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.
Honors Theses from 2016
Environmental Features Influencing Myotis Bat Presence in the Penobscot Experimental Forest in Central Maine, USA, Emily K. Anderson
Extra! Extra! This Just Thin: Identifying and Evaluating Framing of Obesity-Related News Coverage in Maine, Alan D. Bennett
Stochastic Modeling of US Equity Returns, Mitchell Benoit
Characterizing the Neutrophil Response to Influenza A Virus Infection in the Zebrafish Model, Alexis Rae Bowman
Reconstructed, Ashley Brackett
La Representación de la Violencia en México Contemporáneo - The Representation of Violence in Contemporary Mexico, Taylor Brackett
The Effects of Emotional and Instrumental Support on Students’ Mathematical Attitudes, Victoria M. Calabrese
Museum and Exhibition Curation Techniques in Nazi Germany: An Analysis of Curation and Its Effects on Art, Artists, and the Public, Jennifer Cashin
An Analysis of the Services Offered to Cancer Patients in the State of Maine, Joseph Claar
Determining an Expected House Majority Using Pattern Analysis, Jesse T. Clark
Relationship Between Health and GPA When Comparing Traditional Undergraduate Students at the University of Maine in Orono, Rachel A. Claussen
Citrate’s Counter Ions and pH Effect on Gold Nanoparticle Growth Kinetics, Andrew B. Closson
A Study of Teacher Practices and Perspectives on Nutrition Education in Maine Elementary Schools, Alexandra J. Courtney
Reexaming the Political Ontology of Class: An Investigation of a Central Marxist Concept, Ciarán Coyle
“Persuading the Secret”: In Search of Maine’s Hermits, Taylor Cunningham
Analysis of Flow of Compressed Natural Gas Through a Fuel Injector, Erin E. Eldridge
Encouraging Student Creativity in Art Education, Naomi I. Ellsworth
Effects of Light Pollution on Habitat Selection in Post-Metamorphic Wood Frogs and Unisexual Blue-Spotted Salamanders, Abigail B. Feuka
The ‘Darkening Sky’: French Popular Music of the 1960s and May 1968, Claire Fouchereaux
Regulation of microRNA-199 Upon Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Infection in Zebrafish, Eliot Rivers Gagné
Application of Parallel Computing to Optimize Studies of Critical Exponents in the One-Dimensional Sznajd Model, Joseph Garcia
How Does 2,4-Dinitrophenol Compare to Triclosan as a Mitochondrial Uncoupler?, Erik Gerson
Synthesis of Ferrocene-Oxadiazole Complexes and a Determination of Their LogD Values, Grace C. Gould
Attempted Quantification of the Cyanogenic Glycosides Prunasin and Sambunigrin in the Sambucus L. (Elderberry), Elizabeth Grant
Interaction of Shading and Cytokinins in the Sun-Shade Foliar Adaptation Mechanism, Oleg S. Gross
Efficacy of Maine Lobster Shell as Treatment for Haemonchus Contortus Parasitism in Sheep, Morgan H. Gustin
Characterization of Transcriptional Control Elements in Cluster E Mycobacteriophage Ukulele, Campbell Belisle Haley
“Direct Descendant” Documenting Disenrollment in the Penobscot Nation, Mary L. Hamilton
Campus Electrical Map: Financial Repercussions of Failures, Neal Harrison-Billiat
A Comparison of the Experiences of Economic Adaptation and Integration for Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Maine, Grace Kiffney
A Study of Personality Traits of Travel and Cultural Awareness, Meaghan Labbe
The Mathematics Behind Sudoku and How to Create Magic Squares, Addison LaBonte
For Beste of Bon and Blod: Three Medieval English Lyrics Composed for A Cappella SATB Choir, Cain Landry
A Study of Arabic-Speaking English Language Learner’s Spoken Comprehensibility, Sophia G. A. Lataille
Prosociality: Promoting Helpful Behaviors Not Just Helpful Intentions, Katherine E. Lees
The Physiology of Love, Noelle Leon-Palmer
The Sapphire Mirror, Renée Levasseur
The Black Bear Food Guild: Student-Run Community Supported Agriculture From Roots to Fruition, Sara L. Lyons
Increasing the Resolution of the Last Glacial Maximum Record in the Tropical Andes Using 10Be Cosmogenic Surface-Exposure Dating in the Cordillera Carabaya, Peru, Zachary E. Mason
Preservice Teacher Self-Efficacy for Teaching Mathematics, Jade McGuire
Dropping the Gloves: Fighting for Varsity Status Under Title IX— The Rise of Women’s Ice Hockey at the University of Maine, Emily K. McNair
Analyzing Student Opt-Out of Standardized Testing in Maine, Maude Meeker
The Role and Rhetoric of Interest Groups in Obergefell v. Hodges’ Amicus Briefs, Heidi Mills
Alleviating Social Isolation and Food Insecurity Through Community Gardening: How the Orono Community Garden Impacts Seniors, Sarah Mullis
Associations Between Self-Selected Body Size Figures and Physical Activity in Young Adult College Students, Amber D. Murray
Exploring the Mechanisms Involved in Paxillin Amerlioration of Dystrophies in Zebrafish, Margaret E. Pasquarella
Preliminary Analysis of β-Methylamino-L-Alanine Interactions With Cu/Zn Superoxide Dismutase in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Zebrafish Models, Elizabeth Pflugradt
The Associations Between Reflective Rumination and Related Constructs, Bryanna P. Plummer
The Triad of Nationality Revisited: The Orthodox Church and the State in Post-Soviet Russia, Robert D. Potts
The Effect of Management Strategies on Haemonchus Contortus Infections of Sheep and Goats on Intensively Grazed Pasture, Catherine Werker Pouliot
Personalities & Traditional Political Participation in Young Adults, 18–24, Abigail Pratico
The Long-Term Impact of Chemotherapy on Neurogenesis and the Potential Use of Fluoxetine As Preventative Treatment, Margaret Ross
Pulling Strings: The Effects of Puppetry on the Language and Literacy Development of a Preschool Classroom, Megan E. Rounds
Ethical Considerations in Medical Voluntourism: Application to Speech-Language Pathology, Madeline C. Ruffin
Modeling of A Continuously Variable Transmission and Clutching of A Snowmobile, Camerin Michael Seigars
Modeling of a Continuously Variable Transmission and Clutching of a Snowmobile, Camerin Michael Seigars
Effects of Climate Change on the Maine Lobster Industry, Abigail Sennick
The Effects of Equine-Assisted Activities on the Attachment Security of Abused Women, Ilana B. Silver
A Conceptual Value Function to Explain the Benefits Derived from Users of Free-To-Play Video Games, Connor M. Smart
Optimization and Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles Embedded Within a Porous Substrate for Raman Spectroscopy, Matthew W. Talbot
Innate Immune Recognition of Candida Albicans in Zebrafish, Monique Elaine Theriault
Analyzing Government-Resident Communication Methods in the City of Bangor, Jaymi Thibault
Dynamic Modeling of a Catamaran Using a Lagrangian Approach, Tamara R. Thomson
The Role of SHIP1 in the Innate Immune System During an Influenza A Viral Infection, Spencer Earle Traxler
Film: Oral Histories of Women in the Maine Lobster Industry, Isabelle I. Vachon
Towards a Molecular Method for the Detection of Leaf Rust in Lowbush Blueberry, Steven Valentino
Anthocyanins Alter Endothelial Cell Dynamics, Katrina E. Ventura
Themes of Identity and Power in Contemporary Topical Song, Hilary Warner-Evans
Characterization of the Mycobacteriophage Ukulele Integration System; Identification of Integration Site Attp and the Role of the Integrase in Lysogeny Regulation, Emily E. Whitaker
Novel Role for a Neurotrophic Factor in White Adipose Tissue, Elizabeth Wood
Honors Theses from 2015
Complete Annotations of the Cluster E Mycobacteriophage Ukulele Genome and Characterization of Cluster E Lysogeny Regulation, Gwendolyn M. Beacham
Vision Problems In Ecuador: Developing A Clinical Trial to Test Visual Acuity In Rural Populations, Ty B. Bolte
Human Trafficking in the Media: Who, What, Where, and Why?, Mary Borer
Fluorescence Monitoring and Parallel Factor Analysis of Contaminant Mixtures in Water, Nina M. Caputo
Where Are Victims' Voices?: Rethinking Sexual Violence Policy, Melissa Carrigan
Physical Properties of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles, Nicklaus Carter
Exploring Organizational Culture of Restaurants Through Workplace Rituals, Joshua Deakin
Exploring The Relation of Service-Learning Courses and Retention Rates at The University of Maine, Jared Duggan
Depth Preferences of Sturgeon In Critical Habitat, Elizabeth A. Dunbar
Pattern Recognition and Matching in Ice Core Data, Nathan Dunn
Nurses' Perceptions of Barriers to Pediatric Patient Advocacy in End-of-Life Care, Layla J. Eaton
Selective Hydrogenation of Furfural to Furfuyl Alcohol Over Copper Magnesium Oxide, Andrew Estrup
The Role of Macrophages in Resistance to Caseous Lymphadenitis, Amy Fish
Trade and Transition: Russia's Agricultural Pitfalls and Prospects for the 21st Century, Michele Girard
Detection of Streptococus equi From Environmental Samples Using an ELISA, Taryn Haller
The Influence of Sediment Characteristics on the Burrowing Behavior of Juvenile Razor Clams, Ensis directus, Robert Joseph Hallinan
A Descriptive Study of Forensic Implications of Raccoon Scavenging in Maine, Ashley Hannigan
Ideologies of Empire: Perpetuating Imperial Culture Through Definitive British Literature of the Congo, Shelby Lynne Hartin
Is the Ubiquitous Antibacterial Agent Triclosan an Uncoupler of Mammalian Mitochondria, Hina Hashmi
Fortification of the International Defense of Cultural Property Trapped In Areas of Armed Conflict, Marissa E. Higgins
Investigating The Optimization of Zebrafish (Danio rerio) Dechorionation For High-Throughput Applications In Influenza Research, Thomas Hoffmann
Restorative Justice: A Comparative Analysis of Campus Implementation, Cameron M. Huston
Directing "Godspell", Nellie M. Kelly
Effects of Environmentally Relevant Transplacental Arsenic Exposure on Mouse (Mus musculus) Hepatic Protein Expression, Jay Knowlton
The Effect of Temperature on Paralytic Shellfish Toxin Uptake By Blue Mussels (Mytilus Edulis) and Sea Scallops (Placopecten Magellanicus), Mackenzie Mazur
Functionalization of Nanocellulouse Fibers For Use In Radical Reactions, Thomas McOscar
Allelic Variants of OPRM1, COMT And ABCB1 On Pre-Withdrawal Sleep-Wake Regulation In The Opioid Exposed Neonate, Zakiah-Lee Meeks
A Multi-Institution Investigation Of Educational Practices And Strategies In Stem Courses, Scott James Merrill