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