Digital Commons Network^™

Ethanol And Iron Absorption Interactions Within Crayfish Invertebrate Models, James Rollman, Andrew Wissmar

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Analysis of the effects of alcohol consumption (ethyl-alcohol) on iron absorption within crayfish model. The use of tube-feeding provides a novel, more precise output, and less invasive procedure compared to the traditional approach of dissolving the target substance in tank water and measuring hemolymph changes. The project aims to determine the extent to which alcohol influences iron absorption. Ultimately, the choice of iron reflect the future potential to aid in research with genetic hemochromatosis and or Iron overload.

Impact Of Exercise, Hr Management Incentives, And Employee Wellness Programs On Job Performance And Motivation, Emma N. Barnes

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This project is a literature review discussing the overall impact that exercising,  Human Resource Management incentives, and wellness programs have on job performance levels and employee motivation. The literature to be reviewed connects the importance and effects of exercise to the benefits it can supply to organizations looking to increase employee performance as well as rewards that motivate individuals. Within the field of Human Resource Management and Industrial and Organizational Psychology, there is plentiful research on what plays pivotal roles in performance and theories on motivational aspects of work. Diving further into years of already completed research on these topics, …

Preliminary Analysis Of The Spatial Distribution Of Microplastics Along The Cuyahoga River, Northeast, Ohio, Ella Pitz

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Plastics are nearly ubiquitous throughout modern society, and when left in the natural environment, they degrade into microplastics. Microplastics are particles that range in diameter from 5 millimeters down to nanometers, and microplastics pose many potential environmental and health risks due to their small size and ease of ingestion. While the study of microplastics in the environment has become more common over the past ten years, microplastic concentrations remain unexplored in many regions throughout the country. Here I present a method for separating microplastics from organic matter and clastic sediment as well as preliminary measurements of microplastic concentrations in sediment …

A Child On Stand: The Impact Of Experiencing Trauma On Children’S Testimonial Efficacy In Legal Proceedings, Morgan Sweger

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Children who are victims of physical, sexual, emotional, or verbal abuse are nearly always left deeply traumatized by such events. In extreme cases, abused children may be asked to testify against their abuser(s) in legal proceedings, recounting their trauma in front of a room full of strangers. For some, the trauma of abuse may influence a child’s ability to effectively recall and describe their experiences and for others, the process of participating in legal proceedings creates deeper wounds. Research has aimed to understand whether children lack the ability to contribute sufficient testimonies during investigations of abuse and how these investigations …

The Connection Between Medicaid And Obesity In Northeast Ohio, Emmie Kelley, Sophie Kheder

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Obesity is a major public health concern in the United States that is projected to increase exponentially over the next few years. Obesity is commonly associated with a lower socioeconomic status. Lower-income individuals tend to be supported by Medicaid, a federal insurance program for low-income Americans. Prior studies have shown a positive correlation between income status and obesity prevalence. Our goal was to find if there was a correlation between Medicaid patients and obesity in Northeast Ohio, to provide physicians with a set of characteristics to better combat obesity, since preventative and treatment guidelines are tailored to national trends. We …

The Discord Revolutions: A Study Of Media Influence And Regime Changes, Justin C. Eason

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This project will be a paper analyzing the influence of Media on regime changes, specifically as it pertains to the two recent revolutions in Nepal and Madagascar. I will show how past regime changes and historical events have been shaped by media influence, and how the revolutions in Nepal and Madagascar are different, and could set a different pattern when compared to previous rebellions.

Physiological Development Of Hypertension As A Result Of High-Fat Diet Induced Obesity, Michael Nguyen

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This literature review focuses on the physiological development of obesity due to the consumption of diets rich in fats and the resulting pathophysiological development of hypertension. This review aims to identify causes of obesity and hypertension as well as current treatments to propose future areas of study. The literature review analyzed a wide variety of literature sources on obesity and hypertension published between the years 1995 and 2025. The review identifies high-fat diets as a cause of obesity and the resulting health effects of elevated leptin, insulin, and nervous system activity as contributors to the development of hypertension. Future areas …

Who Should Be Responding To Mental Health Crises: A Public Perception Study, Bryan E. Phillips

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This project includes a survey which will be evaluating, out of Police Officers, Paramedics, and Mental Health Clinicians, who Intro to Psychology students believe are best fit to respond to Mental Health Crises as well as what factors may influence said belief. To do this they will be provided with a survey that collects demographic information, personal experiences with each profession, and detailed scenario-based questions with differing variables allowing the participants to decide which profession they believe is best equipped to deal with each scenario. This data will then be put into a research manuscript to be presented via posterboard …

The Effects Of Habitual Temperature And Diet On Crayfish Physiological Processes, Tyler D. Deramo, Sunny Rana, Victor Popoviciu

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

We will use crayfish to test the individual and combined effects of temperature and diet to see how they impact physiological processes such as metabolism, growth rate, molting patterns, and behavioral analysis. A total of forty-eight crayfish will be used throughout the experiment, and they will be housed in separate containers. A plant-based diet (consisting of fresh kale) and an animal-based diet (consisting of dried bloodworms) will be tested alongside room temperature (~18 degrees Celsius) and a warmer habitual temperature (~24 degrees Celsius). Metabolism will be measured via O2 consumption, and growth will be measured by weighing and measuring the …

From Touchbacks To Touchdowns: Analyzing The Impact Of The Nfl's New Kickoff Rule Changes, Joshua A. Klatt

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

My proposal analyzes the impact of the NFL's new dynamic kickoff rule changes that were implemented in the Fall of 2024. I use a two-way fixed effects differences-in-differences model using FBS collegiate Division 1 football teams as the control group, and NFL teams as the treatment group. Three of the most important outcome variables I analyze are touchdowns per kickoff return, average yards per kickoff return, and the number of kickoff returns per game.

Examining The Effects Of Black Parenting Styles Of Self-Esteems, Alexander J. Ruffin-Stcyr, Lorris Robinson

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This study examined the relationships between parenting styles, Afrocentric values, and psychological flourishing among African American families. Grounded in cultural and developmental perspectives, the study focused on how social and cultural contexts shape well-being outcomes. Parenting styles (authoritative, authoritarian, and permissive) and Afrocentric values were explored as key predictors of flourishing.

Using a quantitative survey design, data was collected from 86 African American adults who completed standardized measures assessing parenting style, cultural values, and flourishing. Correlational analyses revealed that permissive parenting was significantly and negatively associated with flourishing, indicating that higher levels of permissive parenting were linked to lower well-being. …

Moving Positively: A Review Of Positive Psychology Interventions In Counseling, Spencer M. Fleming, Ingrid Weigold Ph. D

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Positive psychology is a relatively new and developing subfield of psychology which examines the machinations and roles of various character strengths and traits such as growth, well-being, meaning, life satisfaction, character strengths, and more. Positive psychology holds various implications for counseling, therapy, individual growth, and self-determination. However, current literature on positive psychology interventions (PPIs) are scattered, nuanced, and lack overall consensus. Thus, encompassing research is necessary to identify common trends, areas for improvement, and a clear direction moving forward. The present review analyzes positive psychology interventions (PPIs) within psychology and counseling. This review examined forty-eight articles, including fifteen meta-analyses, on …

Framing Female Athletes: Gender Bias And Representation In Sports Communication, Katie E. Baumer

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This project will examine how female athletes are framed and represented within sports communication, with a focus on identifying patterns of gender bias across traditional and digital media. The research will analyze existing literature to understand how media portrayals of women athletes differ from those of men and how these differences influence visibility and perception of female athletes. Sources will be organized and compared to reveal recurring trends and highlight the factors that contribute to the biased representation. This research will take place during Fall 2025 and conclude in Spring 2026 with a final written report and presentation at the …

Identification Of Modified Polymer End Groups For Correlations To Physical Properties, Tj Sacco

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Plastic has become the primary material for containers in both industrial and commercial fields. Plastics are the optimal choice since they have many physical properties that make them ideal candidates: durability, heat resistance, chemical stability, as well as their inexpensive production cost. Nowadays, the desire for more versatile plastics with strength, flexibility, hydrophobicity, and biodegradability has grown; however, concerns for plastic use have started to rise as well. The overuse of plastics poses a threat to the environment and people’s health: plastics are hard to break down completely which results in the formation of micro(nano)plastics (MNPs). In attempts to circumvent …

The Right To Seek Joy, Tyler Rose Clemons

Faculty Publications

Within the past three years, roughly half of American states have restricted access to gender-affirming medical treatment for children. In this article, I argue that these bans violate transgender children’s right to liberty guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment’s Due Process Clause. I do so by excavating the Framers’ understanding of liberty as the right to seek joy. Rooted in the philosophies of John Locke and Epicurus, the Framers understood liberty as the right to make important life decisions according to one’s subjective preferences without undue interference from the government. Based on this understanding, I develop a new framework for substantive …

Treatment Sentences, Evelyn Malavé

Faculty Publications

One of the most common mandates of a non-incarceratory sentence is to submit to treatment. Across the criminal legal system, from problem-solving courts to probation, millions of defendants sentenced to non-incarceratory sentences—including people not diagnosed with a substance abuse disorder—are required to attend drug treatment programs. After decades of policies that criminalized drug use, non-incarceratory sentences that match people with treatment may appear to be a step forward—or at least not the most pressing problem.

But criminal law scholarship has not fully reckoned with the harms of treatment sentences, including the harms of mandated treatment itself. Analysis of treatment sentences …

At The Intersection Of Property And Disaster Recovery, Jeanne Ortiz-Ortiz

Faculty Publications

(Excerpt)

When disaster strikes, communities rally to meet urgent, short-term needs—food, shelter, and medical care that keep people alive and safe in the immediate aftermath. For days, we see images of flooded streets, emergency shelters, and calls to support fundraising campaigns in the media cycle. Long-term recovery after a disaster often depends on something less visible: the ability of people, especially those experiencing economic insecurity, to rebuild or return to stable, functional homes.

The outcome of this largely depends on whether families can navigate and access assistance programs like those offered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Can you …

January 2026 Library News, University Libraries

Library News

No abstract provided.

Will It Tear? Creating A Collegiate Athlete Cutting Mechanics Grading Process, Abigail Savoy, Matthew Morgan, Nicholas Totaro

Distinguished Undergraduate Researcher Program

Collegiate athletes push their bodies to compete at the top level of their sport. Through 5 years, collegiate athletes had 729 ACL tears. To aid in training and the reduction of injury risk, there are several procedures for grading the ability of an athlete to make a cut or change-of direction motion. Through this research project, we defined a procedure for analyzing motion capture video and data of the cutting mechanics of collegiate athletes. This was done to identify which athletes have a higher or lower risk of an ACL injury by comparing knee valgus and other biomechanical indicators on …

Examining The Pre-Columbian Use Of Psychotropic Plants In The South American Andes: Tobacco, Coca, And Ayahuasca, Jalayne Allison

Distinguished Undergraduate Researcher Program

This thesis offers a literature review that traces the origins and variations in the use of tobacco (Nicotiana sp.), coca (Erythroxylum coca spp.), and ayahuasca (Banisteriopsis caapi) in the Andean highlands and Amazon region along the western coast of South America. This mountainous region stretches across seven countries: Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina. Diverse South American Indigenous groups and ancient civilizations, such as the Inca Empire, have inhabited this area. This review delves into key concepts of Andean cosmology, especially those related to ecology and hydrology as interpreted through Inca beliefs. These concepts are pivotal in the application …

Developing A Comparative Framework For Organic Matter Loss Using Standardized Soils To Mimic Urbanized Areas, Madison Woodson, Michael (M.P.) Hayes

Distinguished Undergraduate Researcher Program

Rapid urbanization is an ongoing challenge to the natural ecosystem across Louisiana as the state invests in development to accommodate the challenges of flooding in nearby towns and cities. Across Louisiana waterways, flooding from urban developments along with coastal subsidence and relative sea level rise increase the transport of complex organic matter into local water channels. These events lead to higher concentrations of nutrients, specifically bioavailable carbon which can be lost from breakdown of soil organic matter in water. To better understand and predict organic matter transportation due to flooding events caused by urbanization, we studied the availability of organic …

Impact Of Il-10 Deficiency On Lung Function With Allergen Exposure Following In Utero Exposures To Juul Menthol In Mice, Hang Vu, Torrie Cook, Bhawana Devkota, Alexandra Noël

Distinguished Undergraduate Researcher Program

Interleukin-10 (IL-10) is a critical immunomodulatory cytokine that contributes to the maintenance of pulmonary homeostasis and respiratory mechanics. This study investigated the role of IL-10 in lung function following in utero exposure to menthol electronic cigarette aerosol and subsequent allergen challenge. Male IL-10 KO and WT mice were exposed in utero to either air or JUUL menthol (3%) aerosol. At 7-8 weeks of age, mice were assigned to four exposure groups: air-saline (control), air-House Dust Mite (HDM), JUUL-saline, and JUUL-HDM. Pulmonary function parameters including tidal volume, minute volume, breathing frequency, and enhanced pause were assessed using whole-body plethysmography. Mice were …

Impacts Of Real Microplastic Leachates On The Development And Behavior Of Developing Zebrafish (Danio Rerio), Emma Tsai, Melanie Wilson, Mohamed Ateia, Ahmed Abdelmoneim

Distinguished Undergraduate Researcher Program

Plastic pollution in aquatic environments has increased, raising concerns about the toxicity of microplastics (MPs) and their additives to developing organisms. Additives from the MPs can desorb into the surrounding environment, generating leachates that may impact early development. This study evaluated the effects of early developmental exposure to MP leachates on early developing zebrafish (Danio rerio), quantifying effects on larval survival, development, activity, and behavioral responses to acute stressors. MPs—acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyamide 66 (PA66), and reinforced glass fiber (MIX)—were processed into particles (< 500 µm) and incubated in embryo media for 24 hours under UV-C, 35 °C, and agitation to generate leachates. Zebrafish embryos were exposed from 6 to 120 hours post-fertilization (hpf) to varying leachate dilutions (corresponding to 0.063 to 10,000 mg MPs/L). At 120 hpf, larvae were assessed for survival, prevalence of morphological defects, overall growth, baseline activity, and behavioral responses to acoustic, visual, and peripheral irritant stressors. MIX leachate significantly increased mortality, while PET leachate exposure reduced growth. No significant morphological defects were observed across treatments. ABS, PA66, and PET leachates altered larval activity and behavioral stress responses. These preliminary findings suggest that MP leachates pose varying developmental and behavioral risks to developing organisms at critical exposure concentrations. Understanding these risks is crucial for assessing the environmental impact of MPs pollution and informing regulatory policies.

Environmental Influence On The Smart Self-Sensing 3d-Printed Concrete Column, Laraimie Reid, Khalilullah Taj, Yen-Fang Su

Distinguished Undergraduate Researcher Program

This study investigates the influence of environmental factors on the self-sensing performance of 3D-printed cementitious composites for structural health monitoring. Square 3D printed column samples containing control mortar and self-sensing cementitious composite (SSCC) were fabricated and cured, then exposed to controlled drying cycles and temperature variations from room temperature to 60°C. Under cyclic compressive loading, changes in electrical resistance were monitored to evaluate the fractional change in resistivity (FCR) and stress sensitivity. The results demonstrate that both internal moisture variation and elevated temperature significantly affect the piezoresistive sensitivity. Although resistance decreased with an increase in humidity and temperature, a better …

Imposter Syndrome And Coping-Motivated Cannabis Use: The Impact Of Race, Lan Qiu, Katharine Thomas, Julia Buckner

Distinguished Undergraduate Researcher Program

Cannabis use among college students has become increasingly prevalent, with coping being
one of the primary motives for use. Imposter syndrome, characterized by persistent self-doubt
and fear of being exposed as a fraud despite evidence of competence, is particularly common
among students. Given its association to social anxiety and social anxiety’s relation to coping
motives and cannabis-related problems, imposter syndrome may contribute to coping-motivated
cannabis use and related problems. Yet, no known research has examined the impact of race
on the relation of imposter syndrome and cannabis use behaviors among Black and non-
Hispanic/Latine White students. The current sample included …

Deriving Mercury Exposure Risk From The Feeding Ecology Of Coastal Sharks In Coastal Louisiana, Mallory Miller, Jeffrey Plumlee, Owen Henderson, Sydney Moyo, Michael Hayes

Distinguished Undergraduate Researcher Program

Coastal sharks have high concentrations of mercury (Hg) in tissues, but what increases mercury exposure is unclear. Blacktip (Carcharhinus limbatus) and bull (Carcharhinus leucas) sharks are commonly harvested in Louisiana’s commercial shark fishery. Because of health risk from mercury consumption, we ask: Are there food web characteristics that increase exposure of sharks to mercury? Biomarkers, such as stable isotopes sulfur (δ³⁴S) and nitrogen (δ¹⁵N) indicate feeding habits linked to prey trophic level and prey use of freshwater which influences total mercury (THg) concentrations. We hypothesize increasing trophic level (higher δ¹⁵N) and increasing reliance on freshwater prey (higher δ³⁴S) will increase …

Feelings And Futures: Social Design Addressing Identity And Engagement Of Adolescent Girls In A Community-Based Organization, Eseoghene Mukoro

Distinguished Undergraduate Researcher Program

Community organizations can provide numerous benefits to adolescent youth in various aspects of their lives—socially, psychologically, and physically, to name a few. Unfortunately, many youth-serving organizations aim to serve youth without directly involving their perspectives in the creation of their respective programs. At the Gardere Initiative, adolescent girls appear to have low levels of engagement and belonging, while their male counterparts enjoy activities and spaces catered to them. This poses a question of how this community organization might better serve the desires and life context of these adolescent girls.
Social Design is the practice of designing an intervention (product, service, …

Memory For Everyday Chores In Younger And Older Adults, Cameron Mccleary, Katie Cherry

Distinguished Undergraduate Researcher Program

This study examined episodic memory performance for everyday household chores in younger (18-32 years) and older adults (65-79 years). With the increasing older adult population in the United States, understanding age-related memory differences and identifying strategies to enhance memory performance in later life is needed. Building on previous research demonstrating the pictorial superiority effect and benefits of semantic encoding across the adult lifespan, this study utilized a 2 × 2 × 2 between-groups factorial design to investigate the effects of age group (younger, older), encoding task (standard intentional learning, semantic elaboration), and stimulus format (text only, text with pictorial illustrations) …

Relearning Language: A Meta-Analysis Of Syntactic Priming In Aphasia, Ally Miller, Willem Van Boxtel

Distinguished Undergraduate Researcher Program

Background: Despite the importance of grammatical skills for participation
in daily life, treatments for sentence–level abilities in aphasia
are comparatively scarce. The psycholinguistic paradigm of syntactic
priming has recently been advanced as a potential assessment and
treatment for grammatical skills, and existing evidence on priming in
aphasia is highly promising. Nevertheless, a comprehensive analysis of
the strength of priming effects in aphasia, as well as treatment components
which might amplify these effects, has not been reported.
This meta–analysis synthesizes existing findings on syntactic priming
in aphasia, aiming to provide a comprehensive picture of priming
effects and their potential application for …

Evaluation Of Liberty® Herbicide For Zygosity Verification In Transgenic Maize (Zea Mays) Expressing The Bar Gene From Streptomyces Hygroscopicus, Isabel Hau

Distinguished Undergraduate Researcher Program

Maize (Zea mays) is a major global crop cultivated for food and feed. Most commercial varieties grown in the United States contain herbicide-resistant traits to facilitate weed management. One such herbicide trait is Liberty-Link, which contains the bialaphos resistance (bar) gene from Streptomyces hygroscopicus that confers resistance to glufosinate-ammonium, the active
ingredient in Liberty herbicide. This bar gene is also widely used as a selectable marker in plant transformation. In non-transgenic plants, glufosinate-ammonium inhibits plant glutamine synthetase by acting as a glutamate analog, thereby disrupting amino acid biosynthesis and leading
to plant death. In contrast, transgenic plants expressing the bar …