Digital Commons Network^™

Case Study From Inside A Presidential Campaign In The 100th New Hampshire Primary: Analyzing The Hillary For New Hampshire Field Organization, Christopher Mckenna

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

On the 100^th anniversary of the New Hampshire primary, this case study analyzes a high profile political campaign in order to add to the discussion on the extent to which campaigns matter. The New Hampshire Primary is disproportionately important in the nomination process as the nation’s first primary; therefore, it is vital candidates perform well in the Granite State. I use my experience as a fellow on former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s campaign in the Democratic Primary to critically analyze the campaign organization in New Hampshire. This case study will attempt to answer how Secretary Clinton’s field organization …

Muscle Dysmorphia And Athletic Identity, Taylor Mcgohan

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Society is creating a stronger importance for men to have muscular physiques. Therefore, increasing the dissatisfaction men have with their bodies and perceptions of body image. The current study assesses the possible relationship between muscle dysmorphia and athletic identity. As well as a relationship between lifting time and athletic identity. Participants for the current study took three different self-reported surveys to measure demographics, exercise history, level of athletic identity, and possible symptoms of muscle dysmorphia. It was hypothesized that those with strong athletic identities also have a stronger desire to gain muscle mass, increasing likelihood of displaying muscle dysmorphia symptoms. …

Association Of Body Weight With Athletic Success And The Occurrence Of Female Athlete Triad In Cross Country Athletes, Lindsey Hinken

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Young adult females who participate in endurance sports are at risk of developing Female Athlete Triad (FAT). The high prevalence of FAT among collegiate athletes and its potentially lifelong consequences substantiate the importance of relevant research. The objective of the present study is to identify the risk of FAT among the Western Kentucky University women’s cross country team, based on the presence or absence of the three FAT components, and to investigate the perceptions of those determined to be ‘at-risk.’ It was hypothesized that a preponderance of the WKU women’s cross country team would be considered ‘at risk’ for developing …

Organizational Justice And Social Media In The Employee Selection Process, Hayden Hickey

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

This study combines aspects of social media’s role in employee selection and how it relates to potential employee attitudes toward a company. By measuring participants’ attitudes when told that their Facebook profiles would be taken into consideration in determining their job ability, applicant feelings of procedural justice (i.e., fairness of a process; PJ) were assessed and compared to a control group. To measure interactional justice (i.e., fairness regarding interpersonal treatment; IJ), participants were divided into two conditions: participants in the high justice condition were given an explanation of the rationale behind using social media as an evaluation tool and shown …

Designing And Building An Automatic Chamfer Grinder, William Johnson

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Modern day manufacturing is a demanding environment with a constant need for process improvement. As automation becomes more advanced, there are fewer jobs that must be completed by a human. In the case of Stupp Bridge Company, a local manufacturer of steel bridge girders, their workforce is highly skilled, so replacing mundane tasks with automation allow the skilled workers to focus on the difficult jobs. One such task is grinding a chamfer onto every leading edge of each girder flange, eight edges in total, ranging from 20 to 200 feet long. The purpose of this project was to design an …

The Effects Of Community-Building On Achievement, Motivation, And Engagement In Undergraduate Mathematics, Hannak Keith

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

This 2 x 2 quasi-experimental study examined the effects of pedagogical method (i.e., direct instruction vs. 5E inquiry) and intentional community-building (i.e., absence or presence) on undergraduate student (N = 103) motivation, engagement, and achievement in mathematics. Conditions were randomly assigned to one of four different College Algebra classes with a one-time occurrence and taught by a trained expert teacher. Findings indicated that intentional community-building – regardless of pedagogical method – had the strongest effects on students’ motivation, engagement, and achievement. Although no differing pedagogical effects were discovered (most likely due to the one-time implementation of the lesson formats), …

Transforming The Wku Office Of Sustainability's Front Yard Into An Edible Landscape, Alexandra Hezik

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Since moving to 503 Regents Avenue in Fall 2013, the WKU Office of Sustainability has served as a sustainable best practices demonstration home for the WKU and Bowling Green communities. Not only does the house in which the Office of Sustainability is located serve as an educational tool for people, but also the landscape. In May 2014, the WKU Community Garden was established in the backyard. The transformation of the Office of Sustainability’s front lawn into an edible landscape began on April 1, 2015. The purpose of this project is to demonstrate an alternative to conventional lawns.

Western's New Deal: The Shaping Of College Heights During The Great Depression, Sean Jacobson

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

This thesis addresses the Great Depression's impact on public higher education by analyzing developments at Western Kentucky State Teachers College. It also seeks to understand factors leading to the enshrinement of Henry Hardin Cherry as a larger-than-life figure upon his death in 1937. An investigative study into primary materials found that the New Deal projects on campus provided a boost for Cherry's leadership and charisma in his community. The concurrence of his death with the construction of a classroom building funded by the Public Works Administration determined his memorialization for posterity. The building, Cherry Hall, emerged as an institutional symbol …

The Language Of Fashion: Communication, Conceptual Clothing, And The Runway Performance, Jarred Johnson

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Scholars have long neglected the study of fashion as anything other than a socioeconomic and cultural phenomena that reflects the more substantial political and historical zeitgeist of a time period. This study takes up Gilles Lipovetsky’s plea for a “theoretical facelift” of the study of fashion. Using an original theoretical framework that delineates the communicative structures of fashion as fabric, drape, and accessory, this work analyzes the conceptual meaning of runway performances by designers Alexander McQueen and Marc Jacobs. Though conceptual fashion shows are often described as spectacles intended to stir up a label’s recognition and ultimately bolster sales, the …

Testing The Effects Of Professional Development On Elementary Pre-Service Teachers’ Beliefs About Mathematics Inquiry Instruction, Courtney Inabnitt

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

In this study, a professional development (PD) seminar was designed and implemented with elementary pre-service teachers (n=20) enrolled in a mathematics content course at a small Midwestern university. The central focus of the PD was on bringing inquiry, specifically the 5E model, into mathematics instruction at the elementary level. The structure of the PD followed the 5E model format and participants learned about inquiry through inquiry. The study utilized a pre-post-test design and measured participants’ knowledge about the 5E model and beliefs about using inquiry in elementary mathematics instruction. Statistically significant growth from pre-test to post-test appears in …

How Best To Study For A Test: A Comparison Of Practice Retrieval And Self-Explanation, Casey Fortney

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Students often struggle to prepare for their exams, perhaps as a result of using an unhelpful study method. This study compared the effects of using three study methods: rereading, practice retrieval, and self-explanation. 79 college students studied a short science text passage and were tested with both verbatim and inference questions one week later. Students who reread the information did not perform differently from those who practiced retrieving or self-explained the information. Students who self-explained the information performed better on verbatim test questions than those who practiced retrieving the information. Possible explanations for these findings and implications are discussed.

Extracurricular Involvement And Anxiety In Relation To Suicide Ideation Among College Students, Paula Floyd

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Little research exists on college students’ extracurricular involvement as it relates to anxiety and suicidal ideation. The current study seeks to examine the relationships between extracurricular involvement, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. First, it was hypothesized that increased extracurricular involvement would relate to increased anxiety. Second, increased anxiety was expected to mediate the relationship between involvement and explicit suicidal ideation. Third, increased anxiety was expected to mediate the relationship between involvement and implicit suicidal ideation. Fourth, it was expected that thwarted belongingness would be a more accurate predictor of suicidal ideation than perceived burdensomeness. The sample included 80 undergraduates with a …

Cross-Cultural Comparison Of Credit Transfer Practices, Lending And Financial Inclusions In North America, Europe And The Middle East, Jessica Henao Barragan

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Many events highlight the relationship between credit availability and aggregate output. Macroeconomic models and financial market conditions have major impacts on the world economy. In addition, these represent the responses to financial chunks that differ in developed countries like the United Kingdom, France, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Canada and the United States. The impact of credit conditions is concerned, as well as the differences in the quality of banking supervision and the effectiveness of monetary policies in different parts of the world. The experience of developed countries sets an example of the integration process inevitably contributing to create an …

Do Ask, Do Tell: The Exclusion Of Gay Men From Universal Male Conscription In The Republic Of Turkey, Barrett Greenwell

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

What are the implications of the Republic of Turkey’s paradoxical policies of universal male conscription and exclusion of gay men from military service? To answer this question, this project draws on four months of research in Turkey where interviews were conducted with prominent lawyers and activists as well as with gay men who personally experienced the inhumane exemption process of the Turkish military. This project first analyzes the historical reasons for the military’s pervasive influence in Turkish society. Next, it explores the many issues inherent in a policy of universal conscription without the right to conscientious objection. The project then …

Outcomes Of Speech And Language Pilot Program For International Students, Kelly Fussman

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Universities in the United States host a substantial number of international students every academic year. As of the 2015-2016 academic year, Western Kentucky University, located in south-central Kentucky, alone hosts over 1,400 international students. These students often face a number of challenges upon arrival in the United States, especially when it comes to language and cultural differences. A considerable body of research indicates that international students’ educational performance and outcomes are significantly impacted by their cultural identities, psychological and sociocultural experiences, and attitudes in relation to English-speaking societies. Many international students attribute academic and social difficulties to a lack of …

Get In The Zone: A Survey Of Dental Professionals' Knowledge Of Ozone Therapy, Emily Hannah

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Ozone therapy has been used in medicine for many years to treat a variety of ailments. Ozone is an unstable triatomic molecule made up of three oxygen atoms. This molecule has the ability to kill bacteria, fungi, parasites, and viruses. The researcher first was curious if there has been research done on uses of Ozone Therapy in the dental setting. After reviewing the literature there is indeed a use for Ozone Therapy to treat a host of dental problems including periodontal disease, ulcers, and carious lesions (also known as cavities). However, there are conflicting conclusions in the literature as to …

Contribution Of A Putative Up Element Dna Sequence To The Activity Of A Newly Identified Phage Promoter, Courtney Hamilton

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

In transcription, a universal step in gene expression, information from a DNA sequence is copied into RNA. A key component in gene expression is the promoter sequence, a region of DNA to which RNA polymerase binds during the initiation of transcription of downstream genes. Most bacterial promoters contain a -10 and a -35 sequence that are bound by the RNA polymerase. Some promoters also contain an Upstream Promoter (UP) element. UP elements have been shown to boost promoter activity. We recently identified a new promoter in a mutant bacteriophage that grows on a bacterial host that prevents antitermination of phage …

Toxicity Of Platinum Containing Compounds With Variable Leaving Ligands On Cancer Cells, Brooke Duke

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Currently there are three platinum anticancer drugs on the market: cisplatin, oxaliplatin, and carboplatin. These compounds have variable leaving ligands, which are the locations on compounds that will be replaced by biological targets (DNA and protein). The purpose of this research is testing platinum compounds that have a nonleaving ethylenediamine or diaminocyclohexane ligand, similar to the nonleaving ligands found in cisplatin and oxaliplatin, and variable leaving ligands. Three compounds were tested including oxaliplatin, ethylenediamine(oxalato)platinum(II) (Pt(en)(ox)), and dichloro(ethylenediamine)platinum(II) (Pt(en)Cl₂). MTT assays were performed on cancer cells treated with the platinum compounds for twenty-four hours. In MTT assays, the living …

Immigration After Mckinley: How A President’S Death Breathed Life Into Immigration Policy, Carolyn Evans

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The assassination of William McKinley in 1901 was a national tragedy. However, McKinley’s death was neither a spontaneous coincidence nor the first of its kind. The President’s assassination was one of several international anarchist attacks that resulted in the death of a world leader. Facing widespread fear regarding anarchy, the 57th Congress responded with harsh legislation that targeted some of America’s most vulnerable groups: immigrants. Faced with a rapidly changing new world, at the beginning of the 20th century, Congress began passing harsh legislation they felt necessary to protect the American public. This new legislation, unfortunately, also shook America’s core …

Tragedy And The Vicious: Moral Education In Aristotle’S Poetics And Future Applications To Contemporary Art, Erika Brown

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

This project interprets Aristotle’s Poetics through a morally educative approach. More specifically, expanding on past research of Poetics by individuals such as Isaiah Smithson, this project will examine the affective influence of tragedy on morally unknowing audience members of vicious character types. Through the associations between the sensory experiences incorporated in a tragedy and moral messages portrayed in the plot, the vicious character can begin a process of becoming morally knowing subjects. In others words, this experience with morally charged tragedies can teach vicious characters what is morally good. Moreover, the vicious audience members can learn how what is morally …

Stigmatization Fo Hiv/Aids: A Cross-Cultural Analysis, Jamie Doctrow

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is the cause of a public health epidemic that has impacted millions of individuals worldwide. Though medical advances have decreased the number of AIDS related deaths by 42% since the peak year of 2004 (UNAIDS, 2015), many individuals with HIV/AIDS are unaware of their status and are not currently receiving antiretroviral treatment. Many experts have suggested that a significant barrier to HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment is the social stigma that has become attached to the disease. No single cause of this stigmatization has been identified, but a variety of influences may play a role. To …

Sound Data Collection And Transmission Noise Reduction, Bradley Cockrel

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The WKU Engineering Department Senior Student Team, The Synchronizers, has been contracted to modify a MTD transmission’s sound characteristics. This project entails developing a sound data acquisition apparatus and method, developing a sound test stand which will fully load the transmission and load characteristics, and suggesting modes of sound modification. The Sound Data Acquisition method entails using a specialized microphone calibrated to operate on IOS devices to measure Sound Intensity. The sound intensity will be found over a collective area, in order to evaluate to the sound power generated. The sound test stand will consist of a system designed to …

Effects Of An Electronic, Motion-Activated Scarecrow On Foraging Time In Nocturnal Vertebrate Crop Pets In South Africa, Mallory Clouse

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The normal behaviors of animals can disrupt human activities, resulting in human wildlifeconflict. In South Africa, nocturnal crop raiders are a significant source of human wildlifeconflict for farmers. Major nocturnal pest animals are Cape porcupine (Hystrix africaeaustralis) and bushpig (Potamochoerus larvatus). Although methods of deterring animals from agricultural areas have been explored, nocturnal crop raiding remains difficult to mitigate. Most research studies focus on deterring non-human primates and elephants, but methods that may be successful in deterring such larger mammals are not necessarily effective at discouraging smaller, nocturnal crop raiders. This study examined the efficacy of …

Toward Autonomous Multi-Rotor Indoor Aerial Vehicles, Connor Brooks

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

In this project, we worked to create an indoor autonomous micro aerial vehicle (MAV) using a multi-layer architecture with modular hardware and software components. We required that all computing was done onboard the vehicle during time of flight so that no remote connection of any kind was necessary for successful control of the vehicle, even when flying autonomously. We utilized environmental sensors including ultrasonic sensors, light detection and ranging modules, and inertial measurement units to acquire necessary environment information for autonomous flight. We used a three-layered system that combined a modular control architecture with distributed on-board computing to allow for …

Optimizing An Organizational Program For Halton Company, Chandler Clark

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

A team of WKU Mechanical Engineering students is collaborating with Halton Company to create an organizational system for their plant. Each job performed at Halton is custom, leading to several different processes needing to be accounted for at once. The team is designing a program in Visual Studio that will be used to control the progression of the plant as well as store data to optimize future processes involved. Visual Studio will be implemented by summer of 2016 in order to give the team and company time to troubleshoot the program and insert optimizing options into the c ode of …

The Lagging State Of Renewable Energy In Kentucky, John Evans

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

It is evident that Kentucky's energy landscape is characterized primarily by coal and, to a lesser degree, natural gas and oil. It seems there's almost no room for renewable energy sources in Kentucky’s energy sector despite plentiful evidence of global climate change caused largely by carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels. Other states are paving the way in the renewable energy industry by investing in solar, wind and geothermal energy among other forms while Kentucky continues to sit back seemingly content with utilizing energy practices that are several decades old. In this project, I will be addressing reasons for the …

Non-Suicidal Self-Injury, Suicidal Behaviors, And Body Investment In Heterosexual And Sexual Minority Young Adults, Emily Cox

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

College-aged individuals who identify with a sexual minority orientation are at high risk for non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) and suicidal behaviors. Research is lacking on identification of factors contributing to increased risk for this population. This study examined two facets of body investment, body protection and body feelings, as they relate to NSSI, individual and total suicidal behaviors, and sexual orientation. It was hypothesized that NSSI and individual suicidal behaviors would be more frequent in the sexual minority sample compared to the heterosexual sample, body protection and body feelings would be poorer in sexual minorities compared to the heterosexual sample, and …

An Assessment Of Scholastic Basketball Programs: Administration, Facilities, And Support, Leah Cannady

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The main purpose of this study was to validate the survey insturement created to evaluate various aspects of scholastic basketball programs—including but not limited to administration, facilities, and support. All boys and girls head basketball coaches in South Dakota were administered an electronic survey created for the study. To incentivize participation, respondents could choose to be entered to win a monetary donation of $250 to their basketball program. Descriptive statstics were used to summarize respondent demographics and other statistical measures were used to indicate reliability and validity of the survey instrument. Cronbach’s alpha was calculated at .711 and Pearson’s correlation …

Tipping The Scales: Is Right-To-Work Legislation On The Path To Prosperity?, Jessica Canada

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

With West Virginia having just become the twenty-sixth state to pass right-to-work (RTW) legislation, the U.S. labor relations movement is at a tipping point. Other policy makers are closely watching the recent revival of RTW laws that has occurred over the last five years and are analyzing relevant studies to determine whether passing legislation that would outlaw union shops in their states might be worth a second look.

With this paper I intend to examine one of the dominant arguments against enacting RTW legislation in a state, which is that this legislation results in a greater degree of state-level income …

Maternal Sleep Loss During Fetal Development Alters Offspring Endocrine Responses To Stress Throughout Life, Audrey Brown

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis releases glucocorticoids, including corticosterone (CORT), in response to stress. CORT then negatively feeds back to inhibit its own production by binding to glucocorticoid receptors (GRs) in the hypothalamus and pituitary gland. The HPA axis is subject to “programming” by abnormal stimuli during early development, which may permanently alter how the HPA axis responds to stress. These altered responses have been linked to an increased risk for human psychiatric and metabolic disorders in later life, but the mechanism by which this happens is not fully understood. This study tests the hypothesis that changes to GR expression patterns …