Senior Honors Profiles
Claire Bass
Major: Biological Sciences (concentration in Ecology and Environment) and Greek and Roman Civilization (supplemental)
Minor: Glynn Family Honors Program
Mentor: Dr. Ronald Hellenthal
Project Title: The Effects of Human Land Use and Stream Restoration on the Benthic Invertebrate Populations of Juday Creek
Career Plans: Graduate school in environmental biology
Summer Experiences: Naughton Fellowship Research Experience for Undergraduates at Dublin City University (2022); COS-SURF (2023)
Teresa Cato
Major: Environmental Science and Psychology
Mentor: Dr. Gary Belovsky
Project Title: E. Cinerea Feeding Behavior and its Effects on the Future of the Great Salt Lake
Career Plans: Medical School
Summer Experiences: NIH RECOVER Study Coordinator Intern at NYU Langone Medical Center (2022), On-Campus research (2023)
Dorrian Cohen
Major: Biological Sciences and Theology Supplemental
Minor: Glynn Family Honors Program
Mentor: Dr. Shaun Lee
Project Title: The Last of Fung-Us: Evaluating the Antifungal Activity of a Synthetic Enterocin Peptide Library
Career Plans: MD/PhD
Summer Experiences: Patient Transporter at Putnam Hospital (2021), COS-SURF (2022 and 2023)
Erik Curtis
Major: Biology and Mathematics
Minor: Glynn Family Honors Program
Mentor: Jennifer Tank
Project Title: eDNA Particle Size Distribution Modifies Fate and Transport in Lotic Systems and Across Environmental Conditions
Career Plans: Ph.D. in Biology
Summer Experiences: Tank Lab Field Tech (2021), COS-SURF Recipient (2022 and 2023)
Corbin Hite
Major: Biological Sciences, Concentration in Infectious Disease and Global Health
Minor: Energy Studies
Mentor: Dr. Gary Lamberti
Project Title: The Effects of Elodea canadensis on Alaskan Freshwater Ecosystem Function and Pacific Salmon Populations
Career Plans: Public Health Graduate School
Summer Experiences: Coastal Wetland Monitoring Program tech and on-campus research (2021), COS-SURF recipient and Alaskan Forest Service Intern (2022), On-campus research (2023)
Aisling Kruger
Major: Biological Sciences, Concentration in Evolution and Genomics
Minor: Environmental Earth Sciences
Mentor: Dr. Rebecca A. Wingert
Project Title: Elucidating the Role of Iroquois Transcription Factor 4a in Kidney Development
Career Plans: Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Summer Experiences: UNDERC Track 1 (2022), COS-SURF undergraduate research in the Wingert Lab (2023)
Bella Laufenberg
Major: Biological Sciences
Minor: Journalism, Ethics and Democracy; Classical Studies Heritage
Mentor: Dr. David Boone
Project Title: Novel relationship between Gkn-1 and VAP-A in secretion and trafficking through the gastrointestinal tract
Career Plans: Ph.D. in Molecular Cell Biology
Summer Experiences: Research Student at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute (2022), COS-SURF (2023)
Brett McLaughlin
Major: Biological Sciences; ACMS
Minor: Italian
Mentor: Dr. Zachary Schafer
Project Title: Discerning the Cellular Mechanisms Behind Friedreich’s Ataxia
Career Plans: Career in Pharmaceuticals
Summer Experiences: Study Abroad (2022), COS-SURF (2023)
Chris Mix
Major: Biology, concentration in Infectious Disease and Global Health
Minor: Theology
Mentor: Dr. Jason Rohr
Project Title: Examining the Thermal Mismatch Hypothesis in Human Populations
Career Plans: Master's in Public Health with a focus in Epidemiology, eventually working in a public health department
Summer Experiences: UNDERC (2022), Mosquito Project Surveillance program at ND partnered with the St. Joseph's County Health Department (2023)
Tara Neufell
Major: Environmental Sciences
Minor: Data Science
Mentor: Dr. Beth Archie
Project Title: Potential Chemical Reproductive Communication in Baboons (Papio anubis & Papio cynocephalus)
Career Plans: Graduate school before pursuing a career revolved around wildlife conservation research and education
Summer Experiences: UNDERC Track 1 Program (2022), Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory Education Program (2023)
Amanda Waelde
Major: Biological Sciences
Minor: Bioengineering, Theology
Mentor: Dr. Matthew Champion
Project Title: Utilization of the Novel N-Terminal Protease Tryp-N
Career Plans: Graduate school before pursuing a career as a professor
Summer Experiences: LSU Health Sciences Center Internship (2021), COS-SURF (2022, 2023)