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Game Night! Assessment Of Playability And Learning Effectiveness Of Active Learning Games In Human Anatomy And Physiology Students, Hannah Brady

Honors Theses

Human Anatomy and Physiology (HAP) courses are a requirement for many students pursuing an education in healthcare. Students tend to dread these courses for their abundance of information in such a short amount of time. These courses tend to have a low success rate because students are not adequately prepared for this upper-level class that requires intense dedication and studying. This problem for students is extreme as these courses are required for most pre-health undergraduate students, and these courses may predict their success in their future education. HAP professors are constantly trying to figure out better ways to get students …

A Tale Of Two Toroidal Graphs, Akshat Gulgulia

Honors Theses

A graph is toroidal if it can be embedded on a torus which is a doughnut-shaped surface. Two well-known examples of toroidal graphs are the complete graph K5 and the complete bipartite graph K3,3. In this thesis we elucidate the association of the subject matter with two renowned enigmas in graph theory, namely the Five Princes Problem and the Three Utilities Problems. Additionally, we look at their association with several renowned theorems in topological graph theory. We explore the link between these two graphs and a contemporary labeling concept.

Reclaiming The Tides Within, Ashlie Roth

Honors Theses

As a dancer, choreographer, and teacher, I pursue excellence and professionalism. My passion and curiosity for dance drives me to immerse myself in a versatile range of genres and approaches, and I am committed to continuous learning, open self-expression, and fostering human connection through movement. As a performer, I combine dynamism in physical strength and endurance with authentic emotional storytelling. I work to establish a genuine connection with both the audience and my fellow dancers, and my movement aesthetic incorporates precision, risk, and nuance. As a choreographer, I create work grounded in musicality and vulnerability. Using repetition, stillness, and rhythmic …

Finite State And Sequential Automata, Kriti Gulgulia

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Reproductive Justice In Mississippi: A Call For Reform And Acknowledgement, Andie Udziela

Honors Theses

In this thesis, I apply the values of the Reproductive Justice Movement to reproductive healthcare resources in Mississippi to advocate for reproductive policy reform. I begin by navigating the historic racial discrimination in gynecology and how it manifested in Mississippi. Dr Sim’s abusive experimentation on Anarcha, Betsy, and Lucy depict how Anti-Black racism took root in gynecology and obstetrics and was later expanded on by the eugenic goals of white supremacy and the feminist movement through Margaret Sanger and the Mississippi Appendectomy. Then I discuss the current availability of reproductive care in Mississippi to low-income individuals to emphasize socioeconomic and …

Leo: A Carrier To Help Increase Disaster Evacuation Compliance Among Cat Owners, Anna Lorino

Honors Theses

My thesis project is Leo: a carrier to help increase disaster evacuation compliance among cat owners. It’s focused on creating a product that helps increase disaster evacuation compliance among cat owners. There’s an increase in the severity and frequency of natural disasters and being able to evacuate ahead of time saves lives and resources. However, 20-30% of people choose not to evacuate because they don’t want to leave their pet behind. Cats are of particular interest because they are sensitive to environmental stress and need to be contained. The main reasons cat owners fail to evacuate with their cat is …

An Investigation Of Alternative Strike Policies For Railroad Workers, Evan Morrisey

Honors Theses

In principle, railroad workers have a legal right to engage in strikes in the United States, just like a majority of other workers. In practice, however, they are ostensibly forced into compulsory arbitration where Congress legislates their contract even if they vote to strike. The government’s justification for overriding the workers’ right to strike in this way is that a full-scale strike could have serious economic impacts to the national economy. Overriding railroad workers’ right to strike still raises ethical concerns, because the right to strike is crucial for workers to protect their interests. While unrestricted, indefinite, large-scale strikes may …

How Witnessing Domestic Violence Affects The Future Of Children: An Exploratory Study, Victoria Cleckler

Honors Theses

Domestic violence (DV), also known as Intimate Partner Violence (IPV), is a widespread issue that affects many people, families, and communities, with one in four women and one in nine men falling victim to domestic violence each year in the United States. However, these statistics only consider what has actually been reported. More than 44% of domestic violence cases go unreported each year. It can be inferred that a drastic number of children are also affected. Children who witness domestic violence are indirect victims of DV, as they experience psychological and emotional turmoil simply by witnessing the abuse. However, there …

Virtual Reality As An Adjunct To Behavior Therapy: A Systematic Literature Review, Alya Alharrasi

Honors Theses

The World Health Organization (WHO) projects that by 2030, mental disorders will become the primary source of global disease burden [1]. Anxiety-related disorders, including specific phobias, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and various forms of general or specific anxiety, are the most rapidly growing mental health disorders worldwide [2]. In the United States (US), over 1 in 10 American youths are experiencing depression, resulting in a severe impact on their personal, academic, or professional encounters and social engagements [3]. Similarly, anxiety disorders affect up to one-third of the US population during their lifetime [4].

Due to the growth of mental health …

The Rise Of Merope, Emily Czerniak

Honors Theses

As a performer, I can explore the full range of my artistic abilities through dance. My background in ballet and musical theatre allows me to express myself through movement and bring characters to life. My aesthetic draws from my intensive ballet training paired with a passion for grounded, circular phrases that help me fully embody choreography. Through dedication and work ethic, I constantly strive to be adaptable and best represent the choreographer's vision. On stage, I aim to perform with detail, energy, and authentic expression.

As a choreographer, my life experiences influence how I explore andconvey relatable themes to audiences …

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

Honors Theses

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

An Investigation Of Bone Preservation As A Result Of Environmental And Cultural Variables In Mortuary Contexts, Adyn Hallahan

Honors Theses

Stable isotope analysis in bioarchaeology of human bone is generally used to reconstruct diet or migratory patterns of certain populations. Although this type of analysis is now standard practice, little research has been done regarding how cultural and mortuary practices may affect chemical composition of bone. This study aims to determine whether different simulated mortuary contexts have an effect on stable isotope levels in bone, using seven pig rib bone samples as proxy for human bone. In addition, macroscopic and microscopic observations are used to assess preservation and taphonomic processes. One of the samples served as a control, not being …

Perseverative Thinking And Thought Suppression: Links To Medication Non-Adherence Among Adults With Type 2 Diabetes, Aswin Arunachalam, Aaron Lee

Honors Theses

Medication nonadherence in patients with type 2 diabetes contributes to poor glycemic control which often results in the development of serious and irreversible diabetes-related complications. This study examines the role of the maladaptive cognitive processes of rumination and thought suppression on medication nonadherence in patients with type 2 diabetes. The sample for this study (N = 343) consisted of adults (mean: 55, range: 19 – 85) with type 2 diabetes enlisted through a web-based platform. Participants completed a series of validated questionnaires including the Perseverative Thinking Questionnaire, White Bear Suppression Inventory, and Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale. Binary logistic regression …

Methods For Computing Rovibrational Spectral Data With Applications To Inorganic Oxides And Hydrocarbons, Alexandria Watrous

Honors Theses

Computational chemistry focuses on finding solutions to the time-independent Schrödinger equation for systems of interest to study their molecular properties such as rovibrational spectral data. Any molecule containing more than one electron cannot be solved explicitly but coupled cluster theory offers one of the best approximations. One such application of this method is to molecules of astrochemical interest to support observation and experimental data. Chapters 2, 3, and 4 look at the performance of new couple cluster theory methods including composite and hybrid methods for ground and excited state rovibrational data. Chapters 5 - 9 use the previously mentioned methods …

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

Honors Theses

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

Andrews University Pre-Professional Students Preparedness For A Future With Artificial Intelligence, Zachary Alignay

Honors Theses

Artificial Intelligence technology has advanced considerably over the past four years. With such rapid technological development, the question has to be asked if students are adequately educated on the implications and abilities of artificial intelligence. Are Andrews University pre-professional students prepared for future careers with artificial intelligence? To approach this question, a survey of students across multiple perspectives was conducted to sample if there was a consensus, or lack thereof, on the perception of ethics regarding artificial intelligence, to ask students how using artificial intelligence has changed their education, what purposes it can be used or cannot be used, personal …

Fleet Renewal Proposal, Fatema Al Ajmi

Honors Theses

The topic for our thesis will be demonstrating a fleet proposal request to our client, Western Michigan University. We will be introducing our company profile that will include aviation-related services and solutions. Our company will take several actions to help our client choose a well-suited aircraft that will help future pilots train with all the necessities needed to excel at WMU. We will provide initial steps to take action such as assisting with fleet management, safety enhancements, streamlined operations, financial marketing, and more. Later, our company will demonstrate a letter of intent to the dean of the aviation college, Dr. …

Fleet Renewal Proposal, Amna Al Bulushi

Honors Theses

The topic for our thesis will be demonstrating a fleet proposal request to our client, Western Michigan University. We will be introducing our company profile that will include aviation-related services and solutions. Our company will take several actions to help our client choose a well-suited aircraft that will help future pilots train with all the necessities needed to excel at WMU. We will provide initial steps to take action such as assisting with fleet management, safety enhancements, streamlined operations, financial marketing, and more. Later, our company will demonstrate a letter of intent to the dean of the aviation college, Dr. …

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

Honors Theses

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

Psychological Influences On Reaction When Faced With Failure And Difficult Experiences, Marcus Cunha

Honors Theses

The current study investigated the impact of psychological traits on emotional reactions in the face of challenges. The study employed tasks designed to induce negative psychological states, such as a Learned Helplessness (LH) task (Hooper & McHugh, 2013) and the difficult Compound Remote Associate (CRA) task (Bowden & Jung-Beeman, 2003). A correlational study was conducted using a within-subjects design. All participants were given initially the same questionnaires measuring the following predictor variables: Grit, Need for Cognition (NFC), Psychological Flexibility (PF), Trait Cognitive Fusion (CF), and Emotional Stability. Participants then engaged in the LH and CRA tasks followed by completing outcome …

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 …

Solvability And Difficulty Of The Snake Puzzle In The Cube And Its Topological Variants, Jamie Shepard

Honors Theses

A snake cube is a puzzle made by a sequence of n3 straight and turn pieces that can fold into a n x n x n cube. Solving the puzzle is comparable to the problem of finding a Hamiltonian path in the grid graph of the cube. By using computer algorithms, we find and count all sequences that are solutions. Furthermore, we can count the unique folding configurations of each sequence giving us an idea of its difficulty. Finally, we expand on this by exploring the problem in other topological variants of the cube, which sheds insight into the problem …

Analyzing The Effect Of Targeted Activities On Linear Concept Understanding, Jenae Rogers

Honors Theses

Despite previously showing mastery of all test topics in ALEKS, Andrews’ remedial math students continue to struggle with some of them on the paper tests. After previous research, additional teaching activities, including one targeting word problems, were implemented to address student misconceptions about linear equations. My current research compares student performance on the paper tests before and after these activities on questions regarding linear relationship word problems. My findings show no statistically significant difference in student performance after these activities. These results will lead to further curriculum changes, in an attempt to increase students’ long-term conceptual understanding and problem-solving skills.

Investigating A Family Of Fungal Pseudopeptidases With Bioinformatics Tools, Andy Zhao

Honors Theses

Enzymes catalyze chemical reactions; however, some proteins related to enzymes lack enzyme activity. To investigate changes that occur as enzymes becomes pseudoenzymes, I studied a unique family of fungal carboxypeptidases. I identified all fungal carboxypeptidase protein sequences in the NCBI database, constructed an alignment and phylogenetic tree for sequence comparison, and used Alphafold2 for 3D modeling of representative proteins. Fourteen unique groups were identified. All fungal proteins selected are separated into 3 categories, predicted to be active, intermediate, and inactive, respectively. Proteins predicted to be pseudoenzymes contained additional loops in mutation hotspots not found in predicted active enzymes. This research …

Extending Natural Mates In Euclidean 3-Space And Applications To Bertrand Pairs, Alexander Navarro

Honors Theses

In Euclidean 3-space, a family of curves, the co-successor, is motivated and then introduced in relation to the natural mate. A complete characterization of co-successors is proved, followed by an application of the co-successor towards describing Bertrand curves and their mates.

Synthesis And Characterization Of Hexagonal Boron Nitride Nanosheets, Josiah J. Deonarine

Honors Theses

Certain defects within the hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) lattice are a promising source of quantum mechanical states for quantum computing. It is difficult to produce layers of hBN that are thin enough for these quantum states to be studied. We investigate ultrasonic liquid exfoliation and hydrothermal synthesis as methods of synthesizing hBN nanosheets. Samples were analyzed through light scattering spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy. Our results show that liquid exfoliation can produce hBN nanosheets that range in between 0.35nm - 20nm in thickness. We also show hydrothermal synthesis reactions, between boric acid and nitrogen sources, that can produce hBN nanosheets.

Induction And Modulation Of Apoptosis In Breast Cancer Cells Mda-Mb-157 And 93b By Chinese Medicinal Herbs Oldenlandia Diffusa And Bryophyllum Pinnatum, Sarah Wolf

Honors Theses

Chinese medicinal herbs have been found to contain bioactive phytochemicals with anti-cancer properties. Herbal extracts induce apoptosis in cancer cells by modulating levels of pro- and anti-apoptotic proteins. A previous study showed that a commonly used herb, Scutellaria barbata, significantly induced apoptosis in the breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-157 and the therapy-resistant breast cancer cell line 93B. However, the effects of two different Chinese herbs, Oldenlandia diffusa (OD) and Bryophyllum pinnatum (BP) on these breast cancer cells are not known. This project indicates the influence of the herbs OD and BP on apoptosis of breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-157 in …

An Ethnography Of Permaculture In Southwest Michigan, Lily Burke

Honors Theses

Permaculture is a holistic design system for meeting human and environmental needs in a sustainable way, using local conditions and circumstances to shape land use and food production practices. My project questions what it means to practice permaculture in southwest Michigan, and how environmental ideological commitments can translate into action and practice. Ethnographically investigating these questions through semi-structured interviews and participant observation with individuals in the permaculture community, along with extensive reading of permaculture materials, my study adds to research on applications and adoptions of permaculture in suburban contexts, and sheds light on how ecological ideological commitments can translate into …

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 …