It is December, and to ask what most Honors College seniors have been doing to this point in the semester, the answer would be simple: they are working on their senior thesis. Currently, the Honors College has 135 students working to complete their senior thesis projects before the end of the academic year. Some will continue to labor through the holidays; others will take some time off to recharge their intellectual batteries and return revitalized to make the final push to the finish line. With this issue, we are pleased to have four Honors College seniors sharing their thesis writing experiences. Talaya M. McCright-Gill, Marlow Allyce Duffy, Montana Burns, and Jacqueline Anne Maisonpierre are each at various stages of their project. Marlow announces that she has already finished hers, whereas the others are at the mid-point in theirs.
In addition to the four seniors, we are pleased to include another faculty mentor in the mix of 'Front Lines' voices. Lisa Schnell, Interim Dean of the Honors College, and a professor in the English Department, offers cogent advice to all thesis writers who may be experiencing the middle-passage blues.
As you read these 'Front Line' reports, we know you will be impressed with the ambitious scope of each student's research project, the diligence they showed in finding both a topic and mentor, and the single minded focus each maintains as they continue to work toward completion of their thesis.
We think as well that the advice offered in this series of 'Front Lines' reports will be a valuable resource for those who will be writing their thesis in the future. To that end, we are planning at the end of the academic year to make available to Honors College students all the reports we receive from students and mentors in one online file that can be accessed and read by all.
Thanks to the four seniors that contributed to this article:
Thesis title: "Brain Processing of Emotional Information in Transgender Individuals"
Mentors: Julie Dumas, Psychiatry, and Larry Rudiger, Psychology
Major: Psychology and Sociology
Background: My home is Brooklyn, NY. I am currently applying for Teach for America, and hope to teach after graduation. I love basketball and my favorite player is Shaquille O'Neal.
When I began the thesis process in January of this year (2008) I had no idea what I wanted to do it on, but I lucked out and my topic sort of just fell into my lap. I have been working for the Clinical Neuroscience Research Unit since my freshman year and during my time there they have conducted various clinical trials exploring memory functioning with the use of functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI). So, when it was time to begin my senior thesis it was only natural that it involves memory and the use of fMRI. While discussing my thesis ideas with my boss and mentor we decided to incorporate transgender individuals into my thesis. After some research and much thought we finally came up with a topic.
For my senior thesis I am conducting a brain imaging study to examine the emotional memory and related brain activation in transgender individuals in order to learn more about the relationship between gender, hormones and the sexually dimorphic pattern of brain activation observed for remembering emotional information. We are looking to see if transgender individuals have brain lateralization in congruence with their gender identity rather than their biological sex.
Since my thesis involves the use of human participants I have had to apply for IRB approval which is something that many students writing a thesis will not have to do. The IRB process was very intense for me. I had to fill out an extensive application that required me to clearly define the reasons for the study, how we were going to implement the study, the criteria we would use to include and exclude participants, as well as background information that supported my hypothesis. I also had to explain the precautions we had taken to ensure participant safety. Finally I had to write a consent form clearly explaining the study and the possible benefits and risks for participants. After I completed the application, the IRB board had to discuss my work and then they sent me questions which required that I resubmit my proposal with the revisions and answers to their questions before I could receive approval from the IRB. It took me a total of about two months to complete the application, wait for it to be viewed and submit the revisions which also had to be reviewed, before I was able to get IRB approval and start recruiting.
I am currently still recruiting for my thesis and I have scanned 4 participants in the MRI machine to date. As for the writing part of the thesis I have completed two sections thus far, the abstract and methods sections. I would suggest that you break your thesis down into sections and write them separately bit by bit as you go along throughout the year. By doing this it should make the task of writing such a long paper less daunting. At least it has for me.
Thesis title: "Exploring Marketing Strategies for Agricultural Tourism Farmers in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the State of Vermont"
Mentor: Kathleen Liang, Community Development & Applied Economics
Major: Community and International Development ’09, with minors in Community Entrepreneurship and Nutrition and Food Science
Background: My home town is Carlisle, Massachusetts. After graduation I hope to work in an agriculturally based field, such as rural development in the New England area. Currently, I would love to work for the USDA, but I am keeping my options open and hope to begin job searching this winter break.
I recently finished my Honors College thesis in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences under the Community Development and Applied Economics Department, in which I was granted Distinguished Undergraduate Research. The entire thesis process from start to finish took about three semesters.
The summer before my junior year I contacted the department chair by email, told her I was interested in agricultural research, and asked for mentor suggestions. She emailed me a list of CDAE professors I should contact. After I found my mentor, Professor Kathleen Liang, who was a professor of mine in the past, I began to feel secure. I had someone who I could brainstorm ideas with and I was on my way towards choosing a thesis topic.
Under CALS I was required to take an HCOL class for juniors whose purpose was to help juniors choose a thesis topic and advise on how the process works. That class was crucial in the planning and execution of my thesis. Thanks to that class and Professor Brenda Tessmann, HCOL Director for CALS, I knew the thesis timeline and I was able to attend a Distinguished Undergraduate Research thesis defense.
A thesis contains the four phases of planning, executing, writing, and polishing. Every thesis process varies between colleges at UVM, but the basic requirements are the same. First, it must be independent; second it must relate to your major; and third it must be approved. When I first read the word independent I thought, there is no way I can do research all alone! Do not worry as I did, this is not what that word means. Independence is defined by how involved the student is in the project. If it is lab work you are cleaning the test tubs. If it is surveying, you are administering the surveys. If it is a play, you are writing it. Your mentor is there to support and guide you and can be involved, but you make the final call on issues related to your project. Do it, love it, own it!
The second and third requirements are self explanatory and should not be shocking. Getting approval for your project is not designed to be difficult. UVM looks forward to students being active in undergraduate research and the professors and faculty want you to succeed. In order to ensure your project is not too broad and to ensure it is feasible, it must be approved by your department.
Let me be honest in saying I am exceedingly pleased that I chose to write an undergraduate thesis. This is not to say there were no gloomy times, in fact there were many gloomy times. Thanks to the professors and faculty I was fortunate enough to be surrounded by, I was able to push through the taxing moments. It is imperative that you seek to surround yourself with professors, faculty, and fellow students that are rooting for you. I did not know where to find professors who would be interested in my research, but my mentor did. The more I talked about my topic, the more surprised I was by the people and tools available to help.
The second imperative point is that you have a passion for what you will be spending at least a few months working on. When you find a mentor and they agree to work with you, do not let them infringe upon your ideas. Let them help smooth out your ideas, but not force an idea upon you. If that happens, choose a different mentor. No hard feelings; if the professor is reasonable, which they likely will be, they will respect you for telling them upfront that it is not the right fit, rather than continuing on discontented.
People may push you to write a thesis, or sway you not to write a thesis, but at the end of the day you have to want to do it. At first, I just started the process because I was in the Honors College and it was expected of HCOL students. Once the process began it really came to life for me and I became energized. When you do something this big, and it is big, and you use all those hours spent in the classroom in order to have an impact on a place or a community, the personal satisfaction is so monumental that it does not even matter anymore what anyone thinks. You never know, maybe this endeavor could pilot you into a career, at least that is what I’m hoping. Good luck with the journey!
Thesis title: "Acrobatic training and cerebella-dependent learning in a rodent model of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder"
Mentor/Advisor: John Green, Psychology department
Major: Psychology
Background: My home is Sun Valley, Idaho. After graduation, I am returning to my hometown for a year to work and applying to medical school. Currently, I am a fifth year senior at UVM. I am a bio-behavioral psychology major with a pre-medical concentration. I stayed here another year so that I could leave with the degree and qualifications that will let me pursue medicine. I intend on going through the UVM premedical committee in the spring, taking the MCATs this upcoming August, and applying to medical schools next fall.
As a junior, I was enrolled in a psychology course called the "neurobiology of learning and memory," and I really enjoyed my professor Dr. John Green. One day in class he brought in a big white bucket and placed it on a desk. Towards the end of the lecture he told the students that we were all dismissed, but if we wanted to stay late and see a human brain we could form a line in front of the bucket. Something clicked for me right then, and I rushed over to the table to be the first in line. I reached into the bucket and picked up the brain - carefully. It was love at first sight. The subject matter that sparked my interest and the mentor were both in the same room. It was the complete 'thesis' package.
When I began searching for a thesis topic, I didn't really know where to start. I was given great advice to pick a professor that I enjoyed and go ask for his or her insight. I put this information on the back burner and I spent too much time thinking about the substance of my thesis and not the advisor. Needless to say, it was very difficult to find a topic without the assistance of a professor. The best piece of advice I can give, in retrospect, is to go talk to your teachers. They can steer you in the right direction, and you might be surprised by how willing they are to help.
John studies ADHD and voluntary exercise. My brother has been diagnosed with ADHD since he was eight years old and has always been incredibly athletic. This immediately caught my eye. I began to email John, and I set up an appointment to ask if I could pursue honors in psychology under him. It was a success! He agreed to be my advisor. As a result, I have been studying alternative (non-pharmacological) therapies for ADHD in the form of physical activity by looking into its effects on cerebella-dependent learning in rats. I have worked in Dr. Green's Lab for almost a year, and am now finishing my senior honors thesis with him as my primary advisor.
John has been incredibly supportive, helpful and accessible throughout the entire process. We met once a week, every week this summer to plan the project. We discussed research articles, revised drafts of my proposal, and embarked on some grant writing. My thesis experiment was off and running the first day of school this fall.
Currently, I am about halfway through completing my experiment. I spend at least one hour every day at the lab training, conditioning, or performing surgeries on my animals (hence my newly acquired nickname, "rat lady"). My project involves guiding rats across an obstacle course in order to improve coordinated physical movements. From there, I measure if that type of physical activity and motor learning has any effect upon time tasks that are known to be abnormal in both children with ADHD and rodent models of ADHD. I will have to wait for the results of the experiment to finish the written thesis, but I am chipping away a little piece of the block everyday.
By requiring an honors thesis, the Honors College has given me an opportunity to explore something I enjoy on a whole new level. I do not think I would have been as excited or involved within my major without doing a thesis. I want to keep an open mind when looking for a vocation, but I do find myself fascinated by one field in particular. Neuroscience is what drew me into psychology and research at UVM, and I sincerely hope I can continue studying the brain as I move forward towards a career.
Thesis title: "Assessing the morphological and genetic diversity in Vermont's fiddlehead fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris)"
Mentor: Dave Barrington, Plant Biology department
Major: Environmental science/Rubenstein School
Background: I have no plans after graduation. I do see myself going to graduate school in the future.
Writing a thesis has been the most daunting task of my college career, but I trust upon its completion next semester it will also be the most rewarding experience. I'm currently a senior Environmental science student in the Rubenstein School. I am doing my thesis with Dave Barrington in the Plant Biology department. It took a long time to choose but I arrived at my thesis topic, currently entitled, "Assessing the morphological and genetic diversity in Vermont's fiddlehead fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris)"
As of yet, the most difficult aspects of writing a thesis has been choosing my topic. I put a lot of pressure on myself as to find the elusive 'perfect' thesis topic. I was confused as how to arrive at a project idea, so I began knocking on doors. I started by emailing all the professors I knew working on research that interested me. I met with over 10 professors, talking about their research and the possibility of creating a thesis topic within the context of their work. I found it useful to be honest with everyone I met with and said I was pretty much "shopping for a topic". I decided I wanted to have a project with field and lab work, as well as the possibility to work on the project as an internship during the summer prior to senior year. With much thought and the deadline for my proposal drawing close I chose to work with. I would suggest looking for a topic as early in your junior year as you can manage, as choosing the topic takes off a lot of pressure.
I was enrolled in a thesis proposal writing class during my second semester of my junior year, so I received a lot of guidance with that process. Once my proposal was approved I began working on my project. I was lucky in that the Barrington lab was able to offer me a full time position working on my project over the summer. Coming into senior year with a lot of the lab work finished I was well into my project and still had months to finish organizing data and start writing.
Currently I am looking at completing the statistical analysis of the data I collected. I plan on beginning the write up on my thesis sometime in the very near future. I took a full credit load this semester and am excited to have six credits next semester dedicated exclusively to my thesis. Overall my experience with the thesis process has felt well guided and, despite the common stress associated with this process, I am feeling excited about it. I currently do not have plans for after graduation. I foresee myself going to graduate school in the next several years and know that the final product of my thesis will greatly strengthen my resume.