Digital Commons Network^™

Ua19/16/2 Athletic Media Relations Press Releases, Wku Athletic Media Relations

WKU Administration Documents

General WKU athletic press releases for 2021.

Ua19/16/2 Football Press Releases, Wku Athletic Media Relations

WKU Administration Documents

Press releases, photos and statistics for WKU football team for 2021.

Ua35/7 Preparing Students For Infinite Possibilities 2007-2021, Wku Gatton Academy Of Mathematics & Science In Kentucky

WKU Administration Documents

Report of awards, research projects, study abroad opportunities and alumni achievements.

• Hannah Fugate
• Naomi Kellogg
• Niven Achenjang
• Tyler Jury
• Paul Hudson
• Luke Yap
• Chris Obermeyer
• Vishnu Tirumala
• Hannah Pennington
• Shelby Rader
• Sarah Schrader
• Ryan Gott
• Alex Pena
• Jenna Ellis
• Elaine Flynn

Ua19/16/2 Baseball Press Releases, Wku Athletic Media Relations

WKU Administration Documents

Press releases, photos and game statistics for WKU baseball team in 2021.

Cut Song Cabaret: Performing The Replaced, Rewritten, And Recycled Songs Of Musical Theatre, Claire Wilson

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

In musical theatre, “cut songs” are the pieces of music that are removed from a show, whether the cut occur in the early creative stages, a pre-Broadway run, minutes before opening night, or even for a major revival years after its initial debut. These songs easily go unnoticed, as some are never made public while some are sneakily recycled for other musicals. Cut songs, though greatly varying in quality, are still works of art that at one time fulfilled their sacred duty of entertaining an audience and required just as much artistic effort to produce as the songs that survived …

2021-2022 Graduate Catalog, Wku Graduate School

Graduate School

Graduate School catalog regarding admissions, curriculum and policies.

Ua94/6/1 Covid-19: The New Plague, Kaylene Bliss

Student/Alumni Personal Papers

COVID-19 personal narrative written by student Kaylene Bliss for History 241 class.

I Hear You: The Everyday Struggle Living With Misophonia, Ashton Jones

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The term misophonia is derivated from the Greek words misos, (hate), and phónè, (voice); it translates as hatred of sound. It is the term used to describe people who are irregularly affected by everyday noises. The first scientific observations by Pawel J. Jastreboff regarding misophonia indicate “individuals with misophonia are sensitive to a specific set of trigger sounds, which are usually recognized since childhood.” These types of sounds tend to be trivial noises, such as chewing or crunching, sniffing, breathing, clicking, lip smacking, and tapping. The noises can trigger an onslaught of negative emotions and violent reactions.

This documentary film …

Informing Sustainable Urban Forestry Policy With Carbon Sequestration Analysis, Ellen Danford

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Urban forestry is an environmental solution for an increasingly city-centered world. The ecosystem services that trees provide in natural settings, including carbon sequestration, oxygen production and aesthetic beauty, also apply in urban settings. Every tree in the Western Kentucky University (WKU) urban forest provides these services and each tree was measured to determine how much carbon they sequestered a year on average between 2015 and 2020. With an interactive map of the forest and its carbon sequestration, the condition of the forest and change over the five year period was analyzed. Comparing the welfare of the forest with the plans …

The Design, Development, And Implementation Of A Coding System For A "Hot" Self-Regulation Task, Hannah Martin

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Effortful control is one component of self-regulation that consists of the ability to delay a dominant response in favor of a non-dominant response. One way to measure effortful control is through “Hot” self-regulation tasks, which are when a participant is asked to delay a dominant response when there is a reward or punishment associated with the task. There are two types of “Hot” self-regulation tasks: effective decision making and delay of gratification. One way to assess of delay of gratification abilities is through an experimental task known as Snack Delay, where participants (usually children) are shown a snack but are …

Democratic Disenfranchisement: Analyzing The Factors That Contribute To Or Hinder The Ability Of Marginalized Groups To Run For Public Office In Kentucky, Isaac Keller

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Much has been written about barriers that lead to unequal representation, focusing largely on situational characteristics of the individual voter (socioeconomic status, efficacy, socialization, etc.) and on structural (institutional) obstacles to voter turnout and participation. However, political participation is inclusive of more than just voting. This research seeks to identify and analyze the factors that contribute to or hinder the ability of marginalized candidates to run for public office. To explore whether or not marginalized candidates face unique obstacles when running for public office, a qualitative approach with one-on-one interviews between a convenience sampling in Kentucky of ten political candidates …

Drought In The Breadbasket Of America And The Influence Of Oceanic Teleconnections, Grace Campbell

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

From 1980 to 2020, drought events accounted for 11.4% of the billion-dollar disasters in the United States (U.S.) yet caused the second highest total amount in damages at $236.6 billion. With the average cost of a drought being upwards of $9.5 billion, these natural disasters can create serious problems in agriculture. Drought is defined as a period of below average precipitation that causes damage to agriculture and water supply. Previous research has linked drought events in the U.S. Great Plains to oceanic teleconnections in the Pacific and Atlantic basins, indicating the influence of the El Niño – Southern Oscillation (ENSO), …

Solving The Persistence Problem: Application Of Peer Mentorship In The Rotc Community, Thomas Pelkey

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Western Kentucky University, a medium-sized university in Kentucky, currently has a persistence rate of 74% (Helbig et al., 2020). The current public health crisis also poses a risk to university retention. A new method needs to be used to increase the rate in the next ten years. Dr. Brian Kuster, Vice President of WKU suggested a mentoring program for “at-risk” freshmen. Freshmen go through a lot of stress and anxiety in their first year of college. This is known as the “first-year adjustment” reaction. A myriad of factors contributes to the reaction, such as being by themselves for the first …

Pathways To Self-Governance And Success: An Exploratory Study Of Community Gardens In Louisville, Kentucky, Amanda Beavin

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Those involved in community gardens face multiple challenges to survival, including land tenure, lack of funding, lack of sustained interest, and poor infrastructure, but many successful, long-lasting gardens have found management style to be a key aspect of their success. This project investigated three community gardens in Louisville, Kentucky, in order to determine how self-governance, or internal management by gardeners, overlaps with other success indicators and what development processes lead to successful self-governance. Using qualitative, semi-structured interviews and participant observation, the researcher gathered and analyzed data relative to each garden site’s land tenure, community engagement, environmental design, resource mobilization, and …

The Effect Of Warm-Up Protocols On The Occurrence Of Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome In High School Cross Country Athletes, Makayla Mack

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome (MTSS, i.e. shin splints) is among one of the most frequently reported running-related musculoskeletal injuries. Minimal research has investigated the prevention of MTSS with limited evidence supporting few preventative measures. The purpose of this study is to gain a better understanding of which method of warming up could yield the most promising results for the prevention of MTSS in high school cross country athletes and to use this information to further educate coaches and athletes on the most efficacious protocols to implement in the future. METHODS: Participants were recruited via communication with high school cross country …

Banking On Her: The Effects Of Microfinance On Women’S Autonomy In Developing Economies, Zena Pare

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Once applauded as a way to empower the world’s poorest, and in particular benefit women, the practice of microfinance is now perceived with a much more cautious and nuanced lens. Some perspectives state that microfinance improves women’s lives and uplifts communities, while others claim that it increases over-indebtedness and does not provide a viable path to escape poverty. In order to determine if microfinance is an effective use of resources to empower women, this paper analyzes the relationship between women’s autonomy and microfinance to provide further insight into its proposed positive and negative effects. Using ordinary least squares regression analysis, …

Acoustic Communication In The Atlantic Mudskipper, Periopthalmus Barbarus, Seth Hoffman

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Mudskippers are intertidal fishes that can survive both in and out of the water. They are territorial and exhibit behaviors to attract mates and defend against competitors. Recently, it has been shown that vibrations are produced and transmitted through the mud during such displays in one species, Periophthalmodon septemradiatus. To see if similar vibrations are produced in other species of mudskippers, I recorded the behavioral interactions of pairs of the mudskipper Periophthalmus barbarus via digital video and acoustic signals via accelerometer. Comparative analysis of fish mass, sex, contest length, and contest outcome coupled with acoustic characteristics within dyadic pairings …

How Connected Is Parenting Stress And Child Adaptability Through Child Prosocial Talk?, Lindsey Powell

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Previous research demonstrates parenting stress can affect mental health outcomes of children who are exposed to a traumatic event. Child adaptability can significantly affect how a child responds to traumatic events. Thus, it is important to identify factors associated with child adaptability, since such factors could serve as important targets in trauma treatment. Interventions (e.g., Parent-Child Interaction Therapy [PCIT]) have been created for families to learn skills to treat children with disruptive behavior problems. These behavior problems contribute to child maltreatment and trauma. The current study seeks to examine whether parenting stress predicts child adaptability and if this relationship is …

Examining Audience Receptivity To Theatre Across Various Technological Mediums, Chingyi "Ac" Chan

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

This creative project and study was proposed to investigate the impacts of online theatre on audience members’ emotions, feelings, and comprehension of the show. The Research questions asked were: RQ1: How does the viewing medium, if at all, affect the audience's response to a theatrical performance? And RQ2: Which, if any, technological mediums do audiences members prefer to use to watch theatre? Three versions of the same play were made and adapted to their respective social media platforms: YouTube, Instagram Live, and TikTok. Participants were asked to watch one of the three shows and fill out a survey. Forty participants …

Leadership, Emotional Intelligence, And The Enneagram: A Study Of The Effects Of Enneagram Training On College Student Leaders, David Weafer

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

This thesis investigates the impact of Enneagram training on perceived empathy and self-awareness in college student leaders. The EQ-i 2.0 was used to assess the emotional intelligence of 16 student leaders, before and after the Enneagram training intervention. Qualitative methods, specifically open-ended journal prompts and semistructured interviews, added a rich description of the participants’ perceptions of the Enneagram training’s usefulness. The quantitative data and qualitative data seemingly contradict each other with the former showing no statistical relationship between the Enneagram and self-awareness and empathy, while the latter is saturated with examples of positive effects. Participants felt they were able to …

Judges, Attorneys, And Psychologists' Views Of Sole-Parent Child Custody Evaluations, Chandler Flynt

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Judges, attorneys, and psychologists are individuals in the legal system who have the most interaction with child custody evaluations (CCEs), yet there is little research regarding whether these parties have different views on what factors are important in CCEs. The present study examined how judges, attorneys, and psychologists evaluated sole-parent child custody cases. A sample of judges, attorneys, and psychologists completed a forty-item questionnaire regarding their opinions of what factors they believe are most/least important in CCEs. The goal of this study was to first observe if there were differences among the parties’ ratings, and secondly, determine why might differences …

Farmers’ Markets & College Students: Shaping Our Shared Community And Bridging The Barrier With On-Campus Interaction, Emma Grace Vaughn

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

This project studies the relationship between college students and farmers' markets, with the goal of overcoming known barriers of student participation. A survey conducted at an on-campus farmers' market, Market on the Avenue, details the impact of bringing these events to Western Kentucky University and looks towards the improvement of future markets. The purpose of this evaluation is to understand how effectively this event bridges the known barriers inhibiting WKU student participation in farmers’ markets, and to develop survey data into recommendations for improvement.

Beyond Sustainable: An Analysis Of The Visual Rhetoric Behind The Branding Of Christy Dawn, Megan Mccormick

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

This research project offers insight into the visual rhetorical of design decisions made in the marketing materials of Christy Dawn, a sustainable fashion brand. The primary goal of this research is to identify several motivators, based on prior studies, for the consumption of sustainable fashion and analyze the existing marketing visuals of Christy Dawn’s brand, specifically in how they appeal to these motivators, thus also communicating their sustainable rhetoric to consumers in the process. This project defines these motivators in detail and addresses them in relation to particular elements of design in Christy Dawn’s materials, such as images, color, and …

Ua68/14 Newsletter, Wku Folk Studies & Anthropology

WKU Administration Documents

Newsletter created by and about WKU Folk Studies & Anthropology.

• Applegate, Darlene. From the Department Head & Anthropology Program Director
• Ferrell, Ann. From the Folk Studies Program Director
• Student Profiles - Georgia Dassler, Camille Acosta
• Student Profiles - Azadeh Najafian, Corbin Pike
• Student Profiles - James Skaggs, Jordan Mansfield
• Student Projects
• This Year's Graduates
• Department Events & Activities
• Faculty/Staff News - Tim Frandy, Darlene Applegate, Ann Ferrell
• Faculty/Staff News - Gwynn Henderson, Erika Brady, Jean-Luc Houle, Kate Hudepohl, David Pollack, Justin Carlson
• Kentucky Folklife Program
• Kentucky Archaeological Survey
• Alumni Updates

Ua1f Kern Alexander Censorship Vertical File, Wku Archives

WKU Administration Documents

Digitized vertical file materials regarding WKU President Kern Alexander's interactions with the College Heights Herald.

Ua19/16/1/5 Hilltopper Golf 2020-21 Season Statistics, Wku Athletic Media Relations

WKU Administration Documents

Statistical analysis of the 2020-21 men's golf team season.

Ua25/4 Finance & Administration - Vice President, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Records created by and about the Vice President of Finance & Administration.

Ua19/16/1 Lady Topper Basketball Media Guide, Wku Athletic Media Relations

WKU Administration Documents

2021-22 women's basketball media guide produced by WKU Athletic Media Relations, includes athletic records and statistics, photographs, schedule and information regarding opponents.

Ua1f Kern Alexander Vertical File Part 3, Wku Archives

WKU Administration Documents

Digitized vertical file materials regarding WKU President Kern Alexander and his tenure as president 1986-1988.

Ua68/17 Wku Dance: Creating, Thinking, Artists, Wku Theatre & Dance

WKU Administration Documents

Newsletter created by and about the WKU Dance program.