The honors thesis is a time-honored tradition in the Lee Honors College. It is an opportunity for students to demonstrate to themselves and others the knowledge and skills they have developed during their undergraduate studies and honors experience. The general purpose of the thesis is to create a capstone work that reflects the expertise they have developed in their major field of study or interest.
Honors theses completed at Western Michigan University are entered into ScholarWorks. Some may be embargoed or restricted by the authors or we have been unable to reach the authors, so the theses may be only available from on-campus computers. If you are an author of an honors thesis and would like to make it available off campus or if you have any questions, please contact wmu-scholarworks@wmich.edu.
Theses from 2018
Do students feel safe on campus? A Policy Evaluation of the Clery Act, Amanda Sidwell
Mastication's Effect on Middle Ear Muscle Contractions, Madeline Smith
Where Are We Losing Them? An Exploration of Barriers to Buy-In of Higher Education Responsible Employee Policies, Danielle Snow
The Importance of Athletic Trainers at the High School Level and Barriers to Hire, Nathan Southerington
Positive Discipline as a Part of Effective Classroom Management, Allison Stevens
The Proton Veto Project at WMU/MSU, Justin Swaim
Compressed Air Systems Evaluation and Improvement, Lukas Swoboda
The influence of plant modularity on the defense against specialist insect herbivory, Jill Syrotchen
Discovery from Failure: Understanding Developing Countries' Battles with Poverty and Culturally Appropriate Answers to Them, Daniel Tennant
A Four Year Moment, Hannah Truckenbrod
Solid State Light Conversion, Jumana Turkistani
An Evaluation of Physical Activity Methods of College Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Justin Vagnozzi
Waxing, Waning, Waking: A collection of poetry and prose, Brook VanBruggen
Senior Voice Recital, Brianna Van Houten
Distillation Optimization in the Pharmaceutical Industry, Daniel VanZweden
Planning a Year End Formal, Anna Volkman
Optimizing Injection Protocols for a Plant Virus-based Transient Expression System in Tobacco, Stephani Walters
Lee Honors College Mobile Application, James Ward
Comparing RNA Interference Methods in Planarians, Gabrielle Watson
Real-Time Neuron Membrane Voltage Controller, Joshua White
Collective Memory and the Argentine Military Dictatorship: A Discourse Analysis, Caitlin Wiley
Intercultural Communication in the U.S. and Japan, Annelise Wilp
Perennial: An Undergraduate Thesis in Poetry, Austin Wines
An investigation of the efficacy of corn cob hemicellulose as a gas barrier and dry strength agent on previously uncoated linerboard, Zachary Witherspoon
Kalamazoo FC Social Media Plan, Brittney Wojcik
The Implications of State Policies Regarding Funding and Accessibility to Planned Parenthood, Eboni Wooley
Insertion of IL-2 Gene into Tanapoxvirus Genome, Helen Woyczesczyk
An Overpayment and Improved Reconciliation Process, Logan Wright
Theses from 2017
Implementation of a Biology Summer Bridge Program for First-Year Biology Majors, Madelyn Aittama
Energy Modeling of Production Line to Produce Baked Snack, Ibrahim Alnaghmoush
The Laureate; 16th Edition, Nicholas Alti
An Analysis of Staffing Best Practices with an Emphasis on Small Business, Joshua Angles
Low-Cost Control Engineering Experiments, Megan Arduin
Precarious Positions of Femininity in Contemporary Literature: A College Course Creation, Ireland Atkinson
Teaching Imitation to Children with Autism Using Most-to-Least Prompt Fading in Front of a Mirror, Giulia Avelar
Relative Rates of Success of Students in Calculus I, Joshua Ayerdi
Bringing Life to a Biology Lab, Harrison Bach
Going Beyond the Textbook: Revitalizing Culture in the Spanish Classroom, Sarah Basar
Symptoms, Infectious Pathway, Treatment, and History of Rabies in the United States, Paul Beckman-Ellenwood
Impulse Graduating Presentation of Erzsi Bernath, Erszebet Bernath
Low Acuity Pediatric Patients Presenting Uncomplicated Colds and Nonspecific Upper Respiratory Symptoms in U.S. Emergency Departments, Margaret Berry
“Showing the Science and the Success of Music Therapy”, Breanne Bishop
Amayra Short; Touch of Shadow (Creative Writing, Fictional Short Story), Jessica Blandford
A comparative analysis of regeneration among various planarian species, Marine Bolliet
Explicit Programming for Icon Rings: Visual-Based Discrimination, Samantha Borowski
1984: Book Arts as a Driver of Thought Expansion, Kelly Brandon
RePrinter, Christian Brower
Teaching a Scanning Response to a Child with Autism, Katherine Burnham
Using Video Modeling to Teach Functional Direction Following, Breanna Burns
Enzyme Characterization of SABATH Family Members, Troy Burtchett
Substitute Salvation: An Online Classroom Resource, Rachel Callaly
Therapeutic Benefits of Certified Canines for Veterans with War-Related Trauma Disorders, Erin Caspers
Extraction Studies of Toxic Multiply Charged Oxoanions from Aqueous Media Using Nanojars, Hartman Christian
The Culture of Destiny: A Community Culture, Thomas Clinkenbeard
Summer Bash 2017 Fundraiser Event, Tyler Connors
Cultivating Cultural Exchange: Improving University Study Abroad Programs, Katherine Crawford
The Benefits of Immersion in Learning a Foreign Language, Cassidy Crouch
Hockey Data Analytics, Travis Culhane
Next Generation Modular Oven Accessory Development, Samuel Dayton
Cross Cultural Study of Food and CPG Products in a New Market: Case Study in the United States vs Thailand, Mariel Dehn
Dance Cross Training Benefits for Football Athletes, Tenille Dellinger
A Comparative Study of International Airlines in the Middle East and the United States, Diogene De Souza
A Collection of Short Fiction by Andew J. Draper, Andrew Draper
Marketing through Social Media: Reaching Generation Z, America Edwards
Dog Breed Discrimination in Criminology and Public Knowledge, Megan Ekkert
Feed the Birds, Haley Ellis
Comparison of Internships in the United States and Germany, Kelsey Ennis
MAT Capstone Project: Big Band Album, Alexander Ensing
Increasing Shared Attention in Children with Developmental Delays, Shelby Esman
Cross Cultural Study of Food and Consumer Packaged Good Products in a New Market: Case Study in Thailand, Savanna Everett
A Study on the Order Fulfillment Process in Relation to the e-Commerce Industry, Joel Eyrich
Toilet-Training a Child with Autism in a School Setting, Kristianna Ferrier
Wild Freedom, Elizabeth Field
Perceived Sources of Academic Stress in the Nursing Program, Iana Fontanilla
How Autonomous Vehicles Are Driving the Future, Savannah Fragosos
Gender Bias in Sports Media, Leia Fuller
Social Media Marketing for Habitat for Humanity, Jordan Gallant
Torsion Element Test Bench Design, Trevor Gick
Delving into Multicultural Literature with Inquiry, Juan Gonzalez
The Impact of Higher Education on Linguistic Culture in Senegal and the Midwest United States, Kelsey Gough
Women Leaders in Marketing: Breaking Through the Glass Ceiling, Hallie Green
Permissions between Creators and Users: An Investigation of Particulars in Privacy Policies for Mobile Apps, Abbigail Griffith
Impact of Men's Shed on Social Participation and Health Outcomes, Joshua Grimmer
I Was Taught to Yell Fire, Marina Gutierrez
Sum-Defined Colorings in Graphs, James Hallas
Food Selectivity: A Guide for Parents, Taylor Hall
Effects of Deafferentation on the Expression of the Activity Marker c-Fos in the Zebrafish Olfactory Bulb, Natalie Hamilton
Western Michigan University’s Department of Dance Marketing Plan, Cassandra Hartline
Reach for the Stars, Jill Heilborn
Type 1a Supernova Models and Galactic Chemical Evolution, Spencer Henning
Design of a CubeSat Separation Mechanism, Ross Hiller
Improving Access to Communication for Adults with Aphasia using "Aphasia-Friendly" Accommodations, Chandler Hodgkin
Kalamazoo Wings Student Participation Campaign, Kelly Hughes
Analyzing the Legislative Productivity of Congress During the Obama Administration, Zachary Hunkins
Health Benefits of a Plant-based Diet, Jenna Jackson
Functional Communication Training and Discriminated Manding, Colleen Jones
The Black Athlete, Venezia Jones
ScrimmageSIM & Stryker: Utilizing Simulations for Improved Supply Planning, Laura Karlen