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 2014
The Relevance of Fraternity New Member Education Programs, Christopher Miller
The Effectiveness Internal Auditing has to Help Improving Companies, Kelsey Miller
!Que aproveche! An American Student's Encounter with The Culture and Language of Spanish Food, Amanda Mills
The NFL: Growing Into its Death, Cole J. Molnar
The Dynamics of Business Communication: a Look at Social Media Use in the Workplace, Lindsey Munro
The Impact of Prenatal Stress on the Development of Limbic System Structures, Alyssa Murray
Is a mutation in the homolog of CDC20 causing the zombie mutant phenotype in zebrafish, Damir Musaev
Two-Way Dual-Immersion Programs, Monica Nealis
Sexism Across Musical Genres: A Comparison, Sarah Neff
Influences and Perspectives: Studying Abroad in Germany, Alexandra Nelson
Senior Honors Recital, Mark Niskanen
Leni Sinclair & Lessons from the 60s/70s Era, Chelsie Noble
Lack of Medicaid Funding for Occupational Therapy Serving the Autism Spectrum Disorder Population Ages 0-5 Years, Mary O'Donohue
Rationale & Literature Review of Vocational Training Tools & Skill Implementation in Mental Health Populations, Matthew R. Olivier
Subtalar Fusion Fixture Design and Test, Nathan Ortiz
Teratogenic Effects of alcohol on Xenopus Auditory Hindbrain, Stephanie Palazzolo
The Adventures of Ophelia: Using Children's Literature in the Math Curriculum, Rachel Palgut
Art and Aphasia: A Literary Review and Exhibition, Jessica Parrish
USG Otsego Paper Lighting Audit, Fernanda Pereira
The Difference of Alpha Synuclein and Hook3 in Control and Multiple System Atrophy Experimental Patients, Alyssa Peterson
Never Not, Margaret Piellusch
ParWeb: a front-end interface for cluster computing., Jacob Potter
Development of Long Endurance Small Unmanned Aerial System, Andreas Quainoo
Teacher Guidebook for ESL Students, Ashley Ramo
An Examination of the Mental Health Services Provided to Students at Western Michigan University, Melissa Rex
Labeling of retinal ganglion cells in a rat glaucoma model, Lucia Rodriguez
Individualized Education Program Complexities for Students with Autism, Jordan Rohraff
Autism Project: Case Study Evaluating Behavioral Interventions for the Self-Injurious Behavior of Biting, Brittani Rohrig
"Partita", a 2014 Bachelor of Fine Arts Graduating Presentation, Michele Rosemann
Teaching Book Arts in the Classroom to Enhance Education, Leah Ruesink
Emerging Themes in Dystopian Literature: The Development of an Undergraduate Course, Devin Ryan
Derivatives of Hexahydroluplone, Gullan Saeed
The Effects of Child Birth Order and Number of Children on Mother’s Supervision Beliefs and Practices, Alyssa Schramm
A Series of Paintings Inspired by Italian Statuary, Crystal Shaulis
Is It Because of My Hair?, Pasha Shipp
Continuous Carotenoid Reaction, Diane Simmons
Mandatory Arrest Policy Implications and Domestic Violence, Stephanie Smith
A Qualtitative Comparison Examining how the Educational Needs of Students with Disabilities are met in West Africa vs. the United States, Katherine Sniegowski
Effectiveness of TSA Regulations in General Aviation, Samantha Somers
Maternal and Neonatal Health Indicators: A Comparison Between Women Receiving Traditional and Centering (Group) Prenatal Care, Leslie Stork
Undergraduate Students’ Knowledge about Applying to and Attending Graduate School in Speech-Language Pathology: The Effect of a Panel Presentation on the Topics, Chelsea Swadling
Promoting Literacy in the Elementary Art Classroom, Michelle Tabachki
Antibiotic Resistance in Wild Birds, Jordan Teachout
Catholicism and the Crisis of Conversion, Nicole Terranova
Asymmetric Reaction of N-Heterocyclic Carbenes in Green Solvents, William Thayer
The Importance of Creative Movement in the Elementary School Classroom, Leah Thibaudeau
Contesting Erasure = Progressive Representations of Queer Identities in Adolescent Literature, Andrew Trevarrow
Protestantism, Liberalism, and Racial Equality, Abraham Uppal
Investigating Adolescent Bullying Programs: Bridging the Gap between Theory and Practice, Amanda Waligora
Catabolism of Inositol Derivatives in Sinorhizobium meliloti, Olivia Walser
Functional Variants of Metal-Binding Domains 5 and 6 of the Human Wilson Protein, Sandra Weitzner
A Postmortem on NaNoWriMo: Analyzing the Creative Process of Writing Under Time Constraints, Mary Westveer
Alexander Hamilton: Slavery, Politics, and Class Status, Sara Weyenberg
Social Media and Its Impact on International Relations: a Closer Look at the Benghazi Incident of September 11, 2012, Heidi White
Neuroplasticity and Mindfulness Meditation, Richard Widdett
Eternal Wisdom Boutique, Anndreisha Williams
U.S. and Spanish Newspapers and the Coverage of the Land Campaign of Cube in the Spanish-American War: June 7 - July 16, 1898, Tyler Wilson
"All That Jazz: directing a nonprofit vocal jazz ensemble", Elizabeth Wood
Energy Efficient Lighting Analysis, Jin Yu Woo
Sensor Technology for Supporting Independence Among Cognitively Impaired Elders, Kelsey Wright
Theses from 2013
"Effects of a Specific Acetylcholine Receptor Agonist in a Rat Glaucoma Model", Maha Alfaidi
Service Learning and Groundswell, Katherine Baran
Behavioral Training Relations: Transferring behavioral contingencies from shelter to home settings through online enrichment., Alaina Birchmeier
Psychopathy and Ethics in Contemporary Society, Amy Bokros
Secondary Analysis of Adolescent and Young Adult Sexual Health in Kalamazoo and Jackson Counties, Kayla Bolter
Effects of Phytoestrogens on LH and FSH in Male Rats, Tia Boye
Investigating Microbial Biodegradation of Pyridinium Ionic Liquids, Barbara Buehler
Prevalence of Pregnancy Folkloric Beliefs Among Nurse-Midwifery Client Populations, Iris Aleece Campbell
Rapid Test for Determining the Presence of Oleic Acid, Serena Chambers
The Role of el Cid in Medieval Spanish Culture and Epic Literature, Emily Chaney
Behavioral Awareness Concerning Safety Among First-Year and Returning Residence Hall Students, Brian Church
Senior Recital on Violin and Viola, Veronica Cieri
Roman Religion, Medicine, and Disease, Stephanie Clark
Effective Teaching Practices to Strengthen Outcomes for Students with Emotional Behavior Disorders, Brittnae Cole
Residential Treatment of Adult Women with Eating Disorders, Chelsea Cook
When Evil Met Science: Nazi Medicine and Eugenics, Ashley Corey
Effects of Age on Induced Glaucoma in an In Vivo Rat Model, Robert Cox
Smart Meter Technology and the Effects on Grocery Retailers, Cara Cremeans
The Effects of a Phytoestrogen Diet on the Presentation of AR and ER-alpha in the Epididymis and Testis of Rats, Katelyn Crim
The Implication of Patient-Based Interventions Leading to a More Effective Treatment of Anticipatory Nausea & Vomiting in Cancer Patients, Katelyn Delaney
The Assessment of a Professional Career Development Course Curriculum, Amber DePree
Review and Analysis of Articles Published on Incentives in the Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, Amber Derthick
Entertainment News Production: A Case Study, Ashley Derthick
Industrial Wireless Communication System for Notification, Jolica Dias, Devin Semrau, and Jumana Abukabbos
Female Roles and Fan Fiction in Charmed, Supernatural, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Krystalle Double
"Evolution", Bryan Doughty
Intraocular pressure measurements in a rat glaucoma model, Michael Doyle
Vive le Proletariat: The 1968 Revolt of French Workers and Students, John Duhan
The Importance of Anger Management Programs in Elementary Schools, Brittany Esterline
Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Reactive Oxygen Species in Neurodegeneration, Leah Farina
The Effects of Preprinted versus Handwritten SAFMEDS on Fluency, Samantha Fodrocy
Physical Activity in Health Profession Students, Sara Haller