Honors College Thesis
As one of the requirements for an Honors College diploma, every senior must undertake a year-long thesis project.
For this project, students focus on the skills they have learned during the core courses and seminars and apply them to an original, extended research project.
Thesis Process
Students will begin their thesis work in the second semester of the junior year, under the direction of a faculty adviser. The project is completed in the student’s final semester when they present the results of their research to the campus community.
The nature of the individual project depends on the discipline:
- Students in the sciences typically write an extended lab report, detailing extensive lab research and including a general 10-15 page introduction and relevant bibliography;
- Students in the social sciences and the humanities generally develop research and/or critical work, approximately 50 pages long, that presents an original argument situated with a comprehensive literature review and thorough bibliography;
- Students in the arts—including graphic design, performing arts, studio art, and creative writing—will often develop a substantial new work in their field that will be accompanied by a 10-15 page critical introduction and supporting bibliography.
Thesis Guidelines
View the current guidelines, deadlines, and forms for the Honors College Thesis.
Thesis Highlights
Students present their work in the spring of their final year at Adelphi at the Research and Creative Works Conference and are encouraged to take their research beyond the campus and attend the Northeast Regional Honors Council and meetings in their academic disciplines.
Honors College Thesis Titles
Jonathan Aronov, thesis advisor Professor Brian Stockman
Assessing potential inhibitors of Trichomonas vaginalis and determining compound safety in Drosophila melanogaster
Carson Bailey, thesis advisor Professor Kelly Swartz
Last [Disempowered Person] Standing: Identity in the Battle Royale Narrative Formula
Marcello Bellia, thesis advisor Professor Joseph Celentano
Money In Youth Sports and its Effects
Ally Buettel, thesis advisor Professor Marisa D. Abram
The Detrimental Effects of Childhood Experiences and the Significance of Trauma-Informed Care for Nurses
Nicholas Caramihai, thesis advisor Professor Carolyn Bauer
Stress Response of Degu (Octodon Degus) Pups to maternal Separation at Various Stages of Postnatal Development, as Indicated by Play Frequency Behavior
Megan Clifford, thesis advisor Lahney Preston-Matto
Eventualities: A Critical Amplification of Contemporary Issues through Science Fiction
Megan Ferguson, thesis advisor Robert Bradley
The Suan shu shu and the Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art: A Comparison
Avery Gaeta, thesis advisor Nathan George
Predictors of success in second language learning
Fiona Govin, thesis advisor Kelly Swartz
Into the Oblivion: Drawing the Depths of Dante’s Inferno
Julia Griffo, thesis advisor Ana I. Simon Alegre
Transgressive Spanish Women and Their Agencies through the Lens of the Film Industries of Spain and United States
Janet Ilyayev, thesis advisor Edwin-Nikko Kabigting
Issues and Trends of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Nursing Perspective on Stress and Recommendations Moving Forward.
Nandini Jojode, thesis advisor Lawrence Hobbie
Analysis of the Function of the LSH3 Gene in Growth of Arabidopsis Thaliana
Maria Giovanna Jumper, thesis advisor Mariano Torras
Environmental Economics and Policy and Global Water Insecurity
Rebecca Justiniano, thesis advisor Jan-Henry Gray
El Puente: A Historical Novella Set in 1928 Puerto Rico
Allen Karimov, thesis advisor Hannah M. Cates
The Effects of Cocaine Addiction on the LNCRNA in the Hippocampus
Abraham Kariyev, thesis advisor William Jacobowitz
Factors Associated with Mental Health Symptoms Among College- Aged Students During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic
Nicole Katsanis, thesis advisor Laura Brumariu
The effects of parental romantic attachment on the emotional socialization of their children
Aadil Khan, thesis advisor Dominic Fareri
The Temporal Dynamics of the Neural Response to Social Rewards
Nurjahan Khan, thesis advisor Hannah Allen
Moments of Pause: An Exploration of Public Installation Art
Tereza Kuzmina, thesis advisor Dominic Fareri
Choosing for Friends Relative to Strangers in Need Decreases Risky Decision-Making
Alina Larina, thesis advisor Lawrence Hobbie
The Harmful Systematic Conditions That Are Linked to Periodontal Disease
Virginia Maloney, thesis advisor Terrence Ross
The Life, Death, and After-Life of the Western Film: How A Genre Creates and Responds to National Culture and Politics
Ravyn Malvino, thesis advisor Matthew Wright
Starting a Science Blog During a Pandemic
Danielle Mark, thesis advisor Michael D’Emic
The Evolution of Dental Tissues in the First Mammalian Megaherbivore
Maggie Matassa, thesis advisor Sokthan Yeng
Philosophy of the Body: a Philosophical Perspective as Aid to the Progression of the Western Health Paradigm
Monica Mattei, thesis advisor Winston Waters
The Remote Work Experiment: An Analysis of the Rise and Impact of the New Working Normal
Catherin Murphy, thesis advisor Arthur Leibowitz
The Evolution of Free Agency in Baseball
Samantha Napoli, thesis advisor Lauren Gonzales
Workaholism in Undergraduate College Students
Eric Nelson, thesis advisor Anil Venkatesh
What Makes a Video Game a Roguelike?
Jenna Piller, thesis advisor Michael Wentz
Business and Corona Virus: The New Normal
Sandra Pinto, thesis advisor Alexander Heyl
Studying the evolution of cytokinin signaling using the green algae Coleochaete scutate
Brandon Ram, thesis advisor Aaren Freeman
Biocontrol in Aquaculture
Christopher Ricca, thesis advisor Nicholas Koumiadis
Beyond the Numbers: Are Ethics and Fraud ‘Accounted’ for in the Business World?
Julio RuizDiaz, thesis advisor Brian Wygal
Human Paleoecology of the Terminal Pleistocene and Early Holocene of the Greater Tanana Valley, Alaska circa 22-9ka
Emma Ryan, thesis advisor Eugenia Villa-Cuesta
A review of investigations into rapamycin’s mechanism of action and utility as a treatment for succinate dehydrogenase deficiency in a Drosophila melanogaster model
Sarah Shin, thesis advisor Regina-Aexlrod
A Case Study Analysis of the Anti-Defamation League’s work in Public Policy through the lens of John Kingdon’s Public Policy Model
Ilana Stukal, thesis advisor Carolyn Bauer
Impacts of Cross-Fostering on Octodon degu mothers
Samantha Tannenbaum, thesis advisor Melissa A. Van Alstine Parris
Converting a Chirality Experiment to be Inquiry-Based and Virtual
Tina Tudisco, thesis advisor Michael LaCombe
Which Witch is Which? A Study of Witch Trials Comparing an Italian to an American Example
Paul Venturi, thesis advisor Justyna Widera-Kalinowska
Electrochemical Synthesis of Tungsten Trioxide and Optimization of Its Photocatalytic Ability Through Creation of Hybrids with Gold Nanoparticles
Gabriela Vidad, thesis advisor Matthew Wright
Exploring and Communicating the Severity of Coral Reef Changes in the Philippines Using Remote Sensing and Widely Available Resources
Juliana Yee, thesis advisor Michael Matto
The Relationship Between Science and Literature: A Reflection of Society’s Attitude Towards the Sciences, and Path Towards a more Interdisciplinary Science
Eleni Zamagias, thesis advisor Joshua Hiller
Mathematics in Epidemiology: An Early Review of Responses to COVID-19 by Institutions of Higher Education
Jacqueline Zito, thesis advisor Karen Wallace
Assessing the Effectiveness of the Going Concern Disclosure
Panayotis Baki Agelarakis, thesis advisor Professor Katie Laatikainen
The Migrant Crisis and Nationalist Responses in Europe
Marissa Campano, thesis advisor Professor Steven Cox
A Systematic Review of Voice Disorders in Children
Serena Chen, thesis advisor Professor Sokthan Yeng
Language and the Conscious Mind: Epistemological Concerns of Text-Analysis in Psychotherapy Research
Jessica Colonna, thesis advisor Professor Dale Flashner
Horrifically Female The Role of Women in the Horror Film Industry and its Reflection on Society
Kellyann Coveny, thesis advisor Professor Kelley Nassief
The Magic of Musical Interpretation and Expression
Karli Cox, thesis advisor Professor Shilpi Sinha
Curriculum Embedded Social and Emotional Learning in English Language Arts
Erin Cullen, thesis advisor Professor Nicole Rudolph
“From Irish Immigrants to Irish-Americans: The Evolution of “Irishness” in the United States from the 1910s-1960s”
Patryk Czyzo, thesis advisor Professor Mark Grabowski
Determining the Impact of Institutional Investors on Bitcoin
Sabrina Davis, thesis advisor Professor Michael LaCombe
A Series of Unfortunate Events: Understanding the Lives of Ordinary Colonial Women through Unusual Circumstances
Thomas Dayton, thesis advisor Professor Lee Stemkoski
I Can’t Believe It’s Not Gambling: Why “Loot Boxes” Negatively Affect Consumers, Developers, and Publishers
Meagan Demaria, thesis advisor Professor Craig Carson
“The Political Impacts of Climate Change: Narratives in Literature and Art”
Michael Ducker, thesis advisor Professor Craig Carson
Ecology, Oil, and Chronotopes: On Reza Negarestanis “Cyclonopedia” in the context of Ecocriticism
Emily Dunlop, thesis advisor Professor Spurgeon Thompson
Emily Farrell, thesis advisor Professor Hanna Kim
Technology and Humanness: A Media Ecological Study of Organ Transplant and Death in the 21st Century
Ariyana Felician, thesis advisor Professor Laraine Wallowitz
Tracking, teacher expectations, and cultural bias: examining minority student participation in upper level courses in public schools
Frederick Grimshaw, thesis advisor Professor Celeste Kaufman
Feminist, Trailblazer, or True Woman: An Analysis of Justice Sandra Day O’Connor’s Contributions to American Society Through Her Life, Career, and Decisions
Dori-Jo Guterrez – Stories of Women in Greek Mythology: Modern Feminist Retellings Through Original Songs
Janice Im, thesis advisor Professor Erin Heisel
Preadolescent conduct problems,empathy, attachment security with their mother, and collaborative decision-making
Andrew Jacobson, thesis advisor Professor Robert Goldberg
Rethinking the Student Debt Crisis: Income Share Agreements
Seo Rin Celine Jeong, thesis advisor Professor Alan Schoenfeld
Horrifically The Effects of Knockdowns of the Pyruvate Kinase Isoform, PKM2, On VHL- and VHL+ Kidney Cancer Cells.
David King, thesis advisor Professor Terrence Ross
“Look at her”: Function and Effect of Contemporary American English Gendered Slang
Eleni Kokoris, thesis advisor Professor Kees Leune
Improving Phishing Awareness Through Gamification Techniques
Emily Lawrence, thesis advisor Professor Ryan Ehrhart
“Ethnics and Our Global Food System”
Alexandra Lombino, thesis advisor Professor Kelly Swartz
Mother as Writer, Writer as Mother: Challenging the Traditional Family in Ferrante’s Neapolitan Quartet
Brigid Lynn, thesis advisor Professor Jacqueline Olvera
Class, Capital, and Political Engagement Among Panhellenic Sorority Women
Alecia Lyseight,thesis advisor Professor Laura Brumariu
The Relations of Maternal Role-Confusion and Maternal Emotion Regulation with Preadolescent Behavioral Problems
Emma Martin, thesis advisor Professor Todd Vanidestine
The impact of social and political factors regarding self-disclosure of sexual orientation on Adelphi University undergraduate students
Marisa McLeod, thesis advisor Professor Justyna Widera-Kalinowska
Photocatalytic Degradation of Hazardous Wastes using Tungsten Trioxide Based Hybrids
Stephanie Milillo, thesis advisor Professor Steven Cox
Voice Characteristics of Female College Athletes
Kalei Mills, thesis advisor Professor Janet Schoepflin
Origins of Performance Outcome Differences in Children with Cochlear Implants
Donato Moneta, thesis advisor Professor Arthur Leibowitz
The Impact of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act on the Individual Taxpayer & The American economy
Iffat Naveed, thesis advisor Professor Maryanne Hyland
Challenges in Measuring Organizational Impact Within Nonprofits
Alyssa Paciullo, thesis advisor Professor Michael Matto
Contemporary Fairy Tale Adaptations: Tales and Reality Meet in the Woods
Lauren Redford, thesis advisor Professor Michael Matto
Social Media’s Effect on the Semantics and Etymology of Slang
Julia Rietbroek, thesis advisor Professor Hanna Kim
Mapping Experience in Tourism: A Case Study of Scotland, 2000-2020
Dominique Sarcona, thesis advisor Professor Michael LaCombe
“Is This All?” Domesticity in White America, 1945-1965
Alison Schoeder, thesis advisor Professor Ruth Coffey
The Interconnection of Ecofeminism & Vegetarianism: How They Can Save the Environment
Rebecca Schoenfeld, thesis advisor Professor Katherine Fiori
All Social Media is Not Created Equal: How Finsta and Instagram Use Differ in Their Relationships With Loneliness and Social Engagement
Matthew Schroh, thesis advisor Professor Michael LaCombe
Chinese Reforms of the Nanjing Decade: Nationalist and Communist Efforts behind Reform Pursuit
Rebekah Shin, thesis advisor Professor Melissa Van Alstine Parris
Synthesis of Phenyl Pyridine Derivatives and their Inhibitory Activity on Adenosine/ Guanosine – Nucleoside Ribohydrolase (AGNH)
Jenna Shipley, thesis advisor Professor Kelly Swartz
The Neapolitan Quartet: Conveying the Realities of the Feminine Mystique
Tara Sirotkin, thesis advisor Professor Marissa Abram
Current Issues in the Nursing Care of Eating Disorders
Christina Sullivan, thesis advisor Professor Tuval Foguel
Construction of Sudoku Puzzles and Their History
Jade Tabor, thesis advisor Professor Matthew Lavery
“The consequences of the commodification of education: A Market Comparison”
Olivia Tcholakian, thesis advisor Professor Alex Neitzke
Looking at the Ethics of Big Data: An Analysis of the Moral Implications of Current Data Practices
Eric Vonczerniewicz, double major with Philosophy, thesis advisor Professor Shawn Kaplan
A Practical Approach to the Question of Responsibility Regarding Climate change
Malcolm Woodard, thesis advisor Professor Margaret Gray
How a well-meaning rule change became an attack on the agricultural community
Lila Woodbridge, double major with Psychology, thesis advisor Professor Joy McClure
Attachment Style, Stress, and Media Preferences
Deborah Yanez, thesis advisor Professor Justyna Widera-Kalinowska
Exploring the Efficacy of Rote vs. Note: An Authoethnography of a Senior Recital
Kelly Zhu, thesis advisor Professor Heather Waters
WO3 Hybrids and their and their applications for the photocatalytic degradtion of p-substitutes phenois
Rheanna Zotto, thesis advisor Professor Heather Waters
“The Pedagogical Implications of Repertaire Quality and Choice: A Case Study of an undergraduate Soprano”
Ryan Barrett – Application and Implementation of Augmented Reality
Justin Bergson – Teaching Spanish Inclusively: A Spanish Teacher’s Dilemma and How to Combat Gendered Languages in the Classroom
Tasha Berol – Staged Violence: A Historical and Practical Evaluation of Stage Combat
Valerie Buonaiuto – I + E: Educating & Raising Awareness About Introversion & Extroversion
Elizabeth Butler – Mistreatment of Older Adults with Alzheimer’s Disease
Jessica Campitiello – Technology and Theatre: How Modern Advances in Technology Have Altered the Ways in Which Messages Are Sent and Received
Connor Coupe – United States Arms Exports to Iraq
Caitlin Cronin – Music to my Ears: How the Correlation Between Music and Language can Possibly Help Children with Specific Language Impairment
David Navindra – Utility of Hypervalent Iodine in Organic Synthesis
Nicholas DeMarco – Assessment of Undergraduate Curriculum Using Statistical Methods
Aliyyah Dewji – The Association Between Depression and Seizure Disorders: The Neuro Transmitter That Are Present in Both Disorders
Muhammad Zaarir Dulloo – The Association Between Depression and Seizure Disorders: The Neuro Transmitter That Are Present in Both Disorders
Ahmed Ellahie – The Association Between Depression and Seizure Disorders: The Neuro Transmitter That Are Present in Both Disorders
Arthur Fain – Development of Novel Hypervalent Iodine Regents
Benjamin Feldman – Despite Everything
Sarah Ferraro – Demanding Perfection From The Perspective of Transformational Leadership: The Management Practices, Leadership Principles, and Core Values of Hyman G. Rickover
Rachel Foley – The Impact of Technology on the Accounting Industry
Ryan Foley – The Effects of Visual Marketing and the Impact of Evolving Technology
Jami Glatter – How Has Fake News Became a Political Tool with Real Consequences
Nicole Grace – Human Trafficking in the United States
Victoria Grodzki – Nonpharmacologic Interventions to Slow Progression of Alzheimer’s Disease-A Look into Music Therapy, Nutrition & Physical Exercises
Danielle Grushkovsky – The Transgenerational Effects of Rapamycin on Drosophila Melanogaster
Oman Hameed – Why Narrative Matters: Empathy and Death in Modern Medicine
Joseph Hoeffner – Shared Stories, Essays, and Music: A Creative Writers Approach to Listening
Anika Husain – First Generation College Students: Retention Rates Campus Involvement, and Career Outcomes
Samantha Irace – Nonword Repetition in Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders
Kristina Joo – Nonword Repetition in Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders
Abinash Kaur – Molecular Modeling & NMR-based Counter Screens of Fragments Inhibitors of Trichomonas Vaginaltis Adenosine/Guanosine Nucleoside Ribohydroase
Morcel Khwajazadah – The Effect of Metabolic Intermediates on the Viability of HL & VHL Cells
Atanas Lapchev – “Knowledge Presentation” A Formalization of knowledge Sharing between multiple individuals
Elizabeth Levner – Open Eyes: a narrative in progress
Vinay Maddula – Computational Studies of aB-Tubulin and its Role in Breast Cancer Metastasis
Stephanie Malcangi – Maternal Stress is related with decreased play behavior in Octodon degus pups
Danielle McDougall – Situating the Tribe: How the African Diaspora Uses Literature to Grapple with Epistemicide
Sophie Meyers – False Memories and the Misinformation Effect: Impacts on Classroom Learning
Areej Mohini – Impact of incline during terrestrial locomotion in South American lung fish
Catherine Olsen – The Sorrow and the Pity: A study of Shifting Memory in France
Victoria Ouzounian – How do people regulate important goals? Exploring construal level and goal hierarchies
Priya Patel – Analysis of Cytokinins Signaling Arabidopsis
Matthew Petrouskie – Recessions and Depressions: An Economic Comparison of the Great Depression and Great Recession and their respective aftermaths
Manasa Pisipati – Osteoporosis and Calcium
Erica Redmann – Effects of substrateon terrestrial locomotion in Lung Fish
Aria Saltini – Musicals and the Transitional Roles of Women
Katelin Smith – “HEEL” Healing, Empowering & Enhancing Lives
Lucas Sullivan-Barrale – For the Love of God! An original one-act musical Comedy
Jack Thomann – What would happen if the United States was Erased from Existence Today?
Joanna Troyanos – Marital conflict, parental Romantic attachment, and children’s attachment security in middle childhood
Rachel Vacca – Narratology and the abstract condition of translation theory