Students with a high academic record entering their senior year—above a 3.5 GPA—can pursue Honors by completing significant or original work in their major. These projects are some of the finest work Ursinus students have completed, often leading to work in graduate school or by future Ursinus students. Students who complete a project of remarkable discipline and originality can earn Distinguished Honors.
Theses/Dissertations from 2024
The Role of MBK-2 and CDK-1 in Oocytes and Early Embryos of pam-1 Mutant C. elegans, Alexa R. Alessandrini
Prefrontal Cortex Activity When Processing Concrete and Abstract Words: A fNIRS Study, Luke Ammazzalorso
FBO or No? Explaining USAID Partnerships with Faith-Based Organizations in Development Aid, Abigail Behm
CDK-1 Location and Activity in the Gonad Interacting with pam-1 in C. elegans, Sarah Bell
Small Molecule Reactivity Pathways with DFsc Proteins, Alex Bender
Detecting the Degradation Products of Cutin and PET, Matthew Burns
The Alchemy of Diversification: A Deep Dive Into the Stock-Bond Correlation, Evan Coffey
Exploring Population Dynamics of a Stage-Structured Host-Parasitoid Model of Acyrthosiphon pisum with Increased Longevity of Aphidius ervi, Kasey L. Cooper
Writing, Performance, Resistance: Examining Feminist Ideology and Theory in Theatre Since the Second Wave, Olivia Cross
Using Microfossils to Examine Paleoclimate Through Glacial / Interglacial Cycles at ODP Site 1233, Chile Margin, Southeast Pacific Ocean, Abigail Duimering
Rewrite the Past and Remember the Future: How Expatriates Built an Independent Ireland, Morgan Grabowski
Signal Processing Algorithms for Doppler LiDAR Sensors, Samantha Grubb
Who Wins Post-Conflict? Political Party Transformation in Northern Ireland During the Brexit Era, Shannon Henes
Which Justices are Just? An Investigation of the Factors That Influence College Student Perceptions of Judicial Impartiality, Carly Henning
How Generation Z Canceled the United States Government: An Analysis of Trust, Corrine Hofmann
Isolation of Aged Mouse Primary Microglia as a Model System for Alzheimer’s Disease Research, Michael Landis
Hydrolase Activity of cis-His and trans-His Due Ferri Single Chain Proteins, Danny Leach
Accommodation and Treatment Seeking for Those with a Concealable Stigmatized Identity Disability in the Undergraduate and Workforce Environments, Sophie K. Louis
Étant Donnés: Checkmate, Rrose Sélavy, Callagh Mays
Connection to Places: Exploring Impacts of Development and Individual Characteristics, Seamus McGrath
Investigating Interactions Between Neurodegenerative Disease Proteins and DnaJB Chaperones, Rileigh Owens
NFL Rule Changes Favor Offenses; But Don't Defenses Win Championships?, Kipp Satterlee Ransome
Beyond Birth: Nurturing Careers, Elevating Women in Southern Europe, Avery Samer
Deprotection, Purification, and Characterization of Potential Small Molecule Methyltransferase Inhibitors, John Jake Sasso
Applications of Janus Dendrimersomes in Nucleic Acid Delivery, Kyle Schantz
Is Seeing Believing? How Television Advertisements Influence Investment Decisions, Lucas Selb
Synthesis of Fluorescent Rhodols from Fluorescein Derivatives via Smiles Rearrangement, Julia Shoemaker
The Intersection of Grief and Religion: How Religious Beliefs Impact the Experience of Complicated Grief in College Students, Brenna Snively
Jargon to Jackpot: The Financial Impact of Infusing Pop Culture References in Social Media, Madelynn Solow
Bioactive Glass Bead Characterization: Further Applications in Passive Drug Delivery, Marie O. Sykes
The Effect of Acute Exercise on Insulin Sensitivity and Metabolic Gene Expression in Male and Female Mice, Jack Thompson
Powerhouse Problem: The Examination of the NFL Draft and Possible Biases, Nicholas Troha
The Development of Scientific Interest and Skill Through Digital Displays: Inspiring Awe and Curiosity About the Natural World, Juliana Valerio
The Effects of Music on Physiology, Perception, and Performance (MP3) During Resistance Training, Madison Vinovrski
Theses/Dissertations from 2023
Temperature-Dependent Reproductive Enhancement of the Pea Aphid from Mutualistic Infection by the Symbiont Hamiltonella defensa, Ian T. Abrahams
Self-Interest or Altruism: Why do Some INGOs Engage in Conflict Settings While Others Leave?, Rachel Arthur
Balancing Interests in Forest Governance in Brazil and Indonesia, Annabel McCormick Baldy
Using Click Chemistry to Assemble DNA-Conjugated Dendrimersomes for Targeted Delivery Applications, Paige Bristow
Experimental Study of Neutron Shell Structure in Chromium-53 via Neutron Transfer to Chromium-52, Dylan Todd Brown-Simms
Fluorescently Visualizing the Interaction Between Ciprofloxacin and PEG Modified Carbon Nanotube Inside of an Escherichia Coli Cell, Cassandra Burke
Investigating Protein Interactions Important for Synapses in the Developing Nervous System, Melanie DeRosa
A Discrete Morse Approach for Computing Homotopy Types: An Exploration of the Morse, Generalized Morse, Matching, and Independence Complexes, Connor Donovan
Adapting the Classics: Making the Invisible Visible, Kate Isabel Foley
Combined Effects of High-Fat Diet and Pregnancy on Cardiac Function, Alex Goldsby
Phosphatase Activities and Metal Binding Equivalencies of the De Novo Due Ferri Single Chain Proteins, Avraham Goldschmidt
Family Matters: Educational Expectation and the PSID, Michael Green
Japan: Where Did All the People Go? An Empirical Study on Economic and Social Impacts on Low Fertility in Japan, Sasha Heasley
Are Economic Outcomes Depressed When the Economic Agent is Depressed?, Elizabeth Kandler
The Contributions of Ketogenic Diet to Behavioral Alterations and Brain Development in C57BL/6-NClr Mice, Mya Knappenberger
The Effect of Dietary Nutrition on the Regeneration of Ambystoma mexicanum, Samuel Krause
Synthesis and Analysis of Reaction Based Fluorogenic Probes for the Detection of Chlorite in Drinking Water, William Krueger
Qing Dynasty Religious Manipulation of Tibet, Hannah Nancy Lee
Developing a Yeast Model System to Study the Human Orthologs of the Ribosome-Associated Complex, Amanda Marley
Audience Driven Scientific Communication in Agricultural Research, Austin Mickles
Novel As-S-Se Compositions of Solution-Processed Chalcogenide Thin Films for Infrared Optics, Annabella Orsini
Estimating the Xi Effect: How Chinese Aid Affects Economic and Political Institutions, Mackenzie Owens
A Semi-Automated Data Pipeline for Predicting Lunar Impactor Diameters From Pre-Impact Topography and Ray Geometry, Liam Powers
Isolation of Primary Microglia From Adult Mice to Examine Neuroinflammatory Response in Neurodegenerative Disease Modelling, Carly Rodriguez
Associations Between Sex Hormones and SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies, Laura Rothschild
Characterizing Expression of a Neuron Specific Protein in the Regenerating Tails of Axolotls, Jordan Ulsh
The Artist's Arsenal: HIV+ Women Artists, the ‘War on AIDS’, and Reclaiming Illness Narratives, Mekha Varghese
The Weaponization of Rape: Conflict-Related Rape and The International Criminal Court, Claire Velte
Effects of Ketogenic Diet on Cardiac Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury in Mice, Luca Walborn
The Role of the Frontal Lobe in Communication, Stephen Wilkins
Theses/Dissertations from 2022
Characterizing Plasmids in Ciprofloxacin Resistant Transconjugants (CRTs), Benjamin Antill
Urban Forests and Their Potential to Combat Food Insecurity: Analyzing Street Trees in Baltimore, MD for Their Edibility, Victoria Bearden
Pigeonholed: Autistic Representation in Drama, Sarah Buck
Classical Conditioning of Cognitive States, Arthur Burns
The Modulation of SARS-CoV-2 S1 Glycoprotein on the Cytokine Activity of Microglia Cells, Courtney Burns
Fighting Food Insecurity in New York City: What Role for Street Trees?, Kristen Cooney
Genetic Interactions of PAM-1 & MPF in Developing Oocytes, Quaran Davis
Dopaminergic Axon Development in Prenatal Alcohol Exposure, Kevyn Dewees
Digging Deeper: The Impact of Depth on Soil Organic Matter Stabilization Dynamics in a Forage System, Finnleigh Shane Doherty
There Is Sometimes A Buggy: Queering the Cowboy, Kelsey Gavin
Feed-in Tariffs and Sustainable Energy: Why Different OECD Governments Support Sustainable Energy at Different Rates Through Feed-in Tariffs, Joshua M. Grahame
DNA Cleavage Activity of de novo Designed Due Ferri Single Chain (DFsc) Proteins, Alana Huynh
Investigating Protein Interactions Important for Synapse Formation in the Developing Brain, Simbarashe Kanjanda
Investigating the Interaction Between PAM-1 and WEE-1.3 During Meiosis in C. elegans, Sophie Lear
Candidate Emergence Among Women: Responsibility to Run, Abigail Peabody
Gabriel(le) et Marcel(le): La Fluidité du Genre dans Gabriel (1839) de George Sand et Madame Adonis (1888) de Rachilde, Elisa Rodriguez
What Role Do Women in Politics Play for Democratic Erosion?, Emelyn Rodriguez
Identification of Sex and Aging Differences in C57BL/6-NClr Mice on the Ketogenic Diet, Ken Sprankle
Bi the Way, Don’t Pan-ic: An Interview-Based Study of the Coming Out Experiences of College-Aged Bisexuals and Pansexuals, Annie Stockmal
Miracles Happen: An Exploration of Girlhood and Celebrity, Sarah Thompson
Press Any Button to Get Started: Approaching Japanese Culture and Society Through Video Games, Amanda Weber
The Effect of DNA Sequence on Oligonucleotide-Stabilized Lipid Micelles, Zenya Yanoff
Theses/Dissertations from 2021
Investigating Interactions Between PAM-1 and the Maturation Promoting Factor in Cell Cycle Regulation in Caenorhabditis elegans, Nareen Babaian
COVID-19: The Impact of a Nation’s Political Economic Structure on its Labor Market Spending Policies, Mary Margaret Baldy
Meta-Analysis of Long Term Executive Functioning Deficits in Individuals with Mild Traumatic Brain Injuries, Dominique Ballinger
Characterizing lz6, a Suppressor of the pam-1 Mutation in C. elegans, AJ Belville
Movement of Neurotransmitter Ions Through Single Walled Carbon Nanotubes (SWNTs), Michael Bonfiglio
