My Iona

Honors Thesis Day

February 16, 2023

12:30-4:30 p.m.

This year's Honors Thesis Day will take place on Thursday, February 16, from 12:30-4:30 p.m. Panels will be conducted throughout the day in various locations throughout campus.

12:30 Opening Remarks

Dr. Seamus Carey, President of Iona University

1 - 2:30 p.m.

COMPUTER SCIENCE          

Moderator: Smiljana Petrovic             
Romita Auditorium, Ryan Library

Michael Brand                                                                 
Advisor: Paolina Centonze, Computer Science
Output Validation: A Novel Method For Mitigation Of XML External Entity Attacks

Juan Cadile                                                                                        
Advisor: Galen Barry, Philosophy
The Why? Machine: Computing Causation

Catherine DiProperzio                                                    
Advisor: Smiljana Petrovic, Computer Science
Detecting Schizophrenia in Writers Using Machine Learning

Sergey Nickolas Karpov                                                          
Advisor: Raj Korpan, Computer Science
Document Level Text Simplification with Quad Extraction

Anabel Nolasco                                                                  
Advisor: Lubomir Ivanov, Computer Science
The Application of Natural Language Processing to Virtual Reality Based
Anti-Bullying Education for Children

Elijah Williams                                                               
Advisor: Smiljana Petrovic, Computer Science
Detection of Phishing Emails Through Natural Language Processing
and Supervised Machine Learning

1 - 2 p.m.

NATURAL SCIENCES                          

Moderator: Sunghee Lee                                     
Cornelia 108

Katherine Ivanchenko                                                                         
Advisor: Sunghee Lee, Chemistry
Monitoring the Effect of Phytochemicals on Model Lipid Membranes
Using Vibrational Spectroscopy

Konstantina Sgolombis                                                                 
Advisor: Rodney Versace, Chemistry
Calculation of the Potential of Mean Force for the Passive Permeability of Water in
a SOPC/SDPC Mixed-Lipid Membranes

Julia Thomas                                                                                           
Advisor: Eric Muller, Biology
The Fus3p and Bni1p gene interaction in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

HISTORY                              

Moderator: Daniel Thiery             
Faculty Dining Room, Spellman Hall

Gabriela Barreiro                                                                     
Advisor: Jeanne Zaino, Political Science
Gender Bias in the Campaign Process and the Subsequent Lack of Females
in Senatorial Office

Emma Jacobs                                                                                         
Advisor: Jimena Perry, History
The Evolution of Ethical Curatorial Practice

Megan Sweeney                                                                                      
Advisor: Daniel Thiery, History
Hiberno-Norse Influence in Dublin and the Irish Isles; A Look Into Viking Identity
and the Push Towards Urbanization in Medieval Ireland

ECONOMIC CALCULATIONS                    

Moderator: Benjamin Gaines                           
Ryan 202

William Lowry                                                                        
Advisor: Benjamin Gaines, Mathematics
Utilizing Convolutional Neural Networks to Beat a Captcha

Joanna Falisi                                                                           
Advisor: Bhaswati Sengupta, Economics
Micro and Macro Perspectives of Consumption Behavior

Aidan Connolly                                                                      
Advisor: Michael Malenbaum, Economics
An Economic Forecast of the United States Dollar as the continued Global Reserve Currency

Mia Tovar                                                                                     
Advisor: Chrissy Martins, Marketing
How Does Perception of Retail Store Value and Key Brand Attributes Influence 
Brand Loyalty of Retail Customers in the New Digital Age Across Omni Channels?

2 - 3 p.m.

BUSINESS                 

Moderator: Lauren Poupis                   
Faculty Reception Room, Spellman Hall

Maria Foley                                              
Advisor: Chrissy Martins, Marketing & International Business
Social Media Marketing: The Importance of Influencers to Cosmetic Brands

Emily Stewart                                               
Advisor: Lauren Poupis, Marketing & International Business
The Influence of Social Media Opinions on Consumer Behavior

Timothy Bergamini                                                                       
Advisor: Marie Gioiosa, Accounting
The Perception of Mandatory Study Hall From College Athletes

Liam Jakobson                            
Advisor: Eleni Mariola, Finance, Business Economics & Legal Studies
Equitable Public-School Funding in the United States

PSYCHOLOGY                     

Moderator:  Mary Jane Skelly         
Faculty Dining Room, Spellman Hall

Alyssa Lewandowski                                                                
Advisor: Mary Jane Skelly, Psychology
The Effects of Mindfulness Meditation on Perceived Stress Levels in College Students

Cara Lynch                                                                             
Advisor:  Mary Jane Skelly, Psychology
The Relationship Between Dispositional Mindfulness, Perceived Stress and Social
Media Addiction in College Students

CRIMINAL JUSTICE & SOCIOLOGY        

Moderator: Charlotte Wray                        
Ryan 202

Trent Crespo                                                                           
Advisor: Marcus Aldredge, Sociology
The Difference a Century Makes: A Comparative Content Analysis of United States
Presidential Inaugural Addresses from the Turns of the 20th and 21st Centuries

James Pasquale                                                                  
Advisor: Paul O’Connell, Criminal Justice
Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) as a Criminal Defense:
A Legal and Policy Analysis

Raelynn Purcell                                                                     
Advisor: Robert Lacey, Political Science
An Analysis on the Interconnectedness of Violence Perpetrated Against
Women and Animals

2:30 - 4 p.m.

ENGLISH                              

Moderator: Christina Carlson                                  
Romita Auditorium

Gianna Cocovinis                                                                                      
Advisor: Ivy Stabell, English
Young Adult Literature: From Reading YA to Writing My Own Novel

Tara Fitzgerald                                                                                       
Advisor: Scott Cleary, English
May the Family Be With You: The Found Family and Choice as the Driving Forces in the 
Star Wars Narratives and its Influence on Fan Communities

Sarah Mendez                                                                                  
Advisor: Christina Carlson, English
American Dog Culture: How Social Concerns Shaped Our
Relationship With Man's Best Friend

Cameron Deshnad                                                                                  
Advisor: Scott Cleary, English
The Creative Process: How Writing Changes Your Outlook

Emily Varker                                                                                   
Advisor: Christina Carlson, English
Retelling HERstory: a Gender-Based Critique of Contemporary Re-imaginings
of Works from the Honors Curriculum

3 - 4:30 p.m.

SPEECH & COMMUNICATION               

Moderator: Michelle Veyvoda                              
Ryan 201

Margaret Dougherty                                    
Advisor: Mitchell Bard, Media & Strategic Communication
The Cultural Role of Late-Night Entertainment During Times of Crisis

Samantha Guardino                          
Advisor: Michelle Veyvoda, Communication Sciences & Disorders
Perceptions of Teachers, Teaching Assistants, and Teaching-Artists on Accessible Arts
Programming for Deaf-Disabled Students

Samantha Jones                                
Advisor: Jennifer Gerometta, Communication Sciences & Disorders
The Impact of Music on Language Development in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Jason Piccolomini                                       
Advisor: Mitchell Bard, Media & Strategic Communication
Treating “Super-Humans” Less Than Human: Sports Journalism’s Reporting on
Athletes Struggling with Mental Health

Kerri Shea                                              
Advisor: Natalie Redcross, Media & Strategic Communication
The Destructive Nature of Social Media on Body Image in College Students

3 – 4 p.m.

EDUCATION                         

Moderator: Ellen Small                             
Burke Lounge, Spellman Hall

Olivia Berry                                                                                 
Advisor: James McKinstry, Education
Applications of Montessori Theory Across Multi-Subject Learning

Megan Huggard                                                                                   
Advisor: Ellen Small, Education
The Impact of Teachers, Student-Teacher Relationships, and Instructional
Strategies on Student Achievement and Learning

Zenaida Perez                                                                                       
Advisor:  Ellen Small, Education
Tracing the History of English Education and Reconciling Traditional Pedagogy
with Culturally Relevant Pedagogy

FINANCE                              

Moderator: Charles Cante                                                     
Ryan 202

Ryleigh McCarthy                            
Advisor: Charles Cante, Information Systems & Business Analytics
The Effects of Diversity and Inclusion in The Workplace on Stock Performance of Publicly-Traded Firms

James Carey                    
Advisor: Muhammad Qayyum, Finance, Business Economics & Legal Studies
A New Regulatory Framework for The Cryptocurrency Market

Dea Shpati                                                                                   
Advisor: Andrew Griffith, Accounting
Alternative Variables that can Explain the World Quality Ranking of Educations Systems

Dante Ubriaco                          
Advisor: Alison Munsch, Finance, Business Economics & Legal Studies
NCAA Cross-Country All-American Indicators

4:15 p.m. Reception & Closing Remarks                

Dr. Kim Paffenroth, Director of Honors Program Romita Auditorium Lobby, Ryan Library