In this study, I sought to determine which NFL Combine metrics are predictive of future NFL success among the quarterback, running back, and wide receiver positions, with the hope of providing meaningful information that can be utilized by NFL executives when making decisions about draft selections. I gathered samples spanning across the years 2010-2015 of all three of the aforementioned position groups. Among these samples, I used certain criteria which split them up within their position groups. The two groups of players were identified as: those who had successful careers and those who had unsuccessful careers. Given this information, I performed t-tests and ANOVA between successful and unsuccessful groups with the goal of identifying which combine metrics are predictive of future NFL success, and which are not. For quarterbacks, the 40-yard dash, broad jump, three-cone, and 10-yard shuttle all appear to be predictive of success. Notably, quarterback height does not appear to be predictive, despite the popular belief that a quarterback should be tall if they are to succeed. For running backs, player weight, 40-yard dash, and three-cone all appear to be predictive of success, with the broad jump and 10-yard shuttle seemingly predicting success as well, albeit to a lesser degree of strength. For wide receivers, all metrics do not appear to be predictive of success, with the exception of the 40-yard dash, which only appears to be slightly predictive. While there are likely many other factors that contribute to a player’s success than tests administered at the NFL combine, NFL general managers can look to these results when making draft selections.

In the current age of global climate crisis, corporations must confront the rising pressure to mitigate their environmental impacts. The goal of this research paper is to provide corporations with a resource to manage waste through the implementation of a circular economy and by increasing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Navigating this large and complex system required the use of various methodologies including: the investigation of the relationships between waste management systems and sustainable development across major companies; literature reviews of scholarly articles about CSR, circular economies, recycling, and releases of company reports on sustainable development and financials. Lastly, interviews and a survey were conducted to gain deeper insight into the problems that make circular economies so difficult to achieve at scale.

The novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 exposed issues in the supply chain for N95 face masks. The demand for protective face masks spiked globally and domestically due to the unexpected outbreak of the pandemic. An important issue was the dependency on N95 mask production in countries abroad. The focus on face masks in this thesis accounts for all models of the N95 mask.<br/>This thesis will focus on onshore and offshore production of N95 face masks before and during the pandemic. Specifically, we will focus on (1) the production of masks in 2019; (2) 3M, Honeywell, and Prestige Ameritech’s production changes; (3) the observations made by All The Things LLC, a broker for face masks; (4) the rise of counterfeit masks and actions taken to stop counterfeit production; (4) actions taken by the federal government to aid in production and distribution; and (5) future research opportunities on this topic. This research project into the production of N95 face masks ceased in February of 2021. <br/>This thesis defends the critical need for more domestically produced N95 masks. The U.S. needs to increase the number of N95 masks produced domestically, manage the Strategic National Stockpile to eliminate masks past their shelf life, and create a plan to replenish the stockpile to reduce the possibility of a shortage when the next public health emergency takes place.

In 2020, the world was swept by a global pandemic. It disrupted the lives of millions; many lost their jobs, students were forced to leave schools, and children were left with little to do while quarantined at their houses. Although the media outlets covered very little of how children were being affected by COVID-19, it was obvious that their group was not immune to the issues the world was facing. Being stuck at home with little to do took a mental and physical toll on many kids. That is when EVOLVE Academy became an idea; our team wanted to create a fully online platform for children to help them practice and evolve their athletics skills, or simply spend part of their day performing a physical and health activity. Our team designed a solution that would benefit children, as well as parents that were struggling to find engaging activities for their kids while out of school. We quickly encountered issues that made it difficult for us to reach our target audience and make them believe and trust our platform. However, we persisted and tried to solve and answer the questions and problems that came along the way. Sadly, the same pandemic that opened the widow for EVOLVE Academy to exist, is now the reason people are walking away from it. Children want real interaction. They want to connect with other kids through more than just a screen. Although the priority of parents remains the safety and security of their kids, parents are also searching and opting for more “human” interactions, leaving EVOLVE Academy with little room to grow and succeed.

Exploration of a mouse model (C57BL/6J) capable of demonstrating behavioral changes after adolescent social isolation that are consistent with prior findings may prove beneficial in later research. This study examined 2 proposed long-term effects of isolated housing (one mouse/cage), when compared to group housing (two mice/cage) during adolescence. Mice were placed in their respective housing conditions after weaning (PND 21) and remained in those conditions until PND 60. The same cohorts were used in both phases of the experiment. Phase 1 sought to confirm previous findings that showed increases in ethanol intake after adolescent social isolation using a 2-bottle preference Drinking-in-the-Dark (DID) design over a 4-day period (PND 64-PND 67.). Phase 2 sought to elucidate the effects present after adolescent social isolation, as measured using response inhibition capabilities demonstrated during fixed-minimum interval (FMI) trials (PND 81-PND 111). Findings in phase 1 of the experiment were non-significant, save a strong tendency for female mice in both housing conditions to drink more as a proportion of their bodyweight (g/kg). However, a trend of lower bodyweight in single housed mice did exist, which does suggest that detrimental stress was applied via the used of adolescent isolation in that housing condition. Findings in phase 2 showed little effect of adolescent social isolation on mean inter-response time (IRT) at any criterion used (FMI-0, FMI-4, FMI-6). Evaluation of mean interquartile range (IQR) of IRTs showed a significantly greater amount of variation in IRT responses within single housed mice at the highest criterion (FMI-6), and a trend in the same direction when FMI-4 and FMI-6 were tested concurrently. Taken as a whole, the findings of this experiment suggest that the effect of adolescent social isolation on ethanol intake is far less robust than the effect of sex and may be difficult to replicate in a low-power study. Additionally, adolescent social isolation may interfere with the ability of mice to show consistent accuracy during FMI tasks or a delay in recognition of FMI criterion change.

Brundtland’s definition of sustainability is the ability to “meet the needs of the present<br/>without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs” (IISD, 2021). But<br/>what if there are no future generations? Social sustainability, the sector of sustainability that<br/>foregrounds the well-being and livelihoods of people (and thereby continuation of humanity), is<br/>included in definitions within the sustainability field, but less developed in sustainability<br/>practice. In an effort to bridge this gap of knowledge, 14 U.S. cities and over 100 sustainability<br/>policies were analyzed for their social sustainability performance. An eight-item analytical<br/>framework that deals with differing areas of social equity guided the analysis. Results found that<br/>most cities’ sustainability departments fell short of truly addressing social sustainability<br/>concerns. Out of the eight items, the most frequently addressed were housing security and racial<br/>and gender equality whereas few, if any, cities addressed the more specific social concerns of<br/>immigration, technology and media, or arts/cultural preservation. Future research is<br/>recommended to gain a better understanding of the ways existing cities can improve in this area.

This thesis project has been conducted in accordance with The Founder’s Lab initiative which is sponsored by the W. P. Carey School of Business. This program groups three students together and tasks them with creating a business idea, conducting the necessary research to bring the concept to life, and exploring different aspects of business, with the end goal of gaining traction. The product we were given to work through this process with was Hot Head, an engineering capstone project concept. The Hot Head product is a sustainable and innovative solution to the water waste issue we find is very prominent in the United States. In order to bring the Hot Head idea to life, we were tasked with doing research on topics ranging from the Hot Head life cycle to finding plausible personas who may have an interest in the Hot Head product. This paper outlines the journey to gaining traction via a marketing campaign and exposure of our brand on several platforms, with a specific interest in website traffic. Our research scope comes from mainly primary sources like gathering opinions of potential buyers by sending out surveys and hosting focus groups. The paper concludes with some possible future steps that could be taken if this project were to be continued.