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.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 83
Description
Ascend is the premier non-profit professional association that enables its members, corporate partners and the community to realize the leadership potential of Pan-Asians in global corporations. Ascend at Arizona State University (ASU) was founded in March 2011 as a student affiliate of the national Ascend organization. There are four ultimate goals for this thesis: 1) to create an operations and transition guide for Ascend's future leadership; 2) to develop strategies and tactics to improve Ascend's operations; 3) to better establish and integrate Ascend within the W. P. Carey School of Business; and 4) to better understand and provide for the unique needs of international students within the W. P. Carey School of Business. An analysis of external trends at the W. P. Carey School of Business and ASU reveals that international students represent a rapidly growing demographic. Ascend, although successful during its first year of operations, must adapt in order to best provide for the unique needs of this demographic. At the same time, it must continue to service the needs of its overall target markets: 1) Asian students (both American-born and international) and 2) students seeking to work in Asia. In order to set the platform for the continued success of the organization moving forward, specific and measurable objectives, strategies, and tactics were developed. The organization's financial condition, executive board, committees, membership, student recruitment, events, support network, and mentor program were identified as the crucial elements that must be developed in order to ensure improvement in the organization moving forward. Finally, in order to ensure the continued integration of Ascend within the W. P. Carey School of Business, the business school can pursue strategies to better serve the unique needs of international students.
ContributorsAsztalos, Matthew J. (Co-author) / Chang, Haipei (Co-author) / Lam, Yu Hin "Jeffrey" (Co-author) / Ostrom, Amy (Thesis director) / Vinze, Ajay (Committee member) / Pino, Rudy (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / School of Accountancy (Contributor)
Created2013-05
Description
Today, the global fashion industry is valued at $450 billion, and considered one of the most important sectors of the global economy (Global Action Through Fashion, 2015). The term fashion means more than just designing apparel or accessories as the industry encompasses jobs from production to inventory management, merchandising, marketing, production, and retail management. The fashion industry is one of the world’s largest markets as it employs over 75 million people and generates $1.7 trillion in revenue annually (Global Action Through Fashion, 2015). It is a dynamic, fast-paced industry that requires constant innovation ideas and strategic planning.
Chloe Bosmeny and Audree López, senior marketing students at W. P. Carey have created a proposal for W. P. Carey School of Business and Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts to join together to create an interdisciplinary resource for students interested in pursuing a career in fashion. There are three recommendations in the thesis: the implementation of a Fashion Merchandising certificate encompassing both W. P. Carey and Herberger curriculum, ASU joining the Fashion Institute of Technology’s 3+1 program for dual degrees in New York City, and lastly, improving professional development and career recruitment for ASU students interested in fashion.
But why fashion at Arizona State University? Throughout college, Bosmeny and López struggled to gain the background, skills and experience needed to understand the fashion industry. They, like many of their peers, felt that without the credentials of a university-sponsored fashion program, they weren't marketable to employers. These challenges drove Bosmeny and López to advocate for more fashion resources at ASU.
Based on support from student surveys, in-depth interviews with industry professionals, feedback from ASU Alumni and input from ASU’s largest fashion organization, The Business of Fashion Club- there is a strong desire for increased fashion programming at ASU. There are currently 266 student theses surrounding the keyword “fashion” from Barrett, the Honors College, but there has not been a direct push from students to implement a program at ASU. This thesis aims to illustrate the important ways such programming will greatly benefit ASU and its stakeholders.
In our thesis we will investigate current ASU opportunities related to fashion, gather information from fashion business professionals, gauge student interest in pursuing careers in fashion, and look to peer and aspirational schools in an effort to better understand fashion career resources nationwide. Our hope is to build a stronger curriculum and more successful resources for students to give them the skillsets needed for a successful career in fashion.
Chloe Bosmeny and Audree López, senior marketing students at W. P. Carey have created a proposal for W. P. Carey School of Business and Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts to join together to create an interdisciplinary resource for students interested in pursuing a career in fashion. There are three recommendations in the thesis: the implementation of a Fashion Merchandising certificate encompassing both W. P. Carey and Herberger curriculum, ASU joining the Fashion Institute of Technology’s 3+1 program for dual degrees in New York City, and lastly, improving professional development and career recruitment for ASU students interested in fashion.
But why fashion at Arizona State University? Throughout college, Bosmeny and López struggled to gain the background, skills and experience needed to understand the fashion industry. They, like many of their peers, felt that without the credentials of a university-sponsored fashion program, they weren't marketable to employers. These challenges drove Bosmeny and López to advocate for more fashion resources at ASU.
Based on support from student surveys, in-depth interviews with industry professionals, feedback from ASU Alumni and input from ASU’s largest fashion organization, The Business of Fashion Club- there is a strong desire for increased fashion programming at ASU. There are currently 266 student theses surrounding the keyword “fashion” from Barrett, the Honors College, but there has not been a direct push from students to implement a program at ASU. This thesis aims to illustrate the important ways such programming will greatly benefit ASU and its stakeholders.
In our thesis we will investigate current ASU opportunities related to fashion, gather information from fashion business professionals, gauge student interest in pursuing careers in fashion, and look to peer and aspirational schools in an effort to better understand fashion career resources nationwide. Our hope is to build a stronger curriculum and more successful resources for students to give them the skillsets needed for a successful career in fashion.
ContributorsLopez, Audree (Co-author) / Bosmeny, Chloe (Co-author) / Ostrom, Amy (Thesis director) / Setlow, Jennifer (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication (Contributor) / Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts (Contributor) / W. P. Carey School of Business (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
College is an exciting time in a young student's life filled with many new experiences and opportunities for self-discovery. It also comes with a variety of challenges and stressors that must be traversed in a way that is healthy and beneficial for the student. During this time a variety of pressures may arise that lead to the onset of eating disorders. The purpose of this study is to discover students' awareness of the eating disorder resources available at Arizona State University (ASU) and design a series of creative documents based on the less-known resources that are available. This study used data from the ASU Wellness department, a primary research study done at ASU, as well as data from the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA). Findings indicate that ASU is not effectively promoting its resources to students. However, by implementing the marketing strategies discussed here, it is possible to educate students and in turn introduce them to resources that could drastically improve their health.
ContributorsHilton, Caitlin M (Author) / Ostrom, Amy (Thesis director) / Fehler, Michelle (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has become the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States with a combined 5-year survival rate of only 16%. Even with advancements in aggressive chemotherapeutics, there has been little improvement in patient survival. LKB1 (liver kinase B1)/STK11 (serine-threonine kinase 11) is a tumor suppressor gene mutated in ~30% of NSCLC adenocarcinomas and loss of LKB1 is associated with a more aggressive cancer phenotype. In LKB1-deficient NSCLC, we observe significantly elevated expression and secretion of the chemokines CCL2, CCL5, and CCL20, which are involved in macrophage recruitment. Numerous studies have shown that high infiltration of a unique subset of macrophages called tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) is associated with poor prognosis in patients with various cancers. mTORC1-HIF1-α and NFκB are two pathways that have been shown to regulate chemokine secretion and are often up-regulated in the absence of LKB1. Dosing LKB1-null cell lines with inhibitors of mTOR and NFκB in addition to silencing HIF1-α gene expression demonstrate that NFκB but not mTORC1-HIF1-α signaling may play a role in regulating chemokine secretion in LKB1-deficient NSCLC. Collectively, these results provide insight into the mechanisms responsible for the aggressive phenotype associated with LKB1-deficient non-small cell lung cancer.
ContributorsO'Brien, Kelley Xiao-Fung (Author) / Blattman, Joseph (Thesis director) / Inge, Landon (Committee member) / Friel, Jacqueline (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
Combining the research of case studies with a creative application, this thesis consists of four main sections: an overview of data surrounding current application marketing efforts on mobile devices, an analysis of three brands that have successfully used applications marketing to engage their audiences and sell their products, the creation and explanation of a proposed application marketing strategy, and a practical use of the previously found conclusions to a mobile application marketing strategy for Nutella USA. The outcome is to determine how companies use mobile applications to successfully engage consumers and lead to product purchases.
ContributorsBooker, Rebecca Allison (Author) / Ostrom, Amy (Thesis director) / Giles, Bret (Committee member) / Sabbatini, Cristina (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
Among wild rodent populations, vertical transmission is believed to constitute the primary route of infection for Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus (LCMV), a non-lytic arenavirus with both acute and chronic forms. When carrier mice infected at birth with the acute Armstrong strain reproduce, they generate congenital carrier offspring containing a quasispecies of LCMV that includes Armstrong as well as its chronic Clone-13 variant. This study examined the genetic trends in the vertical transmission of LCMV from mothers infected perinatally with Clone-13. Viral isolates obtained from the serum of congenital carrier offspring were partially sequenced to reveal residue 260 in the glycoprotein-encoding region of their S segment, the site of a major amino acid change differentiating the chronic and acute strains. It was found that the phenylalanine-to-leucine mutation associated with Clone-13 was present in 100% of the isolates, strongly indicating that the offspring of Clone-13 carriers contain exclusively the chronic variant. This research has broad implications for the epidemiology of the virus, and, given the predominance of Armstrong in the wild, suggests that there must be a biological cost associated with Clone-13 infection in non-carriers.
ContributorsFrear, Cody Christian (Author) / Blattman, Joseph (Thesis director) / Hogue, Brenda (Committee member) / Holechek, Susan (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Human Evolution and Social Change (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
Efforts to quantify the diversity of the T cell repertoire have generally been unsuccessful because not all factors accounting for diversity have been considered. In order to get an accurate representation of the T cell repertoire, one must incorporate analysis of germline gene diversity, diversity from somatic recombination, joining diversity from N- and P- nucleotides, and TCR chain pairing diversity. Because of advances in high-throughput sequencing techniques, estimates have been able to account for diversity from TCR genes. However the ability to account for chain pairing diversity has been more difficult. In order to do so, single cell sorting techniques must be employed. These techniques, though effective, are time consuming and expensive. For this reason, no large-scale analyses have been done on the immune repertoires using these techniques. In this study, we propose a novel method for linking the two TCR chain sequences from an individual cell. DNA origami nanostructure technology is employed to capture and bind the TCRγ and TCRδ chain mRNA inside individual cells using probe strands complementary to the C-region of those sequences. We then use a dual-primer RT and ligation molecular strategy to link the two sequences together. The result is a single amplicon containing the CDR3 region of the TCRγ and TCRδ. This amplicon can then be easily PCR amplified using sequence specific primers, and sequenced. DNA origami nanostructures offer a rapid, cost-effective method alternative to conventional single cell sorting techniques, as both TCR mRNA can be captured on one origami molecule inside a single cell. At present, this study outlines a proof-of-principle analysis of the method to determine its functionality. Using known TCRγ and TCRδ sequences, the DNA origami and RT/PCR method was tested and resulting sequence data proved the effectiveness of the method. The original TCRγ and TCRδ sequences were linked together as a single amplicon containing both CDR3 regions of the genes. Thus, this method can be employed in further research to elucidate the γδ T cell repertoire. This technology is also easily adapted to any gene target or cell type and therefore presents a large opportunity to be used in other immune repertoire analysis and other immunological studies (such as the rapid identification and subsequent production of antibodies).
ContributorsPoindexter, Morgan Elizabeth (Author) / Blattman, Joseph (Thesis director) / Yan, Hao (Committee member) / Schoettle, Louis (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
Tech2Learn, a privately owned tutoring company, serves students in kindergarten through eighth grade at its Phoenix location. The company's founding mission "is for every child to build individual competence and confidence in essential skills." It accomplishes this mission by providing a safe, fun, and engaging environment where children feel comfortable learning. In addition to tutoring in traditional subjects such as math and reading, Tech2Learn also offers a dyslexia reading lab, and a High School Placement Test prep course. The goal of this plan is to find a low cost and easy to manage way for Tech2Learn to market its services and encourage referrals. To achieve this goal, I conducted both an external and internal analysis. In order for Tech2Learn to remain competitive in the industry, it must be aware of trends such as the rapidly evolution of teaching technology, new government mandates on curriculum, and parents' desire to be involved in their children's education. While these trends create opportunities for growth, there are also threats that arise. One threat to Tech2Learn is a large number of competitors in the market. The company relies on its strengths of human capital and unique teaching approach to minimize these threats. The tactics and strategies recommended in this plan are intended to reduce the company's weaknesses. Specifically, tactical recommendations target Tech2Learn's digital presence through the creation of a Facebook page, consolidation of company owned web domains, and updating business information on both owned and earned online sites. Additionally, strategic suggestions aim to prepare Tech2Learn for future growth through the implementation of a formal training procedure, consideration of an additional office location, and differentiation through the early adoption of new technologies, such as virtual reality.
ContributorsCunningham, Sinead Bridget (Author) / Ostrom, Amy (Thesis director) / Giles, Bret (Committee member) / Cummings, Deborah (Committee member) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Department of Management (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2015-12
Description
Viral infections are a significant cause of disease in humans. While some viral diseases have been eliminated, many more continue to infect millions. Viral infections are challenging to treat because viruses use host cell machinery to replicate, so it is difficult to develop drugs that can target viruses. Normally, the host’s immune system is capable of destroying the virus, but during chronic infections it becomes exhausted and T cells lose their effector functions necessary for the clearance of the virus. IL-2 can help relieve this exhaustion, but causes toxicity to the body. In mice infected with chronic LCMV, IL-2 administration causes death due to pulmonary hemorrhage. CD4 deficient mice were infected with chronic LCMV and then dosed with IL-2 and survived, but mice that were deficient for CD8 T cells died, indicating that toxicity was mediated by CD8 T cells. CD8 T cells can kill infected host cells directly by producing perforin, or can produce cytokines like IFN-γ and TNF to further activate the immune system and mediate killing. Mice that were deficient in perforin died after IL-2 administration, as well as mice that were deficient in IFN-γ. Mice deficient in TNF, however, survived, indicating that TNF was mediating the toxicity in response to IL-2. There are two different receptors for TNF, p55 and p75. p55 is known as TNFR1 and has been implicated in apoptosis of virally infected cells. P75 is known as TNFR2 and is associated more with inflammation in response to infection. My hypothesis was that if TNFR2 was knocked out, infected mice would survive IL-2 dosing. When single knockouts of TNFR1 and 2 were used in an experiment however, it was found that either receptor is capable of mediating toxicity, as both experimental groups failed to survive. This is relevant to current IL-2 therapies because there is no way to eliminate a single receptor in order to reduce toxicity. Further studies exploring the anti-viral capabilities of IFN-γ are suggested.
ContributorsJarvis, Jordan Alisa (Author) / Blattman, Joseph (Thesis director) / Denzler, Karen (Committee member) / McAfee, Megan (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
The purpose of this study, conducted via the Community Action Research Experiences (CARE) Program in association with Arizona State University's T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics, was to expand the influence of Open Table, a faith-based, non-profit organization dedicated to equipping the impoverished with the necessary tools to restore them back to self-sufficiency through the power of relationship. The study sought to aid the organization's expansion through an analysis of the decision-making process leaders from faith congregations undergo to establish or continue partnerships with Open Table. A series of interviews were conducted with leaders from congregations currently partnered with Open Table to determine the nature of the decision-making process for adopting Open Table into their congregations, the expectations of the Open Table model for reaching the impoverished, and to what degree those expectations were met. Nine interviews were conducted from which the following results were derived. The key results revealed that congregation leaders other than the lead pastor often conducted the majority of the decision-making in regard to adopting and implementing Open Table within the various congregations. The decision to adopt Open Table often was based on whether or not any particular congregation's mission and values aligned with that of the organizations. Some expectations leaders had of Open Table were for their congregation members to receive a richer education of poverty and to help an individual exit poverty. For the most part, the results revealed that these expectations were frequently met.
ContributorsHoover, Nicole Rene (Author) / Ostrom, Amy (Thesis director) / Dumka, Larry (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Letters and Sciences (Contributor) / Department of English (Contributor)
Created2014-05