All master’s theses completed through the Graduate College of Western Michigan University since 2012 have been entered into ScholarWorks. Some may be embargoed or restricted by the authors and may be only available from on-campus computers. Print copies from earlier years are available through interlibrary loan. We are in the process of adding digital copies from earlier years. If you have any questions, please contact maira.bundza@wmich.edu.
Theses from 2018
Punks in the Church: The Relationship Between the Punk Subculture and Church in East Germany, Ruth A. Aardsma Benton
Spatial Effects of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) on Poverty Reduction in Colombia: A Mixed Methods Approach, Mayra Alejandra Yat Aguilar
From Architectural Design to Structural Analysis: A Data-Driven Approach to Study Building Information Modeling (BIM) Interoperability, Mohammed Aldegeily
On WLAN Fingerprint Indoor Positioning Systems Clustering, and Classification for Enhanced Performance, Haider G. Al Glehawi
Computational Study of the Nature of Tetrel Bond, Yama Aman
Geologic Mapping of the Bronson North and Bronson South 7.5-Minute Quadrangles, Branch County, Michigan, Karl John Backhaus
Pyrolysis of Plastic Waste from Medical Services Facilities into Potential Fuel and/or Fuel Additives, Bright Kweku Ansah Baiden
The Role of Arts Education in Closing the Achievement Gap in High Poverty Schools, Deanne Basse
Spectral Discrimination of Phragmites Australis at Different Phenological Stages in Saginaw Bay, Michigan, Trenton Benedict
A Collection of Three Pieces for Solo Instrument and Electronics, Carolyn Borcherding
Teaching the Soft Skills through the Arts: A Supplementary Art Curriculum, Brittany Boverhof
An Evaluation of Domestic Violence Shelter Programs and Research Best Practices, Katherine Brown
Evaluating the Efficacy of Convolution Neural Networks in Age at Deat Estimation Using 3D Scans of the Pubic Symphyseal Face, Melissa A. Brown
Use of Fluorescein Dye for Characterizing Water and Solute Flux Across the Groundwater – Surface Water Interface, Ryan Nicholas Cascarano
Language Profiles of Children Who Have Experienced Complex Trauma and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, Christel G. Ciolino
College Self-Funding Predicting Deviant Behaviors, Blake A. Darling
Forward-Looking, Velocity-Driven, Powertrain Modeling and Optimal Control for Continuous Variable Transmission, Paresh Deshmukh
Effect of Social Feedback on Emotions and Preferences in Music, Megan Dillon
Immuno-Ligated Single Wall Nanotube-Impregnated Paper Strips for Biosensing, Wesley Exposito
The Sunlight Cycle, Michael Flynn
A Survey of Perceptions and Professional Boundaries Between Music Therapy and Speech-Language Pathology, Jennifer Rose Fromius
Peer and Self Reflective Evaluations; Benefits and Techniques Used in a Middle School Art Room Setting, Mary Garrod
Application of Handheld ED-XRF for High-Resolution Chemostratigraphy in Texturally Homogeneous Carbonate Mudstones: Salina A-1 Carbonate (Silurian), Michigan Basin, Matthew A. Hemenway
The Effects of Gateway Width on Driver Yielding to Pedestrians: A Systematic and Parametric Analysis, Jonathan M. Hochmuth
Professional Preparedness: A Satisfaction Survey for Music Therapists in the United States, Xueyan Hua
Maintaining Deck Profile in Steel I-Girder Bridges During Deck Placement, Ali Naif Inceefe
An Examination of Age Labels in Music Related Dissertations and Theses: 2009-2016, Phillicia Jackson
Exploring the Relevance of Art Therapy in Public Education, Brandy A. Jarrell
What Provides for Me as I Provide for Others? A Study of Homeless Shelters Employees Within Kalamazoo, Michigan, Melanie Jezior
Organocatalyzed Synthesis of Epoxides from Chalcones Utilizing Amino Acids, Sabrina N. Kegeler
Characterization of Pinitol Catabolism in Sinorhizobium Meliloti and its Role in Nodule Occupancy, Angela Irene Kennedy-Mendez
Effects of Instability on Core Muscle Activation in a Side Bridge, Erin E. Kishman
Geochemical and Petrological Investigation of the Prospective Ni-Cu-Pge Mineralization at the Echo Lake Intrusion in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, USA, Alexander J. Koerber
Interannual Variations of Snowfall in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan and Impacts of Local and Remote Meteorological Conditions, Nirjala Koirala
Control-Oriented Automatic Transmission- Based Powertrain Modeling and Simulation with Judder, Harshal B. Kundale
A Comparison of Alternative Route Alignments for the North Country Trail Through Calhoun County, MI, Whitney K. Lambert
Deer-Vehicle Collisions in Kalamazoo County, Michigan: A Study Using GIS and Statistical Modeling, Alex Todd LaPorte
Assessing the Benefits and Risks of Choice-Based Art Education in the Modern-Day Classroom, Kayla Lindeman
Synthesis and Characterization of Fluorescent Nanojars, Vageesha Warnajith Liyana Gunawardana
Deviance Fluidity on the Urban Landscape: Graffiti and Street Art as Non-Normative Placemaking, Alyson M. Mabie
A Study of the Effect of Socio-Cultural Demographics, Health Status, and Use of Music on Music Preferences, Kaitlin McKinley
Determinants of Household Water Use in the City of Kalamazoo, Michigan: The Role of Climate and Socioeconomic Factors, Danielle Molenaar
Confidential Publics: Digital Reconciliation and Queer Muslim Identities, Mariam Mustafa
Spatio-Temporal Variability of Precipitation and Drought in the State of Arizona, USA, Samuel Nimako Nyarkoh
The Academic Lineage of Music Therapy: Examining Fecundity Through Music Therapy Dissertations and Theses, Tomoko Page
A Survey of Security and Privacy in Mobile Cloud Computing, Bhuvaneswari Rayapuri
Stifling the Subversive Swing: An Austrian Perspective on the Nazi Jazz Ban, Colin J. Rensch
Contribution of Monoaminergic Mechanisms to the Discriminative Stimulus Effects of 3,4-Methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) in Sprague-Dawley Rats, Harmony I. Risca
Investigation of Discrete Element Methods for Stud to Turf Interactions, Justin Rittenhouse
Spatial and Temporal Changes in Halal Food Sales and Consumption A Case Study of the City of Dearborn, Michigan, Sam Roodbar
The Use of Sonification to Enhance Complex Motor Movements: Patterned Sensory Enhancement and the Discus Throw, Masina F. Rose
Plant U-Box Proteins 25 and 26 are Involved in Regulation of Crosstalk Between Salicylate and Jasmonate Signaling Pathways, Dustin C. Rowland
Mapping Bedrock Topography of the Portage and Schoolcraft NW 7.5’ Quadrangles, Kalamazoo Co. MI, Using the HVSR Passive Seismic Method, Benjamin B. Seiderman
Experimental Comparison Between Hollow Cathodes with Cermet, Lanthanum Hexaboride, and Barium Oxide Insert Materials, Nagual Simmons
The Academic Lineage of Music Therapy: Examining Fecundity Through University and College Professorships, Bernadette F. Skodack
A Parametric Analysis of Choice Under Risk, David W. Sottile
Do Changes in Stratification, Caused by the Application of Road Salt Deicers, Impact The Vertical Profiles of Lake Microbial Communities?, Emily I. Sprague
Power-Efficient and Highly Scalable Parallel Graph Sampling using FPGAs, Muhammad Usman Tariq
Determination of Chemical Notch, Kchem on Aluminum and Steel When Subjected Under Slow Strain Rate Test in Corrosive Environment, Joshua Teo Lee Kuok
An Investigation of Sub-Meter Skill in STEM and Non-STEM Undergraduate Students, Laura A. Tingin
Evaluation of Generalized and Specific Token Reinforcement Using a Paired Stimulus Preference Assessment and Progressive Ratio Schedules, Haily K. Traxler
Implemenatation of Additive Print Manufacturing Processes for the Development of Flexible Thermal Sensors, Vikram Shreeshail Turkani
A Guide for the Development of Theoretical Understanding and Practice of Teaching for Artistic Behavior: A Response for 21st Century Art Education, Lisa Van Plew-Cid
Social Support in Relationships Between Two Cancer Patients, Kara Woodshank
MgSnN2: A New Eco-Friendly Wide Band Gap Semiconductor, Krystal R. York
Facebook Intensity Use Related to Gender Identity and Self-Esteem Among Female College Students, Li Zhang
Theses from 2017
A Study on the Impact of Instruction Set Architectures on Processor’s Performance, Ayaz Akram
Enhancing Intersection Safety for the Blind and Visually Impaired (BVI) Pedestrian Using Device-to-Infrastructure Communication, Mohammad Sayyah Al-Akash
Visualizing the Constructability of a Steel Structure Using Building Information Modeling and Game Simulation, Mohammed Al Dafaay
Copper Binding and Biophysical Studies of Dictyostelium Discoideum PIB-Type Atpase, Wilson Protein Metal- Binding Domain Four, and Synthesis and Metal Binding Studies of Staphylopine, Aimen Sabah Ali AL-Hilfi
Voltage Controller for Simulating Transition between Boost –Buck -Boost Converter, Al-Kamil
Guided by the Spirits: The Meanings of Life, Death and Youth Suicide in an Ojibwa Community, Seth Allard
Middle Level Multicultural/Social Justice Art Education Curriculum, Meghan E. G. Andrews
Veterans’ Satisfaction with Veterans’ Administration Healthcare Systems, Dale Arnold
Snow and Non-Snow Events Based Winter Traffic Crash Pattern Analysis and Developing Lake Effect Snow Induced Crash Count Prediction Model, Bandhan Dutta Ayon
Coming to the United States: An Exploration of Third Culture Building Processes Emerging from University Sponsored International/Host-National Student Interactions, Margaret E. Baker
Interpersonal Impressions of Emoji Use in Computer-Mediated Decision Making, Austin Jonathan Beattie
Life among Good Women: The Social and Religious Impact of the Cathar Perfectae in the Thirteenth-Century Lauragais, Derek Robert Benson
Evaluation of Swarm Nodes for Proximity Sensing on Construction Sites, Mohamed Ahmed Madi Binalhaj
An Ethnohistorical Study of the Dowagiac Chieftains, Kathryn A. Bishop
Timelines and Trade Chat: Comparing Contextual Self-Disclosure and Perceived Social Capital on Social Networking Sites and Massively Multiplayer Online Games, Ryan P. Castillo
Killing Me Softly: The Missed Education of African American Females, Margaret Daphne Cattenhead
Evaluating the Affective Impact of a Place-Based Learning Course Project in the Geosciences, Nathan Charlton
The Impact of Mindfulness Training in a Division I Gymnastics Team: A Pilot Study, Nicholas Cherup
Regulation of Chronic Inflammation in Endothelial Cells by Oxidized Fatty Acids, Cole
Effect of Design Parameters on Thermal Performance of a Vane Type Disc Brake Rotor, Yogesh Satish Dalal
Atmospheric Microbial Community Sampling System for Varying Altitude Collection, Kenneth David Domingue
Revisiting the One-Sided EWMA Control Chart Design, Duong-Tran
The Influence of Road Salt on Seasonal Mixing and Redox Stratification in Three Southwest Michigan Kettle Lakes, Danielle Dupuis
Testing the Arousal Hypothesis: The Effect of Music on Arousal as Measured by Electrodermal Activity during Verbal Processing, Meghan E. Feeman
Gravity and Passive Seismic Methods Used Jointly for Understanding the Subsurface in a Glaciated Terrain: Dowling and Maple Grove Quadrangles, Barry County, Michigan, Scott A. Feldpausch