Undergraduate Honors Thesis Projects
The Honors Program at Otterbein University is a rigorous and exciting program of study for students of high academic ability and strong personal motivation. This is a collection of honors papers written by Otterbein University undergraduate students. Some projects may be embargoed at the request of the author and their advisor, restricting access to the project until a specific date. Advanced access to embargoed projects is available to Otterbein community members upon request. Otterbein students, alumni, faculty, and staff may email digitalcommons07@otterbein.edu to request access - please include the title, author, and year of the project being requested along with your name, Otterbein affiliation, and email address.
Most papers completed after 2014 are included in Digital Commons @ Otterbein. Search the Library catalog to locate papers completed prior to 2014.
Note to Otterbein Alumni: If you completed an honors paper as part of your coursework at Otterbein University and would like us to add it to Digital Commons @ Otterbein, please email digitalcommons07@otterbein.edu.Papers/Projects from 2025
Analysis of Psychoactive Compounds in the Web-building behavior of Mangora maculata (Honors Paper) , Diane R. Castner, Biology & Earth Science
The Effects of Pond Algal Deterrents on the Growth and Development of Gray Treefrogs, Hyla Versicolor (Honors Paper) , Lauren E. Fedder, Biology & Earth Science
Framing Fins: Exploring the Capacity of Emotions in Films to Influence Participation in Shark Conservation by Generation Z (Honors Paper) , Phoebe Gibson, Biology & Earth Science
Designing Metal Cations that Crystallize with Metal Halide Clusters to Form Salts as Precursors to New Materials (Honors Paper) , Landon e. Keenan Mr, Chemistry
How Academic Motivation is Predicted by Personality and Parent-Child Dynamics (Honors Paper) , Leah Locke, Psychology
Transportation Mechanism of Perilipin 5 into the Nucleus (Honors Paper) , Tatum L. Poulton, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
The Relationship Between Bedtime Procrastination, Stress, and Sleep Hygiene During a Semester (Honors Paper) , Amanda N. Stevens, Psychology
From Rhetoric to Reality: The U.S. Republican Party's Shifting Stance on Immigration (Honors Paper) , Greyson Thagard, History & Political Science
Variations in the Microstructural Morphology and Reflectance of Cover Scales From a Sexually Dimorphic Wing Region of the Summer Azure Butterfly, Celastrina Neglecta (Edwards) (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae: Polyommatinae) (Honors Paper) , Adam E. Willis, Biology & Earth Science
Papers/Projects from 2024
Fall Prevention in the Geriatric Population (Honors Paper) , Maria Bier, Health & Sport Sciences
The Injury Risks of Sport Specialization on Division III College Athletes (Honors Paper) , Kaitlin Brun, Health & Sport Sciences
Galois Theory and the Insolvability of a Quintic (Honors Paper) , Emma Grace Chapman, Mathematical Sciences
Feasibility of an Integrated Online Fantasy Sports Platform to Promote Meditation Activity in a Male Undergraduate Population (Honors Paper) , Samuel Degenhard, Psychology
Effects of pulsed electromagnetic field therapy on equine salivary cortisol concentrations and stress and relaxation behaviors (Honors Paper) , Emma Hartzler, Equine Science
Molecular Sex Determination in a Segregating Population of Ginkgo biloba Seedlings (Honors Paper) , Jacob Hawkes, Biology & Earth Science
Effects of papain and benzyl isothiocyanate on the motility of Parascaris spp. larvae (Honors Project) , Taoni Hickey, Equine Science
Characterization of White Pigments in the Woo Collection at the Frank Museum of Art (Honors Paper) , Drew Holman, Chemistry
The Effect of Metabolic State on Perilipin 5/5b Expression (Honors Paper) , Ethan D. Johnson, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Survey of Bordetella bronchiseptica Presence in Eastern Gray Squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) (Honors Paper) , Gabriella Laird, Biology & Earth Science
Pilot Study: Effects of Whole Body Vibrational Therapy on Equine Epaxial Muscle Soreness (Honors Project) , Riley Leibeck, Equine Science
Assesment of Equine Stress and Relaxation and Human Stress in Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy Sessions (Honors Paper) , Hannah Mohler, Equine Science
Unintended Consequences? An Experimental Investigation of the Impact of Touching Zoo Animals on Children's Conservation Attitudes (Honors Paper) , Sean Palmer, Psychology
Characterization of cyclic-di-GMP metabolizing genes in Streptomyces scabies (Honors Paper) , Ashni Patel, Biology & Earth Science
An Analysis of Fish Biodiversity and Ecosystem Function in the Scioto River Watershed Since the 1990s (Honors Paper) , Natalie Reynolds, Biology & Earth Science
Protein-Protein Interaction of Perilipin-5 and Adipose Triglyceride Lipase: A Comparative Study Using Pancreatic Lipase and Colipase (Honors Paper) , Evan Saunier, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
The Effects of Road Salt on Larval Gray Treefrog (Hyla Versicolor) Development and Plastic Responses to Predation Threat (Honors Paper) , Adilia Schmidt, Biology & Earth Science
Analysis of Conjugation and Intermolecular Forces in a Series of Substituted Oxadiazoles (Honors Paper) , Olive Schnittker, Chemistry
The Pseudo-Liberation of Women and Feminism in American Cinema of the 1970s (Honors Paper) , Claudia Smallwood, English
Inhibit of Transport of Perilipin 5 (Honors Paper) , Erin Storrer, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
March on Eventide: High Fantasy and the Queerplatonic (Honors Paper) , Harper Wood, English
Papers/Projects from 2023
Adverse Childhood Experiences and School Productivity: What is the Role of Social Networks and Religion (Honors Paper) , Fahima Noor Ali, Psychology
Characterization of Streptomyces coelicolor Transposon Mutants and Deletion of Possible Chromosome Segregation Gene (Honors Paper) , Olivia Brickey, Biology & Earth Science
Implementation of Seasonal Diets through Seasonal Diet Surveys in Sloth Bears (Melursus ursinus): A Case Study at Idaho Falls Zoo (Honors Paper) , Noah Clever, Biology & Earth Science
Just Choices? Judicial Selection, Ideology, and Partisanship in the Ohio Supreme Court (Honors Paper) , Margo D'Agostino, History & Political Science
Evaluation of the hydrophobic clefts of perilipins 3 and 5 (Honors Paper) , Kaitlin Dean, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Religiosity as a Moderator of Infidelity in Dark Triad Women (Honors Paper) , Sophie M. Domanik, Psychology
The Effects of Therapy Dogs on Student Mood and Mindfulness (Honors Paper) , Carter Graham, Psychology
Nutrient Plasticity in the Feeder Insect Blaptica dubia Fed Different Diets During Growth (Honors Paper) , Wayne Grindle, Biology & Earth Science
Breaking Barriers: Navigating Microaggressions and Belonging in Zoos and Aquariums for White and BIPOC Animal Care Professionals (Honors Paper) , Naomi Marie Lewis, Biology & Earth Science
Effects of Heavy Metal Uptake on Growth, Chlorophyll Content, and Calcium Oxalate Crystals in Lemna minor (Duckweed) (Honors Paper) , Olivia F. Miller, Biology & Earth Science
Scaffolding Mental State Inference with Abstract Representations (Honors Paper) , Logan Nelson, Psychology
Exploring Protein Interactions Within the Cyclic di-GMP Pathway of Streptomyces (Honors Paper) , Mason Nolan, Biology & Earth Science
Intracellular Transportation of Perilipin 5 (Honors Paper) , Mara Shields, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
A Continuation of the Differentiation of Transit Agencies and Their Funding in the United States (Honors Paper) , Hannah Stapp, Business, Accounting, & Economics
Writing Against Progress: Frank Herbert's Anti-Utopia (Honors Paper) , Seth Stobart, English
The Owl House: Queerness and Witchcraft in Modern Media (Honors Paper) , Gray E. Takahashi, Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Gaming to Learn Genetics (Honors Paper) , Sarah Wolfe, Biology & Earth Science
Papers/Projects from 2022
Views of Division III Athletes on Mental Health in Athletics (Honors Paper) , Megan Bishop, Health & Sport Sciences
Uniting England’s Two Nations: The Victorian Social Problem Novel as a Medium for Sociopolitical Change (Honors Paper) , Kat Gibson, English
Ohio Anuran Gut Microbiomes (Honors Paper) , Serena Hoffman, Biology & Earth Science
Studies Toward Provenance Determination For Indigo Dyes (Honors Paper) , Erin Kibby, Chemistry
Why Society Mistrusts the Science of COVID-19 (Honors Paper) , Calvin King, Sociology, Criminology and Justice Studies
Inhibition of Nuclear Transport of Perilipin 5 (Honors Paper) , Hope Lewis, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Effects of Temperature and Plant and Animal Diets on Metabolic Rate in the Juvenile Red Eared Slider (Trachemys scripta elegans) (Honors Paper) , Taylor MacDonald and Sarah Bouchard, Biology & Earth Science
Distribution Of Toxicity Of Plant Species In The Plant Family Sapindaceae (Sub-Family Hippocastanoideae) (Honors Paper) , Vishvam Mehta, Biology & Earth Science
Comparative Kinematic Gait Analysis in Adults with Multiple Disabilities (Honors Paper) , Lauren Rumbalski, Health & Sport Sciences
The Pussy as Prey: Discourses of Predation and Human Sexual Violence (Honors Paper) , Paige Skaff, Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Antibacterial Activity, Structure-Activity Relationships, and Scale-Up Reaction of 1,3,4-Oxadiazoles (Honors Paper) , Olivia Marie Smith, Chemistry
MHC Diversity Analysis of Spheniscus demersus for in situ and ex situ Populations (Honors Paper) , Antonieta van den Berg Monsalve, Biology & Earth Science
Papers/Projects from 2021
The Effect of Support Systems on Delinquency (Honors Paper) , Elizabeth S. Bohrer, Sociology, Criminology and Justice Studies
In Tandem (Honors Paper) , Lucy Clark, English
Forgotten Things: A Historian's Tale (Honors Paper) , Mary Jackson, English
Parent-Child Relationships and Student Outcomes in Children: A Comparison Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic (Honors Paper) , Angela Kladias, Psychology
The Mother Of All Mysteries: How Mothers Are Disavowed and Undermined in Alfred Hitchcock's Rebecca (1940) (Honors Paper) , Juli Lindenmayer, English
A Study on the Federal Reserve’s Influence on the Stock Market (Honors Paper) , Patrick McFarland, Business, Accounting, & Economics
Effects of Strong Oxidants Present in Acer Spp. on Hemolysis Methemoglobin Production in Equine Erythrocytes (Honors Paper) , Gabrielle McGeorge and Jeffrey Lehman, Biology & Earth Science
The Portrayal of Trial by Jury in American Entertainment (Honors Paper) , Kimberly Satterfield, English
The Effects of Feedback and Input on Job Satisfaction and Motivation (Honors Paper) , Daphne Slusher, Psychology
The Perilipin Family of Proteins: Structural and Bioinformatic Analysis (Honors Paper) , Morgan A. Stahl, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Emotional Support Animals for College Students: Do the Benefits Outweigh the Costs? (Honors Paper) , Sidney Street, Psychology
Tackling the Taboo: A Cross-Generational Study of the Adams-Smith Family and Their Moral Struggle with Alcoholism (Honors Paper) , Erin Van Gilder, History & Political Science
Papers/Projects from 2020
Constraining Neutron Star Nuclear Equations of State Based on Observational Data (Honors Project) , Alexander Clevinger, Physics
The Effects That Family Form and Medical Practices Have on the Willingness of Consumers to Adopt Entomophagous Practices (Honors Paper) , Mackenzie Conlon, Sociology, Criminology and Justice Studies
Designing an Adjustable and Transportable Staircase (Honors Paper) , Allison Currey, Engineering
Probing the Function of Perilipin 5b (Honors Paper) , Rebekah Dalton, Chemistry
A Reexamination of the Freshwater Mussel Community of the Little Miami River (Honors Paper) , Emily Davis, Biology & Earth Science
Statistical Analysis of Demographic Effects on Insurance Coverage of Perinatal and Neonatal Morbidity (Honors Paper) , Madeline Durbin, Mathematical Sciences
Antimicrobial Properties of an Unknown Microorganism Isolated From the Local Environment (Honors Paper) , Danielle Duryea, Biology & Earth Science
Determining Age-Related Visual Memory and Line Length Perception in Children and Adults (Honors Paper) , Katie Exline, Psychology
Impact of Animal Programming on Human Attitudes of Local Wildlife (Honors Paper) , Ashton Jerger, Biology & Earth Science
Developing Tadpoles Exhibit Metabolic and Organ Size Plasticity in Competitive Rearing Environments (Honors Paper) , Emma Kimberly, Biology & Earth Science
The Effect of Whole-Body Vibration On Thermographic Readings of the Equine Back and Distal Forelimb (Honors Project) , Megan Leclerc, Equine Science
Assessing Workload in the Classroom Using Interactive Presentation Software (Honors Paper) , Connor MacKenzie, Psychology
An Examination of How Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) Investing Influences a Company's Stock Return (Honors Paper) , Sam Marty, Business, Accounting, & Economics
Environmental Factors' Effects on Eastern Gray Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) Infant Populations and Health (Honors Paper) , Jenny McFarland, Biology & Earth Science
Randomized Algorithms and How Society Uses Them Everyday (Honors Paper) , Rosaley Milano, Mathematical Sciences
Equine Massage Following Intense Work: Effects On Plasma Creatine Kinase (Honors Paper) , Brittany Pilat, Equine Science
Presence of Glyphosate in First Order Streams Associated with Rainfall Events (Honors Paper) , Julie Platz, Biology & Earth Science
The Effect of Parental Interaction on Emotional Learning with Interactive Devices in Children Ages Three to Five (Honors Paper) , Kathleen Rosneck, Psychology
Effects of Bridge Sites on Freshwater Mussel Community Structure and Density (Honors Paper) , Holly Rundle, Biology & Earth Science
Diversity of the Major Histocompatibility Complex in African Penguins (Spheniscus demersus) in situ (Honors Paper) , Athena Schalk, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
The Effect of Grooming and Therapeutic Riding by Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder on Equine Salivary Cortisol Concentrations (Honors Paper) , Morgan Shields, Equine Science
The Effect of Slow-Feeding Hay Nets on Post-Prandial Equine Salivary Cortisol Levels (Honors Paper) , Grace Simpson, Equine Science
Leaping Streams: A Postmodern Epic and an Evaluation of Becoming and Being (Honors Paper) , Allura Stevens, English
Scapular Stabilizer Muscle Force Output in Collegiate Softball Players Over the Course of a Fall, Non-traditional Season (Honors Paper) , Erin Taylor, Health & Sport Sciences
On the Mersenne Prime Numbers (Honors Paper) , Julia VanLandingham, Mathematical Sciences
A Survey of Patients With Congenital Orthopedic Conditions in Malawi: Factors That Influence Late Presentation (Honors Paper) , Brianna Wallis, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
The Effect of Hay Net Use on Cribbing Horses (Honors Paper) , Lauren Wesolowski, Equine Science
Ambivalent Sexism: Why Do Victims Get Blamed? (Honors Paper) , Rianna West, Psychology
Relationships Between Religiosity, Spirituality, Gender, Psychological Distress, and Treatment Preference (Honors Paper) , Reid Wollett, Psychology