Big Ideas!
The annual Honors Thesis Parade streams around the Dimple each spring in a display of unabashed silliness. Students and faculty trick themselves out with all manner of decoration—paper crowns, wizards’ robes, Roman togas, an inflatable squirrel costume and an oversized Zebrafish medallion, to name a few recent fashions.
But the price of admission to participate in the procession is measured in months of serious scholarship. As evidence, we offer a selection of this year’s weighty honors thesis titles.
Passion and Poise: Meter, Context, and Meaning in Catullus Translations of the Twentieth and Twenty-first Centuries
A critical analysis of modern and prominent translations of the Roman rhetorical poet’s works, investigating the influence of modern culture on bringing the ancient works into English. By Maddie Clarkwright ’25
Analysis of Senegal’s Rice Value Chain: Coordination Failures, Naatal Mbay and the Determinants of Smallholder Farm Productivity
An investigation of the challenges confronting Senegal and its rice growers and potential solutions to benefit small farmers and help the country’s rice industry meet the needs of the nation. By Mouhamed Faye ’25
Spilling the Tea On Your Tea: The Antioxidative Properties of Herbal Extracts and Their Effects on Cancer Cell Proliferation
An examination of the antioxidant capacities of herbal extracts and their corresponding effects on the proliferation of breast cancer cells. By Trisha Harithsa ’25
Seasonal Species Composition and Infestation Rates of Shell-Boring Polychaetes in the Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea virginica)
A study identifying the shell-boring worms (through DNA barcoding) infesting oysters in the Herring River estuary of Wellfleet, Mass., as well as the environmental factors that exacerbate the problem. By Ava Sheedy ’25
Mammal and Bird Occurrence and Activity Patterns in the Anthony Lawrence Wildlife Preserve in Southeastern Massachusetts
An examination of how human activity affects mammal and bird species richness and activity patterns at the Anthony Lawrence Wildlife Preserve in southeastern Massachusetts. By Allen Zhang ’25
Poetry of a Young Woman: An Exploration of Feminism
An analysis of the key issues that arise in poetry in relation to womanhood, feminism and identity in critical essays, poetry and literary theory, along with original poems exploring those perspectives. By Emily Zielinski ’25
