Virtual Commons offers open access copies of Commonwealth and Departmental Honors Program theses and projects completed by undergraduate students who have submitted them electronically since 2013. The authors of these documents retain copyright to the intellectual property these works represent in their current form.
Theses/Projects from 2020
Spectral Observations of the 2019 South American Total Solar Eclipse, Sarah Auriemma
Towards an Understanding of Nietzsche’s Will to Power, Jeffrey Beery
The Benefits of Music Therapy and the Integration of Music Therapy into a Standard Curriculum for Special Needs Students, Meaghan Bielski
W. H. Auden’s Proto-Queer Theology of 1939-1941, Aaron Bisson
The Small Heat Shock Protein αB-Crystallin is Critical to Cell Survival in Response to the Phytochemical Withaferin A in Cisplatin-Resistant Ovarian Cancer Cells, Melissa Carmichael
Chapters 1-8 of Ralph & Lilly’s Orchard, Chloe Chartier
Reframing the Audience in Shakespeare Studies, Ethan Child
Diversity and Social Justice in the Massachusetts Classroom: Teachers Implementation and Students Reflections, Josephine Ciatto
The Effect Aromatherapy has on a Woman’s Perception of her Body and Menstrual Cycle, Michaela DeMattio
Gaming Art History: A Study of Game-Based Pedagogy and Its Applications in Art History, David DeSouto
A Survey of STEM Literature in Elementary School Classrooms, Kaitlyn Duhaime
Triumph & Turmoil: The Duality of Sylvia Plath, Matthew Edgar
Quantifying Anticancer Drug Doxorubicin Binding to DNA Using Optical Tweezers, Zachary Ells
Disruption of the electron transfer system within the protein 3-ketosteroid-9α-hydroxylase (KshAB) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Olivia Esteireiro
A Retrospective Study: Investigating the Role of Childhood Experience and Parenting Style in the Development of Narcissism, Haleigh Ewing
Modeling the Global Plastic Pollution in Our Oceans, Anna Fateiger
Twentieth Century Organ Works as Pedagogical Devices: Using Select Compositions by Hermann Schroeder, Jean Langlais, and Daniel Pinkham as Teaching Tools for the Beginning Organ Student, Mary-Katherine Fletcher
Costume Design Portfolio: A Journey Through Undergraduate to Professional Design, Karly Foster
Challenging the "Butcher" Reputation: General Grant's Strategy in the Overland Campaign, Sean Ftizgerald
Demonstrating and testing the Deutsch-Jozsa Quantum Algorithm Towards the Realization of Quantum Computing at BSU, John J. Gilmore Jr.
All in the Family: A Collection of Essays on Family and Mental Health, Kiana Govoni
Amatonormativity, Aromanticism, and What Defines a Relationship, Rilee Granger
National Legislation and its Effects on Music Educators, Rosalind G. Greisz
Image Processing of Narrow Band Solar Eclipse Data Using Python and MaxIm DL, Rydia Hayes-Huer
Opium in Nineteenth-Century England, Hannah Hutchinson
The Effect of Chirality on DNA Threading: Exploring Binuclear Ruthenium lntercalators Using Optical Tweezers, Adam A. Jabak
Utilizing Creative Dance Pedagogy and Concepts for Teaching and Learning English as a Foreign Language, Riley Lathorp
African American Vernacular English: A Language Necessarily Adorned, Christelle Lauture
The Prevalence of Rape Myths on a Mid-Sized, Public College Campus, Meghan Lewis
Gaia Bioplastics: A Design Exploration of Bioplastics Through a Brand Campaign, Kelsey Long
Se dice pelo bueno: Black Affirmations in Contemporary Puerto Rican Literature, Amaryllis Lopez
Bacteria-mediated synthesis of cobalt(II,III) oxide nanostructures, Ryan Loughran
What Causes Participation in International Non-Governmental Organizations?, Sophia Mann
The Use of Emotional Intelligence in 21st Century Organizations, Jordan Martin
The Partition of Ireland: Anglo-Irish Relations as Reflected in a Political Idea, Cian G. McEneaney
Building a Light Current Voltage Characterization Setup for Pulsed Laser Diodes, Alec A. Milford
On the Eco-Gender Gap, Haley Normandin
Understanding Sovereignty and the US Constitution: A View from the Massachusetts and Virginia State Ratifying Conventions, Hannah Novotny
The Role of Principles and Personal Relationships in Greek Tragedy and Epic, Ellen Pariser
Indigenous Women Defying All Odds: An Analysis of the Use of Gender Violence During the Civil War of Guatemala, 1960-1996, Vivian A. Phillips
The Existential Philosophy of David Foster Wallace, Shoshana Primak
Where the Heart Is A Collection of Nonfiction Essays on the Meaning of Home in the Age of Movement, Alyssa Raymond
Examining the Effect of El Nino Phenomena and Pacific Sea Surface Temperature on the Climate of the Glacierized White Mountains in Peru, Emily Reardon
More Than Just Wicked: The Tales of Female Criminals in 17th- Century London, Savannah Resendes
Supporting English Learners in STEM, Alyssa Richardson
Revision of Introductory Chemistry Lab Curriculum to Incorporate Inquiry-Based Experiments to Enhance Student Learning, Christian Santos
Success in Transition Preparation for Post-Secondary Students with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Sophie Scrimgeour
African American Literary Traditions in Justina Ireland’s Young Adult Novels Dread Nation and Deathless Divide, Gabrielle Sleeper
Mental Health In College Students: Disclosure & Seeking Support, Abby R. Smargon
Factors Impacting Students’ Perceptions of Mathematics, Amber Souza