Digital Commons Network^™

Analysis Of Water Concentration Formed Within Deformed Synthetic Quartz Crystals, Andrew Steward

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Analyzing the strength of synthetic quartz is essential to understanding the strength of natural milky quartz, which likely controls the strength of Earth’s continental crust. Synthetic quartz is sometimes used for deformation experiments because it has a homogenous water distribution unlike natural milky quartz. The purpose of this study is to determine if annealing synthetic quartz at T = 600°C will convert the water in synthetic quartz to free water, like milky quartz, but with little water loss. Following two annealing experiments at Texas A&M University, I performed four annealing experiments to measure the water content of five synthetic quartz …

Agv Design, Vincent Orzel, Zachary Woodrum

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This report details the design and calculation work done towards creating an autonomous guided vehicle (AGV) for use in the steel and metal related industries. Steel Equipment Specialists (SES) is a major manufacturer of coil transportation vehicles for these industries. SES believes the future of coil transportation within the mills includes AGVs in some circumstances. The team was tasked with exploring the design and cost of a base model for use in future designs, since SES has not yet modeled or manufactured an AGV. This design was successful under the stress from the application in calculations, and the cost of …

A Systematic Literature Review Of Sport Leadership In Youth Sport, Christopher J. Michalski, Seungbum Lee

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this paper was to complete a systematic literature review (SLR) of previous articles about leadership in youth sports. While sport leadership as a subject matter has contributed to the body of sport management and its academically associated literature for decades, seemingly, there exists a lack of understanding of this subject matter in the context of youth sport. Two rounds of screening process resulted in a sample of 20 appropriate articles for SLR. Then, the purposes, methods, and results, and of the 20 articles were analyzed. Based on the SLR of 20 articles, two salient themes were …

Academics’ Motivations To Engage In Espionage For The People’S Republic Of China, Kevin Feezel

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This work will explore and detail the methods of Chinese espionage used to steal information and technology from other countries using researchers, scientists, and academics. It will describe how this type of espionage is conducted, who is targeted, what types of information and technology are stolen, why this is the chosen method and the components of the successes and failures of this method of espionage. It will specifically focus on the Chinese Thousand Talents Program, recently officially identified by the United States as a form of Chinese espionage.

Smoking Cessation Interventions In College Students: A Systematic Review, Rebecca Nussbaum, Avery Dietz

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Smoking prevalence in college students is increasing and intervention studies have resulted in inconsistent findings. In this systematic review, the following PICO question is addressed: In college students ages 18 to 24, are cognitive-behavioral modification therapies more effective than e-cigarettes in aiding with smoking cessation? Database searches in CINAHL, Medline, and PsycINFO resulted in reviewing 20 primary sources. E-cigarettes are often used instead of conventional cigarettes, though long-term effects are not completely understood. Cognitive interventions, especially coupled with evidence-based medications and other therapies, provided substantial short-term abstinent rates, although longer-term rates were often not examined. Most researchers have examined college …

Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles Binding To Human Blood Plasma Proteins, Morgan Miller

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Titanium Dioxide (TiO₂, titania) nanoparticles are widely studied in cosmetology, food administration, and medical fields. This is due to the nanoparticles’ suitable properties, specific combination of strength and high corrosion resistance. With the increasing attention to these particles, there is concern with potential health complications. Some of the complications involved with titania nanoparticles include blood clots and immune reactions (Sit et al., 2019). In this study, we continue the study conducted in the Sahai research group (J. Chen. MS thesis, 2020), on the binding of titania nanoparticles with blood plasma proteins, focusing on potential effects of shape only. …

The Effects Of The Coronavirus On Transportation, Brittney Crandall

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This year the world has been challenged with the Coronavirus pandemic. This has led to national shutdowns which have negatively affected many aspects of everyday life. One of the industries that has seen adverse effects from the global pandemic is the transportation industry. This raises the question of exactly how the transportation industry has been affected by the pandemic, what the long-term effects will be, and what the future of the transportation industry will look like. Using existing data and research, predictions will be made to solve these questions.

Goodyear: Pivot, Expand, Or Downsize, Anastasia Vonortas, Arianna Francisco, Alicen Fimple, Jasem Jwayyed

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

In light of everything going on in the world today, Goodyear has started to question the next steps of their company. One of their biggest concerns is that since people are not driving as much, they will not be putting as much wear on their tires, meaning the tires they currently have on their vehicles will last longer and will not have the need to purchase new tires as frequently. Goodyear has asked us to look into what their company should do with all of the factors affecting their company. Should they pivot their focus to a different industry to …

Cleo’S Crown: An Original Illustrated Children’S Book, Rachael Mion

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

As children, our imagination is extremely vast and unpredictable, and the

books we read influence how we view the world. As we grow, many people slowly

lose the ability to get lost in their imagination. With Cleo’s Crown, I wanted to bring

back some of the magic that inspired me as a child, and the art is heavily influenced

by physical representations of magic and creativity. This project was created to spark

others imagination and remind them of their childhood. Even after the book and my

exhibition is completed, I am determined to share and hopefully publish Cleo’s

Crown. I …

Door Barricade, Alex Cerino

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

My senior capstone project will be a door barricade. The main idea for the use of the door barricade is for schools in the case of an intruder. The barricade that I will be designing is a solution to the inefficient barricades that I saw at my high school. It could also be used at businesses and homes. My design would be easy to use and have a fail-safe option. The two areas of mechanical engineering technology that my capstone project will focus on are stress analysis and electronics. Every part for my door barricade is drawn in SolidWorks. All …

Comparison Of The Effects Of Hofmeister Ions On Transition Temperature Of Two Thermoresponsive Polymers, Ashley Knight

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

It has been hypothesized that poly(vinylmethylether) (PVME) could be used to replace poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (pNIPAAM) in various thermoresponsive applications based on literature searches and previous lab experiments. PVME is cheaper and easier to process, and would make pNIPAAM applications more cost effective. In order to verify this, experimental data was gathered on the effects of four anions from the Hofmeister series (SO₄₂-, Cl-, I-, and SCN-) on the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of pNIPAAM and compared to previous data collected on PVME. Commercial pNIPAAM from Sigma Aldrich and Polysciences were used. The reported LCST range for pNIPAAM is …

The Occurrence Of Fluency Disorders In Individuals With Down Syndrome And Autism Spectrum Disorders, Julia Thomas

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Including a comprehensive literature review of research studies in fluency disorders, this project will aim to observe how stuttering and fluency disorders affects individuals with Down Syndrome and Autism Spectrum Disorders. The literature reviews will include case studies where the goal was to add techniques to everyday speech which reduced the overall occurrence of stuttering behavior and the negative psychosocial impacts on the individuals in the case studies. After thorough review of the case studies and other related literature, two surveys will be developed for possible administration to caretakers for people with Down Syndrome and Autism Spectrum Disorders who stutter …

The Effects Of Improvisation In Beginning Musical Instruction On Music Literacy, Brandon Tyson

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Teaching is a skill that has many different techniques and strategies. Each instructional strategy is valid for giving the student the opportunity to learn. In the 1993 article “Improvisation is the Manifestation of Musical Thought,” Azzara states that improvisation is a spontaneous expression of musical concepts. Many have used improvisation to bring knowledge together and synthesize the content. Improvisation is a tool that can be utilized at any point in the educational process. Opportunities for improvisational play gives students personal experiences on leading to skill development in listening and performing of the skills. After a solid foundation of performance ability …

Hard Hat Ambient Liability Observer (Halo), Hunter Hykes, Nathan Kish, Brian Thomson

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Capturing workplace incident information is a growing area of concern for most companies. To assist with this, the design team proposed the H.A.L.O. This design uses time-of-flight sensors connected to LEDs to create a proximity-based hazard warning system. It also records incident data using an accelerometer and micro-SD card. This helps workers avoid some of the most common workplace injuries, slips, trips, and falls and accidental collisions.

Students have created a design with engineering, and marketing requirements that accomplish this task. The proposed design allows for this monitoring and mitigation systems to be attached to hard hats. Team members developed …

The Effects Of Music Therapy On Older Adults With Dementia: A Systematic Review, Sydney Swogger, Kahli Throckmorton

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Older adults with dementia experience difficulties throughout the progression of the disease, including decreased quality of life and mental health (Weise et al., 2018). Nonpharmacological interventions, such as music therapy and music listening, may be one solution to affect mental health outcomes in this population. The two authors seek to answer the following PICOT formatted question: In older adults, ages 65 and older, with dementia, how does music therapy, compared with treatment as usual, affect depression and anxiety? Twenty primary sources, published from 2014 to 2019, were reviewed and critically appraised. The sources were diverse with regards to country of …

Creative Fiction Piece, Grace Maier

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

My proposal for my senior honors project is to produce a completed work of fiction. Specifically, this will be a short story consisting of around twenty double spaced pages, minimum six thousand words, of original writing accompanied by an eight to ten page critical essay exploring my literary influences as well as a five to seven page self analysis of my individual writing process. It is my intention to produce a work within the gothic-thriller genre, deriving inspiration from authors such as Joyce Carol Oates and Flannery O’Connor.

The Effect Of Low Skill Job Opportunities On Postsecondary Enrollment, Mallory Radesic

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This research examines the effect that low skill job opportunities have on the probability of enrollment in postsecondary institutions between men and women, namely the construction and manufacturing industries. The research is based on the human capital investment theory, which states that individuals will enroll in postsecondary institutions when the perceived benefits outweigh the costs. More job opportunity heightens the opportunity cost of enrollment, hence lowering the probability of enrollment. After running a probit model, there is evidence that enrollment is countercyclical and that enrollment decisions do not vary significantly between men and women. I find that a 1 percent …

Think Beyond The Literary Canon: The Potential For Young Adult Literature Within A High School Classroom, Megan Mayle

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This research project will evaluate and build upon existing research on the use of young adult (YA) literature in high school curriculum. The project will include researching what is currently read in high school classrooms, examining studies on the use of YA literature, and presenting examples and models of implementing three major YA novels into high school curriculum. The three novels that will be looked at in-depth are The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, and Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. The goal for this research …

Analyzing And Improving Calculation And Tuning Process For A Uav, Laurel Wardell

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The nature of this project is confidential and cannot be disclosed in detail. Generally, this project deals with the analysis of a control system of a UAV with several electric motors and gimbals. The goal of this analysis is to improve control calculations for increased stability. In addition, development has been started on an application to streamline the tuning of gains for this particular controller, allowing for more efficient use of precious flight time.

Liquid Rocket Engine And Test System, Ronnie Wallingford, Grace Ann Phillips, Blake Bowser, Jack Dalton

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The goal of this project is to design the University of Akron’s first design team built liquid propulsion rocket engine and testing system. The creation of this engine and testing system will create new opportunities for the Akronauts Rocket Design Team moving forward, allowing the team to enter more prestigious competitions, and will also enable students to better pursue opportunities in the space and defense industry by exposing them to more relevant industry experiences.

The liquid rocket engine designed by the team will utilize ethanol and liquid nitrous oxide to generate approximately 500 lbf of thrust. An accompanying test system …

Analysis Of The Podcast Industry And Business Growth Of Upside.Fm, Alyson Stoll, Katelyn Stanoch, John Skakun, Samantha Heim, Maanasa Humchad

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This paper explores the podcast industry with a focus on business related podcasts about entrepreneurship and startup businesses. The paper works to analyze the podcast industry and midwestern startup cities in order to assist podcast company, Upside.fm, in expanding their business model. The two main ideas researched throughout the paper are consumer behaviors in the podcast industry and the entrepreneurial ecosystems of multiple midwestern cities in the U.S including, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Kansas City, Missouri, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Indianapolis, Indiana. For the consumer behavior aspect of the research, a survey was conducted and analyzed to discover what podcast listeners enjoy and …

Concusion Detection Headband Design, John Durkin, Noah Lewis, John Michel

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Concussion in sports is a prevalent medical issue. It can be difficult for medical professionals to diagnose concussions. With the fast pace nature of many sports, and the damaging effects of concussions, it is important that any concussion risks are assessed immediately. There is a growing trend of wearable technology that collects data such as steps, and provides the wearer with in-depth information regarding their performance. The Smart Headband project created a wearable that can record impact data and provide the wearer with a detailed analysis on their risk of sustaining a concussion. The Smart Headband uses accelerometers and gyroscopes …

A Conceptual Proposal For The Epigenetically Causal Relationship Between Parental Ptsd And Inflammatory Disease In Post Hoc Offspring., Emma Griffith

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Could a combat veteran's horrific experiences in early-2000s Afghanistan have a direct, biological impact his now-adult daughter's risk of a heart attack later in her life? This concept would have been unapologetically mocked a mere twenty years ago, and it has only been in the past decade that the new field of epigenetics has revealed a distinct possibility for this event to actually take place—for parents' experiences to profoundly influence the biology of their children. The major objective of this research project is to argue for the legitimacy of this theoretical phenomenon by discussing the latest data regarding PTSD's interaction …

Design And Testing Of A Feed-Forward Control System For Deployable Vortex Generators Dependent On Angle Of Attack, Solomon B. Whitmire, Christopher J. Chapanar, Kirklin M. Anderson, Nickalus R. Amon, Daniel W. Chech

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

A vortex generator (VG hereafter) is a common feature of an aircraft wing that disturbs the flow on the leading edge of the wing, thus energizing the boundary layer and reducing flow separation. For an aircraft experiencing flow separation, VGs can increase the lift-to-drag ratio of the wing and prevent stall; however, if flow separation isn’t an issue, the unnecessary frontal area of the VGs has the potential to produce parasitic drag. This study seeks to determine whether the use of a deployment system can improve the performance of VG’s by raising or lowering them depending on the angle of …

Ecological Repentance, Emmanuel Salem

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

In an age ripe with discovery and analysis regarding anthropogenic pollution and the resultant climate change, a causal ideological explanation is naturally sought. This paper seeks to delve deep into the Christian religion and its relationship to the current climate crisis, as well as discuss whether or not predictions and speculative assertions professed in the famous essay by Lynn White, Historical Roots of our Ecological Crisis, hold up when surveyed with a more critical and thorough evaluative lens. This conversation is undertaken under three core considerations: biblical cosmology, what has happened in the world of Christian bioethics since White’s time, …

Furthering Cultural Understanding Through Music, Sophia Abukamail

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This project explores the role that music plays in fostering cultural understanding and equity by discussing the sociopolitical implications of musical collaboration between Palestinian and Israeli musicians. In order to do this, the paper will dive into the history of the conflict between Palestine and Israel, detail instances of musical collaboration between Palestinian and Israeli musicians, show how music is helping to bridge the divide between these two cultures, and examine the intentions and consequences of such collaborations as they relate to music, politics, and society. The purpose of this project is to investigate the ways that music can affect …

Tubing/Lines Entanglement Reduction In Healthcare Settings, Abigail Kraft, Amy Beskitt, Grace Elerick, Zachery Steck

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Intravenous (IV) lines used in various healthcare settings pose a risk to patients and their caretakers. A few common risks include IV lines becoming torn out and coming into contact with open wounds. We propose to solve this problem by designing a device that prevents IV and wire entanglement without obstructing patient care. Our objectives in identifying a solution include increasing patient comfort, mobility, and ease of transfer. By solving this issue, other potential benefits include reducing time spent on non-essential tasks and reducing number of personnel needed to transport patients. We intend to validate our product with healthcare employees …

Atmospheric Corrosion Of Galvanically Coupled Aluminum Alloys And Carbon Steel, Mitchell Felde

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Aluminum alloys are a steadily growing material being commonly used in lieu of typical steels. Additional alloying, heat treatment, and other property enhancing processes are expanding the use of these alloys. However, with this expansion, galvanic corrosion is becoming more of an issue in the design stage due to the combination of these alloys with steels. The automotive industry is one industry where the use of aluminum alloys is becoming common practice. Aluminum alloys provide a lightweight aspect over the conventional carbon steel that was used previously. As a result of this transition towards more lightweight materials, galvanic coupling is …

Design And Analysis Of One-Piece 10” Carbon Fiber Wheels For Zips Racing Zr20 Formula Sae Racecar, Patrick Kruse, Henry J. Wathen, Jordan J. Hyde, Nicholas D. Dobben, Jordan D. Blake

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Reducing the weight of a vehicle in racing can substantially improve the vehicle dynamics and general performance capabilities. More specifically, the reduction of the unsprung corner weight can provide noticeable performance gains in handling and responsiveness, leading to a quicker, more agile car due to a lower yawing moment of inertia. Unsprung weight reduction also improves the car’s ability to maintain contact between the tires and the road surface for a more consistent grip. In this project we identified the loads that act on the wheel rims according to the data collected from the sensors in the car’s suspension, and …

Effects Of Chickpea Flour Replacement On Physical And Sensory Characteristics Of Brownies, Madeline Large

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Due to health concerns, many consumers have started to incorporate nutrient-dense functional foods into their everyday diet. Chickpeas (Cicer arietinum L.) are an important globally consumed legume. They are utilized in foods due to their higher protein quality compared to other types of pulses grown around the world as they contain all the essential amino acids. Another important factor is that it can be used as a supplement for protein for vegetarians and as a grain substitute for consumers who have celiac disease and cannot consume gluten. The main purpose of this study was to determine the effects of complete …