Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2024, English

This dissertation explores the contrast between the Athenian and metic rhetorical paradigms through the lens of the hacker. Arguing the dominant Athenian rhetorical paradigm is marked by public, persuasive, often-disembodied rhetorics in pursuit of epistemic truths, I argue the metic paradigm focuses on stealthy, deceptive, embodied rhetoric in pursuit of advantages over adversaries. Noting how today's digital rhetorical situation is largely adversarial, this dissertation points to the hacker as an exemplar of metic rhetorics. Through three case studies, each focusing on a different type of computer hack, this dissertation explores how the hacker subjectivity is produced and describes its beneficial lines of flight, discusses the interplay of metaphor and physicality in digital activism and cyberwar, and shows how metic rhetorical practices can be leveraged to create a safer and more just world and thus improve personal and organizational cybersecurity.

Committee: John Jones (Committee Chair); Ben McCorkle (Committee Member); Jonathan Buehl (Committee Member) Subjects: Information Technology; Rhetoric

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2022, Mechanical Engineering

It is not granted that the advantageous architecture of hybrid electric vehicles will result in improved economy and functionality. This is due to the complex nature of the tradeoff between fuel consumption and battery consumption in the vehicle and how it is controlled. Thus, as hybrid electric vehicles become more ubiquitous, it is necessary to conceive quicker and cheaper ways to prototype their controls. One feasible alternative to the immensely expensive prototypes produced by OEMs is to use an existing conventional vehicle platform as a host for a prototype. This method is explored in this paper and involves the installment of electric motors, a high voltage system, and, if desired, an engine swap. The systems' on-board serial communications structure must be commandeered in order to prototype hybrid supervisory controllers which interact with both the stock and added components. To achieve this a single programmable node equipped with a serial gateway can be inserted into the stock serial system. This tool can then be utilized to enable the torque splitting necessary between the two halves of the powertrain. During the development of this method, it was noted that the programmable node and its serial gateway had the power to enable many secondary features such as shift timing algorithms, P0 series charging, start/stop manipulation, and implementation of an ACC controller.

Committee: Giorgio Rizzoni (Committee Member); Shawn Midlam-Mohler (Advisor) Subjects: Automotive Engineering; Engineering; Mechanical Engineering

Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2021, Journalism (Communication)

The public primarily learns about scientific information from the news media. These news media have been, unfortunately, found guilty of fueling: biased coverage of climate change, misinformation about climate change, and politicization of climate science. “Disinformation outfits,” who are comprised of industry actors, prominent climate change deniers, and their organizations also used or attempted to use the news media to discredit climate scientists with the goal of accelerating the level of public uncertainty about global climate change and slow action to prevent it. This thesis explores how the news media discussed a small but very vocal cohort of climate change denialists throughout the 1990s. The use of “fake experts” has been found to be one of the most powerful techniques for effective misinformation campaigns. This paper examines the inclusion of key climate change skeptics via quantitative content analysis in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Guardian, and The Times of London from 1989-2006. This paper also researches the prevalence of legitimization strategies iv that weaker parties use to amplify their messaging. The results find that skeptic inclusion was much higher in U.S. conservative papers than U.K. conservative papers. Left-center papers were more likely to include “compromised” scientists and discuss climate change controversies than conservative papers. Conservative papers were more likely to include irrelevant “fake experts” and actively misuse and misrepresent scientific information, as well discredit climate scientists. Skeptics were discussed more during years of particular significance to climate change history suggesting they were capitalizing on media opportunity structures. This thesis also found evidence of early “source hacking,” or the targeting of journalists to spread misinformation.

Committee: Mike Sweeney Dr. (Committee Member); Rosanna Planer (Committee Member); Alexander Godulla Dr. (Committee Chair) Subjects: Environmental Science; History; International Relations; Journalism; Science History; World History

Master of Fine Arts, The Ohio State University, 2014, Art

I like to make things. It might be more accurate to say I cannot stop making things. My practice has always been one of capricious activity, and this means that part of my journey through this MFA program has been to find the thread that runs through my various ways of working and to create a thesis show that would leverage these different strengths. In searching for how to contextualize my work, I found that I practice somewhere in the intersection between art and design. So another part of my journey has been to come to an understanding of the way my work operates on each kind of audience so I can better communicate my ideas. Most importantly, I learned that while elements of my work can be either emotional or functional, my best work is both.

Committee: Kenneth Rinaldo (Advisor); Shane Mecklenburger (Committee Member); Elizabeth Sanders (Committee Member) Subjects: Engineering; Experiments; Fine Arts; Information Technology; Mental Health; Multimedia Communications; Performing Arts; Robotics

Master of Science in Criminal Justice, Youngstown State University, 2009, Department of Criminal Justice

This paper examines the concept of unauthorized access crimes statutes in the fifty states and the federal system in order to determine the concept of what exactly the crime of unauthorized access constitutes. This paper will also determine whether these same crimes could be prosecuted under preexisting statutes that were already in effect in the United States criminal codes prior to the invention of the computer. Through a review of previous literature on the subject of computer crime laws, and more specifically unauthorized access laws, additional insight as to the purpose and intent of these laws will also be drawn. Case law on unauthorized access and any related criminal activity will also be examined. This information will help to determine whether the intentions of the legislatures have been to criminalize what is commonly referred to as hacking.

Committee: Patricia Wagner (Advisor); James Conser PhD (Committee Member); Gordon Frissora PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Computer Science; Criminology; Law; Technology

Bachelor of Arts, Miami University, 2006, College of Arts and Sciences - Russian

This thesis includes a discussion of hacker self-image and motives, the public perception of hackers, and the economic impact of Russian hackers. It looks at popular categories of hacker activity in Russia, such as phreaking and worm creation, and how these activities relate to Russian hacker motivations. I will show that the roots of hacking in Russia are tied to the following cultural and historical motivations: intellectual challenge, prestige among the hacker community, a desire for profit, nationalism, disenchantment and underemployment in post-1991 Russia, the Soviet Union's history of state-sponsored hacking, and a culture of opportunism. Finally, I will analyze specific case studies that illustrate many of these arguments and observations.

Committee: Benjamin Sutcliffe (Advisor) Subjects: