Seniors in EKU's Honors Program participate in a faculty mentored process that demonstrates the students' ability to locate, evaluate, analyze and synthesize information, in an ethical manner, in order to produce meaningful scholarship. The Honors Senior Thesis, typically a capstone paper or creative project, is the culmination of this process.
Honors Theses from 2024
The Influence of Race: College Students’ Sense of Belonging at their Predominantly White University, Jaelyn Barker
Far Beyond Words: Analyzing Information Gained Through Nonverbal Communication Across Neurologically Diverse Populations, Addison Bracken
The Link Between Radon Exposure and Neurodegenerative Disease Risk Factors, Serena Bruneaux
Resilience Building in Appalachian College Students: The Intersection of Motivation and Identity, Ashton B. Burchfield
The Ultimate How-To Guide: Addressing Sustainability in Fashion, Corinne R. Campbell
Exploring the Impact of the Coaching Relationship on College Student-Athlete Mental Health, Miya Carmichael and Julia Vasquez
“You Just Haven’t Found the Right Person Yet.”: A Study of the Relationship Differences Between Asexual and Allosexual Individuals, Faith M. Conway
In the Garden of Skincare: Exploring the Benefits and Regulations of Botanical Ingredients, Sara L. Cook
The Core Collapse of the Rising Sun, Elisabeth J. Craft
Fueling Success: How Effective Supplier Relationship Management Affects Automotive Supply Chain Performance, Alexa M. Dickenson
Faith, Fear, and Feminism: The 1970s Women’s Movement and the Rise of Southern Baptist Fundamentalism, Hayden Faris
Play like a Girl! A Then and Now Comparative Analysis of Title IX in Collegiate Athletics: An Oral History Collection, Gretta Gunn
Drip Water Chemistry Response to Human Activities at Diamond Caverns in Park City, Kentucky, Madison R. High
Anxious, Stressed, or Overwhelmed: The Typical Sensory Processing Pattern of First-Year Occupational Therapy Students, Caroline V. Holsclaw
Reading Between the Lines: Understanding College Students' Literacy Skills, Alexandra M. Jones
The Gendered Room and the Lock on the Door: Women Writers and the Patriarchy in Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One's Own, Lauren Kelley
Death and Drugs: Exploring Grief and Addiction Among College Students, Alexis B. Kelly
Storytelling Through Silence, Karaline S. Kendzora
Closing the Circle: The Need for Patient Outcomes in the Prehospital Setting, Sydney Key
The Diverse Musical Traditions of Appalachian Folk Music, Brooks M. Kidd
Princess Proportions & Perceptions: Disney’s Deterioration of Young Girls’ Self-Esteem, Marah Krick
Media Consumption and Educations Effect on the Perception of Forensic Science, Jordan L. Murphy
Addressing the Cultural Mistrust of the U.S. Healthcare System: Creating and Illustrating a Bilingual Children's Book, Ximena Patino Enriquez
Wearing Endangered Species, Kylie Perry
Examining the Implications of a Significant Cyberattack on U.S. Infrastructure, Jenna F. Riel
What are the Barriers? An Examination of College Students' Perspectives on Mental Health Care Utilization, Isabella Robbins
Environmental Justice: Assessing the Impact of Socioeconomic Status on Drinking Water Quality in Kentucky, Morgann K. Rowe
In Search of Empire's Monsters: Horror and American Imperialism, 1890-1910, CJ Seals
The Effects of Gamma Glutamyl Cysteinyl Ethyl Ester on Oxidative Stress Biomarkers in Traumatically Injured Rats, Jenna Shoemaker
Fixing Kentucky: A Comparative Analysis of the Spay and Neuter Options Available to Rural Kentucky Counties, Emma M. Spurlock
Justice in the Icelandic Commonwealth, Geffen W. Stanhope
Breaking the Stigma: Integrating Psychology and Therapy Approaches in Modern-Day Video Games for Mental Health and Well-Being, Sabrina A. Thompson
Living Between The Lines: The Multiracial Identity, How it is Shaped, Perceived, and Embodied on College Campuses, Kiaira Tomlinson
Reimagining Work: Examining Work Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, Dustin W. Tucker
Measuring Student Perceptions on Online vs. Traditional Learning, Peyton Vittitoe and Betsy Matthews
Exploitation of the Screaming: Sexual Violence in Horror Film, Chloe Watson
Preschool Survival Guide: Gardening, Beth Ann Weaver
Danny the Diabetic Dinosaur: A Resource for Families Impacted by Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus, Emily E. Welch
The Missing Piece: How Should the Deaf Community Be Represented in Children’s Literature?, Sarah M. Williams
Honors Theses from 2023
Exploring Selective Mutism and Determining the Best Treatment Options, Austin Arroyo
Patting Down Your Patient: Ethical and Practical Challenges of Correctional Mental Health, Claire E. Bailey
Hollers, Hillbillies, and Higher Education: The Influence of Dialect and Negative Stereotypes on the Academic Experiences of Rural Appalachian College Students, Jessica D. Boggs
Exploring the Ethics of Human Space Travel: Navigating the Challenges and Implications of Missions Past, Present, and Future, Emily A. Brettschneider
Occupational Justice in the Justice System: The Impact of Occupational Therapy on Incarcerated Americans, Cassidy Cain
The Complexities of Communicating with Children about Mental Health Issues, Maggie L. Camp
Integrating Mindfulness- Based Practice into University Curriculum: Building Resilience Among Undergraduate Health Science Students, Avery M. Carpenter
Play That Funky Music: A Study of Bacterial Contamination of Wind Instruments, Ashley Clark
Halloween: Rituals to Traditions An overview of traditions practiced around Halloween., Antoinette M. Contento
Examining the Evidence: Portrayals of the Careers in Criminal Minds, Natalie Decker
The Maternal, the Rural, and the Oncological: An Epidemiological-Sociological Analysis of Women’s Cancer in Appalachian Kentucky, Jerry P. Derringer
“Go, go, Godzilla!” Defining and Creating Meaning in the Godzilla Franchise, JC Dyer
Distributing Resources Regarding Gender-Based Violence, Ursula Esteban
Through the Eyes of the Incarcerated: A Qualitative Content Analysis of Prisoner Reentry Through Memoirs, Abigail Estep
Breaking the Sound Barrier:Improving film Accessibility, Alex T. Farris
The Faces of Crime: How Municipal Police Department Presence on Social Media Influences the Lives of Incarcerated Americans, Carley Frost
Purdue Pharma: Appalachia's Worst Nightmare, Malina C. Gaworski
Occupational Balance Education: A Prerequisite to Healthy Habit Formation, Maggie Hall
Open or Closed? An Analysis of Fire Effects and Patterns on Wooden Door Assemblies for the Practitioner, Christopher M. Heavren
The Contradictions of First-Year Teaching: Why New Teachers Don't Want to Return to the Classroom, Maddison L. Hewitt
The Bookworm's Brain: An Analysis on Emotion-Evoking Literature, Savannah Hoffman
Past, Present, Future: Violence Against Native American Women in the United States, Jediah R. Holman
The Quality of Our Water: Emerging Contaminants Effect on Human Health, Jeffrey R. Hurst
Live to Think, Death by Tech: A Philosophical Analysis against Modern Technological Society, Jacob Jimenez
How They Reflect Us: Artificial Intelligence Characters in Film, Tristan Jones
A Search for Sustainability: Is Sustainability Achievable within the Social Media Marketplace?, Gracy L. Kelley
Mountain (Grand)Mamas: Grandparents Raising Grandchildren During the Opioid Epidemic in Appalachia American and Their Portrayal in Media, Rosemary P. Kelley
LGBTQ+ in a Rural Kentucky Town, Caroline A. Kinsman
Unraveling the Impact of Trap-Neuter-Release (TNR) Programs on Feral Cat Populations, Emma Koch
PLEVA: Spreading Information in the Age of Misinformation, Bradley S. Lackey
Queer Representation in the Horror Genre: An Analysis of Queer Stereotypes, Makenna N. Lambert
“Kalet la Karateca”: A Culturally Responsive Children’s book to promote Mental Health Education within the Latino Community, Emily López Lucero
Does Culture Impact Academic Anxiety in University Students?, Angie J. Marroquin
Navigating Nursing: A Literature Review of Understanding and Addressing Challenges in the Nursing Profession, Hanna N. McQueary
Screaming for Love: An Analysis of the Horror Film Industry Through the Lens of the Six Love Styles Theory, Emilee McQueen
"This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things": How Taylor Swift Can Help Surmount Issues of Intellectual Property Law in the Music Industry., Rylee Ann Lynn Meachum
Women in Business: Adjusting Leadership and Presentation from the 1950s to 2023, Stephenie Messer
The Death and Life of Major League Baseball, Abraham H. Mikels
I Know What You Did on Wattpad: Understanding the Adolescent Desire to Write Self-Insert Fanfiction, Kerra Miles
Application of Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) to Wetland Hydrogeology: An Assessment of the Efficacy of Array Configurations, Wynter Monjarez
Richard Hakluyt: Elizabethan Propaganda, English Identity, and the ‘Black Legend’, James I. Nash
Who Says Women Can’t Love and Empower?: How Representations of Women Have Progressed in Medical Romance Fiction, Diana Neely
Impacts of Personal Cultural Orientations on College Students’ Psychological Health and Preventive Behaviors During the COVID-19 Period, Joanna Ouyang
Let’s Talk: How Communication Apprehension and Intercultural Communication Affect Intercultural Conflicts and International Relations, Jessica P. Overbay
Made in China?: Analyzing the Decline in Offshoring to the PRC, Michael B. Peake
Exploring Portrayals of Cults in News Media: Establishing a Continuum, Ashley M. Reynolds
Something Horrible Happened: A Memoir and Expression of Grief, Rosalie J. Richburg
Emulating Evolutionary Principles For Agriculture: Designing a Biomimetic Vertical Garden by Mimicking Tracheophyte Evolution, Earl M. Riddell
When they Came Home: Common Reintegration Issues and Interventions of Female Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans, Taryn Ritchie
Holidone: The Strategy to Success, Nicholas B. Robinson
The Effect of Cinnamon Supplementation for Patients with Type II Diabetes Mellitus, Lisset Rosaldo-Hernandez
How to Use Digital Media in Your Favor, Elizabeth Ruvalcaba
How to Improve the Kentucky Workplace for the Sake of Workers' Mental and Physical Health, Hailey Simonds
The Bride Guide: A Guide to Saying "I Do", Lydia B. Smith
The Honeysuckle Myth: Confronting Appalachian Liminal Space, Naomi Smith
Behind The Design, Natalia C. Smith
The Effects of Artificial Sweeteners on the Human Body and Microbiome, Lauren K. Steely
Expanding Upon Excitation: The Observance of Nonlinearity in Alexandrite, Katherine A. Stephens
