The Honors Thesis is the culmination of the Honors Program, and for many students, the most significant single academic endeavor of their college career. Students complete the four-credit-hour thesis project over at least two semesters, usually their last two semesters before graduation. Students work closely with a thesis committee to plan and conduct the thesis project. The thesis topic and academic credit can be in one’s major or another area of study and must include some original research or scholarly contribution. In addition to allowing students to pursue individual academic interests, the thesis project is excellent preparation for students planning to pursue graduate studies.
Theses from 2021
Wound Healing with Polymers: Developing Biomimetic Polymeric Nanofiber Scaffolds Using PVA, Abigail Walker
Loading s-hFGF1 in Polymeric Nanofiber Mats for Biomedical Applications, Jennifer Wallace
Making the Bible Modern: How I Created a Retelling of the Good Samaritan, Laura Beth Warner
Attention Platform 9¾: The Hogwarts Express is Cancelled. Exploration in Cancel Culture, J.K. Rowling, and Beyond, Mallory Whitson
Women in Business: Social Status Recognition, Prejudices, Power Usage, Challenges and Solutions, Xinwen Zhang
Theses from 2020
The Effects of Communication Disorders in Individuals with Down Syndrome and How to Help Them Succeed, Shelby Louise Bradley
The Involvement of Notch Signaling in Neuroendocrine Prostate Cancer, Olivia Paige Brown
Protective Services or Protecting the Service? An Analysis of the United States Child Protection System, Margaret Ann Donnell
The Search for Mere Purgatory, Tucker Douglass
Visual Arts Education for Grades 6-12 in Arkansas and Its Changes Since the Twentieth Century, Callie Anna Dunlap Oxner
Effects of Light Intensity on the Oxygen Production of Arthrosprira Platensis, Savannah Edwards
Daniel's Journey in First Grade / El Viaje de Daniel en primer Grado, Hannah Gallagher
Editing the Editor, Adeline Goodman
The Challenges of Deaf Women in Society: An Investigative Report, Megan Harris
The Healing Potential of Online, Art-DBT: Developing a Program for Rumination and Non-Suicidal Self-Injury Reduction, Lesley Howard
Teachers' Knowledge and Perceptions of Children who Stutter, Kathryn Knight
Not Exceptions: Historic Views of Women in Art and the Impact on Contemporary Women Artists, Abby Leal
Beyond Stereotypical Picture Books: An Inquiry of Hidden Life Lessons from Patricia Polacco, Ruthie Lenards
Evaluating the Effect of Mutant EGFR on GPIT Subunit Expression in Glioblastoma Multiforme, Sheldon McCown
Inside Jobs: Historical Conspiracies and their Effects on the Discipline of History, Emily McGee
Les Femmes Capables: A Supplementary Curriculum Teaching Survival English to Female Senegalese ELLs, Abigail Morse
Spiders in a Window: How Dangerous Stories Lead to Dangerous Women, Mattie Mae Motl
Cracking the Case on Age-Appropriate Literature, Sara Neumann
Parent Knowledge Regarding the Relationship Between Literacy and Language Development, Emily Pankiewicz
The Sermon on the Mount: A Call to Obedience, Rylee Roberts
Village Saints and a Little Black Magic: The Benefits of a Mission Trip Opportunity for Natural Science Students in Culturally Diverse Southern Mexico, Brooke Sanderford-Bester
A Young Adult Scrutinizes the Michael L. Printz Award, Claire Elaine Seale
Developing a New Water-Soluble Porphyrin as a Potential Photodynamic Cancer Therapy Agent, Catherine Shirley
An Overview of Foster Care, Rachel M. Smith
The Effects of Renal Cold Storage and Transplantation on Immunoproteasome and the Complement System, Savannah Stacks
Reading between the Lines: Exploring Literacy, The Science of Reading, and the R.I.S.E. Initiative, Ashly Stracener
Women in the U.S. Congress: A Study on the Role of Gender in Electoral and Legislative Processes, Selby Tucker
Dance: The Universal Language of Storytellers, Meagan A. Woodard
Our Stories, Paige Wright
Preparation and Cytotoxicity of Novel Carbon Nano-onion Materials, Cammie York
Theses from 2019
The Trashy Americans, Megan Bayer
Delineating the Role of HPN in NEPC, Stephen Noah Bowman
Effectiveness and Mechanism of Action of Modified Porphyrins for Photodynamic Therapy of Triple Negative Breast Cancer Cells, Hannah Brandon
Determining Toxicity of Bacterially-Produced Antibiotics, Logan Clay
Determining the Presence of BPA in Vaping Mouthpieces, Jessica Cook-Snelgrove
Early Childhood Trauma: Implications for Educators and the Importance of Trauma-Sensitive Schools, Mattie Couch
Effects of Diagnostic Labels on College Students' Perceptions of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Sarah Grace Cowell
Stories from Elsewhere: A Novella, Andrew Crook
The Communicative and Survival Effects of Exosomes in Glioblastoma Multiform, Jacob L. Edmondson
Crafting Comics: My Journey Through the Creative Process, Carrie Hill
Computer Science in the Elementary Classroom: The Basics, Mary Grace Belle Hill
University Attendance and Diametric Political Polarization, Cole Jester
Passive Solar Tracking Using Shape Memory Alloys, Keeley G. Johnson
Antibiotic Responsiveness in Mycobacterium smegmatis, Kailee Jones
The Evolution of Military Tactics: A Series, Bethany Lenards
Killing Breast Cancer One Porphyrin at a Time, Taylor C. Lymburner
Lions, and Dragons, and Wolves (Oh my): A Study of the Series "Game of Thrones" and Political Theory, Emily Manus
Determination of BPA in Infant Oral Hygiene Products using Fluorescence Spectrophotometry, Mallory K. Mayfield
A Statistical Analysis of the Ouachita Baptist University Men's Baseball Team, Evan Nelson
Once the Ashes Settled, Brittany Parker
No Returns: Special Education in Sierra Leone, Abigail Adele Richett
An Analysis of the Historiographical Treatment of Athenian Democracy, John Thomas Ryan
Heirs to Those Before us: An Exploration of the Influences on a Young Artist, Hannah Saunders
Does God Change His Mind? An Old Testament View, Colton Sims
On the Sustainability of Social Security: Have the Faroe Islands Found the Solution?, Austin Sowerbutts
Shame: Its Place in Life and American Drama, Lauren Elisabeth Terry
Determination of Bisphenol A (BPA) in Infant Oral Hygiene Devices using Fluorescence Spectrophotometry, Kaitlyn Thomason
First Words, Laura Mae Ward
Shape Memory Alloy Applications, Dillon Wester
Modern American Federalism: Defending a Dualist Approach to State-Federal Government Relations, Julia E. Williams
Theses from 2018
Applying Nehemiah's Leadership Characteristics in the Business World Today, Amanda Abbud
Stories of Eureka Springs: A Multimedia Package, Mattie Alexander
Notes from Kilroy: A Collection of Stories Inspired by the Lives of Arkansas WWII Veterans, Victoria Anderson
Accessibility in the Theatre, Allison Austin
Gene Expression to Determine Exosome Effects on Neural Cell Lines: Potential Treatments and Diagnostic Markers, Rachel Bacon
Testing Bacterial Antibiotic Production under Carbohydrate and Protein Starvation, Briley Baird
A Study of the Hebrew Infinitive Absolute and Its Translation in the LXX of the Pentateuch, Taylor Bascue
Predictors of Independence for Adults with Intellectual Disability, Kristina Beall
Project Emerald: Designing a Language to be Fun, Addison Bostian
nothing is porcelain here, Emily E. Bradley
An Assessment of the Effects of Medical Marijuana on the Quality of Patient Life, Kori L. Bullard
Synthesis and Relaxivity of a Target-Specific MRI Contrast Agent, Callie Clement
Timing of Exosome Production on Cell (PC12) Differentiation, Alyson Cole
The Field: A Study in Illustration, Kacy Alaina Earnest Spears
Canada and Koinonia: Contextualization of Koinonia for the Peoples of Modern Day Canada, Alex Gianelloni
JWH-018 and Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors: Drug-Drug Interactions and Implications on Toxicity, Christopher O. Godwin
STAGE: The Middle Schooler's Guide to Success, Kelsey Harrison
Assessing Specificity of Indazole Derivatives as Inhibitors to CYP2E1, Hannah Hart
Fake News: What is the REAL Issue?, Hannah Hines
Twice Upon a Time: The Retellings of Fairy Tales for Contemporary Audiences, Morgan Howard
Treating Breast Cancer with Light: The Creation of Two Photodynamic Therapy Agents, Victoria Lackey
Collaborative Storytelling With Different Artistic Mediums, Andrew Martin
Using Light to Kill Cancer: Development of a Novel Photodynamic Therapy, Alicia Hamilton Moore
The Effect of Exercise and Diet on Insulin Resistance, Kinsey M. Nelson
Anthiom: A Christian YA Novel, Krystal Parker
Market Expansion Challenge: Finnish School International, Shelby Reams
View of Death and Dying, and Other Medical Issues Through the Eyes of People in Different Religions, Kaylie Roberts
Respect: A Bridge Between Inupiaq Tradition and Christianity, Ashley Sharpe
The Outlook of Occupational Therapy, Alexa Spinks
Killing Cancer with Light, Kaitlyn Thomas
Isolating Exosomes on OBU's Campus, Cody Thompson
Experiencing West Africa: What a Semester on the Mission Field Taught Me, Logan Turner
Acting in a Global Context: Characterization from the Physical Context of Shakespeare's Spaces, Anna Joie Valdez