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Description
As a historical event and a much-loved subject of ancient literature, the Trojan War gave birth to many well-known stories, such as The Iliad, which continue to be enjoyed today. Among these is the lesser known work of Geoffrey Chaucer, titled Troilus and Criseyde. It follows the story of Prince Troilus, youngest son of King Priam and a character who is not seen in literature as often as his brothers Hector and Paris. In the 10th year of the Trojan War, Troilus meets the main protagonist, Criseyde, and falls madly in love. Criseyde herself is not in a position to love, but throughout the pages finds herself warming to the prince's favor. Through a beautifully crafted story, Chaucer evokes themes such as loyalty, selfishness, history, physical love versus spiritual love, and the role of women in society. Although it is a lesser known work of Chaucer's, in his day, Troilus and Criseyde was considered his masterpiece. My spring 2016 creative project is a novel retelling of this story entitled In Loving Criseyda. Following the plot of Chaucer's original, In Loving Criseyda is told from the perspective of an additional character: Criseyda's serving maid, Nadia. Nadia serves as the narrator and follows the plot points of the original story, offering her unique perspective on the events. Although Criseyda and Nadia come from opposite ends of society, the two find similarities in their situation and soon become friends. In befriending Criseyda, Nadia's world opens up as she begins to see the world in a new way. The novel becomes a coming of age story for Nadia in the time of the Trojan War, and her journey through love and loss.
ContributorsVecera, Emilie Marie (Author) / Blasingame, James (Thesis director) / Sturges, Robert (Committee member) / Department of English (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
Upon investigating the current state of the high scrap problem at Niagara Bottling's Phoenix manufacturing facility, it was found that 49% of the scrap was being generated at the bottling lines in the form of plastic bottles, and 39% of scrap took the form of preforms accumulated at either the bottling lines or the injection molding machines. The scope of this project includes all forms of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), but the large accumulation of scrap in these areas suggests a primary focus on the bottling lines and the injection molding machines. Further analysis of the bottling lines found that the filler at each line as well as the blower on line X1 were the biggest contributors to the scrap accumulation problem. Each of these machines was seeing over 0.4% of bottles rejected at the visual inspection units. Due to the underlying status and quality issues of the injection molding machines that were beyond the scope of this project, this process was only investigated for solutions involving the overall processes and people. Based on the data and process flow analysis there were several solutions proposed including a root-cause analysis of the highest faulting machines, the repair of the injection molding overhead conveyor systems, the creation of a low waste environment, and the implementation a scrap tracking and analysis process. Based on the current high variability in the scrap experience across all machines, it is recommended that Niagara Phoenix pursue the scrap tracking and analysis alternative. After the implementing the scrap tracking and analysis process, the initial results were encouraging and could potentially warrant the investment in a software platform that could automate the collection of data necessary for this process. Based on the initial results of the manual collection and analysis process, each individual line show signs of potential reduction in the scrap rate of over 50%. According to this improvement, purchasing the software platform would see a payoff period of only 36 days.
ContributorsSanchez, Thomas Camden (Author) / Kellso, James (Thesis director) / Lupe, Munoz (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
The bull shark, Carcharhinus leucas, is a large species that it is commonly distributed worldwide in tropical and subtropical waters. Despite the bull sharks global distribution, little is known about its life history. In particular, the limited reproductive information suggests the bull shark is placental viviparous, assumed to have a biennial cycle, and that newborn pup nurseries are near the coast. In order to conserve and protect any species, an understanding of the habitats where reproductive events occur is needed. In order to better understand the habitat use in Biscayne bay, Fla, and whether certain areas are critical during the reproductive cycle of bull sharks, I will evaluate circulating levels of the hormones progesterone, estradiol, and testosterone using radioimmunoassay. These samples were collected by the University of Miami opportunistically between 2012-2020 shipped to Arizona State University, where they were analyzed. For my study a total of 73 mature samples, 27 females and 46 males, were collected over the sampling period. The results indicated that Biscayne bay is an important gestation area for bull sharks. The hormonal trends for males and females demonstrated an interesting reproductive cycle, which were further supported through other placental viviparous reproductive patterns. Females had a low level of estradiol throughout most of the year, besides in the summer where there were no sharks in the bay due to movement to estuaries. During their return to the bay, there was a peak in progesterone indicating early pregnancy. Male testosterone levels indicated that there was a production in sperm right before females speculated peak in estradiol.
ContributorsJara-Aguirre, Nisi G (Author) / Sulikowski, James (Thesis director) / Ferry, Lara (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05
Description
Popular culture tends to downplay strong female characters to favor a plethora of male figures that children look up to as heroes. This creates a gender imbalance in exposure to inspirational characters that children can look up to as role models. For our team's creative project, we chose to write and illustrate a children's book mainly targeted at young girls, ages eight to twelve that focuses on the stories of selected female figures of Norse mythology. The five stories in our collection focus on the figures Frigg, Skadi, Elli, Idunn, and Freya and are inspired by the mythology contained in the Prose Edda by Snorri Sturluson and selected medieval texts on the Germanic Lombard tribe. Through our book, Women of Norse Myth: For Little Goddesses, we wanted to introduce children to Norse mythology, a branch of myth that is often overshadowed by more popular mythologies such as Roman and Greek. Additionally, our goal was to bring light to the female figures within Norse myth that are generally given less attention than their male counterparts. Keeping in mind these goals, the stories were adapted from the original myths in a manner that would be suitable for a young audience as well as our aim for female empowerment. The final manuscript contains an introduction to Norse cosmology, introductions to the figures, a glossary of Norse terms used, and the illustrated stories themselves. Together with our combined talents, interests, and goals, Women of Norse Myth: For Little Goddesses was completed, and we hope that someday it can be published and serve as a fun and inspiring storybook for children to read and learn from.
ContributorsFarine, Brittany (Co-author) / Muth, Margaret (Co-author) / Youngjohn, Trystan (Co-author) / Alexander, John (Thesis director) / Wells, Cornelia (Committee member) / Department of English (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / School of Human Evolution and Social Change (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
Water is the main driver of net primary productivity (NPP) in arid ecosystems, followed by nitrogen and phosphorous. Precipitation is the primary factor in determining water availability to plants, but other factors such as surface rocks could also have an impact. Surface rocks may positively affect water availability by preventing evaporation from soil, but at higher densities, surface rocks may also have a negative impact on water availability by limiting water infiltration or light availability. However, the direct relationship between rock cover and aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP), a proxy for NPP, is not well understood. In this research we explore the relationship between rock cover, ANPP, and soil nutrient availability. We conducted a rock cover survey on long-term fertilized plots at fifteen sites in the Sonoran Desert and used 4 years of data from annual plant biomass surveys to determine the relationship between peak plant biomass and surface rock cover. We performed factorial ANCOVA to assess the relationship among annual plant biomass, surface rocks, precipitation, and fertilization treatment. Overall we found that precipitation, nutrients, and rock cover influence growth of Sonoran Desert annual plants. Rock cover had an overall negative relationship with annual plant biomass, but did not show a consistent pattern of significance over four years of study and with varying average winter precipitation.
ContributorsShaw, Julea Anne (Author) / Hall, Sharon (Thesis director) / Sala, Osvaldo (Committee member) / Cook, Elizabeth (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
A Foreigner's Guide to China, a creative project, is a short novel that blends cultural analysis and linguistic study in a collective investigation of modern China. As China grows at an unprecedented pace, many Americans still remain ignorant of life and development in a foreign place on the other side of the world. The project is an attempt to help mesh cultural lines and aid students, travelers, and businesspeople travelling to China for the first time. Therefore, the main goal of the entire project is to provide an actual guidebook that can be read prior to going to China or while in the country. The project is divided into two main types of chapters: cultural analysis and advice giving on day to day life in China, and linguistic study that adopts a more academic approach. Both types of chapters use my personal anecdotes to give both context and a sense of reality to the advice I include in the project. While very different in their styles, the two types of chapters ultimately work towards the same end: explaining differences and similarities between Chinese and American cultures, and giving a cultural opening from which to expand understanding. The novel is written in a lighthearted and humorous tone that attempts to soften the often seemingly offensive overtone that appears when analyzing cultures side by side. Topics include landing advice, transportation, cuisine, working life, and school life, as well as Mandarin Chinese tones, politeness, and dialects. Overall, the project has a more cultural outlook with a heavier focus on those sections.
ContributorsDaliere, Andrew John (Author) / Oh, Young (Thesis director) / Lyon, Mich (Committee member) / W. P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2015-12
Description
The desert ant, Novomessor albisetosus, is an ideal model system for studying collective transport in ants and self-organized cooperation in natural systems. Small teams collect and stabilize around objects encountered by these colonies in the field, and the teams carry them in straight paths at a regulated velocity back to nearby nest entrances. The puzzling finding that teams are slower than individuals contrasts other cases of cooperative transport in ants. The statistical distribution of speeds has been found to be consistent with the slowest-ant model, but the key assumption that individual ants consistently vary in speed has not been tested. To test this, information is needed about the natural distribution of individual ant speeds in colonies and whether some ants are intrinsically slow or fast. To investigate the natural, individual-level variation in ants carrying loads, data were collected on single workers carrying fig seeds in arenas separated from other workers. Using three separate, small arenas, the instantaneous speed of each seed-laden worker was recorded when she picked up a fig seed and transported within the arena. Instantaneous speeds were measured by dividing the distance traveled in each frame by how much time had passed.
There were nine ants who transported a fig seed numerous times and there was a clear variation in their average instantaneous speed. Within an ant, slightly varying speeds were found as well, but within-ant speeds were not as varied as speed across ants. These results support the conclusion that there is intrinsic variation in the speed of an individual which supports the slowest-ant model, but this may require further experimentation to test thoroughly. This information aids in the understanding of the natural variation of ants cooperatively carrying larger loads in groups.
There were nine ants who transported a fig seed numerous times and there was a clear variation in their average instantaneous speed. Within an ant, slightly varying speeds were found as well, but within-ant speeds were not as varied as speed across ants. These results support the conclusion that there is intrinsic variation in the speed of an individual which supports the slowest-ant model, but this may require further experimentation to test thoroughly. This information aids in the understanding of the natural variation of ants cooperatively carrying larger loads in groups.
ContributorsCastro, Samantha (Author) / Pavlic, Theodore (Thesis director) / Pratt, Stephen (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-12
Description
“Loose Lace Baby” is a multimedia creative project that includes the creation of a song, a music video, and cover art. The project began with the songwriting process, which became the inspiration for the video concept. The final cover art is based on the themes and aesthetics of the song and video combined. This project’s purpose was to explore the creative process across multiple media forms and how those forms can work to inspire and enhance one another. The first stage of the project was the songwriting and recording stage. The song is a simple love song about feeling insecure in a relationship and is centered on the metaphor of “tripping over loose shoelaces”. The process in this stage included creative idea exchange, songwriting, music production, and research in different methods of song creation. This portion of the project was then used to inspire the second stage, which was the music video. The music video is about a young boy’s first major crush and follows him on his journey to tell her how he feels, which ultimately ends poorly for him, but goes to show that love can be a divisive but also binding force. The caveat to this boy’s crush is that it ends up being his babysitter, who is much older than him and therefore does not reciprocate his feeling despite having a meaningful connection of a different nature with him. This portion of the project involved many elements, namely using sound as a source of inspiration for moving visual art, production and design, learning about camera work, directing, scripting, screenplay, acting, editing, and most of all, collaboration. Finally, Once these stages of the project came together, the final stage was to draw on the core ideas of the two to create a piece of cover art that represented the messages from both the song and the music video, cohesively binding the multiple media forms into one final product. This stage involved photography, image editing, and pulling from the two other media forms to create a cohesive representative image The final product is a music video and song that are approximately four minutes long each, and a single cover art image. The main software used for music production was Ableton Live. The camera used was a Sony A6300 and the main video editing software used was Adobe Premiere. Many learning outcomes were reached, including multiple filming and editing techniques, video production and the work that goes into organizing and directing a film project, music production methods such as vocal recording and processing, live instrument recording, song arrangement and the use of a Digital Audio Workstation for production and mixing. An in-depth analysis of the entire process is given in detail in the following pages.
"Loose Lace Baby" music video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5uPf7Psht8&feature=youtu.be
"Loose Lace Baby" music video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5uPf7Psht8&feature=youtu.be
ContributorsMazaheri, Thaddeus Mohammed (Author) / Kaplan, Robert (Thesis director) / Ganssle, Gene (Committee member) / Caves, Larry (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / School of Sustainability (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
Throughout history humans have had to adapt to changing conditions in order to survive. Food shortages are one of the major pressures that have shaped past populations. Because of this, the human body has many physiological adaptations that allow it to go extended periods of time consuming little to no food. These adaptations also allow the body to recover quickly once food becomes available. They include changes in metabolism that allow different fuel sources to be used for energy, the storing of excess energy absorbed from food in the forms of glycogen and fat to be used in between meals, and a reduction in the basal metabolic rate in response to starvation, as well as physiological changes in the small intestines. Even in places where starvation is not a concern today, these adaptations are still important as they also have an effect on weight gain and dieting in addition to promoting survival when the body is in a starved state.
Disclaimer: The initial goal of this project was to present this information as a podcast episode as a part of a series aimed at teaching the general public about human physiological adaptations. Due to the circumstances with COVID-19 we were unable to meet to make a final recording of the podcast episode. A recording of a practice session recorded earlier in the year has been uploaded instead and is therefore only a rough draft.
Disclaimer: The initial goal of this project was to present this information as a podcast episode as a part of a series aimed at teaching the general public about human physiological adaptations. Due to the circumstances with COVID-19 we were unable to meet to make a final recording of the podcast episode. A recording of a practice session recorded earlier in the year has been uploaded instead and is therefore only a rough draft.
ContributorsPhlipot, Stephanie Anne (Author) / Hyatt, JP (Thesis director) / Kingsbury, Jeffrey (Committee member) / School of Molecular Sciences (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
DescriptionThis project explores the impacts of partisan media bias on the American people and government through a book, website, and three-dimensional exhibit. It is meant to make audiences question the validity and reliability of the information around them while encouraging skepticism.
ContributorsVan Zile, Kara (Author) / Sanft, Alfred (Thesis director) / Heywood, William (Committee member) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / The Design School (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05