Digital Commons Network^™

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 …

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 …

Reading Resistance Into The Transformed Hero: An Excavation Of Race And Gender Identity In The Aeneid And Its Adaptations, Grace Song No

Honors Theses

Mythology pervades numerous areas of our everyday lives whether we recognize it or not, providing material for the language of power that controls our society today. This calls for an interrogation into the racial and gender dynamics of a key classical Roman text, Vergil’s Aeneid, and its utility for alt-right and white supremacist political agenda in the contemporary era. Regardless of how we view classical literature and history and their relevance to our modern day political and social sphere, it is undeniably a dominant figure in conversations about race and gender, especially for alt-right movements of America and Europe who …

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, …

The Tax Cuts And Jobs Act And The Increase Of Stock Buybacks, Ruben Colon

Honors Theses

In 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) decreased the corporate tax rate from thirty-five (35) percent to twenty-one (21) percent. In addition, the TCJA imposed a one-time tax on liquid and fixed assets held off-shore at fifteen-point five (15.5) percent and eight (8) percent, respectively, paid over eight (8) years, by awarding essentially an interest-free loan, creating an incentive for corporations in the United States to repatriate their offshore cash. This research investigates how the TCJA impacted corporate government tax revenue (CGTR), how corporations used the cash gained from the corporate tax rate decrease, whether the decrease in …

Migratory And Non-Migratory Yellow Perch Differ In Locomotor Traits, Wade Poling

Honors Theses

Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens) are widely distributed throughout the Midwest and are popular game fish and table fare. Seasonally, some eastern Lake Michigan Yellow Perch migrate into drowned river mouth lakes. Drowned river mouths are highly productive environments that also hold non-migratory resident Yellow Perch. Migration requires substantial energy expenditure; therefore, we expected migratory Yellow Perch to evolve locomotory traits that optimize energy efficiency for swimming long distances. We expected drowned river mouth lake resident Yellow Perch to evolve locomotory traits that enhance maneuverability, which are beneficial in avoiding predators, capturing prey, and moving through the structurally complex littoral …

Improving Restaurant Customer Service Through Job Aids, Madisyn Slater

Honors Theses

A key concern for restaurants is good customer service as it directly relates to repeated customers and revenue generation. Customer service plays a large role in keeping a business up and running, without appropriate customer-employee interactions, a business may cease to exist. The field of Organizational Behavior Management (OBM) has several empirically-based interventions that may help. One of these interventions, job aids, gives a brief description of what is expected and can be consulted by an employee at any point in time. However, most research uses a package intervention and has not examined the effects of job aids alone. The …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

Dollarization In Latin America, Chloe Wieber

Honors Theses

Dollarization occurs when a country uses the US dollar or other foreign currency alongside or in place of the country’s domestic currency. This research seeks to understand the reasons countries dollarize and analyzes the extent that formal dollarization affects the economic wellbeing of dollarized countries in Latin America. The use of the US dollar is considerable in Latin America with Panama, Ecuador, and El Salvador being formally dollarized, and with Argentina currently considering formally adopting the US dollar. Using difference-in-difference techniques, I analyze the impact of dollarization on economic agents’ perceptions of the economy, on economic growth, and on inflation …

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 …

A Petrological Characterization Of The Iutzi Member Of Lucas Formation, Michigan Basin, Moira Burns

Honors Theses

It is thought that most Phanerozoic dolomites form via the replacement of precursor calcium carbonate [CaCO₃] with dolomite [CaMg(CO₃)₂] through a dissolution-precipitation reaction with a Mg-bearing fluid. Although this may be widely accepted, the timing, conditions, settings, and mechanisms associated with the dolomitization process are still strongly debated, resulting in the proposal of various dolomitization models. The association between evaporite minerals and dolomite in the rock record is common and has led many to propose a model genetically associating evaporative fluids and dolomitization. The evaporative model posits as marine fluids evaporate and become more …

Impact Of Snap On Food Insecurity: A Michigan And Indiana Case Study, Cecelia Chapleau

Honors Theses

Food insecurity is one of the most pervasive and concerning problems in the United States. Approximately 1 in every 13 households within the United States was food insecure at some point during 2022 (Rabbitt et al., 2023) Food insecurity occurs when households have a limited ability to access nutritious foods, there is a limited supply of safe, healthy foods, or they are unable to obtain food in socially acceptable ways (Anderson, 1990). Low food security is associated with adverse health outcomes like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and poor mental health, which contributes to the severity of the problem (Thomas …

Writing 'Boleyn Ballads': Exploring Constraints On Sexuality Within The Henrician Court Through A Historical Graphic Narrative, Kyle Smith

Honors Theses

This article outlines my creative process while writing and illustrating the graphic novel Boleyn Ballads for my undergraduate honors thesis. First, this research delves into the medium of graphic novels and its potential for teaching history to young adult readers. Then, this research shifts to focus on the history the graphic novel depicts, that being the fall of Tudor English Queen Anne Boleyn and her brother George. With Boleyn Ballads, the depiction of the fall of Anne Boleyn aligns itself with historian Greg Walker’s theory on her fall. This research then explains the creative decision behind making George Boleyn …

In The Garden Of Skincare: Exploring The Benefits And Regulations Of Botanical Ingredients, Sara L. Cook

Honors Theses

With the rising consumer demand for more natural skincare products, botanical ingredients have become more prevalent in skincare products. Skincare products with botanical properties are being preferred over those with chemical properties due to their biological origins. However, there are debates as to why botanical products are being used widespread and if they are safe to use. The safety of ingredients within cosmetics is observed by multiple regulatory systems throughout the world. These regulatory systems oversee making sure that each ingredient is extracted and purified before being incorporated into a cosmetic or skincare product. One goal of this project was …

The Diverse Musical Traditions Of Appalachian Folk Music, Brooks M. Kidd

Honors Theses

Appalachian folk music has a rich heritage, although society has the misconception that Appalachian music is uncultured and closed off. To the contrary, the folk music of Appalachia has been directly linked to the music traditions of Ireland, Scotland, England, Africa, Germany, Spain, and Italy. The migration of people from other countries to Appalachia has been attributed to significant historical events such as the signing of the Treaty of Paris and the African Slave Trade. These migrants brought with them their musical traditions, which influenced the music of people living in the Appalachian region. These musical influences come in different …

“You Just Haven’T Found The Right Person Yet.”: A Study Of The Relationship Differences Between Asexual And Allosexual Individuals, Faith M. Conway

Honors Theses

Asexuality is an underreported and scarcely researched group. This study aimed to determine relationship and relationship goal differences between asexual and allosexual individuals. Using 134 responses to a Qualtrics survey, the current research found only one self-identified asexual individual and five total Asexuality Identification Scale identified individuals. Results showed little difference between Allosexual and Asexual relationships and relationship goals. There was a significant difference between the realization of an identity different from heterosexual and the self-claiming of an identity name.

Breaking The Stigma: Integrating Psychology And Therapy Approaches In Modern-Day Video Games For Mental Health And Well-Being, Sabrina A. Thompson

Honors Theses

This review presents a comprehensive exploration of the positive psychological effects of video games, challenging prevalent negative stereotypes. It explains how video games contribute to the cognitive enhancement of problem-solving abilities and improve working memory. Moreover, the emergence of Video Game Therapy is discussed, highlighting its potential as an extension of traditional therapy by providing a virtual platform for individuals to confront and manage complex emotions in a controlled setting. Additionally, video games are shown to enhance well-being by fostering self-determination, empathy, social interaction, and stress relief. Notably, beloved titles like The Legend of Zelda are cited as prime examples …

The Gendered Room And The Lock On The Door: Women Writers And The Patriarchy In Virginia Woolf’S A Room Of One's Own, Lauren Kelley

Honors Theses

This thesis analyzes the life of Virginia Woolf and her foundational feminist text, A Room of One’s Own (AROO) to understand women’s need for control in their journey to become Authors through Woolf’s requirements of “500 a year and a room with a lock on the door.” It discusses the significance of becoming a capital A Author and how authorship impacted women’s lives in the eighteenth, nineteenth, and even twentieth centuries. Through a summary of Woolf’s historicizing of women writers’ struggles this thesis investigates the impact these struggles had on how women wrote—often resulting in anger and anonymous authorship. Through …

Drip Water Chemistry Response To Human Activities At Diamond Caverns In Park City, Kentucky, Madison R. High

Honors Theses

This research aims to give insight into factors contributing to seasonal variation of karst cave drip water hydrochemistry relative to surface condition. The study area is a small show cave, Diamond Caverns, located just outside the boundary of Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky. Various water chemistry parameters, such as chloride, pH, and temperature were monitored. A YSI EXO2 was deployed to measure the aforementioned parameters at one-hour intervals in a drip water pool starting in November 2023. To discern significant changes in solute concentrations, daily averages were calculated based on the hourly data. Daily averages were then compared to …

Hab Cyanobacteria In Northeastern Sc Retention Ponds: Time Trends In Abundance And Relationship To Water Quality, Kathryn I. Hanson

Honors Theses

The accumulation of polluted runoff in retention ponds can create water quality conditions that favor development of harmful algal blooms, including toxin-producing cyanobacteria. This can present a health risk to pedestrians and nearby residents, as many such ponds are surrounded by walkways or housing complexes. Blooms can also cause harm to natural ecosystems, periodically causing hypoxic conditions and toxin buildups. This study aims to form a more complete understanding of the population dynamics of certain potentially harmful phytoplankton genera, in relation to water quality parameters in retention ponds. Sampling was performed in five ponds chosen to reflect a variety of …

Validation Of A Passive Sampler For Tracking Harmful Algal Toxins In Natural Waters, Hailee Eiker

Honors Theses

Algal blooms that produce toxins that are harmful to the health of people, animals, and the environment are known as harmful algal blooms (HABs). Recently, rising global temperatures, nutrient pollution, and an increase in the frequency of extreme hydrologic events have made HABs a bigger problem. This has all led to greater cultural eutrophication which is a major contributor to the spread of HABs. Cyanobacteria make up the bulk of HABs in freshwater systems, microcystins being among the cyanotoxins that are most frequently reported and studied. Taking grab samples of water is the current standard procedure for sampling cyanotoxins, however, …

Dispelling Delusion And Seeing Nature: A Comparative Analysis Of Lucretius’ _De Rerum Natura_ And Hui-Neng’S _Platform Sutra_, Isaac Raymond

Honors Theses

Lucretius’ De Rerum Natura and Hui-neng’s Platform Sutra have never been compared in a scholarly context; as such, this paper builds a new bridge between Western and Eastern philosophical literature, examining language, narrative, ethics, teleology, theology, and departures from orthodox philosophies in order to synthesize a clear and complete view of the two works in dialogue. De Rerum Natura, or On the Nature of Things, is a first-century BC epic poem composed in Latin by Titus Lucretius Carus which explains Epicurean philosophy in great detail through verse. The Platform Sutra is an eighth-century AD Chinese Zen (Ch’an) Buddhist sermon, …

Effect Of Downregulating Lactate Dehydrogenase In Alzheimer’S Disease Using A Drosophila Model, Hannah Higgins

Honors Theses

According to the CDC, approximately 5.8 million Americans suffered from Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in 2020. AD is characterized by progressive memory loss and typically develops after the age of 60. There are many studies that suggest different causes of Alzheimer’s such as oxidative damage, amyloid plaque buildup, and metabolic dysfunction. Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH) is an enzyme that is found in many tissues within the body and functions within cellular metabolism. The enzyme catalyzes the reversible reaction that converts lactate to pyruvate coupled with the reduction of NAD+ to NADH. Pyruvate is then used in the Krebs cycle to create ATP. …

Determining The Lightcurves And Rotational Periods Of Four Main Belt Asteroids, Kaitlyn Kalisek

Honors Theses

This research found lightcurves and rotational periods of four main belt asteroids, 2854 Rawson, 5142 Okutama, (14362) 1988 MH, and 28248 Barthelemy. The A&M-Commerce observatory 0.7 meter telescope equipped with a CCD camera was used to collect multiple nights of data for each asteroid which was then analyzed to determine the asteroid’s lightcurve, rotational period, and create a possible 3D model. The rotational periods were found to be 4.775 ± 0.001 h for 2854 Rawson, 3.803 ± 0.001 h for 5142 Okutama, 3.645 ± 0.001 h for (14362) 1988 MH, and 3.128 ± 0.002 h for 28248 Barthelemy.