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. To filter by department, use the Advanced Search function. Some theses and dissertations are not eligible for open access.
Submissions from 2024
We Did What? To Whom? An Analysis of How US Educational Materials Present the Philippine-American War and Occupation, Jude Beekman, Department of History, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
“Our Hands are Tied”: How State Educational Diversity Laws Affect Iowa Public Educators and How Educators Respond, Lydia Berns-Schweingruber, Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminology, Open Access Honors Program Thesis 2024 Award
Variability of Water Quality in Relation to Farming Along the Raccoon River in West Des Moines, Iowa, Kelly Biscoglia, Department of Earth Science, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Using PTA Staining with Micro-CT Scanning to Analyse Structural and Anatomical Variation in the Tooth Pulp Cavity in Mammals, Derek Thomas Blackburn, Department of Biology, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
The Thing with Feathers for Orchestra, Treyton Blaser, School of Music, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Concert Band Methods and Supplemental Ensemble Material for the High School Band, Carissa Blumka, School of Music, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Olivine Variability of the Nickel Lake Macrodike of Northern Minnesota, Katelyn Boege Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Mathematical Conjectures in Grades Three through Five Relating to Fractions and Decimals, Lauren Elizabeth Bork, Department of Mathematics, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Balancing Progress and Ethics: Exploring the Science and Ethics of Gene Editing: Literature Review, Jackson Burgess, Department of Biology, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
A Literature Review of Factors Contributing to Archaeal Diversity, Anna R. Carmen, Department of Biology, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Changing Demographics in a Rural Iowa High School: A Case Study of the Experiences of Emergent Bilinguals, Lindsay Carter, Department of Languages and Literatures, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Crafting a Traveling Icon: The Role of Mobile Carillons in Honoring Tradition, Emily S. Clouser, School of Music, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
"Sit Still, Look Pretty to Survive": An Analysis of The Hunger Games Trilogy, Bryleigh Sharon De Jong, Department of Communication and Media, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Using GIS To Evaluate Habitat Connectivity Among The Pollinator Conservation Reserve Program Pollinator Habitat (CP-42) Restorations In Northeast Iowa, Ethan D. Dickey, Department of Biology, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Information Provided by State Human Trafficking Websites: A Content Analysis, Brooklyn Dilley, Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminology, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Unreliable Narrators; Origins and Impact, Lauren Fetzer, Department of Languages and Literatures, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Using Fiddler Crab Species to Identify Coastal Biomes Around the Perimeter of the Atlantic Ocean, Amber Finke, Department of Biology, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Beyond the Classroom: Do the Iowa Civic Virtues Standards Achieve Their Goals?, Damien Foster, Department of Political Science, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Housing Affordability: An Examination of Factors in Black Hawk County Impacting Housing Affordability for UNI Graduates, Mason DeLaine Fritz, Department of Finance, Honors Program Thesis (UNI Access Only)
Adoption and Perception of Pharmacogenomics: A Literature Review, Anna C. Girten, Department of Biology, Honors Program Thesis (UNI Access Only)
The Impact of COVID-19 on the IT Services Industry, Shekynah AnneMarie Haworth, Department of Computer Science, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Characterization of Zebra Calcite to Better Understand Wind Cave National Park as an Extraterrestrial Analog, Jenna Heinen, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Characterization of mtDNA Minicircles in a Chewing Louse Stachiella octomaculatus, Jaylie Hicklin, Department of Biology, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Reexamination of College Students’ Behaviors and Knowledge of Recycling, Ella Hilbrant, Department of Economics, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
¿Tengo el derecho a votar?: Un análisis de las leyes del acceso lingüístico y los impactos de recursos multilingües de votación en la participación de votantes hispanos en Iowa y Michigan, Madeline L. Hinz, Department of Languages and Literatures, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
The Impact of Sentiment on Iowa Farmland Values by Agricultural District, Skyler Kelly, Department of Finance, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
It’s Not All About Winning and Losing: Increasing Fan Experience in Collegiate Basketball, Lydia Kernen, Department of Communication and Media, Honors Program Thesis (UNI Access Only)
Language Barriers in the U.S. Legal System for Primarily Spanish Speakers: Attorney Perspectives and Potential Solutions for True Equal Access, Emma F. Kizer, Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminology, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
"I Failed My Brother": How Online Radicalization Affects the Family Unit, Serenity Dawn Kollasch, Department of Political Science, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Small Business Burnout: Reversing the Entrepreneurial Exit, Adele Kuruppu, Department of Management, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Impact of High School Climate and Bullying on Depression and Anxiety in Emerging Adulthood, Tyler K. D. Larson, Department of Psychology, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Impact of ESG Initiatives on Stock Returns, Reagan Lommell, Department of Finance, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Integrating Music in PK-12 Classrooms to Impact Behavior, Improve Academics, and Support Developmental Milestones in Children, Emily Grace Manis, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Proportional Reasoning: Understanding Student Thinking with Direct and Inverse Proportions, Emma Marshall, Department of Mathematics, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
The Effect of Gender-Based Occupational Segregation on Women's Earnings in the United States and Canada, Jadyn Grace Milius, Department of Economics, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Gender Socialization and Social Media in College Students' Fear of Crime, Ashlyn C. Miller, School of Applied Human Sciences, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
The Role of FLO11 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae Colonization of the Lepidopteran Gastrointestinal Tract, Kayla Jeanette Minor, Department of Biology, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Why Would I Read When the Game is On?: Reasons Adults Give for Reading or Not, Emmy C. Nelson, Department of Languages and Literatures, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Gender and Student Motivation in Domestic and Foreign Language Study, Macey Overturf, Department of Languages and Literatures, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
A Qualitative Case Study of Montessori Approaches to Learning Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic in Iowa, Ellie Penick, Department of Educational Psychology and Foundations, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
An Analysis of Crash Factors on Total Property Damage, Erica Peters, Department of Mathematics, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Comparing In-Person and Remote Language Assessments for Adults with Communication Disorders: Clinical Applications for Speech-Language Pathologists, Lauren Rotherham, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Honors Program Thesis (Electronic Copy Not Available)
The Effects of Exercise in Cognitive Function in Older Ad, Josephine Sagan, Department of Kinesiology, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Little Miss Sure Shot: Essays on a Young Woman Journalist's Search for Fulfillment, Mallory Schmitz, Department of Languages and Literatures, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Confronting CTE: A Blog Dedicated to Increasing Awareness in Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, Caden Shea, Department of Communication and Media, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Exploring Social Emotional Learning: Impact, Policy, and Effective Implementation, Rebekah Simmons, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Why Play? Exploring the Realities of Play-Based Learning in Kindergarten, Sofia Josephine Steele, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
A Comparison Between Two Schools Implementing Trauma-Informed Classroom Management, Maddie Steffen, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Exploration of Affine Functions, Katelyn Jo Stirling, Department of Mathematics, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
An Analysis of Post-War Economic Growth in the Balkans, Edina Tahirovic, Department of Economics, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Gene Looping in Brewer’s Yeast: Exploring the Role of DNA Mechanics in Three-dimensional Genome Structure, Thalia Torres Guzman, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Honors Program Thesis (UNI Access Only)
An Analysis of Artificial Intelligence's Potential in Assessments of Math Learning, Casandra Tounjian, Department of Mathematics, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Orthographic Influences on the Production of French Nasal Vowels by English-Speaking Learners of French, Claire Evelyn Tow, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Equity in Harmony: Music Teacher Preparedness and Perceptions of Multilingual Learners In The Midwest, McKenzie Vick, Department of Languages and Literatures, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Editing the Tri5 Gene of Fusarium graminearum Using CRISPR/Cas9, Madelyn Rae Waters, Department of Biology, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Death and Grief in 21st Century America: A Literature Review on Bereavement & Attitudes Toward Death, Jordan Whitney, Department of Philosophy and World Religions, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Submissions from 2023
New Policy Opens Trade with India for Pork Producers in the U.S., Morgan Marie Aitchison, Department of Marketing and Entrepreneurship, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
"Variety": A Look at Several Genres, Ryan Dean Carlin, Department of Languages and Literatures, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
The Effects of Living On Campus Versus Off Campus on Student Engagement, Megan Carlson, Department of Educational Psychology, Foundations, and Leadership Studies, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Her Story, Her Right: Narrative as a Basic Human Right, Karlee M. Colby, Department of Philosophy and World Religions, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
A Literature Review of the Connection Between Infant Early Intervention and Childhood Executive Functioning, Nola Miriam Conner, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Honors Program Thesis (UNI Access Only)
Evaluation Of Methods To Analyze Microbial Composition In Soils, Joseph Correa, Department of Biology, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
The Horror of Darwinism: The Evolution of the Monster in Film and Popular Culture, Ava Deitrich, Department of Communication and Media, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Sinking Into My Skin: An Exploration of the Mind and Body Through Multigenre Creative Writing, Ana Elizabeth Eagan, Department of Languages and Literatures, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Language Development and Poverty: Considerations and Applications for Speech-Language Pathologists, Samantha Lynn Ehler, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Open Access Honors Program Thesis 2023 Award
Monitoring Archaeal Persistence in Cultivation, Payton Hall, Department of Biology, 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, Department of Educational Psychology, Foundations, and Leadership Studies, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Competencies Acquired in the Psychology Major, Jake Harrington, Department of Psychology, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Exposure, Adaptation and Expectations: How They Affect Perception of Foreign Accented Speech, Isabella Huddleston, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, 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, Department of Political Science, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Carpet Hell: A Backrooms Story, A Creative Exploration of The Backrooms and Liminal Space Horror, Christian Dean Jauron, Department of Languages and Literatures, Honors Program Thesis (UNI Access Only)
The Power of Homeownership, Esha Sanjiv Jayswal, Department of Accounting, Honors Program Thesis (Electronic Copy Not Available)
The Sacrifice of Artistry for a Convenient Society, Riley Jermier, School of Music, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Diffusion of Carbon Nanoparticles Intercalated into Layered Materials, Madelyn Johnson, Department of Physics, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Nature-Based Education: Expanding the Walls of the Classroom, Halle Louise Kilburg, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Investigation into a Potential DNA Polymerase of Thermomyces lanuginosus, Kameron J. Kruger, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
The Effectiveness of Dry Cupping on Low Back Pain: A Validation Case Study, Sierra Kuhlers, Department of Health, Recreation, and Community Services, Honors Program Thesis (UNI Access Only)
Data Ethics and the Dilemma Created by Turing's Learning Machines, Jacob Kuhn, Department of Computer Science, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
The Prevalence and Knowledge of Proper Treatment of People Living with Dementia in Physical Therapy, Eric Robert Melrose, School of Applied Human Sciences, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Common Creativity: Conversations with Artists and Nonartists, Will Nachazel, Department of Communication and Media, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Bioactive Secondary Metabolites in Cave Dwelling Fungi, Jade Nuehring, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
How Hypermasculinity and Rape Myth Acceptance (RMA) Relate to Rape Proclivity in College Males, Cora Lynn Patterson, Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminology, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Exploring the Microbial Composition of Moonmilk in Wind Cave National Park, Emma Pellegrino, Department of Biology, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Senatorial Behavior in Recent Supreme Court Confirmation Hearings, Alex Perrin, Department of Political Science, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Better Solutions to Increasing COVID-19 Vaccine Access: Giving Away Vaccines Rather than Vaccine Formulas, Tristen Prouse, Department of Economics, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Neurodiversity and the Field of Speech Language Pathology: A Literary Review of the History, Common Practices, and Misconceptions, Wren Anne Repko, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Dose-Response Effects of Creatine Supplementation on Cognitive Function in Healthy Young Adults, Elizabeth Lizzy Lea Richardson, Department of Kinesiology, Honors Program Thesis (UNI Access Only)
Un-Swung Heroes: Highlighting Women Instrumentalists’ Contributions to Jazz Repertoire, Alayna Ringsby, School of Music, Honors Program Thesis (UNI Access Only)
A Snapshot of War: First World War Postcards from the Cedar Falls Historical Society, James Alexander Schmitt, Department of History, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
The Effect of Gibberellic Acid Concentration on Gentiana andrewsii Germination, Laura Spies, Department of Biology, 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, Department of Biology, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Reversing the Entry: Generation Z's Outlook on Accounting, Andrew Straube, Department of Accounting, Honors Program Thesis (Electronic Copy Not Available)
Alcohol: The Permitted Drug in Our Society, Madison TenHulzen, Department of Marketing and Entrepreneurship, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Breaking the Marble Ceiling: The Construction of Athena in Greek Thought, Elizabeth Tulley, Department of History, Open Access Honors Program Thesis 2023 Award
Secondary Traumatic Stress: Therapists’ Past Trauma and Workplace Interventions, Morgan Wickman, Department of Psychology, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Investigation of Unexpected Purple Substance Extracted from Newsprint Paper, Raquel Wilhelm, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Identification of a DNA Polymerase Alpha Gene Sequence in Thermomyces lanuginosus Fungus, Nathan Williams, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Admittance Processes in Gifted Education and Their Influence on Equity, Rachel Wohlgemuth, Department of Mathematics, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Submissions from 2022
Analysis of phylogenetic-based variation in enamel thickness in vertebrate teeth, Carly Jewel Baker, Department of Biology, Honors Program Thesis (UNI Access Only)
Changes in brain oxygenation of rugby players before and after head trauma, Megan Benmore, Department of Kinesiology, Open Access Honors Program Thesis
