Education Commons^™

Implications Of Information: An Analysis Of How State Secrecy Prevails Over The Rights Of Free People, Cassandra Kostal

Honors Theses

This thesis is an analysis of the withholding of information at the hands of the federal government and the subsequent creation of a culture of secrecy that threatens the freedom of information. The primary research question was: How does the government keep information classified in the age of information and how does this penchant for secrecy and nondisclosure undermine the public’s faith in their leadership? Research into this question was conducted through two means: printed and online publications. The printed publications were books recommended to me by Dr. John Bender and the online publications were sources found through searches using …

Term Limits, Political Polarization, And Voter Behavior: An Analysis Of The Nebraska Unicameral, Jared Long

Honors Theses

Term limits are an often-debated reform proposal in American politics. In the 1990s and 2000s, many states adopted a range of term limit policies, including Nebraska. At the time, many bold predictions were made for how such a significant structural change in state governance might affect political norms. Over the past 20 to 30 years, many empirical studies have been carried out to weigh the merits of these predictions. However, much research has focused on institutional effects within state legislatures themselves; less focus has been given to the residual effects on voters themselves.

This paper posits the argument that term …

The Influence Of Childhood Socioeconomic Status And Community Type On Visuospatial Attention Scores In Young Adulthood, Sophia C. Menting

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between various childhood experiences and young adult visuospatial attention scores. In particular, this study investigated factors such as where participants grew up (rural or urban community), childhood socio- economic status (SES) and how these factors relate to cognitive control, i.e., control of attention and impulsivity, in young adulthood. The sample consisted of 84 college students. There was no direct relationship between SES and visuospatial attention; however, there was a significant interaction with type of community such that young adults raised in low-SES families in rural communities had lower scores than …

Mapping Brexit: Analysis Of The Results Of The 2016 Eu Membership Referendum, Jessica Long

Honors Theses

The 2016 EU Membership Referendum, also known as Brexit, resulted in the United Kingdom deciding to leave the European Union (EU). This paper uses mapping techniques to examine the results of the Brexit. Results of the referendum show that most voters within the United Kingdom (UK) voted along regional entities. The major regional entities examined within the paper include England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Within these regions, national identity, age, and economic status had a major influence on a voter’s decision to Leave or Remain in the EU. Demographics were mapped and examined at multiple levels to better understand …

Isometric Exercises And Stretching Warm-Up Program For University String Musicians: An Intervention Study, Emma Porter

Honors Theses

In this study, the purpose of this investigation was to find the effects of reducing pain through combining isometric and stretching warm-up exercises for stringed instrument musicians. In Lee’s et al. (2013) study, it showed that about 75 % of musicians have work-related musculoskeletal disorders and experience pain because of playing. In this study, they also saw that string players have the highest prevalence of both musculoskeletal disorders and pain while playing (Lee et al., 2013). In Nawrocka’s et al. (2014) journal article, the study showed the correlation of more pain in musicians that did not meet the recommended criteria …

A Kinesiological Analysis Of Dancers At The University Of Nebraska-Lincoln, Vanessa Reiser

Honors Theses

Supplemental conditioning can improve a dancer’s performance of important skills without taking away from class and rehearsal time. To investigate this further, an individualized conditioning plan based on a specific skill was created for eight student dancers, and the effects were analyzed using a survey and rating scale by a trained dance professor. The results showed improvement of skills for the majority of dancers, along with improved fitness in qualities such as strength and balance. In conclusion, individualized conditioning plans based on a specific skill may benefit student dancers who are juggling intense class and rehearsal schedules.

Advertising During The Covid-19 Global Pandemic: The Rise Of Influencer Marketing Strategies In A Recession, Bre Tenhulzen

Honors Theses

The COVID-19 pandemic reached the United States in January of 2020 and has since impacted nearly all industries, including advertising. Consumers, the guiding factors for all advertising strategies, faced drastic lifestyle changes and behavior shifts which sent current strategies askew. The virus has created insurmountable unknowns, thus advertising and marketing experts must rely on historical and recent data to develop strategies for brands forging ahead. COVID-19 is the first global crisis in the age of social media which has both helped and hindered communication during the crisis. Additionally, emerging influencer marketing strategies are proving more effective than ever as brands …

Electron Beam Dispersion Compensator Using A Wien Filter, Jackson Lederer

Honors Theses

When an electron beam travels through space, it spreads out over time which impedes the ability to work with short electron pulses in the lab. A Wien filter is a device consisting of perpendicular electric and magnetic fields which filters charged particles based on their velocities. For a specific velocity, the two forces from the two fields in the filter cancel each other out letting charges with that velocity travel straight through the filter. Charges moving at other speeds are deflected as they have a net force applied to them from the filter. If a particle is deflected from the …

The Development Of Sensory, Fine Motor, And Gross Motor Performance Through An After School Club Curriculum: Using Dr. Seuss Stories To Create Occupational Therapy Based Interventions, Madelyn Beck

Honors Theses

The goal of occupational therapy is to assist individuals in fulfilling their daily occupations. For many children, their occupations primarily consist of school and play. In order to successfully fulfil these occupations, children need a specific skill set centered around sensory performance and fine- and gross- motor development. This text examines children who were selected from a Lincoln, Nebraska public elementary school to participate in an after-school club program with Dr. Seuss themed curriculum. The curriculum focused on developing sensory, fine motor, and gross motor execution through various classroom activities and play-based interventions.

The Lion And The Eagle: The Ramifications Of Reduced Us-Iran Educational Diplomacy, Cameron Azimi

Honors Theses

In the 2018-2019 school year, the number of Iranian students in the US fell for the first time since 2005. This essay contributes to the educational diplomacy subfield of cultural diplomacy literature by being the first to analyze the causes and effects of this change. By interpreting Iranian student data in the context of political events, it becomes clear that hostile Trump era rhetoric and policy are chiefly responsible. As a result, the US stands to lose economic benefits and influence to states like Russia that are eager to exert soft power through international students. With educational diplomacy being the …

Spatiotemporal Interactions Between Deer And Cattle, Sydney Brewer

Honors Theses

Mule deer, white-tailed deer, and cattle are sympatric on the landscape throughout many portions of Nebraska and encounter each other in time and space. By considering variation in daily activity patterns and non-random patterns in the timing of passage through specific locations, we can better understand whether animals may be avoiding each other temporally when sharing space. I investigated temporal activity patterns and avoidance/attraction ratios to investigate if deer altered their activity patterns in the presence of cattle and if they exhibited avoidance at a study site near McCook, Nebraska, USA. We collected data from 19 game cameras that were …

The Relationship Between Time And Plant Diversity In Prairie Restorations Within The Prairie Corridor On Haines Branch, Elizabeth Park

Honors Theses

This study focuses on better understanding the relationship between the age of prairie restorations and their plant diversity. The study looks specifically at the prairie restorations within the Prairie Corridor on Haines Branch, located west of Lincoln, Nebraska. The data gathered from these restorations show a positive correlation between age and native plant diversity. This diversity indicates that the restorations are fulfilling their purpose by bringing native prairie plants back to the area. From the data I came to these four conclusions, 1) Because the study only included two restorations greater than 10 years old, it is unclear if the …

A Strategic Audit Of Medical Solutions, Christina Gay

Honors Theses

Medical Solutions is a healthcare staffing company that primarily staffs travel nurses. A travel nurse is a licensed, registered nurse who accepts temporary assignment on a contract basis. Founded in 2001 Medical Solutions has grown to include six brands, seven locations, staffing in all 50 states. This report is an industry analysis to better understand their business model. Ranging from external to internal analysis using a PESTE analysis, Porter’s 5 Forces, a SWOT analysis, their competitive advantage, and future recommendations to continue their differentiation approach.

Amazon.Com, Inc Strategic Audit, Ningzhi Luo

Honors Theses

Amazon.com, Inc (Amazon) was founded by Jeff Bezos in 1994 as an online marketplace for books but later expanded to e-commerce, cloud computing, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. This large variety of products and innovations has contributed to Amazon as one of the most influential economic and cultural forces in the world (Eugene Kim, 2018). This study would specifically focus on the e-commerce area and analyze Amazon's position in this market from an external and internal perspective by using three models: Porter's Five Forces, PESTEL, and the SWOT model. The report would identify Amazon's competitive advantages and the challenges it …

Navigating The Social Determinants Of Health: First Steps Toward Assessing And Addressing Socioeconomic Needs, Jocelyn Daubendiek

Honors Theses

The Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) are the socioeconomic conditions that shape a person’s life and can include an individual’s housing situation, economic opportunities, ability to obtain food, access to transportation and healthcare, level of education, and exposure to discrimination and violence. When people struggle with these socioeconomic aspects of their lives, their health will be negatively impacted as a consequence. In this study, the SDOH of patients were evaluated at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and Nebraska Medicine through the use of a survey about socioeconomic needs, and the Electronic Medical Record (EMR) of each participating patient was …

Why Nebraska? An Analysis Of Unl's International Student Recruitment Touchpoints And Messages As Compared To Student Outcomes, Carolyn Willis

Honors Theses

With decreasing budgets and increasing political tensions, universities in the United States are embracing broader and more creative efforts to reach prospective international students. For such universities, international students are a lucrative recruitment population because they bolster enrollment numbers and tuition revenue while diversifying student bodies. Previous studies have shown that much university marketing to international students is deficient and of little use in helping prospective students make informed decisions (Baldwin & James, 2000), yet information search is a key element of buyer decision models (Beatty & Smith, 1987) as students evaluate educational options. This study sought to see, then, …