Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

Human language strongly connects conveyed ideas to the spatial plane. Prepositions are some of the most important pieces in describing how two entities relate in spatial terms. Yet, within a preposition, there are many different variations in meaning that are conveyed. The word under, for example, might refer to a ball sitting under a table or a river flowing under a bridge, two uses which convey very different spatial and temporal information. In addition to differences in spatial senses, prepositions have metaphoric senses.

With the recent boom in artificial intelligence and robotics, social robots are being increasingly used as therapeutic devices for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). These social robots are thought to be effective because of their object-like simplicity combined with human- like social behaviors. Researchers have found that social robots have a multitude of beneficial outcomes for children with ASD, including increased engagement, the emergence of new social behaviors, and reduced social anxiety.

Forgetting in knowledge-based systems allows the systems to adapt in dynamic environments by removing irrelevant information. Traditional deletion strategies used in case-based reasoning systems are good at improving system performance while preserving competence. However, these systems have been proven to work rigidly when applied to assistive technologies because they do not possess the same forgetting mechanisms as humans do.

Large intraplate earthquakes faraway from plate boundaries are not well understood. In this study, we conduct a seismicity analysis of the earthquakes nearby one of the most active intraplate strike-slip fault in the world that is capable of producing magnitude-8 earthquakes. 72 seismic stations are deployed between 2012 and 2014 and record seismicity in Central Mongolia. We are able to identify two clusters of larger magnitude events locating near the end of the rupture zones from the 1905 earthquakes suggesting that they are the aftershocks from the 1905 earthquakes.

How do nations choose which events to memorialize? In a study of the collective mnemonics of the United States' wars in Vietnam and Korea, I argue that the latter has been disproportionately discounted given its long-lasting and timely impacts. Using concepts such as semiotics, "dominant voices", and habitus, I argue that the intense memorialization of the Vietnam War has been sustained through resources not put towards the Korean War.

This paper explores the social movement framing strategies used by the National Rifle Association (NRA). Through content analysis of the American Rifleman publication, seven framing strategies emerge: frame extension, frame bridging, frame amplification, vilification, frame saving, frame debunking, and normalization. These strategies aid the NRA in maintaining members and mobilizing supporters to work on behalf of the pro-gun movement to limit the passage of gun control legislation.

This thesis examines how Lehigh students negotiate the cultural model of success, using a theoretical approach that combines cultural models, success, motivation, emotional well-being, education, and social reproduction. Ten interviews with Lehigh business school seniors were transcribed and imported into NVivo for coding and thematic content analysis where the data revealed a cultural model of success comprised of three features: financial gain, happiness, and personal goals.

The purpose of this document is to provide a detailed account of the history of the water supply for the city of Bethlehem. This report begins with the settlement of the Moravians in the area, their need for water and the solutions they developed to meet their needs. It explains why Bethlehem water sources were switched, and how contamination, increasing population and water demands affected Bethlehem and its water supply. The document also introduces South Bethlehem and their water system.

The self-immolation of Mohammed Bouzaizi, a Tunisian fruit vendor, in the front of the Sidi Bouzid regional council ignited the most widespread demonstrations the Middle East has ever witnessed. During the months that followed demonstrators demanded an end to corrupt regimes through both peaceful and vio lent means. In Morocco, swift constitutional action suppressed protests. In Egypt, 18 days of protests led to the removal of President Hosni Mubarak and the National Democratic Party; the Party's office was soon replaced by a military regime.

Study abroad has become increasingly popular over the years. More students are making it part of their higher education every year, and while long-term study abroad used to be the only option, short-term study abroad is now becoming a viable option. And although the literature has outlined why students go abroad and how their experiences impact them for years afterward, there is little offered in way of how motivations impact the experiences that change these students.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a virus that attacks the T helper cells, specifically the CD4 cells, in humans. CD4 cells are the cells that help fight infections in the body. Since HIV attacks the body's defense system, without treatment, the body gradually wears out and becomes unable to suppress virus replication. As healthy cell numbers dip lower, the body becomes immune compromised and more susceptible to other infections.

Lesbian couples with children lack the prescribed model of" typical" familial arrangement that heterosexual couples have in the nuclear family. Previous research has established that lesbian couples arrange housework and child care in a manner that is substantially more egalitarian than their peers. How do lesbian couples come to such arrangements, and, do these patterns of egalitarianism extend to childcare and child rearing, and household planning?

American society reveres values of capitalism, stressing the importance of competition and individualism. However, these values directly conflict with the basic human need for community and interaction with others. The consequence of this clash is often loneliness, a phenomenon experienced by most of the American population, which can be detrimental to both one's physical and mental health. Time banks have been growing in popularity in the United States throughout the past twenty years.

The following analysis studies the first four years of undergraduate coeducation at Lehigh University. Using Rosabeth Kanter's (1977) theory of tokenism, I prove three main points related to women's experience at Lehigh University. First, tokenism was an essential part of the female experience at Lehigh University. Second, women directly served this role through enhancing the University status and social life of its male students. Third, increased female admission to Lehigh University would be the best means to dismantle gender tokenism on campus.

After a month of checking the mail every day, the day I had waited for had finally come. I remember seeing the white envelope sent from the Lehigh University Office of Admissions. Regardless of what the letter said inside, I was going to know where I was going to college in a few minutes. I had already been notified of acceptance to another school the week before, but Lehigh was my first choice.

There are three main development issues that Bangladesh struggles with today. They are education, poverty, and women's inequality. The state of these issues has a significant impact on the country's overall condition. Since the country is currently underdeveloped, it is clear that these issues are in need of improvement. With a substandard education system, Bangladeshis must resort to careers that do not require a degree in higher-level education, such as agricultural or vocational work, which do not have promising futures.

For my thesis I will be analyzing the social perceptions at Lehigh University of the undergraduate students in this college community. Through informal conversations with friends, peers, faculty, and staff, I have been made aware of several ways in which the Lehigh campus is itself divided. I am interested in the subcultures that exist on campus and how people perceive their campus social universe. Recently due to events on campus there has been a lot oftalk about campus climate and problems with diversity.

Choosing a school is an important decision that all parents are forced to make for their children . It is interesting to observe parents who have strong beliefs in the importance of public education and yet choose to send their children to elite private schools . There are many dual career couples that face the issue of providing care for their children , while maintaining their demanding work life .

This study explores the relationships between a village in Siam, the Siamese government, and European influences through time. 1 I became interested in the intersections between these three actors in a long series of readings, papers, and reflections on my way toward cultivating a thesis. I began with an exploration into swidden agriculture from a curiosity with different agrarian life ways. I read Lucien M. Hanks (1972), "Rice and Man", and altered my research to focus on the role of the state in one agrarian/fishing hamlet, Bang Chan.

In the United States, as well as in other post-industrial countries, there is an increasingly welldocumented attention to environmental issues arising among both the general population and the media (Jackson, 2007). This is a result of several factors: mounting awareness of the many health and sanitation problems associated with chemically dependent agriculture; occurrences like the recent E.

This honors research thesis is an exploratory analysis of campus rape culture at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia and Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA. Through the use of twenty in-depth interviews at each university, the author explores the dynamics that create campus rape culture, such as gender relations, social activities, and gendered living environments. Observations present an interesting array of students' perspectives on the culture in which they live and how this affects their daily academic and social lives.