Outstanding Theses
Below are a number of Honors theses that have been designated as "Outstanding" during the thesis defense. While students are encouraged to examine these projects, it is important to realize that every thesis project is unique, and one's own thesis will differ in significant ways from all other theses.
Also, current Honors Program students should not necessarily use these examples as formatting guides. Thesis formatting guidelines are regularly updated, so what was acceptable formatting in one year may not be appropriate in a following year. Thus, when trying to determine proper formatting of the Honors thesis, it is necessary for a student to reference the latest thesis formatting handbook available online.
Outstanding Theses in the Humanities
Aberin, Ariadne
Mining the Prospects of Community Literacy: A Tentative Model for University-Community Collaboration
Berry, Nathaniel
Just and Unjust Soldiers
Byrd, Cameron
A Priori Laws and the External World
Carver, Jessie
A Musical Interpretation of Dante Alighieri's Divina Commedia
Graves, Victoria
Transitioning from romance to mélodie: An Analysis of Hector Berlioz’s La captiv
Jeffrey, Josh
The Lens Through Which Ye See: Philosophy of Time in the Works of C.S. Lewis
Kappelmann, Kirsten Marie
Proportioning Theistic Belief: Approaches to Faith, Reason, and Evidence
Kim, Jaehyun
A Healing God Comes to Rome: Aesculapius and the Effects of the Arrival of His Cult
Margheim, Stephen
Banking on Friendship: Mercantile Language and Epicureanism in Horace's Odes Concerning Vergil
McGlothlin, Margaret
Oral Storytelling and Irish Identity
Perry, Emma
An Annotated Translation of Part 1 of Kokoro: Sensei and I
Pomeroy, Samuel Arthur
Praying Towards Deification: A Study in the Theology of Contemplation
Smith, Erika
"Wisdom, Which Alone Is Truly Fair": Education and Government in Milton's Prose Tracts and Paradise Lost
Walker, Brandon
What Makes Moral Claims True? Korsgaard versus Brewer on Meta-Ethics and Practical Unity
Young, Benjamin Jack
God’s Faith-Healing Entrepreneur: Oral Roberts, Charismatic Christianity, and the Rise of the Sunbelt South, 1945–1990
Outstanding Creative Theses
Calhoun, Leslie
The Rising Fall of the Imperial Order (Creative Writing)
Chen, Grace
The Slow Burn that Lasts Forever (Interdisciplinary)
Dorward, Hannah
Oak Cliff: A Series of Environmental Portraits (Photography) [Note-Large File Size]
Gessert, Greta
Letters to Each Other: A Short Story Collection (Creative Writing)
Heinrich, Philip
Cave: An Animated Film (Link to animation on YouTube)
Kozitza, Evangeline
A Hermeneutical Harmonic: The Four Canticles of Luke's Gospel as a Symphony of OT and NT Theological Themes (Music)
Legband, Megan
The Star Seeker (Screenplay)
Marcum, Meredith
Ever Faithfully Yours (Music) (Link to recording on YouTube)
McCowan Perez, Ashlyn
The Monday Girls (Screenplay)
Pantleo, Julia
The Journey Home (Creative Writing)
Purcell, Autumn
Crestfallen: An Original Fairy Story for the Modern Age (Creative Writing)
Sommers, Kathryn
Valerie (Screenplay)
Vanderpool, Jordan
Life is Found Under Rocks and Hard Places: A Collection of Short Stories (Creative Writing)
Watson, Camille
The Grafted Culture: An Autobiographical Insight into MK Life (Memoir)
Wyns, Vanessa
Mysterious Elements: A Studio Art Thesis (Art)
Young, Matt
The Grandeur of God: A Musical Setting of Gerard Manley Hopkins' St. Beuno Sonnets (Music)
Outstanding Theses in the Sciences (All STEM)
Aleman, Christine
Effects of Capsaicin and Evodiamine Ingestion on Energy Expenditure and Lipid Oxidation at Rest and After Moderately-Intense Exercise in Men
Allan, S. Blake
On Critical Dipoles in Dimensions n >= 3
Arellano, L. Nicole
Using Paleosols to Reconstruct the Paleoenvironment and Paleoclimate of a Late Pleistocene Archaeological Site in the Lake Victoria Basin, Kenya
Barnes, Will
Astrophysical Applications of Dusty Plasma Physics
Bauer, Evan
Simulation Studies of the Time Digitizer for the CMS Hadron Calorimeter Upgrade
Blunt, Madeleine
Building Health Champions Among Youth in India for Non-Communicable Disease Prevention
Floruta, Crina
A Correlation Between Autism and Epilepsy: A Study of Social Behavior in PTEN Knockout Mice
Goldammer, Taylor
The Effect of Penetratin and Silica Capping Agents on Silver Nanoparticle Cellular Uptake in a Caco-2 cell line
King, Westin
On the Goldbach Conjecture
Kirby, Matthew L.
Thermal Degradation as a Function of Time and Temperature in a Coconut Shell Powder-Polypropylene Composite
Morrison, Jessica
The Role of the mTOR Pathway in Learning and Memory
Mui, Uyen Ngoc
The Role of Spectraplakin in Drosophila Photoreceptor Morphogenesis
Naumann, Matthew
Cobalt(III), Chromium(III), Glutathione, and Their Relevance to the Glucose Tolerance Factor
Rieke, Benjamin
Nursing Perceptions of Acute Physiological Decline
Schultze, Adam
Knot Equivalence Through Braids and Rational Tangles
Shenoi, Samuel
Identification and Analysis of an Improved Animal Model for Behcet’s Disease: A Computational Approach
Soeung, Victoria
Biochemical Studies of Cathepsin B and Cruzain Inhibitors Sharing a Thiosemicarbazone Moiety
Outstanding Theses in the Social Sciences
Aker, Samuel D.
Trust, Collaboration, and Effectiveness in Virtual Teams
Corning, Hannah
Same-Sex Marriage: A Constitutional and Social Debate
Damoiseaux, Jolene
Approaching Barriers to Health Center Deliveries in Rural Western Kenya from a Liberation Theology Perspective: A Community-Based Needs Assessment
Firminger, Brianna N.
NFIB v. Sebelius: An Analysis of the Individual Mandate in the Affordable Care Act
Hasala-Shooks, Dresden
An agent of lasting desistance: Toward a restorative justice framework for American criminal justice
Hyde, Callie
Equality or Liberty: an Examination of Obergefell v. Hodges
Jang, Daniel
Social Bonding Theory, Model Minority Stereotype, and Differences in Drug Use between Whites and Asians
McCallum, Matthew
The Pirate's Moral Compass: Religion, Morality, Underage Drinking, and Illegal Music Downloading
Morgan, Ashley
'Innocent Victims' or 'Criminal Aliens?': A Critique of Trafficking Discourse and Policy in the United States
Notman, Daniel
Christianese: A Conversation Analysis of the Dialect of Evangelicals
Nye, Barret Jackson
Cartels: The New Face of Mexico's Democracy
Pike, Meagan
The Perceptions of Teacher Status and Impact on the American Educational System
Seto, Elizabeth
Associations Between Self-Reported Narcissism, Self-Esteem, and Social-Emotional Functions of Facebook
Stokes, Kelsey
The Impact of the Factory Model of Education in Central Texas
Swift, Matthew
Reexamining the Effects of State Religion on Religious Service Attendance
Tichenor, Emily
Children's Discourse in a Problem-Solving Setting: A Cross-Gender Analysis
Outstanding Theses in Business
Copley, Caige
Taxation and Income Inequality: The Government’s Role in Economic Parity
Doe, Peter
Nudging Towards Socially Efficient Norms
Eddins, Katherine
Financial Literacy Educational Programs: Purpose, Availability, and Necessity
Elequin, Rachel
An Analyst's Guide to Patents
Hinn, Kristan
Crisis Management in Nonprofit Organizations
Kulda, Kevin
The Intersection of Machine Learning and Cybersecurity
Payne, Baylor
State Farm Consulting Project: Outcome & Process Analysis
Peirce, Rebecca
Charitable Giving and Its Effects on Altruistic Behavior
Petrie, Kelsey
Patagonia Inc.’s Sustainable Supply Chain Initiatives and Their Contribution to Company Brand
Seiter, Grant
Treasure in Heaven: Returns to Schooling in Clergy Labor Markets
Short, Amanda
Risk Aversion and Probabilistic Punishment
Thomason, Gabrielle
Organizational Resilience: Three Science Museums’ Responses to COVID-19
Van Divier, Josie
Wealth Accumulation and Residential Segregation: Second-Generation Immigrants During the First Mass Migration
Walton, Katherine
Corporate Virtue Signaling: The Devolution of Virtue into Signaling
Whitaker, Zachary
Do hospitals that participate in HVBP actually provide better quality care?
Whitney, Samantha
The Anesthesiologist’s Responsibility to the Market: An Economic Analysis of Intravenous and Inhalation Anesthesia’s Effect on Patient Cognitive Outcomes
Yan, Weiling Lydia
The Beauty Dictator Game: Perception of Generosity on Facial Attractiveness