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BIOL 692H – Senior Honors Thesis in Biology

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Honors Carolina is a four-year academic program geared toward the top 10% of undergraduates at UNC and promises those students a guided journey toward a successful career and purposeful life.  It is the University's way of investing in truly exceptional students by providing academic and non-academic challenges and opportunities, both inside and outside the classroom.

From the moment they step foot on campus, our students join a diverse community of scholars and friends. Approximately 2,100 students are currently members of Honors Carolina, and enjoy access to more than 200 small courses, award-winning faculty, and priority registration. Our unparalleled commitment to global learning offers students a doorway to the world through courses, internships, and research for academic credit.

The Honors Carolina "Go Anywhere" initiative is a comprehensive plan to elevate the program's reputation among industry leaders, position it as a destination of choice for top recruiters, and prepare students to seize opportunities before them through intensive advising and coaching. In fact, our academic advisors, career coaches, and alumni mentors are with students every step of the way. Through a diverse roster of co-curricular programs, students explore their interests; prepare for life after graduation; and connect with students, faculty, alumni, and leaders around the globe. Some enrolling first-year students are invited to participate immediately in Honors Carolina. Other students may apply to the program at the beginning of their second semester or first year of study. Details of the application process are available on the  Honors Carolina  website. Honors Carolina students must maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.000 or higher and complete a minimum number of honors credit hours by graduation in order to receive the “Honors Carolina Laureate” distinction on their transcript.

To graduate from the University with  honors or highest honors , students must complete a senior thesis in their academic major. Senior honors thesis programs are offered in nearly 50 departments, curricula, and professional schools throughout the University. Interested students should consult with the honors advisor in their major about department-specific requirements.

Visit Program Website

218 E. Franklin Street

(919) 966-5110

Peter T. Grauer Associate Dean for Honors Carolina

James Leloudis

[email protected]

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Human Biology Lab at UNC

Undergraduate research, human biology lab undergraduate mentorship *starting spring term 2024*.

Do you want to learn more about Human Biology research and get involved in undergraduate research opportunities?

Next semester, graduate students of the Human Biology Lab will hold weekly sessions for undergraduates looking for more information about Human Biology and ways to become more involved in research. The goals of this group include graduate student-level support to conduct independent thesis-level research, assisting graduate students in conducting their projects, or just learning more about the ins and outs of labs and professional development. No prior experience is needed. This group is intended to support you as much as you put into it.

Questions can be sent to [email protected] , but no need to email if interested. You just need to show up!

When : Weekly, Fridays 3:30-4:30, Starting on Friday, January 19th, 2024

Where : Alumni Hall Room, 313A

• Recruit undergrads to assist graduate research
• Give graduate student support to conduct independent undergraduate research
• Provide insight into available databases
• Learn about conducting human biology research, applying to graduate school, and professional development
• Create a community for undergrads to collaborate and build their skills outside of the classroom

——————————————————————————————————————————————

Undergraduate Honors Theses

To pursue an honors degree and an honors thesis project, you must meet certain requirements, including:.

• Maintain a minimum Grade Point Average of 3.3 from the spring semester of the junior year through the entirety of the senior year*  Secure a faculty advisor who is an anthropologist at UNC.
• Successfully complete the ANTH 691H and 692H sequence
• Receive approval from UNC’s Office for Human Research Ethics prior to the start of the research, for all projects involving human subjects

1) Students considering an honor thesis should first contact the Director of Undergraduate Studies or the Honors Thesis Seminar Instructor, during their junior year (or earlier).

2) Eligible students next should secure an advisor prior to enrolling in ANTH 691H for the fall semester of their senior year. Typically, one’s advisor is a professor they have worked with in classes or faculty with shared interests.

3) In the fall Honors Thesis Seminar, ANTH 691H, students develop their research design and begin to write their thesis.

4) In the spring, students complete an independent study, ANTH 692H, with their advisor, focusing on writing the thesis. Students also form their committee, by adding two additional faculty members.

5) To complete the process, students ‘defend’ (i.e. present and discuss) their thesis to their committee, before submitting it to the university to receive the Honors distinction.

* Further information on the Honors Thesis Program at UNC may be viewed on the UNC Anthropology website .

Past Undergraduate Honors Theses Projects:

Undergraduate Honors Thesis

About the senior honors thesis.

An honors program is available to IS majors who have demonstrated their ability to perform distinguished work. The Honors Thesis allows exceptional students in the undergraduate major to demonstrate the ability to treat a problem in a substantial and scholarly way.  Students write an honors thesis on a topic related to information science and defend it before a faculty committee.  They may graduate with honors or highest honors; this designation is printed on the final transcript and diploma.

Registering for an Honors Thesis at SILS

Registering for Honors at SILS requires an application . The application should be submitted to the Undergraduate Student Services Manager prior to  April 1 during the year in which the student plans to register for INLS 691H.

To conduct an Honors Thesis in Information Science, students must complete INLS 691H (offered in the Fall) and INLS 692H (offered in the Spring).  To be considered for admission into this course of study, students must meet the following course requirements and submit an application.

Course Requirements

The requirements for conducting an Honors Thesis in Information Science include having taken at least four INLS courses, including two numbered higher than 299, and having a total INLS GPA of at least 3.5.  The student should have an overall GPA of at least 3.3.

Application & Schedule

Prior to april 1st (effective for the fall semester).

•  Provide a list of all courses taken by the student, along with the grades earned in those courses.  A print out from Carolina Connect is sufficient documentation.  Students are not required to request an official transcript from the registrar.
• Create a one-page proposal including a one paragraph description of the research topic, several questions related to the topic (i.e., what you want to discover or learn), and a short list of approximately five sources related to the topic. Also, add the name of the SILS faculty member you would like to serve as you advisor on this document.
• Gather the name of a SILS faculty member the applicant would like to serve as his/her advisor.  (It is required for the student to talk this over with the faculty member first and ensure they are in agreement to advise your Honors Thesis)
• The application will be submitted using the following form: SILS BSIS Honors Application 
• The advisor and the DUS, in consultation, will decide whether the student will be permitted to register for INLS 691H, and also whether the proposed advisor will serve as the Thesis Advisor.
• Once approved, you will be enrolled in INLS 691H for the Fall semester.

Prior to your registration period for the Spring semester

• If satisfactory progress is made, you will submit the Courses Requiring Instructor Permission form to be enrolled for the corresponding course
• Once approved, you will be enrolled in INLS 692H for the Spring semester
• Submit your final project to the Honors Carolina office by the required deadline; failure to submit your final Honors thesis will result in you not receiving Honors recogntion on your official record – Honors Carolina

Course Sequence

The honors program consists of two courses:   INLS 691H – Research Methods in Information Science, and INLS 692H – Honors Thesis in Information Science. INLS 691H will be taken in the fall of the senior year.  In this course, each student selects a research topic of interest, learns about research methods, and writes a research proposal.  Assuming satisfactory completion of INLS 691H , students register for INLS 692H in the spring of their senior year.  You must submit the form Courses Requiring Instructor Permission prior to your registration period to be enrolled for INLS 692H

Each student should select a thesis advisor based on mutual interest in the topic, and the availability of the faculty member to advise the student during the thesis work.  The student and advisor should meet regularly to discuss the student’s research and writing.

• The student’s thesis advisor, chosen when submitting the Honors Thesis application
• A second reader, identified jointly by the student and advisor, and
• The SILS Director of the honors program (Director of Undergraduate Studies)

The thesis must be completed and circulated to the thesis committee by the end of March, and the oral defense of the thesis must take place in the middle of April (exact dates will be based on the registrar’s calendar for the year).  The final approved copies of the thesis must be submitted to the SILS office; the due date will be communicated to those in the honors program, and it is always before the end of the semester.

Students who complete a high-quality thesis will graduate with honors; those whose thesis is exceptional will graduate with highest honors.  The SILS Director of the honors program will assemble all thesis advisors and second readers to evaluate the theses to be considered for honors each year.

BSIS Honors Thesis titles from the past:

• Student and Faculty Perceptions, Attitudes and Use of Wikipedia by Alexander Foley (BSIS ’08)
• Cognitive Strategies for Constructing and Managing Passwords for Multiple Accounts by Julia Kampov-Polevoi (BSIS ’08)
• Illusionary Privacy in the Digital Landscape:  Identity, Intellectual Property and Privacy Concern on Facebook by Elizabeth Lyons (BSIS ’08)
• PDA:  Personal Digital Assistant or Personally Distracting and Addicting? by Robert Shoemake (BSIS ’09)
• Information Overload in Undergraduate Students by John Weis (BSIS ’09)
• Faceted Search Implementation on Mobile Devices by Ashlee Edwards (BSIS ’11)
• Self-Initiated Search Versus Imposed Collaboration by Beth Sams (BSIS ’11)
• Building a Memory Palace in the Cloud: Instructional Technologies and the Method of Loci by Marla Sullivan (BSIS ’12)
• Unfriending and Unfollowing Practices of College Student Users of Facebook by Eliza Hinkes (BSIS ’15)
• Music in the Real World: Live Music Retrieval and the Limitations Thereof by Ryan Burch (BSIS ’15)
• Investigating the Effect of Familiarity with Target Document on Retrieval Success in Group Information Repositories by Kimberly Hii (BSIS ’16)
• Cross-Cultural Usability for Product Customization on the Web by Kristian Perks (BSIS ’16)
• Library Policy as a Potential Barrier to the Access of Public Library eBook and eReader Services by People Experiencing Homelessness by Rachel Spencer (BSIS ’17)
• Scaling Smart Cities: An Analysis of how Small Cities Implement Smart Technologies by Ryan Theurer (BSIS ’18)
• The Impact of Social Norms on Users’ Smartphone Notifications Management Strategies by Cami Goray (BSIS ’18)
• Visualization Technology Use in Secondary Mathematics Classroom Education by Xiaoqian (Sophie) Niu (BSIS ’18)
• Is Mobile Work Really Location-Independent? The Role of Space in the Work of Digital Nomads  by Evyn Nash (BSIS ’19)
• A Bibliometric Analysis of Research Publications that Adopted the Medical Expendture Panel Survey (MEPS) Data  by Jiacheng Liu (BSIS ’19)
• A Usability Study of the Intelligent Assitant for Senior Citizens to Seek Health Information  by Silu Hu (BSIS ’19)
• The Drama of Dark Patterns: History, Transformation, and Why it Still Matters by Michael Doucette (BSIS ’20)
• Human-AI Partnership In Underwriting: A Task-Centered Analysis of the Division of Work by Preston Smith (’20)
• Self-Presentation Strategies in the Platform Profiles of Successful Freelancers by Mara Negrut (BSIS ’21)
• Keep the Checking in Check: Analyzing Feedback and Reflection as a Strategy for Controlling Smartphone Checking Habits  by John Lickteig (BSIS ’21)
• Evaluating Collaborative Filtering Algorithms for Music Recommendations on Chinese Music Data by Yifan He (BSIS ’21)

These titles are available in the North Carolina Collection in Wilson Library.  Check out the UNC Library Catalog for more information.

• UNC Libraries
• Subject Research
• Finding Theses and Dissertations
• Finding UNC Theses & Dissertations

Finding Theses and Dissertations: Finding UNC Theses & Dissertations

Dissertations, master's papers, undergraduate honors theses.

• Finding Other Theses & Dissertations
• Borrowing & Purchasing

The North Carolina Collection in Wilson Library has paper copies of MOST UNC Chapel Hill theses and dissertations, including many of those from Health Affairs, and also the only copies of some pre-1930 dissertations and theses. The NCC's copies do not circulate and are not in an area open for browsing. You can assume that the NCC will probably have a copy of a UNC-Chapel Hill dissertation or thesis even if the catalogs do not reveal this.

Davis Library has circulating copies of many theses and dissertations completed at UNC-Chapel Hill. The Health Sciences Library has copies of the theses and dissertations completed in Health Affairs departments. Some dissertations and theses are also located in the Library Service Center and can be requested through the Carolina BLU Campus Delivery Service . Most UNC-Chapel Hill theses and dissertations can be found in the online catalog .

• Dissertation - Presents original research and is written as part of the requirements for obtaining a doctorate.
• Thesis - Presents original research and is written as part of the requirements for obtaining a master's degree.
• Master's Paper - Some master's programs at UNC do not have an official "thesis" but rather require a major paper or report.
• Undergraduate Honors Thesis - Written and defended by Honors Carolina undergraduate students in order to graduate with Honors or Highest Honors.

The Carolina Digital Repository also provides access to digital copies of theses and dissertations completed at UNC-Chapel Hill. It is an open-access source that houses user-submitted theses and dissertations and also other works by instructors and researchers affiliated with UND-Chapel Hill. However, as it houses works besides theses and dissertation and is relatively new, it may not pull up older works.

• ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global Indexes US dissertations from 1861 with full text available from 1997; masters theses covered selectively including some full text. Citations for dissertations from 1980 include 350-word abstracts, while masters' theses from 1988 have 150-word abstracts. Selectively covers dissertations from Great Britain and other European universities for recent years. In addition to this database, the full text of the majority of UNC theses and dissertations from 2006, and all beginning in 2008, are freely available electronically from the UNC Library: Dissertations | Theses more... less... Access: Off Campus Access is available for: UNC-Chapel Hill students, faculty, and staff; UNC Hospitals employees; UNC-Chapel Hill affiliated AHEC users. Coverage: 1861 to present
• Dissertations & Theses @ University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Dissertations & Theses@University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill provides indexing and some full text access to dissertations completed here at Chapel Hill and submitted to the Dissertations Abstracts database. more... less... Access: Off Campus Access is available for: UNC-Chapel Hill students, faculty, and staff; UNC Hospitals employees; UNC-Chapel Hill affiliated AHEC users. Coverage: 1920s to present

Most UNC dissertations are in the UNC-CH catalog. If searching for a known author or title, searching the  online catalog  is the most efficient way to search: A sample search: title =  "Chaucer's relative constructions"

You can also use the  Boolean Search  feature of the  Advanced UNC-CH Catalog  to perform Keyword Searches for UNC dissertations.

Conducting a Keyword Search for Dissertations

Although most dissertations are in the online catalog, dissertations before 1964 have no subject headings. Searching for key words in the titles will help get at "subjects" for these items. Do not use ONLY standard LC Subject Headings. Be creative with appropriate key words, synonyms, and variants as well.

You will be searching for "thesis phd or thesis ph d" , which will appear as a note in the catalog record. You can use subject headings, title words, an author's last name, etc., and add "and thesis phd or thesis ph d". It is advisable to enter the "phd" both ways because of spacing variations. A sample search:

shakespeare and (thesis phd or thesis ph d) and "north carolina"

However, as noted above, Dissertations & Theses is the most efficient way to search for dissertations on a topic. If you do search for dissertations in the online catalog, you should add  "and north carolina" to try and weed out dissertations from other schools, but this can lead to false drops and omissions.

Finding Theses

While some theses may be found in Dissertations & Theses , thesis coverage is not nearly as comprehensive as dissertation coverage in that database.

Most UNC theses are in the UNC-CH catalog. If searching for a known author or title, searching the online catalog is the most efficient way to search. A sample search: title = Spenser and the diction of allegory : some uses of wordplay in the Faerie Queene

The online catalog does not offer an easy way to limit a subject search to master's theses. There is no group subject heading or subheading like "theses" for them. You can also use the Boolean Search feature of the Advanced UNC-CH Catalog to perform Keyword Searches for UNC theses.

Conducting a Keyword Search for Theses

Although most theses are in the online catalog, theses both before 1967 and after around 1990 have no subject headings. Searching for key words in the titles will help get at "subjects" for these items. Do not use ONLY standard LC Subject Headings. Be creative with appropriate key words, synonyms, and variants as well.

You will be searching for "thesis ma" or "thesis m a," which will appear as a note in the catalog record. You can use subject headings, title words, an author's last name, etc., and add "and thesis ma or thesis m a". It is advisable to enter the "ma" both ways because of spacing variations. A sample search:

shakespeare and (thesis ma or thesis m a) and "north carolina"

Finding Master's Papers

Some departments do not have an official thesis but instead require a major paper or report. These papers and reports are not in Davis Library or, for the most part, in the North Carolina Collection or the Libraries' online catalog. Some departments and departmental libraries have online lists. Contact the department, or, if there is one, the departmental library for information.

Environmental Sciences and Engineering Master's level students in the Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering can opt for one of four tracks: a Master of Science degree, which requires a thesis; and the Master of Science in Public Health, Master of Public Health, and Master of Science in Environmental Engineering, which require a technical report. Theses are uploaded as digital copies to the Graduate School, and technical reports are uploaded to the Carolina Digital Repository.

Public Administration Copies of the Master of Public Administration papers from 1976-1994 are in the North Carolina Collection . For copies of papers completed since 1994, contact the Manager of the Master of Public Administration Program (Knapp-Sanders Bldg., CB# 3330, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3330, Phone: 919-966-5381, Fax: 919-962-0654, Email Contact Form ).

UNC-Chapel Hill Master's Paper Collection Full-text copies of master's papers can be found:

• UNC-Chapel Hill Master's Paper Collection more... less... Access: No restrictions.

This database contains papers completed for the following departments:

• City & Regional Planning: Coverage from May 2002 - present
• Information & Library Science: Coverage from May 1999 - present*
• Maternal & Child Health: Coverage from December 2010 - present
• Public Health & Public Health Leadership: Coverage from August 2011 - present

*Print copies from 1963 - present are available in the  SILS Library .

Finding Undergraduate Honors Theses

Undergraduate Honors Theses (through 2012) are in the North Carolina Collection. They can be found using the card catalog located in that collection or the online catalog. They do not have subject headings unless they are about North Carolina. They do not circulate. Some departmental libraries also have copies but these are also non-circulating. To determine if a copy of an honors thesis can be obtained, contact the North Carolina Collection .

Electronic Submission of Senior Honors Theses:

Beginning in Fall 2013, students will no longer submit paper copies of their senior honors theses for archiving in the North Carolina Collection in Wilson Library. Instead, they will submit theses electronically via the Carolina Digital Repository (CDR). Submissions are due by the last day of class in the semester in which students complete their theses. The University Library will catalog electronic theses and make them available to the public.

To find Undergraduate Honors Theses in the catalog you can also use the Boolean Search feature of the Advanced UNC-CH Catalog to perform Keyword Searches. Do a keyword search for "honors essay" (with quotation marks) and then limit your search results to "North Carolina Collection" using the "Location" category in the left-hand column. A sample search: shakespeare and "honors essay" – then limit to North Carolina Collection Remember that Honors Theses lack subject indexing, so Keyword principally searches title and author fields. A thesis about Shakespeare may not have Shakespeare in the title. You can also do a catalog search for a specific title or author if known. A sample search: title = Broken emblems : allusion, irony, and utility in David Jones' In parenthesis

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• Last Updated: May 16, 2023 12:44 PM
• URL: https://guides.lib.unc.edu/disthesis

UNC Chapel Hill

Graduate Students:

• Natalie Harris, PhD (2018-2023) – Postdoctoral Fellow at UNC Office of Technology Commercialization
• Natalie Nielsen, PhD (2016-2020) – Scientist, Bioagilytix, Durham, NC
• John Pawlak, PhD (2015-2020) – Scientist, Bioagilytix, Durham, NC
• Claire Trincot, PhD (2013-2019) – Senior Toxicologist, Experimur, Chicago, IL
• Brooke Matson, MD, PhD (2013-2017) – Fellow, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, UNC Health
• Dan Kechele, PhD (2010-2016) – Postdoctoral fellow at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital
• Klara Klein, MD, PhD (2011-2015) – Clinician-Scientist, Dept. of Medicine, UNC-CH
• Sarah Wetzel-Strong, PhD (2010-2015) –  Medical Writer and Consultant, Whitsell Innovations, Inc.
• Patricia Lenhart, MD, PhD (2009-2013) – Pediatric Pulmonary Fellow, Univ. Colorado
• Samantha Hoopes, PhD (2009-2013) – Integrated Product Development Associate at Rho
• Mahita Kadmiel, PhD (2007-2011) – Assistant Professor,  Allegheny College
• William Dunworth, PhD (2004-2009) – Account manager at STEMCELL Technologies
• Ryan Dackor, PhD (2003-2008) – Nuventra Pharma Sciences, SC

Previous Postdoctoral Staff:

• Margeaux Wetendorf Marbrey, PhD (2016-2023) – Assistant Professor, Dept. of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Duke University
• Nisan Hubbard, PhD (2019-2022) – Teaching Assistant Professor, West Virginia University
• Wenjing Xu, PhD (2015-2021) – Scientist, Sarepta Therapeutics
• Hyouk-Bum Kwon, PhD (2018-2020) – Senior Scientist, Sanofi, Boston, MA
• Kelsey Quinn, PhD (2016-2020) – Research Science Liaison, UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center
• Duncan Mackie, PhD (2015-2019) – Director of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, MedPharm Holdings
• Reema Davis, PhD (2014-2018) – Scientist, BioAgilytix
• Natalie Karpinich, PhD (2009-2014) – Investigator, Clinical Biomarkers and Translational Research at GlaxoSmithKline
• Manyu Li, DVM, PhD (2004-2013) – Research Medical Specialist, Division of Molecular Genetics at UNC Chapel Hill
• Stephanie Pierce, PhD (2010-2012) – Regulatory Affairs Scientist at Duke University
• Nicole Schwerbrock, PhD (2009-2011) – Innovation & Entrepreneurship Fellow at UNC Chapel Hill
• Delia Barrick, PhD (2008-2009) – Research Associate, Genetics Department at UNC Chapel Hill
• Gregory Harris, MD, PhD (2006-2007) – Physician at ECU

Previous Staff:

• Krsna Rangarajan, MS (2016-2021) – Senior Research Associate, Precision BioSciences Inc., Durham, NC
• John Pawlak, PhD (2013-2015) – Scientist, Bioagilytix, Durham, NC
• Ted Espenschied, PhD (2009-2013) – Postdoctoral Fellow, Cleveland Clinic
• Helen Willcockson, MSc(2010-2012) – Research Associate, Pediatrics at UNC Chapel Hill
• Kimberly Fritz-Six (2003-2010)
• Xiu Xu (2008-2010)
• Gleb Rozanov (2003-2004) – International Sales & Marketing Research, Minrad International

Previous Undergraduate Students:

• Carrington Wells (2021-2023)
• Alvin Singh (2021-2023)
• Ronin Knies (2021-2023)
• Aisha Siddiqui ( 2021-2022)
• Disha Ratra (2016-2021)
• Sophia Hurr (2016-2020) – UNC Public Health, currently working as analyst Advisory Board, United Health Care’s consulting branch and receiving her doula certification
• Danica Dy (2017-2020) – UNC Biology, currently graduate student at UNC Chapel Hill
• Emma Goodwin (2019) – UNC Biology
• Smriti Singh (2017-2019) – UNC Biology Honors Student
• Chris Tinkey (2018) – Georgia Gwinnett College, SURE Student
• Annaleigh Powell (2016-2018) – UNC Biology Honors Student
• Imani Sweatt (2016 – 2017) – UNC Biology Honors Student
• Ben Lovett (2016) – Oberlin College, SURE Program
• Ruth Muene (2015) – UNC SOLAR Program
• Mackenzie O’Brien (2015)- UNC Biology
• Hannah Park (2014) – UNC, currently Univ. Penn
• Adam Robinson (2011-2012) – UNC Biology Honors Thesis
• Scott Widemon (2011-2012) – UNC Biology Honors Thesis, currently medical student at Columbia College Physicians & Surgeons
• Nicole Nebveveir (2011) – SURE Program, currently medical student at Brown Univ.
• Elizabeth Nagel (2009) – SURE Program, currently graduate student at Columbia Graduate School
• Sarah Wetzel (2008) – SURE Program, currently Postdoctoral Fellow at Duke Univ.
• Megan Brock (2006) – UNC Biology, currently Pediatric Resident at WFUBMC
• Carrie Gibbons (2004-2005) – UNC Biology Thesis, currently Asst Professor at Yale Univ.

Department Honors Program

In addition to completing University level honors programs at  UNC Honors Carolina  and  NC State University Honors Program , students also have the opportunity to complete department honors on each campus.

Biomedical Engineering students who want to expand their knowledge of the field through advanced study and independent research may earn departmental honors. Students in the program write a thesis based on the cumulative experience gained from two complete semesters of independent research in addition to completing one BME course for honors credit or at a graduate level.  A successful thesis defense to a group of three faculty members results in the designation of Honors in Biomedical Engineering noted on the student’s transcript. At UNC, the designation of Highest Honors in Biomedical Engineering may be earned if the quality of the work is deemed to be at the level of a scientific journal publication.

Admission to the program

Students who wish to undertake a senior honors thesis project must have met the pre-requisites for senior design and have a cumulative GPA of 3.3 or higher and have a BME 491/492 or BMME  691H/692H application approved, which can be found here . More information is also provided for students who are below but within reach of a 3.3 GPA.

Requirements: 

• Seminar Attendance :  Students will attend two seminars each semester from the BME seminar series or other approved seminars for two semesters. This form should be submitted to the Student Services Coordinator for each seminar attended.
• Advanced Study Course : Complete a 300 or higher level BME course for student-initiated or faculty-initiated honors at NC State or with an honors contract at UNC. Alternatively, students can complete a graduate-level course (500 level or higher) that counts toward the undergraduate degree.  The advanced study course should be completed with a grade of B or better.
• Independent Research : Complete BME 491/BMME 691H and BME 492/BMME 692H, both with a grade of B or better.
• Written Thesis :
• The thesis will be submitted towards the end of the Spring semester. It should be sent to the committee members at least one week before the oral defense, and corrections may be requested.
• One of the following formats should be followed (the decision doesn’t have to be made ahead of time)

Format 1: Fully written paper in which the honors student is the first or co-first author. This should be at least “close” to submission to a journal. This format should be chosen for UNC-based students pursuing the goal of “highest honors.”

Format 2: This may resemble the final report of a two-semester independent study and would still be written in the format of a scientific paper (Introduction, Methods, Results with data in the form of figures/tables, Discussion, References). It is ok if the maturity/amount/quality of the data does not quite meet the level required for submission to a journal. This format should be chosen for UNC-based students pursuing the goal of “honors.” General guidelines of 12-20 pages at 1.5 line spacing, 1-inch margins, Arial 11. Can exceed page limit to account for large figures and references.

• Oral Thesis defense:
• The recommended format is a 25-40 minute presentation followed by 15-45 minutes of questions and discussion.
• At least two of the three committee members must be faculty members, but one may be a graduate student or post-doc. It is recommended, but not required, that one of the thesis committee members be from outside the BME department.
• A successful defense is when all three committee members unanimously agree the thesis merits honors credit.
• The committee chair should submit this form to the student services coordinator. Please visit this link for additional formatting and submission requirements from UNC.

Students Within Reach of a 3.3 GPA

Students whose GPA is close to the eligibility standard and who have a reasonable chance of meeting the requirement within a semester of additional coursework may begin a senior honors thesis project on a probationary basis. Such exceptions must be approved in advance by the BME Director of Undergraduate Research. Students who fail to raise their GPAs to meet the standard at the end of the probationary semester may not continue as candidates for graduation with honors or highest honors. They should receive graded course credit for the work completed and may, at the discretion of the BME Undergraduate Research Committee, continue their projects in the 2 nd semester as an independent study. Students who continue on that basis are not eligible to graduate with BME honors.

• Senior Honors Thesis
• Faculty + Staff
• Why Teach an Honors Carolina Course?
• Course Planning + Scheduling
• Registration and Wait List Process
• Burch Field Research Seminars
• Honors Contract

Many Carolina students cap their undergraduate experience with a Senior Honors Thesis, partnering with a faculty mentor to develop original research or creative work. Students who successfully defend their theses before a faculty review panel graduate with Honors or Highest Honors.

Students may undertake a Senior Honors Thesis project only in their major field of study (with an exception for students who minor in Creative Writing). Students with double majors may graduate with Honors or Highest Honors in both fields of study. To do so, they must complete a distinct project in each field. All Senior Honors Thesis projects must be completed under the direct supervision of a faculty advisor. Tenured and tenure-track faculty, retired faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and fixed-term faculty appointed for more than a single year may serve as thesis advisors. Graduate students may not serve as advisors for Senior Honors Thesis projects.

Eligibility

Students who wish to undertake a Senior Honors Thesis project must have a cumulative GPA of 3.300 or higher. Academic departments may set higher thresholds for course work within students’ major field of study.

Honors Thesis Research Awards

Honors Carolina offers financial awards to support Senior Honors Thesis research. These awards, up to $500, may be used to cover any legitimate cost directly connected to a thesis project: laboratory equipment and supplies, computer software and hardware, travel, artistic supplies, books and periodicals not available through normal library sources, illustrations and duplication, etc.

Students must apply through their major department’s honors director or their faculty thesis advisor (for units without Honors directors). A Call for Proposals is sent to departments early each semester. Students may not submit applications directly to Honors Carolina .

Deadlines and application forms are here .

Reporting Deadlines

Students completing honors theses in the fall semester.

2nd Monday in November (4:00pm) Reporting forms and instructions will be sent to departmental honors advisors on September 1

Students Completing Honors Theses in spring semester

2nd Monday in April (4:00pm) Reporting forms and instructions will be sent to departmental honors advisors on February 1

Deadlines for specific semesters are here .

Students are required to upload the final version of their thesis to the  Carolina Digital Repository  by the final day of class in the semester in which they complete the thesis course work. Detailed instructions are included in the guidelines below.

Reporting Form

Helpful Resources

• Senior Honors Thesis Guidelines for Academic Units, Faculty Advisors, and Students
• Senior Honors Thesis Learning Contract
• Sample Senior Honors Thesis title page

INVEST IN OUR STUDENTS

Distinct shared and compartment-enriched oncogenic networks drive primary versus metastatic breast cancer

Add to collection, downloadable content.

• Other Affiliation: Toronto General Research Institute - University Health Network, Max Bell Research Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada
• Other Affiliation: Toronto General Research Institute - University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
• Other Affiliation: Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
• Other Affiliation: Toronto General Research Institute - University Health Network Toronto, ON Canada
• Other Affiliation: The Donnelly Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
• Other Affiliation: Princess Margaret Cancer Center, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
• Other Affiliation: The Key laboratory of Chemistry for Natural Products of Guizhou Province and Chinese Academic of Sciences, Guizhou, Guiyang, China
• Other Affiliation: Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health System, Toronto, ON, Canada
• Affiliation: School of Medicine, Department of Genetics
• Other Affiliation: Department of Pathology, Carver College of Medicine, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States
• Other Affiliation: Program in Developmental & Stem Cell Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
• Metastatic breast-cancer is a major cause of death in women worldwide, yet the relationship between oncogenic drivers that promote metastatic versus primary cancer is still contentious. To elucidate this relationship in treatment-naive animals, we hereby describe mammary-specific transposon-mutagenesis screens in female mice together with loss-of-function Rb, which is frequently inactivated in breast-cancer. We report gene-centric common insertion-sites (gCIS) that are enriched in primary-tumors, in metastases or shared by both compartments. Shared-gCIS comprise a major MET-RAS network, whereas metastasis-gCIS form three additional hubs: Rho-signaling, Ubiquitination and RNA-processing. Pathway analysis of four clinical cohorts with paired primary-tumors and metastases reveals similar organization in human breast-cancer with subtype-specific shared-drivers (e.g. RB1-loss, TP53-loss, high MET, RAS, ER), primary-enriched (EGFR, TGFβ and STAT3) and metastasis-enriched (RHO, PI3K) oncogenic signaling. Inhibitors of RB1-deficiency or MET plus RHO-signaling cooperate to block cell migration and drive tumor cell-death. Thus, targeting shared- and metastasis- but not primary-enriched derivers offers a rational avenue to prevent metastatic breast-cancer.
• Signal Transduction
• cause of death
• cancer prognosis
• Pi3K/Akt signaling
• tumor weight
• protein protein interaction
• light dark cycle
• protein p53
• primary tumor
• RNA processing
• breast tumor
• cell proliferation
• Rho guanine nucleotide binding protein
• polyadenylation
• metastatic breast cancer
• signal transduction
• adavosertib
• cell survival
• comparative study
• genetic analysis
• transposon mutagenesis
• protein phosphorylation
• animal model
• tumor xenograft
• Breast Neoplasms
• transforming growth factor beta
• short hairpin RNA
• controlled study
• gene insertion
• Neoplasm Metastasis
• DNA sequencing
• MDA-MB-436 cell line
• transcription initiation
• STAT3 protein
• promoter region
• cell migration
• ligation mediated polymerase chain reaction
• MDA-MB-231 cell line
• MDA-MB-468 cell line
• myotonic dystrophy protein kinase
• pathway analysis
• genetic transcription
• Sleeping Beauty transposon mutagenesis
• animal experiment
• https://doi.org/10.17615/5w04-eg09
• https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-39935-y
• In Copyright
• Attribution 4.0 International
• Nature Communications
• Canadian Cancer Society, CCS
• National Cancer Institute, NCI: RO1-CA148761
• Canadian Institutes of Health Research, IRSC
• Breast Cancer Research Foundation, BCRF
• U.S. Department of Defense, DOD: BC150403
• Nature Research

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Select type of work

Master's papers.

Deposit your masters paper, project or other capstone work. Theses will be sent to the CDR automatically via ProQuest and do not need to be deposited.

Scholarly Articles and Book Chapters

Deposit a peer-reviewed article or book chapter. If you would like to deposit a poster, presentation, conference paper or white paper, use the “Scholarly Works” deposit form.

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Deposit your senior honors thesis.

Scholarly Journal, Newsletter or Book

Deposit a complete issue of a scholarly journal, newsletter or book. If you would like to deposit an article or book chapter, use the “Scholarly Articles and Book Chapters” deposit option.

Deposit your dataset. Datasets may be associated with an article or deposited separately.

Deposit your 3D objects, audio, images or video.

Poster, Presentation, Protocol or Paper

Deposit scholarly works such as posters, presentations, research protocols, conference papers or white papers. If you would like to deposit a peer-reviewed article or book chapter, use the “Scholarly Articles and Book Chapters” deposit option.

Division of Biology and Medicine

Biology undergraduate education.

More than 30 percent of concentrators in the Biological Sciences earn honors each year.

Honors Application Due Dates for AY 23-24

Students graduating in May: October 2, 2023 Students graduating in December: March 1, 2024

Application for Honors : Students should complete the Honors Proposal Application in collaboration with the Thesis Advisor and Second Reader. Both advisor signatures are due at the application proposal deadline (above).

HONORS PROPOSAL APPLICATION

Honors Eligibility

To be eligible for honors, students must meet  three  requirements: .

• Completion of an original research  thesis  that is recommended for honors by both the Thesis Advisor and Second Reader.
• Formal and public  presentation  of the thesis (oral seminar or by poster presentation).
• Demonstration of quality  grades  in the concentration.  

Students concentrating in Biology AB/ScB, Health & Human Biology, and Biophysics are all eligible to apply for Honors , and the process is the same for each concentration.

Concentrators in Biochemistry apply via Biochemistry advisors; Applied Math-Biology students apply via Applied Mathematics; Computational Biology students apply via CCMB; Biomedical Engineering concentrators proceed via Engineering.

As per University policy, students may not use the same thesis to gain honors in more than one concentration. If pursuing honors in two concentrations, the theses must be fully distinct in content. 

Honors: Policy and Procedure for Biology Concentrations

The senior honors thesis is typically developed through a minimum of two, but more often three, semesters of research. Students intending to pursue a thesis in Biology often have a Brown faculty mentor and project secured in the summer prior to the senior year. Many students use  UTRAs to help support research, though this is not the only mechanism of support. Often faculty members provide student support from their own grants.

Students may also register for BIOL 1950/1960 independent study courses to support honors theses research, though this is not required.  Please note :  The Honors application process is  separate  from the  independent study BIOL 1950/1960 registration project proposal . The application for Honors is below.

Students graduating in May:

Students graduating in december*:.

A senior honors thesis in Biology is a substantial body of original scholarly research. Successful theses can be grounded in a number of methodological approaches including bench or field research, clinical study, mathematical models, computer simulations, meta-analyses that test hypotheses or yield new synthesis in a scholarly context. Regardless of the approach, successful theses will be inquiry-based and demonstrate contextual understanding of the work, formal assessment of scientific information, critical thinking, clear communication and a high level of independence.

The Thesis Advisor and Second Reader will evaluate and recommend the thesis for honors. Their roles are outlined below.

• The  Thesis Advisor  is the primary investigator who will mentor the project, and who will be available to the student in developing the thesis aims, designing methods, analyzing data, interpreting outcomes and casting the work in the context of the scholarly field(s) of relevance. The Thesis Advisor is also expected to guide the student in developing and delivering a polished final presentation of the thesis. The Thesis Advisor should be a Brown faculty member, usually but not always, from the Division of Biology and Medicine.
• The  Second Reader  will be a faculty member or associated scientist who is identified by the student, in consult with the Thesis Advisor, as appropriate to review the work. The Second Reader will evaluate the thesis, and provide an evaluation of the work. Second Readers should be acquainted with the field of research described by the project, and be willing and able to provide input and critique that will challenge and strengthen the thesis. The Second Reader should be at the doctoral level and ideally  not  from the same laboratory or research group where the project originates.

Presentation of the thesis can be fulfilled by participation in the Annual Biology Senior Research, Capstone, and Declaration Day or an arranged oral seminar.   If the oral seminar format is chosen the student will make scheduling arrangements with guidance from the Thesis Advisor. The oral presentation should be scheduled early to mid-April in order to meet the Thesis Advisor and Second Reader Final Evaluation Deadline.

While formal presentation of the thesis is required, there is not a specific set of criteria for evaluation. Advisors have the opportunity to comment on the presentation in the formal evaluation. Advisors should develop a mentoring plan to teach students about the various approaches to presenting scientific research. Opportunities for students to practice the presentation, receive, and incorporate feedback is especially helpful and encouraged.

Biology honors applicants are required to present their thesis research and senior capstone students are encouraged to do the same (though this is not a requirement). The Program in Biology will host the Annual Biology Senior Research, Capstone, and Declaration Day event on Wednesday, April 17th, 2024 in Alumnae Hall Auditorium . 

Students are required to submit a pdf of their final thesis to their Thesis Advisor, Second Reader and the BUE Office via email by the third Friday in April (see timeline above).  

Submission Instructions

1. Email a copy of the final thesis to  [email protected]  as a single pdf document. The format of the thesis is determined by the faculty advisor and student. The pdf file name should be the student’s first name initial(s) in all caps, followed by the last name (no spaces). For example, Dean Smith’s thesis file name would read KFSmith.pdf. The BUE Office will maintain a copy of the thesis for programming purposes. The thesis will not be shared or made public without the student’s permission.

2. The email subject heading should read: Honors thesis for BUE filing only.

Thesis Evaluation for Honors

The Thesis Advisor and Second Reader will evaluate and recommend the thesis for honors based on the criteria outlined below. An electronic honors evaluation form will be provided directly, via email, to the Thesis Advisor and Second Reader by the Office of Biology Undergraduate Education. This form will be sent well in advance of the final evaluation due date (above). It is up to the student and Thesis Advisors to develop internal project deadlines for submitting drafts and final copies of the thesis so there is time for revisions, as well as formal presentation of your honors thesis (poster/oral) so that the final evaluation can be submitted. The entire thesis presentation should be delivered prior to the final evaluation deadline. Please adhere to the BUE internal deadlines above.

Students who have earned a majority of "A" grades in courses required for the concentration and who are in good academic standing are eligible to apply for honors at the start of their penultimate (typically 7th) semester at Brown. Classes taken S/NC will count as qualifying towards that majority if they are marked "S* with distinction" indicating that had the student taken the course for a grade, the grade would have been an "A". Courses with a grade of S may be counted when a Course Performance Report indicates a grade of A. Students just shy of meeting the grade requirement for honors are encouraged to apply. Grades earned in penultimate semester concentration courses will be accounted for in the determination of quality grades made in the final semester. In order to verify quality grades efficiently, please make sure that your concentration course plan in ASK is up to date and that the number of required courses is listed.

Thesis Guidelines & Expectations

Faculty Advisors recommend the thesis for honors based on the following criteria:

• The writing, format, and presentation of the thesis are appropriate for the intended audience.
• The introduction of the thesis offers a formal review of the literature that presents the state of the field to date, and in doing so sets up a clear argument for the value of the work presented.
• The introduction of the thesis offers a clearly articulated goal, aim, question, and /or hypothesis to be tested.
• The methods and analyses selected are clearly justified.
• Results are interpreted appropriately and based on the analyses presented in the methods.
• The discussion section offers a compelling consideration of a) unexpected findings or challenges during the research process that may have influenced the results, b) implications of overall findings and their impact on the relevant field(s), c) future directions / next steps.

A thesis in Biology, Health & Human Biology, and Biophysics make take a variety of forms and formats. It is up to the honors candidate and Thesis Advisors to determine the specific expectations for the final thesis form and format. Elements of a thesis in Biology vary greatly depending on the nature of the project, the specific sub-field, and the student's learning goals. Communication about these expectations should be clearly articulated and agreed upon early in the research process. A common choice is for students to prepare the thesis as if they were to submit the work to a peer-reviewed journal. This approach offers the opportunity for students to experience the first step of the publication process. Another option is to prepare the thesis manuscript following the  dissertation guidelines  set forth by Brown's Graduate School. Previous students have found this useful in preparing for doctoral or master's research programs. Students and Advisors may also look to  Brown University's Digital Repository of Undergraduate Theses  in Biology for examples of formatting previously followed. Regardless of format, a thesis in Biology, Health & Human Biology, and Biophysics will exhibit the highest quality writing, novel content, context of findings, and documentation of sources expected at the undergraduate level. STEM theses generally include an abstract, robust introduction, complete methods, results, full discussion & conclusion, a complete list of references that illustrate the state of the field of relevance, clear figures and tables with appropriate captions, and necessary appendices. Regardless of format, a thesis in Biology, Health & Human Biology, and Biophysics will exhibit the highest quality writing, clear articulation of the state of the field relevant to the work, novel content, context of findings, and documentation of sources expected at the undergraduate level. 

“There is no such thing as a failed experiment, only experiments with unexpected outcomes (Richard Buckminster Fuller).”

Science does not always go as planned. Methodological hurdles and insignificant results are common experiences of researchers at every stage. Regular communication with the Thesis Advisors is essential for navigating hurdles that arise during the research process. Students with an approved application to the honors program are encouraged to submit the thesis even when challenges occur along the way. When outcomes are not as planned the student and Advisors are encouraged to work together to develop a new plan for presenting the work in the form of a formal thesis. Indeed, there is great value in presenting work completed and formally discussing challenges, unexpected outcomes, and insignificant findings. Dean Achilli is available to assist with planning during this process and to discuss alternative means of evaluation as necessary.

MDL Poster Printing Service

MDL Poster Printing service is available to: > Students participating in the BUE events, or > Students enrolled in a BIOL Course and are going to a conference, or > Students enrolled in an independent study course with an approved biology proposal and are going to a conference. See instructions from the link below:

Thesis Archival in the Brown Digital Repository

Fill out the archiving form and upload your thesis.    The BDR is Brown University's online archive of student and faculty scholarship maintained by the Brown University Library. By choosing to deposit your honors thesis in the BDR, you are making your scholarly work discoverable and accessible into the future.

Brown Archiving Form 

Students wishing to archive their thesis with the BDR should follow these instructions:

• Fill out the  archiving form online . Information on access and licensing is provided on the form.
• June 10  is the deadline to submit a thesis for BDR archiving.

Students who encounter any issues with the upload process to BDR can email  [email protected] .

Honors Thesis

Public Policy majors who have at least a 3.3 overall grade point average and a 3.5 in the core public policy courses are eligible to apply to the UNC Public Policy Honors Program in the spring of their junior year. The Honors Thesis Program offers an opportunity for motivated students to move beyond traditional coursework and apply critical thinking skills to an academic public policy thesis. This program is organized as an original, independent research project under the direction of a faculty adviser.

Students begin the program by taking PLCY 691H Honors in Public Policy in the fall semester of senior year. Please note that a recommendation from an adviser and the completion of at least four core Public Policy courses, including PLCY 460 and PLCY 581, are required for entry into PLCY 691H. During this course, students will work under the direction of their thesis advisers to complete their research proposals, obtain Institutional Review Board Approval (IRB), and complete the first two chapters of their proposed thesis. If the research proposal is approved by the IRB and the first two chapters are approved by the thesis adviser, students continue their thesis research the following semester in PLCY 692H. The honors thesis provides a total of six credit hours toward the major.

Students who complete an honors thesis and maintain all other eligibility criteria may be recommended by their thesis advisor and the Undergraduate Affairs Committee for graduation with “Honors” or “Highest Honors” in Public Policy.

Students interested in pursuing the honors thesis should read the Public Policy Honors Handbook thoroughly. This handbook contains syllabi for both PLCY 691H and PLCY 692H, thesis deadlines, and the required application for enrollment in 691H.

Honors Thesis Application