The Honors program in Biological Sciences provides excellent students with the opportunity to do original research under the supervision of a faculty sponsor. To graduate with Honors, the student must develop and carry out a research project, write up the project as an Honors Thesis, and present the results of the research in a Departmental seminar.
For instructions on how to submit your honors theses, please click submission instructions here.
Theses from 2020
Developing a fluorescent chemical screening to investigate menthol-induced bleaching in the sea anemone, Aiptasia pallida, Kaylem Dominguez
Location of insulin receptors responsible for Wolbachia titer suppression during oogenesis., Jessica Espinosa
Understanding the Molecular Basis of Chemoresistance in Ovarian Cancer, Jesenia M. Perez
Mapping Circadian Rhythm: An Analysis of Locomotor Activity in Field-Collected Aedes Aegypti Mosquitoes, Jessica Quiñones
Visual perception modulated by blood-fed status in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, Michael Ramon
Wolbachia Infection Dynamics and Replication Rates Within Naturally Infected Drosophila Host, Hani M. Samarah
Effects of Oscillatory Flow Patterns on Rat Valvular Endothelial and Interstitial Cells, Alexandra Gabrielle Tchir, Chia-Pei Hsu, and Sharan Ramaswamy
Theses from 2019
Elastogenesis in developing murine aortic valve, Beatriz Abdo Abujamra
Analysis of Structural Changes Caused by the Association of Small Molecules with Globular Proteins, Jovany Jordan Betancourt
Pigment Regulation in Non-Cutaneous Melanocytes, Martina Cavallini
Quantifying Anthropogenic Indicators and Changes in Dissolved Organic Matter in Coastal Urban Aquatic Ecosystems Exposed to High Tidal Flooding, Gonzalo Eyzaguirre
Over-expression of endothelin-3 increases tumor volume in a transgenic murine melanoma model, Jesus R. Lopez
Structural and Evolutionary Analysis of the Activation Mechanism in the SK Channel-Calmodulin Complex, Brittany Montesino
The Effects of Hurricane Irma on the Foraging Ecology of Juvenile Bull Sharks (Carcharhinus Leucas) in a Tropical Estuary, Yamilla N. Samara
Identification of Fitness-Critical Regions in the HIV Proteome Based on Evolutionary and Structural Analysis as Targets for Broadly Neutralizing HIV Therapies, Richard I. Suarez
Optimization of Pollen Collection Methods to Maximize Taxonomical Resolution for Forensic Application, Jo'Neil Williams
Theses from 2018
The Nutritional Effects on Early Development of Drosophila Melanogaster, Vanessa Blanco
Mechanism of Endothelin3 Regulation on Murine Coat Color, Alexander Durango
Metagenomic Analyses Reveal the Microbiome of Decapod Crustaceans Before and After the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Joan C. Glenny Galarza
Size Based Shifts in Trophic Level of Tiger Sharks (Galeocerdo Cuvier) Assessed with Stable Isotope Analysis, Maria Auxiliadora Sabando
Distribution and Foraging Ecology of Hardhead (Ariopsis Felis) and Gafftopsail (Bagre Marinus) Catfishes in The Florida Coastal Everglades, Sarah E. Sisco
Timing the Establishment of Metastatic Cell Intravasation in a Mouse Model of Melanoma, Raúl Torres
Theses from 2017
Comparison of Navel and Laminar Stomata Morphology and Stomatal Conductance in the White Water Lily,Nymphaea odorata (Nymphaeaceae), Brianna Kaitlyn Almeida
Identification of Alginate-regulating Genes in the Clinical Cystic Fibrosis Isolate of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA2192, Brett Colbert
Evaluating triclosan resistance and impact on community structure in the human skin microbiome, Kevin A. Fundora and DeEtta K. Mills
Phyloextracts from Genus Artemisia: Controlling Survival and Melanogenesis of Murine Metastatic Cells, Victoria Godieva
The Role of Glucose Metabolism in Cardiovascular Calcification and Fibrosis, Daniela Medina
EFFECT OF SYMBIOTIC STATE ON THE PROTEOME OF EXAIPTASIA PALLIDA, Emmanuel Salvador Medrano
Characterization of DNA methylation in the Flat tree oyster (Isognomon alatus) and its correlation with environmental abiotic factors, Michelot Michel
Molecular Mechanisms Defining the Effect of Host Diet on Wolbachia Titer Suppression During Oogenesis, Mailin Oliva
Nutritional Impact on Rotenone-induced Parkinson's Disease in a Drosophila melanogaster Model, Laura Perez
Whole-Genome Sequence and Assembly of a Multi-Drug Resistant Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Isolate, Sameer Ahmad Shaikh
Theses from 2016
Androgen regulation of metabolic trade-offs between signaling and cellular metabolism in the electric fish Brachyhypopomus gauderio, Alexis N. Arenal
Dissecting the Relationship Between Allatotropin Signaling and Juvenile Hormone Synthesis in Aedes Aegypti, John S. Castillo
Optimizing the Genetic Toolkit for Aedes Aegypti Using Targeted Integration of Recombination Sites, Ileana Daniela Corsi
Role of endothelin 3 on the angiogenic response of the tumor in a melanoma mouse model, Juan A. Valladares
Theses from 2015
Effects of a Visual Horizon on Drosophila Melanogaster Object-Tracking Responses, Jorge L. Caballero
An overview on Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) region gene expression during Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection, Daniela Florit
Understanding the role of Dimethylsulfoniopropionate as a potential chemotactic cue for coral-associated bacteria, Leidy C. Gonzalez
Using stable isotopes to investigate trophic interactions of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in the Florida Coastal Everglades, Valerie A. Paz
Proteomic Analysis of Wolbachia Symbiosis Within the Drosophila Ovary, Ricardo Perez
The Relationship of Heteroptera Species Richness, Abundance, and Morphology to Elevation Gradients and Land-use Regimes on Mt. Kilimanjaro, Joseph P. Tardanico
Theses from 2014
Enhanced Growth of Tetracycline-susceptible Soil Bacteria Treated with Iron and Oxytetracycline, Kevin M. Casin and DeEtta Mills
Diversity of Vancomycin Genes in Sub-tropical Soils, Aisleen Diaz
The Maintenance and Consequences of a Low Quality Diet in Poecilia Latipinna, Maya Jaffe
Density-Dependent Effects of Coral Reef Restoration on Herbivory and Community Interactions, Kristel F. Sanchez
Theses from 2013
Sugar Feeding Affects the Male Contribution in Reproduction in Aedes Aegypti, Stefano Correa
An Analytical Workflow for Metagenomic Data and its Application to the Study of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Misael Fernandez
Effects of Endothelin 3 on the Tumor-Angiogenic Response in a Novel Melanoma Mouse Model, Ruslan Garcia
Multiplex PCR for Assessment of Tetracycline Resistance (tet) Genes in Antibiotic-Resistant Soil Bacteria and the Ecological Implications, Janelis Gonzalez
The Role of Ras Oncogene in Differentiation of 3T3-L1 Preadipocytes, Victor M. Gonzalez
Comparison of community structure of mangrove and riprap rock habitats along urban coastlines of south Florida, Joseph R. Peters
Antimicrobial effect of Artemisia species on Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Chad V. Stefancin
Do long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) know what others can and cannot hear?, Andrew Zamora
Diel Patterns of Patch Reef Community Dynamics in a Caribbean Back-Reef System, Martha J. Zapata
Theses from 2012
Over-Expression of Endothelin 3 Sensitizes Mice to Uv-Induced Melanoma Metastasis, Deannys Batista
Drosophila Flight Stabilization Depends on Apparent Distances in Optic Flow Field, Stephanie Cabrera
Androgen Treatment Increases Female Aggression in the Electric Fish Brachyhypopomus Gauderio, Pedro E. Perez
Role of Pseudomonas aeruginosa mifSR Two-Component System in Antibiotic Resistance and Biofilm Formation, Lourdes Ramirez
The Effect of Natural Products and Small Gtpases in Adipogenesis, Nathalie Rivero
An automated method for the determination of electroreception thresholds in weakly electric fish, James Patrick Roach
Anticancer activity of 4-N gemcitabine analogues, Alana Ming-Amede VanDervort
Theses from 2010
Characterization of a Novel Mouse Phenotype with Marked Hydrocephalus, Myron K. Evans II
Novel Purification of Archaeal Rnase P Protein, Pfu Rpp38, for Nmr Studies, Kimberley Lee
Social and seasonal plasticity of the electric fish, Brachyhypopomus gauderio, Juan Molina
The Expression of Rap6 in the Adult Mouse Brain and Early Mouse Embryonic Development, Manuela Noriega
The Role of PP2A Regulatory Subunit B56 in Dictyostelium Discoideum Motility, Tahrim Rahman
Theses from 2009
Role of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA4157in Quorum Sensing and Iron Transport Regulation, Raphael C. Bosse
Determination of Arsenic Species in Water and Grape-Based Beverages, Leilani M. Chirino
Aspects Allogenic Memory in the Gorgonian Coral Swiftia Exserta, Gabriel Jose Correa
The Allelic Abundance of Afghanistan, a Pool for West and South Eurasian Genes and a Blockade against Eastern Admixture, Christina Mercedes Crum
Expression of Bf/C2 Gene(S) in the Japanese Medaka Fish, Lisa Hoang
Studying Key Amino Acids in the Function of Ras Interference 1 (Rinl) SH2 and Vps9 Domains, Travis Murphy
Antibacterial Activity of Extracellular Products from Cyanobacteria., Susan Thomas
Testing the Efficacy of Panax ginseng Extract as a Novel Anti-Quorum Sensing Agent, Christian Villaseca
Theses from 2008
Presumptive Identification of the Fungal Communities in Cystic Fibrosis Patients' Sputum Using Amplicon Length Heterogeneity Polymerase Chain Reaction, Nabil M. Abou Baker
Transgenic Expression of Endothelin Receptor-B Rescues the Aganglionosis Phenotype of Piebald Lethal Mice, Denisse Diaz
Investigating an Alternative Treatment to Cystic Fibrosis: Testing the Effect of Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer extracts on Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Natalie Maricic
Understanding the Effect of Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase Receptor Type 0 on Mammalian Sensory Development: Behavioral Studies on PTPRO Knockout Mice, Walter A. Zegarra
Theses from 2006
The Application of Fluorescent Nanocrystals to Study the Distribution of Neuropeptides in the Aedes Aegypti Mosquito, Tatiana Rosa Cole
Inducible Overexpression of Endothelin-3 in a Transgenic Mouse Leads to Hyperpigmentation That Decreases Over Time, Jessica Figueroa
Cardiac Neural Crest Cells and Their Role in Murine Purkinje Fiber Development, Chulhan K won
Characterization of L-Serine Deaminase and its Potential Role in the Pathogenicity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Sixto M. Leal Jr
Using a Novel Non-radioactive Method of Primer Extension Analysis to Map the Transcription Start Sites of amp Genes in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Sergio E. Luna
Diving Behaviour of Red-Eared Sliders (Trachemys Scripta Elegans) Under the Risk of Predation, Leon Posada
Theses from 2005
Potential Application of Phage Therapy Against Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilm Infection in Cystic Fibrosis Patients, Aditi Gurkar
Expression of the Myod and T-Box Families of Transcription Factors in the Developing Purkinje Fiber, Jose R. Morillo Prado
Molecular Evidence for Taxonomic Relationships of the Endangered Species Jacquemontia Reclinata (Convolvulaceae), Sandra Namoff
Role of AmpR and alginate production in Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm antibiotic resistance associated with cystic fibrosis, Raquel A. Olavarrieta
Theses from 2004
The Ethnobotany of Pluchea Carolinensis in the Botanicas of Miami, Florida, Stephen R. Hodges
Cardiac Neural Crest Cells Affect the Development of the Myocardium and Conduction System in the Mouse, Eda-Cristina Abuchaibe Madrid-Malo
Analysis of the Expression Pattern of Wnt Receptor Frizzled 3, Sarah Piloto
Tracking the Effects of Salt Water Encroachment on South Florida Coastal Ecotones Using Mollusks, Angelikie Zafiris
Theses from 2002
Characterization of the Anti-Quorum Sensing Activity Exhibited by Marine Macro algae of South Florida, Analisa Cumberbatch
Selenium Distribution in the Human Retina, Camilo Andres Ruiz
Mus Musculus Neural Crest Development: Is Pax3 Regulating the Expression of Endothelin Receptor B?, Armando Salazar
Theses from 2001
Waveform Detection of Conspecifics in the Weakly Electric Fish Gymnotus Carapo, Montserrat Alfaro
Population structure of spotted sunfish (Lepomis punctatus) in the Florida Everglades as revealed by DNA microsatellite analysis, Janette Garcia