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 2014
Darwin's Disciples, Eben Jordan
What Shapes Our Attitudes Toward Outgroups?: Measuring Implicit and Explicit Homosexual Prejudice, Morgan Kinney
Socio-Cultural and Economic Barriers to Small Vessel/Indigenous Participation in the American Samoan Longline Fishery, Theodore Koboski
Improving Running Performance Using Non-Running Tasks, Darien Lewis
University of Maine Students' Family Income and Its Relation to Alcoholism, Vincent LoConte
Characterizing Neutrophil Behavior in Zebrafish (Danio rerio) in Response to Arsenic and Glucose, Jacob Longfellow
Altered Integrin Alpha 6 Expression As A Rescue For Muscle Fiber Detachment In Zebrafish (Danio Rerio), Rose E. McGlauflin
Improved Detection of Streptococcus Equi Subspecies Equi in Drinking Water, Lily A. McLaughlin
The Role of TNFAIP8L1 in the Antiviral Innate Immune System, Campbell Miller
Fan-Funded Film: How Audience Participation Is Shaping The Future of Motion Pictures, Renee E. Moody
Humanizing the Humanities: A Historical, Cultural, and Philosophical Examination of the Disintegration of Humanities Higher Education, Nicholas Moore
Muckrakers vs. Public Relations: Analytical Case Studies, Maria NeCastro
A Study of Personality Types Found Within the Speech-Language Pathology Profession and the Communication Sciences and Disorders Major, Whitney Norton
Dice Hearts And Other Islands, Bailey O'Brien
The Effects of Flooding on the Microbial Communities of Sparrow Eggs in a Temperate Maine Salt Marsh, Mattie Paradise
Effect of Forest Vegetation on Nest-Site Selection by Spruce Grouse Across Two Spatial Scales, Nathaniel Scott Parkhill
An Investigation on the Effects of Virtual Social Support on Working Memory and Stress, Erin Perry
An Investigation into the Perceptions of International and Out-of-state Students on the University of Maine Campus, Matthew Pinkham
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac: What's Next?, Zachary D. Porter
Depression, Emotional Eating and Food Choice, Jhen-da Prince
The Effects of Verbal Overshadowing and Social Anxiety on Facial Recognition: A Replication and Extension, Arielle Rancourt
Spans Across Time: Compliance of Historic Maine Coastal Bridges With Modern Geometric Design Standards, Elizabeth Reynolds
Method Development for the Analysis of Anthocyanins in Aronio Berries via HPLC, Kyle Rousseau
Surface Acoustic Wave-Based Manipulation of Intracellular Structures in Adherent Cultured Cells, Jeffrey Servetas
Imperial Impulses: The Influence of War and Death on the Writings of Rudyard Kipling, Dylan J. Sirois
A Study of the Nutritional Effect of Grains in the Diet of a Dog, Kristyn M. Souliere
Situational Interest In Professional Development, Jean Stevens
Interviews With Transgender Students: Academic And Environmental Factors, Thomas Stevenson
Forming Impressions Of Others: Does Sexuality Matter?, Abigail V. Szotkowski
The Effects of Literature on Childhood Anxiety and Attachment Issues, Samantha Taylor
Territorial Aggression Increases Along an Urban Gradient in Resident But Not Migratory Song Sparrows, Darlene Turcotte
Biodegradation and Feasibility of Three Pleurotus Species on Cigarette Filters, Raymond Updyke
Polarizing Issues in the American Political Parties: Women In Party Platforms, Hannah Vail
Coping With Dissonance: Psychological Mechanisms That Enable Ambivalent Attitudes Toward Animals, Sophie Veilleux
It's Not All Just Child's Play: A Psychological Study on the Potential Benefits of Theater Programming With Children, Sydney R. Walker
Honors Theses from 2013
Design Focused Computer Module for Chemical Engineering Outreach, Marc Beauchemin
The U.S.-Russian Bilateral Counterterrorism Efforts, Maja Bedak
The Phylogeny and Biogeography of the Monito del Monte (Dromiciops Gliroides) and its Relatives, Ariel Berthel
Observing the Location and Orientation of Nematocysts Through Aeolidiella Stephaniae, Siobhan L. Bolinger
Robin Hood or Villain: The Social Constructions of Pablo Escobar, Jenna Bowley
Bridging The Gap: Intergenerational Perceptions Towards Professional Usage of Social Networking Websites, Robert W. Brown
Evolutionary and Molecular Analysis of Conserved Vertebrate Immunity to Fungi, Erin Carter
Fast Pyrolysis of Muconic Acid and Formic Acid Salts, Laura Duran
Diet and Prey Availability of Sturgeons in the Penobscot River, Maine, Matthew Dzaugis
The Acceptance and Understanding of Preschoolers with Special Needs by Typically Developing Peers, Kelsey Ann Fahey
A Lateral Field Excited Thin Film Bulk Acoustic Wave Sensor, Michael R. FitzGerald
Investigation of Early Development and Importance of Sediment Choice in the Hatchery Production of Razor Clams, Ensis Directus, Molly P. Flanagan
User Experience Design for Presence-Aware Spaces and Technologies, Samuel Foster
A Power Line Inspection Device, Brendan Gates
Bayesian Analysis of Data on Nest Success for Marsh Birds, Sean Hardy
A Study of Cooking and Varietal Effects on Potato in Vitro Bile Acid Binding Capacity, Emily Hinkle
Assessment of Sea Lice Infestations on Wild Fishes of Cobscook Bay, Alexander Jensen
Taking the War to the Water: The American Revolution At Sea, 1775-1776, Sarah Kent
Investigating the Controls on Surface Snow δ18O Values in the Coastal Northeast Pacific: Implications for Paleoclimate Interpretations, Matthew C. Koehler
State-Level Government: An Evaluation of Maine's Conflict of Interest Laws and Amendments to Improve Transparency Through Financial Disclosure, Shelbe K. Lane
Perceptions of a Dating Couple Conflict Resolution Interaction and Relationship Quality as Predictors of Depressive Symptoms in a College Student Sample, Annie M. Ledoux
Testing the Effect of Grapefruit Seed Extract (GFSE) on the Mastitsis-Causing Alga, Prototheca, Kendra Janelle MacDonald
A Novel Mechanism for Mechanosensing by Endothelial Cells, Jennifer MacDowell
The Effect of Cataract Surgery on Depression and Vision-Related Quality of Life in an Elderly Population, Paige Martin
Staking Out Gender: A Poststructuralist Analysis of Gender Roles and Identity in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Patrick Pittis
Safe to Drive? Police Powers of Search and Seizure in the Vehicular Context, Mark Rucci
Slow Food: From Farm to Healthy Body, Hannah L. Ruhl
Fishers of Men, Matthew Tieszen
Evaluating Wetland Restoration Performance Through a Case Study on the University of Maine Campus, Andrew L. Tomes
Inequality and Health: Stress Mediates the Relationship Between Subjective SES and Wellbeing, Elizabeth L. Tull
Effects of Arsenic Responsive P21 on Innate Immunity and Apoptosis in Zebrafish, Gabriel O. Vachon
Investigation of the Mechanism Underlying Arsenic Disruption of Mast Cell Degranulation, Alejandro Velez
Where I Tread, Sarah Watts
Foraging Behavior of Eastern Gray Squirrels on the University of Maine Campus, Aimee Young
Honors Theses from 2012
A History of the Use of Swedish Language in New Sweden, Maine, Kaitlyn Anderson
Transdiagnostic Factors: The Mediating Role of Rumination in Health Anxiety and Premenstrual Distress, Kristina S. Anderson
Why are Comedy Films so Critically Underrated?, Michael Arell
The Haptotactic Motility of Angiogenic Endothelial Cells, Breana E. Bennett
Imagine a Better World: Two Studies of Imagined Intergroup Contact, Charles J. Bergeron
Assessing the Controversy: Female Genital Mutilation or Legitimate Rite of Passage?, Morgan Haley Brockington
Exploring the Alcohol Deprivation Effect in Withdrawal-Seizure Prone and Withdrawal-Seizure Resistant Mice, Peter Brooks
Salinity Tolerance of the Oyster Mudworm Polydora websteri, Shannon W. Brown
Characterization of Nrk2b Overexpression in a Transgenic Zebrafish Congenital Muscular Dystrophy Model, Anna Burgess
The Hydrological and Geochemical Role of the C Horizon in a Glacial Till Mantled Headwater Catchment, Margaret A. Burns
Development of Porous Polymeric Implants for Use In Orthopedic Research and Development Applications, Alexander Caddell
From Not So Simple a Beginning: The Voyage of the Beagle to the Voyage of the Endeavour Retracing the Steps of Charles Darwin in the Galapagos Islands, Kathleen Carroll
The Space Explorer, Rachel A. Carter
Identification of Internal Parasites of Sheep and Goats, Amanda Chaney
The Effects of White Noise Disturbance on Zebra Finch Behavior; Does Disturbance Predictability Matter?, Kathryn Chenard
Development of Pesticide Sensing Polyaniline Electrode Through Detection of Alachlor By Cyclic Voltammetry, Todd M. Conner
A Study of the Effect of the Economy on the Outcome of Presidential Reelections: 1992 and 2004 Examined, John F. Cox
Optimization of a Fluorescent In Situ Hybridization Protocol in the Chloroplast Hosting Mollusc Elysia chlorotica, Geoffry Austin Davis
The Impact of Private Public Utility Tax-Exempt Bond Issuance, Jacob Day
Substrate Stiffness and Adhesivity Influence Neuron Axonal Growth, Eben Grant Estell
A Creative Writing Honors Thesis: Guardians of Alyataus, Kelsey K. Flynn
A Study of the Coping Mechanisms Adopted by Work Groups to Deal with Project Structure, Katie R. Foster
Coping and Gender Differences in Seasonality and Seasonal Affective Disorder, Alisha S. Gagnon
The Democratization of the Democratic Party: An Analysis of Democratic Party Reform 1972 - 2008, Benjamin D. Goodman
A Study of Childhood and Late Adolescent Fear: The Role of Fear in Socioemotional Functioning, Stephanie M. Guillemette
Effect of Combined Drug Therapy and Genetic Modifiers on Hepatosteatosis and Fibrosis in a Mouse Model for Alström Syndrome, Ryan Hanusek