Undergraduate Students
Torin Crockett
Torin is a senior studying Biochemistry with a minor in Spanish who hopes to attend medical school after he graduates. Since joining the lab in November 2020, Torin has worked on several projects, including studying the anti-microbial effect of puroindoline peptides, which earned him authorship on a paper published in Frontiers in Microbiology. In his free time, Torin likes playing board games and taking his dog to the park.
Jackie Edmonds
Jackie is a senior majoring in Microbiology with a minor in Genetics and Cell Biology and is a member of the Molecular Biosciences Club. Jackie joined the lab in November 2020 and has been involved in investigating the role of bacterial adhesion proteins in triggering an immune response to Campylobacter jejuni infection. Jackie plans to attend graduate school after graduating in the Spring of 2022. In her free time, Jackie enjoys reading and spending time with friends.
Sebastien Lewis
Sebastien is a senior at the University of Washington, majoring in biochemistry with a minor in microbiology and chemistry. He has worked in the Konkel lab for three summers, starting in June of 2019. His current work focuses on the DNA damage in Campylobacter jejuni via reactive oxygen species. After graduating in June 2022, he hopes to attend medical school. Although attending UW, Sebastien is still a cougar at heart and enjoys going to the gym, running, and playing soccer.
Jacob Lofrese
Jake is currently a sophomore at Washington state university studying neuroscience with a focus on molecular biology. After being diagnosed with rare kidney disease at a young age (Dense Deposit Disease), he is motivated to pursue medical school and specialize in nephrology. Jake started working in the Konkel lab in the Fall of 2021. He is significantly involved in the WSU community; a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, president of a book club, partakes in several intramural sports.
Honors College Recent Students
| Student | Semester | Title of Thesis | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jenna Lounsbery | 2020, Fall | CiaI and its role in Campylobacter jejuni intracellular survival and replication in human T84 colonic epithelial cells | Pass with Distinction |
| Nathan Michellys | 2020, Fall | Increasing food safety of the poultry industry through a protein targeted chicken vaccine | Excellent |
| Sarah Fahr | 2018, Spring | Campylobacter jejuni: The Food-Borne Pathogen that Causes Severe Gastritis by Manipulating Human Intestinal Cells | Excellent |
| Courtney Klappenbach | 2018, Fall | The foodborne pathogen that manipulates host cell footprints – the mechanical links between intracellular actin bundles and the extracellular matrix | Pass with Distinction |
| James Bonner | 2015, Spring | Phosphorylation of GEF-H1 in response to infection by Campylobacter jejuni | Excellent |
Thesis Evaluation Guidelines
The following guidelines are intended to assist the evaluators in properly assessing the quality of the thesis. Obviously, different academic disciplines will have different measures for what constitutes outstanding undergraduate work in their discipline.
Satisfactory (Pass)
A Satisfactory should be awarded a thesis that is deemed overall satisfactory regarding the categories above. A thesis earning a Satisfactory may be characterized by an inconsistent but acceptable oral presentation; a written thesis with some correctable problems in argumentation and structure; with adequate content but lacking depth and originality.
Excellent
A thesis awarded Excellent is characterized by a competent oral presentation and a written document with few problems, noteworthy in some of the above categories while it does not reach the level of ‘extraordinary’ or ‘outstanding’ in most as required for the level of a Nomination for Pass with Distinction(see below).
Pass with Distinction
A Nomination for Pass with Distinction is granted to those students whose performance is outstanding in most of the six categories listed above resulting in a final thesis product of remarkable competence and quality. The evaluators may favorably compare the thesis to graduate student work or deem it of particular value to the academic discipline, potentially to be disseminated as a conference presentation or publication. A thesis nominated for Pass with Distinction will typically have an ‘Outstanding’ in most, if not all, of the above categories. The Honors Council reviews all nominations and determines which nominations will receive a Pass with Distinction. Approx. 10-15% of all Honors theses receive a Pass with Distinction.
Pass with Revisions
A Pass with Revisions will be awarded if the evaluating team decides that there is a need for revisions in order for the student to obtain a Satisfactory. The evaluators will identify areas for revisions and communicate those to the student following the presentation. A deadline will be set for the student to make the revisions to be approved by the thesis advisor. The revised thesis will not be presented.
Fail
Fail characterizes work that is insufficient in most if not all of the categories outlined above. A thesis receiving a Fail may be characterized by student failure to communicate productively with the thesis advisor; lack of proofreading of the final thesis; a superficial and unrehearsed presentation. Few WSU Honors College theses receive a Fail since unsatisfactory thesis work typically is identified ahead of the defense by the Honors College in support of the student and thesis advisor.