Spring 2021 Symposium
Every spring, seniors in the Plan II Honors Program present their original thesis research in a series of oral presentations. The Senior Thesis Symposium offers sessions covering a wide range of interdisciplinary topics including literature, science, history, creative writing, music, health care, engineering, philosophy, business, and politics. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Senior Thesis Symposium was held virtually by Zoom in partnership with the Thompson Conference Center.
View the Spring 2021 Plan II Thesis Symposium schedule here.
Jump to Friday, April 16 or Saturday, April 17 recordings
Some recordings have been altered to remove student presentations per their request.
***Indicates recordings are not available due to technical difficulties during the presentation.
Thursday, April 15 | 5:00 - 9:30 pm
Speech: The Power of Rhetoric | Jake Wade, Zach Epstein, Derek Yu |
Health/Identity/Engagement | Madeline Hawkins, Morgan Thompson, Ashna Kumar, Angelica Garza |
Geopolitics and Progressivism | Rachel Read, James Dodson, JP Reppeto, Saamia Imtiaz |
Ethics and Politics in Texas: Contemporary Challenges | Joe Levin, Ryan Hurt, Rahul Das, Anuraga Justin |
By The Book: Reading Identities | Madison Schulz, Joseph Carver, Annie Diamond, Nima Rahman |
Women and the Politics of Resistance | Samantha Walker, Brittney Colbath, Adam Trevino, Olivia Cardenas |
Understanding/Misunderstanding | Louis Cohen, Carlyn Crow, Reilly Gsanger |
Friday, April 16 | 3:30 - 9:30 pm
Sports, Leadership, and Activism | Liam Baskin, Zoe Meneghetti, Duncan Guinn, Daniel Chenng-Ying |
Finance, Economics, and Markets | Francisca Guerrero Jurado, Nolan Pitts, Morgan Grosch, James Green |
The Future of Art and Apparel | Huong 'Katie" Truong, Connor O'Neill, Helena Sampayo, Louise McCartney |
Foreign Policies, Past and Present | Dhruv Desai, Shoumik Dabir, Katie Lee, Drew Benedikt |
Why Can’t We Be Friends? | Lilly Andersen, Nicole Roy, Terrill Baskin, Matthew Aufiero |
Culture and Politics of Business | Eren Baysal, Charles Bender, Benita Lee, Emil Shabanov |
The Impact of Change | Saagar Pateder, Megan McKenzie, Billy Li |
Social and Economic Issues | Aashna Lal, Walton Cory, Robert San Soucie, Hannah George |
Teaching/Engagement | Ellen Alley, Sarah Muir, Isabelle Paine, Daisy Johnston |
American Policy and Law | Cara Day, Will Whitlock, Kirthi Dronamraju, Parth Gupta |
Science and the Senses | Taylor Malooly, Abby Evans, Andrew Park, Christina Archer |
Saturday, April 17 | 8:00 am - 7:00 pm
Social Work and Government | Kylie Northham, Thanvi Thodati, Devika Kumar, Jannelly Areche |
Cultural and Economic Impacts of Gender | Caroline Garcia, Danielle Nwosa, Ella Pettichord, Brooke Reaves |
American Politics and Global Perspectives | Anthony Douglas, Apurva Gunturu, Amanda Hua, Allison White |
Academic Achievement, Adjustment, and Anxiety*** | Amy Cox, Praveena Javvadi, Erica Lee, Abbey Rank |
Health/Risks | Lauren Do, Prerna Pamar, Kathryn Robles, Jessica Shu |
Money/Currency/Debt | Parker Haydon, Avery Leake, Ellison Smith, Helen Williams |
Diasporic Experiences | Irene Ameena, Jay Anand, Mark Csoros, Ethan Masucol |
Global Perspective in History | Cole Deutch, Max Edwards, Taylor Haydon, Michael Regan |
Environmental Engagement | Hailey Howe, Lauren Johnson, Case Lowry, Dev Talukdar |
Politics and/of Identity | Audrey Balliette, Ananya Bashyam, Juan Pablo Flanagan, Alizeh Hussain |
Dialogic Performances | Libby Carr, Varun Rajaram, Telesmar Sanchez, Brendan Walsh |
Health: Practical and Political Practices | Haven Erengil, Catherine Holley, Parker Spradley, Jina Zhou |
In Short: Stories | Vanessa Aguirre, Jacob Chmielecki, Anne Chow, Abigail Horne |
Innovation, Economics, and Impact in Texas | Spencer Buckner, Ashley Deutser, Rylan Maksoud, Celesia Smith |
Global Perspectives: Weathering Change | Abbey Bartz, Sara Flinn, Caroline Garnett, Anna Robertson |
AI and Digital Modernity | Alexander Davis, Jordan Hilder, Darong Qi, Aiden Snasdell |
Scientific Innovation | Alisha Ahmed, Maanasa Nathan, Nila Selvaraj, Carmen Urban |
Creative Expressions*** | Arianna Flores, Cate Gillham, Sofia Mock, Grace Leake |