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A Study of Ice and Fire: Environmental Change Impacts on Lakes of the Nebraska Sandhills
No full textThe Nebraska Sandhills contain thousands of shallow, groundwater-fed lakes. These lakes are extremely sensitive to environmental and climatic changes due to their isolated hydrological setting and small volume. Building on previous work on the hydrology, geochemistry and long-term climate response of Sandhill lakes, my research considers how ecosystem processes such as primary production, nutrient limitation and water quality respond to short-term environmental and climatic change. In my first data chapter, I highlight that Sandhill lakes are nitrogen (N) but not phosphorus (P) limited and that N:P ratios are poor predictors of nutrient limitation status in Sandhill lakes. In my second chapter, I leverage an extensive remotely sensed lake color dataset to evaluate the utility of remote sensing products as indicators of lake water quality, and I determine how lake water quality has changed over four decades in Sandhill lakes. In my third and fourth chapters I demonstrate that although wildfire ash can supply P to lakes, the effects of wildfire ash as a resource pulse to lake ecosystems are mediated by lake trophic state and nutrient limitation status. In my final data chapter, I use high resolution satellite images to reconstruct lake ice dynamics for Sandhill lakes and determine drivers of lake ice duration. My work contributes to our understanding of lake ecosystem processes in an understudied lake district and provides insights into how Sandhill lakes respond to environmental and climatic changes on short timescales.
Advisor: Jessica R. Corma
Honors Thesis Proposal Course Components
No full textCompletion of an undergraduate thesis can be a transformational experience for honors students because they learn that they can contribute original intellectual thought to the record of scholarly knowledge. This essay considers how the misconceptions and challenges of an honors thesis can discourage students from undertaking the task. Authors describe the design, delivery, sequencing, resources, and administration of a junior-level thesis proposal course aimed at abating student anxiety over and supporting faculty engagement of thesis work. The Hopscotch Model, a tool to help novice researchers thoroughly design qualitative research studies while learning the philosophical underpinnings of a particular form of research, is used to guide students in developing their research in requisite ways for thesis achievement
Honors Capstones and Self-authorship: A Case Study
No full textWhile self-authorship theory posits that students who actively define and articulate their values and goals are better positioned for post-collegiate success, little has been done to examine curricular opportunities for self-authorship in the context of honors education. This case study explores the potential for self-authorship development within an honors capstone preparation course at a southwestern regional university. Author observes that such a course provides students with opportunities for self-authorship development and self-efficacy by offering provocative moments and granting autonomy for decision-making. Results suggest that the design and structure of honors capstones can support the growth and development of honors students and curricula alike. Author argues for longitudinal research on the development of student self-authorship throughout the undergraduate experience as well as investigations into academic activities and curricular advisement that may facilitate this growth
Honoring Careers: Developing Professional Aspirations in Honors Programs
No full textThis essay builds on previous arguments in honors for greater representation of preprofessional disciplines. Drawing from a focused honors accounting initiative, author explores how video interviews with alumni—created through an iterative process of outreach and collaboration—can effectively bridge intellectual inquiry and career preparation. Alumni narratives help students critically examine professional trajectories, connect current coursework with broader academic and societal contexts, and produce tangible outcomes, such as conference presentations and journal publications. By showcasing these diverse career trajectories, this approach reassures students in both preprofessional and traditional disciplines, demonstrating the relevance of their academic pursuits while ensuring honors education remains intellectually rigorous and adaptable
Attitudes Towards Insects: An Attempt to Change Negative Attitudes to Neutral or Positive
No full textPurpose and Summary
The purpose of this project was to examine whether negative attitudes towards insects could be changed in children after learning about them in a safe and enjoyable environment. At the start of this project, I was a science teacher in an urban middle school, where most students were neither fond of nor interested in insects. This experience shaped my project: I wanted to change attitudes from negative to positive, transforming “eww gross, kill it!” into “let it live; it has a job to do.” Through my studies in the entomology program, my belief that insects are highly important and often beneficial to us was further solidified, and this mindset is something I wished to instill in students and children who had learned to feel differently.
Once the project was finalized and ready to be tested with students, two different groups were selected; a small elementary school group in rural west Texas, and a Girl Scout Troop of elementary school-aged girls. Initial mindsets towards insects and final results from the project did not quite turn out as predicted. My original hypothesis was that students with negative attitudes towards insects could be swayed to have a neutral or positive attitude if students learned about and explored insects in a safe and fun environment
Flies: Nature’s Hidden Helpers, a Science Literacy Project Exploring Beneficial and Pest Insects
No full textA science literacy project for elementary learners exploring beneficial and pest insects with a focus on flies, nature\u27s hidden helpers.
This project demonstrates that science literacy can be cultivated through experiential and interdisciplinary teaching. Future developments could include digital tools for compost monitoring, citizen science participation, or expanded studies of other decomposer species. Cross-curricular collaboration with language arts and art education can further strengthen the integration of creativity and evidence-based reasoning.
Ultimately, this work reaffirms that even small organisms—like flies—can inspire big learning outcomes. By integrating science literacy with sustainability education, we prepare students to think critically about ecological relationships and to communicate science with confidence and purpose
Know Thyself: A Model for Integrating Gifted Research into the Honors First-year Seminar
No full textAs this monograph demonstrates, numerous first-year honors seminars exist to address the various needs of honors first-year students. Each institution has its own curricular goals and emphases. The FYS example from the Gordon & Judy Dutile Honors Program at Southwest Baptist University is one way to create a student-focused, research-based seminar that encourages growth in metacognition, connections within the honors community, and instruction in research skills by integrating gifted education research regarding the academic, psychological, and social concerns of gifted students. Regardless of the setting, honors educators have a rich resource in gifted education research that can be used to cultivate lively and substantive environments for the students we serve
Stable Isotope Paleoecology in the Bridgerian (Early Eocene): Investigation of the Bridgerian Crash and the Canopy Effect
No full textThe Early Eocene Climatic Optimum (EECO) was the warmest sustained interval of the Cenozoic. Its waning stages coincided with a marked decline in mammalian biodiversity known as the Bridgerian Crash, which was likely driven by increasingly cooler and drier conditions. Paleobotanical evidence suggests the early Eocene supported wet, subtropical to tropical forests at mid-latitudes, however the structure of these forests at the close of the EECO remains poorly understood. In this study, I measure carbon isotope values (d13CE) from the enamel of early Bridgerian (~52.2 – 48.3 Ma) herbivorous mammals from the Greater Green River Basin, Wyoming, to assess whether this ecological transition is reflected in the faunal isotope record of interior western North America. I also apply a predictive model based on d13C values from modern habitats to interpret Bridgerian environments in the study area.
A significant positive shift in d13CE values occurs at the onset of the Bridgerian Crash, suggesting a transition toward drier, more open vegetation communities. Existing models reconstruct open-canopy C3 habitats throughout the early Bridgerian with some individual mammalian enamel values plot in the range for mixed C3/C4 diets. Mean faunal values plot in the range expected for semi-xeric, or xeric, environments. This interpretation contrasts sharply with other evidence, such as the commonness of Bridgerian arboreal primates in the study area throughout this time interval. Additionally, the wide, negatively skewed distribution of individual d13CE values seen in one of this studies time intervals is consistent with the presence of a forest understory. These observations suggest a substantial systematic offset in model results, likely originating from an underestimation of δ13C values in atmospheric CO2. Nevertheless, relative shifts in mean d13CE values and the distribution of individual measurements suggest that a transition to drier conditions occurred in concert with biodiversity loss in a forest that maintained either an understory or locally wet habitats.
Advisor: Ross Secor
Resources for the Beginning and Intermediate Jazz Educator: Reviews of Modern Resources and Implementation in the Classroom
No full textThis document is a compilation and discussion of different modern jazz education resources geared towards beginning and intermediate students. It is intended for the younger high school jazz educator who may have just started their careers and are searching for new(er) resources to aid their teaching and rehearsal techniques. For the seasoned high school jazz educator, this document may suggest additions to their current lesson plans and/or updates to their current resource compilations and rehearsal practices. A primary goal of this document is to suggest ideas to aid these educators in teaching jazz music more wholistically, in small or large group settings. Another goal is to highlight those resources that have informed my personal practice of jazz performance and education. Although various jazz pedagogy textbooks and resource lists address similar topics, this document supplements those materials by extending the concepts and techniques they present. As such, my comments are intended as a supplemental guidebook, rather than a handbook or manual.
The resources compiled and discussed consist of a broad range of materials, including books/textbooks, websites, smartphone/computer applications, YouTube channels, and documentaries. Each chapter covers different areas of jazz education:
Chapter 1 – ListeningChapter 2 – Historical ContextChapter 3 – Jazz TheoryChapter 4 – Rhythm SectionChapter 5 – HornsChapter 6 – ImprovisationChapter 7 – Final Thoughts
The resource suggested is discussed following ways: description of the resource and its purpose what are the reasons for choosing the resource? how does it serve as an addition to existing resources? what are the educational benefits to beginner and intermediate students?
In each chapter, I suggest how each resource could be applied in the classroom and rehearsals.
Advisor: Ora Paul Haa
Rainfall-runoff Modelling in an Indonesian Humid Tropical Area Using Satellite-based Precipitation Products
No full textThis dissertation explores three rainfall-runoff models in the humid tropical regions of Indonesia using satellite-based precipitation products (SBPPs) and develops integrated machine-learning modeling frameworks. Several ground-based observations from BMKG (Badan Meteorologi, Klimatologi, dan Geofisika (also known as the Indonesian Agency for Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics)) stations across Indonesia (133−165 stations) are compared and evaluated against satellite products, indicating that GPM performs well, with R-squared values ranging from 0.54 to 0.76 and correlation coefficients ranging from 0.45 to 0.69, respectively.
In the Martapura Watershed, South Kalimantan, due to a lack of observational discharge data, streamflow was generated using the FJ Mock and the NRECA methods, which successfully estimated monthly streamflow from satellite precipitation data. Further, a complete eligibility test was conducted for 56 GPM grid cells within the watershed, identifying 14 reliable grids for hydrological analysis. Rainfall-runoff models, namely HEC-HMS, HEC-RAS, and the Rainfall-Runoff-Inundation (RRI) model, were employed to simulate four major flood events during (2014−2023), with the RRI model showing the best performance in capturing expected flood hydrograph characteristics.
Enhancing the accuracy of streamflow generation, a machine learning approach using Support Vector Machine (SVM) regression, applying eight different scenarios. It was acknowledged that Scenario 6, combining the NRECA-generated streamflow with soil moisture and uncorrected GPM precipitation, achieved optimal performance (highest R2 and NSE, and lowest RMSE). This research provides a representative model for satellite-based flood modeling in ungauged tropical basins, particularly by improving early warning systems and water resources management in developing countries with limited data.
Advisor: Ayse Kılı