DRUM - Digital Repository at the University of Maryland

DRUM collects, preserves, and provides public access to the scholarly output of the university. Faculty and researchers can upload research products for rapid dissemination, global visibility and impact, and long-term preservation.

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Submit to DRUM

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Equitable Access Policy

Equitable Access Policy

The University of Maryland Equitable Access Policy provides equitable, open access to the University's research and scholarship. Faculty can learn more about what is covered by the policy and how to deposit on the policy website.
Theses and Dissertations

Theses and Dissertations

DRUM includes all UMD theses and dissertations from 2003 forward.

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Recent Submissions

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    Short-Term Impacts of a School-Based Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program for Latino Youth: a Cluster Randomized Trial
    (Prevention Science, 2025) McConnell, Krystle; Ibrahimi, Sahra; Yumiseva, Martha; Shan, Shubham; Lewin, Amy
    This study evaluates El Camino, a goal-setting sexual health promotion program developed for Latino youth. A cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted in grades 9–12 in 68 classrooms (n= 746 students) across 11 schools in Maryland with large populations of Latino students. A total of 208 students were lost to follow-up, leaving 538 students for an intention-to-treat analysis (El Camino, 34 clusters, n= 289; control, 34 clusters, n= 249). At baseline, most participants (72.1%) reported never having had vaginal sex and no sex in the last 3 months (84.4%). This study did not detect any significant intervention impacts on sexual behavior outcomes but found impacts on several proximal sexual health outcomes. At post-test, approximately 1–2 weeks after curriculum completion, scores were significantly higher among El Camino participants compared to control participants on measures of contraception knowledge (β= 0.5 (cluster robust SE 0.1)), condom knowledge (0.4 (0.1)), consent knowledge (0.3 (0.1)), and awareness of birth control methods (0.9 (0.1)), as well as confidence to discuss sex with a partner (0.3 (0.1)). A total of 84.7% of El Camino participants reported positive attitudes toward condom use compared to 67.1% of control participants (OR =2.7, 95% CI [1.8, 4.0]); 83.1% reported intending to use condoms if sexually active compared to 72.6% of control participants (1.9, [1.2, 2.9]); 80.9% reported knowing where to get birth control compared to 48.9% of control participants (4.4, [2.8, 7.0]), and 83.3% reported being confident to state and ask for consent compared to 70.5% of control participants (2.1, [1.2, 3.7]). This study also found that intervention impacts varied by student gender and program implementation factors. Overall, El Camino appears to be effective in improving sexual health knowledge, self-efficacy, and intentions among Latino youth.
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    Normative influence in a time of distrust and polarization: how perceived social norms predict COVID-19 vaccination intentions among Black Americans
    (Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 2025) Lin, Tong; Wang, Yuan; Thier, Kathryn; Nan, Xiaoli
    This study examined the impact of social norms—descriptive, injunctive, and subjective norms—on COVID-19 vaccination intentions among Black Americans. It also investigated how Black Americans affiliated with Democrats and Republicans perceived norms within their groups and how such perceptions influenced their COVID-19 vaccination intentions. We conducted an online national survey with Black Americans (N=1497) between February and March 2021. Results showed that all three types of norms were significantly and positively associated with vaccination intentions, with subjective norms exerting the strongest effect. Additionally, higher subjective norms amplified the positive relationship between descriptive norms and vaccination intentions. Republicans were influenced by both in-group and out-group norms, while Democrats were primarily guided by in-group norms, underscoring the potential of bipartisan messaging to boost vaccine uptake. These findings highlight how social norms impact COVID-19 vaccination intentions and reveal that individuals with differing party affiliations are influenced differently based on their perceived identification with reference groups. The study provides insights for designing targeted interventions to improve vaccine uptake among Black Americans and for developing broader public health messaging strategies. It contributes to the literature by revealing how the interplay of descriptive, injunctive, and subjective norms shapes vaccination intentions and by offering a novel perspective on the differentiated effects of in-group and out-group norms based on partisan identity.
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    Vegetal agency: the sap controversy in early eighteenth-century France treatises on plants and gardening
    (Notes and Records: The Royal Society Journal of the History of Science, 2024) Benharrech, Sarah
    This article examines how the apologetics of the abbe Noel-Antoine Pluche (1688-1761) impacted his presentation of botanical knowledge in the ten dialogues published in the first and second volumes of his natural history book Le Spectacle de la nature (1732-1750). Pluche popularized a conception of the physical world where plants are reducible to inert mechanisms, devoid of life and agency. First, I examine the various intertwinements of science and theology in his depiction of plant anatomy, by investigating his use of mechanical analogies, his adoption of the sap circulation hypothesis, and his application of the pre-existence theory to account for both generation and vegetative multiplication. I then compare Pluche's understanding of plant growth with those offered by contemporaneous gardening treatises, demonstrating that part of Pluche's project included opposing the materialist and animist undertones found in these gardening treatises that emphasized vegetal life, self-organization, and sap agency.
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    Data Set for The Hygroscopicity of Nanoplastics Released from Common Consumer Products: Characterizing Plastic Contaminants in Ultrapure Water
    (2026) Jacoby, Stephanie; Asa-Awuku, Akua
    Data files for "The Hygroscopicity of Nanoplastics Released from Common Consumer Products: Characterizing Plastic Contaminants in Ultrapure Water"
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    Serving and Supporting LGBTQ+ Students: A Mixed-Methods Assessment of Library Services at the University of Maryland
    (ALA Annual Conference, 2026-06-27) Ortiz, Marcus; Ofsthun, Franklin; White, Gary W.
    While LGBTQ+ students are more visible on college campuses than ever before, these students continue to face significant challenges as both sexual-orientation and gender-identity minorities on campuses. In a time when LGBTQ+ people are scrutinized nationally, in particular transgender people who are targeted as a result of misinformation, it is critical to ensure that libraries continue to welcome and effectively respond to the needs of these populations. This poster details the findings of a mixed-methods qualitative assessment project that examined how self-identified LGBTQ+ students use a university library system. The project identified how library services and spaces support these populations’ current academic needs. The study also uncovered concerns regarding budget cuts and institutional autonomy amid ongoing attacks on public institutions nationwide. The presenters will share the recommendations and best practices developed as a result of community driven feedback and identify how participants can adapt these findings for their own libraries.