Master of Fine Arts, The Ohio State University, 2007, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects:

MFA, Kent State University, 0, College of the Arts / School of Art

Loss is a major component of my lived experience and informs much of the work in my thesis exhibition, Oh, Horse Hockey! Herein, I explore my personal and familial relationship to grief. I utilize a working narrative of symbolic, metaphoric, and literal interpretations of grief. Through the use of recurring visual symbols of addiction, childhood, and celebration, I call attention to avoidance. Most glaring, however, is the inclusion of party ephemera. Its significance enlivens a contrapuntal read of this body of work, wherein the seemingly oppositional concepts of loss and celebration are made interdependent.

Committee: J. Leigh Garcia (Advisor) Subjects: Aesthetics; Behavioral Psychology; Cultural Anthropology; Developmental Psychology; Families and Family Life; Folklore; Foreign Language; Human Remains; Individual and Family Studies; Judaic Studies; Mental Health; Religious History; Slavic Studies; Womens Studies

Master of Fine Arts, The Ohio State University, 2021, Art

In work that engages the uncanny and sublime psychological resonance of small and miniature objects the miniature stands in for culture and has the power, in its remove, to illuminate intimate facets of the individual as well as society. Orienting my sculpture within the historical frameworks of found objects (i.e., mourning jewelry, prosthetic glass eyes, and miniature dollhouse American Windsor chairs), I collect, sculpt by hand, and recreate with molds. Alchemical constructions made with the amorphous materials of glass, wax, and plaster create surreal encounters with objects. The relationships between strength and fragility, stability and instability, permanence and ephemerality mirror the contradictions and complexities of human psychology and inspire how the qualities of materials and processes combine in my practice. Presenting tender, vulnerable, and visceral moments, my work contemplates the beautiful tenuous tragedy that is human experience. The following chapters present works created between 2018–2021 with quotes from authors whose words have inspired my research and give context to my thinking. (In)visible, (Im)permanent, and Other Paradoxes places my visual art practice in relation to science, history, culture, and the material thinking culminating in my exhibition at Urban Arts Space at The Ohio State University.

Committee: Carmen Winant (Advisor); Ann Hamilton (Committee Member); Richard Harned (Committee Member) Subjects: Fine Arts

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2017, Mechanical Engineering

Rising from a chair and navigating stairs, including ascent and descent, are common yet challenging tasks for the elderly and those with lower limb pathologies. Rehabilitation strategies implemented for these populations do not always result in significant improvement in short-term pain or the ability to perform those tasks. To inform clinical practices, we first need to understand how healthy populations use their muscles to rise from a chair and navigate stairs. In particular, while young adults generally navigate stairs faster than older adults and those with lower limb pathologies, the effects of speed and age on muscle function when navigating stairs remain unknown. This information will serve as a baseline that can help better evaluate compensatory movements and deficits in relevant populations (e.g. elderly, individuals with a lower limb pathology). We investigated muscle forces and their contributions to center of mass (COM) acceleration (muscle function) during the sit-to-stand transfer in a young, healthy population by creating dynamic simulations with a custom musculoskeletal model that captured spine curvature and arm dynamics. The gluteus maximus and soleus largely contributed to forward and upward COM acceleration, respectively, whereas the quadriceps largely opposed forward acceleration. Inter-limb muscle force differences were also observed, demonstrating lower limb symmetry cannot be assumed during this task, even in healthy adults. Joint torque patterns of young, healthy adults during stair ascent (SA) have been found to contrast those during gait, as they increase at the hip with increasing speed, but not at the knee or ankle. Using dynamic simulations, we investigated muscle forces and function across SA speeds in young, healthy adults to better understand the mechanisms underlying these torque patterns. The vasti force patterns were consistent with the knee torque profiles, as they did not significantly change across SA speeds. None of (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Robert Siston (Advisor); Ajit Chaudhari (Committee Member); Laura Schmitt (Committee Member); Tom Best (Committee Member) Subjects: Biomechanics; Biomedical Engineering; Biomedical Research; Engineering

Master of Dental Hygiene, The Ohio State University, 2017, Dentistry

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) are among the most commonly reported injuries in the workforce today. There is a particularly high prevalence among dental professionals, and dental hygienists are significantly affected with a high risk for the development of MSD. Recent research has shown that the incidence of MSD begins early on during students' academic and clinical training. The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of implementing chair-side stretching exercises for musculoskeletal (MSK) pain prior to clinic sessions for dental hygiene students enrolled in an accredited dental hygiene program. Senior dental hygiene students were divided into a treatment and control group where the treatment group completed a set routine of chair-side stretches before each clinic session for 10.43 weeks. All participants completed a modified version of the Standardized Nordic Questionnaire three times throughout the study. The sum of MSK pain scores showed significant differences (p=0.03) between the treatment and control group, as did the hands and wrists pain severity score (p=0.04). Hierarchical multiple regression revealed a model that explained 38.2% of the variance in MSK pain (p=0.021). The majority of participants in the treatment group felt that chair-side stretching neither improved nor worsened their MSK pain. However, more than half felt that chair-side stretching made them more conscious of their ergonomic practice while treating patients. The findings from this study suggest that consistent chair-side stretching may have a benefit to reducing and preventing MSK pain, particularly within the hand and wrist region. Future research is still needed to determine effective treatment and interventions to reduce MSK pain, particularly for the neck, shoulders, and lower back during professional training. Further work will provide future clinicians with the necessary instruction to prevent the development of MSD.

Committee: Rachel Kearney RDH, MS (Advisor); Brian Partido RDH, MS (Committee Member); John DeWitt PT, DPT, AT (Committee Member) Subjects: Dentistry

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2007, Physical Activity and Educational Services

Complex challenges face higher education today, including a public call to reform. Most change efforts within institutions of higher education occur at the department level, requiring academic department chairs to lead change. While department chairs have a significant impact on the future of higher education, their positions and roles are misunderstood, training and development processes for department chairs are inconsistent, and how department chairs learn to lead is unknown. The purpose of this study was to explore the informal and formal learning paths of academic department chairs. Of particular interest in this study were the learning methods of department chairs who reported engaging in behaviors associated with transformational leadership. The results of this correlational study were that leadership is affected by accumulated life experiences or incidental learning; informal learning more than formal learning contributes to transformational leadership; and learning from work experiences in the context of the work, rather than learning away from work, is the best mechanism for developing academic leaders in higher education today.

Committee: David Stein (Advisor) Subjects: Education, Higher

Bachelor of Science, Miami University, 2011, School of Engineering and Applied Science - Mechanical Engineering

Please note: This is a co-authored thesis by two honors students, Adam Smith and Taylor Dunn. ABSTRACT By Adam Smith and Taylor Dunn Development of an Improved Medical Transport Device: Stair Chair A stair stretcher is a medical transportation device specifically designed to negotiate a staircase. The current market available products require significant physical effort of use by emergency personnel and lack in patient safety. To design a better system the engineering design processes was used to design and develop an improved prototype system. The group first gained and understanding of the market and potential improvements by researching into patents, standards, professional advice, and the business markets. From this research the group formed developed a list of design priorities to be executed by the design plan. By understanding customer's needs and with thorough engineering analysis the group redesigned an improved stair chair prototype via improvement of six main sub-systems: motor and drive system, back rests, arm rests, restraints, leg rests, and the overall chair frame. Each sub-system was designed to enhance the chair's functionality and to make a product solution that is superior to the current stair chairs on the market. The chair prototype was then assembled for testing and verification of design potential.

Committee: Robert Setlock (Advisor); James Clarke (Advisor) Subjects: Engineering

Bachelor of Science in Applied Science, Miami University, 2011, School of Engineering and Applied Science - Mechanical Engineering

This was a co-author thesis done by Taylor Dunn and Adam Smith Abstract: A stair stretcher is a medical transportation device specifically designed to negotiate a staircase. The current market available products require significant physical effort of use by emergency personnel and lack in patient safety. To design a better system the engineering design processes was used to design and develop an improved prototype system. The group first gained and understanding of the market and potential improvements by researching into patents, standards, professional advice, and the business markets. From this research the group formed developed a list of design priorities to be executed by the design plan. By understanding customer's needs and with thorough engineering analysis the group redesigned an improved stair chair prototype via improvement of six main sub-systems: motor and drive system, back rests, arm rests, restraints, leg rests, and the overall chair frame. Each sub-system was designed to enhance the chair's functionality and to make a product solution that is superior to the current stair chairs on the market. The chair prototype was then assembled for testing and verification of design potential.

Committee: Robert Setlock (Advisor); James Clarke (Advisor); Diana Spillman (Committee Member) Subjects: Mechanical Engineering