Spring 2016 Biology & Society Defenses

Wesley Anderson
"Advancing the Causal Theory of Natural Selection"
Date of Defense: April 13, 2016
Degree: PhD
Track: History and Philosophy of Science
Committee Members: Brad Armendt (Chair), Richard Creath, Ann Kinzig, Charles Perrings, Bruce Glymour

Guido Caniglia
"Investigating Wasp Societies: A Historical and Epistemological Study" 
Date of Defense: January 25, 2016
Degree: PhD
Track: Biology (Biology and Society), History and Philosophy of Science 
Committee Members: Sandra Mitchell, Richard Creath, Jürgen Gadau 

Palden Choying
 "The Plateau Pika as a Sustainable Component of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau Alpine Grassland Ecosystem"
Date of Defense: April 11, 2016
Degree: PhD
Track: Biology (Biology & Society), Ecology, Economics, and Ethics of the Environment
Committee Members: Andrew Smith (Chair), Ben Minteer, Jingle Wu, Marty Anderies, Richard Harris 

Yawen Zou
 "Using a Computational Approach to Study the History of Systems Biology: From Systems to Biology, 1992-2013"
Date of defense: April 11, 2016
Degree: PhD
Track: History and Philosophy of Science
Committee Members: Manfred Laubichler (Co-chair), Jane Maienschein (Co-chair), Richard Creath, Karin Ellison, Stuart Newfeld 

Alexis Abboud
"A Biography of Endocrine Disruptors: The Narrative Surrounding the Appearance and Regulation of a New Category of Toxic Substances in the United States"
Date of Defense: February 23, 2016
Track: Biology & Society
Committee Members: Jane Maienschein (chair), Ben Hurlbut, Gary Marchant, Michael Crow

Bianca Zietal
"The Genesis of Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)" 
Date of Defense: April 15, 2016
Degree: MS
Track:  Biology (Biology and Society). Track: History and Philosophy of Science
Committee Members: Ben Hurlbut (chair), Jennifer Brian, Jason Robert 

Carolina Abboud
"Communicating Medical Information to College Students"
Date of Defense: April 1, 2016
Degree: Biology (Biology & Society)
Committee Members: Jane Maienschein, Erica O'Neil, Douglas Lakin
Award Received: Undergraduate Student of the Year in Biology & Society, and the Unusual Student Project Award

Megan Kalinich
"The Dietary Habits of College Freshmen in Early Adulthood"
Date of Honors Defense: April 1, 2016
Degree: Biology & Society
Committee Members: Elizabeth Capaldi Phillips, Devina Wadhera, Deborah Williams
Award Received: Mouer Award

Grace Kim
"Reproduction in Science Fiction"
Date of Defense: April 28, 2016
Degree: Biological Sciences (Biology & Society)
Committee Members:  Jane Maienschein (Director), Karin Ellison, Ben Hurlbut

Claudia Nunez-Eddy
"Surprising Religious and Republican Roots to Planned Parenthood: An Arizona Case Study"
Date of Defense: April 8, 2016
Degree: Biology & Society (also graduating from Barrett and getting a B.A. in Global Studies from the School of Politics and Global Studies)
Committee Members: Jane Maienschein, Alexis Abboud, Erica O'Neil
Award Received: Biology & Society Unusual Student Award