The Honors College

Consider these questions: is there a cure for cancer; is there life on Mars; how do alcoholics become addicted; and how do we stop global warming? The first place to start finding the solutions to these questions is science. With an ever-changing world, our scientific understanding must evolve, along with the way we teach and learn science in our schools. However, the current science education programs in the United States are not showing sufficient advancement to keep pace with the scientific understandings needed to answer the types of question mentioned above.

This work takes place during the Third Crusade to the Holy Land and is told from the point of view of a medieval surgeon following the army of Richard the Lionhearted from a small English village to Jerusalem, and along the way describes the medicine of medieval times and what Crusade warfare was like. The arguments in The Diary of Geoffrey, a Crusade surgeon, counters the common conception that Anglo-Saxon medicine was full of flaws and superstitions by saying that the medical traditions of all other countries were similarly flawed, in using divination and prayer.

With increasing restrictions on emissions, it is becoming very important to find engines that can meet the new standards without losing efficiency. This work explores several different proposed methods at reducing emissions without sacrificing thermal efficiency, including using exhaust gas recirculation (EGR). Because EGR results in less oxygen available for combustion, the mixing of fuel and air is crucial. To achieve better mixing, different angles of spray for the fuel injector have been explored.

Atmospheric aerosol characterization is an important field of study to help determine the health and ecological effects of air pollution. Recent studies have shown correlations of aerosol concentrations with morbidity and mortality rates in urban populations (Arden Pope III & Dockery, 2006; Sinclair & Tolsma, 2004; Gordian et al., 1996). Few of these investigations, however, have been performed in rural areas.

Freshwater mussels are a vital component of stream ecosystems in the Southeastern United States. Of the 270 species that are found in this region, 70% are imperiled. While the causes of freshwater mussel declines at broad spatial scales are not well understood, dams are suspected to be a major factor in regional and local declines. Dams affect stream physiochemical habitat conditions and form barriers to migration, potentially restricting gene flow between populations. Surprisingly, few studies have examined the effects of dams on freshwater mussel population genetics.

Assessing Sexual Assault at Appalachian State University is a content analysis of existing records of two local response agencies. The first is a non-profit rape and domestic violence crisis center. The second is the university’s Office of Student Conduct. Records were analyzed in order to understand what kinds of sexual assaults are reported to these agencies at ASU. They were coded for alleged victim and alleged perpetrator demographics. They were also analyzed to understand what steps are taken by alleged victims after experiencing sexual violence.

This thesis examines Kurt Vonnegut’s statement against war in the novel Slaughterhouse-Five. Billy Pilgrim’s, the protagonist, mental instability is a result of post-traumatic stress disorder, making Tralfamadore only a construction of his mind. Vonnegut’s uses various linking elements within the novel to trace the mental associations that explain the mental leaps in time Billy makes. With Tralfamadore being the result of an anxiety disorder, Vonnegut’s text changes genres.

This thesis examines the situation and research of the role that the government plays in Afghan female education.  It explores the impact culture and traditions have on the role of females in both rural and urban Afghanistan.  Also, this thesis discusses western perceptions of problems in Afghanistan, and the realities of what a solution to the gender bias would entail.

This paper conducts a benefit-cost analysis for Mountain Home Music, a non-profit that hosts concerts of local traditional music located in Watauga County, North Carolina.  The analysis is based on a survey given to patrons of Mountain Home Music and uses the combined revealed-stated preference method. A follow-up survey generating entirely revealed preference data was used for a test of predictive validity by comparing the revealed-stated preference data with the revealed preference data. The study found that Mountain Home Music generates positive net benefits and that

This thesis looks at the wine markets for each of the top ten major wine producing countries as case studies and analyzes them further from that point. The history and current state of each country are analyzed. Also, Old World and New World designators of wine production are broken down and the wine producing countries are redefined.