2021-2022 Senior Honors Theses
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This collection contains theses produced by Class of 2022 Honors students
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Browsing 2021-2022 Senior Honors Theses by Title
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Item A Simplified Balloon Payload For Stratospheric Conductivity Measurements(2021-12-17) Ulinski, Alexandra R. B.There are still many open questions about the Earth's atmosphere, and to answer them scientists need data from experimental observations. Stratospheric conductivity measurements are a vital component of global electric circuit research; however, in the twenty-first century there have been very few experiments designed to advance this area of research or investigate puzzling observations made in the decades before. To address this deficiency, this thesis aimed to design a lightweight, low-cost, balloon instrument that could measure stratospheric conductivity. The goal was to create a design that could be shared and replicated by other student groups, adding fresh experimental observations to the available data; thus, allowing scientists to improve models, explain anomalies, and explore new applications of this knowledge. To design an effective, yet simple instrument, previous balloon payloads were analyzed and modified to reduce complexity, weight, and cost. The design, consisting of two spherical conducting probes separated horizontally by a high resistivity boom was shared via ConductivityResearch.com. A prototype was constructed, weighing only 2.72 kg (not including flight train and telemetry devices), and costing just under $2000 (including balloon, helium, and flight train). Initial tests suggest that the design will be capable of measuring atmospheric conductivity and can be replicated with relative ease. The prototype will soon be fully tested during a balloon campaign in Alaska.Item A Synergistic Forensic Approach to Population Affinity Estimation(2021-12-07) Buck, Reece A.Through analyzing the 20 skulls from the South Texas Applied Forensic Science center I aim to ascertain a better picture of the demography of our donors and what that means regarding the issue of ancestry estimation in Forensic Anthropology. I will also be analyzing genetic methods of ancestry estimation and how both forensic anthropology and forensic genetics can work synergistically to create new statistical software with greater accuracy. With our globalized society it is becoming more and more unlikely that we can fit ourselves neatly into the racial categories that the offices of jurisprudence would like us to fill, thus we should be tailoring our methods and practices to more reflect ourselves as biological populations of the species Homo sapiens rather than placing ourselves within antiquated racial typologies such as: Black, White, Asian, and Hispanic.Item American Cap and Trade: How a Years-Long Environmental Effort Fell Into Political Oblivion(2022-08-07) Mayzenberg, AnnaThe American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 is the closest that Congress has come to establishing a national carbon market, and it only passed the House of Representatives. Cap and trade, which was successfully implemented once in the bipartisan 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments, would have allowed high emitters of carbon to choose their own solutions to the problem of high carbon emissions, leaving room for innovation without mandating it. While reflections on the political climate around the bill and economic analyses of its policies abound, little research exists on the speech of the representatives who passed it, and those who voted against it. Using corpus analysis methods such as collocate evaluation and KWIC, this research analyzes the House of Representatives’ Subcommittee on Energy and Environment’s discussion of the bill. By separating Republican and Democratic speech, this research narrows down three major ideological frameworks on which the parties disagree: belief in anthropogenic climate change, the impact of climate progress on the economy, and the influence of carbon emissions reductions on America’s status as a leader. These three frameworks serve as major points of contention between the parties and indicate that the time has come to develop new, compelling approaches to discussing carbon emissions solutions.Item An Evaluation of Dobzhansky-Muller Incompatibilities in Protein Evolution(2022-05-05) Esopenko, HannahThis study is focused on the evolution of Dobzhansky-Muller Incompatibilities (DMIs) and Compensated Pathogenic Deviations (CPDs) in protein evolution. DMIs are genetic differences that occur by post zygotic isolation to reduce the overall fitness of an organism. Meanwhile, CPDs are pathogenic mutations that show no adverse effects to the organism as there is an additional mutation somewhere in the sequence that compensates for the deleterious nature of the mutation. Therefore, studying the nature of DMIs and CPDs provides a deeper understanding as to how deleterious events arise throughout the evolution of species. A study conducted by Kondrashov et al. (2002) addressed DMIs in protein evolution by identifying the occurrence of CPDs when the nonhuman orthologs deviated from the reference human ortholog sequence. Kondrashov et al.’s (2002) study was clever in construction, but the methodology was unclear, and the results appeared to be over simplified. To analyze the validity of the Kondrashov et al. (2002) paper, a similar study using restricted parameters and modern bioinformatic databases was conducted for this senior thesis project. To do so, 24 primate orthologs of 32 genes responsible for Mendelian diseases were collected and compared to the pathogenic missense data of humans to identify CPDs. Through computational analysis and the visual representation of protein alignments, 26 valid CPD hits were found. The 26 CPD hits presented in four general patterns: single species CPD, single clade CPD with two or more species, convergent evolution of a CPD, and ancestral CPDs. A statistical analysis was performed to determine whether factors such as the length of the protein, the evolutionary distance between sequences, or the number of pathogenic variants played a role in the number of CPDs found. The relationship between the number of CPDs found and the evolutionary distance between sequences and the amount of pathogenic variant data were found to be statistically significantly correlated. More data and research into primate genomes and the nature of CPDs is required to accurately determine their occurrence. This will help predict how CPDs arise in species and better evaluate the claims made in the Kondrashov et al. (2002) paper.Item An Unbiased Approach on The Conformational Dynamics of In-Solution Fibrinogen and Its Physiological Implications.(2022-04-29) Esparza Pinelo, Jose E.By itself, Fibrinogen (Fng) stands out as one of the most complex hematopoietic proteins in the cardiovascular system for multiple species in nature. Upon its activation and further cascade mechanisms, Fng can polymerize into fibrin and contribute to blood clot formation and substantial growth. Fng’s interactions with fibrinolytic proteins aggregate into a conglomerate of different fragments in blood bodily mechanisms. Any form of dysregulation in any of these pathways can lead to several complications not only within the cardiovascular system but throughout the entirety of the body. Understanding the crux of Fng’s functions and interactions with itself along with other proteins ultimately can be traced back to its inherent dynamic structure. In this study, I aim to probe the intrinsic flexibility that is beset on Fng by way of its multi-domain composition, allowing it to withstand incredible mechanical forces as well as being highly dynamic in its physiological form. Thus, extending the key biological concept that structure and flexibility that comes with it determine functions. Through an unbiased approach by implementing protein structural studies as well as computational dynamic simulations, in-solution Fng dynamics were studied in their totality.Item Beyond Montmartre and the Avant-Garde: Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and the Democratization of Art(2022-05-09) Lovelace, Arabella E.This thesis is a multi-faceted exploration into Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s contribution to the democratization and modernization of art. A variety of factors, such as the artist’s personal rejection of elitism after being abandoned by his upper-class family, his personal affiliation with the intellectual underground of Montmartre, the artist’s mastery of both traditional and novel print media which led to wide street exposure, and his stylistic and strategic uniqueness, make Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec a very important and irreplaceable name in the art historical record when it comes to breaking down barriers that restricted the common citizen’s access to art, as well as setting a unique standard for contemporary art and artists. This thesis seeks to demonstrate these factors in a way that captures a scope that has rarely, if ever, been addressed by prior scholarship. This thesis also seeks to refocus the narrative regarding Lautrec, which is often overlooked or misunderstood.Item Comedic Music: The Juxtaposition Between Incongruous Musical Elements(2022-05-09) Loloee, AryaClassical music is a learned art form with exemplary aesthetic value. It is often synonymous with serious music because of the careful consideration required to create and understand the music. The term serious, however, may imply a lack of fun. This thesis explores comedic Western art music, which juxtaposes high-style and low-style musical elements to provoke humor in an audience. In the second section of this document, the different theories of humor are briefly explained. In the third section, the incongruity theory of humor (which necessitates an absurd contrast between components resulting in a violation of expectations) is applied to how contrasting musical elements make a piece of music funny. In the fourth, fifth, and sixth sections, selected works by Franz Joseph Haydn, Robert Lucas de Pearsall, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Tom Johnson are analyzed for their humorous nature by considering their different methods of juxtaposing music elements.Item Comparing Parent and Child Interactive Play in the Lab and Home: A Look Into a Child's Optimal Visual Learning Experience(2022-05-03) Pham, Jo-AnneRecent technological advancement allows developmental researchers to use small cameras that can be attached to a child's and parent’s head and document first person view, characterizing child’s and parent’s visual experiences. However, this mainly took place in the laboratory and has recently been introduced into the home setting. There are some uncertainty whether or not laboratory studies accurately reflect everyday interactions between the parent and child. In order to further understand this concept and validate previous laboratory studies in the home, we brought common laboratory equipment, such as the eye tracking cameras, toys, and furniture, into the participant’s home to investigate 1) the feasibility of replicating laboratory studies with head cameras and eye tracking devices and 2) the similarities and differences in typical parental scaffolding behaviors and infant visual experiences in the two settings. This study serves as a feasibility study as well as a case study with one parent and child dyad in each setting (both babies are 10 months old, White, male, and have high SES). Results indicate that parent object holding, object naming, and infant visual gaze have longer duration in the laboratory, however parent verbal behaviors are similar across the two settings. These findings support parental scaffolding behaviors previously observed in laboratory settings, however, they show that these behaviors are more prominent in the laboratory.Item Contemp(t)lating(2022-06-13) Huff, Katherine A.The totality of the work in my thesis underscores the processes of my studies as an art student pursuing my undergraduate degree in Painting with a minor in art history. This thesis chronicles two years of my work consisting of portraiture, landscapes, figure drawings, collage, and poetry. I combine collage, oil paint, and other mixed media in an attempt to create a story about my upbringing, current environment, or politics. The inspiration to create works of art is both material-driven, process-driven and conceptual. My interest is to create tension in my works and the ways in which tension, both physically and conceptually, relates to the viewer by incorporating masterful techniques with contemporary concepts. In my landscapes I am interested in the illusion of surrealism and something that is beyond our reality that gives a liberation of the mind, lending to an artistic freedom. Similarly, in experimental works titled ‘A New Frontier’, I incorporate situationist ideals of détournement and the dérive, freeing the artist of limitations culturally and physically. In my poetry, I use language as a medium to create ekphrastic and provisional poetry relating to artworks. In my drawings I incorporate subtractive methods to create works of art built upon old techniques to create something new.Item Content and Context: The Relationship Between Texts Assigned in First-Year Composition, Student Perception, and Self-Efficacy(2022-07-07) Cornelius, JoshuaIn the field of rhetoric and composition, a lot of attention is rightfully paid to how First- Year Composition (FYC) impacts a writer's development. While rhetoric and composition does not use the same terminology or methods as education, this thesis argues that the two fields do in fact overlap in their thinking of student self-efficacy and student perception. Thus, self-efficacy toward writing would be a useful recontextualization for measuring FYC success. Focusing specifically on the under-researched topic of texts assigned in FYC, this thesis seeks to highlight the relationship between texts, student perception, and self-efficacy toward writing. Rather than draw distinct correlations at this time, three literature reviews on the topics of text modality, student perception, and self-efficacy were used to provide a foundation for how these subjects relate to student success and are worthy of further empirical research. A strong relationship between student perception of texts and self-efficacy was found through the course of these literature reviews, but a significant gap in research on the texts students are asked to write about in FYC was also found. The lack of empirical-driven research into student perception and self-efficacy in FYC classrooms and the lack of theoretical research on self-efficacy toward writing represent a limitation of the current body of rhetoric and composition research that needs to be addressed and expanded upon. Some potential ways in which this future research could be conducted were briefly explored. Overall, it is imperative that any empirical research done on the topic pull from the methodology of both education and rhetoric and composition, as the concepts of self-efficacy toward writing and student perception of text exist in that unique intersection of fields.Item Cycles of the Columbia Tap(2022-05-12) Rincon, DavidOriginally a 19th century railroad, the Houston Tap and Brazoria Railway served as a major connection between Houston and the communities southwest of it. After falling out of use, a 4 mile stretch of its remnants was converted into a hike and bike trail that now crosses through East Downtown and Third Ward. This project begins by looking at the cycles of the trail, beginning as a part of the coastal prairie, its transformation into a rail way, its abandonment, and its conversion into a hike and bike trail. Creating a series of proposals along the full length of the trail, this thesis looks to what the next stage in the cycle of the Columbia Tap Trail can be.Item De Zavala Charter School(2022-05-12) Tidwell, Savannah Y.An analysis on the impact of the built environment in educational settings.Item Design Practice in Support of Capitalism: Industrial Design and Cold War Consumer Politics(2021-12-18) Bhattacharya, Karina L.The United States and the Soviet Union were political rivals in a battle between U.S. capitalism and Soviet communism known as the Cold War. In the 1950s, international exhibitions such as the Marshall Plan Exhibits, the Brussels World’s Fair, and the American National Exhibition in Moscow were critical opportunities for the U.S. to show audiences in Europe and the Soviet Union that capitalism, as opposed to communism, offered a better standard of living for people living under its economic system. This thesis examines the role of the U.S. industrial designers who designed and curated exhibits at these international exhibitions to demonstrate their support of capitalism during the Cold War.Item DUE-STR: A Heuristic Extension Of The Selfless Traffic Routing Model Utilizing Dynamic User Equilibrium(2022-05-05) Carroll, ThomasRouting vehicles through a traffic network such as a modern-day city has been a much- studied topic, with routing algorithms such as Dynamic User Equilibrium (DUE) having been well documented. The focus of many such works has been on the optimization of average travel time through traffic networks aiming for the more efficient routing of vehicles. In this thesis, we outline our plans for routing to satisfy arrival deadlines, where vehicles are routed with the primary objective of getting somewhere on time. We consider vehicle routing through a smaller section of a city, known as a traffic sub-network, using a centralized scheme as a guiding traffic assignment agent. We introduce our preliminary implementation of a routing algorithm built on the Selfless Traffic Routing (STR) model and Dynamic User Equilibrium (DUE) to show the viability of such a scheme on a traffic network. We present our experimental results from running this scheme on a real-world traffic network. We consider a pre-vehicle movement rerouting scheme capable of being competitive against more informative real-time models. We evaluate DUE-STR and these models using the number of arrival-deadline misses and the average travel time performance metrics for vehicles. We find mixed results between DUE-STR and other models, with our DUE- STR model mostly having better results when considering deadline misses and mostly having worse results when considering average vehicle travel time. We explore reasons why the results may not be quite as good as well as potential solutions to solve these issues.Item En Route to the Ahlul Bayt: Shia Narrative and Symbolism Through Pilgrimage, Imagery, and Politics(2021-12-08) Hasta, Ambarina Z.This thesis analyzes major components and stories from the Shia narrative while connecting tropes and themes from this heritage back to forms of modern day expression of identity. In particular, these forms explored are: visual imagery, pilgrimage and shrine visitation, and politics. Furthermore, this thesis connects the dots between the expression of identity and the interconnectedness between Shia spaces, images, and political ideology. This thesis focuses particularly on the regions of Lebanon and Iraq. The body of work includes a written component on background and relevant analyses. Furthermore, the thesis includes a photographic series taken by me from my own visits to Iraq and Lebanon, to fully exemplify the topic through a personal and visual lens. The photo series includes descriptive and analytical captions that aim to give context and connect back to the elements addressed in the written segment of this thesis.Item Fabrication for Hope(2022-05-12) Martinez, GabrielaThe thesis reuses the idea of thicken walls like fortress and bring them into the project but not with their original use but its is through the understanding of Spanish colonial arquitecture to reimagine space. The internal architectural language used in the project and the external condition which is preserving the historical perimeter wall of the chosen site, provides structural stability, additional support space, and responds with awareness of the activity of the area.Item Factory City Tijuana: Tooling Space for Work and Living(2022-05-12) Reyes, AlejandroFactory City Tijuana is an architecture response to the current working conditions in Mexico and the Housing Crisis. This Project focuses on creating a new housing development model that focuses in quality of live and provides resources for former maquiladora workers and others who are self -employed would be highly beneficial for the residents of Tijuana. Former maquiladora workers could practice their own trade using their former skills and residents who used to have their own business outside their homes can now have their own space for work and living.Item From the Souks to the Sea - Beirut Coastal Pavilion(2022-05-12) Moghnieh, Jad F.A response to concurrent issues in Beirut, Lebanon. Pairing the lack of neutral public space and the exploitation of public maritime property on Beirut's coast with the August 4th, 2020 Blast at the Port of Beirut creates a network of relationships that reconnects the inhabitants of Beirut with the sea. The blast reveals an openness between the city and the sea where the former port disconnected the two. Coastal reclamation reinforces the people’s connection to their coastal identity and provides a common meeting ground for all sects. An urban scale intervention acts to connect the city and the sea through a public beach that lines the perimeter of the former coast. A new typology consisting of an open air souk, a pavilion, a beach facility and a sea bath creates a linear precession from the city to the sea.Item Gender Differences in Job Search and Networking Behaviors Among Scholars(2022-04-29) Barnes, DuBois H.For this study, we sought to determine if gender plays a role in various work-related behaviors. Gender was used as a moderator for all four hypotheses. Analysis software was SPSS. A binary logistic regression was used to analyze three of the hypotheses. Hypothesis 3 had a continuous outcome variable of h-index, so a linear regression analysis was used. For hypothesis 1 and 2, we analyzed the relationship between networking behaviors and job search/job offers. For H3 and H4 we looked at whether increasing networking behaviors increased h-index but more-so for men, and if a high h-index resulted in higher chance of job offer for men than women. No significant results were found for any analyzed interactions. Implications for this study include how length of career and h-index score can increase the likelihood of networking and decrease job seeking. This can be useful for identifying populations interested in changing employment, and identifying populations that may benefit from networking interventions. Additionally, it suggests future research is needed regarding stage in career and employment behaviors. Further research on gender differences in networking and job search is needed.Item How Cis Women Objectify Trans Women(2022-05-13) Bullock, Carla G.In our patriarchal society, the relationship between men and women can historically be recognized as the dominant and the submissive. In Simone de Beavoir's terms, the relationship between men and women can be understood as the Absolute and the Other. Men have been respected and recognized in their role of the Absolute, their existence unquestioned and primarily served within society. Through the analysis of Martha Nussbaum's essay, "Objectification", I philosophize the "othering" of trans women, similarly to how the historical othering of cis women is written by Nussbaum and Beavoir. I argue that cis women specifically objectify trans women through denial of subjectivity, that is, trans women are treated as something whose experiences and feelings need not be taken into account. Often, cis women deny trans women’s identity and fail to recognize their transition. Although this denial of recognition comes from both men and cis women, I focus specifically on cis women because they experience, to a certain degree, the same objectification trans women face. The objectification cis and trans women both face from men may possibly be rooted in different factors, however due to the shared identity of presenting oneself as a woman in society, both groups are being othered by men.
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