USF Scholarship Repository (University of San Francisco)

Sustainability is the buzzword for modern global development. In the age of rapidly growing populations, unsustainable building practices, and an ever-present climate crisis, there must be a reorientation in global urban development practices. While experts tend to tout one sustainable initiative as a catch-all solution to the above crises, a multidimensional problem cannot be solved with a one-d…

Islands, with their isolation and steep environmental gradients, serve as natural laboratories for studying speciation. Molecular phylogenetic and population genetic methods utilizing Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) have revolutionized our ability to document patterns of genetic divergence and diversity. Cryptic diversity, genetically distinct populations that were previously unrecognized as uni…

ABSTRACT In recent years, a new type of public diplomacy has emerged in San Francisco, in the heart of Silicon Valley, utilizing technological innovation centers as its primary instrument. With the evolution of technology and the growing significance of issues linked to new innovations, it has become increasingly imperative for policymakers and diplomatic institutions to address these themes by a…

This is a qualitative capstone project that examines marriage trafficking affecting minority ethnic communities in North and South Vietnam. Through a qualitative descriptive research, the significant findings include: (a) girls and women from ethnic minority groups are the most vulnerable to marriage trafficking, (b) marriage trafficking was most prevalent in the mountainous, rural regions of nor…

Why have book bans have surged so dramatically across the United States in recent years, especially as they have become a defining political project for conservative lawmakers? At the center of this uptick in book bans lies a confusing puzzle: while book bans overwhelmingly occur in Republican-dominated states, Mississippi, despite its conservative political landscape, has seen almost none, even …

Multiracial Asian American college students endure pervasive and commonplace monoracism, multiracial microaggressions, and deficit-based narratives in higher education, which negatively impact their sense of self, belonging, and mental health. Through narrative methodology, the present qualitative study captures the stories of three multiracial Asian American undergraduate students and how they a…

In recent years, Latin America has emerged as a central transit region for extracontinental migrants originating from Africa, Asia, and the Middle East who seek to reach North America through alternative routes. This thesis examines the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection, among other regional migration governance frameworks that have reshaped migratory flows, state responsibiliti…

Pilot studies are critical in psychological research, yet they remain costly, time-consuming, and vulnerable to data quality issues that can undermine validity. In this paper, we introduce PsycSim, a web-based platform that leverages Large Language Models (LLMs) to simulate studies by designing procedural steps, defining measures to evaluate responses, and generating synthetic participants. The p…

This paper extends the IAG grant-funded project, Building Community and Connection One Mahjong Tile at a Time, into the domain of financial literacy by drawing parallels between familiar mahjong strategies and less well-understood option strategies.By framing options through mahjong strategies, the paper encourages readers to view options not as reckless speculative bets but as disciplined, strat…

The Clip, Cut, Connect program is an on-campus initiative that addresses mental health equity for BIPOC students at USF through a partnership with ClipDart—a national organization that provides culturally competent, on-site hair care to underserved communities. The program provides responsive, culturally grounded support through barbers and stylists, creating inclusive spaces that reduce stigma a…

Interdisciplinary work is time-consuming. It forces you to confront your assumptions, raises the probability of disagreements, and it is simply riskier than doing incremental research and scholarship in your own subject area. At its core, interdisciplinary work embodies epistemic pluralism, the recognition that multiple ways of knowing, methodological approaches, and intellectual traditions are n…

By creating spaces for shared play and conversation, we aim to reduce social isolation and encourage meaningful engagement. These interactions not only enhance well-being and foster a sense of belonging, but also promote cultural awareness, support learning, and help build a more inclusive and connected campus community.

The project “Implications of Generative Artificial Intelligence” explores how AI tools are transforming higher education, with a focus on pedagogy, ethics, and policy. It aims to equip faculty with practical resources and frameworks for responsible integration of AI in teaching, including curated AAC&U materials, sample assignments, and privacy/disclosure guidelines. The project also addresses in…

Our project aims to use the National College Health Assessment data from USF undergraduate and graduate students that was collected in February 2025. Our goal is to analyze the data to inform programmatic change to create a more positive, healthy, and safe campus culture. Our work specifically aims to improve student health and wellbeing and improve our sexual assault education and response work …

The purpose of this project is to design model lesson plans which will require the use of available modern technology and movies, songs and graphic novels, etc, to enhance students’ communicative competence and motivate critical thinking. In fact, The project will be constructed to implement the use of technology in the Saudi Arabian traditional classrooms. It will serve as a model for teachers t…

Dynamic assessment (DA) is based on Vygotsky's (1978) sociocultural theory and his Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). ZPD is the range of abilities bordered by the learner's assisted and independent performances. Previous studies showed promising results for DA in tutoring settings. However, they did not use proficiency-based rubrics to measure students' progress and did not mention the method o…