Thesis Celebration Recognizes Honors College Student Success

Screenshot from Sabrina Schafer's virtual thesis defense.
Posted by Bethany Gauthier on

Whether they graduated last month or in 1979, their honors thesis title is something many Lee Honors College alums can still recite from memory. The honors thesis is a long-standing Honors College tradition and an important milestone in the academic careers of our students. It is an opportunity for students to demonstrate the knowledge and skills they have developed during their undergraduate studies and honors experience.
 
Prior to submitting the final honors thesis for publication, students must defend their thesis before the committee of faculty they have selected to mentor their project. Typically, Western Michigan University’s fall and spring semesters conclude with in person presentations for Thesis Celebration week. As was the case with many campus events, plans had to change due to COVID-19 restrictions. Thanks to the resourcefulness and creativity of our Lee Honors College staff and students, we were able to pivot to a virtual Thesis Celebration Week for the fall 2020 semester and again for the spring 2021 semester.
 
All honors students who complete this significant project of undergraduate research or creative scholarship are published in the ScholarWorks repository. This online collection of honors theses extends back to the 1960s and comes from every academic discipline at WMU. Thousands of theses are accessible through ScholarWorks and The Philadelphia Enquirer recently linked to the resource in an article about 1979 WMU alum Dave Dombrowski and how his 77-page thesis, titled "The General Manager, The Man in the Middle," paved the way for his career as a top baseball executive.
 
A wide variety of topics are represented by honors student theses—and this semester was no exception! Spring topics included “Beta Analysis for MLB Run Generation Models,” “The role of the M-line protein UNC-97/PINCH in myosin A attachment to the M-line using ectopic myosin A accumulations in striated muscle of Caenorhabditis elegans” and “Understanding bird-inspired solo flute music using ornithological techniques,” to name just a few.
 
Lee Honors College students who took part in the spring 2021 Thesis Celebration include Tyler Boes, Bryar Brooks, Pierce Cahill, Madeline Deanne, Olivia Dillaha, Tashifa Fayyaz, Ben Gretchko, Lauren Irmen, Joanne Jeya, Hannah Kahn, Muhammad Romail Khan, Shealyn Lach, Joo Ning Lim, Sadie Martin, Humayra Oishi, Julia Peisker, Hannah Powless, Sabrina Schafer, Jenna Schneider, Emma Smith, Chelsea Spaman, Katherine Stone, Henry Thiry, Erika Tuller and Alison Yelsma. Congratulations to all of the honors college students who successfully defended their theses. We are honored to celebrate their outstanding work.
 
To learn more and access the ScholarWorks repository, visit our thesis page.