Gifted Education Commons^™

Male Hormonal Contraceptives: Associations Between Students’ Perception Of And Trust In Usage And Endorsement Of Gender Norms, Zoe Keese

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

As clinical trials continue to test the safety and efficacy of new male contraceptive options, evaluating attitudes towards them is critical in expanding access to reproductive healthcare. The present study sought to investigate the relationship of endorsement of traditional masculine and feminine gender norms with attitudes towards male hormonal contraceptive pills. Using a Qualtrics survey, 45 participants rated their attitudes towards different measures, including attitude towards the male contraceptive pill, willingness to use male hormonal contraception, and endorsement of traditional masculine and feminine gender norms. The results of the survey indicated that there was a significant positive correlation between endorsing …

Cell Volume As A Determinant Of Virus-Mediated Population Growth In Ciliates, Jace Miller, John Paul Delong Phd

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Many protists and other small aquatic organisms consume virus particles, a behavior known as virovory. Some species of protists, such as the ciliate Halteria grandinella, can grow and divide using viruses as their sole food source. Other ciliate species have previously been shown to consume large quantities of viral particles, but it is unclear if they are able to support population growth with viruses alone. Because large ciliates have a higher energy demand, we hypothesize that they will be unable to support population growth on a virus-only diet. We fed nine ciliate species a diet of chloroviruses and found …

Using Game Theory To Model Tripolar Deterrence And Escalation Dynamics, Grace Farson

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

The study investigated how game theory can been utilized to model multipolar escalation dynamics between Russia, China, and the United States. In addition, the study focused on analyzing various parameters that affected potential conflict outcomes to further new deterrence thought in a tripolar environment.

A preliminary game theoretic model was created to model and analyze escalation dynamics. The model was built upon framework presented by Zagare and Kilgour in their work ‘Perfect Deterrence’. The model is based on assumptions and rules set prior to game play. The model was then analyzed based upon these assumptions using a form of mathematical …

An Evidence-Based Design, Translation, And Implementation Of A Hypertension Health Education Pamphlet, Katie Patton

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Health equity is the opportunity for all to attain their highest level of health. This includes creating understandable educational resources that aid in reducing risk and controlling symptoms of disease. A singular piece of written education material will not be effective among all in a broad population due to the many different backgrounds in which people originate. While this may seem obvious, there is a wide gap between knowledge and action. This gap leads to health disparities, or differences in health status between people that are related to social or demographic factors such as race, gender, income, or geographic region …

Architecture And New Urbanism’S Relationship To Biomimicry And Floral Design, Alycia Timmerman

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

The craft of floral design is classified as an art and a science. Similarly, architecture is rooted in the two disciplines. After conducting research and exploring biomimicry through the design process, it became evident that the process of design for architecture and floral design are similar. This relationship can also be extended into the field of planning and the New Urbanism movement. This study explores the integration of floral design and biomimicry with architecture and New Urbanism at the scale of the building and city block.

With Liberty And Justice For The Wealthy: The Criminalization Of The American Poor, Ashlyn Dickmeyer

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

The last phrase of the Pledge of Allegiance states “with liberty and justice for all”. However, not everyone has access to this liberty and justice. Liberty and justice can be bought in this country for a price, and those who can’t afford to pay it are often left in the hands of those who can. One of the most prominent ways to see this is by analyzing the criminal justice system. Despite clauses in the Fourteenth Amendment and court cases like Gideon v. Wainwright (1963) establishing and upholding that the poor are entitled to equal treatment within the criminal justice …

Social Transmission Of Predator Information Through Referential Alarm Calls Within And Across Species, Carly Trebac

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Animals can encode information about a predator’s size, identity, or threat through alarm calls. This can provide referential information that can be used by individuals within and across species receiving the information. Referential alarm calls can encode information through changes in structure or rate of the call, and these variances in their call can elicit different responses, such as fleeing or mobbing, in conspecifics and heterospecifics. We aimed to investigate whether white-breasted nuthatch alarm calls can encode referential information and elicit different responses from conspecifics. Previous studies showed that a related species of nuthatch varies their call rate in the …

An Analysis Of The Episodic Writing Process, Megan Kanger

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Writing for an episodic series vastly differs from writing for a short film. This essay explores the major differences between writing a short film in contrast to writing an episodic series and how these differences impact the writing process. The essay examines the topic by breaking down my own experience writing an episodic series and the key findings I uncovered throughout that process. I describe my series, Scythe, and the central themes and characters that encompass the series. With a central theme of death, I describe how I worked to establish an emotional tonal balance between drama and humor within …

Project Avatar: Utilizing The Power Of Social-Media To Share Stories Of Hope, Elizabeth Cremins

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Addiction affects everyone and the stigma around addiction and its’ recovery makes it exponentially harder for individuals to heal. Today, adolescents are exposed to drugs, alcohol, and related substances from younger ages than ever before and the age of first consumption of these substances is continually decreasing. Further, social media makes it easier than ever for these young people to see substance-related content. Most teens and young adults today check their social media daily—if not hourly. Due to the young age of first exposure to substances coupled with the near-constant exposure that social media provides, addiction is an ever-present problem …

The Impact Of Parent Math Anxiety On Parent Homework Help Behaviors, Makenzie P. Starlin

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Math anxiety is commonly defined as negative feelings toward mathematics or solving mathematics problems (Dowker et al., 2016). Research indicates that math anxiety can influence parenting behaviors during homework interactions, which can involve behaviors that are autonomy supportive, or allow the child to initiate the homework task, or controlling, which does not allow the child to be actively engaged (Retanal et al., 2021) In particular, autonomy support behaviors allow children to work through homework on their own, whereas control behaviors do not allow children to work through the homework on their own and instead involve parents overseeing the homework help …

Abrunning: Beginner’S Guide To Running-Based Training Programs, Alexander Boerner

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

This thesis is used to introduce any level of runner to training program creation and give resources to allow the individual to create their own. This was done through a website that has information on warm up, cool down, strength and conditioning, running programs, nutrition, hydration, and running aids. The website gives readers insight on each of the topics while giving them resources on how to implement the information within their programs. The written portion of this thesis is used to detail the creation of said website and the thought process that went into each of its components from structure …

Defining Twice Exceptional Learners: A Study Of Self-Concept, Alyssa D. Landau

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

In 2014, the first operational definition of twice exceptional (2e) learners was published in Gifted Child Quarterly to provide a clear and identifiable profile of the population (Reis, Baum, & Burke, 2014). The article defines 2e learners as, “students who demonstrate the potential for high achievement or creative productivity in one or more domains such as math, science, technology, the social arts, the visual, spatial, or performing arts or other areas of human productivity AND who manifest one or more disabilities as defined by federal or state eligibility criteria” (Reis et al., 2014, p. 222-223). Publishing an operational definition of …

2023 Travel Study Catalog, Illinois Math And Science Academy

Intersession Catalogs

No abstract provided.

2023 Intersession Catalog, Illinois Math And Science Academy

Intersession Catalogs

No abstract provided.

2023 Intersession Catalog, Illinois Math And Science Academy

Intersession Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Honors Liberal Arts For The 21st Century, John Carrell, Aliza S. Wong, Chad Cain, Carrie J. Preston, Muhammad H. Zaman

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs: Chapters

We argue that honors colleges can deploy the power of the liberal arts to emphasize diversity, equity, global citizenship, ethical leadership, and empowerment by combining liberal arts and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and medicine) fields in interdisciplinary approaches to global challenges, from climate change to the pandemic to forced displacement. As the honors colleges at Texas Tech and Boston University work to be at the forefront of pedagogical and curricular innovation, the twenty-first century has presented us with a student and faculty community becoming increasingly aware of historical, racial, gendered, and socioeconomic disparities, which were further exacerbated by the COVID …

Investigating Transparency Policy As A Means Of Increasing Sexual Violence Reporting Numbers At Universities, Shaina Isaacsen

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

It is well known that sexual violence occurs on college campuses at alarming rates. Despite this, sexual violence remains grossly underreported to universities. In a study investigating why survivors choose to not report sexual violence, only half believed that a university would investigate an assault fairly (Ridolfi-Starr, 2015). This project focuses on investigations of sexual violence conducted by universities, and whether certain adjudication processes can increase overall reporting numbers. Specifically, I focus on different forms of transparency within the sexual violence policy, third-party oversight and outcome publication. By using information collected from Annual Security Reports (ASRs) published by universities, I …

Honors Colleges In The 21st Century, Richard Badenhausen

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction | Richard Badenhausen

Part I: Honors College Contexts: Past and Present

CHAPTER ONE Oxbridge and Core Curricula: Continuing Conversations with the Past in Honors Colleges | Christopher A. Snyder

CHAPTER TWO Characteristics of the 21st-Century Honors College | Andrew J. Cognard-Black and Patricia J. Smith

Part II: Transitioning to an Honors College

CHAPTER THREE Should We Start an Honors College? An Administrative Playbook for Working Through the Decision | Richard Badenhausen

CHAPTER FOUR Beyond the Letterhead: A Tactical Toolbox for Transitioning from Program to College | Sara Hottinger, Megan McIlreavy, Clay Motley, and Louis Keiner …

Advising For Today's Honor Students, Erin E. Edgington

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs

Introduction: The Elective System, Honors Degrees, and Academic Advising, Erin E. Edgington

Part I: Theoretical and Philosophical Approaches

Chapter 1: How Honors Advising Is Different, Philip L. Frana

Chapter 2: Advising with Purpose: Utilizing the Motivation for College Success Model, Stephanie Veltman Santarosa

Chapter 3: Motivation in Honors Advising, Matthew T. Best, Kenneth E. Barron, Jared Diener, and Philip L. Frana

Chapter 4: Advising Honors Students: Motivational Interviewing as a Tool for Identity Building and Development, Chelsea McKeirnan

Chapter 5: Intellectual Humility, Honors, and Appreciative Advising: Exploring with Students that Changing Their Mind Does Not End the World, Alan Sells …

The Impact Of The Belgian Colonization In The Democratic Republic Of Congo, Priscilla Lebesse

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

The “Belgian Congo” is a country full of rich minerals, land, and agriculture. The same country that has never fully healed from the enslavement of its own people in their protected homes. The Belgian colonization of the Democratic Republic of Congo orchestrated by King Leopold II, has had a lasting impact on the country. Hindering its future advancements even after the departure of King Leopold II. This paper aims to analyze the lasting impact of the Belgian colonization in the DRC. In terms of the country’s economy, and overall culture. What is the DRC today? Through peer review articles and …

Gendered Leadership: Men And Women Governor’S Responses To Covid-19, Kate Gaulke

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

To alleviate a large-scale crisis, leaders have to choose mitigation strategies to best address the issue at hand while also avoiding the spread of panic among their constituents. This balancing act can be challenging and was especially demanding during the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic was not only a global health crisis, but also caused worldwide social, economic, and political turmoil. For three years, the pandemic riddled the United States with disease, economic hardship, food insecurity, and unemployment. Since its rise, COVID-19 has been the foremost concern on policy agendas nationwide. Governors, in particular, played a significant part in leading …

Utilizing Markov Chains To Estimate Allele Progression Through Generations, Ronit Gandhi

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

All populations display patterns in allele frequencies over time. Some alleles cease to exist, while some grow to become the norm. These frequencies can shift or stay constant based on the conditions the population lives in. If in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, the allele frequencies stay constant. Most populations, however, have bias from environmental factors, sexual preferences, other organisms, etc. We propose a stochastic Markov chain model to study allele progression across generations. In such a model, the allele frequencies in the next generation depend only on the frequencies in the current one.

We use this model to track a recessive allele …

Walt Disney Theme Park Strategic Audit, Joseph Peraino

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Walt Disney theme parks are a part of the Theme parks, Resorts, and Cruise line sector of The Walt Disney Company. Despite many world changes to its environment throughout the years, Disney has remained one of the leaders in the entertainment industry. This Strategic audit will use PESTEL and Porter’s Five Forces to analyze the industry as a framework to understand how Disney can remain a strong competitor in its changing environment and industry.

Review: A Guide To Early College And Dual Enrollment Programs: Designing And Implementing Programs For Student Achievement By Russ Olwell, Ken Knox

Early College Folio

Review: A Guide to Early College and Dual Enrollment Programs: Designing and Implementing Programs for Achievement (Routledge, 2021) by Russ Olwell. Olwell is Associate Dean and Professor of Education at Merrimack College.

Airbnb Strategic Audit, Payton Hanson

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Airbnb is the global leader in online vacation rental marketplaces. The company works as an intermediary to connect travelers to property hosts for short-term stays. This strategic audit serves to evaluate the company’s internal and external environment, its recent financial performance, and its current strategy to understand its sustainable competitive advantages in the Bed and Breakfast and Hostel Accommodations industry and as a substitute to traditional hotels. This evaluation is conducted using the Porter’s Five Forces and PESTE analyses. Using the information from these tools, strategic recommendations are given for Airbnb.

Fedex Ground Strategic Audit, Samantha Gates

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

FedEx Ground is an operating segment of the parcel carrier giant FedEx Inc. The company, known for shipping products via delivery truck, has remained one of the largest parcel carriers in the country, despite drastic changes in its environment. This report seeks to understand the changing operating environment of FedEx Ground, its competitive advantages, and the future challenges it may face. The analysis uses PESTEL and Porter's Five Forces analyses to evaluate the changing external environment and industry FedEx Ground operates in. Additionally, challenges and recommendations are offered to navigate the future of this company.

Workiva Strategic Audit, Rose Pilakowski

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Workiva is a software development company that simplifies complex reports for companies in over 180 countries around the world. Within a controlled, secure, audit-ready platform, Workiva customers connect critical business data directly with their source systems. This paper will analyze Workiva to help understand how it utilizes its platform to gain and sustain competitive advantages in the software and accounting environments. After completing an analysis of Workiva and its industry, I found that Workiva currently sits at an advantageous position in relation to its competitors, but still has room to grow in holding the lead above them.

Northwestern Mutual Strategic Audit, Eleazar Oceguera

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Northwestern Mutual is one of the largest financial advising firms in the US. It provides holistic financial advising, which includes life insurance, investments, and retirement planning. It is the largest life insurance provider and is top ten in investment planning. This report investigates the internal and external analysis of Northwestern Mutual business models and the strategies it has incorporated to sustain a competitive advantage in the constantly evolving wealth management sector. This report explicitly focuses on the life insurance sector of the business. There are two main tools used to analyze the external environment are Porter's Five Forces and the …

Launching An Online Boutique And Analyzing Digital Marketing Strategies Used, Kayla Weyers

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Digital marketing is becoming more relevant and widely used in the marketing industry. In order to use the marketing skills that I have learned through my marketing major in a real-world scenario, I launched an online women’s clothing store called Ash + Grae. This paper examines the start-up process and legal obstacles of opening a small business. It also analyzes the different marketing techniques by comparing digital marketing strategies such as social media, influencer, email, and SEO marketing.

Northern Natural Gas Company Strategic Audit, Morgan Reinecke

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Northern Natural Gas Company is a natural gas interstate pipeline company owned by Berkshire Hathaway Inc. A strategic audit of the company was conducted by analyzing external and internal factors affecting the future of the company. The transportation industry macro environment was assessed using PESTEL analysis. The competitive environment of the industry was evaluated using Porter’s Five Forces. Northern Natural Gas Company differentiates itself from competitors by its position in the market and its competitive advantages of having an extensive pipeline network, a reputation for reliability, and high-quality customer service. To maintain a sustainable competitive advantage, Northern Natural Gas Company …