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 38
Description
Space microbiology, or the study of microorganisms in space, has significant applications for both human spaceflight and Earth-based medicine. This thesis traces the evolution of the field of space microbiology since its creation in 1935. Beginning with simple studies to determine if terrestrial life could survive spaceflight, the field of space microbiology has grown to encompass a substantial body of work that is now recognized as an essential component of NASA' research endeavors. Part one provides an overview of the early period of space microbiology, from high-altitude balloon and rocket studies to work conducted during the Apollo program. Part two summarizes the current state of the field, with a specific focus on the revolutionary contributions made by the Nickerson lab at the Biodesign Institute at ASU using the NASA-designed Rotating Wall Vessel (RWV) Bioreactor. Finally, part three highlights the research I've conducted in the Nickerson lab, as well as continuing studies within the field of space microbiology.
ContributorsMcCarthy, Breanne E. (Author) / Lynch, John (Thesis director) / Foy, Joseph (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
Breast cancer affects hundreds of thousands of women a year in the United States, and kills tens of thousands. African-American women experience a lower incidence of breast cancer, yet they die at twice the rate of Caucasian women. This disparity demonstrates the ineffectiveness of mammography at decreasing mortality in women at higher risk of late stage diagnosis. In this paper I argue that the continued support of the predominating idea that the benefits of mammograms strictly outweigh their negative effects may be a factor in the continued racial disparity in breast cancer mortality between African-American and Caucasian women. In addition, I will argue that mammograms are less effective for African American women because they are predisposed to later stage diagnosis and the accompanying poorer mortality prognosis due to higher-risk environments caused by varied socio-political status. My claims are supported by studies of incidence rates, survivorship versus mortality rates, screening usage rates, late stage and early stage diagnosis rate, tumor type, and the effects of socioeconomic status on stage of diagnosis. In particular, mortality rates have not decreased parallel with increased mammogram usage, especially in African-American women. Although early stage diagnosis has drastically increased, late stage-diagnosis remains unchanged and higher in African-American women. Tumor types vary by race, and African American women tend to have tumors that are highly prolific and more likely to be metastatic. Socioeconomic factors are more of a marker for breast cancer disparities than race, however race and socio-political structures that embody racism are often intersected.
ContributorsHuper-Holmes, Chloe Lynn (Author) / Lynch, John (Thesis director) / Brian, Jennifer (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Human Evolution and Social Change (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
Since the 1960's, the sport of American football has maintained its stranglehold as the most popular sport in the United States. Both in viewership and participation, football has a massive lead on all other sports, but as of late many factors have led some to believe that trouble could be on the horizon. With various issues including head injuries, player protests, and television viewership decline plaguing football and its professional league, the NFL, the door could be open for another collision sport from across the pond to surge in popularity: rugby. Played in 119 countries by millions of people, rugby is currently one of the most popular sports in the world, but because of American football's dominance in the U.S. it has yet to really find its footing here; however, despite its popularity paling in comparison to football, rugby is actually the single fastest-growing sport in the U.S. Both sports share some strong similarities, and with football facing a myriad of issues, there is real reason to believe that rugby could be on the rise while football could continue to falter. By reading through articles and statistics on the subject, this thesis was divided into four main analysis topics to compare and contrast the two sports: injury problems and how they affect viewership and participation, international following for each respective sport, culture around the games themselves and how it could appeal to American viewers, and potential for growth domestically. By examining these factors within both sports, I was able to come to the conclusion that rugby's potential to take hold in the U.S. is growing, and in the coming years as American football's safety and importance continue to be called into question, rugby could one day even supplant football as the most popular collision sport in the country.
ContributorsMartin, Drew Nicolas (Author) / Lynch, John (Thesis director) / Reed, Sada (Committee member) / School of Film, Dance and Theatre (Contributor) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
There are many parallels between human and equine sports medicine, including the roots of athletics, the development of specialized medicine, and injuries to the athletes. The most remarkable similarities are seen in tendinopathies. Because of the similarities between human and equine tendons, equine athletes serve as one of the best animal models to study tendon physiology and tendon injuries for application to human medicine. Because of this, many therapies have already successfully crossed from one realm of sports medicine to the other, the most notable of which are stem cell therapy, Interleukin-1 Receptor Antagonist (IRAP), and platelet rich plasma (PRP) therapies. There are also several therapies on the horizon that are very promising to potentially be successful in both human and equine athletes. However, some of these novel therapies are raising ethical questions. There are many regulations in place to protect against or address potential ethical conflicts in human medicine. The same trend is not seen in equine medicine. While there are rules enforced by many equestrian federations regarding ethical concerns and veterinary medicine, the information is not nearly as complete as it should be. Because they lack the autonomy that typical human patient possesses, equine athletes require significantly more advocacy from their veterinarians than human athletes do from their physicians. Additionally, there is a lack of large animal model studies secondary to cost and overall value of equine athletes to their owners, riders, and trainers. Ultimately it becomes an issue of veterinary ethics whether to pursue a novel or conventional treatment for an equine athlete. With biotechnology advancing as quickly as it is, new studies must be done and new regulations must be written in order to keep all fields of sports medicine operating safely and ethically for all athletes involved, regardless of species.
ContributorsWaslewski, Samantha Paige (Author) / Lynch, John (Thesis director) / Foley, James (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
Zoraida Ladrón de Guevarra was born in 1936 in Coyula, Mexico, a small village in the state of Oaxaca. Her father’s passing required Zoraida to find a job at age fourteen to support her family. Her story, a 200-page memoir entitled “After Papa Died,” follows Zoraida’s time as a servant and eventual nanny in Veracruz. Flashing back to memories of her hometown and the people living in it, the story ends before she enters America first as a visitor in 1954, and later on a working Visa in 1957—the first woman in her village to leave to the United States. Hers is a story relevant today, evident with the paradoxes explored between poverty and riches, patriarchy and matriarchy, freedom and captivity. Assimilation impacts the reading of this memoir, as Zoraida began writing the memoir in her 80s (around fifty years after gaining American citizenship). This detailed family history is about the nature of memory, community, and in particular, the experience of being an immigrant. This thesis project centers on this text and includes three components: an edited memoir, informational interviews, and an introduction. Beginning as a diary steeped in the tradition of oral history, the memoir required a “translation” into a written form; chapters and chronological continuity helped with organization. Topics of interest from the story, such as identity, domestic violence, and religion, are further explored in a series of interviews with Zoraida. The inclusion of an introduction to the text contextualizes the stories documented in the memoir with supplemental information. The contents of the project are housed on a website: alongwaybabyproject.net.
ContributorsVan Slyke, Shea Elizabeth (Author) / Meloy, Elizabeth (Thesis director) / O'Flaherty, Katherine (Committee member) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / Department of English (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
Ten percent of the global population believed that the world would end on December 21, 2012. But people have believed that the world was going to end before. What causes these apocalyptic crazes and what allows them to spread beyond the fringes of society? What role does popular religion play in creating or spreading apocalyptic hysteria? How do these prophets of doom react when the world still exists past its predicted date of expiration? What about the people who believed them? This paper examines historical instances of apocalyptic predictions, how these predictions were formed out of or shaped by popular religion, as well as the reactions \u2014 both internal and external \u2014 of those who either predicted or believed that the end was near. After building this historical context, I turn my focus to the pop culture phenomenon that is the end of the Mayan Calendar. I attempt to understand and explain what aspects of the current social, religious, and psychological climate have contributed to the cultural ubiquity of and fascination with the December 21, 2012 apocalypse, and what the date actually meant to the Classical Maya. Finally, I examine the existential, religious, and cultural factors that make Americans in particular so ready and willing to believe that the end of the earth is imminent.
ContributorsSnarr, Cassandra Rose (Author) / Lynch, John (Thesis director) / Hunter, Joel (Committee member) / Bruhn, Karen (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor)
Created2013-05
Description
Vaccine opposition is a growing problem in developed countries where dropping vaccination rates threaten general public health by laying the foundation for resurgence and reemergence of previously eradicated infectious diseases. This thesis argues that the current movement is only the most recent incarnation of opposition that has co-evolved with vaccine practices for the duration of their mutual histories. Part one provides a historical context for the current movement using the example of the development and deployment of the smallpox vaccine as a representative timeline of vaccine acceptance and opposition. Part two describes the current movement in the United States and the United Kingdom, interprets the reasons for the conclusions drawn by vaccine-concerned parents, and provides a framework for public health officials to approach the issues.
ContributorsKost, Stephanie Michelle (Author) / Lynch, John (Thesis director) / Hurlbut, Ben (Committee member) / Robert, Jason (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor)
Created2013-12
Description
The truth about animal husbandry is not being explained properly to those who visit zoos, or, more importantly, to those who vehemently oppose zoos and animal captivity. Currently, the quality of modern zoos is communicated from within the zoo, where most animal rights activists would never step foot. I have researched the current influence of animal welfare on the practice of behavioral husbandry in modern institutions. In order to bring benefits of behavioral research to the debate on animal welfare, I have also observed two tigers at the Out of Africa Wildlife Park in Camp Verde, Arizona. The reality is that modern zoos are dedicated to improving the quality of life in captivity for rescued animals and to providing education and genetic diversity for their species. Accreditation standards are constantly evolving with discovery and criticism from professionals in the field of animal husbandry and behavior. Even tigers at the Out of Africa Wildlife Park display minimal stereotypic behaviors compared to other studies of captive tigers, and both of these cats also participate in healthy play and environmental enrichment use. Current advancements in animal welfare, enrichment, and animal husbandry project an excellent outlook for the zoological facilities of the future.
ContributorsSamuelson, Maisy Louise (Author) / Meloy, Elizabeth (Thesis director) / Caron, Martha (Committee member) / College of Integrative Sciences and Arts (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-12
Description
Illness is one of the most unfortunate experiences that can occur during one's life. It often emerges without warning and when it is least expected. Illness is not only detrimental to the physical and emotional health of the person who is directly diagnosed, however. When one person is diagnosed with any kind of illness, many people are affected. Literature and art have always been used as vehicles to express their creators' thoughts and feelings. Those affected by illness sometimes adopt this method, using the art of storytelling to cope with and express their many emotions. Because there are so many affected people when even only one person is diagnosed, there are several different perspectives that are expressed and must be analyzed. This anthology, titled "Creativity, Medicine, and the Arts: An Anthology Edited and Annotated by Gabrielle Georgini," illustrates the correlation between various kinds of illnessesand literature. According to Merriam-Webster, illness is defined as "obsolete, an unhealthy condition of body or mind" (371). To make a patient healthy again, he must receive some kind oftreatment. Unfortunately, in some cases, a patient may not become healthy again even if they do receive treatment. Literature is an art, and art is a form of therapy. Therefore, patients can use literature and art as forms of treatment. Art and literature provide therapies for the mind. They can allow patients to relax and can work as a distraction from their illnesses. Art and literature can also be a form of expression. Those who are affected by illness can describe or depict their thoughts on paper, enabling them to clear their head or inform others about how they are feeling.
ContributorsGeorgini, Gabrielle Marie (Author) / Meloy, Elizabeth (Thesis director) / Vega, Sylvia (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
There is a higher incidence of asthma, worse outcomes, and a higher burden of disease in Black Americans compared to white Americans. This thesis aims to understand asthma disparities in the Black population by analyzing a variety of social determinants of health and genetic factors that may contribute to these racial health disparities. Based on the evidence collected, a variety of interventions are discussed that explore potential solutions to address the critical issue.
ContributorsHaldorsen, Kamilla (Author) / Lynch, John (Thesis director) / Hendrickson, Kirstin (Committee member) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05