Honors Theses
The Honors Program is rooted in the Catholic Marianist tradition, encouraging social responsibility and ethical sensitivity with its many leadership and service opportunities.
Honors theses are as diverse and ambitious as creating solar-powered, easy-to-use equipment to sterilize medical devices; writing a novel or series of short stories; pursuing neuroscience research to better understand Alzheimer's disease; and publishing a book based on branding elements designed specifically for several organizations.
For theses dated prior to 2014, contact the University Archives and Special Collections at archives@udayton.edu.
Submissions from 2018
When Necessary is Not Enough: A Study in the Effectiveness of U.S. Military Force to Combat Terrorism in the Middle East, Lora Christine Vonderhaar
The Effect of Oral Rehydration Solutions (Sports Drinks) on Strength, Speed, and Endurance: A Field Study, Andrea Wisniewski
Reconceptualizing Space: Multisensory Rooms and the Immersive Art Experience, Melanie Zebrowski
Submissions from 2017
Understanding the Effects of Propionic Acid on Listeria monocytogenes Growth, Survival, and Virulence, Elizabeth A. Abrams
Preparation, Analysis and Derivatization of Benzotris(thiazole) Triamine, Jonathan Patrick Peter Alessi
Social Impact of Economic Development Initiatives on Women’s Empowerment A Case Study in Northern Malawi, Alexandra Altomare
The Effects of Structural Modification of the Wing Helix Domain of PriA on Bacterial DNA, Erich Auer
Lethal Effects of the Non-native Invasive Shrub Amur Honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii) on a Model Aquatic Organism (Hyalella azteca), Eric B. Borth
Effects of Ultrasound on Amyloid Beta 42 (Aβ42) Mediated Neurodegeneration, Sarah Byrne
Sustainable Portfolios to Maximize Alpha, Douglas Stephen Carey
Seasonal Changes in Physical, Chemical, and Biotic Factors in Silver Lake, Ohio, Jacob J. Clancy
Pravastatin™ Suppresses Venous Shear Stress Dependent Induction of Aquaporin 1 Protein Expression in Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells in vitro, Raphael J. Crum
Synthesis of Bis(quinoxalino) Ligand for the Removal of Transition Metal Contamination, Alexander J. Farmer
Young Adult Fiction: Inside the Mirror Image, Paige Christin Flannelly
The Influence of Women’s Self-Esteem on Mating Decision Making, Kathleen D. Golterman
An Analysis of the Educational Systems in Finland and the United States: A Case Study, Caroline Ann Goodill
Whose Voice the Waters Heard: A Short Story Cycle, Grace E. Hagan
A Case Study on Inventory Costing Methods, Natalie Hunton
Behind the Stigma: The Impact of Gender and College Adjustment on Attitudes towards Mental Health Disorders, Maggie Inman
Effectiveness of a Novel Porphyrin Exhibiting Dark Toxicity against the Model Organism Mycobacterium smegmatis, Marissa C. Jama
Why Isn’t there a Garden at School? Assessing Five River Metro Parks’ Green Schoolyards Program, Kaleigh Jurcisek
Design of an Opposed-piston, Opposed-stroke Diesel Engine for Use in Utility Aircraft, Luke Kozal
The Promise of Justice: Are Public and Private Defense Equal?, Alicia Linzmeier
Arctic Flashpoint: The Russo-American Rivalry, Matthew Bernard Mackowiak
Effects of Playing Computerized versus Tactile Learning Games on Preschoolers’ Attention Skills and Comprehension: A Pilot Study, Samantha Malick
You Have the Right to…What? A Study of Knowledge of Americans’ Rights in Criminal Proceedings, Anna Marchiony
Extending Uniqueness Implies Existence Results to Fractional Differential Equations, Tyler Masthay
Undergraduate Men's Perceptions of Consent in College Campus Acquaintance Rape, M. Colleen McDaniel
Winning Off the Field: How Social Media Analytics Measure the Sports Industry, Ryan McGarvey
Evaluation of Protection of FRP Wrap on Bridge Piers from Corrosive Effects of Snow and Ice Chemicals, Lizzie Miller
Improving Electrochemical Devices via Increased Charge Density and Ceramic Nanoparticles, George Padavick
Aiscrima e Checchi Italian-American Dialect and Development in the New Millennium, Elizabeth Loyacano Pedrotti
Amateurism and the NCAA: The Controversy (a Legal Review), Mitchell Pollard
Challenging the Postwar Narrative: The Art and Agenda of Boris Lurie, Kiersten Signe Remster
Design and Prototyping of a Shape-changing Rigid-body Human Foot in Gait, Tanner N. Rolfe
Design and Prototyping of a Shape-changing Rigid-body Human Foot in Gait, Tanner N. Rolfe
Educating the Whole Child: Using Positive Adult Relationships to Develop Noncognitive Skills in Students Facing Adversity, Virginia A. Saurine
Does Riparian Forest Invasion by the Exotic Shrub Amur Honeysuckle Influence Nutrient Dynamics in Headwater Streams?, Charlotte Anne Shade
Mothers as Career Leaders: Do Maternity Leave Laws Make a Difference?, Briar Rose Smith
Policy Implications: An Analysis of Intercountry Adoption in Relation to Nationalism, Victoria Szczechowski
The Impact of a Dynamic Environment on Deposition and Cellular Response to Silver Nanoparticles, Robert F. Uhrig
Ambiguous Pleasure(ers): Negotiating the Bodies of Falstaff and Moll, Lauren Van Atta
Accounting for Change: Assessing Top-line Implications of New Revenue Recognition Principles, Kevin M. Wargo
The Possibility of Communal Biases in Alibi Evaluation: The University of Dayton, Norbert Wessels
Submissions from 2016
Effects of a Peer Developed Nutrition Education Intervention on the Fruit and Vegetable Intake in Elementary School Children, Sydney Marie Antolini
Results on Some Generalizations of Interval Graphs, Jonathan David Ashbrock
E-commerce’s Impact on Big-Box Retailers, Brian Bates
Design and Prototyping of a Variable Geometry Extrusion Die to Exhibit Significant Alteration of Shape, David C. Bell
Effects of Body Weight Loading on Arch Height, Anastasia Bjelopetrovich
Looking Anew at the Rothko Chapel: The Future of Interfaith Space on the Catholic Campus, Krista Bondi
The Evolution of the Scope and Political Ambition of the State Attorneys General, Elizabeth A. Brumleve
Activism, Community and Cultural Heritage: “Communitism” in Creek Literature, Rachel Maria Cain
Effects of Acute Stress and Ethanol Consumption on IL-1β in Female Long Evans Rats: A Pilot Study, Kristin R. Creel
Domain Representability and Topological Completeness, Matthew D. DeVilbiss
Model Behavior: An Assessment of Role Model Attachment, Patrick C. Doyle
Finding a Correlation between Zooplankton Abundance and the Aggregation of Abudefduf saxatilis (Sergeant Major Damselfish) Beneath Boats, William Duritsch
Poetry and the Post-Apocalyptic Paradox: North American Indigenous Disruptions to the Westernized Self, Joseph Benjamin Ziegler Ferber
Examining the Protective Effects of Self-Positivity on Information Avoidance, Amanda C. Ferrante
Biodiversity, Ecosystem Function and the Pollination Ecology of Urban Gardens in Dayton, Ohio, Angela Nicole Giaquinto
Effects of Combination Ice and Compression Socks on Resting Calf Blood Flow in Trained Male Athletes, Michael John Hudock Jr.
Drosophila Models to Investigate the Role of Regulation of Cell Death in Development and Cancer, Anam Hussain
One Signal, Two Behaviors: Odor Discrimination in Unmated versus Mated Female Green Bottle Flies, Lucilia sericata, George Iannantuono
The Implementation of Two-Way Immersion Programs, Kara Jankowski
Distribution of Shell Formation Proteins in Oyster Hemolymph, Hemocytes, and Mantle Tissue, Donald Joseph Kleppel
Too Close for Comfort: The Effects of Threatening Stereotypes on Perceptions of Proximity, Anissa J. Maffett
Human Rights and Healthy Societies: Opening Social and Cultural Spaces for Peacebuilding, Margaret A. Maloney
Typology, Tabernacle and Tradition: A History of Interpretation of Hebrews 9:11-14, Samuel A. Mullins
Phosphorus Adsorption through Engineered Biochars Produced from Local Waste Products, Peter Ogonek
The Effectiveness of Active Interaction in Interactive Visual Imagery as Created by the Keyword Method, Morgan Pair
The Effect of Early Life Social Stress on Anxiety-like Behaviors and Ethanol Drinking in Female Long-Evans Rats, Alyssa Roeckner
Trauma, Oppression, and Identity: A Philosophical Approach to Justice in Catholic Communities, Dominic Sanfilippo
Nonlinear Analysis of Balance Data in the Easter Seals Adult Day Services Population, Taylor Marie Schemmel
Synthesis of Research on the Common Core State Standards and Dyscalculia, Melissa Siegel
Design and Fabrication of Passive Barium Strontium Titanate (BST) Thin Film Varactor Based Phase Shifters for Operation within a 5-15 GHz Bandwidth, Devin William Spatz
The Effects of Low Dam Removal and Kayak Run Installation on the Biodiversity of Fish and Macroinvertebrates in the Great Miami River in Downtown Dayton, Ohio, Sarah Anne Stalder
Can the Color Red Improve Men's Perceived Mate Value? Examining the Interactive Effects of Facial Masculinity and Color on Female Evaluation of Potential Mates, Alejandro Trujillo
Star Decompositions of the Complete Split Graph, Adam C. Volk
Global and Regional Chitinozoan Biodiversity Dynamics in the Ordovician: Relationships to Sea-Level, Carbon Cycling and Tectonics, Jordan Watson
Submissions from 2015
Synthesis of Phosphorus-Based Hemiacetals for Potential Flame Retardants, Sara Alakkad
Kinetic Characterization of B-Carotene in n-hexane at Various Oxygen Concentrations, Katelyn Mary Arnold
Reading Interventions in Relation to the Ohio Third Grade Reading Guarantee, Kathryn C. Auletto
Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 5 Mediates Metastatic Melanoma Cell Invasion into a Brain Micro-Environment, Nicholas C. Borkey
The State of El Salvador: Human Rights and Violence in the Post War Era, Christine Caldera
Sherlock Holmes and James Moriarty: Victorian Genius in a Millennial World, Allison K. Carey
Coding DNA into Music: An Alternate Way of Analysis, Samuel Fesenmeier
Multi-Segment Foot Joint Kinematics with Varying Midfoot Orthotic Postings, Hilary F. Feskanin
Understanding the Role of the Common Core State Standards in Catholic Education, Annemarie Fisher
School-Books on Tape: The Tensile and Adhesive Strength of Duct Tape in a College Backpack, Robin Elizabeth Ker
Genre Controversy: Human Universality or Plagiarism in the Dystopian Genre?, Taylor V. Kingston
Synthesis of Potential Phosphorus-Nitrogen Containing Flame Retardants, Colin Kloock
The Seal of Solomon: An Exploration of Storytelling, Ryan M. Krisby
Investigation of the Genetic Interactions between Hippo Signaling Pathway and Drosophila C-terminal Src kinase (dCsk), Hailey Jimin Kwon
Female Bodybuilders: Caught in the Crossfire of Patriarchy and Capitalism, Kimberly Michelle Land
Does Study Abroad Impact Students’ Personality?, Ashley Ann Marshall
Archivum Plena: The Quest for a Fulfilling Past, Madeline McDermott
The Effects of Music on Employee Affect, Nolan J. McNulty
