Senior Thesis/Project

Since it became required in 1989, the Senior Thesis/Project has been the culmination of each Honors student’s course of undergraduate study. It represents a significant individual endeavor that can be either creative, scholarly, pedagogical, scientific, or service-oriented.

Whether applying to graduate schools or to possible employers, Honors students discover that their senior project is a distinctive addition to their professional portfolios.

The students’ theses titles are listed on special pages of the graduation program and also, with their permission, digitally published on the WOU Honors Digital Commons webpage, available online.

2024 Honors Grads & Senior Projects

    • Cameron Ansley — Beyond Birth Rates and Aging: Implications and Recommendations for Japan’s Population Decline
    • Jasper Beck — User-Friendly: Poetry for the Internet Age
    • Melissa “Melly” Burger — Why it is Never too Late to Lead: How to Leave a Legacy at WOU in Less Than Two Years
    • Nicholas C. G. Cooley — A Beginner’s Guide to Dropping Out of College:  How to Pass a Science Class, Save Your Own Life, and Still Graduate in 13 Short Years
    • Sophie Davenport — Overconsumption in the Clothing Industry: Exploration of Ways Clothing Production Can Be More Sustainable
    • Kaitlyn Duncanson — The Relationship between Stress and Test Performance
    • Erica R. Guddat — Recommendations for the Monolingual Teacher: Instructional Strategies to Support Students who are Emergent Bilingual
    • Stephen Hartley — Designing a Modern Board Game: Fall of the Guild
    • Mystie Johnson — Finding Balance in Motion: A Journey through Emotional Resilience with Dance
    • Ian Kincaid — Tri, Try Again: A Wellness Journey Through the Lens of Training for a Triathlon
    • Kaitlyn A. Kruse — Strength Training as an Injury Prevention Method for Hip Injuries in Collegiate Female Endurance Runners
    • Cora E. McClain — A Long and Winding Road: My Honors Journey Amidst Complications & Covid
    • Alex Michaels — Transgender Healthcare Access: Barriers and Impacts
    • Kellianna Mikawa — The Monster Inside Her: A Look Into Monstrous Femininity in Ari Aster’s Midsommar
    • Claire A. Rickis — How can we spread the importance of wetlands to the youth of today?
    • Abby Schrunk — Combating Menstrual Period Poverty in the State of Oregon
    • Emily Schneider — Departing the Monolingual Form of Instruction: Best Practices for Supporting Emergent Bilingual Elementary Students
    • Wyatt A. Smith — Bites From the Past: Exploring the Culinary Significance of Family Recipes
    • Quinlan Elise Wedge — Windows Into Comfort: Exploring Mindfulness Through Art

    2023 Honors Grads & Senior Projects

      • Kayley Arpaia — Growth through Leadership: A Leadership Portfolio
      • Emily Biamont — Teacher Burnout: Central Causes and Preventative Measures
      • Lindsay Brady — Early Language Exposure: Impacts of Using Sign Language with Babies
      • Aisia Carrillo — Looking Into the Eyes of the Artist:  A Look Into Self Portraits
      • Mariana I. Contreras Guerra — The Relationship Between Mental Illness’ “Invisible” Phenomena vs. the “Visible” Disability: A Scientific Study
      • Priscila España — Fostering Latine Leadership in Organizations
      • Skyler Hanson — The Impact of Studying Abroad on Language Acquisition
      • Cheyenne Hamilton — Can Religion Negate the Validity of Morality?
      • Savannah Jossi — Teaching Empathy through Children’s Literature: A Birthday Party for Weasel, an exploration of how a picture book can encourage conflict-resolution and perspective.
      • Dane Kiger — The Relationship Between Strength and Cardiovascular Capacity: A Personal Wellness Project
      • Amanda Larios — The Women’s War of 1929: Nationalism and Women in Nigeria
      • Madeline R. Lehrer — Consent and Divorce in Icelandic Law Codes and Sagas
      • Sharon Mann — Labeling In The Queer Community: Does it Cause More Harm Than Good?
      • Dustyn McKenney — Becoming a Better Coach through Leadership
      • Micah McLeish — Fewer Managers, More Leaders
      • Antonia Morales — Gender Equality and Inclusivity in the Computer Science Field
      • Emilio S. Ricci — Experimental Plant Curtain’s Effect on Turtle Basking
      • Sabrina M. Sam — The Ethical Implications of CRISPR/Cas Technology
      • Britain K. Schneider — Removing Roadblocks For Families In Math Education
      • Julianna Tinker — ReNew Clothing: More than a Logo
      • Mardee Willman — The Impact of the Language of Background Music on Information Retention
      • Neil Zimmerly — The Roles and Responsibilities of Adults in Youth Extracurricular Activities

      2022 Honors Grads & Senior Projects

        • Jessica M. Bailey — Dawn: Creating Positive, Affirmative Gaming Experiences
        • Ray Barton — “Everybody’s Someone Else’s N****r”: Marilyn Manson as a Social Provocateur
        • Delaney N. Bishop — The Challenges and Prospects of Using Forensic Body Farms as a Forensic Science Tool in Oregon
        • Lucia F. Breeden — Identity Issues Seen in Asian-American Adoptees: The Impact of Homeland Tours
        • Cheyanne J. Bumgardner — More to the Story: A Multifaceted View of Vicarious Trauma as Applied to the Profession of Sign Language Interpreting
        • Elizabeth C. Chapman — Fostering an Understanding of Childhood Anxiety Through Picturebooks: Children’s Literature as a Tool for Emotional Regulation
        • Nick Denning — Teaching the Discipline of Western Philosophy According to its Own Values and in Reference to Pedagogical Research
        • Raynie A. Ehret — Wolfie Round-Up: A Pilot Program to Assist Students with Staying Connected To WOU
        • Chloe P. Furlong — Individual Perceptions of Disabilities in the General Education Classroom
        • Claire A. Graves — Rehabilitative Methods and Their Corresponding Recidivism Rates: A Qualitative Analysis across Select U.S. States
        • Claire Elise Ann Grieb — Impact of Exposure to Type of Instagram User on Self-Esteem of Young Adults:  An Experimental Study
        • Noelle A. Haury — To Honor Our Elders: Exploration of Elder Abuse in Long-Term Settings
        • Maya Herb— Advocacy Work for Low-Income Older Adults: Analysis of services for low-income older adults in Oregon
        • Daniel E. Holmberg — How to Teach Math More Effectively and Efficiently: Engaging Students In the World of Math
        • Rylie L. Horrall — Support for Students: Best Practices for Creating a Website with Resources for Western Oregon Students, Current and Future
        • Kian B. Horton — Post-Mortem Opioid Detection: Proposed Solution
        • N.J. Johnson — Knowing Your Student Power: Reclaiming Full Autonomy Over the Student Incidental Fee
        • Margaret L. Kassebaum — Dressed for Disaster: An Advocacy for Sustainability in a Fast Fashion World
        • Maddie Little — Should Standardized Testing Be Required for College Acceptance?
        • Amanda M. Mooney — Nullification of The CSI Effect Through Exposure at Critical Points in The Trial Process
        • Brandilan Moring — A Mathematical Analysis of American-style Crossword Puzzles with 90○ Symmetry
        • Melina L. Mullin — Addressing Emergency Response and Recovery from a Critical Social Justice Lens
        • Joshua Pautler — Aggressing and Backpedaling: A Journalistic Examination of the Proud Boys
        • Alex Stemm — Necessary or Outdated: Are Post-9/11 Changes to U.S. Police Forces Still Justifiable?
        • Taryn Anne Wilson — The Effects of Social Media Usage on Disordered Eating Behaviors: An Experimental Study

        2021 Honors Grads & Senior Projects

            • Malia Allen — Fostering Critical Thinking in the Elementary Classroom
            • Channing T. Bushman — A Truly Special Education: an analysis of developments in social skills education, and synthesis of best practices in supporting students with diverse needs
            • Juliana Marlaine Cameron — Preparing for the Game, Eating for Life: A Review of the Female Athlete Triad and Nutrition Deficiencies Amongst High Level Athletes
            • Allyson Maria Drury — Mental Health in College Athletics: Healing through Community
            • Olivia M. Geisler-Wagner — The Importance of Reading with Children
            • Stephanie Magee — The Dream of a Million Girls: Empowerment, Feminism, and America’s Oldest Pageant
            • Sean Martinez — Slaughterhouse Zoo: A Novel
            • Hannah Moshinsky — The Future of Fossils: The Evolution of Paleontological Research in the Modern Age
            • Joshua W. Nelson — Understanding the Reading Wars: The Incorporation of Phonics in the Elementary Classroom
            • Camille E. Rickis — Effective ESOL Practices: Are ESOL Teaching Strategies Accessible to Non-ESOL Endorsed Teachers?
            • Jenny N. Rooper — Interpretative Works of the d-Sup Protein within the Tardigrade Genome
            • Madelyn Russell — Embracing The Quiet Ones: Strategies for Teaching Introverted Students in the Elementary Classroom
            • Josh Salsbury — A Mathematical Approach To Inventory Management At Client-Choice Food Pantries
            • Antonia L. Scholerman — Heathens to Christians: Exploring Norse Interactions with Anglo-Saxons and Notions of Medieval Identity
            • Cheyan Swan — Salem: The City of Fog (a novel)
            • McKenzie Wolfe-Webb — Deaf Representation in Mainstream Film: How a community should be portrayed
            • Erin Worley — Twitter as Consciousness-Raising: An Analysis of the 2017 #MeToo Movement
            • Rachel Worley — Their Farm, Your Table: Sustainability of Small Farms in the Willamette Valley
            • Michaela Yonkman — The Treaty of Versailles and the Rise of Nazism in Germany, 1918-1933

            2020 Honors Grads & Senior Projects

            • Eva Zhou Ying Batenhorst — A Dancer’s View: Analysis and Prevention of Common Dance Injuries
            • Rachel Bayly — Anyone Can Lead: A Workshop for Individualized Leadership Discovery
            • Magen Boegli — The Linguistics of Sexual Assault: How the Dissonance of Individuals’ Perpetrator Expectations and The Ordering of Information Effects Perceptions of Sexual Assault
            • Kaiana E. Bradley — Literature: A Window to Understanding — Using Children’s Books to Process Loss
            • McKenzie Brendle — Years In Honors: A Personal Reflection of My Time Spent in the Honors Program and How it Influenced My Life
            • Jessica N. Brenner — Blasphemy: A Romantic Comic about the Devil Himself
            • Susannah M Doepken — Becoming Stardust
            • Elizabeth Dunn — A Dance of Life and Death: How cancer works and why it makes a great source of choreographic inspiration
            • Sierra J. Fresh — Coding in the Classroom
            • Whitley Harrel — Video Game Music and Task Performance: Experiment and review
            • Caitlin Healy and Mikaela Wong — Through Her Eyes, Into Her Story: A musical album
            • Francesca Holborn — Anything is Pawsable: The Connection Between Breed and People’s Perception of Service Dogs
            • Schaefer Jones — Alexa, is my home network safe?
            • Grace V. Knapp — Mental Health in Collegiate Student Athletes Post-Injury: Triangulating Services at Western Oregon University
            • Natalie R. Legras — A Path to Graduation: An Evaluation of Degree Planning Resources at Western Oregon University
            • Avery M. Lucas — Perception of Mobile Mental Health Apps: Examining the Functionality and Perception of Mental Health Apps
            • Darynn S. Lung — Food Allergies and Identity Construction in Young Adults
            • Ellen M. Moore — Empathy and Environmental Education: The Role of Zoos in Conservation
            • Jade M. Mong — “The Ties That Bind Us”: The Creation of a Dance Film
            • Morgan Montoya — ADHA Study Utopia
            • Selena Lee Ausmann Moreno — How to Create an Accent Without Really Trying
            • Brennan Noonan — Running Efficiency Program for the Recreational Runner
            • JulieAnne Ohashi-Sides — Ethical Standard for Stockbrokers in the United States: An Ethical Analysis of the Suitability and Fiduciary Standards
            • Jennifer Romadka — Unsustainable and Unsupported: Connecting “Islands” of Federal Title IX Guidance, Campus Adjudication, and the Need for Holistic Care and Hope in an Era of Rape Culture
            • Amber Rynearson — What’s in an Essay: A Study of International Student Writing Growth over Two Terms
            • Lindsey R. Spear — Devising A Show From the Ground Up: Things We (never) Learned in Sex Ed
            • Sean R. Tellvik — Glass People: Backwards — A Novel of Discovery
            • Rebecca J. Tew — Representation in Children’s Literature: An Analysis of Disability in Picturebooks
            • Morgan Williams — Examining the History of Forest and Fire Management: A deeper look at how the Milli fire effected the Sisters Oregon community
            • Mikaela Wong and Caitlin Healy — Through Her Eyes, Into Her Story: A musical album
            • Daniel Woolf — Teaching Loving Math
            • D-Dré Déani Wright — Tissue Engineering: Proposed Graft for Aortic Aneurysms

            2019 Honors Grads & Senior Projects

            • Kayla Baker – Why Art Matters in an Increasingly Analytical World: Artistic Means of Communicating Scientific Concepts
            • Natasha Bogdanovic – Initiating and Improving Business Relations in Serbia: Analysis and Recommendations
            • Nicole Bolstad – “The Show Must Go On!” But Where?: The Use of American Sign Language Interpretation in the Theater
            • Nicole Caldwell – Spokesmen for Speechless Sufferers: An Analysis of Trauma and Division in World War I Poetry and Vietnam War Protest Music
            • Tori Crumrine – Polyploidy and Water: Relations Traits in Rubus
            • Kaylee DeBolt – An Examination of Sex-Differences in Emotion Identification as Influenced by BDSM Negotiations
            • Meghan Doerfler – “Shit Show” or Everyone That Needs to go to the Bathroom Should Go Now: Personal Experiences No One Thinks They Need to Know
            • Antoinette Gowen – Priority Registration for Student-Athletes at Western Oregon University
            • AJ Holmberg – A Film Analysis of Makoto Shinkai’s Garden of Words, 5cm per Second, and Your Name
            • Sarah Hughes – The Effects of Rhythm Versus Visual Images on Working Memory Recall
            • Grace Livengood – A Guidebook to a Bilingual Educational System from a Firsthand Perspective
            • Jacob Martin – Shock and Awe: Surprising Revelations on Cognition
            • Brianne Moodie – Super-size to Super-small: McMansions, Tiny Houses, and applied New Materialism
            • Arden Murakami – Application of the Dynamic Systems Theory to the Elder Population
            • Aidan Ohnemus – D&D 5E Mass Combat Simulation
            • Erin Roan – Learning about Language: A Teacher’s Guide
            • BillyAnn Stempel – Combatting Comprehensive School Garden Program Implementation Barriers in High Need Areas
            • Lauren Sundvall – Blood of the Iron Woods: A Graphic Novel Exploration of the Modern Gothic Horror Experience
            • Jordyn Watanabe – Health Risks Involved with Prolonged Sitting: Spreading Awareness to College Students
            • Kaitlin Weider – Shattered Green: A Novel
            • Aubrey Manculich — Newton’s Method and Chaotic Behavior
            • Mindy A. Mawhirter — [working title]: A Screenplay
            • Bailey Thompson — Exploring Interiority in Jane Austen’s Persuasion and Pride and Prejudice

            2018 Honors Grads & Senior Projects

            • Madison Adrian – Lived Experiences of Disability: Two Life Stories
            • Christina Ayers – The Impact of Artist Fame and Viewer Socioeconomic Status on Art Likeability
            • Natasha R. Bogdanovic – Initiating and Improving Business Relations in Serbia: Analysis and Recommendations
            • Taylar Boyer – On the Issue of Reproducibility in Psychology and a Model Replication Study
            • Janel Chandler – Chronic Pain: Physiological Foundations, Psychological Effects, Common Treatments, and New Directions
            • Rebekah Cheeley – Achieving Immersive Gameplay: Interpreters and Video Game Accessibility
            • Amanda Clarke – Black, Red, and Gold [novel]
            • Carter Craig – Religious Roots for the Puritan Morality Laws During the Interregnum
            • Olivia DeJanvier – Compassion versus Criminalization: Is Portland Setting an Example of How to Help the Homeless?
            • Jessica Donahue – A Study of Talc-Containing Cosmetics and Their Potential Asbestos Contamination
            • Jessica L. Freeman – The Distribution and Abundance of Aquatic of Macrophytes Between Nearshore and Farshore Transects at the Harriman State Park of Idaho Trumpeter Swan Wintering Ground, 1988-2015
            • Lauren Hebing – Persuasion in the Millennial Era: A Case Study of KONY 2012
            • Ashley Heeter – Student Veteran’s Perceptions of Campus Support
            • Amanda Lehman – Quality of Life Among Jamaican Women: Trends Over the Past Two Decades
            • Josephina Losco – The Effects of Multiple Mild Traumatic Brain Injuries and Task Difficulty on Cognitive Function
            • Sara Madden – Emmanuel Ringelblum’s Warsaw Ghetto Archive and the Uprising of 1943
            • Leslie Martinez – Hispanic Advertising and Higher Education: Using Advertising to Encourage Hispanic Enrollment at WOU
            • Mikaela Gabrielle C. Mendoza – A Visual Mover: Dance and Movement Therapy for Autism Spectrum
            • Karisa Merrill – Blindfolded for Science: An Integration of Dance as Therapy for Visually Impaired or Blind Individuals
            • Kristin Norman – Listening In: The Work We Do Now – A Conversation Analysis of Power Dynamics Between Podcast Hosts
            • Aaron Orr – Changes in the Willamette Valley: The Creation of a Preliminary GIS of Oregon’s River Water Quality
            • Kalli Ramsey – “Well, Watson, what do you make of it?”: An In-Depth Look at Sherlock Holmes as a Hero
            • Hevin N. Robertson – Taking Offense: An Exploration of Racist, Misleading, and Problematic Language in Textbooks
            • Rachel Schneider – Safe Routes to Monmouth Elementary School
            • Elissa Sorenson – “Face Your Fears?” Exploring the Complexities of the Human Mind through Visual Storytelling
            • Amanda Vander Hyde – Vietnamese Water Puppetry: The Practical Development of the Structure and Form
            • Ella Young – Luminance [novel]

            2017 Honors Grads & Senior Projects

            • Rowan Cheney – Kinesthetic Teaching Strategies for Adults in a Lecture Setting
            • Sarah Cotter – Building a Cast of Clones: Examining Stanislavski’s Theories in the Context of Maslany’s Performances in Orphan Black
            • Sydney Culpepper – Young People are Always on Their Phones: A Sociolinguistic Analysis of Text Messaging
            • Patricia Desrosiers – Sign Language Interpreting in Healthcare Settings: Who is Qualified?
            • Aleisha Douthitt – The Music Experience
            • Erika Fitzpatrick – Saving All That Remains
            • Samantha Gallagher – The Physical Space of the Classroom and its Impact on Creativity
            • Austin Gehrett – College Students’ Feelings and Sex Differences When Having Children With Disabilities
            • Elaina Glasscock – LIGHT: Emotion in Painting
            • Rachel Gordon – The Importance of Self-Care for ASL/English Interpreters
            • Julia Grabhorn – Elementary Education in Finland and the United States
            • Cierra Henderson – Effects of the Asperger Label
            • Audrey Jones – Interactive Whiteboards in the Early Elementary Classroom: Efficacy and Funding
            • Jethna Korecki – Felt with the Heart: A Domestic Student’s Journey with International Students
            • Sofia LeVernois – Tax Implications of Recreational Marijuana in the United States
            • Sarah Lundquist – The Effect of Labels Related to Hearing Loss on Implicit Attitudes Toward Deafness
            • Alissa McAlpine – Keep in Touch: An Analysis of Visual and ProTactile American Sign Language
            • Richelle McDaniel – Health Effects on Women from Systematic and Organized Violence in the Middle East: How Humanitarian Aid Organizations can Lessen the Gender Inequality Gap
            • Kathryn Nance – Chicano English in Children’s Literature
            • Gianne Shelby Pabustan – The Authenticity of Hula in Japan
            • Howard Passmore – Developing Open Source Alternatives to Proprietary Software
            • Robin Roemer – Knitting in 21st Century America: The Culture and Ideology of Knitting Groups in Rural Oregon
            • Sam Stageman – Whitewashing of the Stonewall Riots
            • McKenzie Stepper – Physical Activity in the Elementary School Classroom
            • Ashley Templeton – Physical Activity in the Elementary School Classroom
            • Daniel Thom – A Cognitive Linguistic Approach to Phrasal Verbs: A Teacher’s Guide
            • Clarissa Toplar – Eating and Emotions: The Effect of Dark Chocolate and Apples on Mood levels
            • Alexandra Vandenberghe – Whole Foods: Making a Case for Real Nutrition
            • Julie Wallace – Understanding the Syrian Revolution Through Nontraditional Art
            • Laura White – Using Children’s Books to Teach Mathematics
            • Chelsea Wiley – Therapeutic and Health Benefits of Horse-Human Interactions
            • Brianna Williford – Oral Histories, Women, and Sport in Late Twentieth-Century America
            • Kathryn Wilson – A Polynomial in A of the Diagonalizable and Nilpotent Parts of A

            2016 Honors Grads & Senior Projects

            • Alyssa Adams – Quantification of Aspartame in Diet Sodas
            • Kaylee Church – Spiraling Insects
            • Vanna Dejeu – Thematic Tension between Trauma and Triumph in Hideaki Anno’s Neon Genesis Evangelion 
            • Leah Fechter – Altruism and Well-Being
            • Anna Olivia Funk – William Holman Hunt and the Pre-Raphaelites:  Artistic Aims, Worldview, and Influence on Nineteenth-Century Culture
            • Sarah Celia Funk – God of Hades: A Play in Two Acts
            • Molly Geranio – Location of Pheromone Production and/or Expression in Red-sided Garter Snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis)
            • John Goldsmith – The Evolution of Queer Representation in the Young Adult Genre
            • Shantell Guyton – The Birthing Effect
            • Max Hebing – Perceived Task Difficulty and Procrastination in College Students
            • Cierra Henderson – Effects of the Asperger Label
            • Jennifer Hight – The Nuremberg Laws: The Road to the T-4 Program
            • Isaac Keister – Technology and Strategy:  The War in Vietnam
            • Joshua Leisner  Familiarization
            • Rozina Lethe – Carrying Capacity – A Modeling Approach
            • Sofia LeVernois – Tax Implications of Recreational Marijuana in the United States
            • Tyler McAfee – Commuting Pairs in Finite Non-Abelian Groups and Associated Probabilities
            • Emily Parker – Delaying Dementia Through Mental Stimulation: A Service Learning Project 
            • Jared Petersen – MEAN Web Application Development with Agile Kanban
            • Sarah Pettigrew – Discrimination and Hate Crime against the Trans* Community
            • Courtney Richardson – Female Director Takes Hollywood by Storm: Is She a Beauty or a Visionary 
            • Robin Roemer – Knitting in 21st Century America: The Culture and Ideology of Knitting Groups in Rural Oregon 
            • Anny Hope Sheie – Research Based Best Practices for Teaching Mathematics and Improving Math Attitudes 
            • Braden Shribbs – The Changing Landscape of Hollywood: From the USA to China 
            • Katarina Smith – Trend Analysis of Depression and Anxiety in College Students 
            • Nathan Tew – People of WOU: A study of the perception of diversity at Western Oregon University
            • Ruby Tidwell – Caught in the Web: The Importance of Ethical Computing Illustrated via an Exploration of the Online Recruitment of Women and Girls into Sex Trafficking 
            • Stephanie Torrez – Antibiotics: A Vital Aspect of Medicine Turned Public Health Concern
            • Natalie Wallace – Innate Magnetic Directional Preference in Drosophila melanogaster 
            • Emily Walley – Legendary: Was King Arthur a Living Hero or a Popular Legend? 
            • Erica Wills – The Arctic Avengers: Investigating, Developing, and Implementing Community Engagement Strategies for Polar Bear Conservation

            2013-15 Honors Grads & Senior Projects

            2015 
            • David Avery – Recognition Algorithms for 2-Tree Probe Interval Graphs
            • Mackenzie Brendle – Gender Representation of Catwoman in Live Action Films
            • Camarie Campfield – Portfolio Optimization: A Modeling Perspective
            • Keelie Daquilanto – Imposter Syndrome Among Pre-Service TESOL Teachers
            • Laura Killip – Hey YouTubes! An Original Musical about Music and Internet Culture
            • Kathryn Koppel – Online Education for K-12, the Growing Job Market: Are Education Majors Ready?
            • Aubrey Fear – The Effects of Color Preference on Word List Recall
            • J.J. Garcia – 2A Delivery
            • McKenzie Johnston – Social Anxiety and Fandoms: Does Socials Support Make a Difference?
            • Tristan Knope-Jenkins – Painting in Data
            • Meghan Link – Increasing Adequate Social Interactions Among People With and Without Disabilities
            • Olevia McKay – Grammatical Madness:  A Step Away from Formal Instruction
            • Amanda McMasters – Effective Strategies for Preventing Recidivism Among Juveniles
            • Reina Morgan – The Effects of Peppermint and Orange Aromas on Mood and Task Performance
            • Carlee Nelson – CHOSEN: Reaching Across the Continent in Faith
            • Mary K. Rice – Teaching Children to Learn, Not to Test
            • Eli Zachary: Selection of a Directional Preference in Drosophila melanogaster
            2014 
            • Zander Albertson – Effects of Dams and Irrigation on the Deschutes River, Oregon
            • Sheridan Bailey – Bridging Generation Y: A Commentary on the Financial Development of Young Adults in the New Millennium
            • Katy Barlean – Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13): The Imminent Threat Inside Our Borders
            • Carolee Buck – Medical Botany in the Treatment of HIV and AIDS
            • Hayley Dickinson – Tobacco Use on College Campuses: Should Smoking be Banned?
            • Stephanie Eaton – Common Core Math: A Guide
            • Kayli Fisher – Understanding Heroin Addiction from the Life Course Perspective
            • Jose Garcia – Why College?: Making the Decision
            • Kelsey Gray – Study Abroad Reentry: Emotional Aspects
            • Bethany Haight – The Impact of World War I on American Women’s Fashion
            • Chloe Hansen – Theatrical Interpreting: An Explanation of the Process
            • Jillian Johnson – Playing with Permutations: Examining Mathematics in Children’s Toys
            • Zachary Jones – There is No Law Here: Vigilantism, Militarism and Metropolitanism in Coos County, Oregon 1912-1913
            • Annelise Marshall – Perón: the Ascent and Decline to Power
            • Alyssa Palmer – Cancer Research: A Quest for a Cure
            • Olivia Reed – Bullfighting: At What Cost Should Culture Be Preserved?
            • Trevor Ross – Queer (In)equality: An In-depth Look at Discrimination towards the LGBTQ Community
            • Daniel Tew – Pedagogy of Teaching History: Comparing the Chronologic and Thematic Approaches
            • Marissa Thompson – Julius: A Study of Hitchcockian Film
            • Bonnie Wells – More Than Human: A Critical Evaluation of the Intersection of Character and Theme in Mike Mignola’s Hellboy
            2013 
            • Macy Bothman – Bilingual Physical Education
            • Rosie Brown – Dropping the Lowest Score: A Mathematical Analysis of a Common Grading Practice
            • Allason Fewx – The Arrow of Defiance
            • Merry Fuller – Writing a Novel: The Process and its Implications in Teaching
            • Tayleranne Gillespie – Celebrating a Centennial: The Design, Implementation and Evaluation of a Multi-Media Public Interest Campaign
            • Krista Harrington – Possible but Ethical? A bioethical investigation into medical manipulation, emerging technology and ethics
            • Angela Haslam – Literacy Support for Children with Autism
            • Bailey Hough – Highly Mobile Students in the Elementary Classroom
            • Amy Keithley – Experiential Education: Teaching Elementary Mathematics with a Deweyan Framework
            • Kristin Mahoney – Acculturation versus Assimilation: A Comparative Analysis of Standard Written English and ASL
            • Jenae Nelson – The Elementary School Classroom: Implementing Multiple Learning Styles
            • Emmy Olsen – An English Handbook for the Spanish Classroom: English to Spanish Grammar Clarification for Learners of Spanish
            • Jerielle Raibley – The Potential Conflict between Forensic Ethnic Identification and Societal Interpretation in America
            • Heidi Ramp – Pick Me, Pick Me: The Theory and Construction Behind the Conference Proposal
            • Lisa Rogers – Second Language Acquisition: An exploration of Effective Pedagogies
            • Trevor Roush – Pay for Performance on Quality of Healthcare: Justified Transition or Policy Fad?
            • Alyssa Schmidt – Answering the Question Why: The Theoretical Foundations to Instructional Choices in a Middle School Mathematics Class
            • Ariel Setniker – Linear Independence of Function Spaces
            • Mike Stevenson – Crime Analysis: Issues in the Field
            • Christopher Tasner – Permutations and Combination Locks
            • Sophia Wellons – Investigating the Gap Year
            • Joceline Wynn – Stage management: an artistic approach to the symbiotic relationships within a theatre

            2010-12 Honors Grads & Senior Projects

            2012 Theses
            • Wendy Bryant – Sharing Stories: Insights on the Holistic Experiences of Latino ELLs
            • Diedra Cates – My Reflexive Journey: A Korean American Adoptee’s Return to South Korea
            • Tabitha McAfee – Teaching Strategies for the High School Math Classroom
            • Chris McFetridge – Demystifying the Performance Authentic: Translation, Preference, and the New Aesthetic
            • David O’Rourke – Independent Game Development: The Making of Paze
            • Paige O’Rourke – The Search for Self: Childhood Interiors and Identity in Contemporary Young Adult Literature
            • Marina Sikora – Higher Education, Critical Pedagogy, and Non-Traditional Students
            • Nancy Sorensen – Delving into Dance and Gender
            • Steven Thomson – Detection Limits of Derivatized Methamphetamine Using Gold Nanoparticles and Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy
            • Ermine Todd – Creative Synthesis: Collaborative Cross-Disciplinary Studies in the Arts
            • Karin Traweek – Oregon Gray Wolf Reintroduction, Conservation, and Management Evaluation
            • Melissa Wiener – Super Fish Quest — A Video Game
            2011 
            • Rebekah Beyer – A Figure of Thought: Conceptual Metaphor in Children’s Preschool Narrative Picture Books
            • Bryan Danaher – A Graphic Novelization: Coriolanus, Act 1
            • Aaron Dull – Tales of Ungdar: Prophecy of the Eldests [novel]
            • Sierra Durfee – A Modern Construction of a Corset and a Short Look at HIstorical and Social Aspects
            • Crystal Hanson – Working in Harmony: The Process of Writing Music and Lyrics for a Musical
            • Rachel Hermanson – Characterization of the Female Attractiveness Pheromone in the Red-Spotted Garter Snake, Thamnophis sirtalis concinnus
            • Maria Hommes – A Knight of Fashion: Costuming an Amateur Musical
            • Kady Hossner – Extensions of Cayley-Sudoku Constructions
            • Joel Kobzeff – A Brief Disquisition on the Ethics Philosophy of Ayn Rand: The Objectivist Theory of Morality — A Discourse on Value, Reality, the Virtue of Egoism, the Immorality of Sacrifice, and the Failure of Subjectivist Ethics
            • Nicole Miller – Community-Based Policing and the Mentally Ill
            • Alysse Parker – Sir Gawain and the Green Knight: Creating a New Musical
            • Michael Petrovich – Seasonal Effects on the White Blood Cell Percentages of Lower Invertebrates
            • Angelica Strickland – Benefits of Foreign Language Instruction
            2010
            • Jenny Barnes – The Dancing Classroom: Benefits of Using Creative Dance and Movement to Increase Learning for Students with and without ADD/ADHD
            • Danielle Buffington-Tebon – Como Se What: The Importance of the Reading/Writing Connection for English Language Learners in the Middle School Language Arts Classroom
            • Tasha Burlison-Trump – A Qualitative Analysis of Student Motivations, Intentions, and Participation in a Breast Cancer Advocacy Internship
            • Allison Glasscock – The Complications of Philosophy: Fortune, Happiness, Evil, and Free Will in Boethius’ Consolation of Philosophy
            • David Hawes – Beowulf the RPG
            • Justin Karr – Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids: Health, the Brain, and the Human Diet
            • Lisa Martini – The Influence of High Fructose Corn Syrup on the Diabetes Epidemic
            • Hillary K. Mills – The Theories Informing Literature Circle Implementation
            • Stephanie Shields – Developing Female Self-Efficacy for Middle School Mathematics
            • Evan Sorce – Increasing the Power: The Traditional Role of the Vice President Before and After Vice President Cheney
            • Nicole Teague – Movement in the Classroom: Integrating Movement into Elementary School Curriculum
            • Jaclyn Thompson – A Tale of Two American Cities: A Look at Lifestyles
            • Samuel Thompson – Retirement Investing Through Target Date Funds

              2000-09 Honors Grads & Senior Projects

              2009 
              • Dustin Byers – The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 and the Failure of the Political Process
              • Rebecca Chadd – Know Thyself: The Self-Revelatory Nature of the Creative Process
              • Ashley Kuehlwein – The Media Effects on the Perceptions and Foreign Policies Surrounding the Chechan Fight for Independence between 1985 and 1995
              • Betsy McDonald – Museums and National Identity: the Case of the Parthenon Sculptures
              • Chelsey Miller – Pheromone Specificity and Reproductive Isolation in Garter Snakes
              • Kimber Saville – Effects of Cognitive Inhibitory Abilities on Cortisol Responsiveness and Cognition
              • Annaka Wendt – Louisa: A Collection of Stories and Musings
              • Stephanie Woods – With this Ring: Religious Implications for Marital Horizons in Emerging Adulthood
              • Lauren Zegers – The State of Education: An Examination of No Child Left Behind
              2008
              • Tricia Brigham – The Relationship between Patients’ Self-Efficacy and their Effort Level and Improvement within a Physical Therapy Setting
              • Zachary Christopherson – Sexual Attractiveness between Garter Snakes
              • Kynzie Dalton – The Effects of Facial Cosmetics on Female Self-Perception
              • Samantha Ann Hafner – Arthur Rising (novel)
              • Brian Halverson – The Effect of the Weather on Retail Sales
              • Shane Hosea – Republic: A Graphic Adaptation (graphic novel)
              • Katherine Keetle – Signing for Education: The Benefits of Using American Sign Language in Hearing Classrooms
              • Melissa Ruth C. Scott – A Reason to Live (novel)
              • Joshua Nelsen Woods – Homeland Insecurity: Truman, Hoover, and Intelligence
              2007 
              • Mariko R. Chambers – A Study of Nursery Rhyme Adaptations
              • Katy Bradley Conner – Through Their Eyes: Style and Character in Roddy Doyle
              • Nicole Juergensen – Making Homes Out of RV’s: Alternative Low-Income Housing in Rural Southern Oregon
              • Danielle Kuehnel – Hometown Pride: A Community’s Cultural Identity Constructed through Publication
              • Tyler Laughlin – The Controversy of Constantine’s Conversion to Christianity
              • Amanda Miles – An Examination of Stress and Illness Among College Students
              • Nicole Jesse Perry – Speaking with Images: How the addition of images to second generation Holocaust survivor’s memoirs improves the dialogue between author and reader
              • Jennifer Rosales – The Growth Pattern of Colorful Bacterial Mats in Hot Springs Water at Yellowstone National Park
              • Brian Smith – Exploring the Current 802.11 Security Landscape
              • Laura Soules – Rock Walls and Rusted Dreams: An Archaeological Examination of Homesteading on the Crooked River National Grassland, Oregon
              • Alaina Steiner – The Possibilites of Philosophies as Works of Visual Art
              2006 
              • Monica Fleener – The Coronation of Charlemagne: Causes and Consequences
              • Beth Marie Frohmader – Development of the Guide Dog: Changes in Types, Training, and Recruitment of the Dog Guide and Implications for the Future
              • Terry Manning – Attempts to Cultivate RLMO Bacteria Using Site-Specific Water Chemistry Data
              • Mary E. Steers – The Effects of Age on Accurate Age Estimation
              • Daniel Ryan Van Winkle – An Examination of the Use of History in the Rise of Ethnic Nationalism in the Former Socialist Federation of Yugoslavia
              2005 
              • Ashley Neonta Bell – Neolin and Tenskwatawa: A Comparison of Two Nativist Prophets
              • Amber R. Faw – Manipulation of Eyewitness Testimony: How Naivete, Leading Questioning and Initial Stimulus Environment Affect Recall
              • Heidi L. Kimberling – Effect of Relevant Shocking Material on Recall, Recognition, and Attitude of Advertisments
              • Jessica K. Prante – Exposure of Hearing Infants to Signing: Its Influence on Language and Communication Ease
              • Erin Shute – Thrice Lived: Moment, Memory, and Understanding
              • Holly Adelman – Assessment and Accountability: Impacts of Testing on Oregon’s English Language Learners
              2004 
              • Christina M. Healy– Interpreting Shakespeare from English into American Sign Language
              • Stephanie R. Lewis De Ochoa – Study of the Choreographic Evolution of George Balanchine’s Ballets from 1922-1983
              • Kalah A. Paisley – Beyond Original Intent: The Reinvention of the Everson Ruling by Constitutional Historians
              • Rebekah M Regan – Skipping or Tripping?
              2003 
              • Jill Bradley – Dual Language Education: Preparing Today’s Youth for Tomorrow’s Diverse Future
              • Jana K. Brooks – Techniques in Fish Immunology: Effects of Water Source on Immune Cells of Goldfish, Carassius Auratus
              • Ardyth DeBruyn – Culture in a Structure of Transition and Uncertainty: Liminality and Communities Among Modern Pilgrims on the Camino De Santiago
              • Marika L. Schneider – Grief, Loss, and Death: A Guide for Educator’s and Parents of Elementary School Children
              2002 
              • Roseanne Pascalette Caputi – Suicide Race
              • Shelley Dietrick – Beyond Family: Controversy Surrounding The Practice of Interracial Adoption within the American System
              • Laura M. Howard – The Underrepresentation of Females in Computer Science
              • Adrian C. Johanson – Wasted
              • Cheyenne Lemmon – Gender: Dynamics, Identity and the University Setting
              • Christina M. White – A Link to the Past, A Road to the Future: Bringing Family History into the Elementary Classroom
              2001 
              • Thomas W. Bahde – I Fights Mit Sigel: Nativism and German American Soldiers in the Civil War
              • Celeste D. Barker – Father, Word and Holy Breath: The Genesis and Revelations of Stephen Dedalus
              • Brooke Gore – Mindful Communication: Strategies to Enhance Healthy Interactions
              • Maren E. Greif – A Novel Approach
              • Shannon M. Harvey – Implementing Creative Arts into the Elementary Classroom
              • Christopher J. Hodnefield – Decoding the Golay Code by Hand
              • Michelle Kennedy – The Use of Geographic Urban Models in Relation to the Development of Salem, Oregon
              • Kirk Lemmon – The Creation of a Film: From Script to Finish
              2000 
              • Ruth Ashton – Concentrations of Lead (Pb) in the Roots and Shoots of Sunflower (Helianthus annus): An Experiment in Phytoremediation
              • Jessica Beach – Causes of Aggression: A Study of Biological Factors
              • Tori Fornaciari – Painted Personalities: A study of the Female Figure
              • Theresa A. Mecham – Anne, Farewell, Adieu: The Final Hours of Anne Boleyn
              • Angela Siecinski – Attributional Styles, Moral Disengagement, and Self-Reported Delinquency
              • Jennifer Lynne Wolff – Sometimes Miracles Hide

              1989-99 Honors Grads & Senior Projects

              1999 
              • Elizabeth Cole – Language and Identity: The Confessions of a Bilingual Cabeza De Chorlito in Ecuador
              • Stephen Day – Personal Finance: The Forgotten Need of College Students
              • Jennifer K. Gjesvold – Guilt and Shame: Moral Affects and Criminal Behavior
              • Elaine M. Hart – “Genesis” And Other Poems
              • Molly J. Judson French – The Scent of Water: A Naturalist’s Guide to Small Streams of the Oregon Coast Range
              • Nicole Y. Meeuwsen – Discovering Economics
              • Noelle L. Pratt – Cami’s Story
              • Angela M. Quinby – Discovering Economics
              • Erin E. Sullivan – Fantasia on Amazing Grace
              1998 
              • Jaimie Suzan Bigelow – A Narrative of the Birth of Anabaptism: A Personal Exploration
              • Michelle E. Bright – Insights into the Lives of Post-secondary Students with Learning Disabilities
              • Erin K. Clinton – The Effects of Hair Color and Cosmetic Use on Male and Female Perceptions of a Female’s Potential Job Performance
              • Carrie L. Davis – Tripidia: A Novel Prospectus
              • Chryste Lea Crivella Frauendiener – I Dance in Two Languages: A Creative Thesis on Bilingual Children’s Literature
              • Traci A. Hamer – Stressing Neisseria Gonorrhoeae: A Layman’s Explanation
              • Jane E. Hammill – Wicca
              • Alicia J. Kleiman – “Data’s My Comrade”: A Journey of Associations
              • Deborah F. Kropf – Disability is not Inability: The Deaf Community in Kenya
              • Danielle D. Myers – Guests of the Gold Mountain: Chinese Vernacular Architecture and Two Dragon Camps
              • Jennifer L Paulsen – The World Wide Web’s Impact on the Field of Education: The Role it Plays and Examples of Usage
              • Stephanie D.B. Sherwood – The Making of Martyrs: The Centralia Tragedy and Trial of 1919
              1997 
              • Aimee Bruno – Let it be with me according to your word
              • Holly M. Hatch – Themes and variations in the lives of Robert and Clara Schumann and Johannes Brahms
              1996 
              • Charles K. Bonville – The internet: a virtual library
              • Stacey Brennan – Interdisciplinary education: an option for improving education
              • Nicole L. Hayes – Successful mediation: a comparison of Leslie Marmon Silko’s ceremony and Louise Erdrich’s love medicine
              • Thomas R. Hoffman – Mathematical chaos: development and applications
              • Jana L. Mounts – Medieval European noble women and the power they possessed
              • Cynthia L. Ussing – The multi-grade elementary classroom, a return to the past?
              • Cindy Wrey – Financial inequities in schools: do they exist?
              1995 
              • Elona M. Olson – Mixed-age grouping
              • Kelly C. Schloer – Generation of a population of autotetraploid loium multiflorum plants for use in breeding new varieties of rye grass
              1994 
              • Heather Boylan – The Historical Mexico as Seen by a Foreigner
              • Rachel L. Fox – In Memoriam: Dan Lucas
              • Shannon M. Gates – Messiah: A Personal Discovery
              • Travis Giboney – True Blue
              • Stacy Holloway – The Geomorphology of the Hood River Valley
              • Thomas W. Hrabal – A European Experience
              • Dawn Lingenfelter – Gender issues in computer-mediated communication: an exploratory analysis
              • Wendy Sue Randolph Pankey – The Life You Save: A Soliloguy by Flannery O’Connor
              • Evangeline Faith Pearson – Music in Worship in the Churches of Monmouth-Independence
              • Danielle Spinella – Head Start
              • Jessica J. Wilkinson – Effective Interface Design: Increasing User Productivity
              1993 
              • Michael C. Curry – Life Out There: Looking Beyond the Limits
              • Leah Johnson – Ehpesian Memories
              • Paul H. Potter – Fear and loathing of the self: gay protagonists in two post World War II American novels
              • Tracie Toman – Germany: a hope for Oregon’s educational future a study of Oregon and German educational systems
              1992 
              • Daniel S. Kay – Zoo Story: A Study In Communication
              • Rachel Starck – A Study of Three Grass Seed Mixes Used in the Restoration of Wetlands
              1991 
              • Nicole A. Diederich – Thomas Wolfe’s journey toward self-discovery: the search for meaning and identity in Look Homeward Angel and Of Time and the River
              • Corey Johnson – Elsewhere: the reunification of mind and matter
              1990 
              • Julie Ann Biddle – An historical perspective on six works from flute recital literature.
              1989 
              • Kalen Griffin – Theatre direction: a test in communication.

              Honors Program

              Academic Programs and Support Center, Room 210

              Phone: (503) 838-8519
              Email: honors@wou.edu

              WOU Honors Instagram
              Honors Program Facebook