Honors Program Theses
The University Honors Program is an intellectually stimulating and socially nurturing community of students of exceptional academic achievement. Every honors student has the opportunity to complete undergraduate research during their time at UNI by writing a thesis. Students work with faculty members in their major or area of interest to develop and conduct a study during either their Junior or Senior year. To go to the Honors Program page, click here.
From this page, you can browse our Honors Program Theses by academic department or by the year of completion Some theses and dissertations are not eligible for open access.
Browse Honors Program Theses by academic department:
College of Business Administration
- Accounting
- Economics
- Finance
- Management
- Marketing and Entrepreneurship
- Curriculum and Instruction
- Educational Psychology, Foundations, and Leadership Studies
- Health, Recreation, and Community Services
- Kinesiology
- Special Education
- School of Kinesiology, Allied Health and Human Services
- Teaching
- Art
- Biology
- Chemistry and Biochemistry
- Communication Sciences and Disorders
- Communication and Media
- Computer Science
- Earth and Environmental Sciences
- Languages and Literatures
- Mathematics
- Philosophy and World Religions
- Physics
- Theatre
- School of Music
- Science Education Program
- Geography
- History
- Political Science
- Psychology
- Social Work
- Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminology
- School of Applied Human Sciences
College of Education
College of Humanities, Arts, and Sciences
College of Social and Behavioral Sciences
Browse Honors Program Theses by year of completion:
Submissions from 2023
New Policy Opens Trade with India for Pork Producers in the U.S., Morgan Marie Aitchison Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Her Story, Her Right: Narrative as a Basic Human Right, Karlee M. Colby Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Evaluation Of Methods To Analyze Microbial Composition In Soils, Joseph Correa Open Access Honors Program Thesis
The Horror of Darwinism: The Evolution of the Monster in Film and Popular Culture, Ava Deitrich Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Sinking Into My Skin: An Exploration of the Mind and Body Through Multigenre Creative Writing, Ana Elizabeth Eagan Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Language Development and Poverty: Considerations and Applications for Speech-Language Pathologists, Samantha Lynn Ehler Open Access Honors Program Thesis 2023 Award
Monitoring Archaeal Persistence in Cultivation, Payton Hall Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Art Teaching and American Society: An Exploration of How Art Makes Us Think and Why America Needs It Right Now, Julie Marie Hammerand Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Competencies Acquired in the Psychology Major, Jake Harrington Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Exposure, Adaptation and Expectations: How They Affect Perception of Foreign Accented Speech, Isabella Huddleston Open Access Honors Program Thesis
How Economic Distribution Impacts Human Rights on an International Level: A Case Study in Africa and the Balkans, Lindsey G. Ingraham Open Access Honors Program Thesis
The Power of Homeownership, Esha Sanjiv Jayswal Honors Program Thesis (Electronic Copy Not Available)
The Sacrifice of Artistry for a Convenient Society, Riley Jermier Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Diffusion of Carbon Nanoparticles Intercalated into Layered Materials, Madelyn Johnson Open Access Honors Program Thesis
The Effectiveness of Dry Cupping on Low Back Pain: A Validation Case Study, Sierra Kuhlers Honors Program Thesis (UNI Access Only)
Data Ethics and the Dilemma Created by Turing's Learning Machines, Jacob Kuhn Open Access Honors Program Thesis
The Prevalence and Knowledge of Proper Treatment of People Living with Dementia in Physical Therapy, Eric Robert Melrose Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Common Creativity: Conversations with Artists and Nonartists, Will Nachazel Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Bioactive Secondary Metabolites in Cave Dwelling Fungi, Jade Nuehring Open Access Honors Program Thesis
How Hypermasculinity and Rape Myth Acceptance (RMA) Relate to Rape Proclivity in College Males, Cora Lynn Patterson Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Exploring the Microbial Composition of Moonmilk in Wind Cave National Park, Emma Pellegrino Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Better Solutions to Increasing COVID-19 Vaccine Access: Giving Away Vaccines Rather than Vaccine Formulas, Tristen Prouse Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Dose-Response Effects of Creatine Supplementation on Cognitive Function in Healthy Young Adults, Elizabeth Lizzy Lea Richardson Honors Program Thesis (UNI Access Only)
Un-Swung Heroes: Highlighting Women Instrumentalists’ Contributions to Jazz Repertoire, Alayna Ringsby Honors Program Thesis (UNI Access Only)
A Snapshot of War: First World War Postcards from the Cedar Falls Historical Society, James Alexander Schmitt Open Access Honors Program Thesis
The Effect of Gibberellic Acid Concentration on Gentiana andrewsii Germination, Laura Spies Open Access Honors Program Thesis
The Impact of Exercise on Mental Health: The Use of Exercise as Prevention and Treatment for Mental Health Disorders, Abigail Stivers Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Reversing the Entry: Generation Z's Outlook on Accounting, Andrew Straube Honors Program Thesis (Electronic Copy Not Available)
Alcohol: The Permitted Drug in Our Society, Madison TenHulzen Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Breaking the Marble Ceiling: The Construction of Athena in Greek Thought, Elizabeth Tulley Open Access Honors Program Thesis 2023 Award
Secondary Traumatic Stress: Therapists’ Past Trauma and Workplace Interventions, Morgan Wickman Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Investigation of Unexpected Purple Substance Extracted from Newsprint Paper, Raquel Wilhelm Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Identification of a DNA Polymerase Alpha Gene Sequence in Thermomyces lanuginosus Fungus, Nathan Williams Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Admittance Processes in Gifted Education and Their Influence on Equity, Rachel Wohlgemuth Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Submissions from 2022
Analysis of phylogenetic-based variation in enamel thickness in vertebrate teeth, Carly Jewel Baker Honors Program Thesis (UNI Access Only)
Changes in brain oxygenation of rugby players before and after head trauma, Megan Benmore Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Assessing and meeting the mental health needs of student athletes - A case study of the University of Northern Iowa, Samantha Bennett Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Best practice for treatment and prevention of ankle sprains in ballet dancers, Sara Bergin Open Access Honors Program Thesis
College-age students' attitudes toward essential oils, alternative medicines, and modern medicine, Taylor Nicole Brown Open Access Honors Program Thesis
How exercise affects the musculoskeletal system in the biological sexes: A literature review, Lauren Connolly Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Selective mutism in immigrant children, Lauren Cummings Open Access Honors Program Thesis
The effects of acute aerobic exercise on motor cortex activation and piano performance, Maya Deuso Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Blough dairy farm comprehensive safety & training manual, Riley Elaine Elenz Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Graduate student knowledge and skill development in infant feeding: Effectiveness of high-emotion simulator training, Emmalee Fannon Honors Program Thesis (Electronic Copy Not Available)
Water depth selection by Iowa wood turtles (Glyptemys insculpta) during seasonal activity periods, Jessica Haugen Honors Program Thesis (UNI Access Only)
Young adult Holocaust literature: How is the Holocaust depicted and what is appropriate to teach?, Madison Hilbert Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Influence of the CPA credential on the life satisfaction of University of Northern Iowa accounting alumni, Derek Richard Koppes Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Communication in mass media surrounding public health crises: A comparative analysis, Megan Grace Kramer Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Optimization of micro-ct protocols for non-destructive identification of ligament ultrastructure in the zebrafish, Danio rerio, Spenser Jared Richard Larson Honors Program Thesis (UNI Access Only)
Entering the field of scientific "edutainment", Rowan John McCarthy Honors Program Thesis (UNI Access Only)
Developing methods to assess the role of Lumbricus terrestris on seed predation in prairie restoration, Jacey R. Meier Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Exploring high school students' perceptions post a social justice mathematics lesson, Emily Terrones Moore Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Weird critters: A visual narrative inspired by paleontology and teratology, Kate Murray Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Testing the efficiency of the NFL betting market, Ryan Earl Oswald Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Leveraging machine learning for detecting IoT-based interference in operational WiFi networks, Josh Pulse Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Social media recruitment and online propaganda by extremist groups, Megan Marie Robinson Open Access Honors Program Thesis
It's possible: Creating an ability inclusive production approach for the musical Cinderella, Danielle Jean Schmaltz Open Access Honors Program Thesis
"Descendant" or "The Children of Life:" Superhumans, not superheroes, Kellen Schmidt Honors Program Thesis (UNI Access Only)
Soil organic carbon accumulation in restored native prairies over time, Samrin Shahnaz Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Animal adoption profiles: An application of the human-animal connection, Autumn Stowe Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Preservice teachers, antiracism, and racial literacy: Exploring current preservice teachers' definitions and perceptions of racism and antiracism within teacher education, Olivia Gabrielle Terrones Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Alexander the Great and Achilles: The origin of the connection between the Homeric hero and the king of Macedon, Katie Thessen Open Access Honors Program Thesis
UNI Honors Program students' perceptions of gifted programming in k-12 education, Kylie Tinder Open Access Honors Program Thesis
The development of a photographic atlas of plant adaptations for pollination, Bethany Van Dusseldorp Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Addressing the accessibility gap in music: A review of the literature, Rachel Ann Vaughan Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Chromatography-mass spectroscopy analysis of Native American pottery for maple syrup residues, Alexis Wirtz Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Using color with care: An exploration of the application of psychological color theory within language classrooms, Mackenzie Wisneski Open Access Honors Program Thesis
The role of self-efficacy in pelvic floor physical therapy, Madison Marie Young Honors Program Thesis (UNI Access Only)
Submissions from 2021
Theories and applications of blockchain, Matthew R. Barton Honors Program Thesis (UNI Access Only)
"It all just ends": Death attitudes across age, gender, and religion, Bekah Bass Open Access Honors Program Thesis
My year with digital supremacists, Nick Baur Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Identification of fungi and their secondary metabolites from Wind Cave, Kyle Biscoglia Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Landscape genetics of Iowa's threatened black redhorse, Morganne C. Borsh Open Access Honors Program Thesis
A critical examination of corporate ideology in educational policy and practice: The real cost, Grace Brady Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Art by intention and art by appropriation: "Authenticity," Western encounters, and ethics of collection and display of African art, Katelyn Nicole Brockmeyer Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Using sentiment analysis to find the public's opinion on Iowa's three state schools, Alexa Ryan Bullock Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Assessing the comfort level of speech-language pathologists in assessing and treating deaf and hard of hearing children, Kaitlyn Burkamper Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Midwest memoir: Cole Carolan, Cole James Carolan Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Methods and evaluation outcomes in speech, language, and hearing camps, Lindsey Paige Carter Open Access Honors Program Thesis
What man artow?: An exploration of the narrator of the Canterbury tales, Kimberly Cavalier Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Bacillus bacteriophage Q11 may have a 5' covalently attached protein, Emily Cornelius Open Access Honors Program Thesis
A review of the molecular mediators of host-baculovirus interactions in Lepidoptera, Olivia Crouse Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Spreading awareness and gaining donor support for UNI Dance Marathon, Hannah Marie Dash Open Access Honors Program Thesis
GILTI regulations: The intended effects compared to the actual results, Carson Lee Ehrenberg Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Anti-communist politics of the Second Red Scare and how it affected Hollywood and the types of movies being made, Maddy Everson Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Creating synthetic analogs of fluorescent speleothems in Wind Cave as an astrobiological model cave, Teresa Feldman Open Access Honors Program Thesis
The search for life in extreme environments: Measuring diversity and quantity of Archaea in Wind Cave National Park, Nicole Geerdes Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Pre-service students understanding of professional roles, Anne Whalen Gradoville Open Access Honors Program Thesis
"The Concord Concept:" Speculative fiction challenging young adult literature conventions, Dylan Lee Haase Honors Program Thesis (UNI Access Only)
Made in China: Decline of unions and stagnant wages in the U.S., Witt Harberts Open Access Honors Program Thesis 2022 Award
The effects of fluoride on macrophage THP-1 cell apoptosis, Jessica Heims Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Traditional media marketing and the Panther marching band, Adam James Herzog Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Phonology and fluency: How pronunciation is (and is not) taught in United States ESL classrooms, Nik Hucke Open Access Honors Program Thesis
On beauty: Ancient perceptions of beauty from classical Greece to Imperial Rome, Maya Jess Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Possessive structures and genitive case: Spanish and English compared, Elizabeth Kelsey Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Ministry matters: A study of the relationship between campus ministry and socialization, Rachel Jean Kitrell Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Identifying Spanish-English cognates as intervention targets for speech sound disorders with bilingual children, Janessa A. Klein Open Access Honors Program Thesis
A student tubist's guide to doubling on bass trombone, Donovan Klutho Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Fraud and COVID-19: An unintended downside of government aid during the pandemic, Derek LaBarge Open Access Honors Program Thesis
The idolization of Ada Lovelace and its necessity, Autumn Lauen Open Access Honors Program Thesis