MARCH, University of Cincinnati, 2024, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning: Architecture

WaKeeney, Kansas, a town with fewer than 2,000 residents, sits halfway between Denver and Kansas City along a portion of I-70 that has little to see or do. The few rest stops found along the Great Plains stretch of I-70 are a series of non-places that have become increasingly dominant along our highways. These are places, often chain fast food restaurants and gas stations, have little to no relationship with their context and exist anywhere with little to no changes. The thesis is a proposal in WaKeeney, Kansas, for an alternative to the placeless conventions of the contemporary rest stop. This is not an attempt to remove non-places from society, but instead is meant to rekindle the idea behind the rest stops during the glory days of travel along roads like Route 66. At one time, every little diner and motel was unique, often due to its association to its place. As non-places continue to become more and more dominate, we lose a sense of place in structures during road travel. To draw visitors in, this project is large and intriguing. The rest stop spans nearly the entire length of the open space between the two interstate exits in WaKeeney. Since the rest stop typology is naturally geared towards travelers, it caters to the outsider's view of the state of Kansas and the Great Plains region. It is akin to a theater production, with the architecture acting as the stage. Double sided structures help create different experiences based on which side you are looking. The interior consists of a series of stage sets to create a moment that relates to its regional context, either done authentically or kitschy. The idea of place coupled with the concept of theater allows this proposal to be an experience catered towards the perception of the exciting and unique aspects of Kansas, done with kitschy and exaggerated architecture and interior design.

Committee: Vincent Sansalone M.Arch. (Committee Member); Edward Mitchell M.Arch (Committee Chair) Subjects: Architecture

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 1941, History

Committee: John Schwarz (Advisor) Subjects: Gender Studies; History

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2015, Mass Communication (Communication)

This research broadly investigates mediated discourse and knowledge construction among media outlets commonly identified as "traditional" and "new." Specifically, this research represents a case study of fracking in the Bakken shale region of North Dakota. Using qualitative, interpretive methods this dissertation considers what knowledge(s) are constructed, upheld, and silenced in mediated representations of fracking in the Bakken. This dissertation draws upon a poststructural definition of discourse, which views knowledge and meaning as constructed realities, rather than Real in an objective sense (Castree, 2001, 2014; Foucault, 2010/1972; Hall, 1997). Although the power and resources required to produce discourse is unequal, taken-for-granted ways of thinking and doing are nevertheless always open to challenge from relatively less powerful sources. This is consistent with Foucault's (1995/1975) conception of power as circulatory and disciplinary, rather than oppressive. Data for this research come from a mix of “traditional” and "new" media sources. Some scholars argue that these distinctions become less important in a converged mediascape (Jenkins, 2006). Nevertheless, this research proceeds from the position that (1) the productive norms of traditional and new media could result in distinct knowledges and claims to truth, and furthermore (2) current research continues to distinguish between the productive norms and types of knowledge constructed by traditional and new media (e.g. Geiger and Lampinen, 2014; Kim, 2015). Scholars argue that traditional media represent objective accounts of events, whose texts are undeniably powerful shapers of knowledge, and disseminated by a professional caste culturally sanctioned to report on events, i.e. journalists (e.g. Gerhards and Schafer, 2010; Lockwood, 2011). Alternately, scholars note that new media, e.g. blogs and social media aggregators, present the lay public and under-represented organizations with productive (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Lawrence Wood (Committee Chair); Jenny Nelson (Committee Member); Roger Aden (Committee Member); Harold Perkins (Committee Member) Subjects: Mass Communications; Mass Media

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2015, Geological Sciences

Powerful and new hydrological codes have been developed over the last 15 years to help simulate complex hydrological problems. In this study, ParFlow (Ashby and Falgout, 1996), one of these codes, is used to research lakes, or “potholes,” in the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of central North America. The PPR is of great importance to wildlife (Batt et al., 1989), but not well described due to its large size. These potholes fluctuate greatly throughout seasons and changing climates. ParFlow is used to study the behavior of these lakes in a prairie setting. The purpose and scope of this study is to better understand the role and patterns of surface and groundwater under changing climatic and geological settings. This work builds upon the classic studies of Winter (1978; 1983). These simplified representations of lakes do not represent the complexity of the PPR and this study aims to improve knowledge of these systems using ParFlow and improving upon the groundwork laid out by Winter. ParFlow, a less commonly used hydrological code, is also examined for strengths and weaknesses in this setting. To achieve these goals, a hypothetical model of a hill slope with a depression in the center, serving as the lake, was created with ParFlow. Climatic data from 1985 to 2005 was taken of the PPR region to simulate realistic climatic forcing. Four different trials are used to research these problems. The first three trials are concerned with the effect of different geological features on the lake. The last trial investigates the question of time lag between a precipitation event and the reaction a lake experiences. This study determines that closed basin lakes appear to be sensitive to the geological setting of the area. Small changes in this setting resulted in significant changes of the lake. The behavior of the unsaturated zone and moisture content adds a complex relationship between precipitation and the response of a lake. Disappearing storage in the shallow subsurface shi (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Frank Schwartz (Advisor); Durand Michael (Committee Member); Motomu Ibaraki (Committee Member) Subjects: Earth; Geology

Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2008, Geological Sciences (Arts and Sciences)

The biogeography and evolution of the subfamily Equinae is examined using two separate but related analyses, phylogenetic biogeography and ecological niche modeling. The evolution of Equinae is a classic example of an adaptive radiation during a time of environmental change. Both analyses employed here examine the biogeography of the equine species to interpret how environmental and historical variables led to the rise and fall of this clade. Results determine climate change is the primary factor driving the radiation of Equinae and geodispersal is the dominant mode of speciation between regions of North America. A case study in the Great Plains indicates distributional patterns are more patchy during the middle Miocene when speciation rates are high than in the late Miocene, when the clade is in decline. Statistical results and distributional patterns show equine species tracked their preferred habitat throughout North America as climate changed in the Miocene.

Committee: Alycia L. Stigall (Advisor); Daniel Hembree (Committee Member); Keith Milam (Committee Member); Patrick O'Connor (Committee Member) Subjects: Paleontology

MA, Kent State University, 2009, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of History

While scholars have devoted significant attention to the various waves of diseases that swept through the northern Great Plains during the nineteenth century, the great predecessor to those outbreaks, the 1780-82 smallpox epidemic, remains largely neglected. This thesis attempts to fill this major gap in the historiography by conducting an in-depth analysis of that earlier epidemic, informed by the approaches of environmental history and ethnohistory. Utilizing these methods, this work first traces the development of the northern plains disease ecology, demonstrating how the introduction of European colonial goods, primarily the horse and the gun, brought natives into more frequent and sustained contact with one another through trade and warfare. Then, this thesis discusses the immediate impact of the epidemic, revealing how its tremendous mortality irrevocably changed the world that its Indian survivors inhabited by altering the social, cultural, and political spheres of their lives. Next, this study asserts that since the epidemic left most northern plains peoples vulnerable to less-afflicted enemies during the decades following the epidemic, regional warfare patterns forever transformed. At the same time, the epidemic forged the regional power structure that the United States encountered when Lewis and Clark explored the newly-acquired territory during the first decade of the nineteenth century. In short, this thesis concludes that smallpox epidemic of 1780-82 constituted a major turning point in northern Great Plains history. Furthermore, it influenced the course of United States history by affecting the ability of the region's indigenous peoples to resist American colonialism.

Committee: Kevin Adams Dr (Advisor); Kim Gruenwald Dr (Committee Member); Leonne Hudson Dr (Committee Member) Subjects: History; Native Americans

PHD, Kent State University, 2007, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Geography

Irrigation use has been steadily increasing in much of the Great Plains since the end of World War II. The impacts of irrigation have resulted in a significant decrease in daily maximum growing season temperature over irrigated areas. While the irrigation impacts on temperature have been studied extensively, there have been relatively few studies detailing the possible relationship between irrigation and precipitation. Previous studies that have explored irrigation/precipitation relationships have resulted in contrary findings using a variety of statistical interpolation and modeling techniques. This research approaches the problem from an observed data perspective using precipitation values from Cooperative stations throughout the Great Plains. The specific research question is: Does irrigation create a precipitation feedback when the amount and density of irrigation exceeds some critical threshold? This question is answered spatially and temporally using a combination of statistical analyses and classification systems for surface and atmospheric variables at five irrigated regions. The procedure involves the use of the Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) as a proxy for irrigation use, the Spatial Synoptic Classification (SSC) as a means of classifying surface air mass type, and the use of five atmospheric flow types characterizing the synoptic flow pattern. Scenarios, at each irrigated region, involving PDSI level and either air mass type or flow type were tested using both parametric and nonparametric procedures. This novel approach yields precipitation results according to flow type and air mass type at times when irrigation was likely or not likely to be used. Case studies on significant irrigation results at each region involved the use of surface based dynamics. In the absence of considerable dynamic influence upon precipitation, irrigation is assumed to be a probable cause for slightly higher precipitation at stations within or downwind of heavily irrigated (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Scott Sheridan (Advisor) Subjects:

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2011, Leadership and Change

This dissertation asks the question, “What are the challenges of developing a leadership program in community banks in South Dakota, a slow growth environment?” The research looks at the intersection of leadership development, transformational leadership, and context—against a backdrop of community banking, corporate social responsibility, and demographic trends in South Dakota. The objective of the study is to provide theoretical and practical understanding of leadership development activities in South Dakota community banks. Using quantitative methods, seven hypotheses were created and tested using insights gained from reviewed literature and informational interviews that framed the study. The hypotheses were built looking to understand the drivers that shaped leadership development at community banks in the state and the relative importance of leadership programs in these organizations. In development of the study, a survey instrument was designed and administered via telephone to 80 community banks in South Dakota. Findings fall into three broad categories that form the thinking of community bankers in the state. First, data suggest that the topic of leadership development is growing in importance to community bank executives, boards of directors, and human resource managers in these organizations. Second, the need for succession planning and the challenges of finding new leadership for rural locations appear to be catalysts for creating leadership development programs in community banks in the state. Third, South Dakota banks characterize themselves, their culture, and their leadership by being defined as community banks. Many community banks in South Dakota are in need of renewal and recognize they cannot continue operating as they have in the past. Facing demographic challenges and having to own up to new regulations and increased competition has left them struggling to develop new leadership. Conversely, from survey data collected, it would appear that there (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Mitchell Kusy PhD (Committee Chair); Jon Wergin PhD (Committee Member); Alan Guskin PhD (Committee Member); Larry Lovrien JD (Other) Subjects: Banking; Behavioral Psychology; Business Community; Demographics; Finance; Management; Organizational Behavior; Regional Studies

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2013, English (Arts and Sciences)

This study argues for the emergence of a Gothic literature in the Great Plains region. Plains fiction has long been dominated by the pioneer ideal put forth by authors such as Willa Cather. I posit that a thread of contemporary authors of the region are now challenging these myths and creating works that engage a repressed history of the plains through the use of a Gothic style. The study begins with a look at Cather as a writer who perhaps most famously establishes the pioneer myth. Cather writes in praise of the yeoman farmer with her use of the garden myth and democratic utopia, but she also plants some seeds of the Gothic with the dark eruptions that occur in her narratives. Wright Morris is an author who challenges ideal versions of Great Plains history through his plains expatriate characters but also struggles with nostalgic conceptions of the region. He serves as the bridge between Cather and the primary writer of the study: Annie Proulx. In her three collections of Wyoming stories, Proulx creates a sober picture of the plains that focuses on more painful aspects of the region's history such as the widespread failure of small farmers and ranchers. Her fiction makes use of a wide range of Gothic, stylistic techniques and builds on the previous regional Gothics of New England and the South. The conclusion to the project explores other contemporary Great Plains writers working in a Gothic mode. Several of these writers take a particular focus on the repressed history concerning the oppression of Native Americans. The final chapter looks at an additional text in the form of current media coverage of the region, which provides a unique perspective on the cyclical nature of the history that has defined the plains.

Committee: Paul Jones (Committee Chair) Subjects: American Literature

BA, Oberlin College, 2013, Anthropology

Areal linguistics is the study of diffused linguistic features across different languages which are geographically contiguous and culturally connected. My research attempts to standardize definitions for the vocabulary surrounding linguistic diffusion which will apply cross-areally. I also examine these definitions within the case study of the Pueblo and Southwest regions of North America. These areas have been culturally linked, but no agreement has been made as to whether or not these make up a linguistic area with sub-areas or are both part of a much larger area including the Great Basin, southern Plains, and southern Californian languages.

Committee: Jason Haugen (Advisor) Subjects: Linguistics