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 2017
Examination of Neurocorrelates of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury in Young Adults, Jillian S. Casarella
The Arab League and the Role of Regional Institutions in Democratization, Katerina Dee
La Création du Monde : Voix Féminines et Identités Transnationales Dans la Littérature Beur et la Littérature Pied Noir, Michael C. Esposito
Ecocriticism, Geopolitics, and John Gower's Confessio Amantis, Lauren T. Geiger
Vascular Effects of Four-Week Functional and Resistance Exercise Training Programs, Allyson K. Getty
Migration and Injustice in the Neoliberal Era: A Comparative Analysis of Migratory Laws and Sweatshop Labor Conditions in Argentina and the United States, Kelly L. Johnson
Faces Bright With Relief: Essays on Growing Up, Mara C. Koren
Persistent Neurobehavioral Traits in a Mouse Model of Prenatal Ethanol Exposure, Jill M. Lawrence
Pearl of Africa: Condemnation and Celebration in Uganda, Marcella AM McGill
My Body, Not My Say: How Roe v. Wade Endangers Women's Autonomy, Kisha K. Patel
Microwave Assisted Dipole-Dipole Transitions, Jacob T. Paul
Biophysical Characterization and Catalytic Reactivity of Rubrerythrin and Symerythrin Model Proteins, Jenna Pellegrino
Vascular Health and Fitness Levels in Metabolically Healthy and Unhealthy Obesity, Avery N. Perez
Examination of Neurocorrelates of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury in Young Adults, Rachel J. Raucci
Planting the Seeds of Security: The Influence of Agricultural Products on Food Security Levels in U.S. Counties, Vanessa R. Scalora
Female Moments / Male Structures: The Representation of Women in Romantic Comedies, Jordan A. Scharaga
Identification of the lz4 Suppressor of pam-1 and its Role in Polarity Establishment in Single-cell C. elegans Embryos, Dylan Stephens
Examining the Phagocytic Activity of HIV-1 Tat Exposed Microglia: Possible Chemokine Receptor Activation, Joshua T. Straka
Self-Concept Clarity as a Moderator of the Associations Between Self-Change and Adjustment, Samantha Straughn
A Defense of a Change in the Legal Standard of Rape From Consent to Coercion, Michelle L. Thiry
"A jail you could not see”: New Approaches to Identity in Carson McCullers, Brian Thomas
The Effects of Multiple Pregnancies on the Murine Heart, Marcus J. Wagner
Investigating How Corridor Cell Migration is Influenced by GABA, Samantha White
Theses/Dissertations from 2016
Using a Genetic Algorithm to Optimize an Electric Field Ionization Pulse, Tamas Budner
Effects of Reduced Intracellular Dopamine on Apoptosis in the Dopaminergic Neurons of Caenorhabditis elegans, Bryan P. Carter
Finding Freedom: An Autoethnography on Relational Bullying, Kristen N. Costello
The Role of Slitrk1 in Sensory Neuron Development, Marilyn M. Day
Overcoming Antibiotic Resistance in Escherichia coli Using PEG-Modified Nano-graphene Oxide, Katherine A. Fiocca
The Use of Tetracycline-Functionalized Single Walled Carbon Nanotubes to Overcome Tetracycline Resistance in Escherichia coli, Madison Force
A Plan for Pollinator Landscape Management on the Ursinus Campus, Megan N. Hanscom
Quantum Mechanical Interference in the Field Ionization of Rydberg Atoms, Jacob A. Hollingsworth
Effect of Age on Microglial Cell Response in Axolotl Salamanders, Christian M. Hoogheem
Effects of Age on the Morphology of Regenerated Spinal Cords in Axolotls, Keven M. Hoogheem
Creating The Capable Public: A Call for Liberal Arts Education in Public Schools, Olivia R. Keithley
The Unintended Legacy of Hellenism: The Development and Dissemination of the Buddha Image, Chukyi Kyaping
Students Today Into Entrepreneurs Tomorrow: The Impact of Major Choice on Grit and Risk Aversion, Keith D. Larkin
Effort and Ethics, Edward J. Lee
Prion-Dependent Changes in Protein Expression in Yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Annie Li
The Role of Zuo1 Modification in Ribosome Association and Prion Formation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Sophia Lisowski
Trading Ahead of Bad News: Evidence From Short-Sales of Stocks and the Options Market, Nicholas E. Macksoud
Investigating Interactions Between Complement Component 3 and the Lectin-like Domain of Thrombomodulin in Atypical Hemolytic-uremic Syndrome, Shelby N. Marchese
Bosnia: Doomed to Failure or a Rising Hope?, Caitlin V. Moore
Catalytic Transfer Hydrogenation of Nitroalkenes to Primary Amines, Brendan Phillips
One Man's Reaction to NATO Expansion, Jamie M. Putnam
Patchwork of the Religious Self: An Analysis of Identity and Expression, Elspeth C. Sarro
The Role of Centrosome-Cortical Contact in the Establishment of the Anterior-Posterior Axis in the One-Cell C. elegans Embryo, Dominique M. Saturno
Identification of the lz5 Suppressor of pam-1 in Caenorhabditis elegans, Emily M. Schleicher
The Role of Continuum States in the Field Ionization of Rydberg Atoms, Michael P. Vennettilli
Theses/Dissertations from 2015
Characteristics of STEM Success: A Survival Analysis Model of Factors Influencing Time to Graduation Among Undergraduate STEM Majors, Riley K. Acton
Hemispheric Lateralization of Global and Local Auditory Processing, Emily M. Black
A New Role for Student Media: College Newspapers and the Crisis in Journalism, Rachel Brown
Scelus et Poena: A Comparison of Legal Bias in Ancient Rome and Contemporary America, Aaron R. Caffrey
Did Antebellum Illinois Free Banks Take Undue Risk With Their Bond Portfolios?: An Analysis of Decision-Making Prior to the Civil War, Scott N. Clayman
Carotid Artery IMT, Blood Pressure, and Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Males and Females, Christina M. Cromwell
The Regulation of Cathepsin L Activity by Estrogen and Bisphenols A & S: Relationship to Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Dylan T. Cuva
Scientific Awareness at Ursinus College, Frank G. DeVone
Survival of the Toughest: An Ethnographic Study of a Collegiate Wrestling Team, Sydney A. Dodson-Nease
The Effects of Host Plant Resistance on Potato Leafhopper, Pea Aphid and Predatory Insects in Alfalfa, Jamie A. Faselt
The Way I Wear My Hair: Black Women’s Hairstyles and Self-Presentation in Facebook Profile Pictures, Janel Forsythe
Going to Heaven in a Wheelbarrow, Quinn Gilman-Forlini
Effect of Dopamine on Apoptosis in Caenorhabditis elegans Dopaminergic Neurons, Erica Gorenberg
“A Battle for Hearts and Minds”: U.S. Public Diplomacy in the Cold War Middle East, Christopher M. Goss
The Shaikh’s Republic: The Kurdish Regional Government’s Incorporation of Tribalism, Brian A. Kennedy
A Redemption of Meaning in Three Novels by Italo Calvino, Dominick J. Knowles
Students Talk About Gender and Race Within the Classroom, Amanda Lucock
An Experimental Analysis of Adaptive Learning in a Multi-Subject Economy, David Martin
Playing Mind Games: Neural Correlates of Personality, Cortical Activity and Suggestibility, Steven A. Medeiros Jr.
Inspired Images: On Georgia O'Keeffe & Alfred Stieglitz's Collaborative Photographs, Jack A. Meyer
Lower Extremity Joint Angle and Range of Motion are Associated With Cardiovascular Health, Joyann E. Oakman
Pyrazine and Asymmetric Pyrazine-Modified Cyanoferrate Complexes in the Electro- and Photochemical Reduction of Carbon Dioxide, Aubrey R. Paris
"To Deal", Kyle Peterson
Genetic Mapping of New pam-1 Suppressors in Caenorhabditis elegans, Katlin M. Power
Estrogen, Bisphenol A, and Bisphenol S: Regulation of Cathepsin L Activity and its Relation to Systemic Lupus Erythematosis, Regina M. Powers
Reckless Abandonment? Explaining Congressional Hispanic Caucus Support for the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act, Elizabeth C. Reynolds
Positive Influence Dominating Set Generation via a New Greedy Algorithm, Matthew Rink
Choosing the Right Steps: Management Decisions of Dance Businesses, Jessica B. Rosina
Minstrelsy and Contemporary Media, Sydney Rotman
Innovation of a Novel Prion Reporter System in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Daniel Selechnik
Conservation of the Antillean Manatee in Mexico, Xylia R. Serafy
Resurrecting the "Dead" Second Amendment: How the Libertarian Legal Movement Has Shaped Gun Control Litigation, Anthony M. Sierzega
Mathematical Modeling and Optimal Control of Alternative Pest Management for Alfalfa Agroecosystems, Cara Sulyok
It's a Bird! It's a Plane! It's...Cultural Anxiety? Using Detective Comics' Three Biggest Heroes to Identify and Explore Cultural Anxieties as Depicted Through Television, Jonathan Vander Lugt
Executive Control, Neural Correlate, and Visual Processing Changes During the Acquisition of Arabic Language, Alvin Varghese
Constructing the Yellow Peril: East Asia as the Enemy in American Discourse and Political Rhetoric, Laura K. Witwer
Theses/Dissertations from 2014
Is Geographic Diversification Associated With Increased Risk? Evidence From the Spanish Banking Crisis, Briana Anderson
Experimental Evidence for Heterogeneous Expectations in a Simple New Keynesian Framework, Atticus David Holm Graven
"Nature is Pushing One Way and People are Pushing the Other": A Political Ecology of Forest Transitions in Western Montgomery County, PA, Megan Elizabeth Maccaroni
Connecting the Dots: An Economic Study of Parental Factors Shaping Early Childhood Cognitive Development, Bryn Alexandra O'Neill
Theses/Dissertations from 2012
Does Race Influence Executive Compensation in Chinese Firms?, Elizabeth Mahoney
What Effect Do Corporate Governance Characteristics Have on CEO Compensation in a Small Cap Firm?, Kiley Stauffer
The Look of the Line: An Empirical Investigation of the Impacts of Facial Symmetry on Salary Levels of Offensive Linemen in the NFL, Kristen Wampole
Theses/Dissertations from 2011
The Death of Music Videos?: An Analysis on the Effectiveness of Music Videos as a Promotional Tool, Carmen Cheng
Approaches to Alternative Energy Policy: A Comparison of the United States and Germany, Martina Dzuna
Estrogenic Regulation of the Immune System in a Murine Model for Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Matthew James Zuber
Theses/Dissertations from 2010
Do Ugly Criminals Receive Harsher Sentences? An Analysis of Lookism in the Criminal Justice System, Kelly Beck
The Ursinusiana Project: How the Religious History of Ursinus College Yielded Today's Liberal Arts Curriculum, Karen Boedecker
