Digital Commons Network^™

The Hope Of A New College Town At Western Michigan Through Mixed-Use Development And Creation Of A Student Consumer District, James Paul Eichstaedt

Masters Theses

My research will start with investigations into what an American college town is, what are the uses of Smart Growth and Mixed-Used Development in college towns, and the real estate development practices of universities in The United States and one Canadian university. The four case studies in the thesis are The Ohio State University, The University of Norte Dame, The University of Connecticut, Victoria University at The University of Toronto. Other data was collected from survey respondents of close to 200 hundred students at Western Michigan University. The purpose of the survey was to determine what amenities and housing styles …

Documenting Aguaje Palm Swamp Area And Conditions In The Peruvian Amazon, Malinda Van Sledright

Masters Theses

Mauritia flexuosa is the most widespread and economically important palm in western Amazonia and is known as aguaje in Peru. It is found mostly in "aguajales," but little is known about the size and spatial distribution of these permanently wet oligarchic forests. Aguaje is dioecious; only the female trees produce the coveted fruit, and cutting them down leaves a preponderance of unproductive male palms. There exists a consensus in the literature that levels of damage to aguajales is related to distance from settlements where extractors reside. However, no studies exist which show this relationship. By mapping 24 aguajales and conducting …

Rural Tourism As An Alternative To Rural Development In The State Of Para, Brazil, Ana Christina Sawada Cutrim

Masters Theses

This research is based on the potential analysis of the rural tourism industry in the cities of Braganca, Mosqueiro, and Vigia, located in the State of Para, Brazil. The representative samples were the people who went to an excursion trip organized by an elderly people association to visit the city of Braganca, and the people who went to the farm hotels located in the cities of Mosqueiro and Vigia. Surveys were conducted among the tourists during the weekends of December 2007 to January 2008. The research focused on the strengths and weaknesses of tourism in these sites.

The demographic characteristics …

Prospects And Limitations For Ecocultural Tourism In The City: Developing An Urban Heritage Water Trail On The Portage Creek, Eric Mark Kerney

Masters Theses

The decline in Michigan's economy and rapid loss of manufacturing jobs has forced communications to look towards new possibilities. The state's abundant water resources have potential to enhance regional economies and improve the quality of life. The Michigan Heritage Water Trails Program was initiated in 2002 by Michigan Public Act 454 in response to a lack of established routes in the state. The Portage Creek is located within the Kalamazoo River Watershed, which is being explored as a pilot project for a connected system of regional water trails. The study area of the Portage Creek is located entirely within the …

Habitat Suitability Modeling For Lake Huron Tansy In Michigan, Cathryn Elizabeth Whately

Masters Theses

Little scientific research has been published that addresses the habitat requirement of the Lake Huron tansy, a Michigan threatened species. Adequate protection of the tansy, location of new populations, and identification of potential restoration sites all depend on defining suitable habitat. Mahalanobis distance and partitioned Mahalanobis distance were combined with geographic information systems (GIS) to spatially model habitat suitability for Lake Huron tansy in Michigan. Several models were created for shoreline areas within the 14 counties in northern Michigan where the tansy is found. Results suggested elevation, distance to shore, slope, direction to shore and aspect were important variables for …

Using Composite Sampling Techniques To Monitor Bathing Beach Water Quality In Kalamazoo County, Michigan, Jeffrey David Reicherts

Masters Theses

The Kalamazoo County Health and Community Services Department conducts water quality monitoring at public bathing beaches to determine public health risks and compliance with Michigan water quality standards. These standards require local health departments to collect and analyze a minimum of three water samples during each sampling event. Water samples are analyzed for Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria, an organism that indicates the presence of fecal contamination. During the 2007 sampling season, nine bathing beaches were monitored once each week. Three individual point samples (n = 486) and a composite sample (n = 144) were analyzed for each sampling …

The Grim Word: 'Home' In Fiction By Graham Greene, Geoff Cowgill

Masters Theses

Graham Greene's treatment of the subject of home in his writings is remarkably negative. Focusing on nine of his major novels (England Made Me, A Gun for Sale, Brighton Rock, The Heart of the Matter, The Quiet American, The Comedians, Travels with My Aunt, The Honorary Consul, and The Human Factor), this study explicates the ways in which home fails his characters. In this thesis, 'home' has been split into three facets: family, domicile and homeland. Each facet seems to promise benefits for the characters that don't materialize. The way in which Greene's writing promotes a betrayal of home reflects …

Influence Of Seed Source On Vegetative And Reproductive Performance Of Three Common Prairie Grasses Common In Grassland Restoration, Matt Burmeister

Masters Theses

Though tallgrass prairie once covered 250 million acres of the midwestem U.S, now less than one percent· of this original area is left. In recent years the restoration and reconstruction of tallgrass prairie has become more popular throughout the prairie region. There is evidence that local and distant populations may both be practical seed sources for ecological restoration projects. To address this basic issue in restoration, I tested the how performance of three grass species from different locations was affected by the distance from the restored area. Three species, Andropogon gerardii, Sorghastrum nutans and Panicum virgatum, of perennial grasses common …

Anxiety, Graduate Students, And New Student Orientation Programs: A Quantitative Study, Megan M. Hullinger

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study is to analyze the anxiety levels of incoming graduate students at a Midwest regional state university and determine if an online graduate student orientation program assists in lowering those levels. The researcher used the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory Form Y-1 (STAI) to measure state anxiety levels before and after the orientation program was administered. Each participating student completed a pre- and post-test in conjunction with the online orientation program. Once the information was received, the researcher analyzed the data using a paired t test to determine if the orientation program lowered anxiety levels for incoming graduate …

Victorian Restriction, Restraint, And Escape In The Children's Tales Of Beatrix Potter, Mandy L. Dewilde

Masters Theses

The fantasy works of Beatrix Potter have entertained children of all ages for decades. Many children are familiar with the stories of Peter Rabbit, Tom Kitten, The Flopsy Bunnies, and the dreamy prints of fuzzy little animals in jackets and aprons that accompany them. The characters of Beatrix Potter’s beloved children’s stories have transcended the written page and been marketed on infant layettes, children’s dinnerware, stationary, bedroom linens, and even on cartons of infant formula. However, beneath these cheery stories, which seem to imply that children should perhaps heed their parents’ advice concerning socially accepted conduct. Potter’s …

Passage Through The Ocean: The Female Heroic Journey In The Novels Of Anita Desai, Jaime Pedigo Hendrix

Masters Theses

This study examines the female heroic journey in relation to the protagonists in three of Anita Desai's novels: Maya in Cry, the Peacock, Sita in Where Shall We Go This Summer, and Bim in Clear Light of Day. The elements of the heroic journey as described by Joseph Campbell in Hero with a Thousand Faces illuminate the journeys of Desai's characters, as certain of these elements appear in all three of the characters' journeys toward adulthood. The work of C. G. Jung is also central to this study, as his theories on psychological development are utilized to show the growth, …

Capturing Opportunity: How The Conquest Of James I Shaped The Society And Culture Of Mallorca, 1229-1247, Patrick W. Harris

Masters Theses

The defeat of Muslim forces on the island of Mallorca by James I in 1230 determined the course of medieval history in the western Mediterranean, and later helped propel Spain into the Atlantic world. Because the settlement of Mallorca became a stepping-stone towards later expansion, historians have tended to portray this watershed event within the teleological narrative of the Reconquista. Consequently, we receive the image of James I as a farsighted ruler who is aware of the social and economic impact resulting from the conquest. Furthermore, James' favorable policies towards Jews and Muslims in comparison to those of his successors …

Wal-Mart Versus Meijer: A Spatial And Economic Analysis Of Supercenter Competition In Michigan, Christopher J. Washebek

Masters Theses

My research will examine the spatial and demographic strategies of supercenter firms in the State of Michigan, namely those operated by Meijer, Inc. and Wal-Mart, Inc. The competitive nature of retailing in Michigan shifted heavily in 2000 when Wal-Mart brought its Supercenter format to Michigan, making it a direct competitor to Meijer, who has operated in Michigan since 1962. Within seven years, Wal-Mart expanded its Michigan Supercenter operations from one in 2000 to forty-five in 2007. In many cases, small towns throughout the state are supporting both Meijer and a Wal-Mart Supercenter. Heavy competition of this nature between two supercenter …

Using Non-Fiction Conventions To Improve Expository Reading In 6* Grade History, Annie Whitlock

Masters Theses

Students often have very little experience with textbooks before they reach the middle and upper grades. Teachers of content areas in these grades also have very little resources available to help these students. In this study, a curriculum was developed to teach specific non-fiction conventions to 6th grade students in a history classroom. The purpose of the study was to test the hypothesis that this developed curriculum would positively impact these students’ abilities to use non-fiction conventions while reading their textbook. The results of the study revealed that after being taught the developed curriculum, the students made improvements and showed …

Spatial Analysis Of Great Lakes Ferry Transit Systems, Joe Lane

Masters Theses

This thesis will explore the feasibility of a cross-lake ferry on Lake Michigan between Metropolitan Chicago and Southwestern Michigan. Two potential origins have been chosen in Northeastern Illinois (Evanston and Downtown Chicago) and two potential destinations have been chosen in Southwestern Michigan (St. Joseph/ Benton Harbor and South Haven).

The introduction includes historical information on Great Lakes Ferry Systems, information about Great Lakes ports, routes and locations along with the operation requirements for a ferry system. The Methodology includes In-Depth interviews that were done with maritime experts of the Michigan Department of Transportation. This is in order to illustrate a …

The Effects Of African American Children’S Skin Complexions In Television Commercials On The Self-Perception Of African American Children, Daveta Jacquistia Saunders

Masters Theses

This study examines the effects of the complexion of African American children in television commercials on the self-perception of African American children. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses were conducted. A total of 347 commercials were examined from Saturday morning television programming on broadcast stations in the Lynchburg, Virginia area during March 2007. The results of the quantitative analysis found a lack of darker complexion African American females in the pre-recorded commercials. A qualitative analysis was conducted with focus groups of African American children ages 6-10 who were asked questions after viewing 8 to 10 of the pre-recorded commercials from the …

Educating Fourth Grade Students In Michigan About Gray Wolves (Canis Lupus) Using A Teaching Trunk, Jessica Marie Wesel

Masters Theses

The Michigan Gray Wolf Recovery and Management Plan was signed on December 1997, and made residents aware that the population of gray wolves in Michigan would be on the rise. Because the number of wolf-human interactions eventually will increase, it is essential that people are educated about wolves to avoid the stereotyping and misconceptions that often are associated with wolves. A good place to start with this type of education is with children in elementary school.

A teaching trunk was used in two schools, one in Michigan's Lower Peninsula, and one in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Three classrooms from each school …

The Music Of A Kalinga Peace-Pact Celebration: Making Place Through The Soundscape, Glenn Ress Stallsmith

Masters Theses

Music and place are two phenomena that have been objectified by researchers in the past. This thesis treats both as social processes created by subjects in local, specific contexts. The Kalinga peace pact system forms an intricate web of bilateral agreements between forty or more culture groups in the northern Philippines. Each agreement is celebrated when it is formed or when a peace pact holder from one group passes the responsibility on to his son. This thesis examines eight musical scenes at one peace pact ceremony celebrated in the Mangali culture area in April 2005. It analyzes the music performances …

Presenting Problems And Treatment Outcome Of College Counseling Center Clients: The Role Of Gender And Academic Major, Erik Lennart Timothy Fister

Masters Theses

The current study examined whether gender and/or academic specialization had any relationship to students presenting issues, symptom severity, and treatment outcome at a university counseling center. The participants were 484 clients and the data were collected at an East Coast university counseling center. Clients were included for the analyses if they were a new intake, clearly fit into one of six categories for academic major, and attended more than one session. Each client filled out both the Personal Information Form (PIF) and Behavioral Health Questionnaire (BHQ) at intake, and was administered the BHQ prior to each subsequent session. Based on …

The Search For Authentic Identity In Three Novels By West Indian Author Earl Lovelace, Todd A. Cornwell

Masters Theses

In this thesis, I examine the evolving concept of authentic identity, individual, cultural, and national in the post-colonial Caribbean context embodied in West Indian author Earl Lovelace's The Schoolmaster, The Dragon Can't Dance, and Salt. These three novels when analyzed together demonstrate Lovelace's emerging vision of a future for the Caribbean rooted in indigenous values, self-possession, historical reclamation, and, ultimately, true independence.

Additionally, this thesis explores Lovelace's paradox of the mask, in its many different physical and psychological forms, that simultaneously liberates and imprisons, and the consequences of masking on West Indian identity. In Lovelace's own words, these three novels …

Rocking The Kenyan Cradle: Colonial Conditioning In Ngugi Wa Thiongo's Njamba Nene Stories, Jonathan Moore

Masters Theses

This thesis analyzes Ngugi wa Thiongo's critique of the colonial influences on the Church, the British educational system and the Kenyan middle class in and around the time of Kenya's State of Emergency of the 1950s. Specifically, I examine these colonial legacies through his two children's books Njamba Nene and the Flying Bus and Njamba Nene's Pistol. More than simply exploit the poor, all three condition the people into a state of submissive acceptance of British superiority. The middle class, a self-replicating product of the first two, is of particular concern to Ngugi because, in this case, Kenyans exploit Kenyans …

To The Beat Of A Different Drum: Inside The Mind Of An "Aspie", Kristopher Allyn Jones

Masters Theses

This thesis is a collection of the author's memoirs regarding his struggles and achievements of living with the condition of Asperger's Syndrome. The purpose of this thesis is for the material to serve as a gateway for those individuals living and coping with the condition, and, likewise, to serve as a pedantic tool for those who don't understand its esoteric aspects. By writing these memoirs, the author wishes to prevent unnecessary persecution toward those living with Asperger's Syndrome, and he wishes to emphasize to those living with the condition that it is alright to be different. This thesis serves as …

Holding Her Hand, Chris Ellen Lamb

Masters Theses

The history of GLBTQ YA (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning Young Adult) literature has seen the introduction of very small amounts of fiction over the years. Publication of the first YA gay novel in 1969 opened the doors for many writers interested in pursuing the genre. However, even since this year (the year of the semi-liberation of gays during Stonewall) we have only seen a small amount of titles provided to young readers. In the past decade, interest has begun to turn to a more accepting, emotional and physical based portrayal of GLBTQ teens in their literature.

Since the onset …

Brasil With An S: A Memoir, Lee Isaacson Roll

Masters Theses

This thesis consists of six essays written in the genre of creative nonfiction. The focus of the work is my experience of living in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and teaching at the American School from 1969-1971 when I was in my early twenties. The essays are sourced in 104 letters I sent to my family; entries in two daybooks; photos; and my roommate's diary. The events suggested by these primary sources have been enriched by information acquired through academic research and by details provided by conversations and correspondence with the people who shared the experiences with me. The essays shift …

Investigating Biodiversity: An Economic Analysis Of Global Endangered Species Loss, Kyle Baumgartner

Masters Theses

There has been a rapid increase in interest among economists to examine the economic causes of biodiversity loss. The goal of this thesis is to investigate biodiversity loss using percentage of endangered species across countries for a three year period of time. This is accomplished by developing a series of models to examine the impact of various economic factors on biodiversity loss, in this case using percentage of threatened species as a proxy.

The results indicate that the development of economic growth can impact endangered species loss. The results also demonstrate that there is a relationship between percentage of endangered …

Vapor Phase Uptake Of Volatile Organic Contaminants By Hybrid Poplar Trees, Sally Rebecca Breite

Masters Theses

"Phytoremediation, the use of plants to immobilize, degrade or remove contaminants from the environment, shows great promise as a remediation technique for many contaminated sites. Phytovolatilization in particular is of great interest for sites contaminated with chlorinated solvents and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs), many of which are recalcitrant to biodegradation. Hybrid poplar trees have been shown to uptake, translocate and volatilize numerous aqueous-phase VOCs, however vapor phase uptake of such compounds has only recently been observed and for only one contaminant, tetrachloroethylene (PCE). One semi-volatile and five volatile compounds were dosed to poplar trees in aqueous and vapor phase …

Applications Of Solar Energy To Power Stand-Alone Area And Street Lighting, Joshua David Bollinger

Masters Theses

"A stand-alone solar-powered street or area lighting system is designed and operated completely independent of the power grid. The equipment and maintenance costs associated with a stand-alone solar-powered system are compared with the cost of using electricity to run grid connected street lights. The project focused on the viability of using solar energy to power the lights in the area surrounding St. Louis, Missouri. The results had to be consistent to warrant converting new areas to independent solar powered lighting. A prototype system is constructed from equipment available on the market for the purpose of gathering data on different lighting …

A Statistical Analysis Of The Distribution Of Roads Salt In Blueberry Farm Soils Of Van Buren County, Michigan, Melissa M. Kovach

Masters Theses

The purpose of this research is to compare and analyze the leaching of road salt (sodium chloride) in soils of blueberry farms. Due to recent events in Ottawa County, Michigan, road salt is increasingly being blamed for blueberry production loss. Sodium chloride is harmful because once a significant amount of salt enters the soil profile the salt is unable to be flushed out, and reduces the chance for nutrients to reach the plant for effective growth. This study tested the farms' soils for salinity before winter (October 2005), during winter (March 2006) and after winter (May 2006) to determine if …

The Impact Of A One-Half Day Environmental Education Program On Elementary Students, David C. Pagel

Masters Theses

The hypothesis of this research is that elementary students benefit from the Kalamazoo Nature Center's (KNC) one-half day inquiry program, based upon data collected using a Likert scale instrument. The earth science inquiry program at KNC is intended to enhance student attitude about the natural environment. There are two primary components to the research. First, data were collected through a pre-/post-survey from elementary students who participated in the Kalamazoo Nature Center's one half-day environmental education program. The survey was based on the Test of Science Related Attitudes (Fraser, 1981). Second, data were analyzed to assess student attitudes and beliefs before …

The Olde Town Of Segovia And Its Aqueduct: Preservation And Tourist Management, Rose Ann Switt

Masters Theses

The city of Segovia, Spain is known for its Acueducto (Aqueduct), the Alcazar Castle, its Catedral (Cathedral), la Casa de la Moneda de Segovia (the House of Money of Segovia), and over 60 additional historical buildings, monuments, and protected vistas. This abundance qualified the city for designation in 1986 as a World Heritage site under guidelines established by the United Nations Education and Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Site status is coveted by city and regions around the world, but little research conducted in Spain has been recorded in English to determine if receiving this status actually affects …