HONORS THESIS BIOGRAPHIES
2024-2025
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Thesis Title: 5HDS :KDW <RX 6RZ 8VLQJ +LVWRULF (QUROOPHQW 'DWD WR 6WUDWHJLFDOO\ 5HFUXLW 6WXGHQWV Semester of Defense: Spring 202 Thesis Director: 3URIHVVRU : &RU\ *DOOR Major: $JULFXOWXUDO (GXFDWLRQ /HDGHUVKLS DQG &RPPXQLFDWLRQV
Logan Collom Thesis Title: Ultrasonography as a Method for Identifying Biological Sex in Captive Hellbenders (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis) Semester of Defense: Spring 2025 Thesis Director: Dr. Andy Kouba Major: Wildlife, Fisheries, and Aquaculture (Pre-Veterinary Medicine)
For as long as I can remember, I have always had a passion for both veterinary medicine and aquatic animals. When Dr. Kouba offered me an intern position in his lab working with aquatic salamanders, I knew I couldn’t turn the offer down. This experience led me to pursue my thesis, which studied ultrasound imaging as a method to determine the sex of our lab’s captive hellbenders. Using a numbered grading scale, I determined the level of reproductive development for each individual. From this, we learned that mature females are easiest to sex, with males and juvenile females being mostly indistinguishable from each other.
Payton Davis I am an undergraduate student at MSU majoring in Environmental Economics and Sustainability with minors in Pre-Law, Agribusiness, and Floral Management. My passion for water quality developed at a young age when I spent my time kayaking in rivers and visiting beaches in Florida, my home state. In the Spring of 2024, I started working with Dr. Seong Yun to examine how urban sprawl and agricultural expansion affect water quality in the US, and I’m so grateful for the support I received from Dr. Yun and from the MAFES Undergraduate Research Scholars Program. Through this process, I have expanded my knowledge related to water quality and the policies that impact this invaluable resource. This research has helped me gain skills that I will use in my future career as an environmental lawyer where I will defend waterways and other environmental amenities. I am sincerely grateful for the support I received from the Shackouls Honors College and my thesis committee!
Thesis Title: Assessing the Impact of Urban Sprawl and Agricultural Expansion on Local Water Quality in the US Semester of Defense: Spring 2025 Thesis Director: Seong Yun Major: Environmental Economics and Sustainability
Olivia Grace Draughn Thesis Title: Design and Optimization of Lattice-Integrated PLIF Cages Using Additive Manufacturing and Finite Element Modeling Semester of Defense: Spring 2025 Thesis Director: Matthew Priddy Major: Mechanical Engineering As a mechanical engineering student at Mississippi State University, I have been drawn to research at the intersection of healthcare and technology. That interest led me to design multiple porous spinal implants optimized for additive manufacturing and finite element modeling as part of my undergraduate honors thesis. Under the mentorship of Dr. Matthew Priddy, I have developed six diamond latticeintegrated posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF) cages to better understand how targeted macroscopic porosity affects implant performance during spinal insertion. The work focused on developing a potential PLIF cage design that balances mechanical integrity with biological performance to reduce stress shielding and, ultimately, improve long-term patient outcomes. This research taught me how to think critically, troubleshoot creatively, and stay persistent. I am incredibly grateful to my advisor and committee for their guidance and to David Failla for his invaluable support throughout the process.
Margaret Freeman As a psychology undergraduate student, I have been interested in examining the factors that contribute to improved mental health for at risk populations. This interest led me to research parent child relationships through Dr. Cliff McKinney’s lab. I developed my thesis from a project that I completed in the lab. My thesis sought to examine if conservative religiosity influenced the relation between parental physical maltreatment and psychological problems. There is a lack of research on conservative religiosity in this context which inspired me to examine this specific subscale of religiosity. I completed a literature review and then conducted statistical analysis with data that one of Dr. McKinney’s previous graduate students collected. I thoroughly enjoyed my research experience, and I believe that completing an undergraduate thesis has helped prepare me for my graduate studies.
__________________________________________________________________ Thesis Title: The Relation Between Perceived Parental Physical Maltreatment and Psychological Problems: Moderation by Conservative Religiosity Semester of Defense: Spring 2025 Thesis Director: Dr. Cliff McKinney Major: Psychology
MADELYNN GREEN B I O G R A P H Y
T H E S I S
D E T A I L S
Thesis Title: Closing Chapter: A Stratum VIA Reconstruction of Areas I7, I8, J7, and J8 at Tell Halif Thesis Defense: Spring 2025 Thesis Director: Dr. Jimmy Hardin Majors: Anthropology and Religion Minors: Ancient Greek, Middle Eastern Cultures, and Linguistics Cursus Senorum: Completed Spring 2025
Hi y’all! I am Maddy Green, a third-year student at Mississippi State University. Coming to MSU, I wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted to do outside of an interest in Anthropology. My plan for my first year was just to try out as many things as I could until I found my academic passions. I would advise any student, Mess around and find out. You are not going to know what all there is to do if you never look beyond your expectations.. Interdisciplinary studies are important and should be encouraged. Through this strategy, I discovered multiple passions. For my thesis in particular, I got involved after taking some classes in Near Eastern Archaeology. After talking with Dr. Hardin, I began learning about Archaeological Theory and Pottery Analysis, then progressed to analyzing the 1992 and 1993 Field materials from the Lahav Research Project. I have since expanded my interests to include the wider Mediterranean Basin, with an interest in the unique interaction between folklore, ancient languages, and archaeology.
SURABHI GUPTA Thesis Title: Predictive modeling of spatial distribution of deepsea benthic macrofauna at a methane seep site using geophysical data. Semester of Defense: Spring 2025 Thesis Director: Dr. Adam Skare Major: Wildlife, Fisheries, & Aquaculture Science I always wanted to study biology and nature especially the ocean, but MSU didn’t have a Marine Biology program, so I chose Wildlife Biology because it offered many interesting classes, help built practical skills and allowed for an interdisciplinary education. Interdisciplinary is exactly how I would describe my honors thesis research in one word as it combines ecology, geosciences, and data science with Dr. Skarke, who I have worked with for almost 3 years. I mapped the spatial distribution of deep sea mussels and corals found in unique chemosynthetic ecosystems using geophysical data input in MAXENT presence only prediction model. My work concluded spatial distribution could be modeled showing correlative mechanisms and there is room for further improvement and work on this preliminary approach. My advice to future students is just reach out to professors you like to get started with research or to find something you are passionate about to pursue in future like I did. My favorite memory was thesis defense as it felt like a teaser and prep for graduate school which is my next step.
Madelyn “Milo” Horn Sustainability of the Fashion Industry: An Examination of the US Fashion Industry's Impact on Water Quality Thesis Director: Dr. Seong Yun Spring 2025
I’ve always been good at math and had strong convictions about protecting the environment which led me to the major I chose. This major gave me the opportunity to learn what type of research helps people defend the environment and how to do this research. I approached Dr. Yun after taking his Sustainability Economics class in my sophomore year and inquired about how they handle undergraduate research in the Agricultural Economics Department. We discussed where our research interests laid and how we could merge them to cover something we would both have interest in. Dr. Yun enjoys water quality research, and I am passionate about making the clothing industry more sustainable, leading to our topic of the fashion industry’s impact on water quality through economic analysis. Using the techniques I had learned in some of my favorite classes, we developed the economic model used in the paper to estimate the effects. Had we not started as early as we did, we would not have gotten the opportunity to work as in-depth as I wanted this research to be and I would not have gotten to develop my love for research that I found through this experience.
Major: Environmental Economics and Sustainability Advice for future students: Start thinking about the topic you want to study early and combine it with the class you’ve enjoyed the most
Thesis Title: Analyzing the Chemical Composition & Morphology of Hydroxyapatite Coating on Magnesium Biomaterials Thesis Director: Lauren Priddy Semester of Defense: Spring 2025 Major: Biomedical Engineering, Pre-Medical Emphasis
As a biomedical engineering student at Mississippi State University, I am profoundly passionate about enhancing patient experiences and outcomes. Interested in the pursuit of medicine, I explored various research disciplines, such as addressing rural health disparities and improving health professions output in Mississippi. My thesis research, however, takes a more tactical, medical approach in analyzing alternative approaches to creating optimal orthopedic implants. Under the mentorship of Dr. Lauren Priddy, I have conducted substantial research to further explore the capabilities of magnesium metal to serve in biodegradable orthopedic implant applications. Current standards for orthopedic implants involve metals that cause many issues, such as a high risk of infection due to the need for secondary surgery. Despite magnesium’s biocompatibility, it presents a challenge that will be addressed in this thesis: a fast degradation rate. To combat this problem, hydroxyapatite, an integral component of bone, was used to coat the surface of magnesium scaffolds and offer a slower degradation rate.
Lily LangstaƯ Thesis Title: DR-4429: Social Perceptions and Narratives of the 2019 Mississippi Delta Flood Semester of Defense: Spring 2025 Thesis Director: Dr. Beth Baker Major: Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture As a Conservation Biology student from Mississippi, I am passionate about environmental justice and public policy. Through my experiences both as a Senate intern in Washington, D.C. and a policy intern for The Nature Conservancy in Mississippi, I have developed a passion for the connection between Mississippians and water resources. I am particularly interested in the Mississippi River and its historical and cultural connections to people living alongside it. This research focuses on the Mississippi Delta, particularly the Yazoo Backwater Area, and the 2019 backwater flood impacting residents of this area. My goal was to understand public perceptions and narratives surrounding this flood, to evaluate the relationship between residents and public policy and to develop more equitable and eƯective policy recommendations. In order to understand public perceptions and narratives, I gained an understanding with mixed-methods research, utilizing a software called MAXQDA to conduct a thematic analysis of media coverage. Throughout this process, I gained valuable research skills, such as conducting a thorough literature review and connecting it to my research. This experience has strengthened my critical thinking and research skills, which I am excited to carry out throughout my future education and career. I am immensely grateful to my thesis committee for so much help, particularly my director, Dr. Beth Baker.
Diane Lee Thesis Title: “Take This Job and Shove It”: How Black Women’s Involvement in Labor Movements Correlates with Their Participation in the Broader Social Movements of the Twentieth Century Semester of Defense: Spring 2025 Thesis Director: Dr. Joseph Thompson Major: History
About me
As a history major and future civil rights attorney/politician, I am very passionate about social movements within the United States as well as the historical implications of those movements, as they directly correlate with our country’s politics. Unfortunately, marginalized groups become an afterthought in the history that is told, and it results in an erasure of their political engagement. For my thesis, I wanted to learn more about the labor movement, specifically how African American women offered unique contributions to it due to their intersecting forms of oppression. This unique kind of oppression paved the way for a lot of the intersectional activism we see today. Additionally, it is imperative that I, as an African American woman, educate myself about the activism of my foremothers. I spent a lot of time reading scholarly articles and sifting through books that helped me compile the information I needed for my thesis. During this process I was able to improve skills such as research, historiography, and historical framing, which will help me with all of my future endeavors. I would like to express my utmost appreciation for my committee members and my thesis director, Dr. Thompson, who worked with me through this entire process and taught me how to think and write like a historian.
Minors: Pre-Law, African American Studies, and Spanish
LUCIE LEBLANC Integrating Environmental Analyses and Awareness to the Senior Chemical Plant Design Course CHE 4233 Hi! I am a chemical engineering student, and I am graduating in May 2025. I have loved the chemical engineering curriculum at Mississippi State. I was hired for a co-op during my sophomore year, and I have worked for Dow Chemical Company for four terms. Through these experiences, I learned valuable technical skills and developed engineering critical thinking. I also gained awareness of the role the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) plays within chemical production companies. As a student, I was initially unaware of the extent of EPA regulations impacting large-scale production. This realization inspired my thesis. My research was eye-opening—not only for me but also for my classmates—regarding the EPA's influence on our careers. It was especially gratifying to see how many of my peers shared this newfound awareness. My advice to future thesis students is this: any interest can become a thesis! I would like to express my gratitude to Dr. Larry Pearson, Dr. Julie Jessop, and George Dunn for helping me develop a thesis I am truly proud of. Hail State!
Thesis Title: Integrating Environmental Analyses and Awareness to the Senior Chemical Plant Design Course CHE 4233 Semester of Defense: Spring 2025 Thesis Director: Dr. Larry Pearson Major: Chemical Engineering
TANNER RILEY MARLOW Thesis Title: Using Cutting Immersion to Apply Hormone for Propagation of Camellia japonica Thesis Advisor: Dr. Richard L. Harkess Committee Members: Dr. K. Raja Reddy and Dr. Christopher Snyder Semester of Defense: Spring 2025 Majoring in agronomy, I focus on crop production and soil management to improve farming practices and increase yields in a sustainable manner. This objective works in tandem with my honors thesis, which is more of a horticulture topic, because my project focuses on increasing effectiveness of propagation of the shrub Camellia japonica in a greenhouse system. The issue my project addressed was that very few varieties out of the 32,000 different varieties of C. japonica have a high success rate in rooting cuttings. This makes the commercial production of Camellia challenging. Therefore, the objective of this research was to determine the effective way to propagate these plants. We analyzed different rooting hormone concentrations (indole-3-butyric acid (IBA)) and application methods (basal quick-dip and immersion techniques) on the effectiveness of rooting in four different C. japonica cultivars: 'Lady Clare', 'Sarah Frost', 'Imura', and 'Magnoliaeflora'. We analyzed root length, root number, and callus presence which all contributed to the root rating. This process has given me insight into how rigorous the research process is and how much time, effort, and attention goes into analyzing data and collecting it. Major: Agronomy/Integrated Crop Management Minors: Plant Pathology, Entomology, and Horticulture Advice to Future Students: There is no such thing as starting this process too early. Making enough time to create something to be proud of is critical to your success in the defense and potentially getting published. Form a good relationship with your thesis advisor as this will provide good dialogue about the project. Create a weekly meeting with your advisor for at least 30 minutes. These meetings helped me extremely and this thesis wouldn’t have been finished if it were not for these meetings. Favorite Memory: Although meeting with my professor and fixing my thesis was eventful, my favorite memory of this process was when my thesis advisor said, “congratulations” after I defended my thesis. The sign of relief and accomplishment I felt after defending made every hour of working on it worth it.
Abby Pulver Thesis Title: The Antagonistic Triad and Interpersonal Problems: The Role of Rejection Sensitivity Semester of Defense: Spring 2025 Thesis Director: Dr. Hilary DeShong Major: Psychology
As an undergraduate psychology major and social justice minor, my goal for my honors thesis was to aid in the comprehension of constructs related to forensic settings. This desire was fulfilled when I started researching the antagonistic triad’s relationship to interpersonal difficulties and rejection sensitivity under the leadership of my thesis director, Dr. Hilary DeShong. Through this academic pursuit, I conducted a comprehensive literature review, developed the online survey and accompanying syntax, and analyzed both correlational and moderation relationships, among many other intellectually rewarding tasks. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to my thesis committee for their invaluable support and for making this research possible.
Owen Smith FFF Process Parameter Prediction with Machine Learning Models Thesis Director: Dr. Wenmeng Tian Spring 2025 I am a graduate student here at MSU, studying Industrial Engineering with a focus on Manufacturing Systems! I began my research with Dr. Tian in the Spring of 2023, my sophomore year. My research is focused on additive manufacturing, specifically on forms of 3D printing, such as Fused Filament Fabrication! I started out taking over on a project from a graduate student who was leaving our lab at the same time, working on taking layer-wise images of 3D prints for various purposes, from quality assurance to machine learning image classification. I developed methods of data collection I used on my honors thesis, processes which I will continue to improve and further applications for in my masters thesis! My time in research has also taught me a ton of useful skills, such as image processing, project organization, improving at writing and presentation, and Python coding — this research has even helped me pick up things outside of my studies too, such as game development! I am endlessly thankful to my thesis director and all the other faculty who have helped me every step of the way.
Major: Industrial Engineering Advice to Future Students: Start your stuff early, including your thesis! It’s going to take longer than you expect, you don’t have as much time as you think you do. This’ll make the difference between “I just have to finish my conclusion and proofread!” or “I have to stay up to 4 AM writing 10 pages.”
Annamarie Thompson BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING, CLASS OF 2025
As a biomedical engineering student at Mississippi State University, I am passionate about exploring the complexities of human diseases and uncovering novel therapeutic strategies to improve patient outcomes. This passion led me to research diabetic wound healing in the lab of Dr. Trey Howell. Diabetic foot ulcers are a common complication experienced by diabetics, affecting approximately 25% of patients. Prevalent organochlorine pesticide metabolites are known to play a role in diabetic wound healing. These metabolites bind to the pregnane x receptor (PXR), yet the effect of the PXR on wound healing is unknown. Under the direction of Dr. Howell, I explored the role of the pregnane x receptor in wound healing and metabolism of bone marrowderived macrophages. My project resulted in novel sex-dependent findings, indicating the PXR may offer insights into sex-dependent inflammatory profiles and wound resolution rates. In the future, the PXR may be a valuable target clinically to reduce the risk of chronic wound development, lower wound-associated mortality, and improve overall patients outcomes. Thesis Title: Role of the Pregnane X Receptor in Wound Healing and Macrophage Metabolism Thesis Director: Dr. George (Trey) Howell III Semester of Defense: Spring 2025 Advice to Future Students: Start early and set deadlines! It is never too early to start preparing for your honors thesis. Time management is essential for success and an enjoyable thesis experience!
Jade E. Thompson
Within the discipline of software engineering, my interests lie in the field of human-computer interaction. I am interested in how technology can be made more accessible, useful, and adaptive for users. My honors thesis detailed my work within the Therabot aaaaa project, where I created an adaptive simulated heartbeat for the Therabot robot and evaluated its effects through a user study. My thesis filled a gap in existing affective haptics research, as no previous work has evaluated the isolated impacts of an adaptive haptic heartbeat on user experiences with socially assistive robots. My findings suggest that when Therabot is used as a robotic intervention after a stressful task, resulting state anxiety improvements differ in nature when Therabot’s heartbeat is adaptive to user state, compared to a non-adaptive heartbeat or the absence of a heartbeat. These findings contribute to the larger context of lifelike, adaptive behaviors in socially assistive robots. Throughout this project, which spanned two years, I gained a variety of new skills in several areas, including hardware design and human subjects research. The new perspectives I gained during the research process will continue to inform my user-centric approach to software development within my career.
Thesis Title: Exploring the Impacts of an Adaptive Haptic Heartbeat within a Socially Assistive Robot Semester of Defense: Spring 2025 Thesis Director: Dr. Cindy L. Bethel Major: Software Engineering
Timothy Usey I am Timothy Usey, and I am a graduating senior studying electrical engineering at Mississippi State University. I became interested in electronic devices during my undergraduate education, and as a result I began conducting research on electronic thin films with Dr. Mahesh Gangishetty’s lab group. I was inspired to write an undergraduate thesis titled “Optimizing Silver/Aluminum Electrodes for Transparent Light Emitting Diodes” with Dr. Gangishetty as my thesis director. I became well acquainted with thin film fabrication and characterization techniques while conducting research for this thesis, and I also obtained practical experience with the benefits and limitations of various nanoscale materials. My research at MSU has inspired me to pursue a PhD in electrical engineering at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign after graduation, where I will continue researching electronic materials and devices. I give my sincerest thanks to Dr. Gangishetty and his lab group for helping me cultivate my interests and skills. I also thank my thesis committee for their input before and during my defense.
Thesis Title: Optimizing Silver/Aluminum Electrodes for Transparent Light Emitting Diodes Defense Semester: Spring 2025 Thesis Director: Dr. Mahesh Gangishetty Major: Electrical Engineering
HELLO, I’M
Jordan Walters Thesis Title: Studying the effects of inbreeding on a small, isolated population of the endangered Turks and Caicos rock iguana (Cyclura carinata) on Little Water Cay.
ABOUT ME
MY THESIS
I joined the Welch Lab my first semester Freshman year due to my love of reptiles. I gradually grew from a lab assistant to an undergraduate researcher, and have had the opportunity to present my research at three symposiums as well as for my Senior Thesis!
Defense: Spring 2025 Thesis Director: Dr. Mark Welch Major: Microbiology
FUN FACT
THINGS I LEARNED
I actually applied to be a lab assistant for a different lab my Freshman year. I mentioned to the lab director that I used to breed Leopard Geckos, and he directed me to the Welch Lab!
DNA Extraction, PCR, Gel electrophoresis, Genetic Analysis, Population Genetics How and when to reach out for help Professional, Academic Writing Confidence in my work
Abigail Webb Associations Between Parental Depression and Child Internalizing Behaviors: The Role of Gender Thesis Director: Dr. Lori Elmore-Staton Spring 2025
In my research I explored the connection between parental depression symptoms using the SCL90-R with child internalizing symptoms based on gender. To analyze child internalizing symptoms the Child Behavior Checklist and Teacher Report Form was used. This study was a secondary data analyses of part of a longitudinal study that assessed the effects of marital violence and parental alcoholism on children’s outcomes. My thesis director, Dr. Staton, played a key role in understanding and interpreting data, as she was a co-author in the original study. Our results indicated that that maternal and paternal mental health indicators were associated with child internalizing symptoms, even after controlling for the role of SES, child age, and child sex. It was found that mothers’ depression was more strongly correlated with child outcomes than fathers. This research adds to the literature discussing mother and fathers’ depression and can be used to inform prevention and intervention services and policy. Through the process of my honors thesis I learned more about the research and writing process. Completing an honors thesis has expanded my skills in writing, research, and public speaking. All of these skills will be vital moving into my future endeavors.
Major: Psychology Minor: Applied Behavior Analysis Advice: Start as early as possible. Try to keep a general timeline and stay up to date with the Canvas page. The process can be long and tedious, so take a break every once and while! Favorite Memory: I loved being able to present my thesis and defend my research!
Joshua Whitehead --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Measuring Market Sentiment Towards CEO Incentives Thesis Director: Dr. Brandon Cline Spring 2025 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As an undergraduate student at Mississippi State majoring in finance and accounting with a minor in psychology, I developed an interest in financial and motivational research. After a summer abroad studying motivation theory at the University of Oxford in England, I began researching under Dr. Brandon Cline in the Fall of 2024. I paired my research interests together to examine how CEOs are motivated through varying financial incentives. The research process included a literature review of financial incentive structures, impact of CEO origin and profile, and agency issues. Through access to Wharton Research Data Services, I analyzed data of CEO compensation in the initial year of hire to determine how different CEOs are incentivized. In addition, I searched for a relationship between these varied structures and stock market returns. Through this process I have learned much about how to conduct research, the vast educational impact of academic research, and the importance of asking why. Completing my Honors Thesis has provided another avenue of academic and personal growth during my collegiate career, and provided me with an opportunity to intensely study incentive research that will remain with me throughout my professional career. This process would not have been possible without the efforts of my thesis committee, and I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to Drs. Cline, Blank and Snyder! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Caden Thompson Asymmetric Effects of the Ebbinghaus Illusion on Relative Depth Judgments in a Perceptual Matching Task Thesis Director: Dr. Adam Jones Spring 2025
As a computer science student at Mississippi State University, I developed a strong interest in Virtual Reality and was fortunate to be accepted into the VR development course. This course was an incredible experience that inspired me to pursue further opportunities in the field. One of the most impactful of these was the chance to work in the High-Fidelity Virtual Environments Lab under the guidance of Dr. Adam Jones. Through this opportunity, I deepened my understanding of perception, VR headsets, and immersive technologies. Most notably, I was introduced to the Ebbinghaus Illusion and its role in cognitive and perceptual research. Working closely with Dr. Jones, I developed a VR application to analyze the effects of the Ebbinghaus Illusion on depth judgments. This application was central to the study that formed the basis of my honors thesis, which I successfully defended in the spring of 2025 after extensive research and analysis. Major: Computer Science Advice to Future Students: Start early and read lots of relevant literature. Favorite Memory: Working in the High-Fidelity Virtual Environments Lab.
2025-2026
Madelyn Sloan Berry
Experimental Investigation of Mode-II Interlaminar Fatigue Damage in Stitched and Unstitched End-Notched Flexure Carbon Fiber Composites Thesis Director: Dr. Han-Gyu Kim Major: Aerospace Engineering Spring 2026 As an undergraduate aerospace engineering student at Mississippi State University, I have had the privilege to work with Dr. Kim and Dr. Lee in the Aerostructures for Hypersonic Flight Research Lab and the Advanced Composite Institute since Spring 2024. For this thesis, I manufactured stitched ENF carbon fiber specimens and performed threepoint bending fatigue tests to determine the effectiveness of stitching for crack arrestment. This highlights my passion for future aircraft and structural technology innovation. I would like to extend my sincerest gratitude to my thesis committee and everyone who supported me throughout this process!
I am a Chemical Engineering major with a minor in pre-law. This mixture might seem strange but I always wanted to combine aspects of STEM with litigation and law. While I have always been interested in alternative forms of energy, the Alternative Energy Study Abroad across Scandinavia showed me how the government operates in a country’s energy makeup. This trip last summer was the main inspiration for the research I did on my thesis as I used a lot of the information from energy plant tours we did across four countries. The writing process provided me with important research skills that I will need for law school in the upcoming semesters. Dr. Elder was an important guide on the study abroad and for my thesis preparation and presentation through the Honors College. I am very thankful to her, Dr. Hill for serving as my thesis director, and Mr. Waide for being the law expert on my thesis committee.
Name: Vitor Da Silva Thesis Title: Analysis of Government Policy regarding proliferation of Alternative Energy in the US and Europe’s Nordic Countries Semester of Defense: Spring 2026 Thesis Director: Dr. Hill Major: Chemical Engineering
Rose Doyle I am an undergraduate student studying history and philosophy at Mississippi State University. During my time at MSU, I had the opportunity to work with outstanding faculty in the History Department, and developed an interest in the way we conceptualize the American Revolution. In the Fall of 2024, I took a Historiography course with Dr. Julia Osman, where I was able to hone my research and writing skills, and where I was first able to explore questions surrounding the history of ideas during the American Revolution which carried over into this thesis. My research seeks to ask questions about pre-existing historical thought surrounding the Founding Fathers and the ideas that shaped the United States of America.
Thesis Title: "A Government of Laws, and Not of Men": The Non-Radicalism of the American Revolution Explained through John Adams and the Consistency of the Ideas that Made America Semester of Defense: Spring 2026 Thesis Director: Dr. Julia Osman Major: History and Philosophy
Regan McKensie Felder I am an undergraduate student at Mississippi State University majoring in psychology with a minor in religious studies. My research is centered around the relationship between clergy and mental health professionals. In the Spring of 2025, I began work under Dr. Kevin J. Armstrong, which led to my undergraduate thesis project. I helped host an interactive workshop that brought together local mental health providers and college faith leaders to build professional connections and increase opportunities for effective cross-referrals. We collected data accessing participants’ likelihood of collaboration across a variety of scenarios and whether the workshop may have changed overall views of cross-profession collaboration. This project changed the way I view collaboration with other professionals. The skills and insights gained through this research will influence both my graduate training and future career as a Licensed Professional Counselor. I encourage any undergraduate interested in research to start exploring your passions early. Research can even lead to discovering new interests that greatly impact the whole trajectory of your academic experience.
Thesis Title: Can a Workshop for Mental Health Professionals and College Faith Leaders Improve Openness to Cross-Referrals?
Semester of Defense: Spring 2026 Thesis Director: Dr. Kevin J. Armstrong Major: Psychology
Claire Green
Thesis Title: Creating a Phenology Wheel for Mississippi Defended Spring 2026 Thesis Director: Dr. Priya Basu Major: Biochemistry
As an undergraduate at Mississippi State University, I have been acquiring interdisciplinary knowledge relevant to conservation and ecology including biochemistry, entomology and communication. Starting in 2022, I began working on a project in the MSU Pollinator Health Lab, aimed at improving our limited understanding of bee forage. Working with Dr. Priya Basu, I helped recruit beekeepers to collect pollen from traps. We then coordinated the collection of the pollen samples, identifying the pollen by color but also conducting chemical tests to further sort the specimens. We analyzed the results and began creating charts visualizing which flowers the bees visit across the seasons. I have presented the findings at four research symposiums, a beekeeper conference and two entomology meetings. This work helped me to gain project management and lab skills, which I will take with me to Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine where I hope to be at the forefront of the movement to include bee medicine in veterinary practice.
Rachel Guynes During my sophomore year, I found my passion in the fields of Human-Robot and Human-Computer Interactions through undergraduate research in the Social, Therapeutic, and Robotics Systems Lab. My thesis topic was inspired by research on zoomorphic therapeutic robots that can provide benefits similar to those of animalassisted therapy; however, building and purchasing them can be expensive. I wanted to explore how we might take a step toward more affordable alternatives by making a common stuffed animal more reactive. My thesis details the process I used to build a system that uses a low-cost edge device with an inertial measurement unit (IMU) and machine learning to take a step toward developing affordable interactive therapy tools. While this project was challenging, I am grateful to have gained hands-on research experience and proud of the work I’ve completed.
Major: Computer Science with Concentrations in Human & Visual Computing and Artificial Intelligence Thesis Title: A Low-Cost Motion Classification System for a Stuffed Animal Using an IMU and Machine Learning Thesis Director: Jingdao Chen Semester of Defense: Spring 2026
Amelia Horner Major: Wildlife, Fisheries, & Aquaculture, Conc. WFA Science
Thesis Director: Murry Burgess Semester of Defense: Spring 2026
Thesis Title: A Comparative Study of Avian Response to PostWildfire Conditions in the Lodgepole Pine and Giant Sequoia Forest Regions of Sequoia National Park I am a graduate of Mississippi State University’s Wildlife, Fisheries, and Aquaculture Science program. My academic focus was wildlife management, and through undergraduate research opportunities, including student-worker research and an independent project I led, my interest deepened. I also developed a strong interest in avian ecology, particularly in how environmental disturbances, such as wildfires, affect bird populations and habitat use. In the spring of 2025, I began working under Dr. Murry Burgess to study how post-wildfire habitat changes following the KNP Complex Fire affected avian populations in Sequoia National Park, California. My honors thesis focused on comparing avian responses in the Lodgepole Pine and Giant Sequoia regions to examine how differences in habitat structure influenced species abundance, diversity, and community composition. Supported by the Shackouls Research Fellowship, I had the opportunity to conduct this field research firsthand while working in Sequoia National Park. This experience strengthened my skills in field research, ecological data collection, species inventory methods, and statistical analysis. This research expanded both my technical skills and my understanding of the areas I am most passionate about. More importantly, it strengthened my personal and professional goals in wildlife research, conservation, and land management, and gave me confidence in my ability to contribute meaningful original research. I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to my thesis committee for their guidance and to my family and friends for their support in making this research possible.
NYLA NYL Y A JONES Impacts of Biodiversity Biodive v rsity in Short Rotation Woody W ody Crop Production Systems on Water Wo W ter Wa Q ality Qu Quality Thesis Director: Dr. Courtney Siegert Spring 2026 Natural resources have hav ave always alway a s been of interest to me since I was a child. While at MSU, I longed to engage directly in research that aimed at protecting these resources. Thus, during my m sophomore yyear, ye ar, I began conducting research under the guidance of Dr. Courtney Siegert on certain trees known for f r their fast fo f st growth and short rotation cycles: short rotation woody crops. The research fa ffocused fo cused on their impacts on water quality and whether they can signifi f cantly mitigate inorganic significantly nitrogen pollution befo f re it enters adj d acent bodies of water. I conducted in-lab testing and soft f ware before adjacent software analysis to test the primary hypothesis h pothesis that when trees with a high affinity hy aff ff inity for f r inorganic nitrogen fo are planted alongside those with a low aff ff inity, y their eff ff iciency will be maximized and signifi f cantly affinity, efficiency significantly enhance soil nitrogen reductions, thereby reducing the tendency for f r water pollution from fo f om fr inorganic nitrogen. Throughout the research and thesis writing process, I have hav a e developed deve v loped a deep and profo f und love v fo fforr data analysis and synthesis, as we w fforr the extensive v work scientists profound wellll as fo undertake to conserve v our natural resources. It has been a tremendous joy to conduct this project, and I thank my m Thesis Director and the rest of the thesis committee for f r their utmost support! fo Maj a or: Natural Resource and Environmental Conservation Major: Advice to Future Students: Start your thesis early, even if you already have research under your belt! The writing will take a tremendous amount of time to fi ffixx to your liking! Favorite Memory: My favorite f vorite memory was learning how to use different fa diff fferent laboratory equipment, and it was a great feeling f eling when I finally fe f nally got the hang of it! fi
Nolan Richard Jones Modeling Carbon Nanotube Buckypaper in SolidWorks for ThermoSensing Thesis Director: Vivek Khare Spring 2026 I am a senior here at MSU, studying Mechanical Engineering, with a Minor in Mathematics. I am fascinated by integrating classical engineering solutions with modern material science, and plan on continuing to learn after graduation. During my time at MSU, I have had numerous opportunities to grow as an engineer and designer, ultimately culminating in my work with Dr. Khare. During the process of research and writing this thesis, I have gained invaluable experience and knowledge beyond the scope of any traditional classroom experience. Working under Dr. Khare’s guidance, I have delved deep into cutting edge research on Carbon Nanotubes and the various Buckypaper configurations and taken the SolidWorks platform to its practical limits. I want to thank Dr. Green, Dr. Anderson, and Dr. Clevinger for their additional support in completing the Cursus Honorum. Major: Mechanical Engineering Advice to Future Students: Its all small stuff. Do it anyways. Favorite Memory: Coming back from a dinner break to find a simulation I had struggled with for weeks finally resolved without failures or crashing the software. I danced around the lab at 2:00am
Skye Lilienthal Utilizing Brain Computer Interfaces that Interact with a Virtual Keyboard Thesis Director: Dr. Adam Jones Semester of defense: Spring 2026 Major: Computer Science
About me: As an incoming computer science graduate student, I am focused on developing and researching braincomputer interfaces and VR software and use cases. These interests led me to the Hi5 Lab at MSU and to start my honors thesis on testing BCIs for real-time computer input. MSU has led me to make new friends, pursue research as a career, and taught me to fence at the Dueling Dawgs Fencing Club.
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Christopher Martinez I am an undergraduate student at MSU studying Computer Engineering. While at MSU I discovered a passion for Radar and Counter Unmanned Aerial Systems from my thesis director Dr. John Ball. This led me to research the viability of building a UAS detection system using AI object detection software. Along with my senior design team we developed and built a functioning prototype system that uses stereo camera vision combined with a custom trained AI model to detect drones and other UAS. Throughout this process, I have gained invaluable skills and experience in Counter UAS and AI. This allowed me to expand my skills and knowledge in research and developing prototype and research projects. I would like to thank my Honors Thesis committee, my mentors, and everyone at MSU for giving me the opportunity to conduct my research and explore the topics I am passionate about. Thesis Title: Designing a Vision-Based Artificial Intelligence Detection System for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Semester of Defense: Spring 2026 Thesis Director: Dr. John Ball Major: Computer Engineering
Martin Buck I am an undergraduate at MSU studying biochemistry and microbiology with a minor in Spanish. I intend to go into veterinary epidemiology and will be attending MSU’s vet school after graduation. My time at MSU helped cement my passion for infectious diseases and how they occur. In Spring 2025, I began working under Dr. Brookshire to study antibiotic resistance against β-lactams, the antibiotic class that includes penicillin, and got to experience a much wider range of benchtop work than I would’ve experienced otherwise. This allowed me to become much more comfortable working independently in the lab and made me realize how much I enjoy working in a lab. I also enjoyed getting to see so many different resistances, especially the ones that are kind of terrifying. First, I would like to thank Dr. Brookshire for all the time and effort that he dedicated to me for this experience. I would also like to thank my committee for all their help and for improving my overall experience at MSU!
Thesis Title: Repurposing Dicloxacillin as a β-Lactamase Inhibitor to Restore Cephalosporin Activity Against Gram-Negative Pathogens Semester of Defense: Spring 2026 Thesis Director: Cooper Brookshire Major: Biochemistry and Microbiology
Thesis Title: “Problems at the ‘Hees’”: Oscillating
Racial
Ideologies
During
Militant Protests (1967-1970) Semester of Defense: Spring 2026 Thesis CommiĴee: Dr. Sydney Pullen, Dr. Brian Williams, and Dr. David Hoffman Major: Anthropology
Advice to Future Students: “Read it to the bone.” – Mumia Abu-Jamal
Jacob Matkin I am an undergraduate student at Mississippi State University studying cultural anthropology. I began as an archaeology student but was convinced to “join the dark side” of cultural anthropology by my thesis commi ee chair Dr. Sydney Pullen. My previous interests in social movements in the South was encouraged during my direct independent study with Dr. Pullen in the spring of 2025, and more robustly during my thesis research during the following academic year. My undergraduate focused on the militant protests at Voorhees College, dovetailed my interest in Southern social movements, as well as my burgeoning interest in education and radical pedagogy. This work was not easy, and at times stretched my self-conceived notions of what I was capable of. While transcribing handwri en archival notes, I caught a severe case of senioritis. My advisor, Dr. Pullen, encouraged me to push through and rewarded me with a handmade paper star that said, “I did a great job!” that still hangs on my fridge to this day. The point being, despite hardships, I made invaluable memories and became a be er writer, researcher, and professional for it. This work would also not have been possible without my other commi ee members, Dr. David Hoffman and Dr. Brian Williams, to all of whom I extend my eternal gratitude.
Holden Mattison I am a senior majoring in Political Science with a concentration in Pre-Law and minors in Italian, International Relations, and Philosophy. I have long been interested in the inner workings of government and its responsiveness to the people it serves. Equally compelling to me is the way the public perceives government, which directly inspired my honors thesis. My thesis expands upon a research paper I completed in Dr. Stephen Shaffer’s Political Analysis course, which examined how sex, race, and ideology influence trust in state government. Wanting to broaden the scope of that research, I chose to explore how these same variables affect trust at the national level. Under the guidance of my Thesis Director, Dr. Brian Pugh, one of the most influential mentors during my time at Mississippi State University, I developed this project to better understand the factors that shape public trust in state and national governments. The final product offers insight into the current political climate in the United States and the growing divisions in public confidence toward governing institutions. Studying topics such as these is important because public trust plays a critical role in ensuring democratic participation, protecting political legitimacy, and maintaining the overall effectiveness of government.
Thesis Title: Trust in Government: How Sex, Race, and Ideology Shape Confidence in State and National Officials Semester of Defense: Spring 2026 Thesis Director: Dr. Brian Pugh Major: Political Science (Pre-Law)
Emma Noble Thesis Title: Surrogacy-Friendly State Law: Criteria for Categorizing State Law by Strength of Legal Pathways to Gestational Surrogacy Semester of Defense: Spring 2026 Thesis Director: Whit Waide Major: A&S Economiý and Political Science
I am a senior at Mississippi State double majoring in economics and political science. I have always intended to go to law school after completing my undergraduate degrees, so I took an internship in the legal department of a surrogacy agency one summer. In that role, I was exposed to surrogacy laws across different states, and I became interested in better understanding how the law impacts surrogacy uniquely in each state. This ultimately inspired my Honors Thesis. My thesis summarized the surrogacy laws in each state and then proposed a set of criteria for classifying states by their law’s degree of surrogacy-friendliness. The intention was to create a tool for assessing the legal security of surrogacy in any given state. The entire Cursus Honorum experience encouraged me to take advantage of opportunities that I may not have otherwise, and I could not be more grateful for that. Things like my QUEST courses, studying abroad, and completing a thesis have been some of the highlights of my college experience. The thesis in particular helped me to develop confidence in my writing and presentation skills in an academic setting.
Jewell Norris Implementation and Assessment of the OpenBCI Platform as an Accessible Brain-Computer Interface Thesis Director: Dr. Adam Jones Major: Computer Science, Human and Visual Computing Fall 2025
My freshman year, I joined the High-Fidelity Virtual Environment Lab run by Dr. Adam Jones and learned the world of computer science that intersects with neuroscience. The lab mainly works within the realm of virtual and augmented reality. However, to understand these alternative realities, we must understand how our brains interpret and interact with them, which is where electroencephalogram (EEG) comes in. An EEG records the electrical activity of the brain through the scalp. My thesis was centered around a new option within the field for EEG studies. The OpenBCI platform provides a low-cost, open-source EEG alternative. In this context, open source means the schematics, code, and documentation are all made available to the public for free, allowing for customization, community-driven development, and educational use. Open-source hardware/software is a vital step towards equity in research and can bridge the accessibility gap in professional and academic research. In my implementation and assessment of the OpenBCI platform I evaluated its ability to perform real-time brain computer interface (BCI) control with a game of Tetris and tested the OpenBCI system against a clinical grade system, comparing differences and tradeoffs.
If you are interested in completing a thesis, I highly encourage you. Taking what I learned in class and implementing it within my research helped me learn more than I ever would have in a classroom. Be an advocate for yourself and reach out to that professor you would be interested in working with. And once you start your thesis, start writing as soon as possible (you don’t have to have even started your data collection to write your introduction, background, literature review sections).
Anne Louise Phillips
Anne Louise Phillips is a Graduate of Mississippi State University’s Honor’s College and earned her Bachelor of Arts degree is English with a minor in Creative Writing in 2026. During her time at Mississippi State University, she presented research on modern Shakespeare adaptations, film, and creative writing. She defended her hybrid critical and creative thesis on personal Mississippi-focused creative writing pieces titled “Southern Tongue Unbitten” which explored her own experiences growing up in rural Mississippi. She was employed as a student worker at the Office of Public Affairs, The Mississippi State University Extension Service, and Student Housing. Upon graduating, she is pursuing a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Eastern Kentucky where she intends to study creative writing.
QUINN BETHEA ______________________
Emotion Regulation and Autism: A Literature Review Thesis Director: Dr. Lori Elmore-Staton Spring 2026
As an undergraduate student in the Human Development and Family Studies major, the different aspects of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have intrigued me for some time, partially because of my own experiences as an autistic person. One of the common traits of autism I’ve observed is having difficulty regulating emotions, and under the guidance of my thesis advisor Dr. Lori Elmore-Staton, I conducted a literature review examining the connection between autism and emotion regulation. I searched the databases of the Mississippi State Library and Google Scholar and found that emotion dysregulation is very common with autism, to the extent that it’s being considered making it one of the core aspects of autism. I’m extremely thankful to Dr. Lori Elmore-Staton for being my advisor and to Sydney Yance for assisting Dr. Elmore-Staton. My advice to future students would be to start early, stay on task, and plan for taking more time than you thought would be necessary.
Madeline Raynor Thesis Title: Evaluation of Chemical Contaminants and Heavy Metal Concentrations in Catfish Semester of Defense: Spring 2026 Thesis Director: Dr. Erika Womack Major: Chemical Engineering
I am a chemical engineering student at Mississippi State University with a concentration in biomolecular engineering. In the Spring of 2024, I began my undergraduate research career at the Mississippi State Chemical Laboratory under the guidance of Dr. Erika Womack. During my time at the MSCL, I have conducted research on a variety of environmental toxicology topics such as paraquat contamination in leafy green plants, the invasive species cogongrass, and most importantly, chemical and heavy metal contaminants in catfish. My honors thesis focuses on evaluating contaminant levels in catfish collected from local ponds and grocery stores throughout Mississippi. Using techniques such as QuEChERS extraction, microwave digestion, GC-MS/MS, LC-MS/MS, and ICP-MS analysis, I investigated the presence of pesticides, organic contaminants, and heavy metals in edible fish tissue. Through this research, I have gained valuable experience in analytical chemistry, environmental toxicology, and laboratory instrumentation. I am incredibly grateful to Dr. Womack and everyone at the Mississippi State Chemical Laboratory for their guidance and support throughout this project.
Fair and Balanced, Question More? A Comparative Analysis of Fox News and RT R Sam Spitzer Thesis Director: Dr. Matthew Peaple Spring 2026
After having taken several of Dr. Peaple’s honors seminar classes, we worked together to find a topic of interest for my honors thesis. Initially, I was dead set on writing a paper on corruption in the Russian Federation. However, finding primary sources was difficult, especially because I didn’t speak the language. Dr. Peaple suggested I take a look at Russian state media outlets like RT that created English-language content, and after speaking with one of the RT subject-matter experts, Dr. Stephen Hutchings, I decided to explore the similarities in how RT and Fox News used similar strategies to disseminate their messages.
Major: Accounting Advice to Future Authors: Start reading early to figure out what interests you, and don’t be afraid to reach out to other academics and experts for advice!
Hello, my name is Ty Stricklin. As I write this, I am currently an undergraduate student in my last semester double majoring in history and political science. My thesis discussed various aspects of 16th century English-language texts and how they described the wider world. In essence, I argued that by the 16th century there was a prominent theme within a wide variety of English literatures that sought to present the wider world (be it East Asia, Africa, or the Middle East) as fundamentally different from Europe. At the same time, there was also the creation of a literary narrative within England of England’s own exceptionalism in the face of both Europe, and the wider world as a whole. I got interested in this topic because I wanted to learn more about how Europeans, and especially for this project, Englishmen, understood non-European places. It seems that understanding how Englishmen thought about the abroad during this period, when England was both a junior power in Europe and lacking colonies abroad, would be more interesting than learning about a more established power in the period such as Spain or Portugal. As for some advice, I would encourage anyone thinking about doing an undergraduate thesis to both start early and pick their committee wisely. Picking your committee intelligently can make or break the process, while waiting until the last minute to begin doing work can ruin it. Finally, I hope any honors students reading this truly take the time to enjoy doing an honors thesis. While research is not necessarily always “fun,” there definitely are some projects that are more rewarding than others. I encourage you to select a topic you would legitimately enjoy learning more about and pursuing it. Thesis Director: Dr. Alison Hight Thesis Title: English Exceptionalism, Divine Authority, and the Abroad: The Wider World in the Minds of Englishmen in the 16th and 17th centuries. Semester of Defense: Spring 2026 Majors: History and Political Science
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Alexandra L. Williams THESIS TITLE: SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC IDENTITY AS PREDICTORS OF VOTER V TER VO SUPPORT R FOR GOVERNMENT GOV O ERNMENT POVERTY POV O ERT R Y SPENDING AND REDISTRIBUTION IN MISSISSIPPI: A STUDY D OF MISSISSIPPI POLL RESPONSES THESIS DIRECTOR: DR. DALLAS D LLAS BREEN DA MAJORS: POLITICAL SCIENCE, HISTORY, HISTORY RY, INTERNATIONAL INTERNAT A IONAL STUDIES DEFENDED: SPRING 2026
As a native of Mississippi and an undergraduate student at Mississippi State University, y triple maj a oring in Political a Science, History, y and International a majoring Studies, I am interested in understanding how social a identity and economic conditions shape political a attitudes in my home state. This interest led me to research voter support for f r government poverty spending and redistribution in fo Mississippi. Under the guidance of my thesis director, r Dr. Dallas Dal a las Breen, and committee members Dr. Stephen Shaffer Shaff ffer and Dr. Donald Donal a d Shaffer, Shaff ffer, r I completed an extensive quantitative analysis anal a ysis using pooled data from f om the 2010, 2012, and fr 2014 Mississippi Polls conducted through the Mississippi State University Social a Science Research Center under Dr. Stephen Shaffer. Shaff ffer. Using both bivariate and multivariate statistical a methods, I examined how sex, race, party identifi f cation, income, and education influence infl f uence attitudes toward government identification, spending fo fforr the poor. Final a ly, y I anal a yzed how these variab a les interact to Finally, analyzed variables determine which factors f ctors most strongly predict support for fa f r redistribution fo policies, with particular attention to the relative explanatory power of party identifi f cation compared to demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. identification My honors thesis concluded that while both social a and economic variables variab a les meaningfu f lly shape political a attitudes, party identifi f cation remains the meaningfully identification strongest and most consistent predictor of support for f r government poverty fo spending in Mississippi.
Balee Wilson Thesis Benchtop impaction device replicates impact energy during cadaveric anterior cervical discectomy and fusion f sion (ACDF) fu ( CDF) (A F Thesis Director: Dr. Lauren Priddy Defense: Semester of Defe f nse: Spring 2026 Major: Maj a or: Biomedical Engineering, Pre-Med
Bio I am an undergraduate researcher in the Agricultural Agricult l ural and Biological Engineering Department at MSU. My honors thesis was based on my work in the Priddy Lab, where I studied impact f sion procedures. My main goal was to fu energy during spinal fusion modify f a biomechanical testing model to effectively eff ffectively replicate the energy generated by a surgical mallet during the ACDF procedure. Having been involved with research since the beginning of sophomore year, I gained invaluable skills in analyzing literature and developing testing parameters. My favorite f vorite part of the thesis, fa and my research overall, was participating in cadaver labs and getting gett t ing to see how spinal implants are tested firsthand. f rsthand. fi