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Description
My thesis/creative project is a series of videos, supplemented by a paper documenting all the research. The project focuses on domestic and feral cats through the viewpoint of the “warrior cats” book series. The use of a particular fandom as a vehicle for science communication is a unique platform for use as a thesis/creative project. The narrated videos are made with the intention of being presented on YouTube or a similar viewing platform to an audience that is already familiar with the book series. The videos would fit on the site as a form of educational film known as video essays. The videos cover a range of topics to relate this book series to real situations with domestic animals, particularly cats, and wildlife. Each video is around ten to twenty minutes long and presented as episodes in a series.
The objective of my thesis project is to help bridge the gap between entertainment and science. I grew up reading the warrior cats, and I assume I was similar to many other children and young teens who did not understand domestic cats or ecology enough to question anything in the books. I know that much of these books are fictional, but that does not mean that it can’t be analyzed and used as a tool for teaching. The goal is to reach common ground with those people who have an interest in the warrior cats series, and help them understand it in a new light, as well as the world around them. I aim for the takeaway of this series to encourage people to explore the concepts I discuss and consider expanding upon the ideas within the Warriors universe or with their own cats.
The objective of my thesis project is to help bridge the gap between entertainment and science. I grew up reading the warrior cats, and I assume I was similar to many other children and young teens who did not understand domestic cats or ecology enough to question anything in the books. I know that much of these books are fictional, but that does not mean that it can’t be analyzed and used as a tool for teaching. The goal is to reach common ground with those people who have an interest in the warrior cats series, and help them understand it in a new light, as well as the world around them. I aim for the takeaway of this series to encourage people to explore the concepts I discuss and consider expanding upon the ideas within the Warriors universe or with their own cats.
ContributorsGarcia, Johnny Nico (Author) / Bateman, Heather (Thesis director) / Meloy, Elizabeth (Committee member) / College of Integrative Sciences and Arts (Contributor, Contributor) / School of Art (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
Nutrition has been around for as long as human beings have resided on the planet, giving it one of the most impactful roles in history, particularly in medicine. Certain herbs or dietary restrictions could help individuals recover from illnesses—this form of healing has been passed down generations, which medical providers from all over the world take advantage of. Before the era of antibiotics and pharmaceutical companies, food was the medicine used to treat. As civilization has flourished and become progressive, it seems that certain qualities of the past have been forgotten, such as the power of diet. Medical providers like to push patients towards pharmaceutical intervention because of the financial profit that this method entails, which has been shown to backfire. These interventions are not solving the true problem, but only applying a short-term solution. Dietary restrictions as well as the increase in heart-healthy foods can entirely reverse these conditions in order to avoid the fatal effects they may have. With the increase in nutritional education amongst the population via medical providers, specifically primary care providers, patients are able to reverse the symptoms of effects of chronic cardiovascular disease amongst others.
ContributorsTarin, Marjan (Author) / Huffman, Holly (Thesis director) / Moore, Marianne (Committee member) / College of Integrative Sciences and Arts (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-12
Description
Since the days of Plato’s Academy and Aristotle’s Lyceum, the intellectual community has been divided in two. This division has continued into the present day, most notably evidenced by the dichotomy between science and arts majors. There has been much debate over the last two centuries regarding how to bridge this divide, and whether or not doing so is necessary. Scholars like C. P. Snow have argued that interdisciplinary education is humanity’s only hope for confronting its current and future problems, while scholars like F.R. Leavis believe calls to restructure education are an oversimplification of a more complex problem. With its emphasis on global and local outreach, interdisciplinary education, and use-inspired research, the New American University model currently in use by Arizona State University is a literal attempt at bridging this divide. Schools like the College of Integrated Sciences and Arts have created an environment that encourages interdisciplinary collaboration. President Crow attributes this progress to what he calls “the design approach.” Unlike a rigid blueprint, the design approach instead looks at each problem in isolation, allowing for a unique solution to be tailor-made to fit each scenario. Despite the initial successes of the New American University model, however, it is still important to remain observant and critical of its practices into the future, as too much of an emphasis on interdisciplinarity could have the opposite of its intended effect, and potentially drive students who wish to specialize away from traditional universities altogether.
ContributorsPeru, James (Author) / Martin, Thomas (Thesis director) / Kane, Joshua (Committee member) / College of Integrative Sciences and Arts (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-12
Description
This research highlights how problems that women face at the structural, social, professional and individual level impact their business success, personal growth, and the business economic environment. The first section of the paper provides a global view about gender gaps and challenges. The second section is narrowed down to the city of Baños de Agua Santa in Ecuador where the findings were sought through a grounded theory research. After the analysis of the findings, a business model has been developed which addresses the major challenges and problems that women and the city are currently encountering. The ultimate purpose is to implement the project in the city; it promotes entrepreneurial education, innovation, association, and personal growth. The overall research is a cutting-edge study as it emphasizes that the business success of women entrepreneurs is not solved by one big fixed but more through a holistic solution.
ContributorsCurrat Luna, Daphne Christelle (Author) / Mary, Sully De Luque (Thesis director) / Joshua, Ault (Committee member) / Thunderbird School of Global Management (Contributor) / College of Integrative Sciences and Arts (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-12
Description
Teacher preparation programs and how they function and educate future teachers can have large-scale impacts within the classroom, yet in the United States we see these processes operating drastically differently in various states, cities, and universities. In order to understand some of the differences in teacher preparation programs and how they differ from other programs, this study reviews the literature and shares the experiences of current students in teacher preparation programs both in the United States and Finland. Finland's education system has risen to international notoriety with the use and reporting of the country's strong ranking on the Programme for International Student Achievement or PISA. In 2001 during the inaugural publication of the PISA results, Finland was ranked in the top three of all three subject areas (science, reading, and mathematics literacy) amongst other nations in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The small Nordic nation exceeded anyone's expectations of their performance on the PISA and gained worldwide recognition for the high caliber of their students and their education system. One of the biggest components of a strong education system is the strength and caliber of its teachers. As a part of the Finnish reforms in the 1970's, policies and oversight were put in place regarding the preparation of teachers for Finnish schools. The level of preparation and the qualifications of teachers were increased as a part of these reform efforts and as such Finnish teachers are required to hold at minimum, a Master's degree. Teacher preparation programs in Finland have been consolidated into just eight universities nationwide with rigorous programs and a research emphasis. Teaching in Finland is also a highly sought after and well-regarded career path. According to the Finnish Teacher Training Schools, "[i]n 2016, over 6600 applicants competed for the 660 available slots in primary school preparation programmes" (About us, 2017). With an admission rate of only ten percent, teacher preparation programs are extremely competitive, oftentimes rivaling admission rates of medical or law schools. As the United States seeks to strengthen its education system, it is vital that we learn from the success of other nations. Making changes to the policies and processes of teacher training has been highly successful in strengthening the Finnish education system and contains insights relevant to improving the education system here in the US. Experiences, insights, and observations of the Finnish teacher training process can be impactful in evaluating ways in which the United States could seek to improve its own teacher training. Based on the available literature and experiences shared by both Finnish and American teacher preparation students and program graduates, I will compare some of the differences between the two systems and provide recommendations as to how the United States could incorporate some of the successful components of Finnish teacher training programs into its own offerings as it works to better prepare teachers for the classroom.
ContributorsEtz, Shannon Faye (Author) / LePore, Paul (Thesis director) / Ingram-Waters, Mary (Committee member) / Division of Teacher Preparation (Contributor) / W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Department of Management and Entrepreneurship (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
My thesis offers original research is in its direct analysis of the IRS conflict of interest regulations and their applicability to STOs, its discussion of my experience setting up an STO, and my interviews of State Legislators as a primary source. The primary goals of my investigation are to 1. Determine the regulations and standards that exist to prevent conflicts of interest in the operation of Arizona STOs. 2. Examine instances of alleged conflicts of interest encountered by STO operators. 3. Discuss the ethical implications of STO operator actions in situations of conflicts of interest. And 4. Propose legislative solutions to remove any and all conflicts of interest. From my examination of financial records and from my interviews with other state legislators, I have concluded that Arizona Christina School Tuition Organization is violating IRS regulations by operating with an objective of conferring on its director a private benefit. The STO I helped form, ------------- STO will need to carefully document its expenses and contracts to justify its overhead margin or else risk running afoul of the same IRS regulations. Even if an STO like ------------- STO, is allowed by Arizona law to have an overhead margin of 10%, those expenses must be justified, particularly if they confer a private benefit to restricted persons. Ultimately, even if an STO deliberately flouts IRS regulations regarding private benefits realized by "disqualified" persons, it is highly unlikely that the STO will face IRS scrutiny. Therefore, there exist sufficient federal regulatory safeguards to prevent financial conflicts of interest among Arizona STO board members, but such regulations are not sufficiently enforced to prevent those conflicts of interest.
ContributorsGunther, Nicholas (Author) / Koretz, Lora (Thesis director) / Bonfiglio, Thomas (Committee member) / Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law (Contributor) / W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
Organizations are hiring prospective employees with more transformational leadership qualities because of the organizational benefits associated with those leadership skills (Men, 2014). While current research examines the effects of transformational leadership in the workplace and the effects of hiring standards on organizational success, this research lacks an understanding of how to promote these hireable transformational leadership skills in education. In this study, we examine how students at the collegiate level are taught to enact leadership skills from two different methods and how they are perceived as hireable or not by human resource managers. To do this, we hired human resource professionals to code for hireability in the actions of the participants in a leadership scenario conducted at the end of the semester. By testing how students from each class are perceived as more or less hireable by human resource professionals, we contribute to the overall study of the benefits of transformational leadership in the workplace.
ContributorsBecker, Katie Marie (Author) / Adame, Elissa (Thesis director) / Towles, Megan (Committee member) / Arterburn, Ande (Committee member) / W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
In response to a national call within STEM to increase diversity within the sciences, there has been a growth in science education research aimed at increasing participation of underrepresented groups in science, such as women and ethnic/racial minorities. However, an underexplored underrepresented group in science are religious students. Though 82% of the United States population is religiously affiliated, only 52% of scientists are religious (Pew, 2009). Even further, only 32% of biologists are religious, with 25% identifying as Christian (Pew, 2009; Ecklund, 2007). One reason as to why Christian individuals are underrepresented in biology is because faculty may express biases that affect students' ability to persist in the field of biology. In this study, we explored how revealing a Christian student's religious identity on science graduate application would impact faculty's perception of the student during the biology graduate application process. We found that faculty were significantly more likely to perceive the student who revealed their religious identity to be less competent, hirable, likeable, and faculty would be less likely to mentor the student. Our study informs upon possible reasons as to why there is an underrepresentation of Christians in science. This further suggests that bias against Christians must be addressed in order to avoid real-world, negative treatment of Christians in science.
ContributorsTruong, Jasmine Maylee (Author) / Brownell, Sara (Thesis director) / Gaughan, Monica (Committee member) / Barnes, Liz (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
Science and technology have significant influence over the everyday lives of ordinary citizens. As these two disciplines have become more advanced, their influence has only become more pronounced, leading to many socioscientific issues and bioethical dilemmas that society and scientists must grapple with. In order to create informed, thoughtful citizens and effective future scientists, science educators must provide students with the skills they need to assess, evaluate, and address bioethical controversies. To do this, educators must explicitly teach students about bioethics and scientific argumentation. However, currently, this content is not commonly taught in science classrooms. Instead, science is presented as a discipline in which there are clear answers. Students are often expected to memorize lists of facts and are not made aware of the impact that science has on their own lives and those of others. This three-lesson unit seeks to help students make the connections between science content and its social implications and teach them the scientific argumentation skills necessary to critically evaluate and defend their positions regarding bioethical dilemmas. In the first lesson, students learn about bioethics and practice developing potential solutions to hypothetical bioethical dilemmas. In the second lesson, students are introduced to scientific argumentation and use their new skills to create mini-arguments regarding the bioethics of what happened to Henrietta Lacks, a black woman whose cervical cancer cells were used in research without her consent. Finally, in the third lesson, students work in groups to create fully developed arguments that support their position regarding the issue of tissue ownership. The last two lessons of the unit were implemented in a high school science classroom. After implementation, it was found that students have strong opinions regarding scientific controversies and enjoy learning and arguing about the social implications of science. However, students struggled to understand the mechanics of scientific argumentation and had trouble clearly expressing their ideas and opinions via argumentation. Additionally, students were very dogmatic in their positions and displayed a lack of understanding of the nuance of bioethical controversies.
ContributorsNath, Anita Lakshmi (Author) / Walters, Molina (Thesis director) / Oliver, Jill (Committee member) / College of Integrative Sciences and Arts (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-12
Description
The aim of this project was to identify current trends in organ transplant trafficking to build upon a Mayo Clinic internship in which I conducted research and published an article: “A Scoping Review of Labor and Organ Trafficking Resources for U.S. Healthcare Professionals” in the Journal of Human Trafficking. Healthcare professionals need to be educated on the underreported problem of organ trafficking in the United States and awareness needs to be spread. Due to the lack of research available in the United States on organ trafficking for healthcare professionals, I attempted to find international sources and to make suggestions on how awareness can be created. The research pointed out problems in the United States, such as doctor-patient confidently that make it difficult to track the issue. A major theme was discovered on transplant tourism, which is where wealthy individuals from the U.S. and other developed countries travel to third-world countries to take advantage of vulnerable individuals, who may be victims of organ trafficking.
ContributorsMishra, Nandini (Author) / Meloy, Elizabeth (Thesis director) / Talbott, Jennifer (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / College of Integrative Sciences and Arts (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor)
Created2022-05