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 STUDY OF UNDERGRADUATE PERCEPTION AND BEHAVIOR TOWARD ON-CAMPUS COMPOSTING
Author:
Sierra
Kuun
Major: Chemical Engineering Graduation Year: 2017 Thesis Advisor: Travis Blackmer
Description of Publication:
Composting among college students can promote a healthy environment and encourage the appropriate disposal method for generated organic wastes. The purpose of this study was to observe composting behaviors and attitudes among students and foster an increase in knowledge of suitable composting behavior in on-campus apartments. Waste management issues are quickly becoming a key societal concern. As a result, there has been extensive literature surrounding the benefits of, and factors leading to, pro-environmental behaviors. What specific factors lead an individual, institution, or community to begin composting? In analyzing research on related topics, we can investigate drivers that are transferable to increase composting participation. Through survey analysis and implementation of an on-campus composting program this study found that undergraduate students living in the on-campus apartments at University of Maine’s undergraduate have positive feelings and attitudes towards composting and sustained interest in practicing environmentally conscious behaviors. The positive perception of composting that students expressed can be expanded into change within the university community.
Location of Publication:
URL to Thesis: https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/honors/284/
Major: Chemical Engineering Graduation Year: 2017 Thesis Advisor: Travis Blackmer
Description of Publication:
Composting among college students can promote a healthy environment and encourage the appropriate disposal method for generated organic wastes. The purpose of this study was to observe composting behaviors and attitudes among students and foster an increase in knowledge of suitable composting behavior in on-campus apartments. Waste management issues are quickly becoming a key societal concern. As a result, there has been extensive literature surrounding the benefits of, and factors leading to, pro-environmental behaviors. What specific factors lead an individual, institution, or community to begin composting? In analyzing research on related topics, we can investigate drivers that are transferable to increase composting participation. Through survey analysis and implementation of an on-campus composting program this study found that undergraduate students living in the on-campus apartments at University of Maine’s undergraduate have positive feelings and attitudes towards composting and sustained interest in practicing environmentally conscious behaviors. The positive perception of composting that students expressed can be expanded into change within the university community.
Location of Publication:
URL to Thesis: https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/honors/284/
A STUDY OF WATER MASSES ON GEORGES BANK DURING MAY AND JUNE OF 2007-2008
A Study of Winter Weather Conditions for Deer Yard Management in Maine
A Study of Wulf and Eadwacer and the Wife’s Lament
A Study to Determine whether a Relationship Exists between Decline and Stem and Branch Cracking of Norway Maple (Acer Platanoides, L.)
A SUMMARY OF LANDINGS, LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS, AND POSSIBLE CLIMATE-INDUCED DISTRIBUTION SHIFTS IN NEW ENGLAND FISHERIES
Author:
Dylan
Trueblood
Major: Marine Sciences Graduation Year: 2017 Thesis Advisor: Gayle Zydlewski
Description of Publication:
New England’s fisheries produce millions of dollars annually, and monitoring and protecting these fisheries ensures the region’s prosperity. There is evidence that the distributional centers of many fish species are shifting north so they remain within their optimal thermal range. Twenty species in New England’s fisheries have been identified as being vulnerable to climate change and, for each of these species, landings data from New England and the Mid-Atlantic were analyzed for the years 1976 – 2015. Trends in landings data were compared to trends in temperature anomaly data. Major legislative events that may have impacted landings data, e.g., fishery closures and reductions in fishing effort, were also examined. The landings data of two out of the 20 species showed clear northward shifts. The remaining 18 species did not display clear trends linking distribution shifts to climate change. Longfin squid (Doryteuthis pealeii) demonstrated a well-defined distributional shift linked to climate change, and is likely to need immediate management action to account for the environmental effects of climate change. Ocean quahog (Arctica islandica), on the other hand, showed a similar landings trend that was not linked to climate change but instead correlated with landing trends in other fisheries. The equivocal nature of most of the results points to the necessity for further study using additional resources like fisheries independent survey data and more precise temperature data. This thesis serves as a background document summarizing the current status of New England fisheries and whether major legislative actions reflect the shifting environmental regime.
Location of Publication: fogler reynolds
URL to Thesis: https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/honors/255/
Major: Marine Sciences Graduation Year: 2017 Thesis Advisor: Gayle Zydlewski
Description of Publication:
New England’s fisheries produce millions of dollars annually, and monitoring and protecting these fisheries ensures the region’s prosperity. There is evidence that the distributional centers of many fish species are shifting north so they remain within their optimal thermal range. Twenty species in New England’s fisheries have been identified as being vulnerable to climate change and, for each of these species, landings data from New England and the Mid-Atlantic were analyzed for the years 1976 – 2015. Trends in landings data were compared to trends in temperature anomaly data. Major legislative events that may have impacted landings data, e.g., fishery closures and reductions in fishing effort, were also examined. The landings data of two out of the 20 species showed clear northward shifts. The remaining 18 species did not display clear trends linking distribution shifts to climate change. Longfin squid (Doryteuthis pealeii) demonstrated a well-defined distributional shift linked to climate change, and is likely to need immediate management action to account for the environmental effects of climate change. Ocean quahog (Arctica islandica), on the other hand, showed a similar landings trend that was not linked to climate change but instead correlated with landing trends in other fisheries. The equivocal nature of most of the results points to the necessity for further study using additional resources like fisheries independent survey data and more precise temperature data. This thesis serves as a background document summarizing the current status of New England fisheries and whether major legislative actions reflect the shifting environmental regime.
Location of Publication: fogler reynolds
URL to Thesis: https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/honors/255/
A Superinsulated Home: The Conventional Home of Today
A Survey of Carbon Monoxide Production by Plant Roots
A Survey of Current Perceptions and Actual Use By Students and Faculty of Generative Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education
Author:
Cameron
Hasselbaum
Major: Economics Graduation Year: 2024 Thesis Advisor: James Brophy
Description of Publication:
Generative AI as an emerging new technology may have large-scale impacts on how business is conducted and how schools teach students. OpenAI released ChatGPT to the public in November of 2022. Two similar surveys were conducted one year after ChatGPT was released in December 2023 to measure the perceptions of generative AI and changes in behavior in the academic space among students and faculty at the University of Maine. The survey findings were that student respondents have been quicker to adopt and find utility in the new technology. Still, it has yet to be readily adopted for use as widely as predicted by students and faculty. Moderate, but not extreme, changes to behavior among students in particular were found. Behavior and feelings among students and faculty shared some correlation with certain demographic factors, such as gender and area of study. That said, generative AI has yet to cause significant changes in behavior among students and faculty surveyed in the college education realm, but future studies should follow attitude and behavior changes as time progresses.
Location of Publication:
URL to Thesis: https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/honors/877/
Major: Economics Graduation Year: 2024 Thesis Advisor: James Brophy
Description of Publication:
Generative AI as an emerging new technology may have large-scale impacts on how business is conducted and how schools teach students. OpenAI released ChatGPT to the public in November of 2022. Two similar surveys were conducted one year after ChatGPT was released in December 2023 to measure the perceptions of generative AI and changes in behavior in the academic space among students and faculty at the University of Maine. The survey findings were that student respondents have been quicker to adopt and find utility in the new technology. Still, it has yet to be readily adopted for use as widely as predicted by students and faculty. Moderate, but not extreme, changes to behavior among students in particular were found. Behavior and feelings among students and faculty shared some correlation with certain demographic factors, such as gender and area of study. That said, generative AI has yet to cause significant changes in behavior among students and faculty surveyed in the college education realm, but future studies should follow attitude and behavior changes as time progresses.
Location of Publication:
URL to Thesis: https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/honors/877/