Previous Honors Summer Research Projects

Summer 2012

Spencer Beall, Class of 2014
Faculty sponsor: Professor Marie-Thérèse Killiam
Literary commentaries from historic writers and art critics not only inspire people to view works of art from new perspectives, but also capture cultural history in the same manner as the artworks themselves. I wish to continue a project that I have been collaborating on with Dr. Marie-Thérèse Killiam involving the meticulous selection and translation of art commentaries from pre-twentieth century French writers and critics. I will continue to carefully choose and translate commentaries that are meaningful in their illumination of society’s reactions to the beginnings of artistic movements, social and cultural norms that have changed overtime, and the natures of how certain artworks continue to influence the public. There are many other important tasks within this project that I will fulfill, including researching the artworks that each critic discusses, and locating high-quality images of the artworks and their copyright information so that the project will be ready for publication.

CJ Campbell, Class of 2013
Faculty sponsor: Professor Tony Lilly
The image of the witch in Renaissance literature can be see to reflect social anxieties surrounding the inadequate execution of the binary gender roles of the time, and more specifically the switching back and forth between masculine and feminine roles. For my Summer Honors research project I aim to apply Judith Butler’s theory on Gender Performativity through a close reading of William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth,”Thomas Middleton’s “The Witch of Edmonton,” John Marston’s “The Tragedy of Sophonisba,”and Ben Johnson’s “The Masque of Queens”. This exploration will also look into the previous research done on witchcraft, and among the scholars I will be looking at will be Keith Thomas, Christina Larner, Elizabeth Reis, and E.J. Kent. With this research I intend to identify the similarities in the literary depiction of gender instability of the witch and its relevance to the importance that gender schemata play in society.

Lydia Ethridge, Class of 2015
Faculty sponsor: Professor Lynn Laufenberg
For Summer Honors Research, I intend to take an interdisciplinary approach to examining the domestic religious policies of Cardinal de Richelieu. As the First Chief Minister of France under King Louis XIII from 1624 to 1642, Richelieu held France’s future almost wholly in his hands in a time of internal religious warfare. My project will examine how this extremely powerful man dealt with the continued plague of the armed and powerful religious faction of the Protestant Calvinist Huguenots in traditionally Roman Catholic France by examining the primary sources written during his ministry in their original French.

Phoebe Jiang, Class of 2014
Faculty sponsor: Professor Camillia Smith Barnes
This research examines the definition and properties of Catalan numbers in order to give people an understandable description of this sequence of natural numbers, with a view to the rich variety of applications generated by Catalan numbers that occur in different counting problems. For this project, I will choose what I see as the three most representative types of applications of Catalan numbers: polygon triangulation, binary paths and trees, and posets. I will provide additional background information about posets, also referred to as partially ordered sets, because they comprise an important concept in mathematics in their own right. The main purpose of this research is to explore how Catalan numbers are applied in various cases and to produce an accessible write-up that can be understood by undergraduates and nonmathematicians alike.

A-Joo Kim, Class of 2013
Faculty sponsor: Professor Padmini Coopamah
The outbreak of the Korean War in 1950 divided Korea into North and South and it continues to be the only divided country left in the world. Although there have been many attempts to bring North and South Korea together, in recent years, they have fallen to a status where it is now even harder to bring the two sides to a negotiation table. In this project I will carry out in-depth case studies on the unification of Germany, Yemen and Vietnam to compare their experience with reunification. I will derive characteristics and processes that make a smooth and successful reunification more likely. By analyzing and comparing these four cases, this project attempts to deduce an ideal process for North and South Korea to go through for a successful reunification.

Hannah Male, Class of 2013
Faculty sponsor: Professor Kate Chavigny                                           
I would like to look at the rules and regulations of Sweet Briar College. I would begin with the first class and continue on until a graduating class in the 1940s or 1950s. I would also like to look at images from this same period of time. My starting assumption, which may disproved (or not) depending on what I find in the archive, is that because Sweet Briar is an all girls college it functions in some ways like a microcosm of the outside world. Based on this assumption and the resources found in the archives (both images and primary documents having to do with rules and regulations I would then attempt to discover and understand how the wider world outside of Sweet Briar College viewed women in general and their proper roles in society.

Caitlin Playle, Class of 2013
Faculty sponsor: Professor Lynn Laufenberg
During the Honors Summer Research Program I propose to continue the work I began while abroad transcribing and translating some of the stories from Adomnan's Vitae Sancta Columba in particular those having to do with the Picts and Pictland. In addition to transcribing and translating the manuscript I would complete research on the history of the manuscript, its scribe, the subject of the manuscript, etc. The result of my research would be an edition of sections of the Vitae Sancta Columba which I would compare with published editions.

Ellen Reid, Class of 2012
Faculty Sponsor: Professor Paige Critcher
The purpose of my research will be to study site-specific installation art. I intend to use the old bistro for the location of the completed work. The construction of a unique environment as the artwork would utilize mediums including video installation, sound composition, and sculptural techniques. Through this research, I hope to create an environmental atmosphere as well a sensory experience for the viewer. I will investigate and challenge concepts such as one’s conceived notions of expectation, completion, presence and absence.

Rachael Stein, Class of 2013
Faculty sponsor: Professor Padmini Coopamah
The developed world gives over $150 billion dollars in international aid annually, but the question is if that money is being used wisely. Using case studies and the hands-on opportunity that Professor Coopamah’s development project will provide in South Africa, I want to investigate where development aimed at education can be linked with marked improvements, where the money has seemed to disappear, and where theoretically solid projects and policies fell flat. I will look at developing countries and those states that seem to be regressing in economic and human development terms. I will use qualitative studies in the form of journal articles and reports from aid agencies and quantitative research that indicates increased educational opportunities to determine what has been most successful in promoting education. The goal is to see where the level of education has been increased and what correlation it may have with economic growth.

Summer 2011

Katie Bitting, class of 2013    
The goal of this project is to synthesize a derivative of inotilone , a 3(2H)-furanone, in the laboratory. Once synthesized, the inotilone derivative can later be tested for COX-2 inhibiting abilities and anti-cancer properties.
Faculty sponsor: Dr. Abraham Yousef (chemistry)

Morgan Franke, class of 2013
The purpose of my project will be to investigate how the environment influences dimorphism in plant size and flower number. I will visit multiple locations where tall meadow rue is known to grow and collect data on plant characteristics and environmental conditions.
Faculty sponsor: Dr. Janet Steven (biology)

Caitlin M. Jones, class of 2013           
As an extention of the Materials Science and Engineering course I am currently taking with Professor Bethany Brinkman, I would like to do further research, particularly dealing with historic materials and their properties.  This work would be in conjunction with the archaeology department, the engineering department, and possibly the Tusculum Institute.
Faculty sponsor: Bethany Brinkman (engineering)

Holley Ledbetter, class of 2012
The medieval period witnessed a rise in the patron’s desire to produce images in which he or she bears a visual rendering of his or her donation.  In religious spaces, we often find mosaic, glass, or sculptural depictions of the patron bearing an architectural model of the commission, frequently offering it to a saint, the Virgin, or Christ.  Scholars have long been enamored by the similarities and differences between these models and the finished products.  I, however, am interested in the social role of these images. Engaging with the literary idea that these images were tokens of some kind, my research explores several case studies to elucidate the nuances of this image type.
Faculty sponsors: Dr. Tracy Hamilton (art history) and Dr. Anthony Lilly (English)

Sarah Lindemann, class of 2013         
Using field observations and measurements of stream channel form, I will investigate the impact of historic mill dam sites on small streams in both the Blue Ridge and western Piedmont regions of Amherst County.  First, I will learn to recognize and measure the extent of mill pond sediments, then I will use quantitative measurements of channel slope, width, depth, sinuosity, etc., to determine whether the former presence of a mill dam has an impact on the modern stream channel.
Faculty sponsor: Dr. Rebecca Ambers (environmental studies)

Katherine Macklin, class of 2013
I intend to evaluate the effectiveness of exclusion fencing and streamside tree planting best management practices (BMPs) at minimizing the impact of cattle grazing on the water quality and channel form of streams in central Virginia.  Field sites will be located in Amherst County where the county watershed coordinator for the Robert E. Lee Soil and Water Conservation District, Anne Marie Clarke, has assisted farmers in implementing BMPs in recent years.  Methods I will employ include measurements of channel form and indicators of water quality, including width/depth ratio, entrenchment ratio, bank angle, channel and water slope, bed particle size, nutrients, bacteria, and turbidity.
Faculty sponsor: Dr. Rebecca Ambers (environmental studies)

Jodie Stevenson, class of 2012
The general goal of this project is to identify characteristics of Sweet Briar students that are predictive of negative outcomes and to provide guidance as to how to proactively mitigate such outcomes. It is hoped that this project will demonstrate the usefulness of incorporating ideas from psychology into theory driven, college-wide assessment. This research first aims to characterize the student population from a developmental perspective that focuses on the construct of attachment. The clinical literature will then be consulted in order to develop and propose inexpensive, unobtrusive, and proactive methods specifically tailored to promote the well-being and retention of Sweet Briar students.
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Dan Gottlieb and Dr. Tim Loboschefski, (psychology)

Jennifer Will, class of 2013    
The term "tyrant" was introduced in ancient Greek philosophy to describe any ruler who assumes power through unconventional means, but its implications were neither negative nor positive. Today, the word has a much stronger meaning, suggesting a disregard for the rights of citizens and a general inclination to cruelty. By looking at ancient writings, such as Plato's Republic, and modern writings, such as Hannah Arendt's Origins of Totalitarianism, I will investigate how the concept of tyranny has changed since ancient times, and whether or not we can apply ancient ideas about tyranny to oppressive regimes in the 20th and 21st centuries.  
Faculty co-sponsors: Dr. Eric Casey (classics) and Dr. Kevin Honeycutt (philosophy)

Summer 2010

Rachel Akers - Class of 2012
Faculty sponsors: Prof. Kevin S. Honeycutt (philosophy) and Prof. Eric Casey (classics)

Most political thinkers saw Spartan and Greek governments as role models. The Framers of the American Constitution used the Roman Republic as a basis for setting up their own government, despite its collapse into the Roman Empire. By using philosophy and examining both ancient and modern texts, I will investigate the potential reasoning behind the Framers’ decisions of basing their new government on a republican platform that fell centuries before them.

Kathryn Alexander – Class of 2011
Faculty sponsor: Prof. Padmini Coopamah (government and international affairs)

This semester, through American University’s Washington Semester Program, I am examining four countries through in-depth case studies in order to discover which facets of democracy are universal, which are relative, and which are absolutely necessary for the survival of all of these modern democratic systems. My summer research would build upon my findings from this semester (which will examine France, Turkey, Romania, and India) by adding observations from two more qualitative case studies (which will add geographic diversity to the qualitative data set with an African country—Botswana--as well as a Latin American country) and conducting a cross-sectional time-series analysis (which will test my previous findings on a larger data set across time and space).

Lauren Babineau - Class of 2012
Faculty sponsor: Prof. Laura Reinert (English)

The myth of Cupid and Psyche is the beginning of a long history of “Beastly Bridegroom” tales, which include East of the Sun, West of the Moon, De Beaumont’s Beauty and the Beast, and C.S. Lewis’ Till We Have Faces. For my Summer Honors Research project I intend to trace the history and relevance of these “Beast” stories and I will consider why the story has remained relevant throughout time and across cultures. My research will also consult scholarly works by Jerry Griswold, Betsy Hearne, Jack Zipes, Bruno Bettelheim, Maria Tatar, and Vladimir Propp to name a few. This project will examine what has remained the same in these tales and what varies cross-culturally and to that end I will establish the commonalities in the stories and propose why these elements are important to cross-cultural concerns. I will also work towards accounting for the differences in these tales.

Ashley Carpenter – Class of 2012
Faculty Sponsor: Prof. Abraham Yousef (chemistry)

Inotilone is a natural product that was isolated from the mushroom Inonotus sp. and found to be a COX-2 inhibitor. While COX-2 inhibitors have been utilized in anti-inflammatory drugs, the focus is currently on their activities towards cancer prevention.  The goal of this research is to synthesize an inotilone derivative, which will be evaluated for equally promising treatments in medicine.  Previous SBC research students have made progress with the synthesis of other inotilone derivatives; more generally known as 3(2H)-furanones, and the goal of this research will be to continue that work.  If successful, the compound will be tested for its medicinal properties and possible uses as anticancer agents in clinical studies at Virginia Tech.

Sarah Lightbody - Class of 2012
Faculty sponsor: Prof. Scott Pierce (engineering)
My project will be a continuation of the prosthetic hand research that was started as part of the SHRP last summer. Currently, the hand design consists of fingers and an actuator.  My portion of the project will be to design and construct an opposable thumb. This is a particularly difficult problem since the base of a thumb must rotate simultaneously about two coincident axes.

Melaina Macone - Class of 2011
Faculty sponsor: Prof. Abraham Yousef (chemistry)

The purpose of this research is to synthesize a natural product derivative based on the structure of inotilone, a metabolite from the mushroom Inonotus sp. found to possess anti-inflammatory properties as a cyclooxygenase (COX-2) inhibitor.  COX-2 is an enzyme responsible for inflammation and pain, in addition to the production of prostacyclins, hormones that regulate platelet aggregation and the relaxation of blood vessels.  COX-2 has also been found to induce the growth and metastasis of cancerous cells.  Some potent, well-known COX-2 inhibitors such as VioxxÒ and CelebrexÒ have been found to increase the risk of adverse cardiovascular effects.  Because inotilone has a lower potency than Celebrex and Vioxx, it could be less likely to elevate such risks.  Therefore the goal of this research is to synthesize an inotilone derivative with the potential for anti-cancer benefits.  

Huma Manati – Class of 2011
Faculty sponsor: Prof. Lynn Laufenberg (history)

Summer 2009

Courtney Cunningham
Faculty sponsor: Prof. Eric Casey (classics)
The division between mortality and immortality in the ancient Mediterranean was neither stable nor static; there were numerous immortal beings that shared the world with humans, but their status was by no means exclusive. One of my main interests is the transitional period between the mythological past and the Hellenistic Age, when the religious and political barriers between man and god began to erode. The project will begin by looking at the original concept of the semi-divine hero and then tracking the development of the religious movement known as “hero cults” that spread throughout the classical Greek world.

Laura Hanold, Class of 2010
Faculty sponsor: Prof. Abraham Yousef (chemistry)
The purpose of this research is to synthesize 3(2H)-furanones and study their photochemical properties. The proposed research is a continuation of the honors summer research performed in 2008, in which 2-benzylidene-5-methyl-3(2H)-furanone was successfully synthesized and later shown to possess potential anti-diphtheria properties.

MaryAnne Haslow Hall, Class of 2010
Faculty sponsor: Prof. Scott Pierce (engineering)
This summer I propose to design and construct a prototype of a prosthetic hand. The hand will be made of plastic parts and will have fully-articulated joints and tendons. The thumb and index finger of the hand will be driven and controlled using closed-loop, DC servomotor system. My work will build on research that has been started by a group called the Open Prosthetics Project.

Maggie Mae Nase, Class of 2010
Faculty sponsors: Professors Christian Carr (arts management) and Carrie Brown (creative writing)
The ultimate goal of this project is to produce a critical biography of Daisy Williams, daughter of Indiana Fletcher Williams, who founded Sweet Briar College in Daisy's memory. Original documents concerning Daisy will be organized, other critical adolescent biographies will be read, and critical sources concerning child biography and life during the turn of the century will be considered before a critical, academic biography of Daisy is written.

Tiffany Rapetsky, Class of 2011
Faculty sponsors: Professors Pam DeWeese and Margaret Stanton (modern languages and literature)
This summer I will be studying the field and process of translation as well as the works of Spanish author Ana Maria Matute. While researching both the subtleties of translation and the intricacies of Matute's children's literature, I will be working to produce an original translation of a piece by Matute as well.

Tania Salas-Platt, Class of 2010
Faculty sponsor: Prof. Bill Kershner (theater)
My Honors summer research project “Desvelada” consists of a play I am writing based on the last few days in the life of Dolores Veintimilla, a female Ecuadorian poet, from the 19th century. This is a play about life, love, poetry, ideals, politics, power and death. It is a play about the struggle and suffering of a woman to make her voice heard in a conservative, intolerant society.

Caroline Sapp, Class of 2009
Faculty sponsor: Prof. John Ashbrook (history)
Today Spain is considered one of the “problematic” member states of the EU, bringing personal agendas to the table, that inhibit progress. My project seeks to gain an understanding of the current political situation in Spain, and how Spain’s historical domestic conditions have affected its agenda within the EU, specifically its objection to the further enlargement of membership.

Sarah Strapp, Class of 2010
Faculty sponsor: Prof. Tracy Hamilton (art history)
My Summer Honors Research is exploring and experimenting with 12th to 15th century manuscript production in Europe. I will be practicing the techniques including the manufacture of papers, inks, and paints in historically accurate methods. I will apply these skills by making replicas of manuscript pages from selected texts: one in Latin, one in Arabic, and one in Hebrew.

Summer 2008

Carolanne Bonanno, Class of 2009
Faculty sponsor: Prof. Paige Critcher, Studio Art
The archaic photographic process called bromoil has existed for an entire century, yet only a small number of people practice it today. The purpose of my research will be to learn the techniques and nuances of the process in the interest of creating fine art. I also hope to explore unconventional subject matter in my photographs while maintaining technical excellence.

Petra Dacheva, Class of 2009
Faculty sponsor: Prof. Eugene Gotwalt, Economics
The theme of my Honors Research is the method of implementing the power of microfinance to defeat global poverty and empower women. Microfinance has for some time been the established tool for fighting poverty- it consists of giving small amount credits to entrepreneurs in developing countries in order for them to realize their business plans. My research will focus on the different forms of microfinance, its profitability, and the various microcredit institutions.

Maxine Emerich, Class of 2010
Faculty sponsor: Prof. Scott Pierce, Engineering
This summer I propose to perform research and development work on a six-degree-of-freedom robot. This robot is to be used to automatically manufacture nano-scale films on glass slides as part of Dr. Yochum’s nanotechnology research. The robot will be used to automate highly repetitive tasks that are currently being performed by hand.

Laura Hanold, Class of 2010
Faculty sponsor: Prof. Abraham Yousef, Chemistry
The purpose of this research is to synthesize 3(2H)-furanones and study their photochemical properties. The idea is based on the recent discovery of inotilone, a chemical that has been found to be a selective inhibitor of the enzymes cyclooxygenase (COX) and xanthine oxidase (XO), which are responsible for inflammatory responses in rheumatoid arthritis and gouty arthritis, respectively.

Katelyn James, Class of 2011
Faculty sponsor: Prof. Dorsa Sanadgol, Engineering
The goal of my research project is to develop a new method for increasing the performance and efficiency of turbomachineries. The method involves the use of an electrostatic boost that is mediated by an electric field internal to the compressor system. The hypothesis is that an electret coating on the blades of the impeller will couple the gas closer to the impeller surface, thus providing for an increase in the pressure ratio achieved during the gas compression process.

Brittany Patterson, Class of 2009
Faculty sponsor: Prof. Kimberly Dukes, Anthropology
I will explore the factors that determine access to the cultural knowledge that is believed by the Dogon people of Mali to be embodied in their art. I will also investigate the possible relationship between gender and the accessibility of "secret" cultural knowledge within Dogon society. This research question will be examined through the analysis of three examples of Dogon art: a mask, a wooden sculpture, and a granary door.

Cynthia Roden, Class of 2010
Faculty sponsor: Prof. Eugene Gotwalt, Economics
Suicide is commonly studied in psychological terms but the economic and sociological factors that influence this ultimate opportunity cost are often ignored. This study will form a regression equation that uses economic and sociological variables to predict the suicide rate in US counties.

Lara Slough, Class of 2010
Faculty sponsor: Prof. John Morrissey, Biology
This summer I will study the digestive system and prepare a basic histology, or study of the tissues, of Scyliorhinus retifer. I will obtain insight into the biology of this species by observing its organs and tissues.

Jessie Waitt, Class of 2009
Faculty sponsor: Prof. John Morrissey, Biology
The placoid scales that cover the body of sharks have long been used to distinguish one shark species from another. This practice assumes that all scales on the body of a single shark do not vary in shape during the life of the individual shark. The overall objective of this research project is to compare and analyze the shape of placoid scales from different areas of a shark’s body to determine if predicted variation is present. Jessie Waitt was also awarded a Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges Summer Research Fellowship to support this project.

Laurel Watts, Class of 2009
Faculty sponsor: Prof. Debbie Kasper, Sociology
Within the field of Sociology, effort has been made to understand how contemporary evangelicalism has been able to maintain influence despite the contradicting ideologies of modernity. This study will duplicate the work of Christian Smith, examining the religious strength of nearby Lynchburg, Virginia’s evangelical community and will attempt to explain its vitality with the Competitive Marketing Theory.

Elizabeth Zuckerman, Class of 2009
Faculty sponsor: Prof. Carrie Brown, Creative Writing
This summer I will be working on a novel from the point of view of Ophelia, the tragic and mysterious heroine of Shakespeare's "Hamlet." The novel will offer possible explanations for the actions and motivations of the play's characters, as well as telling the story of a young woman we know little about.