2025 Senior Thesis Topics
Departments
- Africana Studies
- American Studies
- Anthropology
- Archaeology
- Art
- Art History
- Asian Studies
- Biochemistry/Molecular Biology
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Chinese
- Cinema and Media Studies
- Classics
- Computer Science
- Dance and Movement Studies
- Data Science
- Economics
- Environmental Studies
- French and Francophone Studies
- Geosciences
- German Studies
- Government
- Hispanic Studies
- History
- Interdisciplinary Studies
- Japanese
- Literature
- Mathematics and Statistics
- Middle East/Islamicate Worlds Studies
- Music
- Neuroscience
- Philosophy
- Physics
- Psychology
- Public Policy
- Religious Studies
- Russian Studies
- Sociology
- Theatre
- Women's and Gender Studies
- World Politics
Africana Studies
American Studies
Anthropology
Archaeology
Art
Art History
Asian Studies
Biochemistry/Molecular Biology
Biology
- Regan Arnold, Modeling Retinoblastoma: Exploring Rbf1’s Role in Eye Development Using Drosophila melanogaster
- Emily Bennett, The effect of bacterial load on sickness behaviors in American crows
- Eileen Bussiere, The Effects of Habitat Type on Predation-Induced Fear in Small Mammal Communities
- Megan Case, Exploration of Microcystin-Related Gene Expression in Freshwater Environments
- Tessa Cole, Hi-C Resolved Pangenomics of Purple Sulfur Bacteria in Green Lake
- Luke Ehrenfreund, Seasonal Variation in Sperm Allocation and Spermatophore Characteristics in Male Redback Salamanders (Plethodon cinereus)
- Teagan Graham and Gabriella (Ella) Heftved, Testosterone, inbreeding, and age effects on disease mortality of American Crows
- Miranda Gregory, Histological Analysis of Oviductal Morphology in Two Species of Lithobates
- Lilianna Gross and Abigail DeLena, Crowbot™: Investigating behavioral responses in American crows through robotic decoys
- Faith Hollyer, Identifying nutrient inputs to Oriskany Creek from agriculture and sewage
- Lisa Ito-Bagshaw, Michael LaPorte, Rebecca Munoz, Zaara Rehman, and Izabo Ramos, Fertilization mode shapes the evolution of novel flagellar structures in amphibians
- Catherine Iven and Maya Gustavson, The effects of forest composition on rodent seed selection and activity levels
- Carina Jones, Investigating the Transgenerational Effects of Lead (Pb) Exposure on Drosophila melanogaster
- Benjamin LaBranche and Lucie Steig, The effect of pH on phenol oxidase and peroxidase activity in salt marsh soils: Testing the efficacy of enhanced olivine weathering
- Alya MacDonald and Viola (Violet) Cue, Dynamics of the Green Lake Redoxcline: Oxic Methanogenesis and Reactive Oxygen Species
- Abby Marzec and Shayna Polsky, Synthetic Reconstitution of Meiotic Drive in Ab10 Zea mays using LexA-LexO Tethering System in Yeast
- Maggie Mieczkowski, Lead-Induced Retinal Degeneration in Drosophila melanogaster
- Paige O’Hara, Tethering Cse4 via LexA-LexO to Create a Synthetic Kinetochore
- Zach Orluk and Jordan Chan, Assessing migratory strategies and their effect on American Crow cognition
- Brianna Padilla, Quantifying Particulate Phosphorus at Various Depths in Phosphorus-Limited Green Lake
- Trang Pham, Spatial scale of underground freshwater gene flow in the amphipod, G. duebeni
- Megan Rai and Bea Lefranc, Investigating the Role of Kinesins in Chromosome Segregation
- Erin Rayhill, Photosynthetic Pigments and Particulate Matter in the Stratified Waters of the Meromictic Green Lake
- Olivia Rendon Paolo, Assessing Tetrahymena thermophila Cell Viability
- Jocelyn Rivera, The Effect of Intestinal Parasites on the Cognitive Abilities of American Crows
- Sarah Roth, Salamander Spermatophore Phenology
- Taylor Santulli, Electroactive Microbial Community Enrichment in Green Lake
- Carter Segal and New Nee Sar, Assessing Kinesin-Driven Acentric Plasmid Inheritance in Budding Yeast Utilizing Fluorescence Microscopy
- Zachary Smith, Investigating Glycogen Metabolism and the Effects of Starvation in Tetrahymena thermophila
- Emma Tansky, Assessing Associative Learning in American Crows through a Touchscreen Operant Chamber
- Jennie Weisbrot, Cloning Eyeless and Twin of Eyeless Enhancer Sequences
- Julie Ying, Microbial H+ -PPase transcription rates in diverse energy environments
- Lucy Zullo, The effect of inbreeding on the cognitive function of American crows
Chemistry
Chinese
- Harisen Davis, Fashioning Identity: A Multidisciplinary Exploration of Clothing and Self-Expression in Detroit and Taiwan
- Edward (Eddie) Gamble, Beyond State-Sponsored Narratives: Migrant Worker Essentialization in Independent Media
- Delaney Grace, A Close Reading of The Joy Luck Club (1993): How is Chinese-American Culture and Experiences Portrayed in American Film?
- Edward (Eddie) Ha, The Transition of Chinese Consumption Habits (1980-2020)
- Norbu Lhendup, A Critical Reading of Shanghai Noon: The Asian Stereotype in Hollywood Cinema
- Devin Outhavong, Bridging the Gap: Exploring the Role of Confidence, Motivation, and Socioeconomic Factors in English Learning in China and Taiwan
- Angela Zheng, From Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation to The Untamed: The Adaptation and Reception of Danmei Literature in Film and Television
Cinema and Media Studies
- Trevor Wilkes, Horror + Nostalgia in the Internet Era
Classics
Classical Languages
Classical Studies
Computer Science
- Ahmed Abdelrehim, Maheen Masoud, and Ivan Wu, Irish Tune Composer Recognition
- Sam Anaevune, Abigail Bernardeau, Jamie Duncan, Ingrid Mast, and Andreas Matejka, Lighthouse Grant Management
- Ally Berkowitz and Andrew Hadden, Math Policy Tracker
- Shraddha Datta, Iris Izydorczak, Julian Kimball, and Ilsaa Siddiqui, Mapping Greater India
Dance and Movement Studies
Data Science
Economics
Honors presentations
- Vaughn Amos, Drug price, insurance coverage, demographic characteristics, and perceived efficacy's influence on consumer choice among GLP-1 agonists
- Robert Aronson, Ws and Donations: Examining how Athletic Success Impacts Giving at Division One Schools
- Anoushka Aswin, Analyzing the Impact of Natural Disasters on U.S. Political Polarization
- Eleanor Bailey, Greenbacks & Green Values: How Real Income Shapes Environmental Attitudes
- Henry Boehm, Stealing Bases & Fans: The Impact of the 2023 MLB Rule Changes on Attendance, Game Duration, & Offensive Statistics
- Jeffrey Cheng, The entry of WellNow Urgent Care clinics and its differential effect on reported health outcomes
- Emanuel Fitsum, Exploring the Relationship Between Relative Income and Happiness Across Life Stages
- Alexandra Glogoff, Penalty or Power Play: Examining the Influence of Income Tax Rates on NHL Free Agent Salaries
- Abigail Hagan, Generosity Across Generations: Examining the Influence of Age and Perceived Need on Intergenerational Giving in the Dictator Game
- Autumn Halfpenny, Does Bilingualism on Resumes Affect Callback Rates?
- Akay Kaya, Steering the Market: Common Ownership and Competition in the Automotive Industry
- Maxwell Lee, Network Centrality and Rent Price Capitalization Along the Washington D.C. Metro: Silver Line Phase I as a Case Study
- Andreas Molnar, Foul Play? Examining Commonality and Favoritism in Soccer Referees
- Anoushka Saraf, Impact of the Aspirational Districts Program on Learning Outcomes in India
- Tristan Sollecito, Improving Access to Golf Within Underrepresented Communities
- Kate Solowey, The Impact of the Affordable Care Act on Mothers Versus Fathers
- Andrew Swanson, Using Adolescent Marijuana Use and Alcohol and Marijuana Use to Predict Behavioral Problems and Labor Market Outcomes
Environmental Studies
Capstone presentations
Thesis research
French and Francophone Studies
Honors theses
Geosciences
German Studies
Government
Honors theses
- Nikki Greenberg, How Do Senate Leaders Utilize Social Media to Accomplish Their Goals?
- Natalie Guterman, The Effect of Political Polarization on National Party Conventions
- Carter Hollins, The Political Power of Indigeneity: A Hawaiian Case Study
- Hannah Lipskar, A Jewish and Democratic State: Religion’s Impact on Democratic Backsliding in Israel
- Daniel Lipson, Moral Responsibility, Political Obligation, and Legitimacy: A Defense of Michael Walzer’s Just War Theory
- Ainsley Novack, Imperial Legacies: Policing in the Philippines
- Anna Richardson, Breaking the Safety Net: Understanding Negative Policy Feedback to Welfare in the U.S.
Hispanic Studies
Honors presentations
History
Honors theses
- Lara Barreira, Networks of Health and Healthcare: Tracing Sickness in a 16th century Spanish Household
- Rachel Navarro Santos Lion, To the winner, the potatoes: Brazilian National Identity in Literary Work
Interdisciplinary Studies
Japanese
- Chinkhuslen “David” Batbayar, Living in the Image of a Vending Machine: I Sold My Life For 10,000 Yen Per Year
- Santiago Chamorro, Shin’ichi Hoshi: The Voice of Dystopia
- Meraly Morales, Cultural Exchange on Stage
Literature
Honors presentations
- Rachel Budd, Prufrock, Reintegrated: Symbolic Redemption of “Prufrock” in Four Quartets
- Toby Weissman, Immaterial Resistance in Faulkner’s Materialist World
Mathematics and Statistics
Honors projects
Middle East/Islamicate Worlds Studies
Music
Neuroscience
- Elizabeth Carnright and Michelle Wu, Incoming Text from the ERN: You’ve Made a Mistake
- Favour George-Ikechi, The Impact of Estradiol on Psychological Disorders Among College
- Michael Fasano, The Role of Miro1 in Axon Pathways from the Cortex
- Students
- Sophia Katz (with psychology major Georgia Brown), Influence of Reward on Holistic Strategy Use in Visuomotor Adaptation
- Charles Portoviejo, Evaluating the Impact of IL-6 in Self-Perceived Health and OCD Symptoms in Adult Participants
- Bailey Reese (with psychology major Deanna Durben), Neural Correlates of Explicit Strategy Use in Visuomotor Rotation
- Caroline Ross, Does Cronotype Affect Visual Search?
- Jonathan Shi (with psychology major Cecily Bua), The Impact of Scaffolding on Learning Complex Tasks
- Emma Toes (with psychology major Anna Zoccolillo), Does Error Processing Relate to Negative Affect and Right Wing Authoritarianism?
Philosophy
- Caroline Friedrichs, The Paradox of True Friendship
- Tinashe Manguwa, Ethics of Ambiguity
- Avery Mason, Faith and Reason: A Post-Rational Depiction of Religious Faith
- Hank Morgan, Virtuous Tribalism: How to Balance Morality and Practicality in Social Organization
- Carlos Pichardo, Natural Buddhism: The Dangers and Merits of Secular Readings of Buddhism
- Ashley Scheichet, Bridging Care and Justice: A Capabilities Approach to Ethical Educational Decision Making
- Stephen Socolow, Collaborative Instruction in Logic: How to Teach Formal Logic to First-Time Philosophy Students
- Christina Stoll, Curiosity, Agency, Creativity, and AI
- Olivia Strigh, How AI Influences Beliefs Through Cognitive Extension
- Jaden Valencia, In Defense of Private Language
- Ivan Wu, Two Accounts of the Principle of Alternate Possibilities and Their Problems
- Tilly Zwirn-Givnish, Run, Scream, Repeat: The Ethical Implications of Women’s Depictions in Slasher Films
Physics
Psychology
- Naomi Andrew, Self-Compassion and Reactions to Imagining Being Confronted for Having Committed a Microaggression
- Charlie Archer, The lmprovement of Early lntervention Treatment in Schizophrenia
- Julian Arky, Eve Karmozyn, and Adele Sales, Whose to Blame? The Effect of Gender Similarity, Stereotypicality, and Perspective on Blame
- Georgia Brown (with neuroscience major Sophia Katz), Influence of Reward on Holistic Strategy Use in Visuomotor Adaptation
- Cecily Bua (with neuroscience major Jonathan Shi), The Impact of Scaffolding on Learning Complex Tasks
- Deanna Durben (with neuroscience major Bailey Reese), Neural Correlates of Explicit Strategy Use in Visuomotor Rotation
- Anais Geronimo, Who Blames Victims of Rape? Exploring the Role of Self-Compassion, Perspective Taking, Perceived Vulnerability, and Gender
- Abby Hagan, Do Your Parents Predict Your Friends?
- David Hynes, Understanding Motivations for Substance Use in College Students with ADHD
- Hannah Ju, “This is Not Who I Am”: Reducing Defensive Responding with Self-Compassion
- Rachel Parajuli, The Psychology of Recidivism: How Attributions, Criminal Identity, and Self-Stigma Shape Reoffending
- Morgan Pettee, Gender Differences in Friendship Helping Behaviors
- Alyssa Samuels, Defending Emotion: The Effect of Attorney Anger and Authenticity on Jury Decisions
- Joey Tarlavsky, A Little Self Love: Awe, the Small Self, and Self-Compassion
- Makenna Thomas, The Perceived Competence of Female Attorneys Based on Appearance and lnternalized Misogyny
- Abby Weiss, The Use of Social Media For Friendship Fulfillment: How Age and Gender lmpact this Relationship
- Anna Zoccolillo (with neuroscience major Emma Toes), Does Error Processing Relate to Negative Affect and Right Wing Authoritarianism?
Public Policy
Honors presentations
Religious Studies
- Oumoul Diallo, Empowering Indonesian Muslim Women: The Role of Nahdlatul Ulama in Advancing Gender Equality
- Johnathan Nemetz, Where's Your Judaism?: Jewish Identity at a Liberal Arts Campus
- Kirk Petrie, The Lived Experience of Contemporary Christian Music
Russian Studies
Sociology
Theatre
- Jessica Campuzano, directing, adapted excerpt from act two of Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
- Leslie De La Rosa, acting, playing the roles of Inez and Norca in Hamilton’s Mainstage production of Our Lady of 121st Street by Stephen Adly Guirgis
- Sydney Evans, staged play directing, Touch the Moon by Arianna Rose
- David Li, written and staged play/devisement, Organic A Bomb presents:
WAITING FORGodot Grokked - Maggie Marks, writing, stage reading, BREAK: a short play
- Kiara Nelson, scene design, Sizwe Banse is Dead by Athol Fugard, John Kani, and Winston Ntshona
- Rosey Pineda, staged play directing, The Penitent by Vincent Scarsella
- Trevor Wilkes, staged play design, The Penitent by Vincent Scarsella
Women’s and Gender Studies
World Politics
Honors theses
- Zach Booth, Pork, Positions, and Pressure: Legislative Bargaining Among Outsider Populists
- Marissa Duffy, Reevaluating Foreign Aid in Nigeria and Botswana: Challenges with the World Bank’s Classification and Graduation Process
- Lena Klink, Atlanticism vs. Autonomy: Testing Theories of Integration to Analyze France and Germany’s Preferences for EU Defense Policy Cooperation
- Billy Marin, Same-sex Marriage and the Right in Latin America
- Christian McCann, When Dictators Defy: A Study of Autocrats and their Compliance with Human Rights Treaties
- Mia McGrath, Between Regions and Realities: Lessons from the Gulf Cooperation Council’s Stalled Trade Negotiations
- Gabby Nakkab, Shifting the “Refugee Burden:” UNHCR as a Surrogate State in Lebanon
- Elizabeth Oakes, Lending for Leverage: Understanding China's Lending Behavior in Sub-Saharan Africa