Fau.edu

Thursday, May 2, 2013
The Spring 2013 Medallion Ceremony at 10:30 a.m.
Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College Florida Atlantic University The Lifelong Learning Society Auditorium Elinor Bernon Rosenthal Lifelong Learning Complex 5353 Parkside Drive Jupiter, Florida 33458 The Spring 2013 Commencement Ceremony at 5:00 p.m.
Florida Atlantic University Carole and Barry Kaye Performing Arts Center Boca Raton, Florida 33431

Spring 2013 Medallion Ceremony
Welcome Address
Dr. Jeffrey L. Buller, Dean Campus Welcome
Dr. Eliah Watlington, Associate Provost of the Northern Campuses Benefactor Recognition: Richard (Dick) Gordon
Dr. Jeffrey L. Buller, Dean Student Recognition Awards
Dr. Julie Earles Graduation Address
Presentation of Medallions
Dr. Jeffrey L. Buller, Dean Dr. Mark Tunick, Associate Dean Wilkes Honors College Alumni Society
Niina Pollari '06 Closing Remarks
Dr. Jeffrey L. Buller, Dean Recessional
Guests are asked to please remain seated until a
group photo is taken following the recessional.

NIINA POLLARI
Niina Pollari is a poet, editor, translator, and graduate of the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature in 2006. Niina's outstanding thesis, "…At the Ear of Eve": Hearing, Gender, and the Physiology of the Fall in John Milton's Paradise Lost, won an honorable mention in the highly competitive Undergraduate Studies Essay Competition from the prestigious database, Early English Books Online, in 2006. Her thesis later led to an invitation to present her research at the Milton Symposium at the University of London in 2008. Upon graduation from the Honors College, Niina headed off to Sarah Lawrence College, where she received her Master's in Creative Writing in 2008. Since then, she has presented at several conferences, including the &NOW Literary Festival focused on experimental literature, where she gave a talk on narratorship in the work of Tytti Heikkinen in October of 2011. Niina's writing has been featured in numerous literary journals as well as the Brooklyn Rail and Jezebel.com. The Warmth of the Taxidermied Animal, her translation of the poems of Tytti Heikkinen, was released in 2013 from Action Books, and she is also the author of two chapbook-length volumes of poetry: Fabulous Essential (2009, Birds of Lace) and Book Four (2012, Hyacinth Girl). In 2012, with Judy Berman, she edited a collection of essays called It's Complicated: Feminists Write about the Misogynist Art We Love. Currently, Niina Pollari is a project specialist at the crowdfunding website Kickstarter, where she's been since 2012, as well as coordinator for the POPSICKLE Literary Festival and a freelance translator. She is scheduled to speak in June 2013 at Book Expo America on the topics of self-publishing and crowdfunding.

DAWN FAE ADOLFSON
Concentration: Anthropology
Thesis: Para El Sur: Analyzing Contemporary Mexican Return
Migration with a Case Study of Jupiter, Florida Immigrants
Advisor: Dr. Timothy Steigenga
Migration from Mexico to the United States has recently
decreased while return migration to Mexico has increased,
producing a net reduction in the number of Mexican migrants in the U.S. Some argue that the increase in immigration enforcement is the cause for this change because it has altered the cost/benefit balance enough to make migration less appealing and to encourage people to self-deport which is based on neo-classical theory. Interviews with migrants in Jupiter, FL and returned migrants suggest that the reasons for return are more complex and suggest that the "self-deportation" approach to U.S. immigration policy may be misguided. Favorite Honors College Memory: Volunteering and working at El Sol teaching
English with Honors College friends and thesis days with salsa, zumba, and bachata
study breaks.
After Graduation Plans: I will be enjoying the summer break in Stuart, FL before
beginning graduate school in the fall.

ROBERT AIRAPETOV
Concentration: Biology
Thesis: Conformation of the Existence of KAR, HAD, EAR, and
PP in the Lipid Metabolisms of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and
Volvox carteri f. nagariensis Advisor: Dr. Paul Kirchman
Four previously known sequences of KAR, HAD, EAR, and PP
were entered into a BLAST search specified for the genus Chlamydomonas. Each search yielded an unknown protein sequence belonging to C. reinhardtii. These unknown sequences were entered into BLAST again, this time with an unspecified genus. The data that resulted theoretically confirmed the unknown proteins belonging to C. reinhardtii to be KAR, HAD, EAR, and PP. The same process was then repeated for the genus Volvox, and it resulted in theoretically confirming the unknown proteins belonging to V. nagariensis to be KAR, HAD, EAR, and PP. Favorite Honors College Memory: Long nights of studying and completing lab
reports in the library, but getting through it with my friends.
After Graduation Plans: Take a two week vacation in Italy.

MARIA DE LOURDES AITKEN
Concentration: Biological Chemistry
Thesis: Development of Cell-Based Assays to Screen for
GABAB Receptor Allosteric Modulators
Advisor: Dr. Nicholas Quintyne
Dysfunction of GABAB
receptor-mediated synaptic transmission underlies various nervous system disorders including epilepsy, depression, schizophrenia, and addition. Currently, only one GABAB-R orthosteric ligand is in clinical use. However, side effects such as sedation, tolerance, and motor impairment limit its use. A dissociation of the therapeutic effects from the side effects may be achievable with drugs enhancing the endogenous physiological cellular response. The development of GABAB-R allosteric modulators has provided new modes of efficacy that may facilitate the development of novel therapeutic agents. In the present study, we investigated the side effects of newly identified GABAB-R allosteric ligands using HEK-293 cell line expressing human/human subunits using a functional assay. Favorite Honors College Memory: Study/snacking sessions with friends before exams.
After Graduation Plans: Attending medical school at the Vanderbilt University School
of Medicine.
RACHAEL ARRIGHI
Concentration: Interdisciplinary Critical Theory
Thesis: Provisional Self-Evidence
Advisor: Prof. Dorotha Lemeh
A Theory.
Favorite Honors College Memory: Can't be expressed in 30
words…
After Graduation Plans: Pursuing a Master of Letters degree at the University of St.
Andrews.

RYAN ARRIGHI
Concentration: Anthropology
Thesis: City of Walls: The Motivation and Desire Behind Gated
Communities
Advisor: Dr. Jacqueline Fewkes
The privatization of neighborhood space through the creation
of gated communities, and the motivation and desire to reside
within them.
Favorite Honors College Memory: Dr. Corr's anthropological field work studies.
AMIRA BARGHOUTHY
Concentration: Biological Chemistry
Thesis: The Impact of JNK on Mitochondrial Physiology
Advisor: Dr. Paul Kirchman
C-jun N-terminal Kinases (JNKs) belong to the mitogen-
activated protein kinase family. JNK activation and subsequent
translocation to the mitochondria regulates reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and cell survival. Recently, we demonstrated that bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are highly sensitive to oxidative stress but JNKs role in this process is undefined. Herein, we show that exposure of MSCs to atmospheric oxygen increased levels of p53, p-JNK and the apoptosis regulator p-BCL2 (B-cell lymphoma 2), resulting in increased cellular apoptosis. Selective JNK inhibition may enhance the therapeutic efficacy of MSCs by preventing oxidative stress-induced cell death following transplantation of cells in vivo. Favorite Honors College Memory: I loved working in the Chemistry labs, post-exam
celebrations, dance sessions, bike rides, and sloth time with friends.
After Graduation Plans: Medical school

ARELY BAUGH
Concentration: Psychology
Thesis: Age-related differences in Unconscious Plagiarism
Advisor: Dr. Julie Earles
Rates of unconscious plagiarism (UP) differ with age. McCabe,
Smith, and Parks (2007) demonstrated that older adults were
more likely than younger adults to provide [new] exemplars
that had already been presented to them. Kersten and Earles
(2010) showed that a similar process results from binding errors in memory. We
propose that age-related increases in UP are due to age-related decreases in ability to
bind together event-features. We expect that older adults will exhibit more UP than
young adults and that this rate will relate to working memory and source monitoring
errors.
ROSA BELTRAN
Concentration: Biology
Thesis: You've Got to Keep 'Em Separated: Characterizing
Lagging Chromosome Prevention in Oral Cancer Cells.
Advisor: Dr. Nicholas Quintyne
Mitosis is the separation of duplicated chromosomes into
daughter cells in order to create viable offspring. There are many checks in mitosis to ensure the inherited chromosome number is correct. These checkpoints are overcome and daughter cells inherit defects which can lead to cancer. One defect is the appearance of lagging chromosomes, the result of inaccurate chromosomal separation which leads to incorrect chromosome number termed aneuploidy. Aneuploidy is one of the defining traits of cancerous cells. The potential mechanism of lagging chromosomes in the cancerous cell line is investigated in this study. Knockdown of KIFC1 was used in the cells. Favorite Honors College Memory: Making funny videos freshman year and all of the
fun times in the biology lab!
KRISTI BEROLDI
Concentration: Psychology
Thesis: The Elephant in the Room: Why is it Difficult for
Hospice Workers to Discuss Death with their Terminally Ill
Patients? The Effects of Death Anxiety, Avoidance, and
Interpersonal Issues.
Advisor: Dr. Julie Earles
Hospice workers encounter death daily, and one would assume
they are comfortable with the topic given their career. It is intriguing that some find it
difficult to discuss with patients and their families. I was interested in seeing if this was
due to workers' own death anxiety. I examined whether there are significant
differences between hospice workers and their level of death anxiety based on
occupation. I hypothesized that hospice workers with more contact with patients
would indicate a higher level of death anxiety than those who have less contact. I
found significant correlations between job type and death avoidance. Favorite Honors College Memory: Finding some of my best friends, and being able to
spend the last three years with them.
After Graduation Plans: Pursuing a Master's degree at George Washington University.

KAITLYN BLUM
Concentration: English Literature
Thesis: Madness and Mimetic Violence: Laughter and
Language in Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night"
Advisor: Dr. Michael Harrawood
This thesis considers the malevolent humor of Shakespeare's
Twelfth Night, particularly in light of the philosophical position that literary critic Rene Girard posits about what he refers to as mimetic desire. Girard contends that much of human interaction is the mediation between desires to imitate, and desires to annihilate. Using Girard's critical writings as a frame of thought, I am interested in the circulation of cruelty in which the characters interact with one another. This thesis addresses the relationship of laughter and cruelty in Twelfth Night as the characters utilize comedy to negotiate between simultaneous desires to imitate Favorite Honors College Memory: From all the laughs we have shared to our
profound philosophical conversations, meeting one of the best friends I have had the
privilege to know is my favorite HC memory. REGINA BROCKWAY
Concentration: Environmental Studies
Thesis: Aliens are Animals Too! Ethics and Stigmatization
within Invasive Species Rhetoric Advisor: Dr. William O'Brien
Management of nonnative invasive species (NIS) frequently
involves killing individual animals as a means of protecting
broader ecological values. This management approach highlights differences between discourses of environment, which value life at a holistic level, and animal rights, which value individual lives. Language both reflects and shapes belief and action, so for my analysis I compare NIS rhetoric of a prominent environmental organization and an animal welfare group. The goals are to identify prevalent themes in characterizations of NIS, highlight areas of convergence and divergence, and find out if the rhetoric points to any viable suggestions for compromise. Favorite Honors College Memory: Freezing/Snailing with my "animal" friends,
singing with MIC, gf dinners, camping in Ocala with Enviro Club, wandering the
arboretum, and having long philosophical discussions with HC kids while procrastinating doing homework…
BRIAN BURNETT
Concentration: Biological Chemistry
Thesis: Bioprospecting and the Identification of Bio-Active
Organic Compounds Found in the Venom of Crematogaster
vicina André
Advisors: Dr. James Wetterer, Dr. Veljko Dragojlovic
In this research, we analyzed the organic compounds in the
venom of Crematogaster vicina André found in Ocho Rios,
Jamaica. We used Gas Chromatography- Mass Spectroscopy (GC-MS) to test our
hypothesis of the compounds found in the Crematogaster vicina André venom. We were
able to identify several bioactive organic compounds with similar characteristics of the
organic compounds found in the venom of the Crematogaster species of Brazil.
After Graduation Plans: Attending University of Miami MCAT Preparatory Program
in June 2013.

PEDRO CAHUE
Concentration: Latin American Studies
Thesis: The Creation of a Cartel
Advisor: Dr. Rachel Corr
In this thesis I trace the origin and transformation of the cartel and its rise to power.
The combination of the two anthropological models on religious transformations show
the religious nature of the cartel follows patterns of revitalization movements and rites
of passage.
REY CARVAJAL
Concentration: Physics
Thesis: Hohmann Transfer Orbit Applications: Spacecraft
Approach and Interplanetary Travel
Advisor: Dr. Andrew Johnson

BARBARA CODY
Concentration: Environmental Studies
Thesis: Sea Turtle Conservation's Effect on Nesting Trends
of Sea Turtles Along Florida's Atlantic Coast 1982-2012
Advisor: Dr. Jon Moore
Sea turtles have been an important factor of the world's
oceans for millions of years. Until about 100 years ago, they were not protected at all, and in the last 40 years they have received greater protection. This increase in protection, along with the conservation efforts of organizations around the globe, has contributed to increased nesting trends
for at least Florida's three main species of sea turtles. These three species have all had
a positive increase in nesting activity along Florida's Atlantic coast since 1989. This rise
in nesting activity can be positively correlated to the increased conservation efforts.
Favorite Honors College Memory: FARH 2011 & 2013. All of it.
CELESTE CORRALES
Concentration: Political Science
Thesis: Of Free Markets and Caged Humans: The Ethical and
Legal Implications of For-Profit Immigrant Detention
Advisor: Dr. Timothy Steigenga
Private prisons are quickly becoming the new hosts for many of
the over 400,000 unauthorized immigrants detained annually in
the United States. The argument over whether to privatize is one that involves both practical questions of who can produce the most efficient results and philosophical implications. This thesis argues that privatized immigrant detention creates a perverse incentive structure that may lead to multiple problems, including greater risks for constitutional and human rights violations of immigrant detainees. I utilize Ira P. Robbins' Legal Dimensions to Private Incarceration (1988) handbook in order to update and explore the relevance of two legal doctrines as potential challenges to the private immigrant detention industry. Favorite Honors College Memory: My favorite memory at the HC involved the RH2
elevator, a portable generator, and a TV with Rock Band for XBox 360.

CAITLIN CROOK
Concentrations: Economics, Political Science
Thesis: Why Does Healthcare Spending and Quality Vary
Between OECD Countries?
Advisors: Dr. Kanybek Nur-tegin and Dr. Timothy Steigenga
Members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD) vary by level of healthcare expenditure and by quality of health services. Intuitively, a country with higher spending is expected to also have better quality services, but this is not always the case. A number of empirical studies find that national income is a significant explanatory variable of the variation in total healthcare expenditure among developed countries. Motivated by the discrepancy between spending and quality, I estimate the determinants of public healthcare expenditure per capita to examine the question of why OECD countries spend different amounts on healthcare. Favorite Honors College Memory: Being awesome with great friends, beach in
between classes, dancing with Owlettes, ultra music festival, studying by the pool,
long weekends, the professors' tangents, month-long spring breaks, watercoloring, reviving barons, and palace parties. After Graduation Plans: I will be working full-time at the Palm Beach Historic Inn. I
will be managing the hotel staff at two properties, responsible for marketing and
operations. I eventually plan to attend graduate school and pursue an M.B.A. or Ph.D.
in economics.

GINA DELCANTO
Concentration: Behavioral Neuroscience
Thesis: Memory of Faces
Advisor: Dr. Julie Earles
Examines the relationship between facial recognition and
relevant artistic experience/ability.
Favorite Honors College Memory: Collaborations with
friends.
After Graduation Plans: Pursuing a Ph.D. at the University of Miami.

EDWARD DOYLE
Concentration: English Literature
Thesis: The Creation of Narrative Identity in William Faulkner's
The Sound and the Fury
Advisor: Dr. Michael Harrawood
Concerned with what makes the narrators in William Faulkner's
The Sound and the Fury (1929) structurally distinct and identifiably separate from one another, I argue the three first-person narratives of the Compson brothers constitute individual identities who essentially "narrate" in order to escape the decline of their family. Using a narratological and semiotic framework, I demonstrate how the family and the text both function as a system of signs, generating the individualities of the narrators through difference while simultaneously preventing their escape because, like systems of signification, their identities depend upon juxtaposition against one another for definition. Favorite Honors College Memory: My favorite memory from the Honors College was
the accomplishment and pride I felt after really digging into segments from Immanuel
Kant's "Critique of Pure Reason," at Dr. Harrawood's insistence.

IMHARIA ENOGIERU
Concentration: Biological Chemistry
Thesis: Some Like it Hot: The Isolation of an Aconitase Mutant
Resistant to Heat-Shock Induced Oxidative Stress
Advisor: Dr. Paul Kirchman
Aconitase is an enzyme essential for mitochondrial DNA
maintenance and cellular respiration. For my thesis, I mutated
Aconitase in the hopes of isolating a Sacchromyces cerevisiae yeast cell that was more
resistant to heat shock-induced oxidative stress. Oxidative stress has been implicated
as a theory of cellular aging so assaying Aconitase mutants for changes in lifespan
would give an understanding of factors that influence cellular aging.
Favorite Honors College Memory: FARH 2011, Woodland nymphs seeing sunlight for
the first time, Giant Cookie S'more, Planning and implementing HCSI, Interpretive
Dancing with Rosa & Kaitlyn… really anytime with Rosa, Kaitlyn and Alyssa.
After Graduation Plans: Pursuing a Doctor of Medicine degree at Harvard Medical
School.
ERICA ESTEP
Concentration: Biology
Thesis: Consequences of Red Imported Fire Ant on Humans
Advisors: Dr. James Wetterer and Dr. Jon Moore
A good number of references declare that the alkaloids affect the delivery of histamines (e.g., Greenberg 1988). Because histamines are the source of burning and pustules, ant poison can be deadly. One important variable that may influence abundance of fire ants is the material around a picnic area. Twenty-one benches on brick, concrete, gravel, and pavement and 34 benches on grass and sand were sampled. Colonization was determined by the presence of a red imported fire ant colony within 3 meters of the picnic table. Although air temperature varied daily for as much as 14°C, all baits were laid down at approximately the same time in order to avoid biasing the data. The brick, concrete, gravel, and pavement areas characteristically had fewer ants. Actively placing benches on anthropogenic substrates may decrease exposure to Favorite Honors College Memory: Meeting my fiancé and friend in lab are my favorite
Honors College memories.

KAITLIN GALLAGHER
Concentration: Marine Biology
Thesis: Examining Season Effects on Bonamia spp. Infections in
Bivalves from the Indian River Lagoon
Advisor: Dr. Jon Moore
Bonamia spp., a haplosporidian protistan parasite, was first
reported in Florida in 2007 in oyster species cultured at Harbor
Branch Oceanographic Institute in water from the Indian River Lagoon (IRL). My study seeks to examine the season effect on parasite prevalence and infection intensity. Bivalves from three sites in the IRL were sampled in the summer, fall, and winter of 2012. Prevalence (general and species specific) was evaluated using PCR. Intensity of infection was evaluated using fluorescent in situ hybridization. Favorite Honors College Memory: Late night dance party study breaks and 2 AM
IHOP trips during finals week.
After Graduation Plans: Earning a Ph.D. at the University of Connecticut.
JACQUELYN GUIZERIX
Concentration: History
Thesis: From Snow White to Brave: The Evolution of the Disney
Princess
Advisor: Dr. Christopher Strain
This paper traces the evolution of the Disney Princess and
critically evaluates the role of the Disney Princess icon in American history using a feminist perspective. The term Disney Princess refers to Disney's ten animated princesses; collectively these females became iconic through the creation of the enormous Disney Princess marketing franchise in 2001. Since Snow White in 1937 and culminating with the 2012 film Brave, the Disney Princesses have undergone subtle developments in appearance, attitude, relationships, and cultural heritage that have expanded the function of the Disney Princess as a contemporary role model. Favorite Honors College Memory: Late nights in the dining hall, spring break
vacations, and my second 21st birthday!
After Graduation Plans: I would like to attend graduate school for Speech and
Language Pathology, and continue working with young children through beginning
my own practice as a speech-language pathologist in southern Florida.

GEORGIANNE HALLAM
Concentration: Psychology
Thesis: Denial is Not Just a River: Relationships Between
Experiential Avoidance, Personality, and Relevant Outcomes in
Hospice Workers
Advisor: Dr. Julie Earles
Is there a relationship between Experiential Avoidance and Five
Factor Model personality traits? One hundred and one South
Florida VITAS Hospice workers completed a survey packet measuring personality,
experiential avoidance, burnout, interpersonal problems, religious preference, and
death attitudes to test this hypothesis. A secondary goal consisted of constructing a model of experiential avoidance from the study variables. The data did not support a relationship between personality factors and experiential avoidance. However, relationships between EA and other relevant factors were supported. Favorite Honors College Memory: Going to Islands of Adventure with the Honors
College. It was great to hang out with all of my friends.
SARAH HARRIS
Concentration: Political Science
Thesis: Homogeneity or Heterogeneity: The Effects of Race and
Religion on Jewish Immigrants in Argentina and Brazil
Advisor: Dr. Timothy Steigenga
The integration and acceptance of Jewish immigrants in Brazil
and Argentina has varied from mild dislike but overall
acceptance, to violence and discrimination. These differences can be attributed to the
receiving countries, because the Jewish population emigrated from the same places
during the same time; what is different is the racial and religious makeup of the
countries. Argentina is racially and religiously homogeneous (White and Catholic)
while Brazil is heterogeneous. Thus Jews in Argentina were different enough from the
rest of the country to provoke hatred; while Jewish immigrants in Brazil were less
different, making other groups less desirable.
Favorite Honors College Memory: Trips to amusement parks; road tripping to GA,
hanging out in the SG office, weekend long marathons of "FRIENDS" and "Big Bang
Theory"; orientation weeks; Guatemala. Making lifelong friends!
After Graduation Plans: Pursuing the degree of Juris Doctor at Thomas M. Cooley Law
School.

NATALIE HARRISON
Concentration: History
Thesis: The Richard Aoki Case: Was the Man Who Armed the
Black Panthers an FBI Informant?
Advisor: Dr. Christopher Strain
On August 20th 2012, Seth Rosenfeld, a reporter for the San
Francisco Chronicle, released an article stating that Richard
Aoki, an activist in the Bay Area during the 1960s and 70s, had been an FBI informant. Immediately following the allegations, numerous Aoki supporters rose to his defense and accused Rosenfeld of snitch-jacketing –a term referring to the FBI practice of falsely labeling a prominent member of a threatening group as an informant to decrease their status and influence within the organization. This paper is a historiographical examination of the FBI, COINTELPRO, snitch culture, Richard Aoki and those who accused/defended him. Favorite Honors College Memory: "The dance is over, the applause subsided but the
joy and feeling will stay with you forever." -W. M. Tory
After Graduation Plans: I will be teaching on an Indian Reservation in South Dakota
through Teach for America.
ASHLEE HAWK
Concentrations: Economics, Business
Thesis: Singing All the Way to the Bank: An Empirical Analysis
of Variables Influencing the Salaries of the Highest Paid
Musicians Over the Last Five Years
Advisor: Dr. Kanybek Nur-tegin
Rosen (1981) claims top performing musicians and other
superstars deserve the high paying salary they receive in his phenomenon called the "superstar effect". I have constructed an econometric model using various income factors in order to determine which variables hold statistical significance in correlation with superstar salaries. I have accumulated a list of 46 top ranking musicians based on the salaries over the last five years from Forbes' "The World's Most Powerful Celebrities". Favorite Honors College Memory: I'm in love with right now; reflecting on memories,
experiences and moments I'll never forget which have made me who I am today. Shine
bright like a diamond. Pink penguins.
After Graduation Plans: My passion is the music business and I will continue my path
to become a music executive.
KRISTAL HAZELLIEF
Concentration: Biology
Thesis: Anchors Aweigh: Using shRNA to Map p150Glued
Functionality in Anchoring Microtubules at the Centrosome
Advisor: Dr. Nicholas Quintyne
Dynactin is a multisubunit protein complex required for proper
functioning of the microtubule motor cytoplasmic dynein. The
p150Glued subunit of dynactin possesses dynactin's microtubule binding sequences, termed the CAP-Gly and Basic domains. These domains have differential affinities for microtubules, CAP-Gly binding with a higher affinity than Basic. By testing a set of shRNA plasmids with antisense sequences to the untranslated region of p150Glued we have found effective knockdown of the protein in COS-7 cells; where future researchers can introduce plasmids with altered expression of the binding domains, potentially showing a differential effect on anchoring, dependent upon which domain is present. Favorite Honors College Memory: The many cherished moments I have had with
friends from late night study parties and impromptu IHOP trips to senior movie nights
and Program Board office pow-wows!
After Graduation Plans: To graduate school and beyond! I plan to attend Barry
University to earn a Master of Science in Clinical Biology.
BRITNI HIATT
Concentration: Women's Studies
Thesis: Feminist Environmental Justice: Confronting Legacies of
White Supremacy in Jupiter, Florida
Advisor: Dr. Wairimũ Njambi
Despite pervasive claims that the United States is a ‘post-racial'
society, racial segregation did not end after Jim Crow and the
Civil Rights Movement. Today, environmental zoning and biotechnology land developments continue to determine which families are most exposed to risks of pollution and displacement, and which families are not. Utilizing documentation of local history and research in Women's Studies, Eco-Feminism, and Critical Race Studies, I examine the legacy of racial segregation in Jupiter, Florida, by charting the biotechnology ‘cluster' encroaching upon the historical Limestone Creek community. In this feminist analysis are challenges to assumptions about race, gender, class, and the environment. In solidarity with residents of color, I emphasize accountability on the part of those who have benefitted from unjust racial legacies in order to prevent further racial segregation and land exploitation of the Limestone Creek community. Favorite Honors College Memory: When Feminist Student Union was named Best
New Student Organization for 2012, and in 2013 when students organized as the Stop
Owlcatraz Coalition to stop the FAU-GEO stadium naming deal-- and won!
CHRISTOPHER HOLMQUIST
Concentration: Biological Chemistry
Thesis: Development of a Low Cost HPLC Controller
Advisor: Dr. Eugene Smith
The purpose of this project was to develop a low cost, easy to
use, controller for a high pressure liquid chromatography
(HPLC) system. The controller developed in this project was
used to establish the flow rate of the mobile phase, detect and collect samples. An mbed microcontroller, programmed in C++, used different input/output (i/o) functions to control all three parts of the HPLC (UV-detector, and fraction collector). The fraction collector and detector were successfully set up and tested with coding to function properly. The mbed microcontroller will make HPLC a more viable and readily accessible tool. Favorite Honors College Memory: Watching Monty Python's Flying Circus and playing
Champions of Norrath video games with my roommates my freshmen year to unwind
after midterms.
After Graduation Plans: Pursuing a Ph.D. at the University of North Carolina, Chapel
Hill.

FRED JEUNE
Concentration: Economics
Thesis: Palm Beach County Property Taxes: An Example of
the Leviathan Model
Advisor: Dr. Keith Jakee
During the past recession, house prices plummeted to record
lows. However, empirical research found that, on average, property tax revenues for local governments have not decreased. My paper will attempt to explain this paradox by arguing that an information asymmetry exists in the process used by Palm Beach County, FL in assessing and taxing private properties. This information asymmetry, characterized by the lack of transparency in the property assessment and taxation process, is exploited by local government to conceal its revenue-maximizing behavior. The analysis of this behavior, captured through the lens of the Leviathan model, allows us to see the moral hazard at play whereby the local government seeks to maximize its revenues through ways unclear and confusing to the general public. Favorite Honors College Memory: My best memory of the Honors College is of the
ridiculous amount of fun I had during the 2012 Spring Formal.
After Graduation Plans: I plan to work full-time for a few years in order to gain some
work experience before I go back to school for a Master's in Applied Economics.

ELIZABETH JOHNSON
Concentration: Anthropology
Thesis: "For the Unity of It": Mutual Aid and Ethnic Solidarity in
Tampa
Advisor: Dr. Rachel Corr
This thesis explores why people in Tampa, FL created mutual aid
organizations, how these organizations have changed over time,
and why members continue to join and participate. To learn more
about individuals' experiences with the mutual aid societies and other ethnically based
organizations in the Tampa area, I conducted a series of six interviews with members
of the Order Sons of Italy in America (OSIA) Lodge in Tampa. The results of these
interviews, coupled with an understanding of the historical roots of ethnic organizations, create a rich image of how the Italian community has satisfied its dynamic needs. Favorite Honors College Memory: Late-night yarn runs, ice cream parties in the SG
office, "Oh Patrick," random all-nighters, various tea parties, road trip sing-alongs, and
so many other little, beautiful moments.
RICHARD JONES
Concentration: Environmental Studies
Thesis: Fire Ants Without Fire: Impact of Reduction Mowing on
Invasive Fire Ants at Gopher Tortoise Burrows
Advisors: Dr. Jon Moore and Dr. Jim Wetterer
The gopher tortoise has been in decline throughout its range
primarily due to habitat destruction. Many species prey upon
tortoises including the fire ant Solenopsis invicta. While human alterations to habitat
have incited a decline in gopher tortoises, "disturbance specialists" like S. invicta often
thrive on such changes. This study represents a culmination of three surveys of ants at
gopher tortoise burrows before and after "reduction mowing," the mechanical
shredding and reduction of understory growth. The results of this study have possible
implications to land management practices focused on both fire ant mitigation and
gopher tortoise conservation.
Favorite Honors College Memory: Going surfing one Saturday morning, then being
invited to go deepwater fishing on my return by half the school in the courtyard. And
I STILL aced the test on Monday.
After Graduation Plans: I plan on volunteering abroad, continuing my education, and
culminating these plans into a career in developing positive human ecologies.
Otherwise, I will be cultivating new experiences and good times.

STEPHEN JONES
Concentration: Economics
Thesis: Why Security is But a Symptom: Understanding the
Persistence of State Failure
Advisor: Dr. Keith Jakee
I will argue that what I term "alegality" or normative
noncompliance is the primary institutional structure of failed states, where the rules have been made, but are seldom if ever followed. Without the constraint of rules, states are characterized by internal insecurity, few publicly- provided goods, a large and inefficient bureaucracy, and a highly centralized leadership. Under the assumption that leaders, bureaucrats, and individual citizens all seek to maximize self-interest, I will show that their actions result in a perpetual erosion of the state failure to persist indefinitely. Favorite Honors College Memory: The professors, the interactions, the fun stuff we
have done, and managing to survive.
After Graduation Plans: Lots of travel.
HEATHER KALISZ
Concentration: Marine Biology
Thesis: The Comparison of Two Undescribed Species of Skates,
Bathyraja spp. 2 and Bathyraja sp. (c. f. eatonii) from the Circum-
Antarctic and Subantarctic Waters Near the South Orkney
Islands
Advisor: Dr. Jon Moore
My thesis is about the comparison of 36 different specimen measurements of two undescribed species of skates, Bathyrja spp 2 and Bathyraja cf. eatonii from the Antarctic, South Orkney Islands. This data is going to be used in the future for the Bathyraja spp 2 species description.
TIFFANY KAUL
Concentration: Biology
Thesis: Characterization of the CFA Synthase Gene Ortholog
F13D12.9 in Caenorhabditis elegans
Advisor: Dr. Paul Kirchman
Upon entry into the stationary phase, E. coli express the enzyme
cyclopropane fatty acid synthase (cfas) to resist environmental
stress. This study investigated the role of the cfas bacterial ortholog gene, F13D12.9,
within the nematode C. elegans by characterizing the natural gene expression and
studying the effect of its genetic manipulation on developmental stress phenotypes. It
was found that the cfas ortholog expression changed with development and environmental conditions. It was also concluded that the C. elegans' ability to cope with environmental stress involved both external nutrient availability signals and internal cfas expression.
WILLIAM KISSNER
Concentration: Biological Chemistry
Thesis: Halosulfites as a Leaving Groups in Organic Synthesis
Advisor: Dr. Veljko Dragojlovic
My research entails developing new leaving groups for the
synthesis of organic compounds. The goal of this research is to
design leaving groups that can be replaced by weak
nucleophiles, for this to happen a good leaving group is necessary. Alkyl
chlorosulfinites in my experiments have been shown to perform as good leaving
groups for producing the corresponding halide of the halogen salt used, with notable
success when using ZnCl2 (which has 90% yield of the chloride containing
compound).
Favorite Honors College Memory: Stick-it noting Chris's room.
MORGAN LEVY
Concentration: Psychology
Thesis: Right Mindfulness Leads to Right Livelihood:
Exploring the Connections between Mindfulness, Stress,
Religiosity, and Personality Advisor: Dr. Laura Vernon
Mindfulness refers to the ability to think in the present moment
and to be cognizant of one's own thoughts and physical state. We examined whether openness to experience and religiosity affected the experience of mindfulness. Undergraduate college students underwent a 40-minute session learning about mindfulness techniques and various meditations such as body relaxation mediation, a nature meditation, and a guided imagery meditation. After completing the session, participant's completed post-treatment questionnaires and one week later they completed follow-up questionnaires. We expect that mindfulness will increase immediately following the session and will be maintained one week later. Favorite Honors College Memory: Wonderful people!
After Graduation Plans: Pursuing a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at Nova Southeastern
University.
ZOE LEWYCKY
Concentration: Women's Studies
Thesis: A Critical Feminist Science Studies Critique of the term
‘Pseudoscience'
Advisor: Dr. Wairimũ Njambi
Using a Critical Feminist Science Studies perspective, I
examine how the term ‘pseudoscience' rewrites science's
history, preventing science from being held accountable for its
power structures and hierarchical narratives. I first examine the historical and cultural
origins of science, the figure of the scientist, and ‘objectivity.' Then, I explore science's
obsession with the body in the many works and theories that have been developed
since its origination in the seventeenth century. Finally, I apply critical feminist science
studies to Michael Shermer's usage of the word ‘pseudoscience' in his book, Why People
Believe Weird Things. My proposed solution is that we stop using such a term in order
to hold science accountable for its problematic aspects and legacies. I also suggest that
we adopt Donna Haraway's concept of ‘situated knowledge' to replace the concept of objectivity. Favorite Honors College Memory: Finally having some awesome friends in my Junior
year here.
STEPHANIE LÓPEZ
Concentrations: International Studies, Spanish
Thesis: Japanese Identity and Cultural Expressions in the
Dominican Republic since the mid-1950s
Advisor: Dr. Carmen Cañete-Quesada
As a result of General Rafael Trujillo's desire to "whiten" the
Dominican society throughout his dictatorship, various immigration laws were placed into effect in order to attract white Europeans and Asians to the Dominican Republic from the 1930s and 1950s. In a period where Europe was ravaged by wars, numerous Europeans accepted the refuge offered by the small country. However, it was not until the mid-1950s when Japanese accepted to migrate to the Dominican Republic. As a result of their migration, Trujillo accomplished colonizing the Dominican-Haitian border with people of non-African descent and growing the agriculture sector with the perseverance of the Japanese colonists. Favorite Honors College Memory: My sophomore year, myself and 3 other friends
created a music video for our GIS class describing a day in the life of an HC student.
Writing and lyrics, filming and laughing at our foolishness is my favorite memory. After Graduation Plans: I will be teaching English in Japan for one year through the
JET program.
MAXWELL MACEACHERN
Concentration: Philosophy
Thesis: On the Moral Status of Intelligent Machines
Advisor: Dr. Amy McLaughlin
This paper considers the challenges to traditional morality
brought by the development of more adaptive and autonomous
technologies. It considers whether intelligent machines meet the
minimum standard for moral consideration and evaluates some of the sufficient
conditions for such privilege.
Favorite Honors College Memory: I liked it all.
After Graduation Plans: Applying to be an officer in the US Army.
LAUREN MARTIN
Concentration: Interdisciplinary Critical Theory
Thesis: Unmaking White Supremacy: The Scientific
Construction of Race and Learning How to be a White Ally
Advisor: Dr. Wairimũ Njambi
For many people the 2008 election of Barack Obama as
President represented the United States as a "post-racial" society. The severe backlash from the political Right in 2010 and the continued disproportionate suffering endured by minorities demonstrates the hegemonic structure of white supremacy is far from over. I will examine the scientific construction of race and racism and the historical legacy of white supremacy. Based on the theory that "no one is free while others are oppressed," I argue that situating oneself within structures of domination and counteracting systems of oppression is an effective way to dismantle the insidious power of white supremacy. I will then offer a comprehensive guide on how to be a white ally. Favorite Honors College Memory: Late night Taco Bell trips, dorm room dance
parties, Symposium, Moot Court, Juno Beach, HC135, Feminist Student Union, late
afternoon advising appointments, the hammocks, Student Government, and art
classes.
After Graduation Plans: I will be taking a year off before attending Law School in
order to gain work experience and study for the LSAT.
MIGUEL MARTINI
Concentrations: Marine Biology, Business Management
Thesis: Original Individual Site vs. Common Nursery Site
Affecting the Susceptibility of Montastrea Faveolata to Black
Band Disease
Advisor: Dr. Jon Moore
An experiment was realized in which coral plates were extracted
from different colonies at different sites and all placed together at
a Nursery and then later infected with Black Band Disease. The progress of the disease
was carefully recorded using pictures and the conditions in all the tanks were kept as
equal as possible. After ANOVA tests and non-parametric tests it was found that their
original site matters more than staying at a Nursery with the same local conditions.
After Graduation Plans: Attending Cornell University in pursuit of a Master's Degree
in Biology and Environmental Engineering.
MEGAN MCGUIRE
Concentration: Biological Chemistry
Thesis: Neuronal Plasticity in the SynGAP1 Haploinsufficiency
Model of ID
Advisor: Dr. Veljko Dragojlovic
Intellectual Disability (ID) is a common neurological disorder. It
is diagnosed by an intelligence score under 70 along with the
presence of two or more associated/adapted behaviors. A recent
study showed that sporadic ID in humans was correlated with autosomal dominant de novo mutations in the gene SynGap1. In this study, we explored the effect of SynGAP1 knockdown on neuronal complexity in developing mice. We calculated the complexity of neurons in the dentate gyrus of mice at age P16 and we examined neurons in the somatosensory cortex of mice at ages P16, P21, P30, and P60 and calculated the average dendritic spine densities for the Hets and WT groups. Spine development SynGAP Hets prematurely peaked at age P21 compared to the WT who peaked at age P30.
SynGAP knockdown may affect early learning due to spine development prematurely
peaking and missing important connections in the critical time of brain development.
Favorite Honors College Memory: Room 303. The Greenway. Water Pong. Cabo.
Formals. Meeting the best girls :)
After Graduation Plans: I plan to do a year of Master's at FAU and then apply for
Medical School.
BRITTANY MILLER
Concentration: Psychology
Thesis: Attitudes Towards Tattooing
Advisor: Dr. Julie Earles
I will be examining people's attitudes towards tattooing based on the Big Five
personality types. Also to be factored in is whether or not these same participants have
any tattoos themselves, and if not, what has prevented them from doing so.
Favorite Honors College Memory: Moving into the dorms my freshman year and
experiencing all that the honors college had to offer that first week.
After Graduation Plans: Apply for a Master's degree in criminology and go on to
obtain a career in criminal profiling.

ALEC MISHKIN
Concentrations: Mathematics, Physics
Thesis: Modeling Tumor Growth Using Differential Equations
Advisor: Dr. Terje Hoim
One of the most powerful tools in curing cancer is
mathematical modeling. Using accumulated data, we will take
a look at different models for the growth of cancer cells,
incorporating the positive effect of the immune system. Using these models, we will try to find points of stability between cancer cells and effector
LINDSAY NELSON
Concentration: Environmental Studies
Thesis: "Double Sustainability" in Botswana and South Africa:
The Case of the San in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve and
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park
Advisor: Dr. William O'Brien
The question of land access rights for indigenous peoples is a
prominent theme in the management of protected areas in
Africa. This comparative study addresses different government responses to land dispossession of the San in Southern Africa. Ancestral lands of this indigenous population had been rendered off limits by the creation of Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in South Africa and the Central Kalahari Game Reserve in Botswana. Central to this comparative analysis is the degree to which each country has embraced the concept of "double sustainability" in park management, which simultaneously emphasizes the protection of biodiversity and people's livelihoods. Favorite Honors College Memory: Sunny days at the beach, having a pet fish
freshman year, birthday celebrations, spring breaks, gf dinner, parties at the palace,
ultra weekend, sharing the power bracelet
After Graduation Plans: Pursuing the degree of Juris Doctor at Capital University Law
School.

HANNAH NORCINI
Concentrations: Psychology, Criminology
Thesis: "Memory for Criminal Events"
Advisor: Dr. Julie Earles
This study aimed to investigate the own-age bias within the
context of criminal events. We hypothesized that older adults
will more accurately recognize older adult faces, while younger
adults will accurately recognize both younger and older adult
faces. Thirty-two female undergraduates and 32 female older adults participated in
this study during two sessions. Each participant viewed 17 brief films depicting criminal and neutral events and returned one week later to complete a line-up identification task and confidence ratings. Older adults showed more accurate recall for older adult actresses, while younger adults showed increased accuracy for younger and older adult faces. Favorite Honors College Memory: "Meat and potatoes!" Cydney and the suitcase
fiasco. "I'm sleeping."
After Graduation Plans: I will be serving in the Peace Corps as a Community Health
Agent in Rwanda from June 2013-August 2015.
JONNUEL ORTEGA
Concentration: Psychology
Thesis: Preferences in Comic Book Endings
Advisor: Dr. Julie Earles
The purpose of the study was to observe the relationship between personality and
preferences in comic book endings.
Favorite Honors College Memory: Talking nonsense with my roommates.

LUCAS ORTIZ
Concentration: Mathematics
Thesis: Modeling Embryonic Tubulogenesis with Polarized
Particles
Advisors: Dr. Meredith Blue and Dr. Paul Kirchman
Tubulogenesis, or the process of tube growth in organisms, is
driven by the formation, bending, and growth of thin sheets of
cells known as epithelia. These epithelial are polarized with distinct apical (interior) and basal (exterior) sides. This study attempts to model tube growth in embryonic tissue by modeling cells as polar particles connected by a spring. Favorite Honors College Memory: My favorite Honors College memory is when I
found out my roommate had secretly kept a goat under his bed.
After Graduation Plans: Pursuing a Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics at UC Denver.
DAVID PICK
Concentration: Biology
Thesis: Entomopathogenic Fungus, Isaria fumosorosea
(hypocreales: cordycipitaceae), and Aphis parasitoid,
Lysiphlebus testaceipes, (Hymenoptera: aphidiinae)
Compatibility for Managing Infestations of Brown Citrus
Aphid, Toxoptera citricidus (Hemiptera: Aphididae)
Advisor: Dr. Jon Moore
The impact of Isaria fumosorosea (PFR 97™) on parasitism and emergence of the aphid parasitoid, Lysiphlebus testaceipes, of brown citrus aphids, Toxoptera citricidus Kirkaldy (Hemiptera: Aphididae), was assessed under caged conditions. The fungal treatment did not reduce L. testaceipes' parasitism rate, and no significant difference was observed in the emergence rate between fungal treated and untreated parasitoids. Toxoptera citricidus mortality rates were very high in both parasitoid treatments, nearing 100% towards the end of the experiment, indicating L. testaceipes was highly effective at parasitizing the aphids even in the presence of I. fumosorosea. The compatibility of entomopathogenic fungi with an aphid parasitoid demonstrates potential synergy for use in future IPM programs to manage aphid pests of citrus. Favorite Honors College Memory: Participating in study groups for Bio Principles.
After Graduation Plans: Getting married on June 8, 2013 to Karen Haisten. I plan to
eventually return to Laos to do graduate entomology research.

RACHAEL PILASKI
Concentration: Anthropology
Thesis: Belly Dancing: Praxis and Self-Identity
Advisor: Dr. Jacqueline Fewkes
This particular study focuses on belly dance communities in
South Florida to understand how the dancers, students, and
instructors appropriate and reappropriate the praxis of belly dance to fit within their own personal contexts. This study uses participant observation and interviews to understand how Orientalism informs practitioners' conceptualizations of belly dancing within these communities. Through this work we see how the history of belly dance in the United States affects contemporary belly dancing communities and self-identity amongst dancers, and how contemporary American belly dance both challenges and reinforces Said's Orientalism. Favorite Honors College Memory: Dancing at party events and playing ping pong
with my friends my freshman and senior year. Also some of my class discussions-- I
learned so much!
After Graduation Plans: I plan on focusing my studies regionally on Indonesia and
working on Islam and identity there.
BROOKE RADAKER
Concentration: History
Thesis: "Death is Nothing in Comparison to Dishonor": Sarah
Morgan's Diary and Women's Roles in Southern Honor
Advisor: Dr. Christopher Strain
In their studies of the code of honor in the Old South,
historians Bertram Wyatt-Brown and Edward L. Ayers consider
women incapable of possessing honor. However, the diary of
Sarah Morgan, a young woman living in Louisiana during the Civil War, reveals the many ways that women actively engaged in the code of honor. Southern women like Sarah revered honorable gentlemen, urged men to die rather than act dishonorably, punished cowards with their disdain, and even considered themselves to be honorable through a feminized version of the code of honor. Favorite Honors College Memory: I've loved all of the spontaneous conversations
with fellow students and with professors over the years! Thank you for your
inspiration, encouragement, and friendship. I cannot imagine getting here without it!
After Graduation Plans: I plan to search for possible graduate schools while gaining
more work experience.

ANA RODRIGUES
Concentration: Biology
Thesis: Using Oral Cancer Cell line UPCI: SCC078 to purify
NuMA protein
Advisor: Dr. Nicholas Quintyne
Utilizing Oral cancer cell to purify NuMA, a protein involved
in multipolarity during cancer progression. Favorite Honors College Memory: Volunteering at the
After Graduation Plans: Obtain experience doing research and apply to graduate
school next year.
DEBORAH ROSS
Concentration: Interdisciplinary Critical Theory
Thesis: White Elephant: Why the Exorbitant Cost of
Maintaining Whiteness Exceeds its Value as a Possession
Advisor: Dr. Wairimũ Njambi
Race is a construct which has resulted in advantages for whites
and subjugation for those of color. Black/brown stereotypes
have been sanctified by religion, legitimized by science, and
authorized by government since the founding of America. My
thesis outlines the construction of race and its maintenance through systemic and
institutionalized practices. I also explore how affirmative action for whites is taught,
maintained, and unconsciously furthered when whites admit that racism is
problematic, yet deny that they benefit from its existence. Finally, I explore how the
white working class are at a disadvantage when they stake their claim to whiteness.
Favorite Honors College Memory: Two of my favorite memories are when I won the
LUNAFEST and FAUNAA scholarships. As one would expect, I was pleased to be
recognized for my hard work, but more importantly, the recognition affirmed my
commitment to scholarship. In that moment I realized I was privileged to be a part of a
truly extraordinary group of peers, faculty, and curriculum.
HINA SHAIKH
Concentrations: Women's Studies, Political Science
Thesis: Post-9/11 Identity Politics of Muslim Americans
Advisors: Dr. Wairimũ Njambi and Dr. Mark Tunick
Many would argue that September 11, 2001 was another
example of the incompatibility between the West and Islam. I argue that post-9/11 perceptions of Muslims and Muslim women are based on powerful and denigrating constructions of Muslim identities. I focus on scientific, media, and literary representations that have created and reinforced negative perceptions of Muslims as deviant and "Other." I will argue that contemporary governmental actions, through legislations and state actors, aimed towards racially profiling Muslims in the ongoing War Against Terror are unduly influenced by these scientific, literary, and media representations of Muslims and Muslim women. Favorite Honors College Memory: Taking Honors Introduction to Women's Studies
with Dr. Njambi during my first semester.
After Graduation Plans: Pursuing a Master's degree in Women's and Gender Studies
at the University of Florida.

KATHERINE SHATTOW
Concentration: Biology
Thesis: Comparison of Avian Populations in Jonathan
Dickinson State Park
Advisor: Dr. Jon Moore
Data was collected from 64 points in Jonathan Dickinson State
Park. Statistical analysis was then used to determine whether
the time since the habitat was last burned had an influence on
the avian population.
After Graduation Plans: Attending pharmacy school at Nova Southeastern University.

EMILY SMITH
Concentration: American Studies
Thesis: Out of the Shadows and Into the Spotlight:
Undocumented Students in Pursuit of Higher Education at
Freedom University, Georgia Advisor: Dr. Christopher Strain
Each year an estimated 65,000 undocumented students
graduate from U.S. high schools, but only 5-10% choose to enroll in college within a year of graduation. The absence of undocumented youth in higher education is primarily attributable to federal and state policies that make attaining financial assistance exceedingly difficult, if not impossible, for individuals without legal status. Recently, a handful of states have enacted tangible bans on the enrollment of undocumented students into their universities, with Georgia being the latest to do so (2010). This thesis examines the reasoning behind Georgia's enrollment ban, and provides a case study of a unique educational alternative, Freedom University, that has emerged in response. Favorite Honors College Memory: Selecting one favorite memory is too difficult, so I'll
just make it plural: DH talks, campus walks, pegging friends with snowballs that one
time, and all the laughs about nothing in particular.
After Graduation Plans: Teaching middle school in San Antonio, Texas for Teach for
America.

SEAN SPIGGLE
Concentration: Biology
Thesis: Bald Cypress Exclusions in the Loxahatchee
Floodplains
Advisor: Dr. Jon Moore
The experiment consisted of various fencing exclusions
around Bald Cypress seedlings in the Loxahatchee
Floodplains. Using three different plot types in five locations
within this area data has been collected since July, 2012 and will continue to be collected through 2016. Currently, there are no significant differences among the exclusions yet; however the weather has become a noticeably large factor. With the busier storm season and increased rainfall, cypress seedlings have experienced extreme stress and have thus displayed high mortality rates currently.
MELISSA STIKSMA
Concentration: Psychology
Thesis: Keep Calm and Carry On: An Examination of
Outcomes Following a Single-Session Mindfulness Meditation
Training
Advisor: Dr. Laura Vernon
Mindfulness involves nonjudgmental awareness of the
present moment. Higher levels of mindfulness are positively
associated with adaptive psychological outcomes and negatively associated with maladaptive outcomes. We examined the effects of a 40-minute mindfulness training session comprised of psychoeducation and meditation. Questionnaires measuring mindfulness, mood, stress, and social relationships were administered pre and post session and at one week follow-up. Consistent with hypotheses, mindfulness, positive mood, and perceived relationship quality increased from pre-session to one-week follow-up and difficulties in emotion regulation, negative mood, and perceived stress significantly decreased. Favorite Honors College Memory: I could never encapsulate my time here. It is my
home; it is where I have learned to love life. I will forever cherish every single
conversation, memory, and second.
After Graduation Plans: I plan on constantly pursuing happiness and living every
moment to its absolute fullest. I will take advantage of this short life to do meaningful
and soul-fulfilling work.
MICHELLE STRASBERG
Concentration: Psychology
Thesis: Wait… Have I Seen this Before? Age-related
differences in Unconscious Plagiarism
Advisor: Dr. Julie Earles
Unconscious plagiarism (UP) occurs when someone
unintentionally takes an idea from a different source, but
believes this idea is completely original. Older adults may be
more susceptible to unconscious plagiarism than younger adults due to differences in factors such as working memory span, recall ability, source monitoring ability, and general distractibility. To test this, two groups of young adults (one distracted, one non-distracted) and one group of non-distracted older adults participated in the experiment. In our study we found that distracted young adults exhibited more cases of UP than non-distracted young adults as well as older adults. Favorite Honors College Memory: Blood buddies, St. Augustine, Bahamas cruise,
Ohio, collective all-nighters, publishing a paper, discovering artistic abilities, animal
family, beach between classes, Abacoa walks, late-night shenanigans, four amazing
years of everything wonderful :)
CAROLINE TERRY
Concentration: History
Thesis: Lady in Waiting: The Political Influence of the
Duchesse d'Angoulême on the Bourbon Restoration Period
Advisor: Dr. Christopher Ely
The Duchesse d'Angoulême, the last surviving child of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette of France, was long considered politically unimportant to those focusing on the periods after the French Revolution. Her influence, however, was much more varied and profound than initially believed. This paper first examines the ways in which the princess transcended her traditional role as a lady of the court and became the sympathetic symbol of the court in exile, rallying those loyal to the monarchy around her. Later, after rejoining her French family, the Duchesse d'Angoulême became a political force and critical voice during the Bourbon Restoration period. Favorite Honors College Memory: Woodland Nymphs, Avengers Assemble, Super
Friends Yip-Yip, Movie Nights, FARH 2011-2013, Roommate "Bonding", Halloween
Horror Nights, The Burrow, Westrosi of the MacArthur Campus, Meat and Potatoes,
Sonic Misadventures.
After Graduation Plans: Attending the Master's Program for College Student
Personnel at the University of Tennessee.

CYDNEY TORNOPSKY
Concentrations: Psychology, Writing
Thesis: Effects of Technology on Math Testing
Advisor: Dr. Julie Earles
Many public schools are now using computers as a testing
medium for their students. The goal of this project was to determine whether students perform better on these computerized tests or on traditional written tests. This project will ascertain if there is a difference between these mediums and if the school district is justified in using computers for testing. It was expected that students will perform better on traditional tests due to transfer error, the distraction of scrolling, and computer glare that is associated with computer testing. We found that there were individual differences. Some students did drastically better on paper and some did drastically better on the computer. We need to conduct more research to be able to predict which students benefit from each type of testing. Favorite Honors College Memory: Westrosi of the MacArthur Campus, Avengers
Assemble, Disney Spring Break, Movie Nights, The Wizarding World of Leadership,
Roommate "Bonding," Halloween Horror Nights, Working in the Burrow
After Graduation Plans: I will be attending FAU in order to finish my prerequisites
before attending FAU for a graduate degree in Communication Disorders.
DANIEL TRACY
Concentration: Biology
Thesis: Investigating the Relationship Between Rimonabant and E. coli Food Sources in
Preventing Dauer Formation in C. elegans
Advisor: Dr. Paul Kirchman
C. elegans, a small nematode worm, responds differently to an endocannabinoid called
rimonabant, depending on the strain of E. coli they are fed. On The standard feeding
strain, OP50, rimonabant prevents entry into an alternative developmental stage called
the dauer larvae, under conditions where dauer larvae would normally form. In the
feeding strain used in RNAi screening, HT115, rimonabant treatment fails to inhibit
dauer entry. This makes screening for rimonabant's receptor, on the basis of its effect
on dauer entry impossible. My research focused on trying to find conditions in which
HT115 would show the same response to rimonabant as OP50, as well as trying to find
the underlying cause of their differing responses.
Favorite Honors College Memory: Taking organic chemistry over the summer. Made
new friends, studied hard, set off the smoke alarms, lived in the MPR, battled lacrosse
players, and played ridiculous amounts of Super Smash Brothers.

CHRISTINA TURN
Concentration: Biology
Thesis: Keep it Together: Knockdowns of Dynactin Subunits
Demonstrate Varying Levels of Importance in Dynactin
Structure and Microtubule Organization
Advisor: Dr. Nicholas Quintyne
Dynactin, a multisubunit protein complex, is a processivity
factor and cargo adaptor for the microtubule motor dynein.
Dynactin contributes to mitotic progression, intracellular trafficking, endomembrane
organization, and centrosomal microtubule anchoring. We use shRNAs to reduce
expression of dynactin's p24, p27, p62, and Arp1 subunits to determine their roles in
anchoring. We confirm recent work demonstrating p62's importance to dynactin
integrity and microtubule organization (Yeh et al., 2012). Binding partners p27 and p25
contribute to membrane selectivity, showing few microtubule anchoring effects. We
find that dynactin requires these subunits for crucial structural support, facilitating
interactions among dynactin and microtubule anchoring components.
Favorite Honors College Memory: Teaching Dr. K. "Cotton-eyed Joe" dance, Fiesta
Maya, Newman Club events, ASCB conference, salsa study breaks, teaching at El Sol,
volunteering in Peru, beach study sessions, time spent with professors.
After Graduation Plans: Attending Allopathic Medical School at the University of
Florida College of Medicine.

CORTNEY URBAN
Concentration: Medical Anthropology
Thesis: Globalization and Diabetes: Type II Diabetes Among Disadvantaged Groups in
the United States and What is to Come for Developing Countries
Advisors: Dr. Rachel Corr and Dr. Nicholas Quintyne
A comparison of disadvantaged populations with high prevalence of diabetes in the
United States and what's to come for undeveloped and developing countries due to
globalization.
Favorite Honors College Memory: If I am here, then that means I finished my thesis.
Best. Memory. Ever!
After Graduation Plans: Visiting Austria for three months.

GUILLERMO VASQUEZ
Concentration: Chemistry
Thesis: Chlorination of Organic Compounds with
Trichloroisocyanuric Acid
Advisor: Dr. Veljko Dragojlovic
Dr.Veljko and I have developed a new method for chlorination
of organic compounds under mild conditions. Current methods of chlorination utilize such reagents as chlorine, thionyl chloride or phosphorous trichloride are extremely corrosive and hazardous. Trichlorisocianuric acid is an agent used for swimming pools and many inexperienced, or poorly trained persons, have utilized it without any major accidents. The experiment method was successful with cyclohexene, norbornelyne, cis-stilbene and trans-stilbene which produced a chlorinated compound in good yield. However, camphene, diethyl fumarate, trans-cinnamic acid, 1-ethynyl-1-cyclohexanol and diphenyl acetylene were less successful and do not react readily with trichlorisocianuric acid. RICARDO WEHRHAHN
Concentrations: Mathematics, Economics
Thesis: Determinants of Football Performance in Europe
Advisors: Dr. Keith Jakee and Dr. Terje Hoim
Favorite Honors College Memory: Meeting and living with
my roommates.
JOSEPH WILLIAMS
Concentration: Biology
Thesis: Tracking Mitotic Defects Through Live Video
Advisor: Dr. Nicholas Quintyne
Tracking mitotic defects in oral cancer cells in order to
determine the rate of successful genomic rescue and or
compromise.
Favorite Honors College Memory: Having Dean Buller wear a
button with my face on it and then years later making a shirt with him on it. Full
circle, baby.

LESLIE WILLIAMS
Concentration: Interdisciplinary History
Thesis: Reparations, Repatriation, and Reconciliation:
Negotiating Claims of Historical Injustice in the Case of the
Herero Genocide
Advisor: Dr. William O'Brien
Historians argue that there are extensive links between
German colonialism and the Jewish Holocaust. German concentration camps in Namibia developed extermination techniques that later enabled Jewish Holocaust, and both used the victims' bodies for scientific research. In 2012, a delegation of Namibians retrieved 20 skulls of Herero and Nama victims from Germany. The repatriation of the skulls stimulated a resurgence of debate about reparations, motivating the Left Party to make a motion in German parliament that outlines an apology, repatriation, reparations, and continued partnership between the two nations. This historical defense of the Herero petition contextualizes the various aspects of the debate. Favorite Honors College Memory: All forms of nerd rage and their manifestations.
After Graduation Plans: Leading youth service adventures around the world, starting
my own business(es), continuing to learn through exploration!

JAVIER ZAGLUL
Concentration: Biological Chemistry
Thesis: An Analysis of the Duquenois and the Froedes
Colorimetric Tests
Advisor: Dr. Eugene Smith
Colorimetric testing is frequently used to identify unknown
substances on the field. These tests are composed of a solution
which changes colors in the presence of certain drugs. Each solution can yield a variety of colors, and responses are typically instant. The speed of colorimetric analysis has made it ideal for onsite preliminary drug tests. In particular, the Froehdes solution can identify stimulants, hallucinogens, and narcoticsl; and the Duquenois-Levine test can identify cannabinoids. The solutions were tested against a set of drugs at various ratios to record each solution's reactivities. Favorite Honors College Memory: Life in the Residence Halls
After Graduation Plans: Attending Nova Southeastern University's College of
Osteopathic Medicine.



DANIEL HIRAM ZENGOTITA
Concentrations: Law and Society, Interdisciplinary History
Thesis 1: The 'Insecurity, Crime and Punishment' Paradigm
Advisors: Dr. Mark Tunick and Dr. Daniel White
I analyze the historical, legal, and economic scholarship that develops an ‘insecurity,
crime and punishment' paradigm as a way of understanding the ‘neo-liberal state'. I
begin with the Civil Rights Movement and explore the development of the above
paradigm from the h the rise of Ronald Reagan and the ‘New Right' through to its later
expression in policies of the Left and William Clinton. The project will conclude with a
critical analysis of the ‘stop-and-frisk' tactic as a modern technique of social control
that is an extension of the discursive power of the ‘insecurity, crime and punishment'
paradigm.

Thesis 2: Camus and Sartre: Crisis, Confrontation, Collapse
Advisors: Dr. Christopher Strain and Dr. Daniel White
Albert Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre were the two most influential intellectuals in
postwar France (1944). Their friendship began under the Nazi Occupation (1940 - 1944) as they were both "artists who resisted." But after the Liberation, Camus began to become discontented with the Stalinist-Communist ideology that had come to pervade leftist intellectual circles in France. As a communist sympathizer, Sartre sharply criticized Camus (for his criticism), which led to their break. My thesis seeks to understand why these two intellectuals could not reconcile their differences and use their huge collective influence to the benefit of French society and politics. ZACHARY ZIGMOND
Concentration: Biological Chemistry
Thesis: Disrupting Methamphetamine Associated Contextual
Memory by Targeting Synaptic Dynamics
Advisor: Dr. Nicholas Quintyne
Methamphetamine (METH) is addictive and associated with a
high rate of relapse. To see if actin polymerization could be a
target for the extinction of METH seeking memories we
inhibited actin polymerization in animals that had been trained in either METH or food associated conditioned place preference. Pretest inhibition of actin cycling in the basolateral amygdala complex produced immediate and persistent extinction of METH seeking behavior. Additionally, inhibiting actin polymerization 24hrs before testing disrupted seeking behavior for METH but not food. These results indicate that METH-associated memories are selectively vulnerable to disruption through inhibition of actin dynamics. After Graduation Plans: Graduate school or lab research for another year.
FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY
HONORS CONVOCATION AWARDS
University Scholar
University Club Merit Scholar
HARRIET L. WILKES
HONORS COLLEGE AWARDS
Distinguished Service Award
Distinguished Community Service Award
Outstanding Freshman
Outstanding Sophomore
Outstanding Junior
Outstanding Senior
Outstanding Scholar
Maria de Lourdes Aitken HARRIET L. WILKES
HONORS COLLEGE
OUTSTANDING THESIS
Celeste Corrales Kaitlin Gallagher Krystal Hazellief Elizabeth Johnson Special thanks to our staff and student volunteers. Photos courtesy of Terry Gearing and Kathryn Yates

Source: http://fau.edu/honors/images/Medallion/Medallion%202013/medallion_program_2013.pdf