So, you have embarked on your journey as an O’Neill Honors student, and now you must write your honors thesis. As someone on the other side, I hope I can offer you some advice and words of encouragement. It is Worth It! I know that many times I have felt the desire to drop O’Neill… Read more »
Month: May 2023
Tips for First-Time Quantitative Researchers
Simplicity, Simplicity, Simplicity Picking a feasible topic is the first, and maybe hardest, hurdle to overcome during anyone’s thesis process. This is especially so if you’re doing quantitative research for the first time. Not a single person in my V-491 class succeeded at this the first time, or the second time, or even sometimes the… Read more »
Financial Implications in Traffic Citations
Financial implications in policing are beginning to be widely researched. Traffic stops are a common part of life. According to a wide variety of research there are 40-42 million traffic citations issued each year in the United States. My research focused on looking at where traffic fines go. In some states, these traffic fines can… Read more »
Overlooked Effects of Pollution on Reproductive Health
It is generally well-known that pollution in the environment can have negative effects on our health. However, not all negative health outcomes are treated equally in the medical and academic fields when it comes to researching these effects. Despite likely having a direct environmental cause among other contributors, reproductive diseases I like to call “traditionally… Read more »
Improving Interactions Between Foster Care Entities: Insights from Court Appointed Special Advocates
The foster care system in the United States is a complex web of federal- and state-level government agencies, social workers, foster care parents, and Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASAs). With over 500,000 children in foster care and a shortage of foster homes, ensuring that every child has access to a safe and loving home is… Read more »
We Need to Restore Mangrove Forests. How Can We Do It Effectively?
Mangroves are a type of coastal forest ecosystem that provides a multitude of ecosystem services, ranging from protecting coastlines from storm damage to acting as habitats for commercially valuable fish species. These ecosystems also help fight climate change. Ecosystem services provided by mangroves were estimated to be over $180 billion worldwide. Despite these benefits, mangroves… Read more »
Universities can do more to encourage civic engagement amongst their student body
Voting is a right of U.S. citizens to collectively decide who they want to represent them at local, state, and federal levels. Citizens hold the power to elect officials who then endorse and authorize legislation. When youth decide not to participate in voting, there is little incentive for their concerns to be considered by elected… Read more »
Air Pollution and Asthma in the Midwest: Lifestyle and Income as Contributing Factors
Asthma is a very common health condition today–in fact, I’m sure we all know someone who has been diagnosed with asthma. However, what many of us don’t know is that asthma doesn’t affect everyone equally in the United States, making it an important topic within the broader environmental justice movement. One factor that has been… Read more »
Could Compulsory Voting Supercharge a Country Uninterested in Political Activity?
The concept of “compulsory voting” is something we don’t often think about as Americans. It seems like a strange and foreign concept here despite 26 relatively well known countries in the world having such policies in their legal codes (including over half of South America, several European nations, and Australia). But it’s important to look… Read more »
Will Climate Change Contribute to More Cases of West Nile Virus in the Ohio Valley Climate Region?
Not only is climate change affecting the environment, it is also affecting human health. Two of the main factors associated with climate change are annual average temperature and annual average precipitation. As the earth continues to warm and more intense precipitation events occur, insects, such as mosquitoes, are expected to be an even greater risk… Read more »