Digital Commons Network^™

Studying More, Not Less: Rethinking Test Anxiety In Undergraduate Biology Courses, Kailey E. Reeves

Honors Theses

This study investigates the relationships among test anxiety, study behaviors, and metacognitive evaluation in undergraduate biology courses. While prior research has established that study strategies and metacognition influence academic performance, less is known about how these factors interact with test anxiety in undergraduate Biology courses. Guided by the student approaches to learning (SAL) and metacognition frameworks, this study examines whether test anxiety is associated with the type and number of study strategies students use, as well as their ability to evaluate their own learning and preparedness. Using a convergent parallel mixed-methods design, data was collected from 205 students enrolled in …

Learning Through Play: The Effects Of Play-Based Instruction On Literacy Development, Jherica Goodgame

Honors Theses

This thesis explores the role of play-based learning in early literacy development, emphasizing its impact on student engagement, executive functioning, and overall academic success. Drawing from research and personal experience, it argues that play is not separate from learning but a critical component of it. This thesis also highlights the benefits of play for diverse learners and examines the challenges teachers face in implementing play-based instruction. It provides numerous examples of play-based instruction practiced in a real classroom setting with 17 students who are varying from early kindergarten to late kindergarten levels. This thesis seeks to demonstrate the importance of …

The Design And Optimization Of A Styrene Production Plant, Kaylee Hardenstein, Amanda Anderson

Honors Theses

This thesis presents the design and economic optimization of a Styrene Production Plant targeting a capacity of 100,000 tonnes/yr at a product purity of 99.8 wt%. The process relies on the dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene in a packed-bed reactor system. Downstream separation is achieved through a series of cooling, phase separation, and distillation operations to recover styrene while recycling unreacted ethylbenzene and recovering valuable byproducts.

A base case design was developed and evaluated using a process simulation software, Aspen Plus V14, and an economic analysis. Sensitivity analysis identified the styrene market price and ethylbenzene raw material cost as the dominant factors …

Effects Of Increased Salinity On Mississippi Coast Bacterial Community Composition And Diversity, Clifton C. Wade

Honors Theses

Bacterial communities are important to ecosystem function in coastal environments, but the response of these communities to short term increased salinity conditions is understudied. This study utilized a microcosm setup to investigate the response of coastal seawater bacterial communities to three treatments: an unamended seawater control, a reference treatment that received reverse osmosis (RO) water, and an elevated salinity treatment that received artificial seawater dissolved in RO water. Microcosms were sampled four times over a five-day period to analyze the effects of time under different salinity conditions on the seawater bacterial community. 16S rRNA gene sequencing was used to analyze …

Nutrilog: Design And Development Of A Full-Stack Web Application For Holistic Health Tracking, Jaromir J. Saloni

Honors Theses

NutriLog is a web-based fitness and nutrition tracking application designed to help users record, organize, and interpret personal health data in one centralized platform. Many existing applications focus primarily on either nutrition tracking or exercise performance, which can make it difficult for users to understand how food intake and physical activity interact. NutriLog addresses this gap by combining food logging, exercise logging, calorie adjustment, nutrition summaries, and historical tracking into a single dashboard-based interface.

The application was developed using React and TypeScript for the frontend and Supabase for authentication, database storage, and user-specific data management. Nutrition data is supported through …

Mending The Research-Practice Gap In Psychology: Using Role-Play, Self-Reflection, And Ai Feedback To Enhance Unified Protocol Skill Development, Farryn A. Pauly

Honors Theses

This study explores ways to bridge the research-practice gap in psychology by examining how role-play, structured self-reflections, and AI-generated feedback support the development of Unified Protocol (UP) clinical skills. Using a single-subject design, the researcher simulated therapy sessions with a volunteer acting as the patient, implementing UP modules in sequence, while collecting both quantitative and qualitative data. Each session included preparation using the UP, role-play, and pre- and post-session reflection. Performance was evaluated using Lyssn, an AI-based platform that generated Cognitive Therapy Rating Scale (CTRS; Young & Beck, 1980) scores and detailed feedback on CBT techniques. This was interpreted and …

Expanding Expanded Access: A Case Of Onc201 And The Ethical Limitations Of Compassionate Use, Ava C. Hutchings

Honors Theses

This study examines the ethical and structural limitations of the Expanded Access program in the United States, with particular focus on its application to terminal pediatric illness. Although the program is intended to provide patients with life-threatening conditions access to investigational therapies outside of clinical trials, its effectiveness in serving critically ill children remains uncertain. This program is analyzed through careful consideration of regulatory review and ethical theory. Key policies governing Expanded Access are examined alongside scholarly discussions of pediatric autonomy and parental authority.

A case study of ONC201, a now-approved investigational drug, is used to illustrate how Expanded Access …

Bax Activation Through The N-Terminal Bh3-Like Domains Of Vdac1 And Vdac2, Autumn A. Peters

Honors Theses

Voltage-dependent anion channels (VDACs) are central to mitochondrial function by mediating metabolite diffusion across the mitochondrial outer membrane (MOM). Two isoforms­­­­­­­­­­­,­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ VDACs 1 and 2, are also implicated in apoptosis based on interactions with Bcl-2 family proteins that control this process, including Bax and Bcl-xL. Activation of the pro-apoptotic protein Bax by interaction with ‘BH3-only’ proteins, such as Bim or Bid, induces MOM permeabilization to signal apoptosis, yet accumulating evidence indicates VDACs 1 and 2 may also affect Bax. We discovered that the VDAC N-terminal domains contain high sequence similarity to the conserved BH3 domains within Bcl-2 family members that …

Hydrogeochemistry Of Natural Acid Rock Drainage In The Tobacco Root Mountains Of Southwest Montana And Implications For Restoration, Josie Grigsby

Honors Theses

This study investigates the hydrogeochemistry of the East Fork of the South Boulder River (EFSBR) in the northern Tobacco Root Mountains, Madison County, Montana. The upper 5 km of the main stem of the EFSBR is acidic (pH < 5.5), and dissolved concentrations of several trace metals including Al, Cd, Cu, and Zn exceed chronic aquatic life standards by 2-3 orders of magnitude. Unsurprisingly, the EFSBR appears to be devoid of trout. Since no mining has taken place at the source areas of the acidic headwater streams, this phenomenon is referred to as Natural Acid Rock Drainage (NARD). High mountains (up to 10,500’) bounding the EFSBR valley harbor a number of potential small rock glaciers and other periglacial features that appear to influence the hydrogeology and chemistry of the watershed. The steady flow of cold water in the hot summer months, during the same time period that neighboring drainages are drying up, is hypothesized to be sourced from melting ground ice high in the headwater catchment. Additionally, rock glaciers can act as efficient chemical reactors where they exist in conjunction with acid-generating mineralized bedrock, affecting the severity of acidic drainage and associated metal concentrations. Neutralization of the acidic water by alkaline tributaries results in the precipitation of aluminum hydroxysulfate (basaluminite), which covers the streambed with a vivid white mineral coating and can act as a natural sink through adsorption of other toxic metals to its surface. Pristine catchments exhibiting NARD can provide water quality data and serve as reference sites for restoration projects at sites experiencing Acid Mine Drainage where historical data does not exist. As climate change continues to alter the natural environment, especially in polar and high elevation regions, severity and instances of NARD are predicted to continue to increase on a global scale. A deeper understanding of the processes driving NARD from studies focused on areas such as the EFSBR will provide guidance for protecting vulnerable aquatic ecosystems and managing water resources in mountain communities into the future, as well as insights into necessary changes to established remediation methods in watersheds experiencing acid mine drainage.

Determining The Relatedness Of Simian Varicella Virus Strains Using Polymerase Chain Reactions And Delta Herpesvirus-Dervied Primers, Ellyn M. Waits

Honors Theses

This study examines genetic variation among strains of Simian Varicella Virus (SVV) using genomic analysis. The primary goal of this experiment was to observe potential genomic differences among the Liverpool vervet virus (LVV), the Tsukuba herpesvirus, and the Delta herpesvirus (DHV) strains using primer sets developed from the fully sequenced DHV strain. SVV strains were initially cultivated in Vero cell cultures to begin viral propagation. Viral proliferation in these cell cultures enables DNA isolation via standard purification methods. The extracted viral DNA is subjected to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification targeting specific regions of open reading frames (ORFs) in the …

Brachial Macroparasite Loads In Estuarine Young-Of-Year Striped Mullet (Mugil Cephalus), Triston Rice

Honors Theses

Climate change is a growing threat to marine habitats globally. One ecological impact that warming water temperatures poses is the increased metabolic rate of many parasite species. Their promoted reproductive and feeding rates could pose a threat to the stability of many host populations. Parasites of the gills, or brachial parasites, are especially concerning to fish populations globally. As parasitism is not limited to a specific taxon and comprises a large diversity of ecomorphs and behaviors, geographically distinct areas may be differentially affected by the changing prevalence of parasites. This study aimed to survey current brachial parasite abundance and prevalence …

Belonging, Participation, And Student Success: Evaluating The Academic Impact Of The Biology Mentor Program At The University Of Mississippi, Cole B. Davidson

Honors Theses

This thesis examines whether students’ sense of belonging within the biology department and their participation in the University of Mississippi Biology Mentor Program are associated with success in introductory biology. The project used de-identified departmental survey data and program records collected across multiple semesters in the broader archive from fall 2020 through spring 2025. For the final analyses, course outcome records, mentor attendance records, and survey based belonging records were merged by student code and semester. After removing nonbinary outcome labels and retaining cases with usable belonging data, the analytic sample included 4,299 student-semester records. The primary outcome was a …

The Associations Between Problematic Social Media Use, Social Media Appearance Preoccupation, And Sleep Quality Among Emerging Adults, Lily Gisclair

Honors Theses

Emerging adulthood is a critical developmental window in which significant transitions increase vulnerability to mental health challenges. Additionally, emerging adults are spending large amounts of time on social media sites. Recent literature suggests that problematic social media use and social media appearance preoccupation could all play a role in increased anxiety, depression, and poorer sleep outcomes in young people. However, to our knowledge, few studies have directly examined the associations among all of these variables specifically in the emerging adult population. The current study was designed to examine these associations among 178 emerging adults between the ages of 18 and …

Functionalized Nanodiamonds As Binding Platforms For Single-Stranded Dna, Mallory A. Chapman

Honors Theses

Nanodiamonds (NDs) offer a promising platform for biomolecular applications due to their stability, biocompatibility, and three-dimensional structure. This study focused on developing a nanodiamond–DNA complex in which streptavidin-functionalized NDs would form a protective shell around biotinylated single-stranded DNA (ssDNA), creating a core–shell system like an “M&M” candy with DNA at the center and a protective coating on the outside. DNA has many uses in nanotechnology, including DNA origami, nanomachines, and drug delivery systems, but its degradation limits its practical use, making protective strategies essential.

ND–DNA conjugates were prepared using biotin–streptavidin interactions and analyzed using gel electrophoresis. Initial separation on agarose …

Barriers And Opportunities In Women-Led Dental Entrepreneurship, Eliza Grace Ulmer

Honors Theses

Barriers and Opportunities in Women-Led Dental Entrepreneurship

This research examines the barriers that women encounter when attempting to open their own business. Specifically, this research will concentrate in the dental field and health care industry. Attaining the education, skills, knowledge and criteria to become a licensed dentist is extremely difficult. Adding the licensed dentist opening their own practice adds another layer of difficulty. These challenges are further compounded when the practitioner is a woman.

This research interviewed women dentists in the business as well as entrepreneurs that opened their own health practice. These interviews showed the process and requirements needed …

Lifestyle And Activity Patterns Of The Classic Period Maya From Chac Balam And San Juan, Ambergris Caye, Belize, Abigail L. Hornbeck

Honors Theses

Bioarchaeological research often uses skeletal remains to reconstruct patterns of activity and labor in past populations. This study examines potential sex-based differences in long bone morphology among individuals from the Classic Maya sites of Chac Balam and San Juan on Ambergris Caye, Belize. These coastal communities participated in maritime trade networks, and daily activities such as cargo transport, canoe travel, and fishing may have placed distinctive mechanical stresses on the skeleton. The goal of this study was to evaluate whether measurable differences in bone structure between males and females reflect differences in habitual activity patterns.

Two complementary methods were used …

Neuroprotective Effects Of Estradiol And Genistein And Interactions With Aromatase Inhibitions Post Cerebellar Lesion In Male Zebra Finches, Grace E. Thompson, Anthony P. Irovic

Honors Theses

Across vertebrates, peripheral and brain-derived estradiol (E₂) promotes neuroplasticity. After injury, E₂ can be derived locally from testosterone via aromatase (AROM), an enzyme that is upregulated in glia at the site of neural injury. E₂disrupts testicular function and elevates cancer and stroke risk, primarily via binding to estrogen receptor alpha (ER α). Genistein (GEN), a phytoestrogen, is similar to E₂ but binds preferentially to estrogen receptor beta (ER β). It may offer neuroprotection without adverse effects of E₂. We used adult male zebra finches (ZF) to model neuroprotective effects of E_{2 …}

Biochemical Characterization Of Luciferase In Omphalotus Olearius, James H. Martin

Honors Theses

The overall goal of this thesis was to investigate the genetic basis of bioluminescence in Omphalotus olearius, a bioluminescent mushroom. The project initially focused on growing fungal cultures under controlled laboratory conditions and using molecular techniques such as DNA extraction, PCR, and gel electrophoresis to identify the organism and isolate the gene responsible for light production. The main objective was to insert this gene into a bacterial system to confirm its function through observable bioluminescence. However, repeated difficulties in maintaining viable fungal cultures and errors in molecular procedures resulted in inconclusive results, preventing successful gene identification. Due to these …

Ectomycorrhizal Fungal Identity Strongly Influences Soil Properties Relative To Pine Presence And Soil History In A Pine–Eucalyptus System, Braedan Watters

Honors Theses

Invasive Pinus radiata has increasingly spread into native ecosystems in the Southern Hemisphere, including Eucalyptus forests in Australia, where it forms novel hybrid forest systems in which invasive and native tree species coexist. The success of these invasions is closely tied to ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF) such as Rhizopogon spp., yet the relative roles of pines versus their fungal symbionts in altering soil properties remain poorly understood. This study investigated the independent and interactive effects of soil history (Pinus or Eucalyptus), EMF identity, and pine presence on soil properties using a controlled factorial experiment. Soil from beneath either Pinus …

Antibiotic Resistance Patterns In Bacterial Isolates From Mississippi Gulf Coastal Environments, Lawler F. Horn

Honors Theses

Coastal environments host diverse microbial communities that play essential ecological roles but may also serve as reservoirs for antibiotic-resistant bacteria. This study investigated patterns of antibiotic resistance in microbial isolates collected from public beaches along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. A total of 143 bacterial isolates exhibited growth and were included in antibiotic susceptibility screening. High levels of antibiotic resistance were observed, with 137 of 143 isolates showing growth on vancomycin, 124 on amoxicillin, and 102 on erythromycin. Resistance to kanamycin (19/143 isolates) and tetracycline (33/143) was less common. Multidrug resistance was widespread, with 101 isolates (70.6%) resistant to three or …

Listen To Your Parents: An Exploration Into Why Mississippi Foster Parents Enter, Stay In, And Exit The System, Howell D. Jenkins Iii

Honors Theses

Like many states across the country, Mississippi’s foster care system has faced a shrinking pool of foster parents to care for the state’s most vulnerable children. When states do not have adequate numbers of foster parents, children are susceptible to negative outcomes such as developmental delays, broken attachments with adults, and extended stays in the system. This thesis seeks to understand what motivates individuals to become foster parents, how they experience the system, and what pressures influence their decision to remain fostering or close their doors. To place this research within the appropriate contexts, the thesis draws on literature from …

Community Composition Of Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria On The Mississippi Gulf Coast, Marisa Martin, Colin Jackson

Honors Theses

The Mississippi Gulf Coast is an important resource for transportation, economic development, and recreation. Given its economic and cultural importance, it is crucial to maintain clean and safe conditions along the coast for public health, but other than routine beach monitoring, few studies have examined microbial contamination of coastal waters in this region. This study aimed to determine the quantity, composition, and distribution of bacteria resistant to six different antibiotics (Vancomycin, Kanamycin, Tetracycline, Ciprofloxacin, Erythromycin, or Amoxicillin) in seawater at seven public beaches along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. No bacteria resistant to Ciprofloxacin were detected, and bacteria resistant to Kanamycin …

Inside The World Of Probation Officers: Challenges, Perspectives, And Purpose, Achilles A.C. Beumel

Honors Theses

In the United States, probation is the most commonly imposed criminal sentence, necessitating an abundance of probation officers (POs) to serve the system. Given high rates of failed reentry in tandem with high rates of recidivism, there have been calls for a reevaluation of post-conviction supervision systems and strategies, including the PO. The PO is the final form of assistance provided by the criminal justice system to those facing reentry and can heavily impact a client’s likelihood of recidivism. Despite years of research and attempted reform, more studies are still needed to determine strategies for successful reentry outcomes. This study …

Beyond The Bug: How The Covid-19 Pandemic Exposed Longstanding Systemic Failures In The United States Workforce And Economy, Abbey M. Markley

Honors Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to investigate and discuss how longstanding systemic failures in the United States exacerbated the effects the COVID-19 pandemic had on the American economy, essential healthcare workers, and overall public trust in institutions. A review of the existing literature surrounding this topic and the subsequent results of various studies were used to compose this thesis. The United States has a painful lack of worker protections and tends to view members of its workforce as expendable, even in times such as pandemic when they are deemed essential. Healthcare workers in particular faced increasing threats to their …

Seasonal Variation And Size Distribution Of Particulate Matter In The Mississippi Delta: Implications For Source Attribution, Abigail E. Barnett

Honors Theses

This study examines seasonal patterns of particulate matter in the Mississippi Delta using data from PurpleAir sensors, with a focus on particle size distributions across PM₁.₀, PM₂.₅, and PM₁₀. The purpose of this research is to evaluate whether particulate trends in the region reflect signatures consistent with wildfire smoke or are better explained by local environmental and agricultural factors.

Daily average concentrations were analyzed and grouped by season to compare spring and summer conditions. Results show that all particle size fractions increased from spring to summer. However, PM₁₀ concentrations remained consistently higher than PM₂.₅ in both seasons. The PM₂.₅/PM₁₀ ratio …

A.I. And Education: The Relationship Between Policy And A.I. Implementation In Louisiana K-12 Schools, Johnny R. Moore Jr

Honors Theses

This research focuses on A.I. policies in Louisiana K-12 education, trying to figure out what the best possible policies would be to ensure that students are using A.I. as a tool rather than a crutch to rely on. This goes through the history and background of technology implementation and educational policies in Louisiana. The research focuses on current A.I. policies in the state, if any, and then evaluates other states policies around the country. Teachers and administrators from around the state were surveyed on this and were also asked on their opinions on A.I. in the classroom.

Phytomining Potential Of Native Rocky Mountain Plants, Halle Cogley

Honors Theses

Standard mining practices of the past have left valuable, critical minerals remaining within mine waste and tailings piles. Phytoremediation, or the use of plants to uptake and store heavy metals, has grown in popularity for these sites. A new technology, phytomining, is being developed that not only offers the benefits of phytoremediation but also allows a new pathway to extract and generate revenue from these untouched critical minerals. Certain plants have been identified as hyperaccumulators with the ability to bioaccumulate a high level of certain minerals in their plant tissue. This study explored different species of native plants within the …

Quantifying Genetic Diversity In Nematode Feeding Rate, Jacob King

Honors Theses

Understanding how populations persist under changing environmental conditions is a central question in ecology and evolutionary biology. Variation in traits related to resource acquisition may play a key role in determining population survival when resources are limited or fluctuate over time. In this study, I investigated how variation in feeding-related traits influences population persistence using a combination of computational modeling and laboratory experiments. I developed a stochastic, individual-based consumer–resource model to simulate population dynamics across varying levels of trait variance and resource regimes. Across 60,000 simulated populations, increased trait variation consistently reduced extinction risk and extended persistence time, although the …

Not An Afterthought: Addressing The Academic And Social Challenges That Create Barriers To Belonging For Transfer Students, Brooke Jankowsky

Honors Theses

This thesis examines the academic and social barriers to belonging for transfer students at four-year institutions, with particular attention to the University of Mississippi. The goal is to bring attention to the issues that surround transfer student populations in general by identifying some of the most pressing structural and interpersonal challenges that shape their experiences. A qualitative approach was used, drawing on existing literature, prior unpublished research at the community college level, and reflective analysis to explore themes such as transfer shock, creating and maintaining social networks, and gaps in institutional support. Findings suggest that transfer students often face a …

The Effects Of Mississippi Mandated Testing On Students And Teachers, Christopher I. Goss

Honors Theses

This thesis concerns the direct impacts of the Mississippi mandated standardized testing, used for graduation, on Mississippi public school teachers and students. To collect appropriate data, I used the Qualtrics survey platform to fit in the parameters needed for IRB approval. This survey provided individuals an opportunity to express their opinions on certain statements, ideas, and beliefs about the current mandated standardized testing system, while also collecting background information for comparing data such as differences between how much someone from a D ranked school would support standardized testing compared to someone from an A ranked school. Most teachers and faculty …