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: Thunderbird School of Global Management
- 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
Dale and Edna is a hybrid animated film and videogame experienced in virtual reality with dual storylines that increases in potential meanings through player interaction. Developed and played within Unreal Engine 4 using the HTC Vive, Oculus, or PlayStation VR, Dale and Edna allows for players to passively enjoy the film element of the project or partake in the active videogame portion. Exploration of the virtual story world yields more information about that world, which may or may not alter the audience’s perception of the world. The film portion of the project is a static narrative with a plot that cannot be altered by players within the virtual world. In the static plot, the characters Dale and Edna discover and subsequently combat an alien invasion that appears to have the objective of demolishing Dale’s prize pumpkin. However, the aliens in the film plot are merely projections created by AR headsets that are reflecting Jimmy’s gameplay on his tablet. The audience is thus invited to question their perception of reality through combined use of VR and AR. The game element is a dynamic narrative scaffold that does not unfold as a traditional narrative might. Instead, what a player observes and interacts with within the sandbox level will determine the meaning those players come away from this project with. Both elements of the project feature modular code construction so developers can return to both the film and game portions of the project and make additions. This paper will analyze the chronological development of the project along with the guiding philosophy that was revealed in the result.
Keywords: virtual reality, film, videogame, sandbox
Keywords: virtual reality, film, videogame, sandbox
ContributorsKemp, Adam Lee (Co-author) / Kemp, Bradley (Co-author) / Kemp, Claire (Co-author) / LiKamWa, Robert (Thesis director) / Gilfillan, Daniel (Committee member) / Arts, Media and Engineering Sch T (Contributor) / Thunderbird School of Global Management (Contributor) / School of Film, Dance and Theatre (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor, Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
This paper is about youth leadership development in the context of South Sudan. Youth in South Sudan face numerous and complex challenges that prevent them from realizing their potential and contributing to the creation of peace, stability, and prosperity for themselves and their communities. Obstacles include, but are not limited, to poor quality and lack of access to education programs, increasing youth unemployment, the involvement of youth in the ongoing inter- and intra-ethnic conflicts, and the exclusion of youth from participating in meaningful and productive community activities. The presence of these challenges calls for programs that are informed by youth leadership development theory, research, and practice. In this paper, I present a review of scholarly literature on leadership theories pertinent to social change and youth development. I also conduct a study on three existing youth leadership development projects. Furthermore, I use the literature review and three case studies to draw design principles and curricular guidelines to inform a youth leadership program that I intend to establish in South Sudan. This draft framework will support my future initiative in facilitating programs that are designed to empower youth to achieve personal goals, while equipping them with the capacity to critically analyze and solve complex social problems. The road map towards the future program will also involve the identification of key partner institutions and organizations that can potentially support in designing and implementing the future project.
ContributorsYel, Madit Deng Ring (Author) / Foroughi, Behrang (Thesis director) / Baxter, Aryn (Committee member) / Thunderbird School of Global Management (Contributor) / W. P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Department of Economics (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
Through the advancement of technology, social media, and the ever-growing connectedness society has with the digital world, the automotive industry’s market paradigm has been uprooted and turned onto its head. There is a race globally for the first company to achieve a truly autonomous vehicle, and one of the major testing grounds is in the very state of Arizona. The technology is still under development, and there are many challenges and snags, like necessary big data, companies are encountering along the way. A smart city could share the necessary level of data with driverless vehicles, and through the back and forth communication of cars and cities could bring in that level of context and understanding needed to bring the promise of safer driving to life. Currently, companies are tight-lipped and keep to themselves on their research and development, so governments are struggling to manage the upcoming changes with such little information. The challenge is how to deal with the newly emerging inventions which managers have not figured out yet, as far as autonomous cars are concerned. This thesis covers the difficulties governments and companies will face when attempting to adopt driverless cars and smart cities into their infrastructure; public approval, legislation, infrastructure reforms, and communication between municipals and corporations. Through a survey conducted specifically for this thesis, interviews with government officials and corporate managers, and additional research, this thesis provides clearer insights on the situation and provides recommendations for managers and governments alike.
ContributorsStone, Mindi (Author) / Lynch, Patrick (Thesis director) / Nelson, Roy C. (Committee member) / Thunderbird School of Global Management (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
With a new generation entering the workforce, a strong economy, and a low unemployment rate, the factors that new graduates value when looking for a job is changing. More new graduates and companies alike are working to adapt to this new environment. One way in which they are doing this is through being socially responsible. The purpose of this study is to research the extent to which an organization's Corporate Social Responsibility Programs impact a student’s desire to work for them. I aim to answer the question: how do the social responsibility efforts of companies impact college student’s willingness to work for a given company by looking at these programs on a micro level.
I gathered research by surveying undergraduate students at Arizona State University. The questions in this survey dealt with job search values, CSR knowledge, CSR interest and more. Throughout this survey, I largely focused on the differences between business and non-business students. There is evidence in this study to suggest that all groups of students value working for a socially responsible company, but business students are more familiar with these companies and more likely to research them. There is not a consensus on what companies students view to be socially responsible, but there are common factors in what students look for in a Corporate Social Responsibility program. This study has a number of practical implications for companies looking to attract the best talent based on their Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives. Recommendations are based on survey findings and research from secondary sources.
I gathered research by surveying undergraduate students at Arizona State University. The questions in this survey dealt with job search values, CSR knowledge, CSR interest and more. Throughout this survey, I largely focused on the differences between business and non-business students. There is evidence in this study to suggest that all groups of students value working for a socially responsible company, but business students are more familiar with these companies and more likely to research them. There is not a consensus on what companies students view to be socially responsible, but there are common factors in what students look for in a Corporate Social Responsibility program. This study has a number of practical implications for companies looking to attract the best talent based on their Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives. Recommendations are based on survey findings and research from secondary sources.
ContributorsHarrell, Julianna Kara (Author) / Marcie, LePine (Thesis director) / Jessica, Hirshorn (Committee member) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor, Contributor) / Thunderbird School of Global Management (Contributor) / Department of Management and Entrepreneurship (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
The study looks deep into how traveling to new destinations allows individuals to explore new cultures, escape from their everyday routine and have an opportunity to grow and become a more open minded individual. The millennial generation is a group that has distinguished themselves from any other generation that came before them as they are changing the direction in which industries operate on every level. Millennial women are slowly causing a significant impact in the tourism industry as they are becoming the leading market share holders for hosting Airbnb's and have a growing trend for traveling on their own. Due to the increase of trends of solo female travelers, there is a demand for a new innovative product that encompasses all the needs and wants of women that are exploring on their own. Compass, the app, could be the ideal product that would help connect independent female travelers that want to have a personalized experience in a new destination. The app would consider the mainstream concerns of female solo travels such as safety, recommendations and reviews as the algorithms would match the women who are most compatible with each other. This paper will discuss the study that was conducted to gather data from millennial women at Arizona State University to determine whether or not there is a demand for an app such as Compass. In order to collect data, a survey was distributed through a Google form that utilized multiple question formats. The results of the study suggest there is a demand for the app as the millennial women average a high likelihood to use the app if it were to become a viable product. Compass could open the doors for a new niche market within the tourism industry that could eventually expand and change the way traveling for leisure occurs in the fast-paced world.
ContributorsLizcano Hernandez, Diana (Author) / Goodman, Rebekka (Thesis director) / Jordan, Evan (Committee member) / McWilliams, Claire (Committee member) / Thunderbird School of Global Management (Contributor) / School of Community Resources and Development (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