28653 research outputs found
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Nowhere in particular
No full textNowhere in Particular is a photographic series exploring the textures and contradictions of the Midwest through contact sheet photography. The project was built using expired Fujifilm color negative film and assembled across multiple rolls, forming large composite prints from smaller individual frames. Influenced by contact sheet techniques shared in online photography spaces and informed by the aesthetics of artists like Thomas Lang and Stephen Shore, the work engages with overlooked and often unseen elements of the American landscape. By repeating themes of vacant spaces, hollow signs of patriotism, and stillness the series builds meaning through accumulation rather than spectacle. The process foregrounds materiality, slowness, and human error, tying the work to the tactile history of film photography. Over the course of creating and exhibiting this series, the project also encountered institutional censorship that ultimately revealed how fragile creative freedom can be, even within academic environments. This paper outlines the conceptual and technical foundations of the work, its artistic lineage, and the significance of continuing to work with analog processes in a digital era.B.A.School of Ar
A phenomenological study of the experience of 21st century scholars of color at PWIs in Indiana
No full textThe 21st Century Scholars College Promise program was established in 1990 by the state of Indiana to address the disparity in educational attainment based on income level by providing scholarships to students from low-income and moderate-income households. Notwithstanding the program's effectiveness in closing the access to post-secondary education gap for low-income and high school graduates of color, 21st Century Scholars' college completion rates trail their high-income peers. This completion gap is more pronounced for Black and Latinx 21st Century Scholars who do not graduate at the same rate as their White peers. The disparities in college completion by race and ethnicity cannot be explained in the robust quantitative research of the program. There is a lack of qualitative research on the experiences of 21st Century Scholars. To address the gap in the literature, I conducted a hermeneutic phenomenological study to understand how the campus environment at a predominantly White Institution (PWI) shaped the lived experience of Black and Latinx 21st Century Scholars and contributed to their persistence and completion. Utilizing the Culturally Engaging Campus Environments (CECE) model as a theoretical framework for the semi-structured one-on-one interviews, I explored the everyday lived experiences of 12 Black and Latinx 21st Century Scholars at a four-year public PWI in Indiana. The study's findings were presented in six primary themes that suggest that campus environments that support and promote welcoming, caring, supportive, and meaningful relationships with faculty, staff, and students contribute to participants' sense of belonging and persistence to completion. The study provides practical insights for PWIs to create a campus environment that supports the success of Black and Latinx 21st Century Scholars to begin narrowing the disparities in college completion based on race. This study is significant for institution leaders, policymakers, and students.D. Ed
Exploring NIL self-marketing and branding strategies of NCAA Group of Five Division I collegiate athletes
No full textThis study examines how NCAA Division I student-athletes at a Group of Five university utilize
self-marketing and branding strategies within the evolving Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL)
landscape. Since the introduction of NIL rights, student-athletes have gained opportunities to
monetize their personal brands, creating both challenges and opportunities in collegiate athletics.
Using the Model of Athlete Brand Image (MABI) framework, the study explores student-athletes
NIL experiences and the strategies they employ to secure NIL deals. The findings reveal that
self-marketing, particularly proactive outreach to brands and companies, is the most effective
strategy for NIL success. Despite this, many participants struggled with branding strategy, and a
desire for increased institutional support and education to ensure equity emerged. Beyond
financial benefits, NIL involvement provided student-athletes with valuable professional
experiences, including career development, networking, and skill-building opportunities. This
research underscores the importance of institutional guidance and education and the role of NIL
in enhancing long-term professional development for student-athletes.M. S
Random survival forest for predicting survival outcomes of breast cancer patients in the presence of large genomics information
No full textCancer as a disease, including lung, breast, colorectal, cervical, endometrial, and
ovarian cancer, continues to receive significant attention due to its high prevalence
rate and deadly nature. In this thesis project, we aim to predict the survival outcomes
of breast cancer patients in the presence of large genomics information. We
considered a machine learning approach such as a Random Survival Forest (RSF)
and a traditional survival model such as the Cox Proportional Hazards (Cox PH)
model to predict the survival outcomes of breast cancer patients. The study examines
how the prediction accuracy of survival models applied to high dimensional
genomics data is affected by dimensionality reduction using Non-Negative Matrix
Factorization (NMF). In particular, the full dataset and NMF-reduced dataset were
used, constructed from 177 significantly altered genes in patients with breast cancer.
One important finding is that both the RSF and Cox PH models continued to
exhibit strong prediction accuracy whether the entire dataset or its NMF-reduced
dataset was utilized, but RSF has a marginally higher AUC at every time point
in both the complete and reduced datasets. Nonetheless, both models continue to
be competitive, and the AUC variations are at only a few percentage points. This
striking resemblance highlights the dependability of NMF as a preprocessing step
by indicating that the crucial predictive signal is maintained even after lowering the
dimensionality of the data. This work thus shows that by concentrating on the most
pertinent biological signals, NMF enhances model performance while maintaining
the predictive capacity of the original dataset.M. S
Scene in passing
No full textScene in Passing is inspired by ephemeral experiences of the midwestern landscape surrounding my home in Muncie Indiana. The work is influenced by the atmospheric and contemplative work of American Tonalist painters as well as the work of contemporary glass artists who use landscape in their work. Scene in Passing uses engraved imagery on blown glass vessels and hanging glass panels to convey my impressions of the mysterious and peaceful scenery that forms the background imagery of daily life in the Midwest. The work was made using a Swedish glass blowing technique that involves encasing engraved imagery in layers of glass and inflating and shaping the resulting bubble to form a vessel. The series presented in Scene in Passing is the start of a larger art practice that I aim to expand in the coming years as I continue to hone my technical, compositional, and conceptual skills.B.F.A.School of Ar
Child's play: the franchise that always returns, no matter what
No full textThe Child’s Play series is a film and television series that has been undervalued in the horror genre in comparison with other slasher franchises in the subgenre. The series has provided a singular, continuous storyline that has been expanded significantly since the first film in 1989. This success and continuation of continuity can be attributed to the series creator, Don Mancini, incorporating and integrating queer culture and themes into the story, while maintaining creative control from Child’s Play 2 (1990) onward. By embracing the series queer identity and tone and not backtracking on story elements that conflicted with the original vision of the series and moving forward, the Child’s Play franchise has outlasted many competitors and creatively has come back from the dead multiple times over the years.M. A
Revitalizing vacant commercial buildings: causes, impacts, and reuse strategies
No full textThis research identifies and evaluates solutions to address commercial vacancies in retail, office, industrial, hospitality, mixed-use, and medical buildings across five Wisconsin counties: Outagamie, Winnebago, Fond du Lac, Calumet, and Brown. Vacant and underused commercial properties present challenges in both urban and rural areas due to economic shifts, evolving consumer behavior, remote work, and aging infrastructure. This study investigates the causes and impacts of vacancy and explores viable redevelopment strategies through a literature review and a targeted survey.
Existing research highlights several contributors to vacancy, including the decline of brick-and-mortar retail, remote work trends, deindustrialization, tourism shifts, and outdated buildings. These factors have resulted in inefficient space use and negative social and environmental outcomes, such as urban blight, reduced walkability, and demolition waste. In response, this study explores adaptive reuse strategies that promote sustainable redevelopment—such as converting vacant retail into mixed-use hubs, repurposing office buildings for housing and co-working spaces, reclaiming industrial sites through green redevelopment, transforming hotels into affordable housing, and updating medical facilities for educational and community use.
To complement the literature review, a survey of local business owners, residents, and community stakeholders captures firsthand insights into the economic, safety, and social effects of commercial vacancy. It also collects input on preferred redevelopment approaches to ensure alignment with local needs and market realities.
The findings aim to support policymakers, planners, and property stakeholders with actionable strategies to revitalize vacant properties and stimulate sustainable economic growthM. S
Machined morphogenetics
No full textThis research, framed through the lens of columnar design, explores a
paradigm shift in architecture made possible by computational design and
digital fabrication. It revisits the column as a site where aesthetic, structural,
material, and production-based qualities converge - attributes historically
central to its expressive power but often overlooked in contemporary practice.
Through differential growth simulations, Machined Morphogenetics introduces a
generative process where form emerges from localized constraints and spatial
conditions. Within this process, ornamentation grows algorithmically rather than
being applied, guided by structural logic and spatial relationships, with negative
space becoming a design parameter that allows the column to respond to its
surroundings.
Clay, as a soft and responsive material, brings a quiet elegance to this process.
Its form is shaped through behavior rather than imposed geometry, influenced
by flow, weight, and time. The 3D printer acts as a collaborator, translating
code into matter with precision, reinforcing both structure and expression. What
emerges is a system that feels naturally beautiful. The column is no longer static
but a record of growth, shaped by the interaction of material, machine, and
space. It reclaims its role as a cultural and architectural expression shaped by
contemporary processes of making.Thesis (B. Arch.)College of Architecture and Plannin
Chin cultural center
No full textLocated in Indianapolis, Indiana, this thesis project focuses on creating a
cultural gathering space for the Chin people, a refugee community from Burma.
Indianapolis has the largest Chin population in the United States, with over
30,000 individuals primarily residing on the city’s south side. The Chin people
immigrated due to the ongoing civil war in Burma, yet they have preserved
their traditions, culture, and cuisine. However, there is currently no dedicated
space for them to celebrate their heritage. Like many immigrant communities in
the United States, they face a lack of cultural spaces designed to support and
showcase their traditions.
The purpose of this project is to establish a gathering space where the Chin
community can celebrate their cultural identity while providing an opportunity
for individuals from other backgrounds to engage with Chin traditions. By
integrating traditional Chin materials, customs, and architectural influences,
this space will serve as an immersive cultural center that fosters inclusivity
and cross-cultural exchange. It will function as a bridge between diverse
communities, promoting mutual understanding through shared experiences.
Ultimately, this project aims to create a sense of belonging for the Chin people
and a welcoming environment for all individuals to learn, connect, and celebrate
cultural diversity.Thesis (B. Arch.)College of Architecture and Plannin
Herd animals
No full textThis show stems from and reflects my experience going through art school, with underlying themes about high expectations from yourself and others, struggles with identity, and imposter syndrome. My main inspiration and imagery come from two sources; historical depictions of unicorns and vintage My Little Pony toys. The overall narrative here shows two similar yet opposing characters, styled after these two different styles of unicorns, both yearning to become something that are not, and feeling out of place due to unrealistic expectations of what it means to be a unicorn. This is meant to mirror the feeling that I, and many others, experience in life, failing to recognize your own strengths instead dwelling on the accomplishments of others and making unfair comparisons. With this series of works, I hope to reach out to my audience and inspire them to make personal connections with their peers and practice empathy and patience for both themselves and others.B.F.A.College of Ar