Senior honors students defend capstone research projects

Several Westminster College honors students will publicly defend their capstone research projects this spring, marking the end of nearly two years of high-level academic exploration.

Under the mentorship of three faculty members—two experts in the students’ major field of study and one faculty member from another department—honors students work closely with their lead honors board faculty adviser to conduct innovative, rigorous hands-on research.

When the final semester of study approaches, each student submits a final thesis to the honors board and holds a public defense of their honors research, which includes a presentation followed by a question-and-answer session with faculty and attendees.

"While every student at Westminster experiences capstone, students in the All-College Honors Program begin working on their capstone research early in their junior year, developing and proposing a project to their honors board of three faculty," said Dr. Kristianne Kalata, interim director of the All-College Honors Program and associate professor of English.

This year’s honors scholars and their honors defenses include:

Joseph Armstrong, a biology and history double major from Pocono Summit, Pa., will present “Examining the Health of Lawrence County PA Immigrants” at 3 p.m. Thursday, April 11, in Hoyt Science Center, Room 116. Faculty mentors included Dr. Diana Ortiz, lead adviser and associate professor of biology; Dr. Russell Martin, professor of history; and Dr. Heather Muchowski, assistant professor of mathematics.

Abigail Cannon, a business administration major from Bethel Park, Pa., will present “Examining How History and the Psychology of Social Media Impact Financial Decisions Made in the Wedding and Events Industry” at 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 16, in Wallace Memorial Chapel. Faculty mentors included John Geidner, lead adviser and accounting lecturer; Eric Gaber, lecturer of business and director of the Westminster Entrepreneurship Center; and Dr. Kristianne Kalata, associate professor of English.

Caroline Fox, biology from Acton, Calif., will present “Exposure to Parabens Results in Developmental Abnormalities in Zebrafish” at 6 p.m. Monday, April 15, in Hoyt Science Center, Room 200. Faculty mentors included Dr. Marosh Furimsky, lead adviser and associate professor of biology; Dr. Joseph Balczon, associate professor of biology; and Dr. Joel Postema, associate professor of Spanish.

Sophia Galietta, a fine art and psychology major from Bethel Park, Pa., will present “The Effect of Nature Therapy on Mood and Cognition Among Individuals Reporting ADHD-like Symptoms” at 2 p.m. Friday, April 12, in Hoyt Science Center, Room 180. Faculty mentors included Dr. Jessica Rhodes, lead adviser and associate professor of psychology; Summer Zickefoose, associate professor of art; and Dr. Patrick Krantz, associate professor of environmental science.

Chloe Hankey, a biology major from Ford City, Pa., will present “The Effects Aflatoxin B1 on Neural Development and Behavior of Zebrafish” at 3 p.m. Friday, April 12, in Hoyt Science Center, Room 200. Faculty mentors included Dr. Marosh Furimsky, lead adviser and associate professor of biology; Dr. John Robertson, associate professor of biology; and Dr. Joel Postema, associate professor of Spanish.

Victoria Harden, a history and culture major from Greensburg, Pa., will present “The Religion of American Nationalism: The Culture Roots of Nationalism in American Politics” at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 2, in Patterson Hall, Room 210. Faculty mentors included Dr. Timothy Grieve-Carlson, lead adviser and assistant professor of religion and interfaith studies; Dr. Russell Martin, professor of history; and Dr. Michael Aleprete, professor of political science.

Taylor Harman, a neuroscience major from Edinburg, Pa., will present “Does Stimulant History Affect the Ability of Nicotine to Cause an Anxiety-Like Response in Male and Female Rats?” at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 11, in Hoyt Science Center, Room 101. Faculty mentors included Dr. Deanne Buffalari, lead adviser and associate professor of psychology; Dr. Eric Fields, assistant professor of cognitive neuroscience; and Dr. Kristianne Kalata, associate professor of English.

Emma Parker, a biochemistry major from Poolesville, Md., will present “Continuous Wave - Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Structural Analysis of Alpha-Synuclein in Its Disordered and Membrane-Bound Forms” at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 9, in Hoyt Science Center, Room 101. Faculty mentors included Dr. Jessica Sarver, lead adviser and associate professor of chemistry; Dr. Patrick Lackey, associate professor of chemistry; and Dr. Adam Blumenthal, assistant professor of computer science and mathematics.

Grace Phillips, an English major from Saxonburg, Pa., will present “Bad Girl: Examining the Portrayal of Deviant Female Characters in Contemporary Novels” at 2 p.m. Tuesday, April 16, in Thompson-Clark Hall, Room 210. Faculty mentors included Dr. Trisha Cowen, lead adviser and associate professor of English; Dr. David Swerdlow, professor of English; and Dr. Patrick Krantz, associate professor of environmental science.

Hannah Piccirilli, a neuroscience and international studies double major from Erie, Pa., will present “Is the Late Positive Potential (LPP) a Marker of Emotional Memory Encoding and Consolidation?” at 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 10, in Hoyt Science Center, Room 200. Faculty mentors included Dr. Eric Fields, lead adviser and assistant professor of cognitive neuroscience; Dr. Deanne Buffalari, associate professor of psychology; and Dr. Joel Postema, associate professor of Spanish.

Zion Posey, a philosophy major from Nashville, Tenn., will present “Education Left Behind: An Analysis of Education in America” at 2 p.m., Wednesday, April 3, in the Cultural Center in McKelvey Campus Center. Faculty mentors included Dr. Patricia Clark, associate professor of history; Dr. Timothy Grieve-Carlson, assistant professor of religion and interfaith studies; and Dr. Loreen Huffman, lecturer of psychology.

Samantha Reed, a psychology major from Zionsville, Pa., will present “The Effects of Caffeine on Emotional Memory” at 5 p.m., Thursday, April 11, in Hoyt Science Center, Room 150. Faculty mentors included Dr. Eric Fields, lead adviser and assistant professor of cognitive neuroscience; Dr. Deanne Buffalari, associate professor of psychology; and Dr. Randy Richardson, faculty member in the School of Communication.

Natalie Rose, a biochemistry major from Streetsboro, Ohio, will present “Examining the Binding of 3’hExo to Histone mRNA Stem-Loop Degradation Intermediates” at 4:30 p.m., Monday, April 8, in Hoyt Science Center, Room 200. Faculty mentors included Dr. Patrick Lackey, lead adviser and assistant professor of chemistry; Dr. Erin Wilson, associate professor of chemistry; and Dr. Karen Resendes, professor of biology.

Jacob Steinbeck, a biology major from Windber, Pa., will present “The Effects of Lead (Pb2+) on the Morphology of the Skeletal System and Swim Bladder of Embryonic Zebrafish (Danio rerio)” at 5 p.m. Wednesday, April 10, in Hoyt Science Center, Room 101. Faculty mentors included Dr. Marosh Furimsky, lead adviser and associate professor of biology; Dr. Joseph Balczon, associate professor of biology; as well as Dr. Patrick Lackey, assistant professor of chemistry.

For more information about Westminster College’s Honors Program, please visit www.westminster.edu/honors.

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