The Honors College at the University of Maine is a community of nearly 800 students who, along with nearly 100 faculty members, are committed to taking intellectual risks through exploring questions both within and outside their academic disciplines in the course of a four-year curriculum.  The College is committed to both broadening and deepening the academic experience of its students, providing them with the resources and skills needed to critically engage important questions and issues.

For those students who graduate from the Honors College, their journey ends with the writing of their Honors thesis. Over the course of the senior year, they work with a faculty mentor completing independent research or a creative project in their discipline. At the end of the two-semester experience, they present the thesis to their thesis committee of five faculty members and professionals in their field.  For these students, this is the culmination of their work at the University of Maine and a springboard to future opportunities and achievements.

“The intense supervision of my Honors thesis was the most important academic experience of my life. My advisor’s personal guidance and insistence that I couple precise research with creative and original thought has served as a benchmark for me for over thirty years.” – James E. Tierney ’69, Attorney General of Maine (1980-1990)

The first four theses were written in 1937, in recent years the number has approached 100.  We plan to populate this digital archive with  many of the over 1300 theses that have been written in those over seventy-five years. 

For more information, contact the Honors College at honors@maine.edu or 207-581-3263.

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Honors Theses from 2018

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Examining Avian Diversity in Acadia National Park Through Time, Marie I. Ring

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Effect of Primary Care Follow Up on Hospital Readmissions, Meredith Roderka

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Estimating Ecosystem Services From Harvested and Unharvested Ascophyllum Nodosum on the Maine Coast, Ashley E. Sarra

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Behind Closed Doors: Unpacking College Students’ Complex Relationships With Pornography Consumption, Samantha K. Saucier

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The Effect of Material Variability on the Deflection of Bamboo Fly Rods, Bennett R. Scully

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Shell Game: Improving the Shell Quality and Value of Maine’s Most Valuable Fishery, Abigale Shaughnessy

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Are Schools Educating About Poverty? University Students’ Perceptions of K-12 Poverty Education, Rachel E. Sirois

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Defining the Role of IP3R-Medicated ER Calcium Flux in JC Polyomavirus Infection, Ashley N. Soucy

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Construction of an Accessible Ocean-Acidification Simulator to Investigate Physiological Responses of the Green Crab, Carcinus Maenas, to Acidified Conditions, Caroline M. Spangenberg

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Feelings in Politics: How American Foreign Policy Can Benefit from Interpersonal Communication, Paden K. Stanton

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Location, Location, Location: It Applies to Sports Marketing Too, Olivia Swimm

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Temporal and Spatial Variability of Oxygen Levels in Upwelled Waters Along the Southern California Coast, Todd Xavier Thoman

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Identifying Individual Motivations of Nonprofit Volunteers in the Human Services Field with a Study of the National Red Cross Organization, Taylor Tyrrell

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Declining Journalistic Freedom in Turkey, Aliya Uteuova

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Does Drought Affect Reproduction in the Saltmarsh Sparrow (Ammodramus Caudacutus)?, Valerie K. Watson

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The Analysis of Labor Market Efficiency: A Comparative Analysis of Maine and the United States, Sarah M. Welch

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A Histological Assessment of the Effects of Elevated Temperature and Nitrogen on the Symbiodinium of Palythoa Toxica (Walsh and Bowers 1971), Molly Westbrook

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Exploring Joint Custody: Interviews with College Students About Their Childhood Experiences, Marissa D. Zink

Honors Theses from 2017

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The Design and Fabrication of an Atomic Layer Deposition Reactor for Coating Powders, Natalie Altvater

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Implantation of Nanocellulose in the Zebrafish Model, Hanna J. Anderson

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The Importance of Social Science in Biomedical Education, Kathryn Asalone

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Autism: A Song of Understanding, Hannah Babcock

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Success of Artificial Insemination in Two Breeds of Maine Sheep is Not Hindered by Breed Differences, Dominic Barra

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Ash Decline: An Opportunity for Young Forest Wildlife, Bianca Beland

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Television, Interpersonal Communication, and College Students’ Attitudes Toward Mental Health, Abby Bellefleur

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Ode to Applied Physics: The Intellectual Pathway of Differential Equations in Mathematics and Physics Courses: Existing Curriculum and Effective Instructional Strategies, Brandon L. Clark

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The Effects of Video Games and Religious Reminders on Prosociality, Heather K. Cross

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Providing Experimental Support for Mtert as an Adult Neural Stem Cell Marker Using a Triple Transgenic Mouse Line, Caroline Dean Curtis

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Investigating the Sustainability Potential of Artisanal Cheesemakers in Maine, Brady Davis

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Invisible Women: Sex Trafficking in the Context of Post-Soviet Moldova, Sarah Elizabeth Dean

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Gastroparesis: A Literature Review of Disease Manifestations and Existing Treatment Methods, Sara M. DeMello

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Coastal Erosion in Southern Maine: An Evaluation of Coastal Armoring Structures and Their Effectiveness, Savanah DeVoe

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Development of a Process Approach for Retaining Seaweed Sugar Kelp (Saccharina latissima) Nutrients, Emily Duran-Frontera

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Effect of Asynchronous Auditory Distractors on Visual Acuity Outcomes, Caleb G. Elsemore

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The Economic and Psychological Metrics of Political Decision-Making, Allyson Eslin

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Sexual Trafficking: Developing a Teaching Strategy for Emergency Department Registered Nurses, Sarah Ford

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Hydrology and Aquatic Invertebrate Communities of Riverine Rock Pools: Effects of Seasonality and the Penobscot River, Chase Gagne

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It Brings Me Back: A Look at Personally Collected Musical Memories and Their Kinetic Typographical Representation, Kathryn Galley

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Investigating the Odd-Person-Out Principle: Socioemotional Adjustment of First-Year College Students in Double vs. Triple Living Scenarios, Alex Gilbert

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The Types and Effectiveness of Voter Mobilization Efforts in the U.S. Presidential Elections of 1828 and 2008, Natalie Goding

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Cultural Appropriation in Contemporary Neopaganism and Witchcraft, Kathryn Gottlieb

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The Role of Threat, Emotion, and Individual Difference Characteristics in Attitudes and Perceptions of Minority Groups, Aeleah Granger

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Antioxidants in Atlantic Salmon on a Diurnal Basis, Alexa Grissinger

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Stabilization of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles for Homogenous Integration Into Cellulose Nano Fibrils, Banton H. Heithoff

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Microglial Activation Immediately After Ethanol Withdrawal and 1 Week After Ethanol Withdrawal in Female C3H Mice, Sarah Holbrook

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The Role of Cooperation and Prosocial Behavior in Food Buying Clubs: An Exploratory Study, Afton Hupper

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Host Range of Mycobacteriophage and Exploring Lysogenic Relationships Between Mycobacteriophage and Their Hosts, Emily Illingworth

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Contraceptive Counseling Practices Among Providers Prescribing Opiates to Women of Childbearing Age, Lucy A. Iselborn

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Examining Student Reasoning in Introductory Physics: Reversing the Chain, William S. Johnson

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Catalytic Hydrogenation of Amino Acids using Polymer-Derived Microenvironments, Rachel Karno

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Do Insulating Characteristics of Feathers Vary Among Color Phases of Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus)?, Nicole Keefner

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Illiteracy as Immanent: The (Re)Writing of Rhetoric's Nature, Michael Kennedy

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An Analysis of the Sociopolitical Factors Contributing to the Politicization of Sunni Islam in the Middle East, Ginger Wenzel Kieffer

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Design of a Low Impact Canoe Portage System for the Hirundo Wildlife Refuge, Anthony Kingston

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A Study of Undergraduate Perception and Behavior Toward On-Campus Composting, Sierra Kuun

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A Descriptive Analysis of Porcupine Scavenging in an Experimental Forensic Context, Tamara Marie Labanowski

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Investigating the Mechanism of JC Polyomavirus Endocytosis, Conner Robert Lajoie

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The Effect of Voice Gender and Spoken Messages in Augmented Interactions, Katrina Lapham

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An Agent-Based Model of Urban Sprawl: York and Cumberland Counties, Maine, Kaitlyn G. Lavallee

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An Investigative Study Into Student Motivation and Identity Among Upper Class Electrical and Computer Engineering Students, Thomas J. Leighton

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Creating a Future with Female Coders; Supporting Women Through Community, Ruth Leopold

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Pathobiology of Water Molds in Fish: An Insight into Saprolegniasis, Kathryn Liberman

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The Effects of Mercury Exposure on the Cytochrome C Oxidase 1 Gene of Larval Dragonflies, Megan C. Little

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Tangled Up: Women’s Experiences in Mathematics, Lori Loftin

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Katahdin Woods and Waters: Environmental Values and the Parks Problem, Kyle Lonabaugh

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A Study of the Philosophic Underpinnings of the Motivations and Behaviors of Lifestyle Entrepreneurs, Ryan Lopes

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Small-Scale Maine Farmers’ Perceptions and Adaptations to Climate Change, Shireen Luick

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Art and Science: A Case Study of their Interconnectedness in the Marine Natural Sciences, Julia Mackin-McLaughlin

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Perception of the Horizon Predicts Bird Abundance Better Than Habitat Patch Size in a Tidal Marsh Species of Conservation Concern, Hallie Marshall

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Light Dynamics in the Damariscotta River Estuary With Implications for Microphytobenthos, Teiga C. Martin

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The Confinement Effects on the Fiber Pullout Response of Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC, Arden McSwain

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Ecosystem Metabolism Modeling of Estuaries in Maine: Using Dissolved Oxygen as a Tool for Aquaculture Site Assessment, Katherine Miller

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The Effects of Dioxin Exposure on the Hepatic Development of Larval Shortnose Sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum), Kelsey Moon

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The Effects of Social Media on the Quality of Life of People With Aphasia, Megan Morey

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The Effect of the Absence of Gaffkemia on Homarus americanus in the Gulf of Maine, Samantha O'Gorman

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Then and Now: The History and Effectiveness of the University of Maine System Sexual Assault Mandatory Reporting Policy, Kathleen O'Toole

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Interspecies Communication in Homo Sapiens and Canis Lupis Familiaris: A Meta Analysis, Karissa Panzino

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Mind the Gap: Effects of Habitat and Climate on Northern Water Snake (Nerodia Sipedon Sipedon) Distribution in Maine, Anthony J. Pawlicki

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William Morris, Edward Burne-Jones, and the Kelmscott Press:An Exploration of the Thing and a Non-Commodified Mode of Vision, Daniel Perry III

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The Legendary King: How the Figure of King Arthur Shaped a National Identity and the Field of Archaeology in Britain, Elizabeth Gaj Proctor

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Fostering Scientific Discourse Through the Development of an Online Journal, James Robe

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Noise Exposure in University Pep Band Members: Acoustic Measurements Versus Musicians’ Perceptions, Jaime L. Roy

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The Party: A Play in One Act, Derrek Schrader

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Characterizing the Intact Prophage of Mycobacterium chelonae Bergey, Erica Sewell

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The Potential Impact of Climate Change on Blue Whale Migration in the Eastern Pacific, Amanda Shuman

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Effect of Enzymatic Hydrolysis on the Allergenic Capacity of Shrimp Tropomyosin, Angela Silke

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Identifying Genes Essential for Lysogeny in Cluster E Mycobacteriophage Ukulele, Robert Levi Soohey

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Role of G-protein Regulation of Formins during Gradient Tracking in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Stephen Soohey

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Exploring the Nutritional Value of Carrots and Determining Attributes that are Favored by Consumers, Hannah Harling Stefl

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A Recommendation for Polyculture Agriculture to Reduce Nitrogen Loading That Leads to Hypoxia, Bethany Stevens

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An Analysis of Middle School Physical Science Teachers' Understanding of Accelerated Motion, Elijah Tabachnick

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Dyadic Friendship Interactions and Emotional Adjustment in Adolescents, Mackenzie Tefft

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Implications of Body Size and Habitat Distribution of Carcinus Maenas for Predation on Mytilus Edulis in the Gulf of Maine, McKenzie Thompson

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Developing Learning Models to Teach Equine Anatomy and Biomechanics, Zandalee E. Toothaker

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A Summary of Landings, Legislative Actions, and Possible Climate-Induced Distribution Shifts in New England Fisheries, Dylan Trueblood

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An Analysis of Russian Energy Exports and Their Effects on the Russian Domestic Economy, Cody J. Watson

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Listening to Rafiki: The Past, Present and Future of Conservation in Tanzania, Leila Wojtkowski Barbeau

Honors Theses from 2016

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Diversity of Small RNA Expression During Zebrafish Caudal Fin Regeneration, Jefferson Adams

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The Role of Neutrophil Cytosolic Factor 1 in the Innate Immune Response to Influenza A Virus, Lucy D. Algeo

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Environmental Features Influencing Myotis Bat Presence in the Penobscot Experimental Forest in Central Maine, USA, Emily K. Anderson