Digital Commons Network^™

Deaf And Hard Of Hearing Children’S Resources In K-12 Mainstream American Schools, Ashley Green

Honors Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to find out what mainstream schools have to offer for Deaf and Hard of Hearing children’s education. This thesis includes a survey given to a few school districts in Michigan as well as literature review. To take this survey, participants must be qualified staff members who work in a school with Deaf and Hard of Hearing children. The survey was sent out via email to school principals in the district, to be distributed to qualified staff. Once the staff members agreed to the study, they were given access to a twelve-question anonymous survey regarding …

The Effect Of Emotional Intelligence On Relationships: Examining The Correlation Between Teique Score And Support System Health, Anna Lowes-Cannizzaro

Honors Theses

Emotional intelligence (EI), or the ability to monitor one’s own and others’ feelings, and the ability to step outside of these feelings in order to use information to guide thinking and actions, has been shown to affect many aspects of a person’s life. Through prior research, EI has been linked to aspects such as marital satisfaction, job performance, and life satisfaction. This study examines how trait emotional intelligence affects the health of one’s support system. The association between trait EI and support system health, including other demographic variables, was measured with two separate questionnaires: one questionnaire measuring trait EI, the …

Green Solutions: A Smart Strategy For Recycling Electronics In Ghana, Yodit Fitsum

Honors Theses

Electronic waste (e-waste) presents a significant environmental challenge, particularly in developing nations like Ghana. This study examines the opportunities and challenges associated with e-waste recycling in Ghana, focusing on the Agbogbloshie dumpsite. In Ghana, the informal e-waste sector plays a crucial role, providing employment to marginalized individuals who dismantle and process e-waste using basic methods. However, these practices raise concerns due to hazardous working conditions and environmental pollution. Conversely, certified recycling companies adhere to strict safety and environmental standards. Key challenges include recycling contaminated e-plastics and declining precious metal content in modern electronics, highlighting the need for improved recycling infrastructure. …

Medication Errors: The Radonda Vaught Case, Nayeli Guandique-Benitez

Honors Theses

We can recognize that to err is human, yet it may cost us great things, such as our jobs, licenses, and peace of mind. In nursing, 40% percent of the time is spent administering medication (Wolters Kluwer, 2022, p.15-17), which puts nurses and nursing students at an increased rate of making medication administration errors (MAE). The National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention (NCCERP,2023) says medication error is any preventable event that may cause or lead to inappropriate medication use or patient harm while the medication is in the control of the health care professional, patient, or consumer." …

Women In Business Marketing: An Analysis Of The Glass Ceiling, Hailey Hornberger

Honors Theses

The glass ceiling phenomenon continues to be a widespread barrier affecting women in various professional fields, including business marketing. While female representation in business marketing is witnessing a significant increase, persistent barriers prevent successful women from advancing any further in their careers. The purpose of this research study was to understand the perspectives and experiences of women in business marketing professions. The key issues highlighted throughout this study include microaggressions in group settings, sexual harassment, balance of work and life, leadership dynamics, confidence and self-doubt, lack of support, and the gender pay gap. Secondary research was used as an initial …

Personal Insights: Navigating Informal Networks, Catherine Jordan

Honors Theses

As a non-traditional student, my journey through college has been anything but conventional. Unlike the typical high school-to-college transition, I embarked on my educational adventure later in life, balancing coursework with familial responsibilities and career aspirations. Within this paper, I will share my insights, my triumphs, my challenges, and the interactions that have shaped my experience. Join me as I unravel the unseen and intricate ties that link us together through learning and growth.

Implementing Choice In Treatment Modality For Adolescents With Autism Learning Daily Living Skills, Silvia Robazza

Honors Theses

Daily living skills, categorized as personal-care activities within the home, community, and school setting, are crucial components in establishing daily routines amongst adolescents (Stabel, 2013). Many of these activities require gross motor and fine motor skills, which are skills that tend to be difficult for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD;Chen et al., 2022). When trying to express their wants and needs surrounding completing day-to-day activities, individuals with ASD may engage in problem behaviors as a way to communicate (Iwata et al., 1982). Nonetheless, implementing choice in treatment has been found to significantly decrease occurrences of problem behavior (Shogren et …

The International Lens Of Western Michigan University, Tesha Nowak

Honors Theses

The international students highlighted in this documentary have different stories with the same experience of studying in the United States. Some international students are at Western with family, making the transition easier for them whereas some are here alone, still trying to find the community that fits their identity. In this documentary, Western Michigan University’s (WMU) international students, will discuss their study abroad experience in the United States such as culture shock, negotiating native and new cultures and managing assumptions that Americans have about them or their cultures. Their stories will bring to light the reality of the study abroad …

Sign-A-Mander: A Mobile App That Enhances Asl Learning With Computer Vision, Sandrine Adap

Honors Theses

Several machine learning researchers have developed algorithms recognizing American Sign Language (ASL), but few have applied the algorithms to real-world situations, such as with portable ASL learning applications. This project develops a beta version of a mobile application designed to allow beginner ASL learners to practice basic ASL vocabulary and receive feedback about their signing accuracy. Building on Dongxu Li et al.’s I3D sign language recognition algorithm and 2000-word dataset, the app seeks to determine whether the I3D algorithm can sufficiently recognize a user’s motions when recorded from a mobile device and accurately classify whether or not the user signed …

Skidmore Air Vent: Understanding Vent Characteristics To Propose Redesign Solutions, Christopher Inae, Shane Gaban

Honors Theses

Skidmore Pump is a company that manufactures air vents for the purpose of automatically relieving air from steam main lines. Steam vents are a vital part to any steam distribution system, as they are able to vent out air in the midst of a steady flow of steam. The presence of air can pose a problem in steam systems, as it is a non-condensable gas. In some systems, a neglect to remove air will reduce the efficiency of heat transfer, as the air will cause a stagnant film to reside around critical locations of heat transfer. In Skidmore’s Main Vent …

Bone Marrow Donor Recruitment Drive And Registry, Elizabeth R. Dovich

Honors Theses

Bone marrow transplants are vital for those with blood cancers and disorders, but not every ethnic group has an equal chance of finding a match. Some of the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) cell markers used to match donors and recipients are unique to certain ethnic groups, making it harder for members of those groups to find a match. This project worked to address this inequality by organizing a bone marrow registry recruitment drive on the campus of Andrews University in partnership with the NMDP registry. It encompassed the planning, promotion, and execution of the drive which took place March 5-7, …

Wmu Technical Director For Clue, Fleck Joseph

Honors Theses

This Thesis delves into the pivotal role of the Technical Director in the staging of CLUE, a WMU theatrical production scheduled from November 10 to 19. With a strike date set for November 19 and a load-in work day on October 7, the Technical Director's responsibilities spanned across various domains, from budget management to technical design and construction supervision.

Communication among disparate production departments lay at the heart of the Technical Director's duties. This involved coordinating activities across lighting, sound, scenic, stage management, props, and costume departments. The Technical Director ensured the alignment of creative visions and operational objectives by …

Happy Horn Business Plan, Joseph Schwarz

Honors Theses

As a current Starting Gate member and entrepreneurship major at WMU, I am always surrounded by business ideas and the thought of building and growing my own business. This is the main reason I have made a business plan for my business idea, the Happy Horn.

The Happy Horn is an add on horn attachment for every type of bike, E-bike, and E-scooter. This horn quickly and easily attaches to the handle bars and features 4 buttons. The first button being a normal horn sound. However, the other three buttons are linked to different tones. These tones are selected and …

Energy-Absorbing Helmet For Safer Football, Aidan Laudeman

Honors Theses

Football-related injuries are a common occurrence and are often detrimental to the player’s health. Force impacts frequently occur at the front, back, and sides of a player’s helmet, resulting in head injuries like concussions. The goal of this project is to reduce recurrent head injuries by designing a solution involving the use of energy-absorbing metallic materials that are inserted into a football helmet. These energy-absorbing materials are configured in target zones inside the helmet to reduce the acceleration of the head based on impact locations. The chosen materials are nitinol and spring steel, which display energy-absorbing properties. Various energy-absorbing material …

Electric Ducted Fan Lander, Maggie Waechter

Honors Theses

This report, and corresponding project, addresses the fact that there are not many student experiments with controlling real spacecrafts due to the scarceness of the craft, cost, risk, and finite fuel supply. This project demonstrates the possibility of a classroom substitute for students to understand how landers would operate on planetary bodies. In order to achieve flight from the drone, there were two separate designs produced, the electrical and structural system, that were integrated together to form a full prototype. The performance of the electric ducted fans (EDFs) as well as the batteries were tested to ensure that the components …

Hydrogen Fuel Cell Catalyst Test Stand For Single Cell Evaluation, Tyler Johnson

Honors Theses

The main objective of this project was to develop at test stand and relevant testing procedures to aid in ongoing research being conducted by Dr. Ghantasala’s team on platinum-alternative catalyst materials used in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). To do this, various software (Microsoft Excel, Python, and Simscape) were used to create fuel cell simulations of increasing complexity. These simulations served as baselines for PEMFC evaluation in experimental testing, and they were used to create polarization curves, a standard method for evaluating steady state fuel cell performance. A test stand was also created in order to effectively and efficiently …

1st Person Ev With Electronic Differential, Tessa Biondo

Honors Theses

The First Person EV with Electronic Differential for Vehicle Dynamics Analysis project makes a significant leap forward in the exploration of electric vehicle (EV) stability and performance enhancement. Lead by a team of skilled electrical engineering students under the guidance of WMU’s associate Professor Dr. Sandun Kuruppu, this project aims to improve EV stability by optimizing power and torque distribution between wheels using an electronic differential system. The project encompasses the design and assembly of a 1/7^th scale custom electric vehicle, capable of remote control via a first-person view (FPV) camera and modified USB wheel and pedal assembly. The …

Fear Of The Other: Judaism And Its Role In The Horror Genre, Wesley Luka

Honors Theses

Horror films reflect the fears of their creators. Some of the first examples of the genre come out of Germany before the Second World War, a time where antisemitism was widespread. Many German filmmakers pre-Nazi Germany used the fear of the other to create movie monsters that are now classics in the horror genre, such as the Golem and Nosferatu. How Jewish representation in horror films has changed since the last century from antisemetic movie monsters to horror movies more respectfully based on Jewish folklore, is an important shift when it comes to the role Jewish representation plays in the …

A Legal Analysis Of The Competition And Antitrust Law Enforcement Reform Act Of 2021, Nicholas Owczarzak

Honors Theses

This legal analysis examines the “Competition and Antitrust Law Enforcement Reform Act of 2021” proposed by Senator Amy Klobuchar, which would amend Section 7 of the Clayton Act to prohibit more anticompetitive mergers and acquisitions. Senator Klobuchar and other antitrust law experts disagree with how courts currently evaluate mergers using the Chicago School of Thought, and Klobuchar sought to strengthen antitrust laws which would change the way mergers are evaluated. This bill mainly aimed to create a lower burden of establishing an anticompetitive merger, from mergers that may “substantially lessen competition” to mergers that may “create an appreciable risk of …

5675 Wiredcats Scouting Hub, Sebastian Smiley

Honors Theses

The WiredCats Scouting Hub was created to provide FIRST team 5675 with an application that allows them to make more informed strategic decisions regarding their competitive play. The app synthesizes data from multiple sources, parsing multiple data formats into a single source of truth. It also presents data to users through graphs and charts and provides interactive tables. The application meets the requirements set forth by the leadership of team 5675, effectively providing the capabilities they seek.

Kalamazoo Nature Center Mobile Application, Jacob Tebben

Honors Theses

This project aimed to address the challenge of enhancing visitor engagement and information dissemination at the Kalamazoo Nature Center (KNC) through the development of an integrated mobile and desktop application system. This initiative arose due to the limitations posed by traditional mobile applications which often become outdated and need to be updated by a dedicated software team. This project was designed for any user of the KNC desktop app to be able to update content on the mobile app, without the need of a dedicated software team.

The mobile application was designed for visitor use, enabling them to access up-to-date …

Design Of Telemetry And Remote-Control System For Electric Propulsion Testing, Logan Alvesteffer

Honors Theses

Ground testing of electric propulsion (EP) devices occurs inside vacuum chambers and is monitored using high-frequency and low-frequency telemetry systems. These systems provide critical operational information about the device’s performance by monitoring values such as voltage, current, gas flow rates, and chamber pressures. Ground facility telemetry systems can operate as integrated control and safety architecture while testing EP devices. EP testing at Western Michigan University (WMU) is located within the Aerospace Laboratory for Plasma Experiments (ALPE). The Cold plasma Experimental Research Station (CEReS) is outfitted with CTI-250F and CTI-10 cryogenic pumps for a combined pumping capacity of 5,200L/s-air. CEReS facilitates …

Chatting With Online Agent, Guoxi Robert Zhang

Honors Theses

This study investigates trust in AI-generated language fluency. Participants engaged with both human and AI-generated content, varying in fluency. Findings were to favor trust in fluent human and AI interactions over disfluent ones. Understanding fluency's impact can inform AI design and encourage critical thinking when dealing with AI-generated content. By using qualitative analysis of think-aloud reports, we examined strategies that people use to assess texts labeled as human-generated and AI-generated content.

The Role Internships Play In Political Science Education, Madaline Lankford

Honors Theses

This project will explore the critical role internships play in undergraduate education, with a particular focus on political science, by examining the history and impact of Western Michigan University’s Capital Internship Program. The study aims to shed light on the diverse experiences of past participants and conduct comprehensive research into the significance of internships in shaping the academic and professional trajectories of countless students. By delving into the stories and reflections of former interns, this research will provide testimonials that underscore the value of experiential learning. These personal accounts will highlight how internships bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge acquired …

A Comparative Study Of Monolingual And Multilingual Employees, Megan Baldry

Honors Theses

This study examined the relationship between linguistic status and work outcomes including organizational citizenship behaviors and affective commitment, as mediated by communication competence, leader-member exchange, and psychological safety. The study examines nine hypotheses about these relationships, attempting to find differences in relationships between the mediators and outcomes among linguistic groups (monolingual, bilingual, and multilingual).

The study does not find support for the hypotheses, finding no difference between linguistic groups in either of the workplace outcomes, nor does it find strong support that communication competence, leader-member exchange, or psychological safety mediate the relationship between linguistic status and either of the workplace …

Evaluation Of Seizure Recognition And First Aid Training Course And Improving Self-Efficacy Related To Medical Emergencies In Mississippi, Anna Katherine Herrington, Collin Earl Wayne Crawson, Daniel Robert Zuckerman

Honors Theses

Within recent years, there has been increased attention to the growing physician shortage across the United States. This shortage has placed substantial strain upon regions of lower healthcare access, particularly those of rural regions such as much of the state of Mississippi. As rural healthcare providers are placed under more strenuous conditions, they encounter issues of increased patient volume, lack of a trauma team, or adequate transportation to higher-level care facilities. These issues may exacerbate the present inequities in cost of living, access to adequate healthcare, and the distress caused by these concerns. Individuals with epilepsy are one cohort with …

The Effects Of Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation On Chronic Dysphagia Following Anterior Cervical Disc Fusion Surgery: A Case Report, Anna Munson

Honors Theses

Background: Current literature is lacking an understanding of the physiological mechanisms underlying dysphagia (impairment in swallowing function) that manifests as the result of anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF). ACDF is a common cervical spinal procedure that, due to its anterior to posterior (front-to-back) approach, risks significant injury to the larynx, which is critical for swallowing food and liquid safely. Furthermore, the general therapeutic approaches available to individuals with dysphagia after ACDF lack specificity of what is being targeted (Ko, et al. 2022). This project is a single subject case report of an individual who underwent ACDF and received neuromuscular …

The Effects Of Therapy Dogs On Students, Chloe Romack

Honors Theses

This thesis explores the effects therapy dogs have on students. It begins with a literature review of 17 articles that involve animal-assisted interventions with students and children. The main topics covered include the definition of a therapy animal and how dogs can influence learning, socialization, emotional well-being, anxiety, and depression. It also discusses how dogs can be used in therapy and special education classrooms as well as the major concerns of dogs in schools. Drawing upon the previous research, a survey was sent to school staff in the Paw Paw Public School District. The participants of this study consisted of …

College Football Success And Its Impact On The Surrounding Community, Local Economy, And Institution Enrollment, Jacob Reynolds

Honors Theses

In the ever-changing field of college football, creating success has always been a top priority for institutions, and if not achieved, it can be detrimental to an athletic department. Success is important to those directly involved in college football, however, not often is it considered how others may be affected by the success or failure of a college football program. The purpose of this research is to determine what impact successful college football programs have on society and those not directly involved in athletics. In determining the purpose, it was important to find what components of society are impacted by …

Effects Of Peer Mentoring On Success And Satisfaction In Undergraduate Nursing Students: A Pilot Study, Rebecca Fraley

Honors Theses

Studying the impact of a mentorship program involving undergraduate nursing students can inform educators of methods to increase student success and decrease attrition in baccalaureate nursing programs. This study aimed to determine if a mentoring session every three weeks between a first semester Bronson School of Nursing (BSON) student and a senior year nursing student increased the confidence and satisfaction of the first semester BSON student. A Student Success Survey (see Appendix A) was filled out at the beginning, middle and conclusion of the mentee students fall semester. The Student Success Survey was also administered to a control group made …