College Honors

Studying the situation of refugee women in Mexico and Denmark. Developing a stainless steel clamp to use in surgery. Taking on WYSIWYG to design a program that uses simple mark-up language.

Imagine the possibilities.

Independent research, scholarship, and creative work are supported by our nationally recognized Honors Program, which was cited as one of two model programs in the nation by the federal Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education.

Honors may be undertaken as early as junior year, though most projects are conducted during the senior year. Candidates for Honors obtain the endorsement from their department and complete advanced study under the supervision and guidance of an interdisciplinary faculty committee.

At the end of their projects, our students defend their thesis or creative project or have it critiqued before a qualified outside examiner, modeling the dissertation defense of many grad programs. Often, the Honors experience can jump-start a meaningful career or admission into a top-notch graduate program.

2017 Honors Projects

• "Heteroleptic Metallomesogens Based on Copper(II) 2-EthylHexanoate," Alejandro Beltran, Chemistry.
• "The effect of approach versus avoidance motivation on declarative learning," Emily Corwin-Renner, Psychology, Neuroscience.
• "Characterization and Study of a Modified Variant of the GBH1 Hydrogel Biopolymer," Uduak-Obong Ekanem, Biochemistry.
• "Sex Differences in Self-Silencing," Mia Kosmicki, Psychology.
• "Comparative Study on the Lives of Women in the Informal Sector of the Economy in India," Nashra Mahmood, Gender and Women's Studies.
• "Conceptions of Mortality as Manifested in the Metacom-English War," Sarah Pawlicki, History.
• "Improving Eating Habits in a College Cafeteria with Traffic Light Labeling," Emily Rosen, Biology.
• "Impacts of Politicization of the Russian Minority in Latvia and Lithuania," Callie Rouse, International Relations.
• "Comparing the Effectiveness of Exercise Intervention Strategies on Negative Body Image," Jeremy Schmidt, Psychology.
• "Preparation, Characterization, and Reactivity Studies of Substituted a-Diimine Ligands and their Iron Precatalysts," Radiandra Soemardi, Chemistry.
• "Rejection and Social Decision Making in Borderline Personality Disorder," Dylan Stahl, Neuroscience.
• "Gestural Music Control and Expressivity," Dakota Luna Stipp, Computer Science, Music, Performance Technology.
• "Richard Loves Richard," Ian Tully, Theatre and Literature.