Northern Michigan University Master's Theses
This is an electronic repository of the intellectual output of Northern Michigan University Master's graduates and provides an organized way to preserve theses in a digital format .
Before submitting a thesis please view the College of Graduate Studies and Research Thesis Information page. For specific questions email graduate@nmu.edu or call 906-227-2300.
Graduate students can submit their thesis by clicking on the Submit Research button on the left hand side of the screen, filling out the required form and attaching their document. Before submitting please review the Policies and Submission Guidelines pages. In addition, make sure your thesis follows the formatting requirements specified in the The Northern Michigan University Guide to the Preparation of Theses.
For your convenience, the NMU Theses collection has also been organized into departmental collections. You may browse these sub-collections by clicking the links below:
Theses from 2026
Post-Truth Gaming: Fictional Pasts and Constitutive Rhetoric in Video Game Nostalgia, Hunter Bishop
The Fundamental Group: A Geometric Perspective, Kayla M. Bittenbinder
SITUATION MOUSE ALL FLOXED UP: EXPLORING PHENOTYPIC ABNORMALITIES IN BDNF FLOXED MICE, Marissa A. Burkman
The Last Goose on Earth: A Tale Told in Verse, Sara Daniels
Gabapentin Discriminative Stimulus Effects, Andrew Donar
Numerical and Harmonic Analysis of Simplex Number Parity, Hunter DM Hannula
IMPROVING CANNABIS SATIVA'S PHYTOREMEDIATION CAPABILITIES OF FOREVER CHEMICALS THROUGH MICROBIAL INOCULATIONS, Tyler S. Jolin
Educators: A Novel, Matthew Q. Joy
Problematic Social Media Use’s Association with Social Anxiety and Neural Responsiveness to Reward from Social Media Feedback, Kaylee Mercer
When We're Where, Adam Nesbit
Deep Learning Based Approaches For Low Cost Defense Detection, Adele J. Noel-Rickert
SCROLLING CRITICALLY: MOMFLUENCERS AS SITES OF COMPOSITION, RHETORIC, AND PEDAGOGICAL INSIGHT, Sarah A. O'Neill
Revised - THE ROLE OF GAD67/65 IN THE THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS OF KETAMINE AND FLUOXETINE IN FEAR-CONDITIONED MICE, Alex G. Ottimer
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Host: Fleas and the History of Pikas in North America, Josh Pletcher
Company Town, Frankie M. Spring
A Mirror Can Shatter, Jordan J. Vines
But First, We Will Survive, Nicolette A. Visciano
ASSESSING THE EFFECTS OF KETAMINE AND ITS ENANTIOMERS ON COMPULSIVE-LIKE AND DEPRESSIVE-LIKE BEHAVIOR, Joseph Walstrom
Theses from 2025
Identifying and Examining Stressors in the Secondary and Post-Secondary Classroom, Benjamin S. Alter
Ladder Fuels, Monica Anderson
ST3GAL3 GENE MUTATION WITHIN THE SINGULAR NUCLEOTIDE POLYMORPHISM, RS3952787, POTENTIALLY COULD PREDICT ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVE DISORDER, ANXIETY, AND DEPRESSION, Rebecca R. Balinski
Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Marquette County Michigan's Wastewater, Bethany Beavers
EXAMINING THE EFFECTS OF A FRESHWATER ENVIRONMENT ON DECOMPOSITION: A PILOT STUDY, Leah Bell
THE EFFECT OF SKELETAL MUSCLE-SYNTHESIZED BDNF ON MOTOR NEURON SOMA SIZE AND BDNF PROTEIN ABUNDANCE, Sydney Benson
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE BILATERAL LIMB DEFICIT AND CHANGE OF DIRECTION AND LINEAR SPRINT IN DIVISION II MALE SOCCER PLAYERS, Giuseppe Capello Real
AN ASSESSMENT OF SUBADULT SKELETAL GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT BASED ON A MICHIGAN MEDICAL EXAMINER SAMPLE, Megan E. Carroll
UNDERSTANDING THE IMPACT OF LABS UNLEASHED, AN APPLIED MATH PROGRAM: INSTRUCTOR PERCEPTIONS OF STUDENT MOTIVATION AND ACHIEVEMENT, Christine S. Columb
INVESTIGATION OF GREAT LAKES LAKE WHITEFISH EGG FERTILITY AND HEALTH, Michael L. Diefenbach
TEMPERATURE VARIATION IN MARQUETTE, MICHIGAN, CONCERNING SKELETAL MUSCLE DEGRADATION PATTERNS FOR POSTMORTEM INTERVAL DETERMINATION, Julia G. Emery
The Effect of Ischemic Preconditioning on Rock Climbing Performance, Jordan Fleury
Bartonella in Small Mammals from Montana and Idaho, Emily Greenman
A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY INTO THE EXPERIENCES OF INTROVERTED TEACHERS, Bambi A. Hamel
Exploring the Exceptional Extreme Rays of the Copositive Cone, Trent Holmgren
Investigating the Role of msBDNF – TrkB Signaling in the Maintenance of Mitochondrial Populations Through the BNIP3 Mitophagy Pathway, Jack A. Horton
ELUCIDATING THE ROLE OF MIR-10A/B IN THE WOUND HEALING PROCESS IN LARVAL ZEBRAFISH, Jacquelyn E. Jacobs
Soil Microbial Community Response to Human Decomposition in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Amanda L. Joslyn
What Mean Do You Mean?, Shelby L. Juidici
Cherry Tree Variations, Ari Koontz
A Taste of Rhetoric: Moves & Practices in the Decolonization & Restoration of Historic Foodways, Abby A. LaForest
Motivations of Female Instructors at Becoming an Outdoors Woman in Michigan, Jennifer Lehto
Per Mutations, Barbra J. Lounsbury
Effects of Response-Independent Food Delivery During Timeout on Timeout Punishment, Haillie McDonough
Peacecroft, Tucker McLain
Death Becomes Us: The Consumptive Body in Nineteenth-Century Gothic Literature, Jennifer Marie McMahon
ASSESSING THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN ATTENTIONAL BIAS TO CLIMATE CHANGE IMAGES AND CLIMATE ANXIETY, Abby R. Morley
QUOTIENTS, EQUIVALENCE RELATIONS, AND NORMALITY IN NON-ASSOCIATIVE ALGEBRA WITH REGARDS TO LOOPS AND QUASIGROUPS, Matthew L. Mulholland
MICROBIAL GUARDIANS OF THE SAVANNAH: UNRAVELING THE GUT MICROBIOME FOR AFRICAN CARNIVORE CONSERVATION, Laura E. Peirson
DISPERSAL MECHANISMS OF EMBRYONIC AND LARVAL BURBOT (LOTA LOTA), Alexis K. Pupo
EFFECTS OF SIGMA-1 RECEPTOR AGONISTS ON COMPULSIVE BEHAVIOR AND NEUROPLASTICITY, Shelby F. Roesner
THE MOLECULAR AND BEHAVIORAL CHARACTERIZATION OF THE MURINE CRE – LOXP SKELETAL MUSCLE SYNTHESIZED BDNF KNOCKOUT MODEL, Asha E. Rustad
The Effect of an Acute Bout of Rock Climbing on Cognitive Functioning and Cortisol Levels, Vanessa Steigauf
Water Wars, Selah Tay-Song
Catasterisms, Andrew D. Walker
Scrounge, Alexander J. Watanen
Izzy and Aster's Guide to Cryptid Creatures, Miranda Williams
MEASURES OF MUSCLE STRENGTH, RATE OF FORCE DEVELOPMENT, AND FATIGUABILITY ACROSS THE MENSTRUAL CYCLE, Cassidy Wisler
Preferences for and Effectiveness of Role-Play on the Acquisition of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Skills, Logan D. Zupko
Theses from 2024
EFFECTS OF DIAZEPAM, D-AMPHETAMINE, AND MORPHINE ON RATS’ CHOICES BETWEEN FOOD ALONE AND FOOD WITH DELAYED SHOCK, Mackenzie Baranski
Domesticated Animal, Luisa Barron
WOLF HOMESITE SELECTION AND DEN CHARACTERISTICS IN NORTHERN MINNESOTA, Lucas K. Beck
Salt Dreams, Phoebe E. Billups
Who’s Next: Elementary Principals’ Process for Identifying Future School Leaders in Washtenaw County, Michigan, Jennifer Bookout
FROM TURF TO TURF: FUNGAL INVASION OF ASCOCORYNE TURFICOLA IN A NORTHERN MICHIGAN BOG, Evan L. Coscarelli-Trott
Effects of Dextromethorphan on Neurite Outgrowth and Marble Burying Behavior, Alexia Dalton
EFFECTS OF FOREST SUCCESSION ON RAM'S HEAD LADY'S SLIPPER (CYPRIPEDIUM ARIETINUM) POPULATIONS IN THE GRAND SABLE DUNES, MI, Katelyn J. DeWitt
NEUROMUSCULAR ELECTRICAL STIMULATION IN COMPARISON TO HEAT THERAPY AS A MODALITY AFTER EXERCISE-INDUCED MUSCLE FATIGUE, Diana Dzasezeva
The Endings, Benjamin J. Fidler
Plumbing the Depths of the Shallow End: Exploring Persistent Homology Using Small Data, R. Anne Flynn
GEN Z’S PERCEPTIONS AND USE PATTERNS OF SMARTPHONES IN NATURE-BASED RECREATION, Miles A. Glendening
The Mongolian Remodeling and the structure of Anoplocephalid cestode diversity, Mackenzie Grover
Environmental DNA (eDNA) Metabarcoding: Analysis of Freshwater Macroinvertebrate Community Structure and Diversity, Katherine Hoehne
Patterns in Gray Wolf Pup Survival and Recruitment in Northern Minnesota, Andrea Hynes
PERCEPTIONS OF TRAUMA-INFORMED EDUCATIONAL PRACTICES IN WASHTENAW COUNTY, MICHIGAN, Kimberly C. Jasper
What Drives Gut Microbial Diversity and Community Structure Among Closely-Related Host Species?, Rylee Jensen
EFFECT OF UPPER BODY FATIGUING EXERCISE ON SHOULDER DYNAMIC STABILITY IN OVERHEAD AND NON-OVERHEAD ATHLETES, Abby M. Knight
Magpy: A Python Package for Magmas, Skylar Korf
Tribal Relations and NAGPRA: Consciousness, Connectedness, and Cause, Rylee S. LaLonde
Resting-state Functional Connectivity Correlates of Inhibitory Control over Emotional Stimuli, Makayla Mattson
SEASONAL VARIATION IN ROTIFER OCCUPANCY WITHIN FRULLANIA EBORACENSIS LOBULES: ILLUMINATING A SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TWO OVERLOOKED SPECIES, Emily A. Mydlowski
USING ADDITIONAL MEASURES OF HANDGRIP STRENGTH TO PREDICT AEROBIC CAPACITY IN WHEELCHAIR USERS, Eric Naugle
Neurocorrelates of Character Choice in a Videogame Task, Elijah Nieman
Something Like Human, Sofie R. Olin-Hitt
The Near Normality of the Commutant of a Moufang Loop, Evan Phillips
Gradual Memory Safety, Jack Phillips
Throwing The Bones, Dacia Price
UTILIZING THE LEAF-QUESTIONNAIRE TO DETERMINE THE RISK OF LOW ENERGY AVAILABILITY IN COLLEGE FEMALE WRESTLERS, Rafaela Rafajlovska
THIS NOW WHICH IS TO SAY YOU, Lauren Sparks
EXAMINATION OF VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS ASSOCIATED WITH HUMAN DECOMPOSITION BYPRODUCTS IN SOIL, savannah m. struble
GHOST PENINSULA, Zane E. Tanis
Drug Treatments for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in a Mouse Model, Megan Wells
Theses from 2023
TRANSACTIONAL AND TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP IN THE SUPERINTENDENCY: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY OF THREE UPPER PENINSULA SUPERINTENDENTS’ EXPERIENCES, Lisa A. Coombs-Gerou
THE EMPRESS OF ROME & OTHER STORIES THAT MAKE ME POSSIBLE, Zoa Coudret