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
- Creators: O'Flaherty, Katherine
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
Sexually transmitted diseases like gonorrhea and chlamydia, standardly treated with antibiotics, produce over 1.2 million cases annually in the emergency department (Jenkins et al., 2013). To determine a need for antibiotics, hospital labs utilize bacterial cultures to isolate and identify possible pathogens. Unfortunately, this technique can take up to 72 hours, leading to several physicians presumptively treating patients based solely on history and physical presentation. With vague standards for diagnosis and a high percentage of asymptomatic carriers, several patients undergo two scenarios; over- or under-treatment. These two scenarios can lead to consequences like unnecessary exposure to antibiotics and development of secondary conditions (for example: pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility, etc.). This presents a need for a laboratory technique that can provide reliable results in an efficient matter. The viability of DNA-based chip targeted for C. trachomatis, N. gonorrhoeae, and other pathogens of interest were evaluated. The DNA-based chip presented several advantages as it can be easily integrated as a routine test given the process is already well-known, is customizable and able to target multiple pathogens within a single test and has the potential to return results within a few hours as opposed to days. As such, implementation of a DNA-based chip as a diagnostic tool is a timely and potentially impactful investigation.
ContributorsCharoenmins, Patherica (Author) / Penton, Christopher (Thesis director) / Moore, Marianne (Committee member) / College of Integrative Sciences and Arts (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-12
Description
Every year, millions of people find themselves displaced from their homes because of fear or threats of violence. Some of these people will become refugees, who will then be resettled in the United States. In order to help with the resettlement process, refugees are given cultural orientations through their resettlement organizations. The Phoenix Police Department teaches one of these cultural orientations for local resettlement agencies in order to dispel some of the fears refugees have about law enforcement and build a stronger relationship with the refugee community. Past research on this topic has been limited within the United States, but communities are still trying to figure out how to interact with refugees despite not knowing how to do it. There are various possible complications inherent in the integration process and many potential methods of trust building available to the refugee community and public services like law enforcement. This project seeks to understand the refugee resettlement process through field observation of the cultural orientation taught by the Phoenix Police Department and interviews with detectives familiar with the process in Phoenix. Cultural and language differences as well as lack of education and research on the topic of refugee resettlement are all key points in comprehending what the police, refugees, and resettlement organizations are doing during the integration process. Once these issues are addressed to alleviate gaps in knowledge about refugees, it may be possible to adjust the process to be easier for stakeholders involved in refugee resettlement.
ContributorsBaumgartner, Rachel Paige (Author) / Telep, Cody (Thesis director) / O'Flaherty, Katherine (Committee member) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / School of Criminology and Criminal Justice (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-12
Description
"Going back as far as the time of Hippocrates, ancient Egyptians, tribal African nations, and many other early civilizations, humans used herbal remedies to treat their ailments. One such remedy was willow bark, used in tea form, to treat rheumatism and fevers. This remedy was around for many thousands of years, along with other treatments containing salicylates, although this was not understood at the time. As time has gone on, the willow bark tea has been transformed into aspirin as we know it today. In addition to its medicinal uses, aspirin has become versatile in its uses, including use in homemade facial treatments and in the garden. As beneficial as aspirin has been, there are negative consequences to its use, particularly in young children, and it may have strange effects on gender when used by pregnant women. From such humble beginnings, aspirin has been shown to be more than a simple painkiller." Topics discussed in this paper include: the origins of aspirin and its use as a medical treatment, the beginnings of aspirin as it is known today, how aspirin interacts with the body, the specific chemical reactions that occur when aspirin is taken, aspirin as part of a heart health regimen, the possible uses of aspirin in treating cancer, general information about dosages and typical aspirin use, some side effects of aspirin use, and novel uses of aspirin that are not necessarily medical in nature. The beneficial nature of aspirin and the possibilities it presents are discussed alongside information about its potential limitations and negative effects.
ContributorsMontes, Ariana (Author) / Huffman, Holly (Thesis director) / Garg, Vikas (Committee member) / College of Integrative Sciences and Arts (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
Description
The degree to which adolescents describe themselves as gender typical, as defined by their interests, activities, personal qualities, and other characteristics, is related to a broad range of adjustment indices. The goal of this thesis was to review studies conducted between 2000 and 2017 to provide a summary and critique of this research. A total of 18 studies were reviewed. The majority of findings indicate a positive association between gender typicality and beneficial adjustment outcomes, and a negative association between gender typicality and poor adjustment outcomes. Suggestions for future research and clinical implications of these findings are discussed.
ContributorsCohen, Alexandra Danielle (Author) / Updegraff, Kimberly (Thesis director) / Miller, Cindy (Committee member) / College of Integrative Sciences and Arts (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
Description
This creative project is a collection of profiles focused on Arizona nonprofits and refugees. The profiles share stories of refugees, volunteers, employees and others involved in the community serving refugees. Nonprofits are a vital resource for refugee resettlement. These organizations offer services to support refugees as they transition into new communities. Some services include: housing, English language learning, cultural orientation, job placement, medical treatment, education, and farming. Each of these programs support resiliency for refugees and for the communities in which they live. We Are Resilient was created first, to show the important role nonprofits have in serving refugees. Second, to connect people to a few of the stories and experiences within the Arizona refugee community. And third, to build understanding of the strength refugees bring to communities of Arizona and by extension the country. Visit weareresilientaz.com to learn more.
ContributorsGray, Elizabeth (Co-author) / Johnson, Kelcie (Co-author) / Shockley, Gordon (Thesis director) / O'Flaherty, Katherine (Committee member) / School of Community Resources and Development (Contributor) / School of Sustainability (Contributor) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
Description
Postmodernism has been one of the dominant modes of thought in literature and philosophy since the 1960s, but its roots go back much further. This thesis is an examination of Brechtian frameworks in an assortment of popular postmodern works. Both literary texts, such as novels, films, and music, and philosophical texts are used to form a general understanding of the postmodern project, and these concepts are then placed in conversation with ideas from the works of the 20th century German playwright Bertolt Brecht. I found that despite certain differences, the central ideas of postmodernism can be seen as the extension of Brecht’s philosophy, especially his concept of the Verfremdungseffekt. First, multiplicity—in perspectives and understandings—can be seen as an attempt to achieve this Verfremdungseffekt in the reader, and second, transgression in these texts can be used to evoke the same feeling. Many of the identifying techniques of postmodernism, e.g. juxtaposition, unreliable narrator, self-reference, and so on, can be interpreted as the extension of ideas pioneered by Brecht in the 1920s and 1930s. My thesis illustrates these connections.
Keywords: Postmodernism, Bertolt Brecht, Verfremdungseffekt
Keywords: Postmodernism, Bertolt Brecht, Verfremdungseffekt
ContributorsTeipen, Jakob Corry (Author) / Gilfillan, Daniel (Thesis director) / O'Flaherty, Katherine (Committee member) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-12
Description
State constitutions across the nation grant specific rights to their citizens, and in Arizona, the right to referenda reigns as a key cornerstone of Arizona democracy. However, in the 21st century, no referendum effort has succeeded in acquiring the required signatures to halt a bill, and put it before the voters. In the summer of 2017, a volunteer led group called Save Our Schools, set a powerful precedent by successfully collecting over 111,540 signatures to halt Senate Bill 1431, the Empowerment Scholarship Account Expansion. While collecting 36,000 more signatures than what was required, they established the possibility for future volunteer led signature efforts. Despite having little financial or political backing, the group struck an important win for direct democracy. They have set the framework for how future groups can successfully petition government without high dollar fundraising. This study will evaluate the tactics, and strategies they used, so that future efforts have a framework.
ContributorsArwood, James William (Author) / Bentley, Margaretha (Thesis director) / O'Flaherty, Katherine (Committee member) / School of Public Affairs (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
Vitamin supplements have beneficial and adverse effects depending on the dosage given and the age and sex of the recipient. Vitamin supplements have been extremely profitable in the health industry, but there is limited scientific data supporting vitamin supplement benefits. Many studies over the last decade have shown that vitamin supplements provide few health benefits and can lead to adverse effects, such as abnormal bone growth, birth defects, or an increased risk of cancer. Some researchers state that people with a specific vitamin deficiency should take vitamin supplements because the supplement can alleviate this deficiency. Many healthy people take vitamin supplements to prevent disease or have better health, but some researchers argue this is a misconception. Most health organizations indicate that consuming vitamins should be through diet, not supplements. The value of dietary supplements, most of which are consumed in developed countries, has been a controversial topic, because the beneficial effects of taking vitamin supplements is hotly contested. Many experts in the field of nutritional physiology suggest that Americans adequately receive enough vitamins in their diet and do not need to take vitamin supplements. Researchers at John Hopkins announced that the United States should stop spending money on vitamin supplements. Their research has found no benefits to taking vitamin supplements, because most people in industrialized areas are well-nourished. In this study, I have gathered that vitamin supplements are not beneficial when one has a sufficiently nutrient-rich diet; whereas, one who has a vitamin deficient diet can benefit from taking vitamin supplements. Furthermore, I have gathered that people older than 65-years-old should take vitamin B12 because vitamin B12 levels decrease with age. There is not enough evidence to prove or disprove that vitamin supplements are generally beneficial. In fact, I gathered that vitamin supplements may even be harmful. I propose that further studies should be conducted to discover the truth about the possible benefits of vitamin supplementation for healthy individuals and among people with different health conditions, activity levels, and nutrient requirements.
ContributorsMcDowell, Alexandra Catherine Jo (Author) / Moore, Marianne (Thesis director) / Huffman, Holly (Committee member) / College of Integrative Sciences and Arts (Contributor) / Department of Management and Entrepreneurship (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
Physician's cultural competence is important in healthcare because it helps improve quality of care as well as address healthcare disparities among minorities. Additionally, it positively correlates with patient satisfaction, which has been shown to increase treatment adherence and improve medical outcomes. This study investigated the effect of physician's cultural competence on patient satisfaction in a Latino population and how these compared to a European-American population. Physician's Cultural Competence for Patient Satisfaction (PCCPS) scale developed by Dr. Ahmed was utilized in this study. The PCCPS scale deconstructed physician's cultural competence into five subcategories: Macro-cultural, Proxemics/Chronemics, Language, Patient-centered Cultural Competence, and Patient Satisfaction. This scale and various demographic questions were incorporated into a survey that was distributed amongst participating patients. Gathered data was analyzed to determine which demographic factors and subcategories of physician's cultural competence were more relevant or important when interacting with patients that have distinct cultural backgrounds, such as Latino and European-American. Findings from this study will add to building a foundation of evidence in health care that advocates for a more holistic approach to medicine and incorporates cultural competence as an important determinant to predicting health care outcomes.
ContributorsAragon-Sierra, Ana Maria (Author) / Stevens, Carol (Thesis director) / O'Haver, Judy (Committee member) / Todd, Michael (Committee member) / College of Integrative Sciences and Arts (Contributor) / W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05