses to Land Management Across Topographic Positions, Mia D. Makovsky
Natalist Incentives and Stratified Reproduction: Framing of Reproductive Policies Under the 2025 Trump Administration by Print News Media, Sadie K. Marsh
What are Men Doing to Prevent Gender-Based Violence? Challenges and Resistance to Traditional Masculinities in Costa Rica, Fiorella Masís Aguilar
If I Love You, You Have Died in My Dreams, Priyanuj Mazumdar
Dragonsworn, Josie McCarty
Creating the Role of Passerby and Stationmaster in The Cherry Orchard, Selwyn Ofori
Vibration-Based Fault Diagnosis in Industrial Rotating Machinery, Yaman Pandey
Butterfly Husks, Heather Pecore
Watching Over Cold Waves: The Influence of Social and Technology Surveillance on Independent Older Adults’ Safety, S M Ashfaqur Rahman
Differentiating Blunt Force Trauma Fractures from Thermal Fractures in Fleshed and Skeletal Deer Heads, Alyssa Ranney
Stories that Wound, Stories that Heal: Navigating the Effects of Performing Traumatic Experiences in Collegiate Forensics, Manuel Reyes
Lean Service System Optimization in U.S. Automotive Maintenance Centers: A Time Study and Simulation-Based Approach to Reducing Service Cycle Time and Increasing Efficiency, Rakibul Hasan Sarker
Marginalizing Messages, Emotional Impacts, and Coping Strategies: Exploring the Experiences of Bangladeshi Female Gamers in Online Multiplayer Gaming Spaces, Tahura Tabassum Tari
Improving the Quality of Physics Practice, Wyatt W. Thompson
Data-Driven Climate Damage Functions for Capital Formation: Estimating the Climate Penalty Using Maching Learning, Pramudya Wicaksono
A Comparative Analysis of the Ecophysiology Between the Invasive Macroalgae Starry Stonewort and the Native Macroalgae Chara to Predict Invasion Potential, Thomas J. Zellmer
Theses/Dissertations from 2025
Shattering the Glass Ceiling: Comparative Narratives of Women Leaders in Public Relations in Ghana and the United States of America, Adriana Kukuwaa Adu
Creation of a Dual-Fluorescence Reporter System to Assay miRNA Regulation of APOBEC3A, Tolulope D. Ajayi
Temporary Marriage in Iraq: Views and Perceptions, Zena Al Safar
Estimation of Energy Use Intensity by Space Usage at Minnesota State University, Mankato, Rocio Alvarado Ramirez
Growing Up Online: Children, Family Vlogs, and the Monetization of Childhood, Jenna Anderson
Effect of Exogenous Iodide Treatments After Sodium Perchlorate Exposure on Behavior and Brain Development in Zebrafish (Danio rerio), Emma Bourgeois
Her, And Other Recurring Themes, Syed Hussain Shahryar Bukhari
The Role of Thyroid Hormone Transporters Mct8 and Oatp1c1 in Cochlear Myelination and Ossicle Bone Development, Nathalia Castellanos Mejia
RIPPLES: An Automated Embedding Generation Algorithm for the Forward-Forward Algorithm, Spencer Connolly
Lucidity, Jamen Darling
A Vision Transformer Based Assistive System for Dermatological Diagnosis in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Syeda Lamima Farhat
Cultivating the Competitor: Advocacy, Competition and Education, Vanessa Fowler
Impact of High School Racial Composition on Intercultural Competence of Undergraduate Students, Ryuto Hashimoto
The Triangle of Social Media, Mental Health, and Activism: Lessons from July 2024 Anti-Discrimination Students Movement in Bangladesh, Md Belal Hossain
Exploring the Experiences of Collegiate Black Female Student-Athletes from a Phenomenological Perspective, Deja L. Jackson
Food Porn, Amanda Jordan
A Tale of Two Kingdoms, Grace Kabliska
Machine Learning-Driven Music Genre Recognition, Redeate Kidanue
Geochronology and Geomorphology of the Brule Spillway of Glacial Lake Duluth, Madeline Josephine Laaksonen
Marcescence, Ben Liebl
House of Spirits, Kari Lutes
Critical Discourse Analysis of MeToo Activism Representation in Nepalese News Coverage: Privileged Bodies, Masculine Gaze, and Absentees Others, Grisha Mainali
Personal Temporality, Theodore (Tim) Ives Messenger IV
The Rhythm of Resistance: Marginalized Bodies and Dominant Rhythmic Systems, Bilan Mire
Yes, those are my biological parents: Growing up Multiracial in the United States, Angie Navejas
Where the Clouds Roll By, Michael Nemer
From Gossip to Guidance: Analyzing Student Posting on Yik Yak, Mikayla Nemgar
A Place Called Home, Heidi Newbauer
Impact of HIV-2 ROD9 Vpx Mutations on SAMHD1 Degradation and Vpx Nuclear Trafficking, Tolulope R. Oladimeji
Challenges and Effects: A Qualitative Analysis of the Unique Challenges Faced by Black Male Care Givers in Long-term Care, Qudrat Oluwatimilehin Olufemi-Dirisu
Characterization of Actin Capping Protein Beta Isoform Specific Dynamics In Metastatic Cells, Etinosa Osamudiamen
Crypto Stamps and Cultural Heritage Representation: A Case Study of Ghana's Asantehene Commemorative Stamp, Henrietta Otoo
Beyond the Shadows: Unveiling the Dynamics of Gender-Based Violence in Malawi Through Advocates’ Perspectives, Sarah Temwa Padoko
Directing The Temperamentals: Exploring Identity, Activism, and Historical Resonance in LGBTQ+ Theater, Eric E. Parrish
House No. 31 and Other Stories, Nawaz Gul Qanungo
Wavering Masculinities, Riley Rist
Heiniboxitittel, Harry Ritchie
Performance Evaluation of Managed Switch Configurations for Secure and Efficient PLC-Based Industrial Automation Networks, Ahmed Salama
Spectral Theory and the Gelfand Transform, Brenden Schlader
Development of a SWPBIS Fidelity Tool for Front-Line Intervention Agents, Courtney A. Sowle
Assessing Dental Hygienist’s Use of Anxiety Reducing Practices Toward Patients with Dental Anxiety, Sara C. Steiger
Flaming Hot Queers: Queer Warmth in Forensics, Caleb Webb
Knowledge and Education of Minnesota High School Coaches Regarding the Signs and Symptoms of Eating Disorders in High School Athletes, Mikaela Whiteford
Developmental Expression of Thyroid Hormone Transporter Mct8 in the Murine Adrenal Gland, Kendra K. Youngberg
Pressing Matters: American Print Culture and the Development of Proto-Romanticism, Daniel Young
Theses/Dissertations from 2024
Tales of Dead Men, Muhammad Abu-Rub
Everyone Else's Body, Alexandra Boutelle
Embryonic Exposure to Sodium Perchlorate Disrupts Organ Development in Mice, Kyle Bouten
Prompting and Protecting Radical Environmental Justice Activism, Ava Corey-Gruenes
Developing a Snow Detection Algorithm Using Spatial Attention for Pedestrian Safety, Ricardo de Deijn
Post-glacial Landscape Evolution of the Lower St. Croix River Valley: The Enigma of Glacial Lake Grantsburg, the Osceola Bench, and the St. Croix Dells, Hunter Delikowski
A Deep Learning Model for Early Diagnosis of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus from Facial Images, Shourav Bikash Dey
Evaluating the Impacts of Microplastics on the Soil Biochemical Environment and Cherry Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) Productivity, Kenny Famakinwa
Religious and Spiritual Struggles among Satanists, Trevor Flick
Physiological Indices of Anxiety and Self-Regulation Under Task Demands and Talk Aloud, Zachary Gerber
Localization and Quantification of ATPase, Ca2+ Transporting, Plasma Membrane 2 (Atp2b2) in the Developing Euthyroid and Hypothyroid Cochlea, Emily Gregersen
