Theses are the culmination of honor students independent research under the guidance of faculty members and are representative of Union College's commitment to giving students the tools necessary for life-long learning.
Theses/Dissertations from 2010
The impact of gender of political candidates : how framing affects perceived candidate competency and personality traits, Jamie B. Luguri
A closer look at the generic competition paradox : an analysis of brand name price behavior with respect to price insensitive market share and substitutability, John H. Mahlstedt
The face of Muslim America : the role of organizations in the creation of a Muslim American identity, Rifat Mamun
The return to social capital among college graduates, John F. Mara
Evaluating new uses and sources of natural gas, Drew M. McConnell
Mujeres entre la modernidad y la tradición : un análisis de las dinámicas de poder en la frontera de México, Dolev Melamed
The economic crisis in Hungary : its roots and origins, Benjamin S. Meltzer
Health care reform : physicians’ outlook on the future of medical care, Elina Meras
La vie et la lutte des femmes antillaises, Molly E. Merz
El machismo exagerado en juárez y los asesinatos gráficos de las Mujeres jóvenes e inocentes, Katharine S. Meyer
The influence of folk art and the rise of nationalism In Mexican art of the post-revolutionary period, Katharine S. Meyer
Groups as the union of proper subgroups, normal subgroups, and other structures, Benjamin H. Miles
Setting up an atomic trap trace analysis apparatus, Benjamin H. Miles
Minjok juui : the intellectual origins and evolution of Korean nationalism, Seong C. Min
Philosophical, ethical, and political issues regarding the treatment of drug abusers in U.S. prisons, Gregory R. Mitchell
Shingon Buddhism : the origins of Tantric Buddhism in China and its transmission to Japan, Camille L. Mori
The investigation of the function of plasma membrane domains in follicle stimulating hormone signal transduction, Meredith H. Nearpass
France 2012 : les elections présidentielles en France, Katrina L. Neiley
The law of Iran : examining the relationship of Islam and the Persian identity, Katrina L. Neiley
The end of ideology debate : Daniel Bell, C. Wright Mills, and the intellectual climate during the 1950s, James A. Nichols
La Fierté d'un Breton : un regard sur l'histoire et la culture d'une région à part, Monica E. Niedermeyer
An analysis of the parasite communities of New York gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) and Eastern chipmunks (Tamias striatus), Kathleen E. O'Connor
An investigation of the neurological mechanisms of absolute pitch, Elizabeth M. Osborne
Singing toward moderation : the development and significance of the French Revolution’s Réveil du peuple, Reuben J. Oswald
A brief history of Rostov-on-Don and the surrounding region, Richard J. Paikoff
The right to health care: the role of free clinics : case study on the Schenectady Free Health Clinic and the campaign to keep it open, Ariel S. Palter
PIXE analysis of crematorium emissions, Shivani R. Pathak
The history of the telling of the Mountain Meadows Massacre, Stacy L. Paull
El teatro como una llamada a la acción : el surrealismo y otras técnicas en el teatro de la frontera, Kristen L. Pechtol
Relation of microdomain residency to the function of the follicle stimulating hormone receptor, John D. Peters
Athletics and competition : a catalyst for conflict between city-states in ancient Greece, Andrew S. Philbin
A simplified system for analyzing stop consonant acoustics, Zachary A. Polen
The rhetoric of change : exposing the prose of America’s activist food writers, Lauren R. Randall
The effect of personal relevance on selective interpretation, Samuel H. Ringel
Developmental regulation of caspases during death and regeneration events in an invertebrate chordate, Leah D. Robison
Attitudes towards intermarriage, Michelle Russo
Impact of the thin ideal : the thin idealized female image in the media impacts women’s mood, Elizabeth C. Ryan
DNA-based testing of genetic disease in domesticated dogs, Virginia L. Sack
Personal identity over time and autonomy, Simone H. Sampson
Effects of fecundity on grasshopper (Schistocerca americana) jumping performance, Matthew T. Santa Barbara
Attitudes towards homosexual couples that wish to adopt children, Steven F. Schapp
The effects of surface finish on drag : coatings of racing shells, Sarah V. Schinasi
Moral relativism : a philosophical analysis for the anthropologist, Laura A. Schwartz
Our distant neighbor : the social stigma and stereotyping of Mexico in the United States, Hilary C. Segar
Deformation characterization using electronic speckle pattern interferometry, Jason B. Shaffer
The land where the sun refuses to set : reconsidering negative perceptions of big business in Japan from 1868 to the present, Casey L. Sheridan
A history and evaluation of New York State welfare, Ashley A. Simses
Taste preferences amongst high and low self-monitors : effects of descriptive and foreign sounding product names, Katharine Smidt
Design and analysis of a small scale vertical axis wind turbine, Katherine O. Sofia
The effects of age, media exposure, and self-monitoring on body image in adolescent girls and young women, Emily C. Stano
Quality versus quantity : serum AMH levels predict oocyte viability and pregnancy success in female IVF patients, Genevieve St. Hilaire
Lactate metabolism in the jumping muscle of the American locust (Schistocerca americana), Mary C. Swift
China's ethnic minority dilemma : roots of contemporary Uighur unrest and ethnic violence in Xinjiang, Sarah R. Tardiff
The influence of ethnic lobbies : the case of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and the Cuban American National Foundation, Jeffrey A. Temple
Burying the saints : scene 3, Andrew T. Trelease
Xkl : a tool for speech analysis project report, Eric Truslow
Exergaming and autism : effects on self-stimulatory behaviors and cognition, Kimberly K. Tureck
Spatial and temporal limits of visual neurons that control flight in the dragonfly, Jacqueline M. Tuthill
Differences in brain activation in item-specific vs. relational processing for semantic and non-semantic tasks, Natalie L. Ullman
Le système de santé en France les Etats-Unis, peuvent-ils s'en inspirer ?, Natalie L. Ullman
The origin of species and scientific popularization, Ethan J. Underhill
Effects of Type A personality on strength of romantic relationships and friendships, Katie M. Weinstein
Jewish resistance in Poland during the Holocaust : a look inside the ghettos and the forests, Joshua M. Weiss
An environmental economic assessment of green building and the leadership in energy and environmental design (LEED) rating system, Christopher P. Westlund
Late-glacial climate of the southern Peruvian Andes identified using stable isotopes from carbonate lacustrine sediments, Eric B. White
Can competitive telecommunications markets reduce the global digital divide? : a panel data approach, Eric R. Wigand
Community care versus institutionalized care : effects of state funding on mental health care, Sarah E. Yergeau
An introduction to topos theory, Matthew D. Zawodniak
Theses/Dissertations from 2009
In-vivo measurement of strain field gradients in an amphibian heart after artificially-induced myocardial infarction, Matthew T. Adams
Revealing the I‐n‐I : Rastafarian identity and ethics, Jeremy Apple
Resurrecting Terri Schiavo : the advance directive in modern America, Jennifer A. Atchinson
To Hell in a handbasket : the influence of Christian fundamentalism on American foreign policy, Jennifer A. Atchinson
The permeability of German identity : the Turkish minority as in-between, Lorraine N. Ater
Jewish refugees and relief organizations : Vichy France 1940-1945, Jacqueline C. Bachelet
Luminescent probes of hydrophobic silica aerogels, Christopher J. Backlund
Investigating para-hydrogen induced polarization in hydrogenation reactions, Daniel C. Bailey
Federal oversight of dietary supplements : analysis of Chinese herbal supplement Shi Wei Bai Du Tang, Jillian P. Bannister
Reflections on our posthuman future, Zachary Barash
Islamists in power : Turkey, Iran, and the Sudan, Anton J. Becker
The politics of civil rights : comparing the forces that brought about civil rights legislation in the 1860s and 1960s, Anton J. Becker
The design and optimization of a high efficiency and performance vehicle chassis, Matthew W. Beenen
The N-word : comprehending the complexity of stratification in American community settings, Anne V. Benfield
Hooking the collective : Somali maritime piracy and collective action theory, Charles D. Bennett
The presence of the “other” in the New World and Europe : an analysis of the “noble savage” within eighteenth century French travel literature, Stephanie A. Berlind
A descriptive approach to what matters in survival, Steven C. Berlowitz
The dual identities of Guyanese-American teenagers in Schenectady, NY, Julia S. Bernstein
Investigation of Ppt1 and other lysosomal storage disease genes during drosophila neurogenesis, Cassandra R. Blanchette
“Doctoring is a human act” : emotions, connections, and relationships in medical memoirs, Randel C. Bleeker
Late Holocene climate of the central Andes identified from sedimentary, geochemical, and biological proxies, Brandon Reed Boldt
Fabrication of an aerogel composite catalytic converter, Michael S. Bono
A baiting technique to reduce the prevalence of raccoon roundworm in Alleghany Woodrat habitat, Daniel G. Bowden
Using liquid crystals to measure shear stress in cells, John J. Boyle
I don’t care anymore, Ian G. Brennan
Design of a self-inflating personal flotation device able to be manually re-armed, Benjamin F. Bristow
The elliptic curve factoring algorithm, Sarah G. Britton
An analysis of Hegel's theory of tragedy in relation to Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Rachel R. Brown
Timing of slumping determined from growth asymmetry in Tsuga Canadensis, Bowman Creek, Mohawk River Watershed, NY, Amanda L. Bucci