The completion of an honors thesis is the cornerstone of the O’Neill Undergraduate Honors Program experience. Each student, with a faculty advisor, has conducted in-depth research on a topic of interest and relevance to public and environmental affairs. The Symposium celebrates their work resulting in research useful to both practitioners and academic scholarship.
Highlighting our honors students and their honors thesis research
Spring 2026 O'Neill Honors Symposium
Friday, May 1, 8:30 a.m. to 12:35 p.m.
Five minutes are set aside at the end of each presentation for questions and answers.
Agenda
Room A201 | Opening Ceremony, featuring Dean R.J. Woodring and Dr. Allison Schnable
Panel 1A: On the Ground and Behind the Scenes: Lived Experience in Politics and Security
Room A201 | Cooper Holmberg, Margaret McCabe Rider, Lydia Bielski
Panel 1B: From Policy to People: Evaluating Impact in Education and Society
Room A225 | Aspen Anderson, Allyanna Haire, Vaidehi M. Shah
Panel 2A: Power, Water, and Preservation: Navigating Environmental Futures
Room A201 | Jordan Fauser, Stuart McCabe, Amelia Bucher
Panel 2B: Rights in Action: Speech, Law, and Political Advocacy
Room A225 | Lily Blain, Kaitlyn A. Perrault, Nina Georgiades
Panel 3A: Perception and Practice: How Context Influences Behavior
Room A201 | Jack Carter, Samuel Johnson, Sophia Kallookulangara
Panel 3B: New Frontiers in Public Policy: Green Markets, Artificial Intelligence, and Space
Room A225 | Jumanah Amoudi, Jacob Starr, Elvin J. Rivera