Whom to Contact

Sandra K. Shumaker
Director of the Gerald and Carol Vovis Center for Research and Advanced Study
2 East South Street
Galesburg, IL 61401-4999
309-341-7387
309-341-7166 (fax)
E-mail: skshumaker@knox.edu

Senior Capstone

Whether it's researching the coffee industry in Honduras or exploring the connections between Galesburg and Knox College, your senior capstone experience signifies the culmination of your chosen major.

What began as a senior psychology project by Christine Reuter Starr '10 recently gained national and international attention as the first study to show that girls as young as six identify themselves as sex objects. Christine now works as a medical research assistant and co-authored the report with her faculty advisor, which was published in the journal Sex Roles. Read more about the study

Your capstone experience might include a research project, in-depth library project, senior seminar, or portfolio -- depending on your major.

For example:

Music majors can select an independent study with a faculty mentor in the areas of music theory, musicology, performance, or composition. The capstone project may include a one-hour lecture/recital, one-hour senior recital, significant composition, or a major research paper.
Math majors are required to participate in the independent study of a topic of current interest and produce a talk on the topic.
Students in Gender and Women's Studies may participate in the Antioch Women's Studies Abroad program, an internship, a community action project, a research/creative project carried out through independent study or an Honors thesis.
English Literature majors participate in a seminar that focuses on issues in literature that are currently being discussed or debated nationally or internationally. The term culminates with a conference where students present a research paper and answer questions from an audience.

Explore other majors to view their senior capstone and course requirements.

Recent Senior Capstone Projects

Biology

Lateralization of visual mate choice in female Zebra finches
Biological altruism as it presents in strains of Dictyostelium (pulled from Green Oaks soil samples)
Behavior of fox squirrels in winter using a GIS database that maps their nests around campus

Biology / Environmental Studies

Bathymetric map and plant survey of Lake Sharvey at Green Oaks

Chemistry

Lab exercises in protein unfolding and refolding using RNase S

Environmental Studies

Design and construction of an aquaponics system for a study of a contained water system

Neuroscience

NHR-14 expression in c.elegans and altering the temperature in which they are grown
Use of guanfacine or clodine to attenuate stress-induced cocaine seeking

Neuroscience / Psychology