Honors Theses are submitted to the University of Richmond in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the distinction of Honors within particular disciplines. The nature of each thesis depends upon the norms of the particular academic discipline and/or department. Most are open access; some have been embargoed or are restricted indefinitely per the request of the author. If you are an author and would like to change the availability of your work, please contact
.Theses from 2021
Synthesis of modulators of the MEMO1 protein-protein interface, Joann Chongsaritsinsuk
Responsible Belief- An Interpersonal Approach, R J. Conk
A Rhetorical History of Black Studies: Black Power & Epistemology, Kayla Corbin
Overdose Prevention Sites Placement Informed by Simulation, Jing Dong
The Death Penalty: Attributability, Accountability, and the Capacity for Self-Correction, Julia Feron
Research Towards Understanding Hox Regulation by Cdx, Joshua M. Fisher
‘She is not a woman, but a metaphor’: Power, Gaze, and the Female Dancer in Modernist Poetry and Dance, Karen Fleming
Power and Performance: The Role of Witchcraft in the Leadership of Queen Elizabeth I and James I of England, Sabrina Garcia
Speech and Sovereignty: A Kantian Defense of Freedom of Expression, Alec Greven
Geographic Differences in Cold Stress Recovery and Growth in an Invasive Forest Insect, Petra Hafker
Social Connectedness and Psychological Difficulties, Kelsey Hengerer
Understanding Model Reasoning in Automated Speech Processing Systems with LIME, Xiaodi Hu
On “The Impossibility of Moral Responsibility”, Dan Jaques
Identity for Development: India’s Biometric ID Program and Access to Public and Private Services, Meher Kaur
Something Like A Romantic Comedy, Grace Kiernan
“Wild Solidarity”: Allen Ginsberg, Psychiatry, and the Poetic Self in Howl and Kaddish, Elizabeth Madison Gabrielle Kiser
Understanding Model Reasoning in Automated Speech Systems: Implementing a Prototype Explanation System Using the LIME Method, Vadim Kudlay
Adhering Homogeneous Molecular Electrocatalysts Entrapped in Micelles to Electrode Surfaces, Emily Kuhlmann
The Intracellular Journey and Life of Sodalis glossinidius, Katrina Kuhn
The Commercialization of Crime Solving: ethical implication of forensic genetic genealogy, Hannah Lee
Investigation of the Effects of Curcumin on Woodsmoke-Induced Inflammation, Melissa Lewis
Due Sistemi Universitari a confronto: L’Università degli Studi di Verona e la University of Richmond, Madison London
“There Is No More Sacred Place:” Healing and Faith in Chaplaincy and Religious Hospitals, Annalise Mangone
The Effects of Mental Illness Mindsets on Stigma and Support for those with Mental Illness, Allison R. Margolis
Committee Organization in the Virginia General Assembly, Genevieve Markee
Associations between college students’ social media use and psychological well-being during COVID-19: is gender a moderator?, Allyson R. Marrinan
TRAK proteins encode distinct MIRO-dependent and MIRO-independent mechanisms for associating with the mitochondrial outer membrane, Lili Mitchell
Would you follow the leader or follow the money?, Mekenzie Montgomery
A Differential Equations Model of Circulatory System Hemodynamics, Allison Newman
Autistic Personality Traits and Processing of Ironic Language, Jaclyn Opie
Cosmological Inflation in N-Dimensional Gaussian Random Fields with Algorithmic Data Compression, Connor A. Painter
The Importance of Leaders in the Time of COVID-19, Lindsay Pett
Determining Genetic Continuity in East Asians, Eberardo B. Raymundo
An Introduction to Obstacle Problems, Calvin Reedy
Virtue, Agency, and the Silence of Reasons, Abhi Kalpeshkumar Ruparelia
Discovering the wire: Dominance effects in the processing of polysemes in sentences, Gwynna Ryan
Fact-Checking of Claims from the English Wikipedia Using Evidence in the Wild, Aalok Sathe
Detecting Arginine Methylation of Yeast RNA Helicase Ded1 in vivo, Amanda M. Schmitt
How Does Transplantation Influence the Identity of Patients with End Stage Organ Disease?, Sydney Shah
Interactive Neuroscience: Designing and Implementing Web-Based Simulations to Teach Cognitive Neuroscience Concepts in an Online Classroom A Pilot Study, Kendall Stewart
Access Alone: The Unintentionality of the Diversification of Higher Education, Katherine Szeluga
Does Duration Matter?: Assessing the Role of Duration in Adverse Childhood Experiences, Miranda Thompson
Doing Good Better: The ‘Do Good’ App, Emily Trumble
The Case for the Moral Rationale of Diversity, Will Walker Jr.
Characterizing Heme-Induced Genes of Sodalis glossinidius, Katie Wall
Neurobiological Comparisons of Wild and Laboratory Rats (Rattus norvegicus): Considerations for Translational Biomedical Research, Sally Watanabe
Synthesizing Bis(phosphino)pyrrole Ligands and Their Complexes, Sophie Weinberg
Empire on Trial: The Rise and Fall of Republican Resistance in Early Augustan Rome, Spencer Yacos
Direct Allylation of Ketones with Trimethylsilyl Trifluoromethanesulfonate and Triethylamine, Hanyu Zhong
Synthesis of Modulators of the MEMO1 Protein- Phenazine Derivatives, Ruoxi Lucy Zhou
Theses from 2020
Associations Between Hookup Culture and Social Group, Ross Abrash
An In-Silico Analysis of the Binding Affinities of HIV and HCV Protease Inhibitor Drugs to the SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease, Justin Airas
Xenophobic Rhetoric and Anti-Asian Prejudice and Discrimination during COVID-19, Eliz Akin
How to be a Good Believer: A Multifaceted Defense of Christian Belief, Cameron Bonsell
Aldol Condensations and Nitrile Aldol Reactions Mediated by Trimethylsilyl Trifluoromethanesulfonate, Samuel R. Bottum
Studies into the importance of Arg675 toward the mutagenic potential of 8-oxo-2’-deoxyguanosine with Klen-Taq polymerase, Claire Brown
Learning to Check Yourself: Improving Civic Engagement Through Duties, Better Voting Practices, and Combatting Group Loyalty, Katherine Brumund
Convergence of glandular trichome morphology and chemistry in two montane monkeyflower (Mimulus, Phrymaceae) species, Sofía Bustamante Eguiguren
Governance in a Multiethnic Republic: Nationalist Rule and Response in Xinjiang and the Frontier, 1933-1935, Bryan C. Carapucci
Evaluating a Culprit: A Review of the Biochemical Mechanisms of Non-Celiac Gluten Intolerance, Callie Cinque
A Hero No More?: Traces of the Byronic Hero in 19th-Century British Novels, Sydney Collins
Gratitude, Resilience and Post-Traumatic Growth among Kidney Transplant Recipients, Lillie Credle
Differential gene expression in Ephydatia muelleri during intracellular symbiosis with Chlorella, Madeleine Delbeau
Lifting Depression: The Impact of Contingency Training on Neurobiological Markers of Emotional Resilience, Ana Deutsch
Nanoparticles as Alternative Ceramic Glaze Colorants, Nathan Dinh
Cortical-Hippocampal Involvement in Problem-solving: Use of the Raccoon (procyon lotor) as a Model Organism, Jack Henry Drake
Wood Smoke Induced Lung Inflammation via the NFκB Pathway: Characterization and Treatment with 2'-Hydroxy-4'-methoxyacetophenone in Human Monocytes, Rhiannon Edwards
Speech, Silence, and Song: Investigating Language and Power in J.M. Coetzee’s Disgrace, Emilie Erbland
A License to Kill: The Institutional Failure of the Legal System to Hold Police Accountable, Eliana R. Fleischer
The Impact of Inclusive Pedagogy on Achievement and Sense of Belonging Among College Students, Taylor Frost
The Relationship Between Nature, Media Use and Psychosocial Well Being in a College Population, Eve Gilles
The impact of curcumin on neurodegeneration & neuroinflammation in a Drosophila melanogaster model of human Machado-Joseph Disease, Lizzie Godschall
Crossing Cultures: The Negotiation of Gender and Racial Norms from New England to Cherokee Country, Alexis Hills
The Raccoon Project: Exploring Optimal Neural Functions in a Novel Model Species, Bilal Hindi
A Twisted Skein of Desire: Confession, Gaze, and Time in Andre Aciman’s Call Me by Your Name, Anthony Isenhour
Investigating conditional mutations in MTR4: an RNA helicase associated with the nuclear exosome, Anthony Isenhour
Follow the Leader or Follow the Strategy? The role of perceived legitimacy in evaluating leader effectiveness, Samantha M. Jaeger
Perceptions of Consistency in the Attitudes of Another, Kevin R. Kennedy
Profitability and Corporate Social Responsibility, Alexander Kirk
The Electoral College: Size Really Does Matter, Alexander Kirk
The Effect of President Trump’s Company-Specific Tweets on Company’s Stocks, Justin Kleczka
Race vs. Skin Tone IAT: Comparing Measures of Implicit Racial Bias by Racial Ethnic Group, Neelamberi Klein
Un vrai centriste? Les politiques d’Emmanuel Macron au 21ème siècle, Alexandra Kohnert
“And so they abandoned it and went to Cyprus”: The Lusignan Kingdom of Cyprus and Expressions of Military and Economic Power, 1291-1306, Mike Laposata
The Influence of Flooding on Macroinvertebrate Diversity of the James River Rock Pools, Meghan Leber
Moral Responsibility in Volitional Necessities, Krishna Lohiya
Netflix and Kill: A look at the cultural fascination with infamous killers, Grace Lynch
Synthesis, Characterization, and Reactivity of Palladium Proazaphosphatrane Complexes, Adrian D. Matthews
Storytelling for Fundraising: Assessing the Impact of Personal Stories on Donation Behavior, Kate A. McCarthy
Estimating Value-at-Risk of an Unconventional Portfolio, Elizabeth N. Mejía-Ricart
Tuition Resets: An Economic Analysis, Claire Mendelson
Connectivity of Coloring Graphs, Rachel Morris