Barrett, The Honors College Thesis/Creative Project Collection
Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University proudly showcases the work of undergraduate honors students by sharing this collection exclusively with the ASU community.
Barrett accepts high performing, academically engaged undergraduate students and works with them in collaboration with all of the other academic units at Arizona State University. All Barrett students complete a thesis or creative project which is an opportunity to explore an intellectual interest and produce an original piece of scholarly research. The thesis or creative project is supervised and defended in front of a faculty committee. Students are able to engage with professors who are nationally recognized in their fields and committed to working with honors students. Completing a Barrett thesis or creative project is an opportunity for undergraduate honors students to contribute to the ASU academic community in a meaningful way.
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- Creators: Lee, Christopher
- Creators: Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Eng Program
Description
As a student and then an Undergraduate Teaching Assistant (UGTA), I have had the opportunity to personally witness the learning process of both myself and approximately 75 additional incoming Civil Engineering students taking the Mechanics courses after me. While watching the student learning process as an UGTA, I realized that there were consistent points of confusion amongst the students that the teaching staff could not efficiently communicate with the electronic or physical classroom materials available. As a physical learner, I am able to learn more comprehensively if I have a physical model to manipulate, and often found myself in the position of wanting to be able to physically represent and manipulate the systems being studied in class.
ContributorsCamillucci, Allyson Nicole (Co-author, Co-author) / Hjelmstad, Keith (Thesis director) / Chatziefstratiou, Efthalia (Committee member) / Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Eng Program (Contributor, Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
From 2007 to 2017, the state of California experienced two major droughts that required significant governmental action to decrease urban water demand. The purpose of this project is to isolate and explore the effects of these policy changes on water use during and after these droughts, and to see how these policies interact with hydroclimatic variability. As explanatory variables in multiple linear regression (MLR) models, water use policies were found to be significant at both the zip code and city levels. Policies that specifically target behavioral changes were significant mathematical drivers of water use in city-level models. Policy data was aggregated into a timeline and coded based on categories including user type, whether the policy was voluntary or mandatory, the targeted water use type, and whether the change in question concerns active or passive conservation. The analyzed policies include but are not limited to state drought declarations, regulatory municipal ordinances, and incentive programs for household appliances. Spatial averages of available hydroclimatic data have been computed and validated using inverse distance weighting methods. The data was aggregated at the zip code level to be comparable to the available water use data for use in MLR models. Factors already known to affect water use, such as temperature, precipitation, income, and water stress, were brought into the MLR models as explanatory variables. After controlling for these factors, the timeline policies were brought into the model as coded variables to test their effect on water demand during the years 2000-2017. Clearly identifying which policy traits are effective will inform future policymaking in cities aiming to conserve water. The findings suggest that drought-related policies impact per capita urban water use. The results of the city level MLR models indicate that implementation of mandatory policies that target water use behaviors effectively reduce water use. Temperature, income, unemployment, and the WaSSI were also observed to be mathematical drivers of water use. Interaction effects between policies and the WaSSI were statistically significant at both model scales.
ContributorsHjelmstad, Annika Margaret (Author) / Garcia, Margaret (Thesis director) / Larson, Kelli (Committee member) / Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Eng Program (Contributor, Contributor) / School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-12
Description
The sport of football has become one of the most widely loved and watched sports in the United States. Fans of football are extremely dedicated to the sport and form very personal, emotional attachments to teams within the National Football League. Through studying these fans, three main analysis topics will be addressed in this thesis: the established fan knowledge that creates rules within the fandom on how a fan participates and the exceptions to those rules, the need that fan's who do not fit into the normative patterns of the fandom feel to explain their motivations, and the degree of fanship that can be measured through a fan's explanation for their deviant behavior. For this fandom analysis, two sets of data will be referenced throughout the discussion. The first is anecdotal data pulled from various reddit threads on the personal experiences of each fan as well as some opinion sharing about the National Football League fandom. The second set of data is primary data that I have compiled via a survey. The established fan knowledge within this fandom is two fold: First, fans choose their team for a specific reason (usually based off of the team their parent's are a fan of or the state they grew up in), which typically takes place by age twelve. Secondly, once a fan chooses a team, they should stick with that team through their entire fanship. This second piece of fan knowledge is the most important rule within the fandom. This idea of loyalty is what guides fan participation. Identifying this rule led me to my main question about this fandom \u2014 if fans are so dedicated to their chosen team, what does it mean when someone switches to a new team. I feel that this breaking of a bond that seems so personal to fans is important and should be researched. This brought me to researching these fans that have switched teams, learning why, as well as what this group of fans can say about the National Football League fandom as a whole.
ContributorsGutierrez, Brooke Kathleen (Author) / Eaton, John (Thesis director) / Lee, Christopher (Committee member) / W. P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
Description
With a rapidly decreasing amount of resources for construction, wood and bamboo have been suggested as renewable materials for increased use in the future to attain sustainability. Through a literature review, bamboo and wood growth, manufacturing and structural attributes were compared and then scored in a weighted matrix to determine the option that shows the higher rate of sustainability. In regards to the growth phase, which includes water usage, land usage, growth time, bamboo and wood showed similar characteristics overall, with wood scoring 1.11% higher than bamboo. Manufacturing, which captures the extraction and milling processes, is experiencing use of wood at levels four times those of bamboo, as bamboo production has not reached the efficiency of wood within the United States. Structural use proved to display bamboo’s power, as it scored 30% higher than wood. Overall, bamboo received a score 15% greater than that of wood, identifying this fast growing plant as the comparatively more sustainable construction material.
ContributorsThies, Jett Martin (Author) / Ward, Kristen (Thesis director) / Halden, Rolf (Committee member) / Industrial, Systems & Operations Engineering Prgm (Contributor) / Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Eng Program (Contributor, Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
Traditions come about in a variety of ways varying from school to school and sport to sport. Fans in the NCAA have the most connection to their team’s traditions when they follow one or multiple dimensions of the P.A.T.H. framework. Traditions that are Passionate, Authentic, Tribal, and Historical help fans have a sacred, emotional bond between themselves and their favorite team. Most of the time, this bond makes people behave in a way that they do not normally. The best traditions create an atmosphere that allows someone to come back decades later and feel like they never left. When fans feel strongly toward the tradition, it creates a passion unlike any other. The fans will go through great lengths to keep the tradition happening. When a tradition comes about organically and is not forced on the fanbase, it follows the authentic dimension. Fanbases will not be willing to keep a tradition going if they feel like it was manufactured; it needs to be something that they want to do. The tribal dimension is created by the desire people have to be a part of a group because of a shared belief. People have a need to fit in and belong, so if a tradition is able to create this feeling, it will be more likely to stick. The historical dimension explains itself; a tradition that has been around for many years has a much better chance of being around for years to come because of the history associated with it. Traditions that encompass one or all of the dimensions of P.A.T.H. have a better chance of sticking and becoming a tradition that is recognized nationally. Traditions should eventually become something that completes the game day experience. At the end of the day, people will not remember exact plays that happened, but they will remember the experiences they shared with everyone else in the stands.
ContributorsWeller, Allison Jo (Author) / Eaton, John (Thesis director) / Lee, Christopher (Committee member) / Department of Management and Entrepreneurship (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
The America's Cup is the preeminent international sailing competition. Since the cup was first awarded to the United States in 1851 for winning a race around the Isle of Wight in England, it has been up for perpetual international competition. The purpose of this project is to assess the marketing strategies implemented for the 35th America's Cup which took place in Bermuda in June of 2017. Through qualitative and quantitative research I discovered the strengths and weaknesses of the current marketing strategies in addition to identifying opportunities for future Cups. While attending the 35th America's Cup in Bermuda I was able to conduct long interviews with several c-level executives of the America's Cup Event Authority as well as conduct a survey with attendees of the Cup. Analysis of this data allowed me to determine effective consumer awareness practices, ideal consumer involvement techniques, experience design, optimal marketing tactics, and strategic branding. I was also able to identify critical goals that the current Event Authority Management have set that embody their vision for future America's Cups. The ultimate objective of this research is to propose marketing strategies that will expand the influence of the America's Cup and transform it into an iconic and widely known sporting event in the United States. In previous years there has been very limited marketing invested in building awareness for the America's Cup so I plan to identify components that have brought them success in the past and then recommend new strategies and tactics that will successfully build awareness and increase viewership. These elements will then be able to be integrated into a marketing strategy and experience model for future America's Cups.
ContributorsHeisler, Alexandra Morgan (Author) / Gray, Nancy (Thesis director) / Lee, Christopher (Committee member) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
Current practice and a new technology for mitigating fugitive dust on construction sites are compared on the basis of economic, environmental and social impacts for this assessment. Fugitive dust can have serious health impacts, such as repertory illnesses and valley fever, on affected persons and is regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency and enforced by state and local agencies. Current practice consists of either relatively continuous application of potable water, a valuable resource, or application of expensive polymers, however, water application is considered the best available technology (BAT). The new technology, developed by the Center of Bio-medicated and Bio-inspired Geotechnics at Arizona State University, consists of application of Enzyme-Induced Carbonate Precipitate (EICP) to create an erosion-resistant crust. This crust is considered a "one and done" solution, until it is disturbed, however will last longer and stay more effective than quickly evaporating water. Future work will need to include how much disturbance is required to disturb the crust until ineffective towards mitigating fugitive dust. Results of the comparison show that a single EICP treatment produces 37 times less pollutants, uses 41 times less water and is 1.14 times cheaper than using water treatment to mitigate fugitive dust on a 7 acre site for 2 weeks (14 days). 14 days is the threshold at where EICP treatment becomes less expensive than water application for the purpose of mitigating fugitive dust. The EICP treatment benefits include lowering global warming inducing emissions, providing better air quality, becoming more cost effective, staying constantly effective to mitigate fugitive dust, and saving potable water.
ContributorsFabian, Aaron Jacob (Author) / Fox, Peter (Thesis director) / Kavazanjian, Edward (Thesis director) / Woolley, Miriam (Committee member) / Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Eng Program (Contributor, Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-12
Description
Expansive soils in the United States cause extensive damage to roadways, buildings, and various structures. There are several treatment or methods of mitigation for these expansive soils. These treatments can be physical or chemical treatments that serve to provide more suitable building qualities for foundations and roadways alike. The main issue with expansive soils, is the volumetric variations, which are known as swelling and consolidation. These behaviors of the soil are usually stabilized through the use of lime solution, Portland Cement Concrete, and a newer technology in chemical treatments, sodium silicate solutions. Although the various chemical treatments show benefits in certain areas, the most beneficial method for stabilization comes from the combination of the chemical treatments. Lime and Portland cement concrete are the most effective in terms of increasing compressive strength and reduction of swell potential. However, with the introduction of silicate into either treatment, the efficacy of the treatments increases by a large amount lending itself more as an additive for the former processes. Sodium silicate solution does not lend itself to effectively increase the compressive strength of expansive soils. The sodium silicate solution treatment needs extensive research and development to further improve the process. A proposed experiment plan has been recommended to develop trends of pH and temperature and its influence on the effectiveness of the treatment. Nonetheless, due to the high energy consumption of the other processes, sodium silicate solution may be a proper step in decreases the carbon footprint, that is currently being created by the synthesis of Portland Cement Concrete and lime.
ContributorsMeza, Magdaleno (Author) / Zapata, Claudia (Thesis director) / Kavazanjian, Edward (Committee member) / Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Eng Program (Contributor, Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-12
Description
In the wide world of sports, not all fan bases are created equally—especially in the NBA. Differences in factors like tradition, history, team performance amongst teams make each fan base distinctly unique. This paper will analyze how team performance effects one component of fan behavior: home game attendance. Using win-loss data and home game attendance data for each NBA team from 2001 to 2017, I will construct statistical models to estimate how great of an impact team performance has on each team’s home game attendance. I expect each team’s fan base to respond differently to changes in their team’s win-loss record. This paper will also attempt to quantify other facts that impact attendance at NBA games, including year-to-year changes in team salary expenditures, regional income, and the number of star players playing for the team. Finally, this paper will explore the factors that affect home game attendance for specific games within a given season—things like weather, strength of opponent, and win streaks. Ultimately, the goal of this paper will be to provide NBA business analysts with resources to more precisely anticipate their team’s home game attendance. The ability to understand what motivates the behavior of a fan base is invaluable in creating a marketing strategy that drives fans to the arena. This paper will help to identify teams that are most susceptible to significant fluctuations in attendance and outline alternative strategies to positioning their product offering effectively to fans.
ContributorsSloan, Jacob Marlow (Author) / Lee, Christopher (Thesis director) / Eaton, John (Committee member) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
The NCAA is changing the current rules and regulations around a student-athlete’s name, image, and likeness. Previously, student-athletes were not allowed to participate in business activities or noninstitutional promotional activities. With the new rule changes, student-athletes will be able to engage in business activities related to their own name, image, and likeness. The goal of the team was to help “prepare athletes to understand and properly navigate the evolving restrictions and guidelines around athlete name, image, and likeness”. In order to accomplish this, the team had to understand the problems student-athletes face with these changing rules and regulations. The team conducted basic market research to identify the problem. The problem discovered was the lack of communication between student-athletes and businesses. In order to verify this problem, the team conducted several interviews with Arizona State University Athletic Department personnel. From the interviews, the team identified that the user is the student-athletes and the buyer is the brands and businesses. Once the problem was verified and the user and buyer were identified, a solution that would best fit the customers was formulated. The solution is a platform that assists student-athletes navigate the changing rules of the NCAA by providing access to a marketplace optimized to working with student-athletes and offering an ease of maintaining relationships between student-athletes and businesses. The solution was validated through meetings with interested brands. The team used the business model and market potential to pitch the business idea to the brands. Finally, the team gained traction by initiating company partnerships.
ContributorsSchulte, Brooke (Co-author) / Recato, Bella (Co-author) / Winston, Blake (Co-author) / Byrne, Jared (Thesis director) / Lee, Christopher (Committee member) / Kunowski, Jeffrey (Committee member) / Computer Science and Engineering Program (Contributor) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05