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The Alma College Institutional Repository contains the publicly available digital materials and archives created by Alma College students, faculty and staff. The Alma College Digital Photo Archive, the entire run of Almanian Student newspaper, and all of the Alma College Yearbooks are available here.
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Happy as I am?
2026
Emily Perkins
In the field of psychology, many aspects contribute to a person’s self-concept, or how they see themselves and what they feel is important to them. Although there is a significant amount of research in this area, there is a lack of representation for individuals with disabilities and how this identity fits into one’s self-concept. In order to begin looking at how having a disability may affect a person’s sense of self, this study will investigate two specific details to see if there is any relationship between them and an individual’s identity. These details are the onset and severity of a disability. The study will then investigate how a person identifies with their disability and the impact that has on life satisfaction and language preferences. Language preferences are between person-first and identity- first language, which means some people prefer being referred to as a disabled person and others prefer being referred to as a person with a disability. This study will determine if there is any correlation between disability identity and life satisfaction, as well as investigate how stronger disability identity might impact language preferences. It is predicted that earlier onset and greater severity will likely make having a disability more central to one’s self-concept. It is also expected that the more central having a disability is in one’s self-concept, the more they will prefer identity-first language, and the more satisfied they will be with their life. Overall, this will further research in the field of identity because it will explore how identity may appear for a specific group of people, allowing for identifying people who may need extra support if there is a correlation between identity and life satisfaction, and it could also potentially provide information regarding best practices for language usage for individuals with disabilities.
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Examining the Regulation of TLR2 in Undifferentiated and Differentiated Neuro2a Cells Following Stimulation with Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)
2026
Annie Singh
Inflammation is an essential part of normal immune system functioning and is the mechanism for the body to respond to insult and foreign pathogens. However, chronic inflammation has long been understood to be pathogenic in many disease states, including diabetes mellitus (DM), cardiovascular disease (CVD), stroke, and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). This research aims to explore how inflammatory conditions influence the regulation of Toll-Like Receptor 2 (TLR2), a key receptor involved in innate immune signaling. The current study investigates the regulation of TLR2 in both undifferentiated and differentiated Neuro-2a (N2a) cells in the presence of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). N2a cells are mouse neuroblastoma cells that display characteristics of both neuronal and amoeboid stem cells, having been isolated from fetal mouse brain tissue. Although N2a cells are not immune cells, they respond to inflammatory stimuli, making them valuable for studying neuron-inflammation interactions. LPS, an endotoxin found in bacteria, is frequently used in laboratory settings and serves as a trigger for innate immune responses. Recent studies have shown that neurons can express various members of the TLR family, indicating that immunoreactivity is present in neurons as well. This project consists of four groups. Group 1, a control group, will have N2a cells undifferentiated without LPS, and Group 2 will have N2a cells undifferentiated with LPS. Group 3, a control group, will have N2a cells differentiated using 1% bovine serum albumin (BSA) without LPS, and Group 4 will have N2a cells differentiated using 1% BSA with LPS. We hypothesize that the TLR2 receptor is overexpressed in differentiated N2a cells compared to undifferentiated cells, and that its expression increases further in cells exposed to LPS. These findings will contribute to the understanding of neuron-like cells being capable of detecting and reacting to inflammatory cues.
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Deconvoluting the Effects of Surfactant Identity and Concentration on Nanoparticle Purification By Depletion Flocculation
2026
Nayeli Santana-Venegas
For any nanoscale material, its use in applications is predicated upon the ability to obtain high purity with respect to both size and shape. For most types and compositions of nanoparticles, this is achieved through highly-optimized synthetic approaches. However, there exist many examples where synthetic routes are limited with respect to synthesized purity, meaning purification is required to obtain the desired product. For anisotropic nanoparticles, depletion flocculation has been shown to successfully purify a several different nanoparticle shapes based on the surface area of the nanoparticles’ largest facet. This process is driven by the addition of excess surfactant, which then self-assembles into micelles and forces the depletion of the nanoparticles. However, in the reports where this technique has been employed to purify certain anisotropic gold nanoparticles, there are discrepancies between experimental observations and the theoretical framework in terms of the depletion potential energy. In this project, we explore the various parameters that affect purification via depletion flocculation using a variety of crude nanoparticle mixtures. We investigate depletion behavior of the nanoparticles and its relationship to surfactant identity and concentration. Finally, we look to better understand the flocculation behavior by investigating the sedimentation rates of different colloid systems.
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The Value of the Voice: The Alma College Choral Programs History of Sexism and Transgender Exclusion
2026
Cassandra McGaugh
What is the value of your voice? If you could put a price tag on your vocal ability, what would it be? This project aims to guide attendees through an empathetic journey of diverse students through the past Alma College Choral Program.
This research project collected interviews with eight members of the Alma College Choral Program to find their scholarship amount, choir placement, assigned uniform, voice range, and voice placement to explore an inherent system of inequity in the Alma College Choral Program. This project also presents the conversations of change as this research opened conversations with music department staff about preferential and exclusionary policies.
According to anecdotal interviews conducted in March of 2025. The past Alma College music administration upheld gender preferential and transgender exclusionary policies. The scholarship gap between Soprano and Alto and Tenor and Bass voices created a system of gender preference and transgender exclusion within the choral program. From the lowest scholarship amount given to all Soprano and Alto singers, to the contradicting scholarship information and, exclusive culture the program created towards transgender singers.
This presentation explores the history of sexism and transgender exclusion in the wider choral music field and asks the viewers a simple question, what is the value of their voice? This presentation invites attendees to open up conversations about gender preferences, institutional intersectional discrimination, and hosting reflection on the Alma College Choral Programs discriminatory past.
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Las Leyendas de la Hermosa Jarifa
2026
Melanie Werner
This project uses creative storytelling to explore ideas of honor, social status, religion, and political unrest in 15th-century Muslim Granada. The story is based around the 16thcentury Moorish novel El Abencerraje y la Hermosa Jarifa, and it combines historical elements and Spanish legends to expand on the original story and lives of the characters. While the retelling follows a variety of characters, it primarily focuses on Abindarráez, a young Abencerraje prince, and his journey to discover what honor means to him in a world rocked by deception and betrayal. The story is framed as a “proposal” for an animated series, divided into a series of episodes. Each episode includes a plot summary, an analysis, and drawings and explanations of the characters.
As I researched for this project, I examined many sources such as traditional legends from the period (especially surrounding the Alhambra, the Granadan palace where Abindarráez is from), journal articles, and other historical written sources documenting what life was like in 15th-century Granada. For the character designs, I investigated several visual elements such as fabrics from the Nasrid period, traditional art, and additional clothing artifacts. I then incorporated my findings into my characters’ outfits and designs to reflect their societal status and role in the story.
While this story is still in development, there are several arguments and themes that stand out in the narrative. Through its interactions of characters with diverse religious backgrounds and social statuses, Las Leyendas de la Hermosa Jarifa builds a picture of Al-Andalus that supports neither a society rooted purely in conflict or conviviencia, but one that is much more complicated. It also stands as a challenge to traditional Spanish Golden Age stereotypes of violence equating to ultimate honor. At its heart, this story is one about conflicting tensions, whether it be the unpredictable world of Nasrid politics or the imminent Christian Reconquista. Most importantly, however, it is also about internal tensions: the inner struggle and journey of a young man discovering who he is.
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Alma College Digital Archives
The digital extension of the Alma Archives
Alma College Electronic Theses
Graduate and Undergraduate theses created for degrees at Alma College
Alma College Yearbooks
Digitized and text searchable yearbooks
Almanian
The Almanian is Alma College's student run newspaper. It has been digitized and is full-text searchable.
Pine River Anthology
The Pine River Anthology is an annual art and literature publication by Alma College Students