HSF is a summer's focus on your thesis, with research, faculty talks, student gatherings, public scholarship and more!

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Meet Our 2012 Honors Summer Fellows

Abigail Meert This summer I'll be researching anti-war sentiment in the American 1930s. In my research, I hope to uncover a trajectory to the movement which not only proves the existence of an anti-war majority, but one that reveals a foundation in WWI disillusionment and parallels the rising political tensions in Europe and Asia during the decade.

Zoom Around HSF Abby Meert's Prezi

	Austin Kozlowski For my honors thesis in sociology, I am examining the relationship between agricultural mechanization and participation in capitalist markets in the Chitwan Valley region of Nepal. Through an analysis of longitudinal survey data, I hope to discover if the adoption of modern farm technology is helping to fuel a transition in economic behavior from subsistence to market orientation. Specifically, I will explore the possibility that the adoption of agricultural technology by a few households can cause an entire neighborhood to shift from subsistence economy to a market economy.
	Becky Lau My research focuses on the interplay of empathy, intergroup interactions, and meta-stereotypes. Empathy can either be harmful or helpful in intergroup interactions because meta-stereotypes (worries regarding negative evaluation by out-group members) are triggered to different extents.  For example, when lower prejudiced people empathize with racial out-group partners, they try less hard to be sensitive because of overly complacent views of how non-prejudiced they appear. However, hardships related to racism disclosed by the partner buffer against the negative effects of empathy by signaling a potential for appearing insensitive.
	Blythe Moreland My project involves using the methods of network theory, where one describes a system of interactions and the organization therein, to astrophysical objects such as galaxy clusters.  I wish to explore how these methods can describe a system of gravitationally interacting galaxies and parse their structure as a cluster evolves.
	Brittany Smith My study will document the experience of one Black male corporate leader of one legal case, with the experience of a White business leader in another case. With the convictions for white collar crimes being the same, I am interested in how both men are treated and penalized within the same criminal justice system when class status is the same, and race is different. I hope to demonstrate that systematically, the criminal justice system has (un)intended racial consequences that are so deeply entrenched that the interpretation of the laws punishing white collar crime disproportionately treat, sentence, and punish business leaders differently based on  racial identities.
	Cydney Seigerman Due to the abundance and strength of C–H bonds in organic molecules, it is difficult to achieve site-selective C–H functionalization during organic synthesis. Current work in the Sanford group involves the use of oxime ethers to direct Palladium-catalyzed C-H functionalization with a high degree of site selectivity. Because the oxime auxiliary essential to these reactions may not be a desired component of the final product, the objective of my project is to develop a novel and synthetically useful methodology to cleave the N–O bond of oxime ethers in order to recover the alcohol-derived substrate.

	Damia December I am looking into the relationship between surviving parental coping and child coping in families that have lost a parent. Data is currently being collected and I would like to start preliminary statistical analysis to see what relationships exist between the these variables.
	Daniel Lyons Cryptococcus neoformans is an opportunistic fungal pathogen that is a major cause of central nervous system-related deaths, especially in HIV/AIDS patients.  We find that three recently identified cryptococcal virulence factors differentially modulate lung immune responses and brain dissemination to enhance C. neoformans growth within the host.
	Dave Hopkins In this project, I seek to put forth an argument supporting marriage equality from a contractarian (social contract theory) perspective. I intend to show that there are no reasons to reject marriage equality according to this theory that largely makes up the structure of American society.
	David Catalan For my thesis, I am investigating why the Community Mental Health Centers Act of 1963 was successfully passed into legislation by Congress.  I am using a historical approach to connect this case study with broader theories on the sociology of policy, ideas, and culture.
	Elizabeth Lalley For my thesis, I'm hoping to look at who exactly Darwin was as a writer. I plan on looking at what/who influenced him in terms of literature (i.e. what he was reading during his voyages), the struggles he experienced as a writer, and what it all means in terms of fitting language to the natural world.

	Emily Buttigieg I am exploring the role of Tsix non-coding RNA in X-Chromosome Inactivation.  More specifically, I am generating and optimizing a novel protocol for creating single stranded RNA probes in order to perform RNA Fluorescent in situ hybridization.  I will use the probes I generate to explore the state of Tsix at the 4.5 day stage of embryonic development in the mouse embryo.
	Emily Slade Functional data analysis is a new and incredibly useful tool in statistics that involves using the smooth nature of curves fit to a wide range of data to study information reflected in their derivatives.  By fitting microscopic curves to the cell wall of bacteria, the goal of this project is to be able to identify different species of bacteria through statistics.
	Ian Nilsen As nano machines become increasingly complex, it is important to study the simple examples given to us by nature. Benzene chromium tricarbonyl (BCT) is one such example of a very simple molecular rotor, which can actually rotate with only the energy provided by the environment. I study the reaction dynamics of BCT with a combination of ultrafast 2DIR spectroscopy and computer simulations.
	Jennifer Xu My project is on the works of German writer W.G. Sebald and the ways in which they work with architecture, the brain, and human anatomy to somehow narrate and also repair the body/soul following a great tragedy.
	Laura Torp While I’m still narrowing down my exact thesis topic, I will be investigating the role binary oppositions and paradoxes play in constructing fantastic moments in literature, perhaps specifically in regard to gender roles. I hope to include elements of both literary theory as well as relatively formalist close readings of fantastic moments in poetry and prose.

	Leah Burgin My thesis will focus on the fields of underwater archaeology and cultural resource management. In particular, I'm studying Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary in Alpena, MI to learn more about how this wonderful resource is preserving Great Lakes sunken vessels for archaeological study and for the public.
	Lily Zhang Proper synapse formation is critical for the functioning of the brain, and synapse formation is mediated by an exchange of molecular signals between pre- and postsynaptic structures. Signal regulatory protein α (SIRPα), a transmembrane protein, has been identified as a target-derived molecular signal that acts to maturate the presynaptic terminal through the neural activity-dependent cleavage and release of its extracellular domain. Current studies aim to identify the signalling pathways involved in inducing SIRPα cleavage and to elucidate how SIRPα maturates the presynaptic terminal.
	Lyndsey Twining My thesis title is "Nation Branding in South Korea: The Mapping of "Koreanness" and its Consequences."  My research hopes to explore the relationship between nation branding and social media in South Korea. I plan to look at online interactions between official government social media sites and fans to better understand the ways in which the government is trying to shape national image.
	Mallory Edel My thesis is looking at the formation, and eventual fatigue, of the breast cancer awareness campaign. I am focusing on the motivations for major companies to align themselves with the once stigmatized disease and the associated symbolism of the pink ribbon.
	Mary Walle In the 1980s the United States government denied Central Americans fleeing violence in their countries entrance to the U.S., despite being recognized internationally as refugees. Beginning in Tucson, AZ religious and secular groups formed the Sanctuary Movement, which aided these migrants in crossing the U.S.-Mexico border and finding asylum in the United States. I will be researching the Sanctuary Movement specifically in Detroit in order to further our understanding of how the Sanctuary Movement contributed to  changing notions of citizenship and beginning conversations about modern day transnational human rights.
	Mia Kelly The human gastrointestinal (GI) tract contains trillions of diverse microorganisms including many that aid in the digestion of complex carbohydrates. My thesis project focuses on the lateral gene transfer as well as the evolution of glycan degradation functions between different bacterial species.
	Rebecca Gleit I am working to develop a mathematical model for human sleep patterns. With this, I will analyze entrainment, desynchrony, and the circadian influence on REM-sleep patterning.
	Rebecca Guerriero My research looks at the perceptions, motivations, and expectations of golfers and golf course management pertainging to sustainable golf course design and management strategies. I have distinguished a triple bottom line for golf courses, dubbed the "3Es," that each course should consider in its daily practices: the environment, the economy, and the enjoyment of golfers. A focus on the enjoyment of golfers through surveys and interviews at the environmentally-conscious Radrick Golf Course in Ann Arbor, MI, and other sustainably-minded courses throughout Michigan, will provide data for opinion analysis to generate recommendations for future sustainable golf course strategies.
	Stephanie Berger My thesis research focuses on gender and identity reconstruction of ancient peoples using mortuary analysis of material goods and the osteological analysis of human remains. Gender plays a huge role in structuring the social, political, economic, and religious institutions of any culture, and I want to combine mortuary and osteological data to look at these institutions in Native North American cultures; specifically, the change in gender representations through burial programs and skeletal differences between sexes from the Middle to Late Woodland period in the Midwest.
	Young-Min Cho My project will be studying how gender affects international students intentions to stay in America or return back to their native countries after graduating from an American college or university.