Senior Independent Study Theses from 2021
The Effect of Adipokinetic Hormone on the Blood and Sugar Feeding Behavior and Life Span of Female Mosquito Aedes aegypti, Beenhwa G. Lee
Department: Biology
The Bees’ Needs: Phytochemical Dietary Additives as a Method of Reducing the Toxicity of Pesticides via Spray Exposure in European Honey Bees (Apis mellifera), Brittany Leyda
Department: Biology
Dog Behave Differently When Meeting a Stranger Depending on their Personality and How the Stranger Acts, Margaret Loarca
Department: Neuroscience; Biology
The Effects of the Carolina Locust’s Camouflage on Perceiving Ability of Human When Searching for It on the Screen, Jiyoung Min
Department: Psychology; Biology
What a Funky Fungus: Long-Term Monitoring of an Emerging Fungal Pathogen in Wooster Memorial Park Salamander Populations, Nathaniel C. Newman
Department: Biology
Continuous Predator Escape and Escape Angle Preference of the Dissosteira Carolina Grasshopper, Cameron Papp
Department: Biology
A Literature Review in Fish Toxicology: The Impact of Human Made Organic Contaminants in Fish and Their Environments, Lucas P. Rego
Department: Biology
Resource-Driven Control of Cavity-Nesting Wasp Densities: Importance of Deadwood Density and Plant Resource Heterogeneity, Virginia E. Roberts
Department: Biology
Mouthful: A Meta-Analysis of Antibiotic Resistance of Helicobacter pylori in Developing Countries, Paige Sogandares
Department: Biology
Implications of Buddhist Monk’s and Olympic Pentathlete’s Diet on Performance in their Respective Fields, Kelsey Anne Stone
Department: Biology; Religious Studies
Considering the Context: Screening for the Social Determinants of Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic, Maya R. Tawil
Department: Biology
The Desulfotalea psychrophila Arginine Kinase Seems to Inhibit Myxococcus xanthus Growth Under Environmental Stress, Kathryn Wilbanks
Department: Biology
Senior Independent Study Theses from 2020
Investigation of the Effect of the Gut Microbiome on Activity of Drosophila Melanogaster, Lauren E. Ahmann
Department: Biology
Painting With Dead Fish: A Study of Phenotypic and Genetic Differences in Ossification Across Betta Morphs, Elizabeth S. Anderson
Department: Biology
Battle for Blood: A Study of the Effects of Halymorpha Halys Volatiles on Aedes Aegypti Mosquitoes, Fiona Yaaba Armoo
Department: Biology
Ecological Niches of Costa Rican Glass Frogs (Centrolenidae) and Evidence of Niche Partitioning and Plasticity, Robert P. Chamberlin
Department: Biology
Land Use Change and Its Effect on Eye Size Morphology in Western Blacknose Dace Rhinichthys obtusus, Matthew Thomas Conrad
Department: Biology; Geology
Sanitizing Treatments to Common Oral Bacteria Plaque during Oral Surgeries: The Prevention of Growth and Dissociation of Adhesion to Enamel-Like Surfaces, Audrey R. Cordova
Department: Biology
Conspicuousness of Dissosteira Carolina Against Varying Environmental Backgrounds Using Avian Predator and Conspecific Insect Visual Modeling, Frederick R. Gilbert
Department: Biology; Neuroscience
A Frog and a Bromeliad: Exploring a Potential Nutritive Plant-Animal Mutualism Between Oophaga Pumilio and Bromeliads, Mackenzie Goltz
Department: Biology
Behavioral Effects of Human Tau Expression and Sleep Deprivation on Drosophila melanogaster, Benjamin R. Gregoire
Department: Neuroscience; Biology
Promoting Diversity: Sequencing The Melanocortin 1 Receptor (Mc1r) Promoter in Northeast Ohio Eastern Grey Squirrels (Sciurus Carolinensis), Alyssa Hamm
Department: Biology
The Hormonal and Behavioral Effects of Acute Nutritional Stress on Female Zebra Finches (Taeniopygia guttata), Dakota Shaw Hayes
Department: Biology
Identifying Host Processes Targeted by Phytophthora sojae Effector Protein PsAvh172 Using Synthetic Lethality, Hannah Hirsch
Department: Biology
The Role of Dissosteira Carolina (Band-Winged) Grasshopper Visual Acuity in Communicative Signaling During Courtship, Vienna Leigh Howard
Department: Biology
Ecologically relevant cooling early in life does not affect expression of neophobia in zebra finch chicks (Taeniopygia guttatta), Anna James
Department: Biology
Investigating the Effects of Chronic Corticosterone Exposure During the Weanling Phase of Rattus Norvegicus on Adult Learning and Memory Function, Dina Jamshidi
Department: Biology; Neuroscience
Background Matching in Dissosteira carolina: Color Morph and Background Advantage Analyzed Through Humans Modeling Avian Predators, Kamba F. Kayoka
Department: Biology
Hypothalamo-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis Responsiveness Following Unpredictable Food Availability in Male Zebra Finches (Taeniopygia Guttata), Seung Yeon Lee
Department: Biology
Brick-red Bug-eyed Frog Theloderma lateriticum: Tadpole Morphology, Adult Vocalizations, and Genus-level Nuclear Phylogeny, Todd Le
Department: Biology
How Do Mothers Influence the Gut Microbiomes of Their Infants?, Kathleen Loftus
Department: Biology
Oratory Analysis of Salamander Abundance and Body Condition in Early Successional, Mature, and Old Growth Forests, Sally Lorbach
Department: Biology
Swimming into Climate Change: The Impact ofFreshwater Acidification on Betta Splendens, Kathlyn MacDonald
Department: Biology
Should I Stay or Should I Flow: Characterizing Genetic Structure and Color Morph Genetic Differences for Polymorphic Thamnophis sirtalis Populations on Lake Erie, Riley Moreau
Department: Biology
Identification of Contaminants in Transformed Yeast Using NCBI BLAST+ Alignments, Nathan A. Morit
Department: Biology
A Boolean Model of Microglial Phenotype Transitions under Acute and Chronic Inflammation, Bao Chau Nguyen
Department: Biology
Effect Of Nutrient On Sleep In Drosophila, Augustine U. Ogwoh
Department: Neuroscience; Biology
Learning and Memory Examination of Bombus Impatiens Bumblebees on Campanula Americana American Bellflower 3-D Models, Kelechi Okoronkwo
Department: Biology
Independent Bees Working Together: Male Fitness of Prairie Perennial Echinacea Angustifolia Is More Influenced by Cumulative Bee Visitation Than by Any Individual Species, Avery E. Pearson
Department: Biology
Maternal Fatty Acid and Methionine Supplementation Interact with Sex, Impacting Learning, Memory, and Stress Response in Domestic Sheep, Hannah Prokop
Department: Biology
Through the Lens of Bumble Goggles: Manipulating Visual and Olfactory Cues of 3-D Printed Realistic Flowers for Bombus Impatiens to Monitor Their Learning and Decision Making, Jessica Rae Roberts
Department: Biology
Investigating the Effects of the chico1 Genetic Mutation on Regional Eye Morphology of Drosophila melanogaster, Katie Schwab
Department: Biology
Hummingbirds Are Not Fab-Aceae Pollinators: Erythrina Flabelliformis, a Hummingbird-Pollinated Desert Perennial, Has Significant Fine-Scale Genetic Structure and Low Pollen Movement Distances, Mia Stevens
Department: Biology
A Boolean Model of Interleukin-6 Mediated Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition, Emmalee Sullivan
Department: Biology
The Effect of Bacteriophage Therapy on the Antibiotic Resistance Profiles of Pseudomonas Bacterial Strains, Trenton J. Tipton
Department: Biology
The Abundance and Diversity of Glass Frogs (Centrolenidae) in Primary and Secondary Tropical Forests of Costa Rica, Keara Weiss
Department: Biology
The Effect of Seminal Fluid Adipokinetic Hormone on the Blood Feeding Behavior of Aedes aegypti, Chen Wu
Department: Biology; Neuroscience
Senior Independent Study Theses from 2019
Smell You Later: Attraction Inhibition Against Aedes aegypti By Compounds Derived From Halyomorpha halys, Jarrett A. Art
Department: Biology
Why so Aggressive? A Study of Amino Acid Conservation of Monoamine Oxidase (mao) in Bettta Splendens Compared to Other Species, Gabrielle B. Basinski
Department: Biology
The Influence of Mate Separation During Period of Food Deprivation on Behavioral Stress in Zebra Finches, Taeniopygia guttata, Sangita Biswas
Department: Biology
The Bug Butter Battle: A Study of the Effect of Halyomorpha Halys Volatiles on Mobility of Aedes Aegypti Mosquitoes, Katherine Bohl
Department: Biology
The Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Mortality and Histone Expression in Drosophila Melanogaster, Dennis Bolshakov
Department: Biology
Transportin’: Investigating the Impact of Social Context on Transportation-Induced Stress in the Zebra Finch, Taeniopygia Guttata, Autumn Brostek
Department: Biology
When Science and Art Collide: Learning the Methods Like a Scientist in Order to Break the Rules Like an Artist, Marissa Bailey Fiume
Department: Art and Art History; Biology
Science Perspectives and Stories: A Journey of Growth and Maturity Through the Multifaceted Machine of Science, Sara Garcia
Department: Biology; English
An Emerging Amphibian Fungal Pathogen: Long Term Monitoring in Wooster Memorial Park and Infection Dynamics Across 21 Ohio Counties, Jesse N. Garrett-Larsen
Department: Biology
Mosquito Diversity and Blood-feeding Patterns in a Dry Tropical Forest in Costa Rica, Patrick Gilkey
Department: Biology
A Comprehensive Analysis of the Eastern Grey Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) Population in Ohio over Time with a Focus on the Melanistic Color Morph, Weston Gray
Department: Biology; History
Artificial Light at Night Has No Effect on Depressive-Like Behavior or Maternal Care Behaviors in Sprague Dawley Rats, Megan A. Healy
Department: Biology
The Effects of Biased Auditory Sex Ratios on Ejaculation Parameters in Healthy Human Males (Homo sapiens)., Harper Jones
Department: Biology; Psychology
Parental Love: Impacts of High Ambient Temperature on Thermoregulation and Parental Care Behaviors in Cooperatively Breeding Florida Scrub-jays (Aphelocoma coerulescens), Do Hyun Kim
Department: Biology
A Quantification of Variables Contributing to Offside Decision Accuracy in Soccer, Andrew W. Klein
Department: Biology
Repercussions of Electric Lighting: Light-at-Night Exposure on Anxiety in Early Development in Rats, Julia Kowala
Department: Biology
Antiviral Response of Type I Interferon Alpha/Beta Receptor to Hepatitis E Virus in Human Liver Cells, Jodi Michelle Livesay
Department: Biology
Characterization of Melanocortin Receptors in Betta Splendens, Kaitlin R. Looney
Department: Biology
Color Diversification and Species-Specific Signals in Band-Winged Grasshoppers, Abigail S. Martin
Department: Biology
Are You Happy? Effect of Stress on Gene Expression of Betta Splendens, Rie Matsuzaki
Department: Biology; Neuroscience
The Rescuing Effect of the Dunce Gene on Chronic Sleep Deficits Presented in Intellectually Diseased FMR1 Mutant Drosophila, Eleri K. Miller
Department: Biology
A Bioinformatic Analysis of Halophile Helicases, Austin N. Morit
Department: Biology
Bumblebees Can Learn and Remember Floral Coloration Differences on a 3D printed Model of American Bellflower, Campanula americana, Mary Kate Norton
Department: Biology
The Characterization of Mary Shelley, a Drosophila Ortholog of the Mammalian Cables1 Protein, In the Drosophila Larval Brain and Ventral Nerve Cord, Erin Killeen O'Connor
Department: Biology; Neuroscience
How Effective is Tle1, an Effector Protein, at Interacting within a Microbiome? A Study of Tle1 and how it COuld be Used Against Bacteria Associated With Probiotics Cultures, Myles P. Parker
Department: Biology
Structural and Biochemical Characterization of Zika Virus- and Dengue Virus- Neutralizing Antibodies, Caroline Elisabeth Peterson
Department: Biology
Characterization of Opsin Genes in Betta splendens, John R. Petrecca Jr
Department: Biology
The Effect of Male Fin Ornamentation on Female Mate Choice in Betta Splendens, Alexis Noel Popejoy
Department: Biology
The Effect of Acute and Chronic Stress on Macronutrient Preference in Male Rats, Sochina Ranjit
Department: Biology
A Comparison of Salamander Community Composition in Early Successional and Mature Forests, Austin C. Russell
Department: Biology
A Study on the Efficacy of Bacteriophage Therapy and Other Stories, Allison Secard
Department: Biology; English
The Effects of Temperature Manipulation on the Rate of Telomere Shortening During the Nestling Period of the Eastern Bluebird, Sialia Sialis, Bridget Serrurier
Department: Biology
Comparing the Allelopathic Potential of Invasive, Native, and Hybrid Myriophyllum Watermilfoil Species from Wisconsin Lakes on Microcystis aeruginosa Blue-Green Algae, Linden Ann Taylor
Department: Biology
Effects of a Maternal High-Fat Diet on Sprague Dawley Rat Offspring, Conner Thomson
Department: Biology
The Fruit Fly as a Model Organism For Studying Neurological Disease: Investigating the role of dNAB2, the Ortholog of Human ZC3H14, in Drosophila Mushroom Bodies, Adelaide F. Tsueda
Department: Biology
Surface-Area Biomass Index: Using Photography to Measure Biomass of Coral-Dwelling Crustaceans, Solaimon Turner
Department: Biology
Vegans Beware Phytophthora is Here Analyzing the Locations and Implications of PsAvh Proteins of Phytophthora Sojae, Alexis Victoria Valente
Department: Biology
Identification of the Killing Mechanism Used by Pseudomonas Spp. Against Agrobacteria: Implications for the Success of Biological Control Agents, Jessica G. Vorse
Department: Biology
Plaque Attack! Discovering How Bacteria Common to the Oral Cavity Interact With Metal and Ceramic Orthodontic Brackets, Alia Lyn Yossef
Department: Biology
Specialist Pollinator Andrena Rudbeckiae Removes More Echinacea Angustifolia Pollen per Visit Than More Generalist Bee Taxa, Ezekiel P. Zelman
Department: Biology
Senior Independent Study Theses from 2018
The Effects of Divorce on Baseline Corticosterone, Affiliative and Neophobic Behaviors in Zebra Finches, Rachel Brandon
Department: Biology; Neuroscience
That’s Just the Way it grows: A Look at Phenazine Compounds and Their Effects on Agrobacterium rhizogenes Growth, Maxwell Clement
Department: Biology
Stay at Home Dads:The Effects of Abiotic and Biotic Factors on Decisions on When to Provide Paternal Care in Costa Rican Hyalinobatrachium valerioi, Sarah Comstock
Department: Biology
Inhbitory Effects of Phytophthora sojae RXLR Effectors on MAPK Signaling in Yeast, Thomas DiFilippo
Department: Biology
Effects of nab2 on Phosphorylated Tau Protein Accumulation in Drosophila Melanogaster, Jacob A. Fling
Department: Biology
Potatoes and Pathogens: The Creation of a Functional Plant Vector Using Effector Genes from Pathogenic Oomycete Phytophthora Infestans, Cameron Friedman
Department: Biology
Analyzing the Effects of Bacteriophage Therapy Against Pseudomonas on Lettuce Leaves as a Means to Prevent Overuse of Antibiotics, Cheyenne Gregg
Department: Biology
Comparing Glass Frog (Centrolenidae) Diversity in Primary and Secondary Forests in Costa Rica, Christopher W. Gumpper
Department: Biology
Investigating the Influence of Nab2 on CaMKII Expression in Drosophila Melanogaster, Camille Hanes
Department: Biology; Neuroscience
Investigating the Impact of Invasive Plant Species on Native Plethodontid Salamander Populations, Haley M. Hartman
Department: Biology
Dispatches from the Fly Killer: A mathematical model that studies the correlation between sleep fragmentation and longevity in Drosophila melanogaster, Vedica Jha
Department: Biology; Mathematics
The Effect of Vitamin D on Sprague-Dawley Rats Muscle Performance During Training, Patrick Johnson
Department: Biology
Survival and Abundance of Glass Frog (Centrolenidae) Embryos in Primary and Secondary Forests in Costa Rica, Mackenzie Nicole Kellar
Department: Biology