Background: Spina bifida (SB) is the most common birth defect, affecting approximately 1 to 2 in 10,000 live births. SB is a complex disability with many associated, secondary, and chronic conditions that require lifelong medical care. Individuals with spina bifida (SB) are living longer with advances in medical care, and...
This thesis explores the relationship between crime, transportation network connectivity, and engineered facilities built to increase walkability through a case study of twenty-five sites within the city of Spokane, Washington. Using data spanning between 2008 and 2010, the author developed a GIS model representing conditions of the built environment, social...
This study addresses the question: "What are the incentives and disincentives for conflict prevention and mitigation in the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), and how do they factor into Reclamation's management of water in the western United States?" Incentives and disincentives for conflict prevention (i.e., actions taken to avoid conflict) and...
The US airline industry is going through a period of consolidation through mergers between leading airlines. A number of recent mergers have been approved by the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice (DOJ) based on the presence of Southwest Airlines in merger-affected markets. In doing so, the DOJ makes...
The increasingly corporatized and privatized public university has resulted in significant role changes for students and faculty. Among these changes includes the development of online education and its proliferation among various disciplines to not only increase educational access, but to sustain budgetary program needs. Such processes are occurring in women's...
Existing literature on first generation students focuses on the challenges these students encounter in arriving at and persisting within higher education. The area of first generation student involvement, particularly within clubs and organizations on campus, is relatively unknown. In this study, I conducted nine qualitative interviews with first generation students...
The objective of this thesis is to provide a predictive model for the archaeological investigation of the first farmsteads in the Pacific Northwest, established in the early- and mid-nineteenth century by Canadien and Métis families retiring from their service in the fur trade. Past studies of this population have either...
This thesis examines the experiences of international Latin American graduate students when taking on the role of graduate assistants while completing their academic program. Using phenomenology, a qualitative research approach, and relying on two main theories, Challenge and Support by Sanford (1966) and the Community Cultural Wealth Model, this study...
Students with disabilities are not being afforded the same access to sporting opportunities as their peers without disabilities. The purpose of this dissertation was to build on a foundation of information regarding collegiate adaptive sports through a Critical Disabilities Studies lens. Specific aims included: (1) identifying and describing intercollegiate, adaptive...
Research has confirmed a lack of diversity and persistence of underrepresented populations in the STEM fields. Recruiting and retaining more women and people of color into STEM fields has long been a goal of higher education, per a notable lack of women and people of color who enter and complete...