Student Theses and Honors Collection
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Library, Information, & Technology Services (LITS) established the electronic Student Theses Collection in 2005. It contains over eight hundred e-honors theses created by MHC seniors from across the disciplines. By archiving your honors work in the Institutional Archive, you are contributing to the legacy of excellence in student scholarship at the College.
To submit an honors thesis to the collection, please start by reviewing the information found here.
Once you are ready to submit, click on the "Login" link within the "My Account" box on the lower right side of this page. Click on the MHC logo, and then enter your MHC username and password. You will be redirected back to the Institutional Archive homepage. Scroll down to the "My Account" box and click on "Submissions. Then choose "Student Theses Collection."
For questions about the Student Theses Collection, please contact Archives and Special Collections.
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Item Open Access Connections in Conversation: Dialogue Rooted in Equity(2025-07-08) Delamere, Katherine; Gebre-Medhin, BenjaminThis thesis analyzes filmed dialogues that center interracial and intergroup understanding through small group communication. This research seeks to deepen understandings of structures and power dynamics in communication networks at the intersection of social network analysis, communication analysis, and restorative justice principles. Examining seven filmed dialogues, including five intergroup identity-based dialogues and two restorative justice circles, through computational techniques to analyze the transcripts using social network analysis, centrality measures, and sentiment analysis, this research illuminates the relationship between communication, dialogic connection, and social power structures. This research finds that these filmed identity-based intergroup dialogues center the narratives and emotional arcs of the white participants, and, more often than not, use the participants of color as educators instead of equally included participants. Further, this research finds that white participants often expressed higher sentiment scores than participants of color, and that their sentiment scores followed how positively or negatively they felt about their place in a racialized society. By centering the emotional and educational stories and arcs of understanding of the white participants, these filmed intergroup identity-based dialogues reinforce the very racial injustices that they claim to work toward dismantling.Item Restricted Tracing Anxieties: American Missionary Schools in Turkey and the Figure of the Spy(2025-07-08) Yildiz, Gunes; Watson, Matthew C.Approximately 450 American missionary schools were established between the nineteenth century and the Ottoman Empire’s collapse. Currently, only five of them exist in the form of high schools and universities in the Republic of Turkey. During the reign of Sultan Abdülhamit (1876-1909), these schools were tightly controlled by the “Yıldız Intelligence Organization.” This led to the closure of many schools and the deportation of some missionaries on the grounds that they participated in spy work or instigated minority uprisings. Rumors and conspiracy theories about existing missionary schools persist today. In my research over the summer of 2024, I traced past and present anxieties, particularly those relating to accusations of espionage, through archival research, ethnographic interviews, and fieldwork. In this thesis, rather than proving or disproving such theories and allegations, I aim to examine how the figure of the spy has been socially constructed in the Turkish context.Item Open Access Effects of Climate Change Factors on Hypericum perforatum Presence in New England(2025-07-08) Gerbi, Elizabeth; Hoopes, MarthaABSTRACT Climate change effects throughout the globe cause increased ecosystem disturbance risk from invasive species. Common St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum) is a forb native to Europe, Western Asia, and North Africa, and considered an invasive weed in the northwestern United States. H. perforatum is present in New England, but appears to be non-invasive. Climate change is highly affecting New England temperatures and precipitation variability, which could have a species-dependent effect on invasives, either facilitating or discouraging invasion. As climate change alters New England climate and ecosystems, the shift in conditions could facilitate H. perforatum growth, possibly spurring invasion in New England. This research examines changes in temperature and water availability on H. perforatum both alone and combined with competition and disturbance. Water availability was the most important factor in H. perforatum germination in this study. Increased temperature facilitated germination when combined with consistent water availability but inhibited germination when combined with variable watering. Disturbance and competition both led to low germination and survival rates although a combination of consistent water and heat increased both. The current climate conditions in New England appear favorable for H. perforatum invasion, but non-climate factors likely best explain the current lack of H. perforatum invasion.Item Open Access Mixed-Race Fugitivity: The Politics of Identity, Abolition, and Racial Performance in 19th Century American Literature(2025-07-08) Lee Adams, Amanda; Moskowitz, AlexThis project interrogates how early American literature stages the racialized body as a contested site of power, perception, and discipline through the work of William Apess’s Eulogy on King Philip (1836), William Wells Brown’s Clotel, or The President’s Daughter (1853), and Sui Sin Far’s Its Wavering Image (1912). Through a historical materialist lens, I trace the afterlives of colonialism and slavery—ongoing structures of violence that sediment in the racialized ordering of the social—and examine how these texts mobilize narrative as a fugitive strategy, locating in the margins of literary form a critique of dominant racial ontologies. While the figures at the center of these texts are often retroactively framed within a “mixed race” discourse, my analysis resists imposing contemporary identity categories, instead attending to the historical and epistemological work of racial ambiguity: how it becomes legible to the state, how it is surveilled, eroticized, commodified, and ultimately weaponized in service of racial capitalism and settler sovereignty. Apess’s eulogy functions as a counter-historiography, reclaiming Metacomet not only as a symbol of Indigenous resistance but as a rupture in the settler colonial narrative of inevitability. Drawing on Judith Butler’s theory of performativity, I argue that Apess stages race as an unstable and contested construct, using performance as a mode of political intervention that resists fixed racial legibility and asserts Indigenous futurity—a fugitive practice resonant with Stefano Harney and Fred Moten’s Undercommons. Brown’s Clotel, situated at the nexus of race, gender, sexuality, and labor, exposes the libidinal economy of slavery and the contradictions embedded in Jeffersonian democracy. Rather than succumbing to a narrative of tragic archetype, Clotel’s racial and gendered position destabilizes legal and ideological boundaries, foregrounding Black female body as both a juridical problem and a theoretical site. Far’s Pan occupies the racial threshold marked by Xine Yao’s term “oriental inscrutability”—her perceived unreadability becomes a mechanism through which white desire and nationalist anxiety co-produce her racialization. Across these texts, I argue that narrative form becomes a method of dissent, a praxis of disruption wherein authors refuse the coherence of racial ideology and instead foreground race as a structure of feeling—unstable, relational, and always already in crisis. These works not only historicize the emergence of monoracial paradigms but also render visible the affective and political stakes of ambiguity, situating racial perception as a battleground through which the violences of nation-building are both masked and maintained.Item Restricted On the Existence of Numbers(2025-07-08) Cazeault, Ellamae; Mitchell, SamuelThis thesis will argue that numbers are real objects and that we ought to admit them into our ontology. Results in logic, particularly Gödel’s incompleteness proofs make it impossible to avoid doing so. I will argue that to give up the fact that numbers are real is to give up math as we currently understand it and practice it. I will argue this by explaining how David Hilbert has the best method of utilizing math without committing numbers to our ontology. I will then go through Gödel’s incompleteness proofs and show why Hilbert’s methods will never work. This means that in order to do math, we must admit numbers into ontology. I will then further argue that it is very difficult to give up math. I will show this through Quine’s indispensability argument. Thus, we must admit numbers into our ontology.Item Open Access Does Ranked Choice Voting Affect Turnout?: An Examination of US Mayoral Elections(2025-07-08) Rapoport, Luz; Hilton, AdamHow does the way we vote affect democratic participation? The goal of my thesis is to determine the effects of the adoption of Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) by looking at voter turnout across the United States. Whereas most people recognize what is called a Single Member Plurality system, 2 states, 3 counties, and 47 cities have established the use of Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) (FairVote, n.d.). Based on previous literature, my initial hypothesis was that turnout is affected by RCV, whether positively or negatively. However, I will demonstrate via my findings that, in the aggregate, the usage of RCV does not significantly increase voter turnout. I used local and county level electoral data, including Voter Registered Population (VRP) and votes cast to calculate voter turnout and its statistical correlation to the usage of RCV. This answer is demonstrated through a quantitative, differences-in-differences analysis of turnout in these localities in comparison to others that use a plurality electoral system. More research should be conducted on this specific question, as case studies and higher implementation rates could provide different results.Item Open Access Seeing Walls: A Study of Separation and Connection in Manila(2025-06-04) Heller, Micah; Darling, NaomiA careful reading of the form and materiality of colonial infrastructure in Manila exposes the extent and limitations of the colonial dominated archive. Seeing Walls reveals a history of material resistance against the walls that divide the city through informal architectural additions throughout the city. Given the strategic location of the archipelago that make up the Philippines, Manila provides a site in which walls – understood broadly as both divisive and connective - are part of the landscape. For example, the ocean offered a protective wall to early inhabitants but, with the development of boat technology, that same water became temporarily habitable and permeable. The oceanic wall thus enabled extensive trade routes that connected the Pacific Islands and China. Since then, architectural walls have been built as part of colonial projects and, likewise, have been subverted through transient and perishable interventions. As examples, the Intramuros fortification was built during the Spanish colonial rule to separate Spanish and native Filipinos. But, woven throughout, Sari Sari shops and food carts inhabit this colonial infrastructure. These small moments of deliberate “misuse” complicate our understanding of the planned use of the city fabric. The simple act of providing people shade and respite from the tropical weather are evidence of colonial refusal. These documented examples of resistance expand the archive and recontextualize historical images. My thesis considers the rich history that produced precedents of resistance and proposes a design strategy that deconstructs and transforms the Postigo de La Nuestra Señora De Soledad, a small hidden gate in the Intramuros fortification. By partially obscuring and inhabiting this section of the fortification, using bamboo scaffolding of coastal villages and textile boat sails in juxtaposition with the stone wall, my aim is to circumvent the reproduction of colonial ideology in architecture.Item Open Access Geopolitics at Play: Trans and Intersex Athletes in Elite Sports(2025-03-28) Kearney, Amanda; Smith, Sarah StefanaAt the foundation of many iterations of the conversation around trans and intersex athletes in competitive sports, there is a common foundational understanding that there ‘must be a male winner, and must be a female winner,’ thus justifying the exclusion of trans women from competing. In attempting to combat this kind of exclusion, I was struck by the question, ‘why is that? What is at stake? In this project, I work to investigate the gendered, racial, and global implications of winning, especially considering competitive sports’ position on an international scale and its connections to what Earl Smith defines as the Athletic Industrial Complex (AIC). The AIC is an institution with immense influence to produce/reinforce imperial hegemony due to its location in the global economy and its entanglements with other institutions of power (Smith, 2014, p. 72). I conduct a discourse analysis on the sensationalized stories of elite athlete Caster Semenya and high school student-athletes Terry Miller and Andraya Yearwood. In this process, I engage with Black Feminist, Marxist, Critical Trans and Critical Sports theorizers to frame the the continuums and congruences connecting capital and imperial interests of transmisogynoir-istic legislation across time and space. The first chapter historicizes the social construction of biological sex dimorphism to disrupt the notion that there is an unbiased, objective truth. Black feminist and Marxist analyses of sex and gender help frame sex and gender as inextricably racialized and classed with serious material consequences that allows for exploited gendered labor to persist as well as (re)inforces pathologization of Black people’s bodies. The second chapter begins our discussion about Semenya, Miller and Yearwood and point out the ways that their treatment is connected to/occuring in the afterlife of slavery, thus informing the basis for their subjugation. Reading the discourse of these athletes together contours the boundaries between liberal conceptualizations of human and non-human subjectivities and their relation to the state. The third chapter explores the ways in which winning is embroiled in accumulation of capital and alienates the production of labor from athletes – particularly racialized athletes. In this chapter, I also investigate the connections of winning, nationalism, knowledge production, and imperialist hegemony. Finally, in framing the question of what is to be done, I problematize inclusionary-based politics within our current neoliberal capitalist context, particularly as it is positioned as liberatory.Item Restricted (In)validating the KPFM Method for Estimating the Trap Density of States in Organic Semiconductors(2025-03-05) Yuan, Sophia; Aidala, KatherineDue to the complex structure of organic semiconductors, accurately estimating the trap density of states (DOS) within these materials is a challenge. In the past few decades, multiple techniques have been developed that estimate traps in organic materials. However, each technique has some limitations. This thesis focuses on improving our understanding of one less commonly used technique that employs Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy to measure the surface potential of a thin semiconducting film. We used OghmaNano to simulate this measurement of trap DOS within P3HT, a p-type material. OghmaNano computationally solves the drift-diffusion equation and incorporates non-equilibrium Shockley-Read-Hall formulism, which describes the physics of carrier traps in these materials. Our analysis employs analytical equations derived by previous groups that relate the density of states to the surface potential of a thin film as a gate voltage is changed. While this technique has been employed experimentally, the trap DOS was not known in those materials. In our simulations, we define the trap DOS, run the simulation to calculate the potential, and then apply the analysis used by others. We are unable to extract the correct trap DOS. We investigate the reason for this, examining the role of temperature and whether our use of SRH trap dynamics is sufficient to explain the difference. We were not able to conclusively determine the cause at this time.Item Open Access The Art of Witnessing: An Ethnography of SUD Treatment in Rural Vermont(2025-01-22) Pugh, Christine; Aulino, FelicityThis thesis explores the lived experience and structural conditioning of Substance Use Disorder (SUD) treatment in rural Vermont. It is based on seven months of ethnographic research with an SUD recovery center, where I participated in various modalities of clinical and social treatment for those with SUD. In this text, first I highlight the interconnections between biomedicine and policing as they come into conflict with the care goals of individuals with SUD, resulting in a need for advocates in the form of Recovery Center staff. I then discuss the moral stakes of SUD in the local area, with particular attention to the dimensions of social suffering related to SUD. Finally, I look into the ways in which current shortcomings in this realm might be addressed through the usage of art and art therapy, not just as treatment for SUD in and of itself, but also as a tool for advocacy that can affect the landscape of stigma and subsequent treatment of people with SUD.Item Restricted Quel Tramonto Gentile: Validating the Tribulations of Girlhood in Lidia Ravera & Marco Lombardo Radice's PORCI CON LE ALI(2024-07-08) Gagnon, Gabriella; Frau, OmbrettaA jarring and underappreciated book, Lidia Ravera and Marco Lombardo Radice’s 1976 novel Porci con le ali: Diario Sessuo-Politico di Due Adolescenti narrates the relationship of two Roman highschoolers, Rocco and Antonia. Originally published under the collective pseudonym of the two protagonists, this story gives voice to the difficulties of navigating the choppy waters of youth against the backdrop of Italy’s politically treacherous Lead Years (gli Anni di Piombo) and the unspoken societal norms that impacted Rocco and Antonia’s everyday decisions. Despite there existing very little scholarship dedicated to this book, Porci con le ali garnered much attention upon its publication due to the vulgar language the characters use to communicate with each other and the nature of their erotic relations. While Rocco and Antonia are both average teenagers, it is Antonia who leads this story—and their relationship—with a stronger sense of self following the blatant disrespect and disregard for her bodily autonomy that she receives from her Rocco. My thesis seeks to defend the crudeness with which Antonia’s adolescence is handled as the story progresses. Because this novel is written in the journal format, it gives the audience a comprehensive window into the emotional turmoil she experiences in addition to appealing to a sense of nostalgia. With her own internal struggles of identity, Antonia alternates between bouts of maturity and childishness as she grapples with the notion that the only person who cares about what she has to say is herself. Through an in-depth character analysis of both characters, Antonia’s colorful use of language, and an exploration of how her sexual encounters further distance her from contemporary expectations, my work aims to circulate Lombardo Radice and Ravera’s novel back into modern feminist conversation due to its depiction of female adolescence.Item Open Access The Ethics of Ideal Animal Farming(2024-07-03) Savid, Sofía; Harold, JamesIndustrial animal farming has been rejected in academic as well as non-academic spheres for several reasons, in particular its negative impact on animal welfare and the environment. As an alternative, people have turned to “organic,” “small scale,” and “local” animal farming, treating it as an ethical solution to many, or perhaps all, of the problems caused by industrial animal farming. However, Tom Regan’s paper, “The Case for Animal Rights,” and Christine Korsgaard’s paper, “Getting Animals in View,” note that there is something morally wrong that happens when we use animals—both human and non-human—as resources. Therefore, Regan and Korsgaard’s arguments seem to ultimately reject any kind of animal farming, including “organic,” “small scale,” and “local” animal farming. In this thesis, I use these two papers by Regan and Korsgaard as well as Peter Singer’s paper, “All Animals Are Equal,” as the foundation of my own argument. I introduce the ideal animal farm as the perfect animal farm which is ethical and ideal in every way we might want it to be, and I argue that even ideal animal farms can be unethical because of what Regan and Korsgaard note in their papers. I identify exploitation as a necessary part of many cases of animal farming, and I argue that exploiting non-human animals is always morally wrong. I am additionally interested in the stark contrast between our treatment of humans and non-human animals, even in ideal farms, which implies that exploiting a human is morally worse than exploiting a non-human animal. This thesis looks closely at what I think are the strongest arguments and explanations in defense of this contrast in treatment, and I ultimately conclude that the defenses are not strong enough to justify systemically treating non-human animals, and not humans, as resources.Item Restricted Optimizing the dose-response of Interleukin-4 (IL-4) to further investigate its role in the association between Maternal Allergic Asthma and Neurodevelopmental Disorders.Ragoonaden, Shanthini; Schwartzer, JaredClinical studies have demonstrated that allergic asthma during pregnancy is linked to an increased risk of neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders in offspring. The Schwartzer Lab has developed a Maternal Allergic Asthma (MAA) model that has established a role for Interleukin-4 (IL-4) connecting MAA to neurodevelopmental deficits in the offspring. A forthcoming research project will examine the sufficiency of IL-4 by evaluating whether elevations in maternal IL-4 dosage have a dose-dependent effect on offspring behavioral deficits. However, it remains unknown the appropriate IL-4 dosage to be administered in a mouse model to replicate the IL-4 response observed in MAA. The goal of this research is to identify the optimal IL-4 dosage needed to mimic the inflammatory responses observed in MAA. To test this, Experiment 1 investigated the best time to take blood samples from female C57 mice when exposed to OVA and when injected with 5μg of IL-4. In Experiment 2, we aimed to investigate the IL-4 dose response by injecting 2 different doses of IL-4 in the mice. In both experiments, blood samples were analyzed using Bead-Based immunoassays to measure IL-4 biomarker concentrations. Findings show that IL-4 IP injection has a higher rate of decay post-exposure, when compared to MAA OVA exposure. We also estimate an IL-4 dose of 0.025 ug suitable for IP injection in a mouse model aimed at investigating the cytokine’s sufficiency in causing neurodevelopmental disorders in the offspring. This thesis research project was positioned to derive an IL-4 dose-response curve, thereby providing guidance in determining the optimal injection dosage for future studies exploring the causal link between maternal IL-4 and MAA.Item Open Access Refining the Formation of Fissures on EuropaGrobe Perlman, Eliana; Dyar, DarbyEuropa is a large moon of Jupiter with an icy crust and a subsurface ocean. Europa orbits close to Jupiter and is tidally locked, so it experiences tidal forces that cause the tectonic, magmatic, and volcanic processes that shape its surface. This relationship has formed two prominent terrain types: ridged plains and chaos terrain. While the ridged plains are dominated by ridges and the chaos by pits and domes, both are home to fractures and gorges (fossae). Studying these landforms could prove useful in deciphering the subsurface's physical, chemical, and mechanical characteristics. Current models of the crust posit a two-layered system with a thinner, brittle outer layer and a thicker, ductile one. However, the exact thickness of these layers and whether this thickness varies over the surface is as controversial as their chemical compositions. Europa's subsurface processes are also debated. The many models of linear landform formation fall into two broad categories: formation via tidal tectonics and formation via indirect tidal forces like tidal heating. The maps and morphological analyses of the landforms in this thesis have contributed to the conversations regarding Europa’s subsurface processes and characteristics. This thesis finds an overabundance of wavy and jagged linea compared to tectonic model predictions. It is, therefore, reasonable to assume that indirect tidal processes such as diapirism are at least partially responsible for these landforms. Bethel (2018) explains that tidal forces will preferentially deform regions of the thinner crust, while on planets with uniform crusts, tidal forces will act more symmetrically. The results of this thesis fit the ladder explanation and thus question the idea of a homogenous Europan crust. The landforms mapped in this thesis could be of speleogenic and geochemical interest. However, the quality and quantity of current Europa data have made this dataset incomplete. Thus, once better data is acquired, this list should be refined and expanded upon before it is used for geochemical or spelogenic research.Item Open Access Exploring Variation of Female Genital Morphology in Hydrolagus colliei (Spotted Ratfish)Garcia-Israel, Jennifer; Brennan, PatriciaFemale genitalia are found to be more diverse than previously thought, yet they have been historically understudied in the scientific world. Hydrolagus colliei is a particularly interesting model for studying female genital morphology. Female ratfish have paired vaginal openings, as well as a paired vagina and oviducts. We investigated how female ratfish genital morphology varies through body size and ontogeny, and how the female ratfish genitalia may have coevolved with male ratfish genitalia by examining the histology of the vagina in females of different sizes. We also examined the anatomy of the anal pad, a fleshy structure present only in females on the ventral side of the tail. I found that the relationship between vaginal shape and body size is significant, vaginal thickness increases with size of the female ratfish, and that vaginal density does not appear to vary significantly. I also found that the anal pad has a thick layer of collagen that increases in thickness with body size. This study shows that vagina shape changes with body size in females, and that male and female genitalia are coevolving in ratfish. It also provides evidence that females evolve other specializations that differ from males, likely in a reproductive context.Item Open Access Analysis of the Longitudinal Spread of Impulsive SEP Events Uisng Time-Intensity Profiles and Energetic Ion Spectra(2024-07-02) Lee, Amelia; Filwett, Rachael; Smith, SpencerImpulsive solar energetic particle (SEP) events occur when protons, electrons, and heavier nuclei are accelerated to high energies (hundreds of MeV) in solar flares and are then observed in interplanetary space. Impulsive SEP events typically last a few minutes to a few hours and have heightened 3He/4He and Fe/O ratios compared to solar wind abundances1. Typically, these events have a longitudinal spread of 20°-40°. However, for unknown reasons, some impulsive events have been observed to have a wide ( 130°) longitudinal spread. Understanding why some impulsive SEP events are not constrained to a small longitudinal spread or perhaps undergo cross-field diffusion helps us increase our understanding of energetic particle transport and the interplanetary magnetic field configuration. In this study time-intensity profiles and energetic ion spectra for Helium (Helium-3 and Helium-4 when available), Carbon, Oxygen, and Iron in energy ranges from a few keV to 70 MeV are used to examine the longitudinal spread of six SEP events. These events are April 2-3, 2019, April 4, 2019, April 20-23, 2019, July 11, 2020, July 20, 2020, and May 24-25, 2021, which were previously identified in Mitchell et al. (2023) or Mason et al. (2020). The analysis used four different spacecraft: Parker Solar Probe/IS⊙IS/EPI-Lo, ACE/ULEIS, STEREO-A/IMPACT/LET, and Solar Orbiter/EPD/SIS. We use the findings to discuss the longitudinal spread of heavy ion spectra which show a wide range of longitudinal spreads from event to event.Item Open Access The effect of BhB on severe TBI in Drosophila Melanogaster(2024-07-02) Hardin, Andreana; Woodard , CraigToday, there are very few treatment measures for long-term brain injury, leaving it to be one of the leading causes of death. Autophagy is a natural process that degrades old cellular components to recycle amino acids and proteins to support the synthesis of new cellular structures in a turnover of cytoplasm. In autophagy, cytosolic vesicles fuse with a lysosome to turn over cytoplasmic contents for reuse. Autophagy has been linked to increased immune defense, tumor suppression, apoptosis, and the prevention of neuronal degeneration, leading many to explore the psychopharmacological benefits it may have for brain injury. In Drosophila, autophagy is regulated in part by the Atg8a protein. The ketogenic diet and ketone body supplementation have been known to increase rates of autophagy. For this experiment, I inflicted traumatic brain injury on Drosophila fed on both a ketone-supplemented diet and a control diet. I hypothesized that Drosophila raised on a diet with ketone body supplementation will exhibit a higher rate of autophagy than Drosophila raised on control food. To achieve traumatic brain injury, the flies are put in a “High Impact Trauma” (HIT) device. Drosophila were then returned to control or ketone-supplemented food for 72, 24, or 6 hours. Then, their CNS was dissected for analysis in two ways. First, I used a Western Blot approach to quantify autophagy via the ratio of lipidated to unlipidated Atg8a protein. Confocal microscopy was also used for analyzation. Images from the confocal microscope were analyzed quantitatively with Image J. After analyses, I saw that there was a suggested difference between the sample groups, and the there was a lower rate of autophagy in flies raised on a BHB supplemented diet and remained on a BHB supplemented diet post TBI than flies raised on a control diet and remained on a control diet post TBI.Item Open Access Comparative Analysis of the Morphological Characteristics of the Retractor Penis Magnus in Snake Copulation(2024-07-02) Lee, Autumn; Brennan, PatriciaUntil now, little was known about the morphological characteristics of the retractor penis magnus and its relationship with the hemipenis during copulation. Prior research describes only the basic function of pulling back in and retracting the everted hemipenis. However, more recent studies have observed morphological aspects of the retractor penis muscles suggesting a function beyond retraction. In addition, observations in the Brennan Lab of the muscle compared to the hemipenis have also suggested that size does not necessarily correlate between the two structures, raising further questions regarding the purpose and function of this structure during copulation. Through histological analysis, we gained a deeper understanding of the complex interplay between form and function of this structure, enabling us to draw more accurate conclusions about its function. In particular, there is evidence that this muscle provides rigidity to the hemipenis during copulation by its fiber arrangement. The findings from this study could offer broader implications for understanding sexual selection, reproductive strategies, and evolutionary patterns in snakes. Through this multidisciplinary approach, the study aims to enhance our understanding of the complex interplay between form and function in snake reproductive organs, offering valuable insights into the evolutionary biology of snakes and potentially other reptiles.Item Open Access Campus Lawn Alternatives at Mount Holyoke College(2024-07-01) Williams, Eliza; Darling, NaomiThe purpose of this thesis is to encourage Mount Holyoke College to adopt a more sustainable landscaping plan. The historically significant way that lawns came about is important to consider as these spaces do provide certain cultural and aesthetic benefits. However, the environmental costs are too high to continue this form of ultimately unproductive landscaping. Using case studies as attainable alternative examples I have compiled a variety of techniques for Mount Holyoke to employ. This, along with many other considerations like student and staff opinions, how we and other species use our landscape, and site evaluations, led to the creation of a final proposal which includes the possibility of potential pilot projects.Item Open Access Fractured Conversations: Interactions between English-speaking and Spanish-speaking communities on TikTok(2024-07-01) Barrera, Jude; Castro, EstherWith over 1 billion active TikTok users, the social media application is shaping up to be a central part of our lives, impacting the way we communicate and consume, yet despite its global scale, the application creates a monolingual experience for its users. TikTok’s videographic format brings a level of vulnerability for its creators. Creators are critiqued on not only the quality of their content but also their appearances and voices. On the other hand, TikTok’s comment section offers a sense of anonymity that can encourage users to interact with creators in a distant, detached way. This strenuous relationship between creator and commenter is further tested in situations where there is a language barrier between the two. Some methods that TikTok employs to create a monolingual space for users on the app are more overt, such as continuously recommending videos in a user’s preferred language and the app’s new automatic translation feature that provides translated subtitles for videos in foreign languages. One less explicit method of maintaining a monolingual experience is in the organization of the comment section. For example, English comments are prioritized on accounts that have English as their preferred language, to the point where Spanish comments that have double or triple the likes of their English counterparts are pushed to the bottom of the comment section, even if the video those comments were posted on is in Spanish. For the English-Spanish bilingual communities that use the application, it creates an inorganic linguistic vacuum, wherein speakers presume that only one language is being used. Studying the ways in which comments in English attempt to relate to or position themselves to Spanish-language content demonstrates the ways that a monolingual user-experience creates barriers from meaningful, reciprocal interactions. Constructing a linguistically equitable space on TikTok, starting with the comments section could promote a further integrated, transnational bilingual community on the platform.