Recent Graduates

Inga Baldus

• Madison, WI
• Genetics (AGLS)
• Minor in Spanish

Honors Project: Pathway, a Novel Mechanism that Drives Myeloid Differentiation

Moment of pride: I am proud that I have been an undergraduate research assistant for Dr. Raquel Espin Palazon for over 2 years.

Post-grad plans: Attending Optometry School.

Maddie Barbee

• Dubuque, IA
• Biology (AGLS)

Honors Project: Analyzing the Efficacy of In-Person versus Virtual Group Singing Therapy, as an Early Intervention for Swallowing in Persons with Parkinson’s Disease

Moment of pride: Being asked to be a TA for BIO 344 (Human Reproduction).

Post-grad plans: Attending PA School.

Sydnee Brockney

• Nora Springs, IA
• Animal Ecology, option in Wildlife and Pre-Vet Wildlife Care

Honors Project: Silencing the Stigma and Promoting Social Acceptance: Tourette’s Syndrome Education and Awareness at Iowa State University

Valentine Chenus

• Davenport, IL
• Environmental Science (AGLS), Performing Arts
• Minor in Sustainability

Honors Project: Carbon Accrual in Saturated Riparian Buffers

Kit Clayburn

• Carthage, IL
• Animal Ecology, Biology (AGLS)

Participation & Awards: HON 121 Leader

Honors Project: Analyzing the Impacts Chronic Wasting Disease has on Varying Communities within the United States

Sydney Cuddeback

• Washington, IA
• Agricultural Business, Finance

Honors Project: Succession Planning for Farmers

Post-grad plans: Attending Law School.

Haley Curtis

• Peoria, IL
• Biology (AGLS)
• Minor in Anthropology

Participation & Awards: HON 121 Leader

Honors Project: Spontaneous Haploid Genome Doubling in Arabidopsis thaliana

Moment of pride: Getting into research my freshman year through the honors program.

Kayla Cutler

• Buffalo Grove, IL
• Genetics (AGLS), World Languages & Cultures

Honors Project: Fine Arts Improving the Mental Health and Well-Being of Students at Iowa State

Moment of pride: My induction into the Phi Beta Kappa Honors Society.

Post-grad plans: Attending Dental School after a gap year.

Kaija Dahlberg

• Mounds View, MN
• Genetics (AGLS), Nutritional Science (AGLS)

Honors Project: Risks of Antimicrobial Resistance in Swine Manure Treated Environments

Moment of pride: Capstone project

Post-grad plans: Attending University of Minnesota Medical School.

Phoebe Ditrinco

• Boulder, CO
• Animal Science
• Minor in Microbiology

Participation & Awards: HON 121 Leader and Honors Ambassador

Honors Project: Development of Real Time PCR for Nine Clostridium perfringens Toxins

Moment of pride: Earning the Outstanding UHP Scholarship.

Post-grad plans: Attending Veterinarian School at Iowa State University.

Ashley Hipnar

• Council Bluffs, IA
• Environmental Science (AGLS), Global Resource Systems
• Minor in Spanish

Participation & Awards: HON 121 Leader and Student Enrichment Grant Recipient

Honors Project: Global Cities at the Crossroad: Pursuing Justice in Planning for Climate Change

Claire Holtkamp

• Mt Pleasant, IA
• Global Resource Systems, Chemistry
• Minor in Sustainability, French

Honors Project: Nanoparticle-mediated drug delivery of an antioxidant, mitoapocynin, via an intramuscular route in an organophosphate rat model of epilepsy: Toxicity studies

Moment of pride: Interning in France at the USDA European biological control lab.

Post-grad plans: Attending University of Kentucky.

Amelia Huebsch

• Golden Valley, MN
• Animal Science

Participation & Awards: HON 121 Leader

Honors Project: Determining the Effects of Dry Extruded Corn in Receiving Cattle Diets

Kinley Kolbet

• Manchester, IA
• Animal Science

Honors Project: Characterizing Differences in the Nasal Microbiota of Healthy Lambs and Stillborn Lambs resulting from Cache Valley Viral Infections

Moment of pride: Being accepted into vet school.

Post-grad plans: Attending Iowa State University's College of Veterinary Medicine.

Julie Lennon

• Ames, IA
• Global Resource Systems, Environmental Science (LAS)
• Minor in Classical Studies

Honors Project: Evaluating the potential to reduce soil transport at strategic flowpaths in western St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands, using best management practices (BMPs)

Moment of pride: I am proud to be a member of Gamma Sigma Delta, Phi Beta Kappa, and Eta Sigma Phi.

Olivia Liebing

• Ames, IA
• Horticulture
• Minor in Forestry, Agronomy, Soil Science (Certificate)

Participation & Awards: UHP Grant Recipient

Honors Project: Quantifying the Effects of Ethoxylated Isotridecanol as an Additive to Plant Growth Regulators

Post-grad plans: Receiving Master's at the Ohio State University.

Brenna Mathers

• Chaska, MN
• Genetics (AGLS)

Participation & Awards: HON 121 Leader

Honors Project: Drosophila PTTH Mutants to Analyze Aging and Muscle Function

Moment of pride: The CALS Council Senior Award for Inclusive Excellence.

Post-grad plans: Research Technician Position at Thomas Jefferson University at Dr. South's lab focused on skin cancer research.

Sierra McCoy

• Plymouth, MN
• Forestry
• Minor in Animal Ecology

Participation & Awards: UHP Grant Recipient

Honors Project: Campus Trees of Iowa State

Annika Miller

• Jacksonville, FL
• Animal Science
• Minor in Women and Gender Studies

Participation & Awards: HON 121 Leader, Honors UA, Mentor & Melampy Grant Recipient

Honors Project: The Use of Bacteriophage in the Fight Against Mastitis

Moment of pride: I am proud of making such amazing friends.

Post-grad plans: Attending University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine.

Shannon Morgan

• Cedar Rapids, IA
• Microbiology
• Minor in Psychology

Participation & Awards: HON 121 Leader

Honors Project: Phenotypic characterization of intestinal organoids in healthy dogs and dogs with idiopathic inflammatory bowel disease

Moment of pride: I was one of the captains (section leaders) of the ISUCFVMB trombone section this past fall. I loved getting to teach the freshman and work with my best friends every single day towards a common goal.

Post-grad plans: I will be starting a Medical Lab Science program this summer, working towards being a clinical microbiologist in hospital diagnostic labs!

Megan Mueller

• Lenexa, KS
• Microbiology
• Minor in Global Health

Participation & Awards: HON 121 Leader

Honors Project: Verifying Yeast 2 Hybrids of Blumeria Haustoria to Barley Plants using Microbial Analysis

Moment of pride: I am proud to have worked in Dr. Roger Wise’s lab for 3 years now. I have further developed my lab skills and made connections within the Plant Pathology, Entomology, and Microbiology department.

Post-grad plans: Attending graduate school in the future to pursue a Master's in Public Health.

Diana Mulder

• Parkersburg, IA
• Microbiology, International Agriculture

Participation & Awards: Mentor & UHP Grant Recipient

Honors Project: Verification of a qPCR Assay for Detection of Phialophora gregata in Varied Soybean Tissues and Brown Stem Rot Suspect Samples

Moment of pride: Cornell University Graduate School Fellowship

Post-grad plans: Attending the Plant Pathology Ph.D. program at Cornell University.

Shelby Nechkash

• Spring Green, WI
• Agricultural Studies
• Minor in Sustainability and Animal Science

Participation & Awards: Mentor Grant Recipient

Honors Project: Creating a Scope 1 and 2 Carbon Calculating Tool for Small Business and Individual Use

Moment of pride: Working with the Live Green! Team on Campus.

Post-grad plans: Job, full time offer accepted

Jared Overmann

• Indianola, IA
• Biology (AGLS)
• Minor in Animal Ecology

Participation & Awards: HON 121 Leader, Honors Undergraduate Assistant

Honors Project: Explore Poultry: Interactive Learning Modules

Moment of pride: Served as an Honors FHP Leader and Honors Undergraduate Assistant.

Post-grad plans: Iowa State Master of Arts in Teaching, Science Education

Madi Palmer

• Waukon, IA
• Animal Science
• Minor in Spanish

Honors Project: Dam Effects on Pre-Weaning Health and Lifetime Outcomes in Holstein Dairy Cattle

Moment of pride: Highest 2% AGLS Senior - Spring 2023 and Spring 2024

Post-grad plans: Working as a Dairy Nutrition Consultant for Nelson Dairy Consultants.

Elizabeth Plunkett

• Perryville, MO
• Dairy Science

Honors Project: Proportion of Bovine Leukemia Virus Antibody Positive Dams Actively Shedding Virus in Colostrum in a Small Research Dairy

Sean Prell

• Ames, IA
• Microbiology, Genetics (AGLS)

Honors Project: Establishment of Natural Transformation as a Genetic Tool for Studying Avibacterium Paragallinarum

Moment of pride: Being the president of Microbiology Club

Nick Rogers

• Hardwick, MN
• Genetics (AGLS)
• Minor in Psychology

Honors Project: Streamlining Data Coding: GPT Automation of Idea Unit Coding

Jordan Sanders

• Marion, IA
• Animal Ecology
• Minor in Animal Science

Honors Project: Isolation of Porcine Astrovirus 4

Moment of pride: Being awarded the Mensa Foundation Women in STEM Scholarship.

Post-grad plans: Attending ISU College of Veterinary Medicine.

Sarah Schroeder

• Coal Valley, IL
• Food Science (AGLS), Global Resource Systems
• Minor in Microbiology

Participation & Awards: HON 121 Leader

Honors Project: An Evaluation of the European Union’s Farm to Fork Strategy: Formation, Feedback, and Moving Forward

Arilyn Tegtmeier-Oatman

• Lancaster, PA
• Global Resource Systems
• Minor in French, Food and Society, Teaching English as a Second Language

Participation & Awards: HON 121 Leader, Mentor Grant Recipient

Honors Project: Assessing the Impact of Women’s Education on Perceived Household Food Security in Western Kenya

Moment of pride: I am proud to have received the presidents leadership award this year for my involvement at ISU.

Post-grad plans: I am hoping to be accepted into Princeton In Africa Fellowship Program to work in education and youth development.

Amanda Torres Traverso

• Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico
• Microbiology
• Minor in Psychology & Spanish

Honors Project: Optimizing Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing of Mycoplasma bovis Isolates

Post-grad plans: Attending Pharmacy School.

Cuinn Tuey

• Exira, IA
• Animal Ecology
• Minor in Criminal Justice

Honors Project: Evolve with Mammals: The Efficacy of Board Games as Alternative Learning

Blake Van Der Kamp

• Prairie City, IA
• Agricultural & Life Sciences Education, Public Relations
• Certificate in Leadership Studies

Honors Project: A Creative Capstone to 21st Century Marketing in the Agricultural Industry

Moment of pride: Being a part of the McNair Scholars Program.

Post-grad plans: I will be both working a full-time job as a Jr. Program Manager with Liberty Fund based in Indianapolis through the Orr Fellowship as well as attending Butler University for a Masters in Strategic Communications.

Anna Walls

• Adel, IA
• Horticulture, Biology (AGLS)

Honors Project: Our Panhellenic: A Close-Knit Sisterhood

Moment of pride: Serving as CPC VP-Judicial Affairs.

Post-grad plans: Attending Medical school.

Sasha Wilson

• Waverly, IA
• Animal Science
• Equine Certificate

Honors Project: Marketing and Sales in the Saddlebred Industry

Moment of pride: Top 2% of my class as a Junior.

Cameron Bristow

• Pleasant Hill, IA
• Marketing, Management
• Minor in Leadership Studies

Participation & Awards: HON 121 Leader, Mentor Grant Recipient, Honors Ambassador

Honors Project: Creating a Business Case Study Competition for Undergraduate Students​

Moment of pride: Completing internships with my 3 dream organizations - Disney, NBCUniversal, and NASA!

Post-grad plans: In the middle of the interview process right now - so excited for all of the possibilities!

Tanner Kelchen

• Manchester, IL
• Marketing, Sociology (LAS)

Participation & Awards: HON 121 Leader

Honors Project: Connecting Personality to Scientific Literacy

Moment of pride: I am most proud of leading the Honors 121 class.

Post-grad plans: Working in business analytics with plans to attend grad school or law school at some point in the future.

Taylor Larner

• St. Louis, MO
• Accounting

Participation & Awards: HON 121 Leader

Honors Project: Charting the Course: A Study on the Career Decisions of Accounting Graduates

Moment of pride: Being inducted into Cardinal Key Honor Society.

Post-grad plans: Attending Missouri State to pursue a Masters of Accounting.

Emily Shatek

• Mason City, IA
• Finance, Agricultural Business

Honors Project: Public Carbon Pipeline Sentiment

Kaitlyn White

• Waukee, IA
• Accounting, Healthcare Management

Honors Project: The Effect of COVID Provider Relief Funds on Healthcare Organizations

Moment of pride: I'm proud of my time serving as the Vice President of Finance for the Collegiate Panhellenic Council.

Post-grad plans: Work full time at CliftonLarsonAllen in Nashville.

Nick Cheung

• Pleasant Hill, IA
• Architecture Professional Degree
• Minor in Sustainability and Entrepreneurial Studies

Honors Project: Made in Iowa: Low Carbon Concrete from Local Waste

Moment of pride: I am proud of my contributions as the Co-President of the NOMAS chapter to spark critical conversations and create opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students in the program.

Post-grad plans: Architectural Designer at DLR Group in New York City.

Lexi Clark

• Ottawa, IL
• Architecture Professional Degree
• Minor in Urban Studies

Participation & Awards: HON 121 Leader

Honors Project: Architectures of Protest atop Distorted Foundations

Moment of pride: I've been able to act as a Peer Mentor for College of Design freshmen and transfer students for 4 semesters now!

Post-grad plans: I will be working at Healy Bender Patton & Been Architects in Naperville, IL.

Zoe Flynn

• Austin, TX
• Architecture Professional Degree
• Minor in Environmental Studies

Honors Project: Architecture for Non-Humans

Moment of pride: Being a Cyclone Aide Advisor.

Thomas Hewitt

• West Des Moines, IA
• Architecture Professional Degree
• Minor in Sustainability

Participation & Awards: UHP Grant Recipient

Honors Project: Mushroom Bricks

Ahillan Kumar

• Fairfield, IA
• Community & Regional Planning, Philosophy

Honors Project: A Death Disposition Database

Moment of pride: Member of The Phi Betta Kappa Society.

Post-grad plans: Pursuing master's degree in public affairs.

Megan Palmer

• Eagan, MN
• Landscape Architecture, World Languages & Cultures

Honors Project: Sprout: An Exploration into Eco-Brutalism

Moment of pride: I am most pround of my leadership positions as the Vice President of Iowa Students of Landscape Architecture, and the President of Conservation Club.

Post-grad plans: I am still in the interview & application stage, but I look forward to working in the field.

Lexi Schuur

• Carroll, IA
• Architecture Professional Degree
• Minor in Urban Studies

Honors Project: Exhibit Curation: Architectural Histories of Rome

Moment of pride: Hixson Scholar Award/Peer Mentor Experience

Post-grad plans: Interested in Healthcare/K-12 Architecture, unknown position at this time.

Jazmin Terrell

• Urbandale, IL
• Art: Integrated Studio Arts

Participation & Awards: HON 121 Leader, Honors Ambassador, W. Robert Parks Commendation Award

Honors Project: Grounds for Growing a Dye Garden

Moment of pride: Re-establishing the Design Council as President.

Post-grad plans: Pursuing a Masters in Printmaking in the next few years.

Vee Vijendran

• India
• Industrial Design
• Minor in Digital Media

Participation & Awards: UHP Grant Recipient

Honors Project: The Art of Seating

Tim Zhang

• Madison, WI
• Architecture Professional Degree
• Minor in Urban Studies

Honors Project: Architectural Design for Non-Human Ecologies: Bridging the Gap Between Built Environment and other Natures

Moment of pride: I happy to have had the opportunity help lead the National Organization of Minority Architecture Students.

Post-grad plans: Junior Designer at Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill.

Aaron Bodenham

• Mt. Pleasant, IA
• Mechanical Engineering

Honors Project: Integrated Safety Controller for Robot Cell

Moment of pride: Technical Director of Formula SAE team.

Post-grad plans: Manufacturing Development Engineer at John Deere.

Isaac Bradford

• The Midwest
• Agricultural Engineering

Participation & Awards: HON 121 Leader

Honors Project: Comparison and Evaluation of SLAKEs and Cornell Aggregate Stability Tests

Moment of pride: Outstanding Presentation and Future Leader in EWB.

Post-grad plans: Masters at Purdue in ABE working with Water Quality and Sensing.

Cainan Davidson

• Council Bluffs, IA
• Mechanical Engineering
• Minor in Computer Science

Honors Project: Image to CAD Modeling Framework for Biomedical Applications

Erik Dralle

• Oswego, IL
• Civil Engineering
• Minor in Music

Participation & Awards: HON 121 Leader, Honors Ambassador

Honors Project: Performance Assessment of Transmission Towers' Failures after the 2020 Iowa Derecho

Moment of pride: President of ASCE

Post-grad plans: Masters of Engineering in Structural Engineering at ISU.

Shanna Fellows

• Albia, IA
• Civil Engineering
• Minor in Chemistry

Participation & Awards: Mentor & Student Enrichment Grant Recipient

Honors Project: Iowa's Shifting Ecology: Climate Change Implications for Iowa's Wildlife Through the 21st Century

Moment of pride: My work with the WiSE Department and the CCEE Undergraduate Research program.

Post-grad plans: Water/Wastewater Engineer at HR Green.

Will Fettkether

• Dunkerton, IA
• Materials Engineering
• Minor in Sustainability, Spanish

Participation & Awards: HON 121 Leader

Honors Project: Development of Cathode Materials for Next-Generation Solid-State Batteries

Moment of pride: My friends

Post-grad plans: Attending Georgia Institute of Technology.

Aidan Furley

• Gretna, NE
• Aerospace Engineering

Participation & Awards: HON 121 Leader, Mentor Grant Recipient, Honors Ambassador

Honors Project: Wave Augmented Floating Offshore Wind Turbine (WAFOWT)

Moment of pride: Being a NASA Intern and Sustainability Ambassador.

Post-grad plans: Seeking employment.

Damien Henry

• Blockton, IA
• Electrical Engineering

Participation & Awards: HON 121 Leader, Mentor Grant Recipient

Honors Project: Planning Iowa's Energy: What do the People Want?

Moment of pride: Winning the 8th Annual PesiCo MBA Invitational Case Competition!

Post-grad plans: Lead Power & Utilities Analyst at 1898 & Co. (part of Burns & McDonnell).

Kyle Herbst

• Le Mars, IA
• Mechanical Engineering

Honors Project: Does an Engineering Background Impact Quality of Leadership?

Moment of Pride: My honors project.

Post-grad plans: Job searching.

Jonathan Hess

• Batavia, IA
• Computer Engineering

Honors Project: Digital Logic Lab Tool

Moment of pride: Being a TA for CPRE281.

Post-grad plans: Skyworks solutions.

Ben Hobson

• Farmersville, IL
• Civil Engineering

Participation & Awards: HON 121 Leader, Honors Ambassador

Honors Project: Economic Comparison of Staged and Detoured Construction Zones

Moment of pride: Being an Ambassador since Sophomore Year.

Post-grad plans: Highway Designer for Iowa DOT.

Daniel Kaye

• Lake in the Hills, IL
• Industrial Engineering
• Minor in Philosophy

Participation & Awards: HON 121 Leader

Honors Project: Childcare and Early Education—A Modern Comparison of the United States and Sweden

Victoria Kyveryga

• Ames, IA
• Chemical Engineering, Chemistry

Participation & Awards: Mentor Grant Recipient

Honors Project: Cause, Consequence, and Control of Silver Vacancies in BaAg2–xAs2

Moment of pride: Being president of Ukrainian Club.

Post-grad plans: Attending Stanford University.

Justin Nock

• Bettendorf, IA
• Mechanical Engineering
• Minor in Music Technology

Participation & Awards: HON 121 Leader, Mentor Grant Recipient

Honors Project: Integrating Music into Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing

Moment of pride: Students for Open Discussion President

Post-grad plans: Ph.D. in Welding Engineering at Ohio State University.

Sam Potter

• Waverly, IA
• Computer Engineering, Mathematics

Participation & Awards: HON 121 Leader

Honors Project: Comedy Graduate School

Moment of pride: KURE KQ Director

Noah Rudi

• Edina, MN
• Construction Engineering
• Minor in Political Science

Participation & Awards: Mentor Grant Recipient

Honors Project: A Review of Bicycle Infrastructure: What Can Be Applied to Middle America?

Moment of pride: Learning more about bike infrastructure through my honors project.

Post-grad plans: Field Engineer, M.A. Mortenson.

Emma Shepard

• West Des Moines, IA
• Environmental Engineering
• Minor in Sustainability

Participation & Awards: HON 121 Leader

Honors Project: Outstanding Senior in Environmental Engineering.

Moment of pride: Placing 6th in trampoline at the National Association of Intercollegiate Gymnastics Clubs national meet

Post-grad plans: Teaching at a Catholic high school in Belize for a year before pursuing graduate studies in environmental engineering.

Katelyn Wolters

• Clinton, NJ
• Aerospace Engineering
• Minor in Computer Science

Participation & Awards: HON 121 Leader

Honors Project: Dance Revolution

Moment of pride: FHP Co-Leader

Peter Zeller

• Aurora, IL
• Mechanical Engineering
• Minor in Energy Systems

Participation & Awards: HON 121 Leader

Honors Project: Acoustic driven circulation around cylindrical obstructions in micro channels

Moment of pride: Being a second author on a published paper.

Post-grad plans: Mechanical Analyst for HVAC Consulting.

Faith Diamond

• Crystal Lake, IL
• Financial Counseling and Planning
• Minor in General Business and Sociology

Participation & Awards: Mentor Grant Recipient

Honors Project: Association Between Financial Debt Literacy and Student Well-Being at Iowa State University

Moment of pride: College of Human Sciences Dean’s Recognition Award | Cl Dowling & Yahnke Private Wealth Scholarship | Keeling Wealth Advisors Financial Planning Scholarship | June Kaser Lovejoy Tri-Delta Scholarship | Director of Member Finance of the Omega Delta Chapter

Post-grad plans: Moving to Madison Wisconsin and pursuing a career in financial services.

Paulina Hernandez

• Des Moines, IA
• Apparel, Merchandising, and Design

Honors Project: Into the Archive: A Pilot Study on Using 3D Technology to Render Historic Garments and Textiles for Accessibility and Preservation

Moment of pride: The Fashion Show Design Director CHS graduating senior of the semester award.

Betsy Marlow

• Cedar Rapids, IA
• Kinesiology & Health
• Minor in Event Management

Participation & Awards: Mentor Grant Recipient

Honors Project: Examining Motivational Factors for Performing Arts Attendance in Iowa State University Students.

Moment of pride: Being on Cardinal Court this year during Homecoming.

Post-grad plans: Walt Disney World doing the Disney College Program.

Sarah Petersen

• Ida Grove, IA
• Kinesiology & Health
• Minor in Nutrition

Participation & Awards: HON 121 Leader, Mentor & UHP Grant Recipient

Honors Project: The Relationship Between Modifiable Health Behaviors and Spirituality in Patients with Substance Use Disorder

Moment of pride: Salt company connection group leader was a life changing leadership role.

Post-grad plans: Attending medical school.

Haley Plambeck

• Red Oak, IA
• Dietetics (H Sci)

Honors Project: The Effects Cannabis has on the Endocanabenoid System

Moment of pride: Being the president of the ExerCYse is Medicine club on campus.

Post-grad plans: Attending graduate school at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Haley Reyna

• Hoffman Estates, IL
• Dietetics (H Sci)
• Minor in Psychology and Hispanic Studies

Honors Project: The Importance of Culinary Education in Didactic Programs for Undergraduate Dietetics Students

Savannah Schemenauer

• Woodbury, MN
• Apparel, Merchandising, and Design

Honors Project: Into the Archive: A Pilot Study on Using 3D Technology to Render Historic Garments and Textiles for Accessibility and Preservation

Moment of pride: Maintaining Dean's list through all four years at ISU.

McKenna Vacek

• Ames, IA
• Kinesiology & Health
• Minor in Psychology

Honors Project: Shape Differences Effect on Bilateral Transfer Using Mirror Tracing

Post-grad plans: Attending University of Minnesota-OTD.

Brooklynn Wagoner

• Council Bluffs, IA
• Kinesiology & Health

Honors Project: Dual-task and Auditory Interference Effect on Auditory Reaction Time

Moment of pride: Completing my honors capstone project.

Post-grad plans: Taking a gap year spent in MN and applying to Physician Assistant programs!

Roba Abbajabal

• Urbandale, IA
• Computer Science
• Minor in Data Science

Honors Project: Counting Cellular Images in an Immunocytochemistry Dataset with Deep Learning Methods

Moment of pride: Facilitating four programming competitions for the Computer Science and Software Engineering Club.

Post-grad plans: Wells Fargo Technology Analyst.

Gavin Andres

• Schaumburg, IL
• Computer Science

Participation & Awards: UHP Grant Recipient

Honors Project: Inertial and RF UWB Sensor Fusion for Indoor Localization

Moment of pride: 1st place overall team finish in the Cardinal Space Mining Club.

Mackenzee Ashcroft

• Ames, IA
• Psychology
• Minor in Sociology

Honors Project: Social Media, Body Image, & the Big Five Personality Traits

Lexie Balkema

• The Woodlands, TX
• Biology (AGLS)

Honors Project: World Food Issues Children's Book

Moment of pride: I am proud of being an outreach chair for the Iowa State Pre-Health Conference for the last three years and seeing how much the conference has grown.

Post-grad plans: Applying to Physician Assistant school.

Sophie Byroade

• Urbana, IA
• English
• Minor in Criminal Justice, Music

Honors Project: Internet Safety to Combat Against Child Exploitation and Grooming

Moment of pride: President of Kappa Kappa Psi Honorary Band Fraternity.

Post-grad plans: Attending Jacksonville University School of Law.

Clarissa Carolan

• Vinton, IA
• Biology (LAS)
• Minor in Psychology

Honors Project: The Effects of Exercise on the Endocannabinoid System and Brain Health in Adults with and without Cannabis use

Moment of pride: Completing this program is something I am quite proud of while also being a member of the Biological Honors Society and obtaining the fundraising chair leadership position for the Biological Sciences Club.

Post-grad plans: Take the next year to determine which field of health care I would like to pursue.

Michael Craighton

• Urbandale, IA
• Political Science, Economics (LAS)
• Minor in Russian Studies

Honors Project: Investigation the Relationship between Natural Resource Abundance and State Fragility

Moment of pride: Expanding my international experience from no travel outside the United States, to completing a travel course, two semesters abroad, and an international internship.

Allie Crowson

• Peoria, IL
• Public Relations
• Minor in Political Science, Sociology

Participation & Awards: HON 121 Leader, Mentor Grant Recipient, Honors Ambassador

Honors Project: Trust in the Courts, Voting Behavior, and Political Attitudes in College-Aged Americans

Moment of pride: Deans List, Phi Beta Kappa, 2023 Dean's High Impact Award for Undergraduate Research, tour guide!

Post-grad plans: Applying for jobs.

Zoe DeKruif

• Cedar Rapids, IA
• Linguistics
• Minor in Anthropology and Classical Studies

Participation & Awards: Mentor & Summer Grant Recipient

Honors Project: A Survey and Comparison of Syntactic Analysis Systems for Language Description

Moment of pride: Award for Excellence in Classical Studies.

Post-grad plans: for Linguistics (still deciding between two programs).

Ashlee England

• Granger, IA
• Psychology
• Minor in Sociology

Honors Project: Mindfulness​ Impact on Intrinsically Motivated Physical Activity

Post-grad plans: I am applying for a post grad job.

Don Gill

• Baton Rouge, LA
• Psychology

Participation & Awards: UHP & Student Enrichment Grant Recipient

Honors Project: Noobs vs Pros: Comparing Coping Styles across Streamers

Moment of pride: Undergraduate Lab Manager Media Research Lab.

Post-grad plans: Counseling Masters

Jennifer Godbersen

• Ida Grove, IA
• Linguistics
• Minor in Spanish, English

Participation & Awards: HON 121 Leader, Mentor & Summer Grant Recipient

Honors Project: “Jump Analysis”: An Approach to Analyzing Continuity in Written Text Production

Moment of pride: The amazing opportunity to be a FHP leader.

Post-grad plans: Data analyst internship.

Grace Hagedorn

• Ankeny, IA
• Biology (LAS)
• Minor in Microbiology, French

Honors Project: Impacts of Water Quality on G418 Antibiotic Effectiveness

Moment of pride: I served as the soprano section leader in Cantamus Treble Choir for three years.

Post-grad plans: Research Assistant

Sean Hartmann

• Ames, IA
• English, Technical Communication
• Minor in Film Studies

Participation & Awards: UHP & Student Enrichment Grant Recipient

Honors Project: Exploring Experimental Film Firsthand

Moment of pride: Dean’s Summer High Impact Award and connected sharing of Undergraduate Research at the National Conference of Undergraduate Research in Long Beach, California.

Alexandra Harwood

• Tampa, FL
• English

Honors Project: All Laid out like a Tarot (Original Screenplay)

Moment of pride: Working at the Journal of Popular Culture.

Daniel Howell

• Winterset, IA
• Chemistry
• Minor in Horticulture & Spanish

Participation & Awards: Mentor & Summer Grant Recipient

Honors Project: Exploration of Titania-Silica Nanosheets as Catalysts for Plastic Upcycling

Moment of pride: Receiving the Barry Goldwater Scholarship alongside three of my fellow ISU students.

Post-grad plans: Pursue a Ph.D. in Chemistry at Stanford University.

Maggie Jirik

• New Prague, MN
• Biology (LAS)
• Minor in Psychology

Honors Project: Association of Physical Activity and Quality of Life on Commitment to Sobriety and Substance Abuse Treatment

Post-grad plans: Attending Physician Assistant School.

Elizabeth Jones

• Grimes, IA
• English, Women's and Gender Studies
• Minor in Textile Design

Participation & Awards: Mentor & UHP Grant Recipient

Honors Project: Feminine Heritage Within Stitches

Post-grad plans: Attending Student Affairs master's program at ISU.

Mia Kawamitsu

• Council Bluffs, IA
• Journalism & Mass Communication, International Studies
• Minor in Fashion, Culture, History & Social Justice

Participation & Awards: HON 121 Leader, Ho-PoC Grant Recipient

Honors Project: Diversity Dialogues: Success & Struggles at Iowa State University

Moment of pride: I'm honored and proud to have been the only undergraduate student recognized on the 2024 Women Impacting ISU Calendar!

Post-grad plans: I will be starting a career in student affairs, focusing on serving underrepresented students.

Michaela Lange

• Johnston, IA
• Psychology

Honors Project: A Study on Storytelling

Moment of pride: HOME Peer Mentor

Post-grad plans: Internship with Stride Autism Center.

Julia Litecky

• Minneapolis, MN
• Journalism & Mass Communication, Political Science
• Minor in Criminal Justice

Honors Project: To what Extent does the United Nation's Universal Declaration of Human Rights apply to American Constitutionalism

Moment of pride: I was the Honors Student Board President and I am proud of the work I did for HSB.

Post-grad plans: Attending law school.

Carsyn Mueller

• Cedar Falls, IA
• Physics
• Minor in Psychology

Honors Project: The Properties and Synthesis of Sr(Co1-xCux)2P2

Post-grad plans: Attending the University of Maryland.

Benjamin Niklasen

• Farley, IA
• Computer Science
• Minor in Cyber Security

Honors Project: JVM vs LLVM Compiler

Moment of pride: President of Boxing Club at ISU.

Post-grad plans: Software Engineer at ALMACO.

Clay Peters

• Jefferson, IA
• Psychology
• Minor in Statistics

Honors Project: Framing, Its Effects, and Mitigation

Moment of pride: Balancing my involvement in many different areas.

Danielle Robinson

• Pella, IA
• English
• Minor in Technical Communication

Participation & Awards: Summer, Student Enrichment, and UHP Grant Recipient

Honors Project: A Modern Chapbook: Poems and Dialogues on Wellbeing in an Unwell World

Moment of pride: I am proud of receiving the Will C. Jumper scholarship in poetry! It truly honors the growth I've made in my creative writing over my time at ISU.

Post-grad plans: I will be moving to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where I will be tutoring college and high school students in English.

Addison Schmidt

• Eagan, MN
• Computer Science, Mathematics
• Minor in Data science

Participation & Awards: Summer Grant Recipient

Honors Project: Proofs and Automation for Chemical Reaction Network Verification

Gretchen Schwager

• Ames, IA
• Psychology
• Minor in Women and Gender Studies, Religious Studies, Sociology

Honors Project: Cycle of Empowerment: Psychological Impacts of Menstrual Health Education

Moment of pride: I am very proud of the honors project I completed during my time at ISU, and the opportunities to research and learn about women's experiences and health through various seminars and my research project.

Post-grad plans: My current plans include a gap year to work before applying to PhD programs for Clinical/Counseling Psychology!

Grace Schwarz

• North Caldwell, NJ
• Psychology
• Minor in German

Honors Project: Heuristic Based Deception Detection

Moment of pride: Presenting research at MPA in Chicago and the Honors Poster Presentation.

Post-grad plans: Heading back home to New Jersey to attend the master's program in I/D Psychology at Montclair state University in Montclair, NJ.

Eliza Sherman

• Quad Cities, IA
• Sociology (LAS), International Studies
• Minor in Communication Studies

Honors Project: The Truth about Human Trafficking

Post-grad plans: International Public Policy at University College London.

Kaitlyn Sievers

• Luzerne, IA
• Psychology
• Minor in Statistics and English

Participation & Awards: HON 121 Leader

Honors Project: Actual Play Medium Influences on Novelty, Surprise, Transportation, and Competence Needs and Effects of Expertise

Moment of pride: I am proud of being a guide (basically equivalent to captain) for Iowa State Marching Band’s color guard.

Post-grad plans: I hope to earn my PhD in cognitive psychology.

Jesse Slater

• Parnell, IA
• Mathematics, Computer Science
• Minor in Political Science, Philosophy

Honors Project: A Verified Compiler Targeting Chemical Reactions In DNA Soup

Moment of pride: My time as the vice president of the Philosophy Club.

Post-grad plans: Pursuing a PhD in Computer Science at the University of Michigan.

Seema Smadi

• Ames, IA
• Anthropology
• Minor in Middle Eastern Studies, Ethics, Political Science

Participation & Awards: HON 121 Leader

Honors Project: Testing the Efficacy of the Ultra-Filtration Centrifuge for the Stable Isotope Analysis of Bone Collagen

Moment of pride: I restarted the Arab Student Association, and was president of the organization in my last semester.

Post-grad plans: Working at a law firm and applying for law school in the next cycle.

Jamie Smith

• New Virginia, IA
• Communication Studies, World Languages & Cultures
• Minor in Linguistics

Participation & Awards: HON 121 Leader, Mentor & Summer Grant Recipient, Honors Ambassador

Honors Project: A Mixed-Methods Approach to Documenting Product- and Process-focused Advice in Writing Center Sessions

Moment of pride: I'm proud of being a published co-author in the Young Scholars in Writing Journal from research done in the Language Processing, Acquisition, and Change Lab.

Post-grad plans: I'm going to be an English language assistant for NALCAP (North American Language and Culture Assistants Program)in Spain.

Natalie Sommervold

• Minneapolis, MN
• Psychology
• Minor in Statistics & Criminal Justice

Honors Project: Using Eyewitness Descriptions of Perpetrators to Forecast Lineup Identification Accuracy

Moment of pride: President of the Psychology Club.

Ranai Srivastav

• Waukee, IA
• Computer Science

Participation & Awards: HON 121 Leader, Summer Grant Recipient

Honors Project: Duckietown as an Experimental Verification Platform for Evaluating Perception Metrics

Moment of pride: 4 years as an improv comedian in Grandma Mojos

Post-grad plans: Phd in Ecology at Pennsylvania State University

Hailey Stone

• Lenexa, KS
• Political Science
• Minor in Religious Studies

Honors Project: 2024 Iowa Republican Caucus: Why isn't Donald Trump doing Better?

Moment of pride: Researching with Dr. Peterson.

Post-grad plans: Attending law school in Fall 2025.

Katherine Surur

• Cedar Rapids, IA
• Anthropology, World Languages & Cultures

Honors Project: The Beliefs of Witchcraft and Religion for Liberian-Americans

Moment of pride: I enjoyed being a YWCA peer mentor.

Post-grad plans: Master's in Library and Information Science at Indiana University.

Karsten Theilen

• Johnston, IA
• Biochemistry
• Minor in Spanish

Participation & Awards: Student Enrichment Grant Recipient

Honors Project: Selecting and Testing Activity of Different Mre11/Rad50 Mutations for Use in Single Molecule FRET Assays

Moment of pride: Biochemistry Club President

Post-grad plans: Gap year before deployment.

Henry Thomas

• Rockford, IL
• Chemistry, Physics

Participation & Awards: Mentor, Summer, and Student Enrichment Grant Recipient

Honors Project: Synthesis, Characterization, and Application of High-Entropy Intermetallics

Moment of pride: Receiving the Barry Goldwater Scholarship.

Post-grad plans: Pursuing a Chemistry PhD at Stanford University.

Rebekah Veldboom

• Grinnell, IA
• Environmental Science (LAS)
• Minor in Sustainability; Soil Science Certificate

Participation & Awards: HON 121 Leader

Honors Project: The Potential Enzymatic Activity in Solid Anaerobic Digestate Compared to Two Iowa Soils

Moment of pride: Taking 8 semesters of carillon and playing a few carillon concerts in the Campanile.

Post-grad plans: Working as a Soil Conservationist for the Minnesota USDA-NRCS.

Davis Verhoeven

• Ames, IA
• Biology (LAS)

Honors Project: Engineering an Improved mRNA Vaccine using Unique Secondary Structures

Mackenzie Vogt

• Grand Island, NE
• English, Anthropology
• Minor in Technical Communication

Participation & Awards: UHP Grant Recipient

Honors Project: Mia's All About Me

Moment of pride: Designer and Visual Arts Editor of Sketch Literary Journal.