Resources
Find information for getting started, as well as general information.
**The Canvas group is for informational purposes only; anyone can join; it is NOT how you register for Departmental Honors.
Helpful Links
Links for Thesis Times |
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| Pre-Thesis | Research Honors Theses Published at RL Consider an HON 399 course if you are University Honors |
| Beginning |
Apply to Begin a Thesis (due by Reading Day the semester before you begin thesis) |
| Middle | |
| End |
Defense Schedule Survey & Medallion RSVP (EMAIL from Student Services Coordinator) Thesis Title Page (if an HON 499) Online Availability Form ([Where] Can I Publish Your Work?) Reflection to be Added to Exit Survey Exit Survey (Emailed) |
Spring 2026 Open Defenses
Please thank our students for so kindly opening their thesis defenses to audiences.
| Student | Major(s) | Subject Area | Title of Thesis | Date & Time | Location |
| Arden Ganse | Coastal Engineering | Coastal Engineering | Evaluating a 1D Simplified Morphodynamic Model for Aeolian Dune Evolution at Masonboro Island, North Carolina | March 25th @ 1pm | CE 1129 |
| Veronica Nelson | History | Interdisciplinary | A Study of Death and the Spirit in J.R.R. Tolkien's Legendarium | March 26th @ 2pm | MO 102 |
| Abigail Bryant | Biology | Biology | Ultrastructural Characterization of Belizean Ascidians and Their Associated Symbiotic Microbes Using Transmission Electron Microscopy | April 13th @ 12pm | Zoom |
| Emma Hicks | Nursing | Nursing | Understanding Anxiety in Nursing Students: Academic, Clinical, and Personal Stressors | April 14th @ 12:30pm |
Meeting ID: 828 3742 9975 Passcode: 482963 |
| Caleb Barker | Psychology | Psychology | Computerized Vs. Non-computerized Performance Equivalence of a Word List Task | April 15th @ 8am |
TL 2018 |
| Lauren Ulrich | Biology | Interdisciplinary | How General Anxiety, Past Negative Dental Experiences, and Dental Beliefs Impact Dental Anxiety in University Students and Adult Dental Patients | April 15th @ 3pm |
TL 1050 |
| Laura Grossheim | Biology (Pre-Health) | Biology | Relationship between Tooth Replacement Rate and Tooth Size in Cichlid Fishes | April 16th @ 9:30am | RL 2005 |
| Nicole Poole | Biology (Pre-Health) | Interdisciplinary | SportGait 1v2 Hand | April 17th @ 8am | VH 3502 |
| Jocelyn Birmingham | Exercise Science | Exercise Science | Evaluating the Effectiveness of the GLIFT Device in Reducing Back Muscle Strain and Pain in Surgeons: An Electromyography-Based Study | April 17th @ 11am |
VH 3513 |
| Lydia Jin | English and French | English | Breathing With Juliet: Discovering the Mestiza | April 17th @ 1pm | MO 102 |
| Kara Cotton | Marine Biology | Marine Biology | Whale That's Puzzling: Creating Magnet Cetacean Skull Replicas for Interactive Outreach and Education | April 20th @ 1pm | TL 1052 |
| Madison Nordmiller | Psychology | Psychology | The Landscape of Digital Mental Health: A Systematic Scoping Review of Access, Usage, and Evidence for Clinical Outcomes | April 20th @ 2pm | Zoom |
| Isabelle Kuhn | Biochemistry | Interdisciplinary | Functional implications of photoreceptors in the retina of the Caribbean Hogfish (Lachnolaimus Maximus) | April 21st @ 9am | TL 1008 Zoom |
| Fiona Minarcine | Criminology | Criminology | IPV to Police Brutality: Who's to Blame? | April 21st @ 11am | BR 102 |
| Riley Sutton | Elementary Education | Elementary Education | The Road to Equitable Education | April 21st @ 11am | SY 337 |
| Nicolea Dwight | Marine Biology | Interdisciplinary | LEVERAGING ALLELOPATHY FOR DRUG DISCOVERY: PHYTOPLANKTON METABOLOMES AS ANTI-T. gondii DRUG CANDIDATES: A BIOASSAY STRATEGY | April 22nd @ 8am |
MARBIONC Conference Room |
| Bryce Settlemier | Art History | Interdisciplinary | Magic or Miracle? Evaluating Conflicting Museum Interpretations of Early Christian Iconography in Roman gold-glass | April 22nd @ 10am | MO 102 |
| Jordan Altic | Marine Biology | Marine Biology | Validation of a Commercial ELISA Kit for Detecting Corticosterone in Plasma of Sea Turtles | April 23rd @ 9am | KI 202 |
| Tyler Coker | Criminology | Criminology | Not a Gateway: Examining the Correlation Between Marijuana Use and Adolescent Crime | April 23rd @ 2pm | BR 281 |
| Maggie Monday | Biology | Biology | The role of arginine kinases in cobalt chloride induced hormetic lifespan extension in the model organism C. elegans | April 23rd @ 2:30pm | TL 1007 |
| Laura Slama | Biology | Biology | Comparison of Brachyury expression during early embryogenesis in cnidarians | April 24th @ 9am | TL 1053 |
| Sophie Haugh | Marine Biology | Marine Biology | Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in Spartina alterniflora: Visualizing PFAS in emergent vegetation | April 24th @ 10:15am | CH 110 |
| Isabelle Duncan | English | Interdisciplinary | “I’m Immortal Now, Baby Dolls:” Death, Rebirth, and Self-Authorship in the Work of Taylor Swift | April 24th @ 12:45pm | CA 2024 |
| Emmy Tublin | Oceanography | Interdisciplinary | Policy Barriers and Opportunities for Agrivoltaics in North Carolina | April 24th @ 1pm | TL 1007 |
| Nathan Chmielewski | Marine Biology, Environmental Science | Marine Biology | Characterizing Ichthyoplankton Abundance and Spatial Distribution in May 2024 and 2025 on Frying Pan Shoals | April 24th @ 3pm | DO102 |
| Dakota Lowery | Biology | Biology | Shoreline Structures and Their Influence on Marsh Soil Elevation, Carbon, and Nitrogen | April 27th @ 10am | TL 1053 Zoom |
| Olivia Trahan | Marine Biology | Marine Biology | Reading Between the Lines (of Arrested Growth): Growth variation among loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) with varying stranding conditions in the U.S. Gulf of America | April 27th @ 10am | TL 1052 |
| Anthony Tran | Exercise Science | Exercise Science | Beetroot juice and its impact on anaerobic swimmers' performances | April 27th @ 10am | VH 3546 |
| Joshua Burkhardt | Psychology | Psychology | Social Transmission of Sickness on Affective Behaviors | April 27th @ 11am | TL 2018 |
| Olivia Cuccurullo | Environmental Sciences | Environmental Sciences | Post-burn responses in pocosins and savannas following the Pulp Road Fire in the Green Swamp Preserve, NC | April 27th @ 11am | TL 1013 |
| Alanna Christman | Public Health | Interdisciplinary | How Vegetarian Diets Impact Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) Compared to Omnivore Diets | April 27th @ 12pm | VH 3513 |
| Elliana Marty | Environmental Sciences | Environmental Sciences | Modeling the Impacts of Climate Driven Weather Changes on Fisheries along the U.S. East Coast | April 27th @ 12:30pm |
DO 2002 |
| Patrick Lamp | Exercise Science | Exercise Science | Investigating the Effects of Caffeine on Autonomic Cardiovascular Control | April 27th @ 1pm |
MC 1028 |
| Cole Dunivan | Biology (Pre-Health) | Biology | Transcriptional Profiling of C. Elegans Phosphagen System Mutants Implicates Innate Immunity in Response to Oxidative Stress | April 27th @ 1:15pm |
MC 1027 |
| Ava Kline | Psychology & Criminology | Psychology | The Role of Punishment in Derived Extinction of Free-Operant Responding Maintained by Avoidance within Equivalence Classes | April 27th @ 12pm | TL 2008 |
| Anna Darlington | Biology | Biology | The Importance of Phosphagen Kinases in Reproductive Stress Responses in C. Elegans | April 27th @ 3pm | MC 1027 |
| Jacob Kwak | Psychology | Psychology | Acting Calm: The Neurocognitive Effects of Theatrical Training on Public Speaking Anxiety | April 28th @ 10am | TL 2008 |
| Livia Ciarlo | Psychology | Psychology | THE ROOTS OF MASCULINE HONOR, AGGRIEVED ENTITLEMENT, AND REJECTION BENEATH AMERICAN MASS SHOOTINGS | April 28th @ 12pm | TL 1055 |
| Jane Hilts | Psychology | Psychology | Evaluating PR Schedules to Determine Response Effort in College Students | April 28th @ 1pm | TL 2018 |
| Aveline Patrolia | Chemistry | Chemistry | Measurement of Equilibrium and Kinetics of Beta-Peptide Binding to Membranes Using Fluorescence Energy Transfer | April 28th @ 2pm | VH 3008 |
| Eve Goldberg | Coastal Engineering | Coastal Engineering | Evaluating Tidal Differences on the East and South Sides of Frying Pan Shoals | April 29th @ 9am | CE 1129 |
| Shayla Wynne | Biology & Environmental Science | Biology | Practical Application of a Zooplankton Toxicology Kit as an Educational Resource | April 29th @ 11:15am | RL 2005 Zoom |
| Sophia Reese | Business Administration- Marketing Strategy | Marketing Strategy | Belonging Through Narrative: How "I" vs "We" Perspectives Shape Wellness-Oriented Social Identities | April 29th @ 12pm | Marketing Suite 240 Conference Room |
| Siobhan Duffy | Biology | Biology | Linking environmental conditions to community temperature index (CTI) in a warming North Sea | April 29th @ 1pm | TL 1052 |
| Jamison Painter | Chemistry | Chemistry | Do Oceangoing Plastics Affect Harmful Algal Blooms Toxin Production in North Carolinian Waterways? | April 29th @ 1pm | Zoom |
| Molly McMorrow | Biology (Pre-Health) | Biology | Investigating the Effectiveness of Manual Trigger Point Therapy on Musculoskeletal Function and Pain Reduction | April 29th @ 2pm | TL 2012 |
| Jacob Mayer | Biology (Pre-Health) | Biology | The Evaluation of Equine Herpesvirus Type 1 as an Oncolytic Virus in Human Prostate-Derived Cell Lines | April 29th @ 3pm | Zoom |
| Marie Murphy | Communication Studies | Communication Studies | A League of Her Own: Analyzing the Correlation Between Female Involvement in Sports Journalism and NFL Viewership at the University of North Carolina Wilmington | April 29th @ 4pm | KI 210 |
| Amber Bartz | Theatre Studies | Theatre | Exploring The Layers Of The Unknown | April 29th @ 7pm | CAB 1092 |
| Sophie Gornet | Psychology | Psychology | Examining Associations Between College Student Cannabis Use and Mental Health Symptoms | April 30th @ 9am | TL 2018 |
| Jacob Petersen | Chemistry | Chemistry | A molecular dynamics (MD) simulation study of the proline-rich antimicrobial peptide astacidin-2 from the freshwater crayfish Pacifastacus leniusculus | April 30th @ 9am | VH 3008 |
| Michaela Shail | Business Administration - Finance | Finance | AI and Retail Trading Activity: Evidence from the Release of ChatGPT | April 30th @ 9am | CH 133 |
| Ariel Mercurio | Marine Biology | Marine Biology | Effects of meadow type on Zostera marina seed bank structure and function | April 30th @ 10am | CMS Auditorium |
| Sarah Truskolaski | Business Administration - Economics | Economics | The Economic Impact of the Russo-Ukrainian War on Poland: GDP Effects and Relief Program Analysis | April 30th @ 12pm | CH 133 |
| Gabriella Berry | Psychology | Psychology | The Relationship Between Attachment Style and Satisfaction with Job Supervision | April 30th @ 12:30pm | TL 2012 |
| Tessa York | Creative Writing | Creative Writing | Before They Were With Me: A Collection of Essays | April 30th @ 1pm | VH 3509 |
| Mars Robinson | Political Science | Political Science | Explaining Hate Group Emergence, The Permissive Environment Hypothesis | April 30th @ 3pm | LH 254A |
| Rachel Jones | Computer Science | Computer Science | From Domain Questions to Reproducible Analytics: Using Large Language Models to Support Requirements Elicitation and Code Generation for Health Data Applications | April 30th @ 3pm | ST 2014 |