Digital Commons Network^™

Whose Fault Is It Anyways?: An Investigation Into Mississippi Divorce And Contested Custody Laws In Practice, Charles Conner

Honors Theses

When compared to almost any other state in the country, Mississippi is an outlier when it comes to divorce and child custody laws. Mississippi still retains a fault-based system to adjudicate contested divorces and still maintains best interest of the child as the default custody standard in court. These standards make Mississippi an exception nationally, requiring dedicated hearings to assign blame for the collapse of a marriage. This thesis aims to study how this unique system has impacted those going through it by surveying attorneys in the state who practice family law. This thesis will compare experiences both nationwide and …

Charity Pharmacies: An Integrative Overview Of Operations: A Continuing Education Program For Pharmacists, Stella Bertram

Honors Theses

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The goal of this activity is to educate pharmacists about Charity Pharmacies by creating an integrative overview of their purpose, laws and regulations, processes and procedures, eligibility, and opportunities for involvement. This course will ensure pharmacists are competent in the operations involved in volunteering or working within a charitable pharmacy.

Additionally, the information provided supports pharmacists in understanding their roles as well as roles of volunteers. They will understand the importance of their role in the community and the depth of their service within Charity Pharmacies.

Forget-Me-Not: Facilitating Social Vibrancy In Spaces Designed For Alzheimer's Disease, Torilyn Mossner

Honors Theses

The objective of this capstone project is to create a foundation for vibrant community interactions and connections that support those living with Alzheimer’s disease, their loved ones, and the broader members of the community through interior design. This work is relevant because Alzheimer’s disease affects 1 in 9 people over the age of sixty-five worldwide. Without a cure, as people continue to age, there is going to be a constant need for development of care. Additionally, design should go a step further than healthy living and begin to prioritize creating a vibrant life and community integration for those living with …

University Theatre Guild Guide, Maria Perez

Honors Theses

The WMU Theatre Guild Assistant position is one of the primary assistantships in the Arts Administration department. The Theatre Guild Assistant works alongside Emily Duguay, the Director of Arts Administration, Joan Herrington, the Director of the School of Theatre and Dance, and the WMU Theatre Guild Board to manage their daily operations and help develop donor events. The University Theatre Guild Guide explains the details and processes this position follows. This guide is broken down into four sections. The first section is the Introduction. The Introduction includes congratulations from the past Theatre Guild Assistant and a short breakdown of the …

Development Of A Preclinical Model That Can Be Used To Test Novel Therapeutics For The Treatment Of Mild And Moderate Traumatic Brain Injury, Hayden Anderson

Honors Theses

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) occurs when a foreign object induces damage to the skull and brain through a forceful blow or whiplash. It is one of the most frequent injuries in the United States, with approximately 250,000 cases of different levels occurring annually. It is well known that severe TBIs can result in persistent physical, cognitive, and socioeconomic consequences and the timing of treatment following this injury can play a critical role in the ultimate outcome. It would be beneficial to develop a safe therapeutic that could be administered rapidly after impact and improve the recovery of the patient. However, …

Navigating Study Abroad: Improving Western Michigan University Students' Understanding Of University-Approved Provider Programs Through A Website Redesign, Gillian Gold

Honors Theses

Study abroad is a valuable opportunity for students' personal and professional development and is offered in various study abroad models and frameworks, including university-run or externally-run. Western Michigan University offers various options, including Faculty-Led Programs, WMU Exchange Programs, Partner Study Abroad Programs, University-Approved Provider Programs, International Internships, and Independent Study Abroad Opportunities. The University-Approved Provider Programs option at WMU allows students to study abroad through a provider that could more directly meet their interests and goals due to the personalized options available. Despite the benefits of the University-Approved Provider Programs, participation in these programs is low. The information about this …

Anterior Cruciate Ligament (Acl) Injuries In Female Athletes: Implications For Prevention And Rehabilitation, Natalie Amm

Honors Theses

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are among the most common lower limb injuries and pose significant physical, psychological, and long-term functional challenges for athletes. Additionally, research has suggested that females are up to eight times more likely to experience an ACL injury than their male counterparts. This increased risk is multifactorial with risks including anatomical structure, neuromuscular control, strength deficits, and hormonal fluctuations. However, the elevated risk of ACL injuries in female athletes may not solely be caused by biological differences, but also due to training programs and sports being designed around male athletes. This pushes us to change the …

“As Though You Could Never Sink”: Gender Euphoria Through Aquatic Embodiment In The Sun Also Rises, Devan Edwards

Honors Theses

Recent scholarship in disability studies and queer theory (2007-2024) reveals that Jake Barnes's war wound in Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises functions as something more complex than tragic loss. This paper argues that Jake's swimming and fishing scenes constitute moments of gender euphoria, a term borrowed from contemporary transgender studies, enabled specifically by aquatic embodiment. In these scenes, water functions as the physical and symbolic medium through which Jake's war-wounded body transcends the performative demands of 1920s heteronormative masculinity. Building on Michael Anesko's provocative reading of Jake as "accidentally transgendered" (Literature and Medicine, 2015) and Martina Kübler's argument that impotence …

Nazi Germany And Humanities Education As Propaganda, Sam Marie Smith

Honors Theses

One of the Third Reich’s most significant actions in their pursuit of the consolidation of power was the Gleichschaltung, in which all cultural, social, political, and economic goals were subordinated to that of the goals of the Nazi party. One of the most dramatic shifts to take place in the process of Gleichschaltung was in the realm of academia, where legitimate pedagogical and educational imperatives were overshadowed by an emphasis on perpetuating the Nazi regime’s agenda, especially racial ideology, even with the youngest students. While educators in the Third Reich carried this out in all subject areas, this project focuses …

Religion For The Un-Religious: The Nazis’ Use Of Religion Within The Third Reich, Shaun Theewis

Honors Theses

Alfred Rosenberg was born in Revel, Estonia. After moving to Munich in 1918, he became one of the founding members of the Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei [National-Socialist German Workers Party], NSDAP. In 1930, Rosenberg wrote one of his most influential publications, Der Mythus des 20. Jahrhunderts [The Myth of the 20th Century], which challenges the idea of organized religion. In this three part publication, Rosenberg established values based in German ethnonationalism, which would later amalgamate into a new religion based on neopaganist ideals. Nazi-era neopaganism is a religion rooted in blood, using the history of the Germanic and Nordic people to …

Molecular Cloning And Purification Of Recombinant Cutinase Enzymes To Study Enzymatic Degradation Of Aircraft Polymer Coatings, Allison Bair

Honors Theses

Fungal degradation of polymer coatings on military aircraft causes accelerated damage and corrosion and results in expensive repairs to affected aircraft, especially in warm and humid environments. This project aims to identify and characterize the fungal enzymes responsible for degrading these coatings and give us a better understanding of their mechanisms of degradation. The focus is specifically on hydrolytic cutinase enzymes, which are secreted by fungi to degrade plant cutin and similar natural polymers. We hypothesize that these enzymes can also break down synthetic polymers, such as the polyester-based coatings used on aircraft, by catalyzing hydrolysis of their ester bonds. …

The Price Of Democracy: How Federal Tax Receipts Can Enhance Public Awareness, Transparency, And Civic Discourse, Hannah Bordeau

Honors Theses

Each year, the IRS collects roughly $2.18 trillion in income taxes alone, accounting for approximately 48% of the government's total revenue. However, the IRS does not audit individual tax receipts for citizens, preventing them from seeing a visual breakdown of where their money is allocated. To better understand how citizens feel about governmental spending, this project will utilize a mixed-methods approach, incorporating a qualitative case study to explore the developments (or lack thereof) regarding a “tax receipt” and conducting interviews to gain insights into public perception of a tax receipt program. In addition to the interviews, this project will explore …

What Are Gender Differences In Risk Aversion? Examining The Role Of Gender In Final Jeopardy Wagers, Audrey Degregorio

Honors Theses

Previous research has found that women tend to be more risk-averse than men (Charness & Gneezy, 2012). In particular, women are more likely to make decisions that offer greater certainty but lower reward (Bruce & Johnson, 1994). This study examines gender differences in risk-aversion using real behavioral decision-making data from the television show Jeopardy! Data for this study was collected from a fan-made online source, J! Archive (https://j-archive.com/index.php). Using game data from regular season episodes of Jeopardy! from 2024, the association between gender and the proportion of earnings wagered during final jeopardy, and whether it was moderated by whether it …

Extreme Value Theory And Corporate Financial Extremes In Predicting Municipal Decline, Megan Coyne

Honors Theses

Extreme Value Theory (EVT) provides a statistical approach for modeling rare and extreme events such as financial crises that can lead to bankruptcy. Traditional financial models often assume Gaussian distributions and rely heavily on historical trends, making them well suited for modeling typical corporate financial behavior. In contrast, models predicting municipal decline typically rely on urban indicators such as unemployment, housing prices, and population trends rather than corporate financial data. This study seeks to bridge these approaches by investigating whether extreme corporate financial events provide predictive information about municipal economic decline. Detroit, the largest U.S. city to declare bankruptcy, serves …

Ai-Driven Computer Vision For Automated Ripeness Detection In Tomato Plants, Austin Ebbing

Honors Theses

This work presents a computer vision-based approach for automated ripeness detection in tomato plants. The system leverages a YOLOv8 segmentation model trained on a publicly available dataset to detect and isolate individual tomatoes within complex visual environments. While segmentation provides an initial estimate of tomato regions, additional processing is required to remove non-fruit artifacts such as stems and leaves that may interfere with analysis. To address this, an edge-constrained region growing method is used to tighten segmentation masks by removing unwanted structures such as stems and leaves while preserving the underlying fruit. Ripeness is then estimated using a color-based analysis …

Parental Behaviors In Response To Childhood Internalizing And Externalizing Problems, Quinn Ryan Willerton

Honors Theses

Parents and children have been shown to mutually influence parenting behaviors (Burke et al., 2008). Abnormal behaviors in children, namely externalizing and internalizing problems, offer a route of observation that can further demonstrate the bidirectionality of the parent-child relationship. Externalizing problems (i.e. Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or Conduct Disorder) are easier for parents to see because of their overt and outward nature, but they pose more difficult challenges for both parental response and treatment approaches. Internalizing problems (i.e. anxiety or depression) are more emotion-based, making them harder to recognize and diagnose. Our research is observing the presence …

Therapeutic Applications Of Tabletop Role-Playing Games In Treatment Of Depressive And Anxious Symptoms In Young Adults, Dash Degrote

Honors Theses

Tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs) are played by a large population and involve the engagement of social and emotional skills, with the largest portion of the population playing them being adolescents or young adults. The therapeutic application of TTRPGs in the treatment of depressive and anxious symptoms shows potential with this population. In a literature review, three major themes are identified: TTRPG culture, stakeholder perspectives of TTRPGs, and examples of therapeutically-applied TTRPGs. Overall, evidence suggests that TTRPGs can positively impact the concerned symptoms, though more research is needed for games outside of Dungeons & Dragons as well as stakeholder perspectives.

The Importance Of Trauma-Informed Care In The Juvenile Justice System, Kalinowski Lillian

Honors Theses

Trauma is a common experience among justice-involved youth, though its developmental and behavioral impacts are not always fully accounted for within juvenile justice systems. Trauma-informed care has emerged as a promising framework for addressing these challenges, however, limited research has examined how consistently such approaches are implemented in practice. This study explores the implementation and perceived effectiveness of trauma-informed care within the juvenile justice system by drawing on semi-structured interviews with five clinicians who have professional experience working with justice-involved youth in the Midwest. The findings indicate that trauma-informed care is not consistently implemented across institutional settings, with 80% of …

Does Moneyball Still Win Games? A Twenty Year Analysis Of Mlb Success, Kevin Wright

Honors Theses

This thesis evaluates whether the core principles of the Moneyball ideology continue to predict team success in Major League Baseball in the modern analytics era. In the last two decades, the widespread adoption of advanced statistical methods across all franchises has raised the central question of whether the original inefficiencies Moneyball exploited may no longer exist. To address this, this study analyzes twenty years of team‑level data from 2005-2025 (excluding 2020), incorporating seven performance metrics historically or conceptually tied to Moneyball which include OBP, WHIP, FIP, DRS, SB%, clutch, and wins per dollar, alongside demographic controls. Success is measured across …

Real Horror: The Supernatural And Its Connection To Abuse In Late 20th Century Horror, John Sebastian

Honors Theses

Horror authors from the late 20th century explain the turmoil of domestic and childhood abuse through supernatural elements to represent the loss of autonomy of victims. Several horror authors from the late 20th century showcase abuse through the supernatural not to exploit the experiences of victims of abuse but allow for spaces for readers to encounter truly horrifying stories and process them. Works explored include Stephen King’s The Shining and Carrie, as well as Ira Levin’s Rosemary's Baby and William Peter Blatty’s The Exorcist.

Mason Avenue Culvert, Caden Boynton

Honors Theses

This project addressed the replacement of a culvert crossing Wabascon Creek along North Mason Avenue in Battle Creek, Michigan. Following significant flooding caused by snowmelt in 2023, the existing wooden box culvert—originally constructed in the 1960s—sustained damage when inlet wingwalls detached from the structure, requiring temporary repairs. Design alternatives were developed to provide a durable and reliable replacement, incorporating structural, water resources, transportation, and construction engineering considerations. The design process also addressed environmental sustainability requirements, cost-effectiveness and constructability. Final deliverables included engineering calculations, plans and specifications, a cost estimate and a project schedule to support implementation of a resilient long-term …

Ergonomic And Material Flow Improvements For A Medical Device Assembly Line, Matthew Kobus

Honors Theses

This project evaluated material handling inefficiencies and ergonomic concerns within Stryker’s Neptune medical device assembly line. Two primary issues were identified: lack of a standardized part-location system in the supermarket and excessive operator travel between subassembly and main assembly. These issues resulted in search waste, motion waste, lost production time, and increased ergonomic strain.

To address the labeling issue, a standardized bin labeling system was developed and tested. A time study comparing labeled and unlabeled conditions showed that average retrieval time decreased from approximately 120 seconds to 22 seconds, an 81% reduction. Statistical analysis confirmed that this improvement was significant …

Effective Courts Of Last Resort: The Supreme Court’S Limited Docket And The Rise Of The Courts Of Appeals As Final Arbiter On Minors’ First Amendment Rights, Lillian Powers

Honors Theses

This thesis explores how the Supreme Court’s power of selecting its own docket has resulted in fewer cases being addressed annually and its effect on minors’ First Amendment rights. Minors’ First Amendment rights is one of the many niche areas of law that do not receive hearings in front of the Supreme Court. My research shows that the Supreme Court’s neglect of these issues led to Court of Appeals taking on the role of a court of last resort. As precedent from select Supreme Court cases such as Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District (1969), Bethel School District …

Space Degradable Pyrotechnic Fastener, Jonathan Baker

Honors Theses

Space debris has become a critical threat to orbital operations, with over 30,000 tracked objects currently circling Earth. Traditional separation charges used in satellite launches contribute significantly to this problem by generating unpredictable shrapnel that can remain in orbit for decades or centuries. This project proposes the design and development of a spacedegradable explosive bolt that exploits the harsh space environment to accelerate material breakdown after use.

The design utilizes advanced polymer materials selected for their susceptibility to degradation from UV radiation — an environmental factor abundant in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). Our prototype will be engineered to meet industry-standard …

Development Of A Grease Resistant Barrier For Food Industry Applications, Mira Marino

Honors Theses

The objective of this project is to develop a grease-resistant barrier coating for paper-based food packaging and to evaluate the economic feasibility of implementing this coating system at an industrial scale. As demand increases, this project focuses on identifying an optimal pigment and binder combination that enhances barrier performance while maintaining cost-effectiveness. The primary goal was to maximize grease and moisture resistance of coated paper while ensuring the process is economically viable and compatible with existing paper mill operations.

The final plant design consists of one continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) and three centrifugal pumps integrated into an existing paper …

Math In Melody: How Music Strikes A Chord With Memory And Learning, Aidan V. Waters

Honors Theses

As a result of personal curiosity, this thesis seeks to understand the current status of music integration within educational settings, discussing its importance and potential impact. By considering existing literature, it analyzes music’s effectiveness in K-12 education, particularly within the mathematics classroom. Based on the current body of research, the study identifies three key features of music integration: its effectiveness as an energizer, a memory tool, and a means of creating structure within the classroom. Building on these findings, a proposed ten-day, music-integrated Algebra I unit on functions is presented, applying the research in a variety of ways. The unit …

Examination Of The Hiring Process: Bias In Selection, Conor Johanson

Honors Theses

Racial discrimination in the hiring process remains a persistent problem despite decades of anti-discrimination legislation and widespread bias-awareness training. The present study examined whether resume quality and candidate race jointly influence hiring evaluations among human resource professionals, a population with formal training in equitable selection practices. Using a 2 × 2 between-subjects design, 129 HR professionals recruited through Prolific were randomly assigned to evaluate a high- or low-quality resume attributed to either a Black or White candidate. Participant evaluations were assessed across warmth-related and competence-related dimensions derived from the Stereotype Content Model, with Aversive Racism Theory guiding predictions about when …

Causes, Effects, And Solutions Of Wrongful Convictions, Allison B. Gobuzzi

Honors Theses

This study examines the wrongful conviction of Anthony Hinton and other examples that illustrate the causes of wrongful convictions in the United States and the effects that wrongful convictions have on the wrongfully accused and their families. This study uses research from scholarly articles and legal cases to analyze the factors that contribute to wrongful convictions and the impact on the wrongfully accused and their families. The research concludes that wrongful convictions are frequently the result of both evidentiary and procedural issues within the criminal justice system.

Green And Clean: Case Studies Featuring The Shift Toward Healthier Consumption, Mckay Orwig

Honors Theses

This thesis is composed of eight accounting case studies investigating the impact of the “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) movement on corporate operations, and other narratives. Dr. Dickenson assigned and advised the case studies throughout the course of Honors Accountancy 420. During the fall semester, we were assigned several individual case studies that broadened our background knowledge on legislation and the MAHA movement, as well as having the opportunity to hear from professionals from leading firms.  During the spring semester, Dr. Dickenson placed us in groups to research our assigned companies, my group ultimately assigned the international snacking company, Kellanova. …

Evaluating Sand Characteristics And Their Influence On Sea Turtle Nest Incubation Conditions, Thomas Naylor

Honors Theses

The embryonic development of sea turtles is strongly influenced by the environmental factors experienced during incubation within the nest. These environmental factors can influence hatchling sex ratios, body condition, and their success emerging from nests. Adult female sea turtles lay nests across a range of sites throughout the nesting season, resulting in each nest encountering unique abiotic conditions. This study aims to identify how variation in sand characteristics, such as grain size proportions, permeability, and color, influences nest temperature and subsequent hatchling outcomes of Loggerhead Sea Turtles (Caretta caretta) and Green Sea Turtles (Chelonia mydas) from …