A Celebration of Independent Study at The College of Wooster!

The Senior Research Symposium is one of the proudest days of the year for the Wooster campus. Seniors who have spent a year or more completing their Independent Study (I.S.) projects with faculty mentors showcased their work to the world. The projects represented on stage, in poster form, as exhibits or digital presentations, and on the web are the manifestation of countless hours of research, collaboration, and creative expression. Online and in-person presentations occurred throughout the day on Friday, April 21. Check out our video below showcasing a snapshot of the Symposium experience!

Symposium Award Winners and Recap

In-Person Oral Presentations  In-Person Poster Presentations  Online Symposium Directory  Senior Studio Art Portfolios

Snapshot from Symposium


Online Symposium I.S. Projects

View more than 100 Independent Study projects as part of the Online Symposium below.

Online Symposium Directory
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Are Your Water Systems Safe? A Study on CYP1A Expression in Brown Bullhead and Channel Catfish in Response to Sediment Exposure From Killbuck Creek Wooster, Ohio

Name: Madison Elizabeth Carter Major: Biology Advisor: Rebecca Williams CYP1A gene expression responds to pollutants in the environment, specifically PAHs. CYP1A is a significant biomarker […]

Matthew Engfer head shot

Assessing and Projecting Stream Patterns in Hydrogeomorphology in Low-Elevation Watersheds, Pitt County, North Carolina, USA

Name: Matthew Engfer Majors: Environmental Geoscience, Environment & Society Advisors: Vibhor Agarwal, Carlo Moreno Patterns of hydrology within streams provide vital information about the […]

Malik Moore head shot

Unlocking The Power of Neurotrophins: While analyzing the effects of DNT1 on the overproduction of TAU within Drosophila Melanogaster

Name: Malik Moore Major: Neuroscience-Biology Advisor: Seth Kelly Neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, have become increasingly prevalent in aging societies, causing significant global […]

Langston Hood

Agency: The Art of Human Choice

Name: Langston Hood Majors: English, Philosophy Advisors: Allison Cardon, Elizabeth Schiltz This Independent Study thesis consists of six chapters. The first chapter, titled “Determinism”, […]

Sobika Thapa head shot

The Evolution of Human-Computer Interaction and its Technological Advancement with a Focus on Applications with Electric Paint

Name: Sobika Thapa Major: Computer Science Minor: Statistical & Data Sciences Advisors: Heather Guarnera, Daniel Palmer “Playing sounds by touching on the canvas”. This […]

Victoria Silva

Third World: Bolivia, The United States, Democracy, and The Art of Putting it on Stage

Name: Victoria Silva Majors: Theatre, Political Science Minors: Latin American Studies, English What is the conflict of democracy? Is it reliable? Is it real? […]

Tomoka Adams head shot

Ecology and genetic variation of Aedes japonicus, an invasive mosquito in the Wooster, OH area

Name: Tomoka Adams Majors: Biology, Spanish Advisors: Ferdinand Nanfack-Minkeu, Hernan Medina Mosquitoes are vectors for diseases that are often implicated in major outbreaks. The […]

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Can We Reverse Aging? Using Cognitive Training in Rodents to Enhance Overall Cognitive Performance

Name: Sarah Snider Major: Cognitive Neuroscience Minor: Economics Advisor: Amy Jo Stavnezer Cognitive plasticity is the ability for cognitive outcomes to be flexible and fluid. […]

Nosherwan Mughal head shot

Battling the Bloodsuckers: Examining the Expression of OBP23 in the Yellow Fever Mosquito

Name: Nosherwan Mughal Major: Biology Minor: Chemistry Advisor: Laura Sirot Aedes aegypti are notorious vectors that transmit deadly pathogens to humans. Odorant Binding Protein […]

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Analyzing the Effects of Different Factors on the Likelihood of Hybridization – A Review

Name: Natalie Nonno Majors: Biology, Elementary Education Advisor: Hilary Edgington Hybridization is reproduction between genetically different populations that often result in hybrid offspring. Different factors […]

Gabriele Gajdos head shot

“Damn Daniel” to Genesis: An Analysis of Songs about Select Environmental Events

Name: Gabriele Gajdos Major: Environmental Studies Minor: Music Advisor: Setsuko Matsuzawa; Matt Mariola (second reader) Within this project, I presented a contemporary topic connecting […]

Wenshuo Zhao head shot

An Investigation of Improving Blue Intensity Measurements from Tree Rings, Gulf of Alaska, USA

Name: Wenshuo Zhao Major: Environmental Geoscience Advisors: Greg Wiles, Vibhor Agarwal, Shelley Judge Blue intensity, or BI, has been proposed as a new parameter […]

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Traditional Ecological Knowledge and its role in building Socio-Ecological Resilience in the context of displaced communities

Name: Temuul Munkhtur Major: Environmental Studies Advisor: Carlo Moreno For my project, I decided to make Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) the focus of my study. […]

Shiropa Shahreen head shot

Immobilization of Transferrin in Swellable Organically Modified Silica for Remediation of Heavy Metal Ions

Name: Shiropa Shahreen Major: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Minor: Statistical and Data Sciences Advisor: Paul Edmiston Bioadsorption of metal ions through proteins is selective […]

Shane Louis photo with Tootsie Roll

“Forever On My Mind:” Blues Songwriting in the 1960s

Name: Shane Louis Major: History Minor: Education Advisor: Jordan Biro Walters My IS looks at Blues songwriting in the 1960s and argues that themes in […]

Suela Kim head shot

Are the Arginine Kinase functions found in Myxococcus xanthus conserved in a sister species, Myxococcus macrosporus?

Name: Seula Kim Major: Biology Advisors: Dean Fraga, Laura Sirot Phosphagen kinases (PK) catalyze the reversible phosphorylation of the guanidino substrate to buffer energy in […]

Sena Houessou-Adin head shot

Liver Tumors in Beckwith Wiedemann Syndrome: Can Alpha-Fetoprotein Levels Distinguish Benign from Malignant Tumors?

Name: Sena Houessou-Adin Major: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Advisor: Dean Fraga; Stephanie Strand (second reader) Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome (BWS) is an overgrowth disorder typically brought to […]

Samantha Burke head shot

It’s Not Therapy: An Investigation of Speech-Language Pathologists’ Perceptions of Effective Accent Modification Services for Adult Speakers and College Students’ Perceptions of Accents Contingent Upon Their Exposure To Diverse Speakers

Name: Samantha Burke Major: Communication Sciences and Disorders Advisor: Joan E. Furey The purpose of this study was two-fold. First, I investigated speech-language pathologists’ […]

Sam Belsky head shot

Interrogation of a conserved overlap between cofactor and substrate binding domains to facilitate crosstalk-induced conformational changes in Class A Flavin Monooxygenases: A case study of 6-Hydroxynicotinate-3-Monooxygenase

Name: Sam L. Belsky Major: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Minors: Mathematics, Spanish Advisors: Mark Snider, Annastassia Gallo; Sara Martin (second reader) Stereo- and regioselective […]

Riley Thorr head shot

Resting Heart Rate, Sleep, and Stress: The Physiological Stress Response of NCAA Division III Female Student-Athletes

Name: Riley Thorr Major: Biology Minor: Physical Education Advisor: Nicholas Brandley; Laura Sirot (second reader) It is no question that college students experience high […]

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Dawn of Darkness by Pookar Chand

Name: Pookar Chand Major: English Minor: Economics Advisors: Lisa Perfetti, Claire Eager My English Independent Study project was to create a novella length experimental and […]

Patrick Wood head shot

Determining The Crystal Structure of The Staphylococcus Aureus MurG Enzyme

Name: Patrick Thomas Wood Major: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Minor: Statistical & Data Sciences Advisors: Sara E.S. Martin, Annastassia Gallo Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are one of the […]

An Analysis of Large Language Models in the HealthCare Domain

Name: Omobolanle Oladeji Major: Computer Science Advisor: Kowshik Bhowmik The purpose of this study is to analyze the use of Large Language Models (LLMs) for […]

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A Two-Photon Investigation of a Material’s Nonlinear Susceptibility

Name: Olivia Green Major: Physics Advisors: Cody Leary, Susan Lehman We modeled the Hong-Ou-Mandel effect for a two-photon state modified by a nonlinear sample interaction […]

Head shot of Fiona Schieve

GOP Jesus and Trump: an Exploration of the Usage of Evangelical Christianity by Donald Trump

Name: Fiona Schieve Majors: Political Science, Religious Studies Advisors: Jeremy Rapport, Terry Reeder This project intends to analyze the overwhelming support Donald Trump garnered from […]

Natalie Belle head shot

Do You Get Déjà Vu? Examining the Effects of Context and Time on Contextual Generalization in a Mouse Model of PTSD

Name: Natalie Ibrahim Belle Major: Neuroscience (Biology) Advisors: Alfredo Zuniga, Nicholas Brandley Intrusive symptoms in post-traumatic stress disorder occur due to the generalization of contextual fear […]

Morgan Malone head shot

The [Hidden] Costs of War: Rape Culture Awareness and The Effects of Transitional Justice on Victims of Conflict-Related Sexual Violence

Name: Morgan Ann Malone Major: Political Science Minor: Spanish Advisor: Michele Leiby, Erum Haider This independent study project examined the following research question: Does the robustness […]

Morgan Stanley head shot

Oral Contraceptives Improve Spatial Learning and Anxiety in a Rodent Model Despite Opposing Androgenicity

Name: Morgan Stanley Major: Psychology Advisors: Amy Jo Stavnezer, Meredith Hope Little is known about the effects of oral contraceptives, or “the pill,” on cognition and […]

Lucille Segal head shot

Beyond the Game: Examining Health Attitudes from a Collegiate Student-Athlete Perspective

Name: Lucille Segal Major: Psychology Minor: Education Advisor: Bryan Karazsia; Meredith O. Hope (second reader) The mental well-being of collegiate student-athletes is often overlooked by the […]

Lucy Agurkis

Coloring Away the Blues: Exploring the Therapeutic Effects of Art Activities on Well-Being

Name: Lucy Agurkis Majors: Psychology, Studio Art Advisors: Meredith o. Hope, Daren Kendall For college-attending emerging adults, college can be simultaneously the most rewarding […]

Lucy Wickham

Tile Invariants and an Exploration of Tilings with Ribbon Pentominoes and L-Pentominoes

Name: Lucy Wickham Major: Mathematics Advisors: Subhadip Chowdhury, Pamela Pierce In this Independent Study, we survey the mathematics of tiling 2-dimensional regions with polyomino […]

Sydney Fitzcharles head shot

Instating Natural Reward-Induced Conditioned Place Preference in C57BL/6J Mice​

Name: Sydney Fitzcharles Major: Neuroscience (Cognitive/Behavioral Track) Advisors: Alfredo Zúńiga, Grit Herzmann Reward is a vastly complex process, integrating diverse brain regions and neurotransmitters […]

Yeeun Koh

A Drunken Carnival of Hate: The Impact of a Minority Group’s Growth on Intergroup Conflict

Name: Yeeun Koh Majors: Economics, Mathematics Advisors: Edward Teather-Posadas, Robert Kelvey Conflict is, by nature, cost inefficient and has naturally attracted economists’ devoted attentions. […]

Kate Larson head shot

Breaking Out From Binaries Behind Bars: How Structural Identity Denial Influences Pro/Anti-Social Reactionary Responses and Corresponding Psycho-Social Experiences Inside and Outside the Prison Industrial Complex

Name: Kate Larson Majors: Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies; Psychology Advisors: Zareen Thomas, Amber Garcia, Katie Holt The goal of this research was to complete Critical […]

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Effects of Phage Cocktail Compared to Antibiotic Treatments on Host Bacterial Cell (Pseudomonas Chlororaphis)

Name: Minjin Lee Major: Biology Advisor: Stephanie Strand Currently, antibiotics are losing their ability to treat pathogens, which is becoming a huge issue that […]

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Object Detection and Application in Autonomous Vehicle

Name: Minh Duc Dao Major: Mathematics, Computer Science Advisors: Rob Kelvey, Max Taylor Video instance segmentation is a type of deep learning algorithm that enables […]

Min Kim head shot

Sources of Stress in NCAA Division III Athletes: Racism and Mental Health Threats in Competition

Name: Min kyung Kim Major: Psychology Advisor: Susan Clayton; Amy Jo Stavnezer (second reader) The demands that athletes experience during competition can indicate the rising […]

Megan Conklin head shot

Face the Music: The History of Women’s Music within Cultural and Intersectional Feminism

Name: Megan Conklin Major: History Minor: Education Advisor: Jordan Biro Walters This project explores the history of women’s music, the name given to the […]

May Le head shot

Investigation of PC1 and SI Bacteriophages’ Putative Genomic Identities and Infection Methods on Phage Resistant Pseudomonas Chloraphis

Name: May Le Major: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Advisors: Stephanie Strand, James West As treatments for infection from drug resistant bacteria become more challenging nowadays, phage […]

Matt Ulishney head shot

An Examination of Win Probability in NCAA Division I Football Overtime and Its Applications for Evaluating Coaching Decisions

Name: Matt Ulishney Major: Mathematics Minor: Statistical and Data Sciences Advisors: Drew Pasteur, Qimin Huang The increasing use of analytics in sports has changed the way […]

A Tale of Two Morphs: Understanding the Influence of Temperature on Eastern Red-Backed Salamander Color Morphs

Name: Mary Elise Blair Major: Biology Minor: Psychology Advisors: Rick Lehtinen, Hilary Edgington Color polymorphism is one type of variation in morphology that can be […]

Maley Tinstman head shot

A Farmer Works So the World Can Eat: An Analysis of the Impact of United Nations Food (In)security and Climate Change Collaboration on Linkages in United Nations Outcomes

Name: Maley S. Tinstman Major: Political Science (International Relations) Advisor: Kent Kille This study explores the interactions between United Nations (UN) food (in)security and climate […]

Lucie Fiala head shot

The Gunlock Member: Describing a New Member of the Carmel Formation (Middle Jurassic) of Southwestern Utah

Name: Lucie Fiala Major: Environmental Geoscience Minor: Spanish Advisor: Mark Wilson The Carmel Formation spans across much of the western United States. It is […]

Lily Anderson head shot

Measurement & Analysis of Pesticide Biotransformation Products in Ohio Precipitation Samples

Name: Lily Anderson Major: Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Minor: Mathematics Advisor: Jennifer Faust; Paul Edmiston (second reader) Pesticides are the only chemical contaminant that […]

Uniaxial compression of FOAMGLAS® and bubble deformation

Name: Lauren Kreeger Major: Geology Minor: German Studies Advisor: Dr. Shelley Judge, Dr. Mark Wilson The degassing of bubbly silicic melts controls the explosivity […]

“Newgenics”: A Comparison Study of Parents of Children with Down Syndrome in Denmark and The United States

Name: Lauren Ganson Major: Sociology Minor: Psychology Advisor: Tom Tierney, Heather Fitz Gibbon This study analyzes and compares the experiences and choices of parents […]

Lark Pinney head shot

Exploiting Emergencies: Government Corruption and Repression in Post-Disaster Societies

Name: Lark Pinney Major: Political Science (Comparative Politics concentration) Minor: Spanish, Religious Studies Advisor: Michele Leiby; Erum Haider (second reader) This study aims to […]

Structural Stability of Bovine Serum Albumin upon Adsorption to SOMS Measured by FT-IR

Name: Kylie Marie Schmitz Major: Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Minor: Mathematics Advisor: Paul Edmiston; Sara Martin (second reader) Swellable organically modified silica (SOMS) is […]

Swarm and Steady Wins the Race: Visualizing Constraint Satisfaction Problems Using Swarm Intelligence

Name: Kyle Rossi Major: Computer Science Minor: Mathematics Advisor: Daniel Palmer; Heather Guarnera (second reader) This thesis visualizes a complex constraint satisfaction problem (CSP), […]

Katie Schumacher head shot

Congestive Heart Failure and Depression: Are medical professionals biased towards CHF patients with depression?

Name: Katie Schumacher Major: Psychology Minor: Biology Advisor: Bryan Karazsia; Amber Garcia (second reader) Many studies indicate that medical professionals are biased toward patients based […]

Kevin Poe head shot

Divinity’s Secret Love Song: An Investigation Into The Relationship Between Humanity and The Divine Through The Lens of Sacred Narratives

Name: Kevin Poe Major: Religious Studies, Philosophy Minor: South Asian Studies Advisors: Mark Graham, Elizabeth Schiltz In December of 2022 I traveled to Bodh […]

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Cubulus: Procedural World Generation Using Marching Cubes

Name: Keeton Purvis Major: Computer Science Advisor: Heather Guarnera Procedural generation is a popular way of algorithmically generating content such as worlds, textures, and […]

“Does this spark joy?” Aesthetics, Gender, and Ideals in Marie Kondo’s ‘The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up’

Name: Kayla Stevens Major: Anthropology Minor: Environmental Studies Pathway: Museum & Archival Studies Advisor: Beth Derderian; David McConnell (second reader) The Life-Changing Magic of […]

The Lost Electorate: A Content Analysis of 2022 Senatorial Candidates’ Video Commercials and Their Appeals to the White Working-Class

Name: Kay Wetmore Major: Communication Studies, Political Science Advisor: Dr. Denise Bostdorff and Dr. Meg Wrobel This study explored how the Democratic Party is […]

Gold Sounds: An Empirical Analysis of Popular Music From the 1960s to Today

Name: Ian Leon Major: Economics Minor: Statistical and Data Sciences Advisor: Moses Luri and Edward Teather-Posadas The music industry brings in billions of dollars […]

Katie Flieg head shot

An Overworked Powerhouse: A Boolean Model of Mitochondrial Dysfunction Associated Senescence in the Context of Aging Microglia

Name: Katie Fleig Major: Neuroscience Advisors: Erzsebet Regan, Hilary Edgington; William Morgan (second reader) Neuroinflammation is a hallmark of many neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s […]

Katherine Shelmidine head shot

Investigation of splicing changes in dNab2 knockdown Drosophila neurons

Name: Katherine Shelmidine Major: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Minor: Statistical and Data Sciences Advisors: Seth Kelly, James West Gene expression is the process by […]

Head shot of Judith Topham

Magmatic Evolution of the Bræðravirki Ridge Basalts in Western Iceland

Name: Judith Topham Major: Geology Advisors: Meagen Pollock, Mark Wilson Bræðravirki is a hyaloclastic dominated tindar in the Western Volcanic Zone of Iceland. It is […]

Head shot of Joey Harris

Fatal Extraction: A Comparative Analysis of Environmental Conflicts in Ecuador during the Presidency of Rafael Correa

Name: Joey Harris Major: Political Science Minor: Economics Advisor: Erum Haider Conflicts over how natural resources are governed have become an increasingly important factor in […]

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Probiotic Bacterial Produced Serotonin (5-HT) in the Microbiome of Caenorhabditis Elegans Alters Behavior

Name: Jillian Murray Major: Neuroscience (Biology) Minor: Psychology Research about the neural connections between the gut and brain, called the gut-brain-axis, have emerged as […]

Head shot of Jennifer Mynard

A Home for People and Planet: Assessing the Feasibility of Sustainable Affordable Housing by Designing a Proof-of-Concept

Name: Jennifer Mynard Majors: Art History, Environmental Studies Advisors: Susan Clayton, John Siewert Human existence is increasingly characterized by the built environments we inhabit. The […]

Claira Schiffrik

Don’t Fight the Fed? An Analysis of the Role of Monetary Policy in the Formation of Bubbles in the Housing Market

Name: Claira Schiffrik Major: Economics Advisor: Huiting Tian This study provides an analysis of the relationship between monetary policy and the housing market and […]

All the Lonely People: Edward Hopper’s Imagery of Isolation and the Impact of his Work

Name: Jane Wight Major: Art History Advisor: John Siewert Edward Hopper is known as one of the most influential American Artists of the early […]

zoe semersky

Toward a Comprehensive Framework for Investigating Copper Dyshomeostasis: The Role of His-Tag Modularity and Alternative Expression Systems in Evaluating Dopamine β-Hydroxylase

Name: Zoë Semersky Majors: Biochemistry, Molecular Biology Advisors: Annastassia Gallo, Sara Martin Dopamine β-Hydroxylase (DBH) is a copper-containing monooxygenase responsible for the benzylic hydroxylation […]

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(De)Legitimization of Nonviolent Social Movements in U.S. News Media: A Rhetorical Analysis of News Coverage and Political Economic Analysis of News Corporations

Name: Jada Frost Majors: Political Science, Communication Studies Advisors: Denise Bostdorff, Erum Haider Social movements often employ protests in order to bring public attention to […]

Zoe E. Seymore

Overlooked Adoptees: The Effects of COVID-19 Racism and Ethnic Identity on the Psychological Well-Being of Chinese Transracial Adoptees in the United States

Name: Zoe E. Seymore Major: Psychology Minors: Mathematics, Chinese Advisor: Amber Garcia Second Reader: Nathan Foster Previous research has shown how Asian Americans have […]

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Nike’s “Equality”: How the Spread of Equality is Halted by the Delivery of Nike’s Message and Their Past Controversies

Name: Zak Nowatzke Major: Communication Studies Minor: Psychology Advisors: Joshua Smith; Denise Bostdorff (second reader), Michelle Johnson (academic advisor) The purpose of my project […]

Head shot of Hope Carmody

Post-Disaster Urban Reconstruction’s Effect on Mental Health: A Case Study of Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans Residents

Name: Hope Carmody Majors: Urban Studies, Psychology Advisors: Hamed Goharipour, Heather Fitz Gibbon Laying on rafters for days on end to avoid high flood […]

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Benzo(a)pyrene Induces CYP1A and p53 Expression in Brown Bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus)

Name: Gracie Park Major: Biology Advisors: Rebecca Williams; Erzsebet Regan (second reader) Exposure to the environmental contaminant benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) increases health risks. This study […]

Head shot of Jacob Hassan

Effect of Tributary Glacier Surge on Tidewater Terminus Stability: College Fjord, Prince William Sound, Alaska

Name: Jacob Hassan Major: Environmental Geoscience Minor: Computer Science Advisors: Vibhor Agarwal, Gregory Wiles; Mark Wilson (second reader) With the rise of global climate change, there is […]

Glenna Van Dyke

On This Land: Digital Indigenous History in Wayne County, Ohio

Name: Glenna Van Dyke Majors: History, Social Studies Education Advisor: Katie Holt My WordPress project, On This Land, offers a more inclusive view of […]

Head shot of Isabel Espinosa

Environmental Activism For Sale: A Visual Analysis of the Relationship Between Product Advertising and the Environmental Movement in 2022

Name: Isabel Espinosa Majors: Communication Studies, Global Media & Digital Studies Advisor: Simon Rousset; Denise Bostdorff (second reader) As the corporate use of social movement […]

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Putin’s “Corrective Project”: An Examination of State Repression Against Russian Nongovernmental Organizations

Name: Ethan Sieber Majors: Political Science, Russian Studies Advisors: Kent Kille, Zach Rewinski Since the early 2000s, restrictions against nongovernmental organizations in Russia have drastically […]

Hannah Baker

La Violencia en Las Sombras: Epistemic Violence in The United States Immigration System and Its Implications

Name: Hannah Baker Majors: Political Science, Spanish Advisors: Michele Leiby, Cynthia Palmer The United States immigration system perpetuates epistemic violence against immigrants. Epistemic violence […]

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Think Globally, Act Locally, Panic Internally: Climate Anxiety’s Impact on Political Participation

Name: Emily Hasecke Majors: Psychology, Political Science Advisors: Susan Clayton, Matthew Krain This study explored how climate anxiety is related to political participation. Prior research suggested that […]

Haley Huett

Knowing When to Do Wrong: An Exploration of the Relationship Between Threat to a Leader and Violations of Physical Integrity Rights

Name: Haley Huett Major: Political Science Minor: Religious Studies Advisors: Kent Kille, William Kujala Political leaders are sensitive to threat. Scholarship in the field […]

Haley Bloom

Hey Baby You Up? A Solution To Early Online Sexual Predator Detection

Name: Haley Bloom Major: Computer Science  Minor: Data Science Advisor: Thomas Montelione; Heather Guarnera (second reader) Humanity is in an age of technology where […]

Drake Stolman

Facilitating Collaborative Gameplay Within an Immersive Virtual Reality Environment

Name: Drake Stolman Major: Computer Science Advisors: Daniel Palmer, Heather Guarnera Virtual reality has become increasingly popular over the past decade, especially in the area of gaming. […]

Doak Schultz head shot

The Online World of Politics: Analyzing the Impact of the Public During #MeToo on Public Policy Using Machine Learning

Name: Doak Schultz Major: Political Science Minor: Art Advisors: Megan Wrobel, Brittany Brake This study explores the impact of the #MeToo movement on Twitter on proposed bills […]

Head shot of David Lee Dotson

Prognostic Factors for Meningioma Growth: A Meta-Analysis

Name: David Lee Dotson Major: Neuroscience (Biology) Minor: Music Advisor: Nicholas Brandley; Seth Kelly (second reader) Many studies have reported connections between certain factors and meningioma […]

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Authenticity & Virtue Theory

Name: David Dunn Majors: Philosophy, Psychology Advisors: John Rudisill, Ronald Hustwit In this thesis, I examine a conception of authenticity as a virtue. Then, after […]

Head shot of Cory Horgan

The Impact of Nuclear Weapons Security Measures on Brinkmanship Conflict Outcomes: A Comparative Case Study of the Pakistan-India Border Conflict and U.S.-Russian Tensions Over the War in Ukraine

Name: Cory Edward Horgan Major: Political Science (International Relations concentration) Minor: Religious Studies Advisor: Jeffrey Lantis; Kent Kille This study explores how levels of nuclear weapons security […]

Head shot of Cloud Chang

The Effects of Parenting Styles and Parental Conflict on Child Development

Name: Cloud Chang Major: Psychology Advisors: Susan Clayton, Amber Garcia The current study examines the effects of parenting style and parental conflict on child development with regard […]

Head shot of Clare Leithauser

The Political Games of Foreign Direct Investment: Investigating the Influence of Regime Type on Host Country FDI Inflows During the Olympics

Name: Clare Leithauser Major: Political Science Minor: Economics Advisors: Erik Davis; Jeffrey Lantis (second reader) Foreign direct investment (FDI) is one of the most important factors in […]

Head shot of Claire Campbell

It’s the Little Things in (a Grasshopper’s) Life: How the Carolina Grasshopper Visually Signals to Conspecifics While Minimizing Predation Risk

Name: Claire Lynn Campbell Major: Neuroscience (Biology) Advisors: Nicholas Brandley, Jennifer Ison The Carolina grasshopper, Dissosteira carolina, has coarse vision due to its compound […]

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A Review of the Sexual Assault Kit Backlog and the Methods of Biological Analysis in Crime Laboratories

Name: Chloe Clear Major: Biology Advisor: Laura Sirot Sexual assault has been a rising issue throughout the past few decades.  Due to this, efforts […]

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Detecting Cryptojacking Malware

Name: Chase D. Fickes Majors: Mathematics, Computer Science Advisors: Drew Pasteur, Max Taylor Cryptojacking is a type of malware that has been increasing popular […]

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The Partisan Implications of a Nonpartisan Redistricting Commission: Examining the 2022 Midterm Elections in Michigan

Name: Carter Schmidt Major: Political Science Advisors: Megan Wrobel, Erik Davis This research examines the question of whether a nonpartisan redistricting commission is capable of […]

Head shot of Caitlyn Denes

Climatological Analysis of Recent Pluvial Conditions in Northeast Ohio and Implications for Water Management

Name: Caitlyn Denes Major: Environmental Geoscience Minor: German Studies Advisors: Greg Wiles, Meagen Pollock Second Reader: Shelley Judge In a day and age where […]

Head shot of Ben Read

Red Sword-White Canvas: The Past, Present, and Future of the Avant-Garde and Avant-Garde Aesthetics

Name: Ben Read Majors: Philosophy and Art History Minor: Music Advisors: John Rudisill and John Siewert This book examines and critiques various elements surrounding the existence of […]

Head shot of Ayaka Iwasaki

Multicultural Experiences Influence Attitudes toward Different Groups: The Role of Social Identities

Name: Ayaka Iwasaki Major: Psychology Minor: Education Advisor: Amber Garcia; Amy Jo Stavnezer (second reader) One’s identification with social groups influences attitudes toward different groups. Identity as […]

Conservation of Dynamic Modularity in Biological Network Modeling: Modular Boolean Model of Cell Cycle Regulation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Name: Caitlin Strassburg Major: Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Mathematics Advisors: Erzsebet Regan, Robert Kelvey Dynamic Modularity is a proposed characteristic of biologically defined Boolean […]

Head shot of Anna Truong

Understanding First-Generation Graduation Rates at The College of Wooster: Applying Mathematical Models to Factors that Affect Retention.

Name: Anna Truong Major: Mathematics Advisor: Drew Pasteur; Rob Kelvey (second reader) This study investigates the factors that affect retention and graduation rates for […]

Together, We Can Everything: The Social Outcomes of Cohousing Communities in Denmark

Name: Alice Markey Major: Environmental Studies Minor: Sociology Advisor: Matt Mariola; Heather Fitz Gibbon (Second Reader) Cohousing is an intentional living community that prioritizes […]

Alex Padfield

This Is Not About The Body: Deprioritizing A Corporeal Study Of The Hijra

Name: Alex Padfield Major: Religious Studies Advisor: Advisor: Dr. Mirza Second Reader: Dr. Graham Hijras, located in present-day Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan, are most […]

Head shot of Anna Russell

Celestial Bodies and Ancient Maya Women: Shedding (Moon)light on Divine Power

Name: Anna Russell Major: Archeology Advisor: Olivia Navarro-Farr This project explores the ways in which ancient Maya women drew power from the moon, utilizing its prognostic […]

Head shot of Alyssa Henss

Wartime Impacts on Maya Culture Heritage

Name: Alyssa Henss Major: Archeology Advisor: Olivia Navarro-Farr Second Reader: Siavash Samei A major feature of colonization of the Americas is the myth of complete pacification. […]

Head shot of Alysha Matson

“Jesus, You Make Me Worthy”: How Women Priests View Excommunication and Work towards an Inclusive Catholicism

Name: Alysha Matson Majors: Religious Studies and English Advisor: Jeremy Rapport; Terry Reeder (second reader) This project examines six individual interviews of women for have […]

“What’s in a name?”: How Just the Word “Autism” affects Autism Stigma

Name: Allison Ringold Majors: Cognitive Behavioral Neuroscience and German Studies Advisors: Grit Herzmann, Mareike Herrmann Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or Autism has a variety of definitions and […]

The Power of Narratives: Exploring the Influence of Propaganda Narratives on U.S. Ethiopian Migrants’ Remittance-Sending Behavior Post 2020 Ethiopia/Tigray Conflict

Name: Alegnta Dawit Mezmur Major: Global and International Studies, Economics Concentration Minor: Data Science Advisors: Edward Teather-Posadas, Philip Mellizo This thesis examines the impact […]

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Automated Geologic Cross-Section Generation for Ohio using GemPy

Name: Abigail Rice Major: Computer Science Minors: Mathematics, Geology Advisors: Daniel Palmer, Drew Guarnera Geologic cross-sections show us a history of the Earth and are an important […]

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Creating a Caring Community: An Examination of Mutual Aid Networks

Name: Abigail Beard Major: Sociology Advisor: Setsuko Mastuzawa; Heather Fitz Gibbon (second reader) For the past decade, there has been a focus placed on research […]