Class of 2021 Honors Program Graduates

Twenty-one members of The University of Scranton’s class of 2021 graduated from its undergraduate Honors Program.
Twenty-one members of The University of Scranton’s class of 2021 graduated from its undergraduate Honors Program.
Twenty-one members of The University of Scranton’s class of 2021 graduated from its undergraduate Honors Program.

Twenty-one members of The University of Scranton’s class of 2021 graduated from its undergraduate Honors Program, which is one of the Jesuit university’s programs of excellence. Students in the Honors Program pursue a rigorous education that stresses independent work through close engagement with professors and other honors students, including the preparation, presentation and defense of a research or creative project during their senior year.

The following is a list of the class of 2020 undergraduate Honors Program graduates, their faculty mentors and their research projects.

Brittany Cadwalder, Scranton, graduated, summa cum laude, as a biochemistry, cell, molecular biology major. Cadwalder worked with faculty advisor Kathleen Dwyer, Ph.D., professor of biology, on a thesis titled “Design and Preparation of the CRISPR Constructs pBC1g11280CR2 and pBC4g10767CR2 Targeting the Arabidopsis thaliana Receptor-Like Kinase (RLK) Gene At1g11280 and the S-Locus Cysteine_Rich Like (SCRL) Gene At4g10767.” Cadwalder was also a member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program.

Danielle M. Cook, Kingston, graduated, summa cum laude, as a psychology major. Cook worked with faculty advisor Emily Hopkins, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology, on a thesis titled “Parent/Child Play: A Descriptive Analysis of Mothers, Fathers, Gender Norms, and the Division of Labor.”

Molly K. Elkins, Owings, Maryland, graduated, summa cum laude, as a biochemistry, cell, molecular biology and philosophy double major. Elkins worked with faculty advisor Bryan Crable, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology, on a thesis titled “Analysis of the Constitutive Expression of the P. aeruginosa PAO1 Type VI Secretion System.” Elkins was also a member of the University's Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program and the Magis Honors Program in STEM and was the recipient of a full-tuition Presidential Scholarship.

Jessica L. Fanelli, Carbondale, graduated, summa cum laude, as a biology major. Fanelli worked with faculty advisor Robert Smith, Ph.D., professor of biology on a thesis titled “A Study of the Impact of Habitat on the Composition of Breeding Bird Communities in the Lackawanna State Park During the Summer of 2020.”

Jithin V. George, Newtown, graduated, magna cum laude, as a neuroscience and biomathematics double major. George worked with faculty advisor Patrick Orr, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology, on a thesis titled “2-Week Exposure to High-Fat Diet Sufficient to Produce Glucose Intolerance, Not Visuospatial Memory ImpairmentsorMolecular Changes in C57Bl/6 Mice.” George was also a member of the University's Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program.

Jesse L. Hunt, Williamsport, graduated, magna cum laude, as a neuroscience major. Hunt worked with faculty advisor Marc Seid, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, on a thesis titled “Lateralization of olfactory associative learning in Camponotus floridanus.”

Traevon Malakai Martin, Springfield, Massachusetts, graduated as a neuroscience major. Martin worked with faculty advisor Marc Seid, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, on a thesis titled “The Effect of Light Deprivation on Mushroom Body Neuroplasticity in the Camponotus florinadus Ant.”

Jacob F. Myers, Blue Bell, graduated, summa cum laude, as a biochemistry, cell, molecular biology major. Myers worked with faculty advisor Timothy Foley, Ph.D., professor of chemistry, on a thesis titled “Glyceraldehyde-3-Phosphate Dehydrogenase as a sensor of Cellular Metabolic States.” Myers was also a member of the University’s Magis Honors Program in STEM and was the recipient of a full-tuition Presidential Scholarship.

Denise L. Pinto, Pittston, graduated, magna cum laude, as a biochemistry, cell, molecular biology major. Pinto worked with faculty advisor Kathleen Dwyer, Ph.D., professor of biology, on a thesis titled “Design and Preparation of CRISPR Construct pDP4g03230CR2 Targeting Arabidopsis thaliana Receptor Like Kinase (RLK) Gene At4g03230.”

Parita Ray, Scranton, graduated, magna cum laude, as a biology major. Ray worked with faculty advisor Cara Krieg, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology, on a thesis titled “Geographical Variation in the Song Structure of Female Troglodytes aedon.”

Zachary S. Rieker, Pottstown, graduated, summa cum laude, as a biology and biomathematics double major. Rieker worked with faculty advisor Robert Smith, Ph.D., professor of biology on a thesis titled “Effects of Anthropogenic Noise on the Characteristics of Birdsong.”

Dagny C. Rippon, South Abington Township, graduated, magna cum laude, as a international business major. Rippon worked with faculty advisor Susan Trussler, Ph.D., associate professor of economics and finance, on a thesis titled “Gender Inequality and Conceptualization in International Business Research.” Rippon was also a member of the University's Business Leadership Honors Program.

Alexa D. Romberger, Valley View, graduated, magna cum laude, as a biochemistry major. Romberger worked with faculty advisor Michael Fennie, Ph.D., associate professor of chemistry, on a thesis titled “Investigations of New Ways to Synthesize the Precursors to Heterocycles.”

Karlee B. Ruth, Schwenksville, graduated, summa cum laude, as a biochemistry major. Ruth worked with faculty advisor Joan Wasilewski, Ph.D., associate professor and chair of the Chemistry Department, on a thesis titled “An Investigation of Redox Therapies Through the Effect of Ebselen and Mercaptosuccinic Acid in the Absence and Presence of Hydrogen Peroxide using Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a Cancer Cell Model.” Ruth was also a member of the University’s Magis Honors Program in STEM.

Michael L. Samulevich, Shickshinny, graduated, cum laude, as a biochemistry, cell, molecular biology and philosophy double major. Samulevich worked with faculty advisor Michael Fennie, Ph.D., associate professor of chemistry, on a thesis titled “Investigating the Intramolecular Interactions in the Formation of 2-Cyano-Tryptophan.” Samulevich was also a member of the University’s the Magis Honors Program in STEM and the Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program.

Ashley C. Spencer, Tunkhannock, graduated, summa cum laude, as a biology and biomathematics double major. Spencer worked with faculty advisor Bryan Crable, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology, on a thesis titled “The Antimicrobial Effects of Pennsylvania Honey on Clinical Isolates of Escherichia coli.”

Richard R. Terranova, Staten Island, New York, graduated, cum laude, as a neuroscience major. Terranova worked with faculty advisor Marc Seid, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, on a thesis titled “The effects of social isolation on axonal pruning in the mushroom bodies of the ant Pheidole dentata.”

Cara F. Webster, Bradford, graduated, magna cum laude, as a neuroscience and philosophy double major. Webster worked with faculty advisor Gary Kwiecinski, Ph.D., professor of biology, on a thesis titled “Impact of Hurricane Maria on the bat populations of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands.” Webster was also a member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program.

Casey E. Welby, Scranton, graduated, summa cum laude, as a classical language Latin and history double major. Welby worked with faculty advisor Michael Knies, professor, library, on a thesis titled “European Medieval Manuscript Leaves: Varieties of Script and Content from the Jims Sims Collection.”

Alexis A. Wislotsky, Ashland, graduated, magna cum laude, as a neuroscience major. Alexis Wislotsky worked with faculty advisor Patrick Orr, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology, on a thesis titled “Acetaminophen may Upregulate p42 ERK Phosphorylation in c57B1/6 Female Mice.”

Makayla C. Wislotsky, Ashland, graduated, magna cum laude, as a biology major. Makayla Wislotsky worked with faculty advisor Cara Krieg, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology, on a thesis titled “Immunological tradeoffs with Female Aggression in Troglodytes aedon.”

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