Digital Commons Network^™

Potential Arm Preference Within Starfish Species Including Asterias Vulgaris And Luidia Clathrata: A Study And Summary, Rebecca Jones, Young Robert

Honors Theses

Foraging arm preference was tested in two species of starfish: Asterias vulgaris and Luidia clathrata. No evidence was found for a species-wide preference or for a preference by individual sea stars, but trials were impacted by illness and resulting low sample size.

The Effectiveness Of Diversity & Inclusion Programs Within The Workplace, Madelynne F. Rodriguez

Honors Theses

The importance of diversity and inclusion programs within the workplace has long been a controversial topic, hindered in part by the lack of quantitative evidence to prove its effectiveness and an overall lack of understanding. Corporate America has been dedicated to only meeting compliance standards and has continually turned a blind eye at the potential positive impact a properly implemented diversity and inclusion program can bring to the table. Unawareness of the true meaning of diversity, and what an inclusive work environment looks like, is also a main contributing factor. Properly implemented diversity and inclusion programs can elevate a business’ …

A Comparative Study Of Esl Children's Improvement In Reading, Writing, Listening, And Speaking Using The Grapeseed Program, Morgan Mainess

Honors Theses

GrapeSEED is a program currently administered in the Berrien Springs Public School System that is specifically designed to improve literacy (reading and writing), listening, and speaking skills for English as a Second Language (ESL) chi ldren. This study analyzed whether the GrapeSEED program would significantly improve participants' development when compared to their pre-tests. Empirical observational data was additionally collected at Mars Elementary during the 2018-2019 academic year. A statistical analysis indicated significant advancement in listening and literacy with increased improvement for younger participants in the GrapeSEED program.

Purpose

This study aimed to determine the improvement in participant's development in the …

Using Components Of American Sign Language To Better The Quality Of Life And Communication Access Of Elderly Persons In Assisted Living, Josie Arnett

Honors Theses

One of the most common conditions that affects people as they get older is presbycusis, the gradual loss of hearing (“Age-Related Hearing Loss”). Because of this, components of American Sign Language (ASL) were taught to elderly persons at Stillwater Senior Living assisted living facility in Edwardsville, IL with the purpose of improving access to communication. Helpful words to know in assisted living such as “want, food, hurt, and better” were taught. In addition, students were taught to feel comfortable with gestures such as pointing or thumbs up as a way to communicate. After learning how to sign certain words, students …

A Female's Profession: Gender Disparity In Occupational Therapy, Jodi Collins

Honors Theses

Occupational therapy celebrated it’s one hundredth anniversary in becoming an established therapy in 2017. The history between 1917 and 2017 is rich with stories of origin, adaptation, and assimilation. The initial need of occupational therapy was to assist in rehabilitation efforts of soldiers assigned to combat in World War I, yet as history has unraveled, the need for the therapy has manifested and is now used on individuals of all ages and walks of life. Upon the initial creation of the therapy, females made up the entire field of then termed “reconstruction aides” due to the high number of males …

Mosquito-Borne Illnesses And Their Disproportionate Impact On Variant Infrastructures: A Gis Map Comparison Of Three Regions., Jenna N. Price

Honors Theses

Mosquitoes are the deadliest animals on earth and they spread diseases through their bites. Chikungunya, Dengue, Malaria, Yellow Fever, West Nile Virus, and Zika are six diseases of concern that are transmitted by mosquitoes. This honors thesis will attempt to provide relevant information and a critical analysis of current literature. Disease descriptions of the aforementioned illnesses and country evaluations for Niger, South Sudan, and the United States of America are included for comparison and evaluation. A Geographic Information System was used to create several maps comparing the three regions of the earth specified. The models are used to show country …

Childhood Anxiety Disorders: A Look Into Selective Mutism, Katelyn R. Campbell Ms.

Honors Theses

More than likely, a child will encounter a medical or educational professional to help them throughout their educational career sometime in their lives. Speech-language pathologists regularly see students from general education classrooms to special education classrooms. However, some disorders require multiple professionals to work as a team to ensure the child is functioning appropriately for his/her age. Selective mutism is a childhood anxiety disorder that causes such anxiety to the point where the child is unable to speak. Due to this being a frequent misdiagnosed disorder, a team of professionals is required to treat it. For this study, graduate students …

Funding The Field: A Literature Review Of The Kentucky Agrability Program’S Financial Need To Assist Agricultural Workers Across The Commonwealth, Leah D. Goodman

Honors Theses

This thesis combines the disciplines of occupational science, occupational therapy, and agriculture in order to outline a need for additional financial funding for the Kentucky AgrAbility Program. The Program has made a phenomenal impact on the lives of many individuals who have suffered from farm-related injuries; however, the scope and quality of its services are limited due to constricted access to funds. Through examining and exploring literature available on the topic, a need and argument for additional funding is constructed. Current partnerships are explored and methods of improvement, including an employee training course, are proposed. A new partnership with the …

Humanitarian Aid In Haiti: Friend Or Foe?, Samantha L. Tamplin

Honors Theses

Humanitarian aid to Haiti has both positive and negative effects on a country that is already in a state of turmoil. Considering the aspects of education, economics, and the political climate in Haiti, and after conducting both academic research and primary source interviews from those affected firsthand by these issues, I concluded that outside aid and volunteerism to Haiti, and other third-world countries like it, is ultimately ineffective. Donations coming into Haiti are doing more harm than good because the amount of goods being gathered and shipped to Haiti combined with the instability and corruption of the government in that …

Refugee Camp Education: Hope, Gaps, And Barriers, Allyson Dykstra

Honors Theses

The urgency to provide humane living conditions such as food, shelter, safety and education grows with the refugee population as temporary stays become more permanent. Refugees are staying longer in emergency arrangements, which appears to affect mental health, ability to hope, and sustainable coping mechanisms for these populations. With dissatisfactory conditions in camps, this paper intends to explore how refugees cope with their environment and in what ways needs are not being met, in order to explain the present condition of refugee health, their coping mechanisms, and how to combat it.

Childhood Trauma And Early Adult Engagement In Deviant Behavior: A Measure Of Experiential Avoidance And Impulsivity Association, Angelene Green

Honors Theses

Childhood trauma (CT) has been associated with early adult behavioral deviance (BD), as maintained by previous research. The current study examined experiential avoidance (EA) and impulsivity (IMP) as mechanisms through which childhood trauma and resulting behavioral deviance are related. Participants for the study included 588 students of Western Michigan University, comprised of both males and females. The participants ranged between the ages of 18 and 35. For data collection, participants completed an online survey through an online platform. Participants were directed to select responses in accordance with the variables of interest. For the purpose of identity preservation, the survey responses …

Food Insecurity On Wmu’S Campus: Student Satisfaction Of The Invisible Need Project, Ava Daly

Honors Theses

Previous research suggests that food insecurity is higher among college students and individuals from minority populations than the general population. Many college campuses have recognized this issue and developed on-campus food pantries to mitigate food insecurity among students. Nevertheless, barriers exist that prevent students from utilizing on-campus pantries. The purpose of this study was to investigate college students’ relationship to food and food access at Western Michigan University (WMU). Student satisfaction of WMU’s on-campus food pantry, The Invisible Need Project, was also explored. Data were gathered through a 28-question online survey and one in-person focus group. Participants were undergraduate and …

Air Quality And Environmental Justice: An Analysis Of County-Level Data In The United States, Alyssa Tittle

Honors Theses

This paper analyzes the relationship between air pollution and poverty and race/ethnicity at the county level in the United States. Using air pollution data from the Environmental Protection Agency and population characteristics data from the Census Bureau to model relationships in RStudio, results show that race/ethnicity, population, and median value of owner-occupied housing units are the most statistically significant variables associated with air quality.

Rain Gardens: The Return Of Ecosystem Services, Katie Dehaan

Honors Theses

In the modern world impervious surfaces, especially in urban areas, abound. These include roads, highways, sidewalks, parking lots, and roofs that have replaced permeable surfaces, mainly open land, forests, and wetlands. Rainwater runs off of these surfaces collecting pollutants on its way to permeable areas. Rain gardens collect and process rainwater. Native plants with deep root systems process large volumes of rainwater and the microorganisms living in the soils and roots can process pollutants. The purpose of my research was to find out what variables affect species presence or absence in rain gardens. Species presence or absence at the time …

Methodology Of Topology Optimization, Naziha Khandoker

Honors Theses

The need for lighter products is becoming increasingly essential as it cuts material cost and significant amount of weight, which is a key factor in the automotive and aerospace industries. Topology optimization allows us to achieve that by applying the concept to different structures with the goal of optimal distribution of material within finite volume design domain. Its algorithms selectively remove and relocate elements to achieve the optimum performance. This project performs a study on the effect of each design parameter over mechanical performance using Finite Element Analysis and applies it to set of wing attachment brackets. The optimized brackets …

Relations Between Self-Regulation, Divergent Thinking, And Perceived Stress In Emerging Adults, Haven Wright

Honors Theses

This study investigated the relationships between self-regulation and stress, self-regulation and creativity, and perceived stress as a mediator for the relationship between self-regulation and creativity. Questionnaires were administered to undergraduate students to individually access each construct. Creativity was measured through divergent thinking and self-regulation was measured through the SRS and effortful control. Regression analyses were run to determine the relationships between the constructs. A negative association was found between effortful control and stress. Individual positive relationships were found between effortful control and all of the creative thinking styles except convergent-unpleasant. Lastly, the indirect effect of effortful control on the convergent-unpleasant …

Assessing Prevalence Of Eating Disorders Among College Students, Taylor Jordan Duncan

Honors Theses

Eating disorders have become a subject of concern for college-aged young adults in recent years. Risk factors like social media use are contributing to an increase in affected students, and research suggests that gender along with other variables plays a significant role. This thesis examined the current research on eating disorders and risk factors associated with their development. Through an online survey, information from freshman, sophomore, junior, senior, and graduate students at The University of Southern Mississippi regarding their current eating behaviors, feelings toward food and body, and demographic information was collected. Data collected indicated the student population’s level of …

In For A Shock?: Discretion And Disparity In Program Assignment, Brianna Mathis

Honors Theses

Due to the massive prison population in America, correctional agencies are considering alternatives to standard incarceration. These programs are designed to redirect individuals from serving a prison sentence, and are instead assigned to a program specifically targeted at reducing offenders’ likelihood at recidivating. Typically, the main focus of these programs centers on education, job training, and various types of counseling. The Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC) has implemented two programs that aim at reducing recidivism: the first was the Regimented Inmate Discipline Program (RID), which was later replaced with the Recidivism Reduction Program (RRP). While both programs were intended to …

Exploring Self-Determination And Recreational Sports Participation For Adolescents With Disabilities, Samantha K. Papp

Honors Theses

Self-determination is a vital skill for individuals with disabilities and provides significant benefits, such as more positive adult outcomes and greater quality of life. Recreational sports participation is another fundamental aspect of life for individuals with disabilities, as it leads to increased physical activity, enhanced self-esteem, and improved peer acceptance. Despite the well-researched benefits of both self-determination skills and recreational sports participation, a literature review revealed few studies that examined the relationship between self-determination and recreational sports participation for individuals, particularly adolescents, with disabilities. This mixed methods study was designed to fill this void, using questionnaires, interviews, and observations to …

Towards The Synthesis Of An Artificial Fluorescent Siderophore, Ashley Burns

Honors Theses

Siderophores are molecules capable of binding ferric ions with high affinity (Ka = 1052). This thesis outlines our attempts to synthesize an artificial siderophore, which incorporates a signaling group to help monitor the uptake of ferric ions. The artificial siderophore is a tripodal molecular receptor synthesized in a five-step procedure with a proposed final sixth step. Rhodamine 6G azide (95.0% yield) was formed from rhodamine 6G and the synthesis of 2-azidoethanamine was modified from the literature. The tripodal arm portion of the sensor was successfully synthesized by protecting the catechol of 2,3-dihydroxybenzaldehyde to form 3-formyl-1,2-phenylene dimethanesulfonate (98.8% yield). The reduction …

An Analysis Of The Effects Between Prison Documentaries And Popularity Among Viewers, Dominique Malone

Honors Theses

This research examines the themes between a variety of prison documentaries and the subsequent viewership. In recent years, documentaries depicting prison life have risen in popularity due to a number of factors such as violence, drama, hysteria, and an overall sense of fascination (Cecil, 2009). This popularity may have impacted views on the current criminal justice system considering most people never have contact with the criminal justice system in their lifetimes (Cecil, 2009). Therefore, these documentaries may serve as one of the only bases for information that they may have about the system (Cecil, 2009). Because prison documentaries are fulfilling …

Country Roads, Take Me Away: Coal Mining And Migration In West Virginia, 1971-2010, James J. Slaughter

Honors Theses

West Virginia’s population peaked in 1950. Parallel to this, employment in the coal mining industry peaked in 1948. Popular discourse links these two trends together. It is suggested that the decline of the coal mining industry, which was previously a stable source of employment, has led West Virginians to leave the state searching for better job opportunities elsewhere. This thesis uses first-difference regression models to analyze the relationship between lagged year-to-year changes in coal-mining employment and year-to-year changes in net-migration to and from West Virginia. A positive and statistically significant relationship is found between 1-year lagged changes in coal mining …

El Hip-Hop Cubano: An Agent Of Social And Political Change In Cuba?, Margaree Jackson

Honors Theses

Cuba experienced two distinct periods during which Afro-Cubans encountered various constraints and opportunities. During the Revolutionary Period, the Cuban government outlawed all forms of discrimination and created many opportunities for Afro-Cubans to participate in society. However, these new opportunities came with the price of outlawing discussion of racial discrimination and political and social organization along racial lines. Afro-Cubans who still experienced racial inequality faced the threat of political imprisonment if they spoke out against discrimination. In contrast, during the Special Period, Cuban experienced a devastating economic collapse in 1991. Government policies created in response to the collapse removed many of …

Generational Marketing: An Imc Approach To Increase Non-Profit Awareness And Giving In North Mississippi Status:, Anna Kate Joyce

Honors Theses

The number of Americans giving and advocating for non-profits has decreased from 2012 to 2019. While the amount of dollars donated has increased, money is coming from significantly fewer sources. Giving and awareness advocacy for non-profit organizations differ among generations. Non-profits are having to market to multiple generations in different ways to gain advocacy and support for their organizations. The historical, cultural, economic, and social experiences of people’s lifetimes shape the way individuals perceive the world and their place in it. Each American generation has different traits and characteristics that makes it unique, and non-profit organizations can target each generation …

United States Suicide Analysis: 1999-2016, Malynn Clark

Honors Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to create information visualizations surrounding suicide trends from 1999-2016 in the United States. The original data was obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Compressed Mortality Database. This database permits users to download several fields of information regarding deaths for the years given. Using this information, many graphs below show trends and patterns for suicide. One notable trend includes the higher proportion of male to female suicides for all categories explored including: age group, race, and metro/nonmetro status. The goal is to bring awareness and understanding surrounding the suicide epidemic in the …

Monkey Mind: Everyday Observations Of Mental Illness, Mikhayla Dunaj

Honors Theses

When I first was able to identify that I dealt with anxiety, I was 18 years old. At the time, I didn’t know how to explain it, and assumed it was only because I was in an unhealthy relationship, after already having been in an abusive one. At the end of my third year at Western Michigan University, I suffered a mental breakdown and started counseling.

The process of counseling was difficult, because as I opened up more, I realized that I had spent a majority of my life stuffing down things that were actually anxiety symptoms, assuming that it …

Instructional Focus And Task Load In Performance Of A Fine Motor Skill, Adam Linden

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Syrup Process Optimization, Anelis Susana Chiluisa Calvache

Honors Theses

The purpose of this project involves the optimization of a marshmallow syrup process, sponsored by the owners of the line, the Kellogg Company was the sponsor. This report shows the work that was done for the period of three months, and covers the objective of the project, as well as the problem statement. The Kellogg Company currently produces a Syrup as an ingredient in the production of several cereal bars. The process is divided in four sections: Gelling Mix Tank, Syrup Mix Tank, Syrup Cool Tank and Syrup Use Tank. The entire process itself takes around 80 to 120 minutes …

"For I Was A Stranger And You Welcomed Me In": Explaining White Evangelical Attitudes Toward Immigrants And Refugees, Joy Girgis

Honors Theses

White evangelical Christians in the United States are a population that plays a vital role in political influence. Data supports the assertion that a significant number of white evangelicals in America harbor negative attitudes toward immigrants, refugees, or the perceived “other.” A contradiction then arises between the political attitudes of white evangelicals toward migrant groups and the main tenants of the faith that evangelicals so firmly proclaim, such as compassion, justice, and love. This thesis will specifically seek to answer the question what explains white evangelical attitudes toward immigrants and refugees? This research utilizes a cross tab analysis consisting of …

“Can I Be Something More Than The Worst Thing I Had Ever Done?”: The Difficulties Of Reentry After Incarceration In Kentucky, Larissa Dm Heslop

Honors Theses

This thesis focuses on the difficulties that people face upon reentry after incarceration in Kentucky. An ethnographic background was used to understand the current situation of incarceration and reentry in Kentucky. Mass incarceration, Kentucky incarcerated population demographics, high costs of incarceration, and Kentucky politics on incarceration are covered in the ethnographic background. A literature review was used to give context to difficulties that people face such as clothing, disenfranchisement, education, employment, family relations and social support, housing, transportation and basic needs, mental health, religion, and stigma. Ethnographic research methods, which consisted of semi-structured interviews and participant observation, were used to …