Other Education Commons^™

Avian Influenza And The Approach To Designing An H5n1 Vaccine, Lauren N. Hickey

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

The Avian influenza virus (AIV) H5N1 has been responsible for the culling and deaths of millions of birds since 2022 with concern for wildlife, livestock, and human infections occurring as well. With eggs flying off the shelves in grocery stores, even individuals not involved in the agricultural industry have seen the drastic effects of this disease first-hand. For chickens, this virus works quickly and overpowers the innate immune system before the adaptive immune system has time to properly respond. Therefore, a safe and effective vaccine could reduce the number of poultry deaths and prevent the continuous spread of the infection. …

Ph Dependent Structural Characterization Of Ich Ensembles Needed For Catalysis, Kevin C. Prososki

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

No abstract provided.

Do We Really Need A Femininemenon?: The Gendered Context Of Congress And Women’S Representation, Hannah Scholen

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Does the changing gendered context of Congress affect women’s representation? The literature shows that women are more likely than men to prioritize and introduce issues that have a distinct impact on women, such as education and health, and that women’s power as a minority group changes when their numbers grow. With the growing number of women in Congress, it’s crucial to understand how that increase affects Congresswomen. I use the Center for Effective Lawmaking’s Legislative Effective Score methodology, focusing on the education and health Issue Area LES’, and run interaction regressions to study the relationship between gender and legislative effectiveness, …

Hancock/Dana Strategic Analysis Podcast, Ruby P. Lenzen

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Through a series of interviews, part one of the podcast provides a look into the internal and external strategic factors of a mid-size accounting firm, Hancock/Dana. Partners and staff discuss the firm's history, culture, mission, and values, emphasizing the importance of client relationships and internal development through a "one firm" model. They also address the challenges and opportunities presented by industry trends, technology like AI, and competition, highlighting strategies for talent retention, operational efficiency, and client satisfaction. The conversations reveal how the firm aims to maintain a sustainable competitive advantage in the evolving accounting landscape.

Based on my interviews with …

Proposed Civil Design Package For Lincoln Youth Sports Complex, Gracie Kerr, Hayden Wulf, Kiley Pham, Caitlin Keathley

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

The following report is a proposal of civil work and an engineering design package for the City of Lincoln to construct a Youth Sports Complex on the vacant lot at 2100 North 1^st Street, Lincoln, Lancaster County, Nebraska. The city has requested five U10 to U14 combination baseball and softball fields, one championship softball field, and one championship baseball field. Additionally, a playground area, concessions building, and designated parking areas have been requested. This design package includes introductory company and project information, a summary of the design request and constraints, three overall design alternatives, discipline-specific engineering designs and recommendations, …

Strategic Audit: Wells Fargo & Company, Nathan Q. Gaughan

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

No abstract provided.

A Strategic Audit Of Hilton Hotels, Audrey E. Krieger

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

This paper provides a comprehensive strategic analysis and audit of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc., a global leader in the hospitality industry. It begins with a historical overview of the company and its positioning within the lodging sector, highlighting major competitors such as Marriott International, Hyatt Hotels Corporation, and Airbnb. A PESTEL analysis explores macro-environmental forces shaping the industry, while Porter’s Five Forces framework assesses competitive pressures and how Hilton utilizes its brand strength, digital infrastructure, and loyalty programs to remain resilient. The paper then examines Hilton’s strategic direction and key objectives, identifying sources of competitive advantage and core resources that …

Dr. Doctor: A Look At Life In Medicine, Alexandra Hausmann

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

The life of a medical professional is not easy. The road to get there and the lifestyle when practicing is mentally draining and results in many physicians experiencing burnout. This project and paper explore the stigma surrounding mental health in medicine, examining how fear of professional repercussions prevents many physicians from getting help. Through research and interviews with medical professionals of various specialties, this project looks at the different mental health struggles that each specialty faces. Additionally due to increased social media, medicine continues to evolve at a fast rate. Looking forward, medical professionals will have to deal with increased …

Strategies For Reducing Racial Disparities In Maternal Health Outcomes: An Examination Of The Role Of Doulas, Samavi Rafique

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Comparatively high rates of maternal morbidity and mortality remain a significant concern in the United States, particularly for Black women, who face a risk of maternal mortality that is four times higher than that of white women. Realizing the historical context of this burden requires tracing American obstetric and gynecological medicine to its 19th-century roots, where the medical experimentation of enslaved Black women occurred largely unopposed by the voices of those in power. The legacy of this is embodied in the modern maternal health crisis, marked by stark racial disparities in maternal health outcomes. As non-clinically trained professionals whose supportive …

Gap, Inc. : A Strategic Audit Of Gap, Inc. Company, Amber Hanson, Ike Mcley, Sophie Thomas, Avery Plessel, Kira Pavlik

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

The following paper is a comprehensive overview of the company Gap, Inc., a leading global retailer with a diverse brand portfolio that includes Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic, and Athleta. They compete in the Family Clothing Industry through their operation of over 3,352 brick-and-mortar stores along with offering their digital shopping platform to align with changing consumer preferences. Gap, Inc. plans to maintain financial rigor, reinvigorating its brands, and strengthening its platform. Their strengths are found in their expanding e-commerce segment and their strong commitment to sustainability. Through a broad differentiation strategy, Gap, Inc. targets a diverse consumer demographic across …

Illustrating Insects: Using Art To Encourage Experiences In Entomology, Nia Kaufmann

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

The goal of this creative project is to use art to highlight the diversity of our insect neighbors and encourage others to explore their local environments. In order to accomplish this, I created a poster-sized illustration of five insects I’ve encountered on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s City Campus. All insects are posted within the silhouette of Memorial Stadium, each with an ecological and personal significance. The contrast of a well-known building with less popular insects invokes the audience to reconsider how much attention they pay to the wilderness around them.

Keywords: Entomology, Natural Biodiversity, Illustration, Insects, Appreciation of Nature

He's A Pirate: Greco-Roman Pirates In The Eastern Mediterranean, Nathan Hill

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

For as long as people have traveled by sea, pirates have looked to rob and steal from them. This danger was especially true for travelers in Ancient Greece and Rome. While many ancient sources mention pirates, it is usually just in passing. However, even those few small references allude to a far more important role in history. Through the use of the ancient written sources, inscriptions, and archeological evidence, it becomes apparent that the pirates were an integral part of local economies and politics. Many city-states employed their own sailors in piratical raids against their enemies in and out of …

Beyond The Label Campaign: An Integrated Marketing And Communications Campaign To Educate And Empower Low-Income Communities In The Southern United States, Erica Napuli

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

The Beyond the Label campaign is an Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) initiative designed to educate and empower low-income consumers about food additives, labeling regulations and the impact of making educated food choices on long-term health. This campaign is based on research on current U.S. food labeling and regulations, health risks associated with current ingredients and additives approved through regulations, the disproportionate impact of food policy on low-income communities with a focus on the Southern U.S., as well as further exploration of strategies for multi-channel marketing for targeted audiences. This project proposes a hypothetical partnership with the Environmental Working Group (EWG). …

Carbon Fiber Cv Tripod Axle Design: Husker Motorsports Formula Sae, Taylor D. Boudreaux

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

The 2024–2025 HMS Formula SAE senior design team successfully reduced axle system weight, cost, and improved manufacturability using a bonded tripod joint and ±45° intermediate modulus carbon fiber tube. The final design was validated on HMS 25, with no failures under rigorous testing.

Budget:
/="/"> Total project cost was $1,165.64, exceeding the initial $1,000 target due to unanticipated test rig expenses. However, per-axle production cost was reduced from $525.31 to $383.37 through in-house manufacturing, use of on-hand epoxy (DP460), and switching to cost-effective 7068 aluminum. The axle-specific cost was $766.74.

Timeline:
/="/"> Despite early delays from building a torsional testing …

Chipotle Mexican Grill Strategic Audit: An Analysis Of Chipotle Mexican Grill Business Strategy, Garrett Smith, Karissa Hodge, Baden Brumbaugh, Daniel Koland, Ellie Hurst

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

This report outlines a strategic audit of Chipotle Mexican Grill and its business strategy and policies. The report dives into how Chipotle creates strategic value and competes in the fast-casual food industry. Chipotle’s strategic mission, Cultivate A Better World, motivates them to focus on sustainable practices involving farming, emissions, and water stewardship. Despite facing issues involving health concerns, Chipotle has recovered and positioned itself in a strong position for the near future. With its new CEO, Scott Boatwright, Chipotle has to navigate a crowded fast casual industry that faces market pressures from consumers around healthy eating.

Perfecting The Pride Of All Nebraska, David Swotek

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

For my thesis, I completed a creative project focusing on my involvement in the College of Journalism and Mass Communications. I created a documentary/YouTube-style video about the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Cornhusker Marching Band and how much work goes into creating their performances. I wanted to see what work happens behind the scenes that their large audiences never get to see.

To get all the information I needed to create an efficient and effective piece, I interviewed 13 band students ranging in years, instruments, ranks, etc. It was very important to get a large range of perspectives on this piece because …

Nebraska's Preparedness For A Growing Diverse Aging Population: A Survey Of Area Agencies On Aging, Vince Barger

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

This paper aims to examine the current efforts of Nebraska’s Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) to serve a growing diverse population of older adults (United States Census Bureau, 2023). This project is comprised of a survey created to gauge the thoughts and opinions of Nebraska AAA employees supplemented by a comprehensive literature review. The findings of the literature review indicate the need for an understanding of the importance of diversity and how it affects individual life experiences. The survey revealed that the AAAs are already making changes to reflect the population shift that is currently happening, such as specific programs …

Gut Feeling: A Holistic Digital Tool For Managing Irritable Bowel Syndrome And Food Sensitivities, Hailey M. Olberding

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and food intolerances are increasingly prevalent chronic gastrointestinal (GI) conditions that significantly impair quality of life. While the low-Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides and Polyols (FODMAP) diet has demonstrated success in symptom management, current digital tools fail to offer integrated, user-friendly platforms that holistically track contributing health factors. Gut Feeling is a mobile app (Appendix 1) and complementary website (Appendix 2) developed to fill this gap. By incorporating symptom logging, food intake tracking and complementary database, stress and sleep monitoring, and trend analysis, this platform empowers users to better understand their bodies and manage GI symptoms proactively. …

Biological Reduction Of Perchlorate In Martian Regolith Simulant Using Azospira Oryzae, Brianna Bernhardt

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Establishing a sustainable human presence on Mars will require in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) to reduce costly and inefficient resupply missions. Despite containing many of the requirements for agriculture, Martian regolith is contaminated with toxic levels of perchlorate (ClO₄^-), threatening human health and agricultural success. Biological remediation using perchlorate-reducing bacteria offers a promising approach to address these challenges. This study investigated the perchlorate-reducing ability of Azospira oryzae, a facultative anaerobe capable of converting ClO₄^- to chloride (Cl^-) through dissimilatory respiration. A. oryzae was cultured in Martian regolith simulant (MGS-1) amended with 0.0%, 0.5%, …

Entre La Reforma Y La Realidad: Salud Y Derechos Humanos En Costa Rica, Cuba Y Uruguay, Alyssa M. Nielsen

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Latinoamérica tiene varios sistemas para el cuidado de la salud y el acceso es uno de la lista de los derechos humanos. Esta región es la más desigual del mundo y se han logrado grandes avances, pero no se han distribuido equitativamente. Los sistemas de Cuba, Costa Rica y Uruguay son bien desarrollados, pero funcionan diferente. Costa Rica y Uruguay tienen opciones públicas y privadas y tienen maneras como la Mutualista en Uruguay y la Caja en Costa Rica para cubrir las visitas y servicios necesarios. Cuba es el sistema más controversial y tiene gran influencia de Castro, de donde …

A Strategic Audit Of Cnh Industrial, Cassidy Hoffman, Derek Huss, Maren Tuell, Cami Chapin, Megan Berg

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

This research examines CNH Industrial, a leading global agricultural machinery company, and its strategic approach to innovation, sustainability, and customer loyalty. Operating under brands like CASE IH and New Holland Agriculture, CNH focuses on integrating advanced technology into its products, such as precision agriculture tools, to enhance efficiency, optimize fuel savings, and support sustainable agricultural practices. The company’s comprehensive business model, which spans from product development to financing, fosters strong customer retention and brand loyalty.

Through a differentiation strategy, CNH maintains competitiveness in the face of intense market rivalry, particularly with industry leader John Deere. This study analyzes CNH’s ability …

A Comprehensive Analysis Of Virtual Reality In Modern Healthcare Education, Adarsha Ganesan

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

This thesis evaluates the effectiveness of virtual reality (VR) in healthcare education through multiple facets of evaluation: educational outcomes, accessibility considerations, and financial viability. Drawing from an extensive literature review on existing research and a case study of the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) College of Nursing's "Journey Through the Kidney" VR experience, this analysis examines how technology can transform modern medical education. While research shows mixed results regarding virtual reality’s impact on assessment outcomes, studies demonstrate increased student motivation and engagement, which can have lasting downstream effects on the quality of learning. Accessibility analysis reveals both opportunities and …

Advancing Mitochondrial Dna Visualization And Dynamics In Plants: Application Of The Mt-Hi-Ness Fluorescent Marker, Madeleine H. Faber

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) plays a crucial role in cellular energy production and inheritance, yet its dynamics and exchange remain poorly understood in plant systems due to limitations in visualization techniques. Traditional visualization methods such as exogenous DNA stains and fluorescent protein markers present challenges in specificity and live-cell imaging. To address this challenge, we adapted the MT-HI-NESS fluorescent marker, originally developed for mammalian cells, for use in plant mitochondrial studies. Using Arabidopsis thaliana as a model system, we employed mitochondrial targeting sequences (IVD and AOX) to ensure accurate localization and to confirm mtDNA binding specificity. The validation process included fluorescence-based …

Sisterly Bonds Beyond The Grave: The Ethical Implications Of Posthumously Publishing Jane Austen’S Persuasion, Ashleigh Jay

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

By the time that Jane Austen died in 1817, she had only published four novels. After her death, her family retained her other writings. Later that year, they published one of Austen’s finished manuscripts which became the novel Persuasion. This act of posthumous publication invokes inquiries into whether the action was ethical. In order to better understand the ethics of publishing Persuasion posthumously, one can look at information from Jane Austen’s life and ideas around posthumous actions. Even though Persuasion by Jane Austen was published posthumously, Austen’s choice to leave the manuscript with her sister and her completion of …

Through Every Door A New Story: An Advertising Campaign For Francie & Finch Bookshop, Aislinn T. Sullivan

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

More and more of our world is run by algorithms. What we see, what we buy, and what we share. Online retail has sent ripples through the book-selling industry, but the algorithms can’t replicate the feeling of tangible discovery and shared experience.

As more free time is taken up by digital entertainment, moms are seeking to create personally resonant experiences for those they love. This campaign strives to introduce Francie & Finch as the stage for the target market, moms ages 35-50, increasing brand awareness.

These moms remember the things that tightened their bond with their loved ones like …

The Commodification Of Native American Remains: The Use Of Native American Remains Within Educational Institutions And The Implementation Of Nagpra, Molly Nowak

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Indigenous communities have been commodified within educational institutions such as museums, universities, and governmental agencies throughout American history. Unethical collection practices have allowed for a disproportionate representation of Indigenous remains and materials within educational institutions. Indigenous bodies, funerary objects, religious materials, and other important cultural materials have been stolen from their communities and used for scientific discovery and education. The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), passed in 1990, created legal protections for Indigenous graves and remains and instigates the return of the stolen materials. This project reviews the historical contexts behind the collection of Indigenous remains, the …

Women Composers’ Music Contributions Equal To Those Of Male Counterparts During The Romantic Era, Chelsea J. Abels

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Though women composers were downplayed and overlooked, they were no less talented than their male counterparts, providing meaningful compositions and contributions to Romantic Era music. This thesis studies three women who made meaningful contributions during the Romantic period. Their names are Clara Schumann, Amy Beach, and Fanny Hensel Mendelssohn. Four aspects about them will be studied: The life and childhood of each woman, the trials and discrimination they faced, the problems they solved, and how their works compare to male composers. These three women were prodigy musicians and skilled composers. They demonstrated a great affinity for music from an early …

Conagra Brands Strategic Audit, Ashley R. Nierman

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

The goal of this paper is to present a comprehensive strategic audit of Conagra Brands, Inc., a major company in the consumer-packaged foods industry. The audit evaluates the external environment of Conagra, including a PESTEL analysis and Porter’s Five Forces analysis. Various industry factors that affect Conagra’s operations are taken into consideration. It will also explain the internal environment of Conagra using tools such as a SWOT analysis, financial performance review, and strategy explanation. Key areas of focus include shifting demands, including consumers’ desire for more healthy and sustainable food options, recent political and economic factors, competitive advantages of Conagra, …

Intersectionality In Tennis (Wta) Sports Media, Emily Stoner

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

This “applied knowledge” project investigates and observes intersectionality in tennis sports media via the women’s professional tour (WTA). Intersectionality in Tennis (WTA) Sports Media analyzes how intersectionality as a concept and social justice lens impacts and is impacted by media. By considering intersectional identities and their implications in sports media narratives and coverage, this piece displays some telling patterns and perpetuations.

At the professional level, tennis certainly does not garner the most profit or attention, but it provides a unique world of intersecting identities, cultures, geography and tradition. This work aims to shed light on the state of sports media, …

Caterpillar Strategic Audit, Tyler Vander Woude, Grant Kingston, Kaiden Bedient, Drew Shafer

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

This strategic audit evaluates Caterpillar Inc.'s business-level and corporate-level strategies, examining how the company maintains its competitive advantage in the heavy machinery and industrial equipment sectors. The research focuses on Caterpillar's hybrid approach, combining differentiation and cost leadership strategies to offer high-quality, durable products while optimizing costs through technological innovation, supply chain efficiencies, and product longevity. The methodology for this audit includes a comprehensive internal and external analysis, incorporating frameworks such as SWOT, PESTEL, VRIO, and Porter’s Five Forces. Additionally, Caterpillar’s strategic initiatives in vertical and horizontal integration, governance structure, and financial performance were assessed. The research also explores the …