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The Space Between: Engaging and Withholding the Self
Full text linkThis thesis, The Space Between: Engaging and Withholding the Self, documents my journey in understanding the self through the act of oil-painted self-portraiture. Through an exploration of eye contact, body language, non-performative representations of self, and the tension between engagement and detachment, this body of work examines the complexities of visibility, agency, and self-perception. Using my own body as both subject and metaphor, I investigate the interplay between revealing and withholding, questioning the boundaries between what is seen and what remains obscured. Blending classical figure painting techniques with abstracted elements, my work engages in a dialogue between tradition and experimentation. The inclusion of companion pieces alongside individual portraits creates shifting narratives that evolve with viewer engagement.
These paintings exist within a space of vulnerability, reflecting my evolving relationship with self-representation. By treating painting as both a communicative act and a site of introspection, The Space Between: Engaging and Withholding the Self serves as a record of my artistic development and a broader meditation on selfhood. Through this process, I have confronted my own notions of the self, agency, and perception, inviting viewers to consider their own relationship to self-representation and the tensions of visibility
Silver Nanoparticles in Ammonia Sensing and Photovoltaics
Full text linkNanocomposite films (NCF) containing silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), separated by thin layers of silica/poly-4-vinylpyridine/polyvinylpyrrolidone, were fabricated via drop casting, spin coating, dip coating on glass substrate and drop casting on nylon filter membranes. The more uniform films were produced by drop casting on nylon filter membranes due to their solvent wicking properties. The films demonstrate electrical conductivity that varies in response to moist ammonia and water vapors. The changes in conductivity are attributed to hydrogen bonding between ammonia and water molecules with the silica/polymer layers, as well as the direct adsorption of ammonia onto the silver surface. Notably, NCFs with polyvinylpyrrolidone layers exhibited a limit of detection of 0.4 ppm for ammonia, even in the presence of interfering water vapor. It is proposed that the films could be further developed as ammonia sensors for environmental and biomedical applications. The novelty of this work relates to achieving low detection limit in the presence of saturated water vapor as well as a development of new simple and reproducible fabrication technique. This work is published in Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical journal. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) exhibit highly efficient interaction with light across visible and near IR spectral ranges due to the excitation of plasmon resonances and can potentially function as an effective light capturing antenna. Hybrid nanostructure containing Ag plasmonic core and photosensitive Ag2S semiconductor layer were fabricated and incorporated into photovoltaic (PV) devices that were expected to exhibit enhanced performance. Contrary to the initial expectations, it was established that the direct contact between Ag2S photosensitive semiconductor layer with the metallic silver core provided an additional mechanism for the recombination of photogenerated electron hole pairs thus reducing the performance of the devises. Plasmonic AgNPs were synthesized with a thin electrically insulated shell to alleviate this recombination mechanism and integrated into the PV devices containing Ag2S photosensitive semiconductor. Embedding the insulated plasmonic AgNPs into the semiconductor resulted in a 20.4% enhancement of the photo conversion efficiency (PCE) as compared to the same PV devices without plasmonic particles. The novelty of this work relates to the identification of electron hole recombination mechanism within plasmonic metal nanostructures that leads to the reduced performance of PVs. This has broad applicability to all PV devices that utilize plasmon resonances to enhance their performance. A general solution was developed based on electrically insulating plasmonic nanoparticles with a thin dielectric shell. The significant improvement of the PCE was achieved because of the locally enhanced electromagnetic field associated with plasmon oscillations. All structures were characterized using optical microscopy, atomic force microscopy, UV-Vis spectroscopy, SEM, Raman, and XRD
User Acceptance of Shared Autonomous Vehicles
Full text linkA dissertation is proposed to explore user acceptance of shared autonomous vehicles (SAVs). SAVs are facing limited user acceptance. To systematically tackle the user acceptance barriers of SAVs, the main problem can be disintegrated into two sub-problems of user acceptance of autonomous vehicles (AVs) and ridesharing. The comfort of the ride experience in AVs is a determinant of user acceptance. Understanding the influential factors and developing methodologies to quantify human comfort in AVs are essential to facilitating future research to improve human comfort in AVs. The current pooled rideshare (PR) service closely resembles the anticipated future of SAVs. Understanding why users prefer or refuse to use PR at the current stage prepares SAVs for broader acceptance in the future. Until now, a series of peer-reviewed publications have been published to achieve the technical goals. Two simulator-based user studies were conducted to instrument the research on human comfort in AVs. Statistical analysis was performed to identify the crucial vehicular behavioral factors of human comfort in AVs. The influential factors of human comfort in AVs and methodologies to quantify and detect human comfort in AVs were investigated. Two survey-based studies were deployed to facilitate the investigation of user acceptance of rideshare services. The influential factors of users\u27 willingness to consider PR were explored and identified, and the choice behaviors in ridesharing services were comprehensively modeled and analyzed. The proposed research answers a series of fundamental questions regarding the user acceptance of SAVs. For the branch of user acceptance of AVs, the research generated guidelines for improving passenger comfort in AVs by identifying a series of autonomous driving factors of passenger comfort. The research also provides fundamental tools to estimate human comfort levels for future research and in-AV applications. For the branch of user acceptance of PR, the research provided user acceptance-aware vehicle, service, and policy design insights that can promote the usage of PR
Synthesis and Characterization of New Inorganic Materials in Different Length Scales; from Nanometer to Micrometer
Full text linkIn this dissertation there are a new series of Preyssler polyoxometalate (POM) crystalline solids created using electrochemical potential. It was found that using electrochemical potential, where nucleation and reduction occur simultaneously, was a convenient method for exploratory synthesis creating new crystalline solids in aqueous solution and at room temperature. The general structure feature reveals that Preyssler POM was covalently linked by various metals from the d and f block including Co2+, Ni2+, La3+, Nd3+, Gd3+ and Ho3+ where the POM was reduced by 2 to 4 electrons. The resulting solids were crystallized from aqueous solution onto silver wires from a two–electrode set up as illustrated in Chapter 2. In Chapter 3, the case of the transition elements, the POMs were linked along the pentagonal window, a unique orientation compared to the previously reported transition metal linked Preyssler POMs from classical solid–state synthesis methods. The POMs in this configuration were linked to form 1–D column–like structures where there were no transition metals linking the parallel columns. In addition to this column–like nature when using Co2+, Ni2+ was also used and formed an isostructural complex with a minor phase that was unique due to its decoration of the Preyssler POM with Ni4O4 cubane–like units that decorated the POMs as well as space filling in between the POMs. In Chapter 4 the POMs are linked to each other by lanthanides some of which forming 2–D sheets of POMs linked by f–block elements. In Chapter 5 a different project is presented with carbon dots functionalized by TiO2 alone, a new structure type that does not involve the addition of organic passivation agents. The results were a fluorescent quantum yield of ~14% when excited at 400 nm in dimethyl formamide. The samples were characterized by spectroscopic means including UV–Vis and fluorescence spectroscopy as well as X–ray diffraction and electron microscopy. The work presented in this dissertation is significant as it explored the ability to prepare solids of different length scales using both POMs and carbon nanomaterials
Understanding how to Cultivate Culturally Relevant Dispositions among District Science Coordinators and Science Teachers
No full textAt the center of the discussions about equity in science education is the importance of defining and articulating what is meant by equity, diversity, and social justice. Despite recent efforts to improve equity in science education, inequities in science education persist. District science coordinators, science teachers, and science teacher educators are key players in the movement toward more equitable science learning and instruction. The purpose of this three manuscript dissertation was to explore the ways in which science teacher educators are working to promote culturally relevant dispositions within science teachers (Paper 1/Chapter 2), examine how district science coordinators are approaching equity in their work with science teachers (Paper 2/Chapter 3), and explore the attitudes and beliefs of science teachers and district science coordinators related to culturally relevant pedagogies in science (Paper 3/Chapter 4). Using culturally relevant education as a guiding framework throughout, findings across all three studies suggest that teachers and district coordinators feel they understand the culture of the students they serve yet are willing to learn more. Many science teacher education and professional development programs emphasize strategies for increasing cultural competence. District science coordinators tend to focus their equity efforts on increasing student opportunity and access to high quality science learning and instruction. Perhaps the biggest takeaway from the three studies is there may be a connection between science educators’ knowledge of aspects of nature of science that relates to their confidence and comfort in engaging students in hot topic conversations in science classrooms. Recommendations for future research include exploring the relationships between nature of science knowledge and science educators’ attitudes and beliefs underlying justice issues in science as a way to promote critical reflection and the critique of discourses of power
Adults’ Remembered Stories of Early-Grades Reading Groups: A Narrative Inquiry
Full text linkThis study examined literacy narratives composed by participants aged 18 to 71 to learn how they remembered, described, and constructed stories about their experiences in ability-based reading groups when they were children learning to read in public schools. The purpose of this study was to add voices and perspectives to a decades-long debate over the varied impacts of using ability-based reading groups that separate children by skill level, particularly with regard to connections to learner academic and literacy self-perception and the perpetuation of systemic social inequity. The study was grounded in a critical pedagogy theoretical foundation and employed a narrative inquiry research design. The participants’ literacy narratives and post-composition meeting conversations largely echoed the body of research that shows students placed in high-ability groups typically enjoy positive or neutral experiences and outcomes, while students in lower groups recall more negative emotions and outcomes. In addition, the participant data aligned with research that has demonstrated that children from low-income backgrounds and members of historically minoritized populations are disproportionately represented in lower groups, regardless of measures of skill level or ability
Situated Learning Within a Transition Program for Youth With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
Full text linkThrough a lens of situated learning through legitimate peripheral participation (Lave et al., 1991), findings from this study suggested design elements of a transition program supported language participation among youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Program stakeholders described ways in which a program afforded access to two distinct communities of practice, situated in authentic contexts in a workplace setting. Communities in a training room and in genuine internship experiences offered unique opportunities for youth to participate in socially situated practices to varying degrees. Using tools, including language, stakeholders described how youth engaged in contextualized language practices alongside community members. Perspectives suggested that youth co-created meaning out of shared practices, negotiating identities out of legitimate peripheral language participation
Strengthening the Bonds Between Us: An Empirical Investigation of Morale in Human-AI Teams and the Socially Supportive AI Teammates Who Empower it
Full text linkThis dissertation investigates how artificial intelligence (AI) can be designed to improve the collective emotion within a team. A team\u27s collective emotion, or morale, describes how motivated, optimistic, and enthusiastic the group is in accomplishing its goals. We conducted four studies that compared different social support strategies that AI teammates can provide to the team. Study 1A found that AI teammates who communicate with emotions can better motivate human team members and promote awareness of team dynamics and environmental changes. Study 1B found that human teammates become more motivated and happier when their AI teammates express joy and are close in proximity to give help when needed. Study 2 saw HAT morale benefit when AI teammates boosted their human teammates\u27 self-esteem by reminding them of their talents and skills. Study 3 found that human teammates prefer their AI-enabled robotic teammates to be equipped with certain human-like features. For instance, having a realistic voice or maintaining eye contact when having a conversation. But the appearance should still resemble a robot. Also, it should understand when to give their human teammates space, such as when humans are dealing with stressful news. Together, these studies decipher how AI teammates can be designed to support their human teammates\u27 emotional state of mind when working together to achieve a goal
