Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2022, Environment and Natural Resources

Artificial light at night (ALAN) is a growing environmental stressor due to human expansion and increased urbanization. ALAN has shown to have significant impacts on a suite of taxa and on multiple levels of biological organization, but most research has focused on individual to population levels of biological organization. Furthermore, there has been a disproportionate research emphasis on terrestrial vs. aquatic ecosystems. In this study, I investigated the impacts of ALAN on riparian mammal space use and food webs along 12 small streams in Columbus, Ohio, USA. Seasonality and time of day were the strongest drivers of mammal community composition along streams, despite the presence of ALAN. Seasonality, sediment size, and other site-level differences, but not ALAN, were associated with total mammal space use and species richness. No species-specific small mammal captures or species/guild-specific camera-trap encounters were impacted by ALAN. In the context of this study, sediment size is likely a proxy for either stream size or urbanization but also a potentially important structural factor related to small-mammal movement across streams. ALAN presence was related to the proportion of energy derived from aquatic vs. terrestrial primary producer pathways in the genus Peromyscus, the only small mammals with sufficient sample size to estimate diet proportions. At illuminated reaches, Peromyscus nutritional subsidies derived from aquatic primary producer pathways (i.e., originating from stream periphyton) were 1.2% lower at lit compared to unlit reaches. Canopy cover was also associated with the proportion of energy derived from the terrestrial primary producer pathway that is indirectly consumed by Peromyscus (i.e., originating from aquatic detritus). Site – as a random effect in linear-mixed models – explained the greatest amount of variation in the proportion of energy derived from different primary producer pathways. Overall, I did not find e (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Mažeika Sullivan (Advisor); Robert Gates (Committee Member); Stanley Gehrt (Committee Member) Subjects: Ecology; Environmental Science; Natural Resource Management; Wildlife Conservation; Wildlife Management

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2021, Leadership and Change

In the first quarter of 2020, societal upheavals related to the COVID-19 pandemic included employers' work-from-home mandates and an almost overnight adoption of video meetings to replace in-person meetings no longer possible due to contagion fears and social distancing requirements. This exploratory study aimed to address, in part, the scientific knowledge gap about video meetings as a source of emotional labor. The study used mixed methods to explore three hypotheses concerning how the contemporary use of video meetings related to emotional exhaustion, stressors, and coping. Data were gathered through an online survey questionnaire. Emotional exhaustion, the dependent variable in the study, was measured using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (Schaufeli et al., 1996) General Survey emotional exhaustion subset of items. Stressors measured included surface acting, which was measured using items adapted from Grandey's (2005) scale. Coping was measured by perceptions about coping resources and cognitive coping. Socio-demographic characteristics served as control variables. Open-ended items produced data pertaining to emotional exhaustion, stressors, and coping related to video meetings. After data cleaning, the sample comprised 345 (n = 345) cross-sector professionals working for U.S.-based organizations. Findings based on a series of linear regression analyses and qualitative data thematic analysis showed video meeting hours and surface acting significantly related to a higher level of emotional exhaustion. Extrovertism, nonwork video gatherings, and social support from another adult in the home were nonsignificant in their relationships with emotional exhaustion. Perceptions that video meetings were too many for participants to accomplish their overall job responsibilities were significantly related to a higher emotional exhaustion level. Perceptions that video meetings were useful to the participant significantly related to a lower emotional exhaustion level. Perceptio (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Elizabeth Holloway PhD (Committee Chair); J. Beth Mabry PhD (Committee Member); Michael Valentine PhD (Committee Member); Emily Axelrod MSW (Other) Subjects: Behavioral Psychology; Behavioral Sciences; Business Community; Business Education; Cognitive Psychology; Communication; Management; Occupational Health; Occupational Psychology; Organizational Behavior; Personal Relationships; Social Psychology; Social Research; Social Structure; Sociology; Systems Design

PHD, Kent State University, 2019, College of Public Health

Police body-worn cameras (BWCs) have been proposed as a technological solution to advance and illuminate policing efforts and strengthen the relationships between law enforcement agencies and the communities they protect and serve. Proponents of BWCs claim that the technology has numerous benefits, including improving evidentiary quality and providing opportunities for officer training, the ability to reduce police use of force and citizen complaints, as well as provide an objective view into the world of policing, thereby increasing transparency and accountability. This research explored the impact of police BWCs, as well as citizen perceptions of the technology, and of BWC video evidence. First, a quasi-experimental research study examined the impact of the BWCs on police use-of-force and citizen complaints in coordination with a mid-sized police department in the Midwest. Results indicated that the total number of use-of-force incidents and complaints filed against patrol officers declined from the year prior to BWC deployment and the year after, and that there were statistically significant effects detected when use-of-force data was modeled using Poisson regression analyses. The results from survey research found that public perceptions of police BWCs are generally positive, the majority of individuals support police wearing BWCs, and there was strong support for the notions that BWCs will improve transparency, reduce excess force by police, and that the technology will reduce other types police misconduct. Yet fewer participants agreed the technology can decrease racial tension, improve citizen trust in police, or improve police relationships with citizens. Lastly, while some individuals believe BWC video evidence can eliminate biases from influencing judgements about police-citizen interactions because the video should show viewers exactly what happened, results from this research challenge that notion. Results demonstrated that individuals' opinions of what (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Eric Jefferis PhD (Committee Chair); Margaret Stephens PhD (Committee Member); Jeff Hallam PhD (Committee Member); Lauren Porter PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Behavioral Sciences; Criminology; Public Health