Thesis Archives Search
This search engine will let you explore the over 1800 theses written in Honors at The University of Maine since the Program’s inception in 1935. You may search our thesis archives based on any of the fields listed above. If the thesis is available at the Reynolds Library (Thomson Honors Center) or Fogler Library (Special Collections), the information will appear below the bibliographic data. At last count, we had about 1800 theses in the Reynolds Library.
Search Results
A Psycho-Transpersonal Maturational Theory of Statesmanship: A Comparison of Mao Tse-tung and Mahatma Gandhi
A Psycholinguistic View of Artificial Language Failure
A Qualitative Characterization of Potato Chloroplast Lipids in Comparison to Spinach Chloroplast Lipids
A Qualitative Study of the Perceived Risks of the Impacts of Moose-Winter Tick Interactions on Human Health, Maine Economy, and Maine Culture
Author:
Asha
DiMatteo-LePape
Major: Graduation Year: Thesis Advisor: Sandra De Urioste-Stone
Description of Publication:
In order to answer the question of how people perceive the interactions between winter ticks and moose, and the impacts that these interactions may have on culture, economy, and recreational practices in Maine, interviews were conducted with participants from four stakeholder groups: hunters, outfitters, Wabanaki citizens, and wildlife managers. By using a case study methodology, I was able to explore moose health risk perceptions as described by participants from the four stakeholder groups, and the likely impacts on recreation behavior, livelihoods and economic viability, cultural maintenance, and wildlife management. In this study, multiple data generation techniques (i.e., semi-structured interviews, archival evidence, open ended responses from a questionnaire) were used to gain a deeper understanding of the phenomenon. Interviewees were identified using snowball sampling and searching the internet. Interview transcripts were analyzed using qualitative data analysis techniques in NVivo 12 Plus to gain an insight into how these stakeholders viewed the wildlife disease risk associated with winter ticks and moose, as well as how winter tick-moose interactions could impact economic vitality, recreation opportunities, cultural identity, and human health in Maine. While there seemed to be a high level of awareness among participants about ticks in general and the threat of Lyme disease, less was known about winter ticks as a separate species. It became clear that participants knew winter ticks could negatively impact moose, and that moose play a huge role in Maine culture. Hunting and recreational opportunities, cultural identity, and tourism all depend in part on having a healthy moose population. From outfitters leading moose viewing tours to Wabanaki citizens who rely on moose for sustenance, winter ticks are a threat. These perceptions that winter ticks could be having direct negative impacts on moose health and indirect impacts on sociocultural and economic factors in Maine, stress the need for continued research on the biological impacts of winter ticks on moose, and more importantly, how these impacts could affect individuals, communities, businesses, and ecosystems in Maine.
Location of Publication:
URL to Thesis: https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/honors/480/
Major: Graduation Year: Thesis Advisor: Sandra De Urioste-Stone
Description of Publication:
In order to answer the question of how people perceive the interactions between winter ticks and moose, and the impacts that these interactions may have on culture, economy, and recreational practices in Maine, interviews were conducted with participants from four stakeholder groups: hunters, outfitters, Wabanaki citizens, and wildlife managers. By using a case study methodology, I was able to explore moose health risk perceptions as described by participants from the four stakeholder groups, and the likely impacts on recreation behavior, livelihoods and economic viability, cultural maintenance, and wildlife management. In this study, multiple data generation techniques (i.e., semi-structured interviews, archival evidence, open ended responses from a questionnaire) were used to gain a deeper understanding of the phenomenon. Interviewees were identified using snowball sampling and searching the internet. Interview transcripts were analyzed using qualitative data analysis techniques in NVivo 12 Plus to gain an insight into how these stakeholders viewed the wildlife disease risk associated with winter ticks and moose, as well as how winter tick-moose interactions could impact economic vitality, recreation opportunities, cultural identity, and human health in Maine. While there seemed to be a high level of awareness among participants about ticks in general and the threat of Lyme disease, less was known about winter ticks as a separate species. It became clear that participants knew winter ticks could negatively impact moose, and that moose play a huge role in Maine culture. Hunting and recreational opportunities, cultural identity, and tourism all depend in part on having a healthy moose population. From outfitters leading moose viewing tours to Wabanaki citizens who rely on moose for sustenance, winter ticks are a threat. These perceptions that winter ticks could be having direct negative impacts on moose health and indirect impacts on sociocultural and economic factors in Maine, stress the need for continued research on the biological impacts of winter ticks on moose, and more importantly, how these impacts could affect individuals, communities, businesses, and ecosystems in Maine.
Location of Publication:
URL to Thesis: https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/honors/480/
A Quantitative Analysis of the Pre-Spray Mapping Process of the State of Maine’s Spruce Bud Worm Suppression Program
A RECOMMENDATION FOR POLYCULTURE AGRICULTURE TO REDUCE NITROGEN LOADING THAT LEADS TO HYPOXIA
Author:
Bethany
Stevens
Major: Marine Sciences Graduation Year: 2017 Thesis Advisor: Damian Brady
Description of Publication:
The natural cycle of nitrogen is an essential part of both plant growth and crop production, but in recent years there has been an increase in nitrogen through the use of synthetic fertilizers. Agricultural surface runoff can carry away the converted, mobile nitrate nitrogen into downstream systems leading to an unnatural influx of nitrogen. This increased nutrient load can stimulate algal growth in the marine ecosystem which can cause an oxygen depletion. When the dissolved oxygen levels fall, the area is deemed ‘hypoxic’ and can no longer support most aquatic life. In recent decades, industrial agriculture has used monoculture practices, which are heavily governed by the use of synthetic fertilizers, to meet crop demand but employing the practices year after year strip away nutrients from the soil. In response, best management practices (BMPs) have been established to reduce the use of synthetic fertilizers and their adverse effects on the environment but a lesser used agricultural practice is polyculture, although utilizing these practices also reduces nitrogen demand. This study looked into both BMPs and polyculture in a comparative light to showcase the benefits of utilizing polyculture practices to reduce both nitrogen demand and hypoxic conditions in downstream systems. A focus was also made to provide recommendations as to when and where polyculture agriculture should be employed to maximize the benefits.
Location of Publication: fogler reynolds
URL to Thesis: https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/honors/260/
Major: Marine Sciences Graduation Year: 2017 Thesis Advisor: Damian Brady
Description of Publication:
The natural cycle of nitrogen is an essential part of both plant growth and crop production, but in recent years there has been an increase in nitrogen through the use of synthetic fertilizers. Agricultural surface runoff can carry away the converted, mobile nitrate nitrogen into downstream systems leading to an unnatural influx of nitrogen. This increased nutrient load can stimulate algal growth in the marine ecosystem which can cause an oxygen depletion. When the dissolved oxygen levels fall, the area is deemed ‘hypoxic’ and can no longer support most aquatic life. In recent decades, industrial agriculture has used monoculture practices, which are heavily governed by the use of synthetic fertilizers, to meet crop demand but employing the practices year after year strip away nutrients from the soil. In response, best management practices (BMPs) have been established to reduce the use of synthetic fertilizers and their adverse effects on the environment but a lesser used agricultural practice is polyculture, although utilizing these practices also reduces nitrogen demand. This study looked into both BMPs and polyculture in a comparative light to showcase the benefits of utilizing polyculture practices to reduce both nitrogen demand and hypoxic conditions in downstream systems. A focus was also made to provide recommendations as to when and where polyculture agriculture should be employed to maximize the benefits.
Location of Publication: fogler reynolds
URL to Thesis: https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/honors/260/