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Senior Independent Study Theses from 2015
History in the Hand Through Functional Ceramics, Katherine E. Stephens
Department: Art and Art History
Analyzing Christianity's Eco-Conscience: A Study of God and the Environment, Emily H. Stevens
Department: Religious Studies
Sexually Incompatible: Female Solders and Social Change of the American Civil War, Emily Stoner
Department: History
The Big Bomb Theory: Using Neoclassical Realism to Understand the Obama Administration's Nuclear Strategy, Shelby Stone
Department: International Relations
Capturing Identity: A cross-generational photo project on Mapuche self-identification, Heidi Strike
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
'You Are Who We Say You Are': The Politics of Ethnicity in Post-Genocidal Rwanda and Bosnia-Herzegovina, Stephanie A. Sugars
Department: International Relations; Sociology and Anthropology
Synthesis and Characterization of Potential Antitumor Transition Metals, Donald J. Sullivan Jr
Department: Chemistry
“The Gang of Virtue”: Colonial South Africa, Congo and Kenya in British Imperial Literature and Media, 1870-1970, William Swank
Department: English; History
Bridging the Gap: A Study of the Effects of After-School Programming On the Social Inequalities in the System of Education, Elizabeth Sweeney
Department: Sociology and Anthropology; Education
Violence without Verdicts: A Comparative Analysis of Social Movements and Race Relations in the United States and South Africa, Madison Swoy
Department: Political Science
A Screen for S. cerevisiae Mutants Hypersensitive to the P. sojae effector PsAvh172, Matthew J. Sydor
Department: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Root Cause, Shannon M. Thanasiu
Department: English
Is Belief in Progress Delusional?: An Investigation of the Notion of Human Progress, James M. Thomas
Department: Philosophy
Who's Your Daddy? It Might Be Your Mom: Tracking Pollen Movement in a Population of the Coral Bean (Erythrina flabelliformis) in Southeastern Arizona, Carolyn Thornton
Department: Biology
“We don’t need her anymore”: An Ethnographic Analysis of the Relationship Between International Aid and Non-Government Organizations with Child Vulnerability in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Taylor S. Thorp
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
Melville in the Anthropocene: The Ecological Ethics of Moby-Dick, Jesse H. Tiffen
Department: English; Environmental Studies; Sociology and Anthropology
"I feel like we're the Indians in the corner": Addressing Native Cultural Identity Formation in Education, Eleanor K. Tompkins
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
Constituents on the Cutting Room Floor: An analysis of the relationship between redistricting processes and malaportionment in the United States House of Representatives, Luke F. Tonat
Department: Political Science
The Value-Added Tax as an Optimal Solution: The Effect of VAT Use and Structure on the Distribution of Social Welfare, Eric G. Tonian
Department: Economics
Sacred and Mortuary Landscapes in Iron Age Cyprus: A GIS Analysis, James P. Torpy
Department: Archaeology
Stopping Segregation: Using a Mathematical Model to Racially Balance Schools in the 1970s, Paula Trautvetter
Department: Mathematics
Exploring the Neuroprotective Effects of EGCG and Green Tea on the Vestibular System, Caitlyn F. Trullinger-Dwyer
Department: Biology; Neuroscience
Effects of a growing substrate on secondarily tiered cornulitids of the Waldron Shale: Middle Silurian (Wenlockian) of Indiana, Christian P. Tulungen
Department: Geology
A Study of College Students' Family Background and Perceptions of Family Television, Emily Turnbull
Department: Communication Studies
On the Effects of Guru Avatars as Forces Encouraging Social Welfare Activism, Will Turner
Department: Religious Studies
Our Crimea or Our Can of Worms? (Крым Наш или Нам Крыш?): A Russian media portrayal of the 2014 Crimean crisis, Katherine B. Tuttle
Department: Russian Studies
The Effects of Short-Term Starvation and Subsequent Re-Feeding in The Red Flour Beetle, Tribolium Castaneum, Chase Ullman
Department: Biology
Should I Stay or Should I Go? The Effect of Unemployment Rate on an Employee's Decision to Quit, Kenneth F. Vance
Department: Business Economics
Entering Stage Left: An Examination of Masculinity and Education Among Black and Latino Adolescents, Emilio A. Vargas
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
Man vs Wild: An Anthropological Examination of Big Game Hunting Culture within the United States, Emilie Vermilyea
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
The Mental Game: An Analysis of Game Theory and Baseball, Ian M. Vernier
Department: Mathematics
“Forgiving The Unforgivable”: An Exploration of Post-Ethnic Conflict Peacebuilding and The Effects On The Durability of Peace, Casey Diane Wade
Department: Political Science
The Institutionalization of Social and Ethnic Divisions in Democratic States, John K. Wagner
Department: Political Science
Avalanches on a Critical Conical Bead Pile: Exploration of Tuning Parameter Space and Mathematical Foundations, Elliot Wainwright
Department: Mathematics; Physics
How Do We Get There From Here, Emily Watt
Department: English
"Women are not just reproductive beings": A Qualitative Analysis of Sexual and Reproductive Rights in India, Leslie A. Weaver
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
Turkey's New Islam: A Study of Religious and Political Identity in the Kemalist Political State, Nathaniel D. Weaver
Department: History; Religious Studies
Development of Azobenzocrown Ethers as Selective Photoresponsive Supramolecular Host by way of a Novel Photoassisted Synthetic Step, Lucas C. Webber
Department: Chemistry
The Scope of Fractals: Geometry, Iteration, Application, Sebastian E. Weber
Department: Mathematics
Planting Seeds, Growing Youth: An Ethnographic Study of the Role of Urban Agriculture in the Dudley Neighborhood of Boston, MA, Alissa Elaine Weinman
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
Extended Vocal Technique: An Instructional Guide for Beginners, Victor J. Welsch
Department: Music
Long-Term Experimental Evolution of Environmental Microbes to Degrade the Antidepressant Venlafaxine (Effexor®), Maxwell Werman
Department: Biology
Pittsburgh Steel: Cultural Identity in the Mill Towns of Pittsburgh, Jonathan McLaren West
Department: History
An Exploration of the Relationship between Personality and Play Behaviors in Captive Red Ruffed Lemurs (Varecia variegata rubra), McKenzie G. Witzke
Department: Biology; Psychology
The Steady Path to Prominence: World War One and the Development of U.S. Global Engagement, William Wojtkiewicz
Department: History
The Effects of Paternalism and Conditional Giving On Prosocial Behaviors, Stephanie Rachel Woodring
Department: Communication Studies; Economics
The Use of Data and Statistical Analysis to Predict an Outcome, Colin G. Woodward
Department: Mathematics
"The Living Tree": a Conservationist Journey Through J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth, Robert C. Worrell
Department: English
The Therapeutic Effects of Environmental and Physical Enrichment on Motor Behavior Function in a Rat Model of Parkinson's Disease, Rachel A. Wortman
Department: Neuroscience; Psychology; Biology
The Business of Busyness: The Welfare Implications of Digital Technologies, John Wu
Department: Economics; Sociology and Anthropology
The Mind, Body, and Identity through Trauma in Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon: A Psychoanalytic and Poetic Reflection on Healing, Juan Wynn
Department: English
The Impact of Rumination and Mindfulness on Attentional Control and Depression, Ragav Yarasi
Department: Neuroscience
“But I Hope You’re Not Offended”: A Look at Bruce Norris’ Clybourne Park Through the Structural Perspective of Critical Race Theory, Nora M. Yawitz
Department: Theatre and Dance
Vector Space Modeling: An Intuitive Approach to Information Retrieval, Gregory R.P. Yerkes
Department: Mathematics
Ain't It The Truth?: Considering the Search for ‘Truth’ of Moral Knowledge as presented in Plato’s “Meno”, Janelle Young
Department: Philosophy
Armed with an Easel: Understanding Artistic Political Praxis Through the Works of Theodor Adorno and Chantal Mouffe, Evelyn Yu Yu Swe
Department: Philosophy; Political Science
The Influence of Christianity and Chinese Culture on Chinese Christian Married Couples in Northeast Ohio, Mone S. Zafra
Department: Religious Studies
The Dragon, Mearsheimer and the Rising Sun: An Examination of Offensive Realism through the Sino-Japanese Dyad, Samuel P. Zais
Department: Political Science
Senior Independent Study Theses from 2014
Transcriptional Response to the Phytophthora Sojae Avh110 Effector Protein Using a Yeast Expression Study, Gabriel J. Abud
Department: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
See Spot Read: How the Presence of a Therapy Dog Influences the Reading Skills of Children in the First-Grade, Chelsea Addison
Department: Communication Studies
The Sacred “In-Between”: The Multiple Narratives of Multiracial and Transnational People, Parisa R. Ahmadi
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
Relationship Status, 2D: 4D Ratio and the Prediction of Risky Behavior Among College Students, Mariah N. Alderman
Department: Psychology
The Moroccan Example: “Coming Movements,” Communities, and Lived Experience in Contemporary Protest, Paige I. Ambord
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
Investigating the Effects of Small Molecule Inhibitors of Potassium Channels on Mortality Rate and Urine Excretion in Female Aedes aegypti, Sheila O. Amoako
Department: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Sight May Leave You Blind to Beauty, Edith M. Anderson
Department: Sociology and Anthropology; Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
The Silent Protest: An Investigation of the 1988 Deaf President Now Movement, Rachel L. Appleton
Department: Communication Studies; History
“嘿,基佬!”中国电子媒体和同性恋的空间 “Hey, gay person!” Chinese Electronic Media and Homosexual Space, Kathleen Arnold
Department: Chinese Studies
Evolution of Negative Cooperativity in Phosphagen Kinases, Manish Aryal
Department: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
The Effects of Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) on ApoE Gene Expression Levels Working Through RXR Receptors in Rat Liver and Hippocampus Samples, Aundrea Atwell
Department: Neuroscience
Breaking Ground: The New Farmers' Movement in the United States, Ellen Baird
Department: Environmental Studies; Sociology and Anthropology
The Effects of Human Facial Expression on Task Performance, Aurielle Baker-Coleman
Department: Psychology
Le Français Québécois et la Lutte pour Graver en Pierre une Variété Linguistique, Katherine G. Baker
Department: French and Francophone Studies
La Preservación y la Reconstrucción de la Identidad Judío-Argentina a Través de la Memoria y los Museos, Mallory Band
Department: Spanish
The Unjust Society, Richard A. Barnes II
Department: Philosophy
The Dogeater, Nicholas J. Barrow
Department: English
El Arte Y La Justicia Social: Un Análisis del Papel Del Muralismo Y El Teatro Alternativo en El Movimiento Chicano, Daniela Bartlett Asenjo
Department: Spanish
A Wilderness of Mirrors: Intelligence in the Revolutionary War, John T. Battaglia
Department: History
U.S. Foreign Aid and Geostrategic Interests: Does USAID Positively Impact Education Levels in Developing Countries?, Angela M. Bauman
Department: Political Science
An Investigation of the Diagnostic and Management Protocols Audiologists Follow for Pediatric Patients with Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum Disorder, Donna J. Bell
Department: Communication Studies
Independent Study Is-Real (Israel): An Examination of American Immigration to Israel, Kristen Bell
Department: History; Sociology and Anthropology
Goodbye to All of That: 104 Days of Cancer, Ian T. Benson
Department: English
Beauty is in the "I" of the Beholder: An Analysis of the Effects of the Internalization of Media's Ideals on Body Image, Catherine A. Benton
Department: Psychology
‘Tewo Zamani’—Sickness of this Generation: The Feminization of HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa, Weyni T. Berhe
Department: Africana Studies
Propelling Them to Greatness? Helicopter Parenting Effects on First Year College Students, Ann Berkow
Department: Psychology
Audiologists' Knowledge of Tinnitus Treatment Among United States Military Veterans, Jacob T. Bernard
Department: Communication Studies
Once Upon a Time: How the Oral Narrative Abilities of Children with Cochlear Implants Compare with their Hearing Peers, Autumn M. Berry
Department: Communication Studies
Green Technology Transfer: Analyzing the Impact on Developed Countries through Environmental Technological Transfers between Developed and Developing Countries, Varun R. Bhandari
Department: Business Economics
"You Laugh and Cry from the Same Mouth": An Exploration of Successful Aging in Contemporary Russia, Caroline Bilsky
Department: Russian Studies; Sociology and Anthropology
Clean Air - A Luxury Only the Rich Can Afford? An Analysis of International Environmental Policy Using a Development Framework, Nicholas J. Biniker II
Department: Political Science
They Make Me An Angry Black Barbie: An Examination and Analysis of Black Women's Interactions And Experiences On a Predominantly White Campus, Shakera Blackmon
Department: Communication Studies
On Designing and Implementing Graphical User Interface for Mild Dementia and Early-Stage Alzheimer's Patients, Michelle S. Blackwood
Department: Computer Science
They Teach As They Were Taught: Teaching and Women’s Work in America’s Early Republic, Nichole Blackwood
Department: History
Words of Silence, Morgan H. Blake
Department: English
The Development of Metalinguistic Awareness of Grammatical and Morphological Errors Found in Children's Literature, Eve Boonin
Department: Communication Studies
Jury Perceptions of Neuroscience versus Psychological Explanations of the Other Race Effect, Christopher E. Bope
Department: Psychology; Neuroscience
An In-Depth Analysis of the Photophysical Properties of para-Aminobenzoic Acid and 4-Dimethylaminobenzoic Acid, Jacob A. Boroff
Department: Chemistry
First Bryozoan Fauna Described from the Jurassic Tropics: Specimens from the Matmor Formation (Middle Jurassic, Upper Callovian) in Southern Israel, Stephanie Bosch
Department: Geology
Lithic Raw Material Procurement at the Prehistoric Wansack Site (36ME61) in Mercer County, Pennsylvania: Evidence for Mobility and Trade Patterns from the Archaic to the Late Prehistoric in Elemental XRF Data, Stephanie Bosch
Department: Archaeology
Photochemical Degradation of the Carmine Dye Molecule in Artist Media, Leah M.R. Bowers
Department: Chemistry
Pieces of Petersburg, Alexandra Boyer
Department: English