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Fastpass to Immersion: Design Principles for Immersive Theme Park Attractions
abstract: Immersion has become a key buzzword in the theme park industry, with many themed lands and attractions being designed with this objective in mind. This paper defines immersion through the concept of the ironic imagination and examines its role in theme park attractions. A literature review was first conducted to identify general design principles for the creation of immersive theme park attractions. Authentic settings that utilize all of the senses were considered first, along with a system of positive and negative cues for evaluating immersive experiences. The importance of simple and emotional stories was also addressed, before investigating the role that employees and guests play in an immersive attraction. Eight design principles were identified, and using these principles a blue sky design for an immersive theme park attraction was developed. An overview of the attraction is included and accompanied by an analysis of how the design principles were applied. (abstract
A Comparative Study of Media Exposure as Applied to the NBA and WNBA
abstract: This thesis examines the differences in how professional male and female athletes and teams are portrayed in the media. Specifically, I analyze the ways female professional athletes and teams are typically not marketed as elite and are usually portrayed as lesser than their male colleagues. Given the scholarly literature on the disparity between how male and female athletes are portrayed in sports media,, we might expect that news sources will diminish the accomplishments of female athletes through less coverage. Similarly, we might also expect that the themes covered in articles about female athletes and teams differ greatly from the themes that are covered with male athletes and teams. Through a quantitative analysis of media exposure and a qualitative analysis of radio articles from Arizona Sports 98.7FM from September of 2014, 2018, and 2020, we see that, while most news sources do write about female athletes and teams on a semi-regular basis, the themes explored do not always focus on the athletes but ten to emphasize their lives outside of the game. We are left with an understanding that female athletes and women’s professional sports teams are portrayed in a different light than male athletes and men’s professional sports teams. While female athletes are increasingly recognized in the media, men are still thought of as premier athletes while women are simply good among other women (abstract
An Argument for the Integration of Partner Dance into the Public-School System
abstract: This project concerns justification for why partner dance, particularly ballroom dance, should be a part of the Arizona public-school curriculum. It consists of a review of peer-reviewed scientific research on the subject, as well as interviews conducted with local experts on dance. Moreover, a sample curriculum is supplied that should provide guidance on how to implement a ballroom dance program in the K-12 system. The goal of this paper is to empower educators to create ballroom dance programs in their schools, with the ultimate plan to help develop students into better citizens. (abstract
Female Agency in the Canterbury Tales and Telling Tales
abstract: My thesis, titled Female Agency in the Canterbury Tales and Telling Tales, compares Geoffrey Chaucer’s fourteenth century work and Patience Agbabi’s modern adaptation in regards to their portrayal of female agency. While each work contained a whole selection of tales, I focus on four tales, which were The Miller’s Tale, The Clerk’s Tale, The Physician’s Tale, and The Wife of Bath’s Tale. I also include relevant historical information to support and assist in the analysis of the literary texts, and secondary sources were also used supplementarily to enhance the analysis. I argue that female agency is irrationally believed to be dangerous, and the consequent attempts at protection manifest as limitations, which are themselves damaging. The paper is divided into two main sections, which are themselves separated into three smaller categories. The first of the two main sections concerns what actions and options are available to women influenced by a distinction of gender; this section is divided into female gender ideals, marriage, and occupation. The second of the two main sections addresses the entities or individuals enacting the limitations upon female agency, and its three subsections are society, men, and women. I ultimately conclude that not only is it irrational to believe that female agency is dangerous, but also that making gender-based judgment on the capacity of a group of people or an individual is inherently flawed. (abstract
Strategic Analysis of Exporting Softwood Timber to China
abstract: Normally one associates competitive advantages with companies instead of countries. However, when it comes to international trade it is important to try and understand why some countries have had more success than others in exporting different commodities. The goal of this project is to outline and conduct a strategic analysis of countries exporting softwood logs and sawn wood to the Chinese market and address the issues China’s demand will have to face. This issue is that Russia is proposing and already in the works of initiating a ban on exporting softwood logs in January 2022. With Russia withdrawing, this will leave a large gap in the market share for which other countries will have an opportunity to capture. Therefore, this project focuses on a comparative analysis of what strategies countries could implement to sustain this demand. China has grown and continues to be the largest consumer of softwood in the world. This has led to sustainability being a large concern for Russia who has been the longest major supplier of softwood timber to China. China also knows that by itself it does not have enough wood to support its entire population and relies heavily on importing timber from other countries. Now with Russia discontinuing to export softwood logs in 2022, China will need to find a way to import enough softwood logs to meet its demand. The main question this project tries to answer is how and which countries will be able to do this. By analyzing the external environment of China’s softwood imports, the internal environment of countries, and then concluding with a SWOT analysis this project will try to assess which countries have the capabilities and resources to jump on this opportunity. (abstract
The Rise of Mobile Esports in the East and the Possibility of Replication in the West
abstract: Esports is the fastest growing sub sector within the entertainment industry, predicted to garner over 600 million viewers by 2022. However, there is a big category of esports - mobile esports - that are not yet recognized globally. This thesis project analyzes how mobile esports has risen in the Eastern countries of the world, primarily Southeast Asia, and compares it to the possibility of replication in the Western countries of the world, primarily the United States and Brazil. It examines the specific factors that caused mobile gaming and thus mobile esports to flourish in the East Region of the world. The thesis additionally incorporates current attitudes towards esports and mobile esports in the United States and discusses the viewpoints of consumers in those specific areas. This research uses primary data and literature synthesis to ultimately increase knowledge on how mobile esports has risen in popularity in various Asian countries and whether or not mobile esports can thrive in a different environment such as the United States.
This thesis takes data from the “Newzoo Global Esports Market Report� conducted in 2020 by Newzoo. This report does the following:
- dives deep into the global and regional esports economy
- provides a realistic estimate of the market’s future potential regarding revenue streams, audience numbers, key trends, and franchises
- highlights financial and statistical trends for the esports industry in the future
Overall the thesis finds that mobile esports have succeeded in the Asian market due to an established demographic of esports fans and players, mobile first consumers, and wide technology network in Asia. Data analysis finds that currently many American gamers still find mobile gaming to be “boring� and ultimately that cultural attitude, generational shifts, and the ideal game need to align for mobile esports to succeed in the United States. (abstract
The Detrimental Effects of Improvised Pelvic Circumferential Compression Device Modifications for Femoral Artery Access
abstract: Pelvic Circumferential Compression Devices (PCCDs), an important medical device when caring for patients with pelvic fractures, play a crucial role in the stabilization and reduction of the fracture. During pelvic fracture cases, control of internal bleeding through access to the femoral artery is of utmost importance. Current designs of PCCDs do not allow vital access to this artery and in attempts to gain access, medical professionals and emergency care providers choose to cut into the PCCDs or place them in suboptimal positions with unknown downstream effects. We researched the effects on surface pressure and the overall pressure distribution created by the PCCDs when they are modified or placed incorrectly on the patient. In addition, we investigated the effects of those misuses on pelvic fracture reduction, a key parameter in stabilizing the patient during critical care. We hypothesized that incorrectly placing or modifying the PCCD will result in increased surface pressure and decreased fracture reduction. Our mannequin studies show that for SAM Sling and T-POD, surface pressure increases if a PCCD is incorrectly placed or modified, in support of our hypothesis. However, opposite results occurred for the Pelvic Binder, where the correctly placed PCCD had higher surface pressure when compared to the incorrectly placed or modified PCCD. Additionally, pressure distribution was significantly affected by the modification of the PCCDs. The cadaver lab measurements show that modifying or incorrectly placing the PCCDs significantly limits their ability to reduce the pelvic fracture. These results suggest that while modifying or incorrectly placing PCCDs allows access to the femoral artery, there are potentially dangerous effects to the patient including increased surface pressures and limited fracture reduction. (abstract
Application of See-Through Car Pillars in the Automobile Industry
abstract: This creative project is an extension of the work being done as part of Senior Design in developing the See-Through Car Pillar, a system designed to render the forward car pillars in a car invisible to the driver so they can have an unobstructed view utilizing displays, sensors, and a computer. The first half of the paper provides the motivation, design and progress of the project, while the latter half provides a literature survey on current automobile trends, the viability of the See-Through Car Pillar as a product in the market through case studies, and alternative designs and technologies that also might address the problem statement. (abstract