Honors Theses from 2024
Acetone Metabolism and the Acetone Carboxylase Operon in Helicobacter pylori, Miranda Bate
A Combination of Environmental and Landscape Variables Drives Movement and Habitat use in Two Anaxyrus spp. in the Eastern Coastal Plain, Alexander Ferentinos
Assessing the Catalytic Activity and Conservation of the C. elegans protein SPE-54, Jack Howell
Characterization of the Helicobacter pylori Nitric Oxide Induced Outer Membrane Protein Gene, hofD, Jessica Lynn Horner
Characterizing mitochondrial movement and distribution in radial glial neural progenitor cells, Maggie Kettelberger
DNA Methylation and the Regulatory RNA HPnc4160 in Helicobacter pylori, Celeste Phillips
Ecology and Conservation of Diamondback Terrapins in Virginia, Cypress Ambrose
Examining Factors Affecting Nuclear Retention of the Thyroid Hormone Receptor, Katelyn Beasley
Frogs with a Southern Drawl: Maintenance of Species Boundaries Between the Northern & Southern Cricket Frog, Julia Drennan
Investigating Protein Interactions Modulating Thyroid Hormone Receptor Localization, Caroline Danielski
Investigating the relationship between calcium spiking frequency and neural development in Xenopus laevis, William Vroom
Investigating Viral Impact on Nitrogen Cycling Through Phage-host Interactions in Soil, Madeleine R. Assaad
Lower Paraspinal Muscle Quality is Associated with Reduced Health Related Quality of Life During Cancer Treatment, Jacob Rodrigues
Novel Concepts for Habitat Suitability of the Federally Threatened Plant Aeschynomene virginica, Abigail DeCesare
Primary Productivity of a Bermuda Reef Community in Relation to Irradiance and Flow, Luisa Castro-Meirelles
Quantifying Blue Carbon Storage of the Two Dominant Temperate Seagrass Species in the Lower Chesapeake Bay, Caitlin E. Sughrue, Alyson Hall, Grace D. Molino, Serina Wittyngham, Matthew L. Kirwan, Robert J. Orth, and Christopher J. Patrick
Significance of lysine acetylation in response regulator ArsR of Helicobacter pylori, Mia Houdek
spe-54 required for directed cell motility in Caenorhabditis elegans sperm, Corinne Vanella
Sprouting new directions for restoration: unraveling the influence of seed characteristics to optimize Ruppia maritima germination success, Cassidy A. Gersten, Alyson C. Hall, and Chris J. Patrick
The Expression and Function of CG11180/Chigno in Adult and Developing Drosophila Ovaries, Cheng Yang
Honors Theses from 2023
Assessing the Orthogonality of Synthetic Genetic Circuits, Avery Bradley
Assessment of treatment-specific tethering survival bias for the juvenile blue crab Callinectes sapidus in a simulated salt marsh, Cole Miller, A. Challen Hyman, Daniel Shi, and Romuald N. Lipcius
Characterizing a Novel Phage Particle: The Phagelet, Anne Roman
Characterizing the Complex Mechanisms of Thyroid Hormone Receptor Intracellular Shuttling, Olivia White
Context-Aware Engineering of Prokaryotic Chassis, Pinar Caglayan
Crickets and cicadas sing: Terrestrial invertebrates in a San Rafael salt marsh, Carlee Dunn
Exploring MK-STYX's Interaction with KDAC6 and Dynein, Quinton Reed
Exploring the Role of HDAC6 in Thyroid Hormone Receptor Intracellular Localization, Giuliana Lopez
Fecal Pellet Production by North Atlantic Zooplankton, Michael Gibson
Invasive and Native Crayfish Have Ecologically Distinct Diets: Evidence from DNA Metabarcoding of Gut Contents, Zoe Hutcheson
Investigating the Interaction between Pseudophosphatase MK-STYX and Vimentin, Gwen Wagner
Investigating Thyroid Hormone Receptor Shuttling Patterns, Helen Heaton
Life History of Two Goatfishes in Hawaii and Alternative Methodologies in Life History Research, Duncan Campbell
The ecological role of benthic foraging stingrays on fine-scale seagrass structure and function, Hayden Acors
The Role of Calcium in Early Embryonic Development, Michelle Yue
Where the wild worms are: Salinity tolerance, hyposaline stress, and survival of Carcinonemertes carcinophila, Alexandria Pomroy
Honors Theses from 2022
Analyzing Function of the Novel Gene, Childless Gambino, During Drosophila Development, Pedro Massa
Assessing the Orthogonality of Genetic Circuits, Beteel Abu-Ageel
Carrying Capacity of Cultured Bivalves in Cherrystone Inlet, VA, and the Implications of Spatial Distribution and Environmental Change, Sophia Chirico
Climate Change and Conservation of Milkweed: Evidence of Extensive Admixture Between Common Milkweed and Poke Milkweed, Elizabeth Davies
Design and Partial Assembly of a Promoter Characterization Circuit for Mycobacteria, Elias H. Nafziger
Do You Hear What I Hear? Comparing Avian Hearing Across Taxonomic Groups, Sarah Weber
Frequency and Success of Larval Clone Production in the Daisy Brittle Star Ophiopholis aculeata, Erin-Darby McClain
Investigating the Effect of Longhorned Milkweed Beetle Larval Root Feeding on Resprouting in Common Milkweed, Margaret Donnan
Investigating the Role of HDAC3 (KDAC3) and SIRT2 in Thyroid Hormone Receptor Intracellular Trafficking, Jordan Gooding
Metamor-Foes: Settlement Preferences and Post-Settlement Cannibalism in the Sea Star Asterias forbesi, Augustin Kalytiak-Davis
Metamorphic Success of Sea Star Larval Clones, Alexis Abigail Reece
Regulation of Testis Stem Cell Behavior by the Novel Drosophila Gene Childless gambino, Natalie Luffman
Relating Occupancy Patterns to Multi-Life-History Scales for Pond-Breeding Anurans in Eastern Virginia, Patrick A. Hardner
Student Sleep Patterns when Exposed to Mindfulness Reminders, Zeyanna Dhalla
The Application of Acetyltransferase Inhibitors and Neural Networks to Thyroid Hormone Receptor Mutants, Thomas Hess
The Characterization of the Type I DNA Methyltransferase hsdM1 (HP0463) in Helicobacter pylori, Elise Zimmerman
The Genetic Consequences of Selection for Plastic Adherence on Evolving Yeast Populations, Benjamin Epley
Transcriptome Analysis of Zebra Finch Tissue After Chronic Low-Level Methylmercury Exposure, Paula Petersen
Transcriptomic and Functional Analysis of Novel Mycobacteriophagelet Bernie and Prophage HerbertWM, Taiana James
Understanding Viral Impacts in Soil Microbial Ecology Through the Persistence and Decay of Infectious Bacteriophage Particles, Alli DiPietro
Using a Machine Learning Model to Predict Plant Inflorescences based upon its Soil Microbiome, Luke Denoncourt
Honors Theses from 2021
A Comparison Between the Evolutionary Genomics of Pseudophosphatases MK-STYX and STYX, Yi Qi
Characterizing the Microbiome of Floral Nectar of Asclepias syriaca and other Asclepias species, Heather Natterer
Effects of Gamete Age on Development in Asterias forbesi, Amanda Yeo
Evaluating Autophagy as a Mechanism for MK-STYX-induced Stress Granule Reduction, Tatiana Prioleau
Life stage explains variation in habitat use of the black-legged tick (Ixodes scapularis), Joyner Miller
Mysteries and Uncertainties in Tracing Cryptic Viral Infections, Melaina Jacoby
Rapid Morphological Divergence in Three Introduced Cichlid Species, Khalil Russell
The Effect of MK-STYX on the Interaction of HDAC6 and Ubiquitin, Emma Gergel
The Role of Spider Silk in Peripheral Nerve Regeneration, Langston Forbes-Jackson
Tools in Bioengineering: From Bacteriophage to Bioprinting, Stephanie Do
Honors Theses from 2020
Characterization of TRα1 Mutants Associated with Metabolic Disorders and Cancer, Carolina Lopez Silva
Design of Smart, Lipid-Secreting Nasal Probiotic for the Suppression of Respiratory Viral Infections, Julia Urban
Evolutionary Dynamics of Alzheimer's-linked Prion Conformers in Yeast, Matthew M. Dungan
Impacts of Spatial and Temporal Variation on the Benthic Nitrogen Cycle in the York River Estuary, Evan Lawrence
Inferring Diet of Clidastes liodontus through Comparative Skull and Pterygoid Tooth Morphology of Toxicoferan Squamates, Ian Wilenzik
Investigating Differential Gene Expression in Zebra Finch Embryos due to Methylmercury Exposure, Natalie Caputo
Investigating the Genetic Diversity of Viruses in Soil Using a Marker Gene Approach, Nakul Dar
Predator-Induced Phenotypic Plasticity Across Life History Stages in Echinoderms, Danielle K. Barnes
Probing the Localization Patterns and Selectivity Filter of Thyroid Hormone Receptor alpha 1 Mutants, Jerry O'Dwyer
THE EFFECTS OF MERCURY AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEAVY METAL EXPOSURE ON GENE EXPRESSION, Maya Watson
Two Component System Independent Acid Response in Helicobacter pylori, Catharine Burgess
X Chromosome Segregation During Spermatogenesis in Auanema rhodensis XX Males, Emily Ling Xu
Honors Theses from 2019
An investigation of the role of Ttyh1 in neuronal development via CRISPR/Cas9 genetic knockouts in Xenopus Laevis, Sabrina Bracero
Annual Movement Patterns and Microhabitat Use of Two Anaxyrus Species in the Southeastern Coastal Plain, Courtney Check
Cloning and Characterizing Nrf2-Antioxidant Pathway Gene Expression During Embryonic Neurogenesis in Xenopus laevis., Nana Yaa Amoh
Cryptic Viral Infections In Benthic Biofilm Communities, Alexandra Payne
Flow Dynamics in the Oral and Opercular Cavities of the American Shad (Alosa sapidissima), Cassandra Chang
Light Limitation of Eelgrass, Zostera marina, by The Egg Capsules of The Mud Snail Tritia obsoleta, Matthew Baker
Mutations in Thyroid Hormone Receptor Alpha 1 and Their Implications for Resistance to Thyroid Hormone Alpha, Elizabeth Trampenau
Nighttime Habitat Use and Movement of Two Anaxyrus Species in Southeastern Virginia, Olivia Windorf
Sketching to Learn in High School Biology Classrooms, Emma Arents
