Corey Boles for his plethora of knowledge and willingness to help over the past two years. Thank you for assisting in each step of my project, from designing the experiment to reading my thesis a hundred time. I cannot thank you enough for all the time you have put into helping me finish my project. I honestly don't know what I would have done without you. I would also like to thank my committee members, Dr. David Cwiertny, Dr. Grant Brown, and Dr. Patrick O'Shaughnessy. Thank you for taking the time to be on my committee and for sharing your knowledge and expertise to improve my thesis project. I would like to thank my best friend Amber. We have struggled through every step of this journey together. I would not have wanted to move to Iowa and go through graduate school with anyone else. You have been my roommate, confidant, and travel buddy. I would not have made it through these past two years without our fun times. Thanks for being there for me. Next, I would like to thank my parents. You both have been so supportive entire life. Living far away from you both has been the hardest thing I have had to do but now I know it has been worth it. I sure was lucky getting parents like you. Lastly, I would like to thank my husband Jacob. You have lifted my spirits and kept me going when I thought I wasn't going to make it through. You always put a smile on my face and encouraged me to do my best. Thanks for supporting me and loving me through it all.