The Undergraduate Research Scholars Outstanding Thesis Awards celebrate excellence in undergraduate research and creative scholarship across three categories: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics; Social Sciences, Arts, & Humanities; and Creative Works.
Faculty nominate students for consideration, and faculty and staff associated with the Office of Undergraduate Research review the nominated theses.
Reviewers consider the originality of the work, its scholarly insights, the author’s presentation of the field’s background, the relevance and broader impacts of the work, and the clarity, concision, and organization of the writing.
Awardees are announced each May at a recognition event held prior to graduation.
| Year | Student Name | Thesis Title | Advisor | Thesis Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-2026 | Lillian Haynes | The Tide Remembers: Puerto Rican Resistance and Colonial History in the Face of Cultural Erosion | Dr. Robert Carley | On Hold |
| 2025-2026 | Katherine Ray | Sex-Specific Effects of Prenatal Alcohol and Cannabinoid Co-Exposure on Corticostriatal Opioid Gene Expression and Associated Behaviors | Dr. Rajesh Miranda | On Hold |
| 2024-2025 | Ashley Smith | Effects of Manipulating Anterior- and Posterior- Identity of Spinal Cord Neural Progenitor Cell Grafts for Spinal Cord Injury | Dr. Jennifer Dulin | On Hold |
| 2024-2025 | Ellie Hague | Golden-Age Children’s Literature Illustration Techniques in a Modern-Day Context | Mr. Samuel Woodfin, MFA | View thesis |
| 2024-2025 | Abigail Owen | The Blurring Boundaries between Advocacy and Surveillance: The Use of Biometric Identification Technologies on Refugee Populations | Dr. Maddalena A. Cerrato and Dr. Apostolos Vasilakis | On Hold |
| 2024-2025 | Ethan Mahalingam | Automated Preclinical Vascular Health Assessment with Machine Learning | Dr. Abhishek Jain | On Hold |
| 2023-2024 | Jackson M. Baker | The Duty Ours:’ A Preliminary Analysis for the Recovery of Aggies Missing in Action | Dr. Adam R. Seipp and Dr. Piotr T. Bojakowski | View thesis |
| 2023-2024 | Megan E. Mahon | Genomic Evolution of Antibiotic Resistance Under Selective Pressure in Treated Cancer Patients | Dr. Jessica Galloway-Pena | View thesis |
| 2023-2024 | Emma K. Ehle | The Woman Thing: An Intersectional Exploration of Female Agency and Gender Performativity in Feminist Poetry | Dr. Lowell “Mick” White | View thesis |
| 2022-2023 | Katie Vo | Polysynaptic Connectivity Tracing of Neural Progenitor Cell Grafts in a Model of Spinal Cord Injury | Dr. Jennifer N. Dulin | On Hold |
| 2022-2023 | Faith Kinney | Bone Touched: A Religious Redemption Arc | Dr. Jason Harris | On Hold |
| 2022-2023 | Alexandra Freytes | The German Radical Right’s Rise Through Social Media | Dr. Ashley Passmore and Dr. Maddalena Cerrato | View thesis |
| 2021-2022 | Emily Curtis | The Blood Threshold: Hereditary Magic, Eugenics, and Genetic Discrimination in the Fantasy Genre | Dr. Lowell Mick White | On Hold |
| 2021-2022 | Andrew J. Powell | Cognitive Changes and Circadian Timekeeping Disturbances in Aging Across Sexes | Dr. Karienn Montgomery | View thesis |
| 2021-2022 | Victoria Cooper | How the Chapter 313 Tax Incentive has Impacted Solar Energy Expansion and School Districts in Texas | Dr. Christian Brannstrom | View thesis |
| 2020-2021 | Leah Bogan | Analysis of Fin Whale Lunge-Feeding in Southern California Using Multisensory Biotags | Dr. Ana Širovič | View thesis |
| 2020-2021 | Nicole Deere | Two Sides to Every Coin: An Analysis of Julio-Claudian Women on Imperial Roman Coinage | Dr. Chistoph Konrad and Dr. Deborah Carlson | View thesis |
| 2020-2021 | Madison Lesmeister, Alanna Burnett, Virgilio Duarte, and Nallely Chavarria | Survey and Design of Alternate Care Sites for Disaster and Pandemic Relief | George Mann, AIA | View thesis |
| 2019-2020 | Fatima Al-Janahi and Rahul Balamurugan | Characterizing Photovoltaic System Arc-Faults | Dr. Robert Balog | View thesis |
| 2019-2020 | Sarah Stokes | Political Efficacy and the Russian Language: The Role of Language in Politics | Dr. Olga Cooke | View thesis |
| 2019-2020 | Kyrie Garlic | The Infinitely Unknowable—A Contemporary Crossover Novel Examining Loss and Growth Along the Axes of Immanence and Transcendence | Dr. Lowell Mick White | On Hold |
| 2018-2019 | Natalie Coleman | Equitable Resilience in Infrastructure Systems: Empirical Assessment of Disparities of Vulnerable Populations During Service Disruptions | Dr. Ali Mostafavi | View thesis |
| 2018-2019 | Ryan Ansley Malia Randle | Songs of the Dying Swan: Dido, Aenas, and the Divine in 14th through 16th Century Literary Adaptions | Dr. Britt Mize | View thesis |
| 2018-2019 | Jasmine Derry, Lauren Hammond, Marissa Harris, Yuan-Chi Lee, and Kiara Stewart | Re-creating the Sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald | Dr. Jerry Tessendorf | View thesis |
| 2017-2018 | Tyler Wiener | Predicting Driver Distraction: An Analysis of Machine Learning Algorithms and Input Measures | Dr. Tony McDonald | View thesis |
| 2017-2018 | Sarah Claye Epperson | Litigating Women: The Path to Intermediate Scrutiny in American Law | Dr. Katherine Unterman Dr. Randy Gordon |
View thesis |
| 2017-2018 | Courtney Kiolbassa | Pilgramage Sites in the American Southwest: A Narrative Exploration of Sacred Destinations | Dr. Susan M. Stabile | View thesis |
| 2016-2017 | Kate von Ness | Long-term Hydrological Reconstruction from a Beaver Meadow | Dr. Julie Loisel | View thesis |
| 2016-2017 | Claire Nowka | "What Kinship Should Mean:" An Examination of the Ethnic and Nationalist Themes within Beowulf Adaptions | Dr. Britt Mize | View thesis |
| 2015-2016 | David LaCroix | Data Services for Internet of Things | Dr. Dilma Da Silva | View thesis |
| 2015-2016 | John T. Davis | The Historical Impact of Christian Missions on International Development and its Effects on Contemporary Practices | Dr. Dinah Hannaford | View thesis |
| 2014-2015 | Connor T. Aimone | Modeling and Analysis of VSC-Based DC Lines in AC Power Flow Problems | Dr. Le Xie | View thesis |
| 2014-2015 | Susannah R. Barr | Rural Inequality and Nutrition: An Analysis of Three Rural Communities in the Dominican Republic | Dr. Cynthia Werner | View thesis |