2006 Sample Capstone Projects

Unbundling IT: Examining critical elements that will revolutionize the way we perceive and use Information Technology
For a technology to reach its maximum potential it must first become standardized. In order to support this claim this project will carefully examine and support what I consider to be the three paramount issues involving fully realized Information Technology.  These issues are: user maturity, which proceeds and lays the groundwork for two additional and critically important factors; incremental vs. quantum implantation and the commoditization of IT services and applications. While this paper will focus primarily on software there are strong correlative motivations influencing the hardware industry as well.
 
Mentor: Pete Miller, BIS Program
 
Help from Harry?
The Harry Potter series has affected the literary world, the media world, and the merchandising world, but has it affected a young reader's academic world? Has the series improved reading skills, broadened the imagination and motivated students to read more?
 
Mentor: Ann Marie Plunkett, BIS Program
 
A Proposal for a Classification of the Serial Killer in the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostics and Statistics Manual
 
Mentor: Monnica Williams, BIS Program
 
Determining the True Success of the Wal-Mart Corporation
Wal-Mart's incredible rise to the top of the retail industry has led many to believe it is the most successful company in America. Magazines such as Fortune have affirmed this notion.  A different paradigm of business success states that success cannot be defined solely by financial statements used by Fortune to compile its list of most successful companies.  This Capstone uses the Baldridge Award Criteria, a multi-faceted approach, to determine the true success of the Wal-Mart Corporation.
 
Mentor: John Corlett, BIS Program
    
Exercise Dependence: A Primary Disorder?
Currently there is a debate about whether exercise dependence is a primary disorder or exclusively a symptom of an eating disorder.  A comprehensive review of literature revealed evidence for both sides of the argument.
 
Mentor : Monnica Williams, BIS Program
   
Should the Logging Industry Extract Timber from National Forests and Parks?
Prior to World War II, there was little concern about logging in the National Forests and Parks. The baby boom that erupted after the World War II caused logging industries to escalate harvesting on public lands and use clear-cutting which denuded forests. Visitors to the National Forests and Parks found large areas with nothing but stumps instead of green trees. Pressure was put on the government for regulations on deforestation. The logging industry has argued that they do not endanger the forests. Some environmental and conservation groups want logging halted. My investigation examines the different viewpoints on the issue. 
 
Mentor : Mark White, McIntire School of Commerce
 
Recidivism Among Drug Offenders
The correctional system in the United States is nothing more than a revolving door for drug offenders.  After serving their sentences drug offenders are released to return to the same environment without treatment, education, or skills that would change the drug offender’s situation.  In order to reduce the recidivism rate drug offenders must be held accountable for their actions but also receive the necessary treatment.
 
Mentor : Alan Rasmussen, BIS Program
 
The Department of State Policy Planning Staff's Role in the Formation of Foreign Policy, Yesterday and Today

Established in 1947 by Secretary of State George Marshall, the Policy Planning Staff was designed to focus on important foreign policy issues with a view toward long range goals. Unburdened by daily operational responsibilities the Staff became an important tool for the formulation of strategies leading to the Marshall Plan and early decisions that laid the groundwork for containment of the Soviet Union. This Capstone Project examines the structure and process of the early Policy Planning Staff, which was seen as being successful, and compares it to that of the current administration.  

Mentor : Pete Ronayne, BIS Program; Federal Executive Institute

Childrearing Variations and the School
The characteristics of a student's family have a strong correlation with educational outcomes. The relationship can be partially explained by the ways social class influences behavior, particularly parenting practices. There are patterns of childrearing practices that differ between social classes. When children enter schools, these differences play out to the advantage of middle class children.
 
Mentor : Kate Wood, BIS Program
 

Looking Back in Order to Move Forward: Using the Philippine American War to Demonstrate Elements of Success in Counterinsurgency With Applications to Iraq
Mentor : Pete Ronayne, BIS Program; Federal Executive Institute
 
Pinching Pennies: Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services CMS 75-Percent Rule Impact Analysis
This project analyzes the impact of newly defined criteria for classification of an Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (IRF).  It’s primary focus is the affect of these changes on total joint replacement patients and IRF’s.
 
Mentor : Ron Bouchard, Health Sciences
 
Gender Different Conversational Styles: Contribution to Marital Conflict
This project explores the work and theories of linguist Deborah Tannen. My research verifies her work through case studies and interviews with two local marriage counselors.
 
Mentor : Kate Wood, BIS Program
 
The Motives of the Nazi Doctors: Transition from Hippocratic Oath to Murder
In my Capstone, I explore the motivations of the Nazi doctors who conducted the famous medical experiments during the Holocaust. I focus on the motive of professional and career advancement, and how ambition played a role with “normal” doctors and medical students who collaborated with the Nazi Regime.
 
Mentor : Pete Ronayne, BIS Program; Federal Executive Institute
 
The Confederacy's Passage into Peace
This Capstone traces the experiences of defeated Confederate soldiers as they traveled home at the end of the American Civil War. It analyzes their earliest realizations regarding the future of the post-bellum South. In doing so I study their reactions to the end of slavery as well as their memories of the war and how such memory is projected against the promise of the future.
 
Mentor : Ed Ayers, College of Arts and Sciences