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: College of Integrative Sciences and Arts
Description
The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) has current guidelines in place for product labeling of commercial pet food products. Unfortunately, the guidelines prove to be rather lenient in terms of ingredient transparency. In turn, this leniency allows pet food and treat conglomerates to label products with marketing buzzwords like "Natural" and "Organic" without any merit or certification. The disconnect lies within the consumer's perspective of what is considered a "Natural" product and what the AAFCO requires for a product to be labeled as such. My creative project focused on surveying current dog owners about their purchasing behaviors of commercial dog treats and gaining insight to what influences their decision to buy a certain type or brand of dog treat for their pet. I analyzed the results of the survey and examined the ingredients of the most popular brands of treats for nutritional benefit. My focus on this analysis was to find discrepancies between the product label, the perception of the consumer purchasing the products, and the ingredients listed on the back of the package. The next part of my project was to create a dog treat recipe using only ingredients that provided a nutritional benefit. The recipes I crafted excluded artificial preservatives, fillers, coloring, etc. The last part of my creative project was to package and label the finished dog treat in accordance to AAFCO guidelines, complete with labeling requirements and guaranteed analysis. My product labeling provides transparency in the ingredients used and omits marketing slogans that are misleading. The goal of my thesis was to create a dog treat that was not only palatable to our canine companions, but, also preserved a nutritional benefit to them. Keywords: dog treats, animal nutrition, product labeling
ContributorsEguchi, Lillian (Author) / Murphree, Julie (Thesis director) / Mayer, Julie (Committee member) / College of Integrative Sciences and Arts (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
Description
Spaying and neutering your pets can contribute a positive change to the overall health of the animal. Many owners are worried that removing their reproductive organs will change their animal’s personality, behavior, make them more susceptible to problems and diseases. With spaying and neutering generally there are no lasting issues to behavior, personality, yes there could possibly be short term symptoms of mild behavior changes, sleepier, etc., but that is mainly due to being under anesthesia and try to recover from surgery. It in fact increases your pet’s overall affection level, playfulness, reduces diseases, and reduces unwanted behavior. Like any surgery there are some drawbacks of spaying and neutering, but the benefits outweigh the drawbacks in my opinion because these possible drawbacks can be managed with a responsible owner. With that said this paper will explore the importance of spaying or neutering pets by reviewing ethical and societal implications pertaining to overpopulation. Sterilization options will be discussed to reduce overpopulation which should have a corollary impact in the reduction of euthanized animals and animals that are abandoned to the streets to fends for themselves. Finally, a discussion on breeders will review how excessive breeding contributes to euthanasia, the dumping or neglect of animals that fail to meet criteria that would allow the animal to be sold at a premium price. Responsible pet owners choose to have their dog or cat sterilized to prevent the birth of unwanted puppies and kittens. Spaying and neutering are humane, ethical, and responsible ways to prevent unwanted litters, help protect against health problems, and may reduce behavioral problems associated with the mating instinct.
ContributorsKirshner, Elisabeth (Author) / Murphree, Julie (Thesis director) / James, Samantha (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / College of Integrative Sciences and Arts (Contributor)
Created2023-05
Description
The Salt River wild horses are a historic population of unbranded, unclaimed, wild and free-roaming horses, that were born in the wild and merit protection within our National Forest and protection of the Wild Horse and Burro act of 1970. Terms like undomesticated or feral are thrown around in place of “wild”. The past couple of decades or so, there has been an ongoing debate about the current state of the horses on the range. The horses that are along the Salt River, are considered to be state protected and not federally protected, which has sparked a vast discussion on the social, ethical and moral aspects. There has been an overabundance of horses on the range and are causing potential issues to the environment and other farmland. According to the BLM, wild horse and burro populations have a demonstrated ability to grow at 18-20 percent per year. With the widespread and overabundance that is occurring with the horses and burros, it has been said to have a great ecological cost on the rangeland ecosystem by overgrazing native plants, exacerbating invasive establishment and out-competing other ungulates like cattle. Overabundant free-roaming horse and burro populations have large and growing economic and ecological costs for the American public. Without effective management actions, horse and burro populations will double within the next 4-5 years. In this project, with the help of Dr. Julie Murphree, the Salt River Horse Management group and Arizona’s State Liaison for the Department of Agriculture, I conducted various ride-a-longs and conducted my own literature study to further solidify the knowledge I gained when navigating through the Salt River Wild Horse Management group. I can use their data as well as my own observations in the field to catalog their behaviors and look for any signs that would give reason to why this method of population control may or may not be used. I was able to note the horses in their “natural state” which would give me the opportunity to see any behavior changes in various population groups (or otherwise known as Bands). The main objective of this paper is to understand PZP as a population control tool and the effect it has on the Salt River Horses in Arizona.
ContributorsRendon, Chyna (Author) / Murphree, Julie (Thesis director) / Saul, Steven (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / College of Integrative Sciences and Arts (Contributor)
Created2022-05
Description
The use of genetic management in conservation has sparked much debate around the ethical and environmental impacts of the plans. A case study on the conservation of leopard frogs in Arizona was analyzed to better understand the benefits and issues surrounding genetic management plans. The first part of the case focuses on the recent management plan for Chiricahua Leopard Frogs implemented by the Arizona Game and Fish Department. The goal of the plan is to better understand the genetic dynamics of the established Chiricahua Leopard Frog populations to develop a more effective management plan. The second part of the case focuses on the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s management of the Northern Leopard Frog. There was little success with the initial breed and release program of the native species, however a nonnative subspecies of Northern Leopard Frog was able to establish a thriving population. This case study exemplifies the many complications with genetic management plans and the importance of careful assessment of options when deciding on a genetic management plan. Despite the complexity of genetic management plans, it is an important method to consider when discussing the conservation of a species.
ContributorsTurpen, Alexa (Author) / Murphree, Julie (Thesis director) / Collins, James (Thesis director) / Owens, Audrey (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / College of Integrative Sciences and Arts (Contributor) / School of Mathematical and Natural Sciences (Contributor)
Created2024-05
Description
A rise in what veterinary professionals refer to as ‘BEG’ diets, or boutique, grain free, and exotic diets, have veterinarians and nutritionists concerned about how many of these diets are actually backed in scientific research, and how they may affect the overall health of companion animals. Due to the exponential rise in media claims and marketing of BEG diets, recalls of different diets manufactured by major companion animal diet companies, and a growing awareness of the role that diet plays in the health of companion animals, owners have been drawn to BEG diets more so than before. There is significant concern regarding the companion animal diet industry due to the lack of a regulatory or governing agency that oversees manufacturing and production, and the lack of legal definitions of terms often used in marketing, such as ‘natural’, ‘organic’, and ‘human grade’. However, the link between diet and heart disease, specifically dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), has become a primary concern of veterinary professionals and owners alike. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a statement stating that by September 2020, over 1,100 cases of DCM had been reported in canines, prompting ongoing research into the possible correlation between diets with high volumes of legumes, lentils, pulses, and potatoes, characteristic of grain free diets, and the development of significant heart disease.
ContributorsWard, Chloe (Author) / Murphree, Julie (Thesis director) / Garino, Chantel (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / College of Integrative Sciences and Arts (Contributor)
Created2023-12
Description
The purpose of this thesis is to create a better understanding of chronic renal disease (CRD) within felines and dive into the main nutritional aspects of treatment and prevention. Over the course of our research, we also decided to include a section on cat nutrition in an effort to assist cat owners whose cats are not suffering from CRD. This research will primarily include literary research and field surveys from cat owners. This information will be gathered to produce a website that will contain credible information that could be used to help better inform cat owners about their cat’s health and diet. Renal diseases are very common in cats, especially as they get older. Chronic renal disease is the loss of kidney function over time. The amount of function left in the kidney is dependent on the extent of damage from the disease. Diving into nutrition, this thesis will look into the components of food that work well and do not work well with chronic renal disease patients and foods that should be avoided to ensure the healthiness of cats without renal disease. Our research showed that limiting both phosphorus and protein intake was key to managing CRD. Cats that ate a diet specifically tailored to managing CRD by lowering the amount of phosphorus and protein were shown to, on average, live longer than those cats that did not change their diets. For general cat nutrition, our survey showed that Purina and Hills Science Diet were both the most popular brands and also had the best reasoning behind why owners chose it; mainly vet recommendations and treating health problems. The website we have put together, catcrdinfo.org, contains a wealth of information on both CRD in felines and general cat nutrition.
ContributorsAgee, Angela (Author) / Kinney, Aaron (Co-author) / Murphree, Julie (Thesis director) / James, Samantha (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / College of Integrative Sciences and Arts (Contributor) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor)
Created2022-05
Description
The purpose of this thesis is to create a better understanding of chronic renal disease (CRD) within felines and dive into the main nutritional aspects of treatment and prevention. Over the course of our research, we also decided to include a section on cat nutrition in an effort to assist cat owners whose cats are not suffering from CRD. This research will primarily include literary research and field surveys from cat owners. This information will be gathered to produce a website that will contain credible information that could be used to help better inform cat owners about their cat’s health and diet. Renal diseases are very common in cats, especially as they get older. Chronic renal disease is the loss of kidney function over time. The amount of function left in the kidney is dependent on the extent of damage from the disease. Diving into nutrition, this thesis will look into the components of food that work well and do not work well with chronic renal disease patients and foods that should be avoided to ensure the healthiness of cats without renal disease. Our research showed that limiting both phosphorus and protein intake was key to managing CRD. Cats that ate a diet specifically tailored to managing CRD by lowering the amount of phosphorus and protein were shown to, on average, live longer than those cats that did not change their diets. For general cat nutrition, our survey showed that Purina and Hills Science Diet were both the most popular brands and also had the best reasoning behind why owners chose it; mainly vet recommendations and treating health problems. The website we have put together, catcrdinfo.org, contains a wealth of information on both CRD in felines and general cat nutrition.
ContributorsKinney, Aaron (Author) / Agee, Angela (Co-author) / Murphree, Julie (Thesis director) / James, Samantha (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / College of Integrative Sciences and Arts (Contributor)
Created2022-05