Senior Thesis
There is no honors program at Haverford — because every student performs honors work.
The senior thesis is the capstone to a Haverford student’s academic career. It is an opportunity to do original research at levels usually reserved for graduate students, in partnership with faculty mentors. Haverford is one of only a few institutions in the country to include a senior thesis project as part of every student’s academic program.
The process of producing the senior thesis gives Fords the opportunity to demonstrate their analytic skills and creatively apply what they’ve learned during their four years at the College. Students become true scholars, and come to understand at a deep and practical level what it takes to seek answers to challenging questions and to create knowledge. In turn, they become more effective and influential agents for change in whatever fields they choose and in the communities they serve.
Jian Wei ’24 History & Growth and Structure of Cities
“Between Segregated Enclave and Ethnic Suburbia: New Chinatown and Chinese American Agency in Los Angeles”
Jian Wei chose to focus on Los Angeles in his thesis because, he says, the city maintains a wealth of materials detailing the history of its Chinatown. In the 1930s, much of the neighborhood was demolished to make way for Union Station, the city’s major rail hub. His thesis tells a story of rebirth and the vision and agency of second-generation Chinese American civic leaders and architects who realized it.
“The motivation to write this thesis was primarily the realization that Chinatowns across the U.S. and the world are facing danger in the face of urban renewal. In a time when the influence of China as a nation-state and as a cultural entity grows day after day, this project aims to present a nuanced look into an early interaction between China and the EuroAmerican world to challenge the increasingly prevalent narrative of Chinese exceptionalism.”
Maya Antonio ’24 Education & Linguistics
“From Language Ideology to Practice: Teachers’ Navigation of Language Ideologies in a Bilingual Community Education Center”
As a double major in education and linguistics, pursuing a thesis focused on how language is used and perceived in educational spaces made perfect sense for Maya Antonio.
“I hope my research encourages more people to recognize the validity of and engage in work to support ‘nontraditional’ learning spaces like the bilingual community education center I worked with. I think we often think of education as only occurring in the school classroom, but when I began taking education courses in the Bi-Co as well as through doing this thesis, I realized how impactful and important educational spaces like afterschool programming, community centers, etc. can be.”
Charlie Crawford ’24 Computer Science
“Scene and Unseen: GPT Bias in Script Writing”
While the rest of the world counted the days waiting for favorite TV shows and movies to return, Charlie Crawford, who majored in computer science with a minor in environmental studies, found inspiration for his thesis in last year’s Writers Guild of America strike. Throughout the 148-day strike, when Hollywood and production studios ground to a halt, the union continually expressed its concern over the rise of AI and large language models like ChatGPT and their impact on the livelihood of its membership. Crawford wanted to explore unintended biases ChatGPT might introduce when asked to generate a script for a TV show.
“My thesis has sparked a love of research within me, though I have not decided what direction that will take me in. I am currently pursuing research opportunities related to my minor in environmental studies, but ultimately my dream would be to work at the intersection of environmental studies and computer science.”
Shahla Mukhtar ’24 Chemistry
“Characterizing Activation and Acylation Abilities of Diverse Non-Actinobacterial Acyl Carrier Proteins in Type II Synthases”
Shahla Mukhtar, a chemistry major, is driven by a curiosity to understand the mechanisms that sustain biological function and often play pivotal roles in the production of the medical compounds so many of us depend on.
“I am so grateful for my thesis advisor, Professor Lou Charkoudian, for her guidance and support, which allowed me to problem-solve, generate new ideas, and cultivate a growth mindset as I developed as a scientist. This environment enabled me to foster my curiosity and unique background in computational chemistry work to shape my research approaches, enhancing the understanding of our proteins of interest. My lab teammates have been so crucial in building a solid foundation for my thesis by fostering a sense of camaraderie and mutual learning.”
Bela Khanna ’24
Philosophy & English
“Playing House”
The campy tropes that course through supermarket romance and erotica novels may seem like an unlikely place from which to embark upon a thesis, but that’s exactly where Bela Khanna ’24 began. Khanna, who double majored in philosophy and English with a concentration in creative writing, authored a story called “Playing House,” which she describes as an exploratory piece that found its footing in the power dynamics that run rampant through the genre. Khanna developed “Playing House” as a way to explore themes of freedom and futurity against the backdrop of masculine violence and psychological imprisonment. She once described it as “an exposure of the existential, gendered catch-22 that lurks behind the appearance of a postfeminist reality.” She says she hopes anyone who reads the story can use it as a springboard for imagining love that transcends its heroine’s conditions and ultimate unhappy ending.
“This thesis was an exercise in writing and rewriting. By the end, I wrote five complete drafts, not to mention the graveyard of half-drafts that never made it to completion,” Khanna says. “That said, my biggest takeaway from this project was that it is impossible to produce good work in a vacuum. My thesis partner, Alex Behm ’24, my advisor, and my friends and family were invaluable to the end result.”
Clay Killoren ’24 Political Science
“Addressing the Housing Crisis: A Blueprint for Building More Affordable Housing in San Francisco”
As he steps into his career as a real estate analyst for OTO Development, a company focused on developing and managing hotels across the nation, Clay Killoren, a political science major, brings with him an intimate knowledge of the issues and opportunities surrounding affordable housing in one of the most expensive corners of the country. Killoren’s thesis, “Addressing the Housing Crisis: A Blueprint for Building More Affordable Housing in San Francisco,” was inspired by his deep concern for a broader national issue, he says. He chose to focus on San Francisco specifically due to its extraordinarily high cost of living and swelling population of unhoused people.
“I was driven by a desire to find solutions to ease the burden on low-income families and prevent homelessness,” says Killoren, who was advised by Professor and Chair of Political Science Zach Oberfield. “Based on previous work I had done in internships and classes, I knew that I wanted to pursue something related to real estate and the political economy. We debated a few ideas, and Zach suggested I focus on a thesis that can make a difference.”
Students come to Haverford for a richly intellectual and engaging academic experience based upon close student-faculty collaboration and direct engagement with ideas, issues, and questions. The senior thesis represents the culmination of a Haverford student’s academic experience, and is one of the most important and rewarding ways that Haverford realizes its educational mission.
Isabel Thornberry ’24 Chemistry
“Understanding the Spatial and Temporal Dynamics of the Eastern Tropical North Pacific Oxygen Minimum Zone Using High-Resolution In-Situ Observations and a Gridded Global Data Product”
A Seattle-based summer fellowship with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) piqued and reinforced Isabel Thornberry’s interest in coastal and open-ocean biogeochemistry. Thornberry, a chemistry major and environmental studies minor, arrived eager to apply the interdisciplinary thinking and collaborative problem-solving she’d cultivated at Haverford to support NOAA’s efforts to enhance research and scientific communication through public outreach and policy development. At Haverford, her thesis advisor, the William H. and Johanna A. Harris Professor in Environmental Studies and Chemistry Helen White, encouraged Thornberry to think about how to present her work to less experienced audiences.
“I learned about the latest technologies that help us better understand the world’s oceans,” Thornberry says. “I discovered that there is still so much to understand from the massive amounts of data these technologies collect, and my thesis allowed me to expand on this work.”
Ben Bergerson ’24 Physics
“Classification of Flocculent and Grand Design Spiral Galaxies Using Supervised Machine Learning”
Ben Bergerson, a physics major, turned to emerging technologies to compare two types of spiral galaxies in our universe for his thesis, an experience he says altered his academic trajectory as he now pursues a master’s degree in engineering. Bergerson, who is enrolled in Haverford’s Accelerated Masters Program with the University of Pennsylvania, a first-of-its-kind partnership between a liberal arts college and an Ivy League engineering program, found that his thesis at Haverford was the perfect introduction to machine learning concepts that will continue to influence his career path.
“I plan to continue exploring deep learning and neural networks. I don’t know if I would be doing this if it weren’t for my thesis. I’m not sure where my next degree will lead me, but a career in machine learning or data science is quite possible. I have had a wonderful four years at Haverford College, and I credit much of this to the amazing physics department. I was so lucky to have such close relationships with so many brilliant physicists. The care that they have for the students has created a culture within the physics department that seems very unique to Haverford.”
These are just a few examples of projects by members of the Class of 2024. They represent the depth of intellectual engagement and diversity of interests that define the liberal arts at Haverford.
To read more thesis stories from the Class of 2024: hav.to/wtl