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: School of Public Affairs
- Creators: O'Flaherty, Katherine
Description
Histology, the microscopic examination of tissues, is a pivotal tool in research. By providing a detailed view of cellular structures and their organization, this technique allows researchers to advance knowledge in many different disciplines including women’s health and ovarian studies. Studying the female reproductive system is of utmost importance due to its multifaceted effects on aspects such as biological functions, cellular mechanisms, and complex behavioral patterns in women. Therefore, the aim of this honors thesis is to refine and adapt a set of protocols from the Mayer-Dyer Laboratory for ovarian and follicular processing so that they are optimal to use in the Bimonte-Nelson Laboratory of Memory and Aging in the Department of Psychology at Arizona State University. The subsequent aim for the thesis is to replicate and extend the new protocols to complete histology of the ovaries from an interdisciplinary study that evaluated the consequences of hysterectomy with and without estrogen replacement for brain and cognition. This dual-pronged approach will not only contribute to the ongoing discussion regarding the effects of hysterectomy, but also provides a valuable framework for future research endeavors in the field.
ContributorsMitbander, Avantika (Author) / Bimonte-Nelson, Heather (Thesis director) / Mayer, Loretta (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / School of Public Affairs (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor)
Created2024-05
Description
The creation of this study was driven by my belief in the importance of transforming and reimagining human-nature relationships for sustainable futures and my interest in understanding the implementation of nature-based learning in schools. Through observations of children in an outdoor education setting, I sought to answer the following research questions: “How do children that have engaged in nature-based learning view themselves in relation to nature?” and “What can be observed about children’s personal understandings of nature and their personal relationships with nature in their writing and drawings?” This study was implemented with participants in third grade outdoor education classes at a local charter school in South Phoenix using multiple participatory research methods. My findings add to an existing body of knowledge and research focused on understanding children’s relationships with nature and the impacts of nature-based learning. In the conclusion of this paper, I pose additional questions about conceptualizing children’s relationships with nature and exploring their nature connectedness through research, share reflections on my personal relationship with nature, and discuss how my observations support benefits of nature-based learning as argued by existing scholarship.
ContributorsSetka, Emma (Author) / Goebel, Janna (Thesis director) / Vanos, Jennifer (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Public Affairs (Contributor) / School of Sustainability (Contributor) / Division of Teacher Preparation (Contributor)
Created2024-05
Description
This thesis/creative project involved writing a collection of creative nonfiction essays and building a website to reflect on my experiences traveling through Spain in the summer of 2023, for both a study abroad program and on my own. There are a total of nine essays in this current collection, along with a tenth introductory essay. They reflect the chronological order of my travels to Madrid, Sevilla, Granada, Valencia, Barcelona, and Lisbon, concluding with an essay written about my return to Phoenix, Arizona. The goal of this project was to not only personally reflect on what I learned while in these various places, but also to share these experiences with a wider audience in the digital world. I plan to continue adding essays to this website, using it as a "living document" for my future travels, and as a place for further reflection.
ContributorsCordes, Olivia (Author) / Meloy, Elizabeth (Thesis director) / O'Flaherty, Katherine (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor)
Created2024-05
Description
Though horse racing holds enduring significance in the United States, it faces challenges related to safety, integrity, and animal welfare. Recent initiatives like the enactment of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) in 2020 aim to establish uniform regulatory oversight and counteract the problems the industry faces. This thesis explores the horse racing industry, delving into its historical evolution, contemporary landscape, and the regulatory framework that governs it. Through a comprehensive literature review encompassing historical, contemporary, quantitative, and qualitative perspectives, along with insights gathered from conversations with industry insiders and firsthand experiences at a local racetrack, this research addresses key questions regarding the industry's current state, government responsibility for ensuring safety and ethical practices, and the direction in which the industry is headed. It advocates for the humane treatment of racehorses and emphasizes the importance of prioritizing their well-being. By advocating for transparency, accountability, and ethical conduct, the industry can thrive while aligning with societal expectations.
ContributorsOldham, Abigail (Author) / O'Flaherty, Katherine (Thesis director) / Fedock, Rachel (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor)
Created2024-05
Description
Given their manufacturing versatility, plastics have fundamentally changed commercial consumerism. Unfortunately, two of the largest drawbacks to current plastics on the market is their dependency on fossil fuels and their lack of circular recyclability. In this paper, the focus will be on the latter issue. Circular recyclability can be described as the idea of minimizing waste through its reformation back into a commodity. Currently, the primary method of recycling plastics, mechanical recycling, can only be achieved through melting and reshaping plastic for reuse. A significant drawback to this method is the reduction in chain molecular weight and subsequent loss of mechanical integrity through multiple reheating cycles. Chemical recycling provides an alternative where the polymer is broken down through chemically reactive sites, allowing the material to be recycled a theoretically infinite number of times and maintain its mechanical properties.
Polyethylene, one of the largest classes of industrially produced plastic, does not have any commercially relevant chemically recyclable derivatives. The structure of polyethylene is primarily composed of long, nonpolar hydrocarbon chains that provide the material’s signature tough property. To make a material that can be depolymerizable for chemical recycling, polar ester functional groups must be added throughout the chain, allowing for chain scission by hydrolysis. Unfortunately, while the incorporation of ester functionality into polyethylene has been studied previously, material strength decreases as a result of this modification, sacrificing the integrity of the final product.
Herein, I propose the incorporation of nucleobase pairings into the ester-containing polyethylene, which will add supramolecular hydrogen bonding reinforcements to improve the mechanical performance while maintaining chemical recyclability. This addition to the polyethylene backbone will be achieved by the synthesis of a ureido cytosine (UCy) diol, which contains 4 complementary hydrogen bonding sites for enhanced intermolecular forces between polyethylene chains.
ContributorsChase, Timothy (Author) / Long, Timothy (Thesis director) / Barker, Charlotte (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Industrial, Systems & Operations Engineering Prgm (Contributor) / Chemical Engineering Program (Contributor) / School of Public Affairs (Contributor)
Created2024-05
Description
This study analyzed the current dental insurance and care practices in the United States, and the role that it plays in national health insurance systems. This was accomplished through extensive literary analysis of articles and websites that discussed both current dental/health care practices and also the insurance systems and policies that support and inhibit individuals receiving the care they need. It was discovered that routine dental visits can play a crucial role in the identification and mitigation of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, osteoporosis, and sleep apnea. The utilization of available dental care services was found to have a direct correlation with the possession of dental insurance, with a drastic drop-off in utilization amongst the uninsured. Through the analysis of barriers towards the integration of nationwide dental insurance, such as socioeconomic differences, regulatory and policy concerns, and cultural and behavioral barriers, a few potential solutions were developed. All of these factors were researched and investigated to generate a report of why dental care is important, the challenges to the integration of dental insurance in the United States, and steps that can be taken to guide this country in the right direction.
ContributorsStandridge, James (Author) / O'Flaherty, Katherine (Thesis director) / Dameron, Brett (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor)
Created2024-05