2026 Candidates—K

CHARLOTTE M. KAISER — Linguistics and Chinese   

General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors 

Vietnamese Tone Syllable Coordination 

John Kingston, Linguistics 

 

YARAH KALAE — Biochemistry and Molecular Biology   

General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors 

Left Out: How Structural Norms Render Half the Population Invisible 

Kathleen A. Brown-Pérez, Commonwealth Honors College 

 

SARANG M. KALE — Computer Science   

General Studies & Departmental Honors 

Artificial Intelligence and the Evolution of Search Engines: A Comparative Study of Traditional and AIIntegrated Systems 

James Allan, Information & Computer Science 

 

YONAH D. KALIKOW — Sustainable Food & Farming   

Advanced Scholarship - Departmental Honors 

Why Seeds? A Look into the Intentions and Motivations Behind Seed Work 

Leda Cooks, Communication 

 

HAMSINI S. KANAKAGIRI — Kinesiology   

Advanced Scholarship - Multidisciplinary Honors 

Relationship Between Physical Activity and Gross Motor Skill in Preschool-Aged Children 

Sofiya Alhassan, Kinesiology 

 

AMANDA F. KANASHIRO — Biomedical Engineering   

General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors 

Exploring Small Interfering RNA Therapy Targeting CD33 in Alzheimer’s Disease 

Jingjing Gao, Biomedical Engineering 

 

RAYHA KARANTH — Microbiology, Public Health Sciences 

Advanced Scholarship - Multidisciplinary Honors 

Sustaining Strong Foundations Through Local Engagement and Fundraising 

Ellen Correa, Civic Engagement & Service Learning 

 

DHRUV KARTIK — Computer Science   

Advanced Scholarship - Multidisciplinary Honors 

 

KAUSHAL KASINA — Biochemistry and Molecular Biology   

General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors 

Investigating Cell-Type Molecular Drivers of Tau Aggregation 

Jennifer N. Rauch, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 

 

CHASE R. KASSIOTIS — Mathematics   

General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors 

 

ASHER H. KATZ — Informatics   

General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors 

The Competition for Alternative Order and Autonomy in Postwar Globalization 

Deepika Marya, Commonwealth Honors College 

 

MILA KAUL — Management   

Advanced Scholarship - Multidisciplinary Honors 

Behind the Brand: The Business Model of Streaming-Era Artists in the Attention Economy 

Thomas G. Brashear-Alejandro, Isenberg School of Management 

 

GURNOOR KAUR — Biology   

Advanced Scholarship - Departmental Honors 

ECM Regulation & Differential Expression Analysis of Astrocyte Activation in Humans & Chimpanzees 

Courtney Babbitt, Biology 

 

KATHERINE I. KEEN — Education   

General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors 

Classrooms on Screens: A Critical Analysis of Media Representation of Education and Its Alignment with Public Discourse 

Jane Piselli, Education 

 

BENJAMIN KEIL — Biology   

General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors 

Misinformation, Institutional Trust, and Policy Design in US Healthcare 

Dean Robinson, Political Science 

 

NANTENEN KEITA — Psychology   

General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors 

Bars Within and Beyond Prison: The Health Implications of Mass Incarceration 

Dean Robinson, Political Science 

 

ARLO KELLIE — Art History   

General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors 

Marimekko: Architectural Dress 

Margaret B. Vickery, History of Art & Architecture Department 

 

NATALIA A. KEPCZYNSKI — Natural Resources Conservation   

General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors 

Temporal Activity Patterns of Mammals Across a Rural-Urban Landscape in Western Massachusetts 

Huw Lloyd, Environmental Conservation 

 

DECLAN P. KERRIGAN — Operations & Information Management, Sport Management   

General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors 

Measuring Sustainability at Sporting Events: An Evaluation of Waste Management Practices and Potential Areas of Improvement 

Muzzo Uysal, Isenberg School of Management 

 

AMELIA I. KILIAN — Architecture   

General Studies & Departmental Honors 

Cyclotopia: The Essence of Cycles in Architecture 

Sandy Litchfield, Architecture 

 

KATHRYN G. KILLAM — Public Health Sciences   

Advanced Scholarship - Multidisciplinary Honors 

Where We Meet in Memory 

Connie Griffin, Commonwealth Honors College 

 

RYAN Y. KIM — Food Sciences   

General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors 

Short-Form Video and Its Impact on Culinary Representation and Cultural Context 

Leda Cooks, Communication 

 

ERIN KIM — Biomedical Engineering   

Advanced Scholarship - Multidisciplinary Honors 

Biofilm Formation and Quorum Sensing in 2-D vs 3-D Microenvironments 

Sang Hyun Lee, Microbiology 

 

OLIVIA KINNER — Biology   

General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors 

Witness 

Connie Griffin, Commonwealth Honors College 

 

GRACE E. KIRKPATRICK — Landscape Architecture, Sustainable Community Development   

General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors 

After the Flood: Post-Disaster Engagement with Adolescents in Southeastern Vermont 

Carolina Aragón, Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning 

 

AVERY E. KITTLESON — Biology   

General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors 

Emergency Departments as Sites of Healthcare Inequality: Implicit Bias, Structural Barriers, and Disparities in Clinical Care 

Dean Robinson, Political Science 

 

MOHAMMAD S. KIYANI — Computer Science   

General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors 

 

ISABELLA A. KLINK — Legal Studies   

General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors 

Unstable by Design: The Legal and Clinical Narratives of Female Madness 

Kathleen A. Brown-Pérez, Commonwealth Honors College 

 

LAUREN E. KOCHAN — Animal Science   

General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors 

 

KAYCIE K. KOENIG — Biology   

General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors 

The Relationship Between Autoimmune Disease and Psychological Stress 

Achsah Dorsey, Anthropology 

 

CYNTHIA KONG — Biochemistry and Molecular Biology   

General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors 

A Single Molecule Study of Myosin V 

Edward Debold, Kinesiology 

 

EMIR K. KORUKLUOGLU — Computer Science   

General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors 

Latent Space Analysis Over Audio Large Language Model Speech Understanding 

Amir Houmansadr, Information & Computer Science 

 

NEHA KOTTURU — Computer Science   

General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors 

Enhancing Deep Learning Models for Facial Expression Recognition in Mental Health Care 

Hossein Pishro-Nik, Electrical & Computer Engineering 

 

SRIRAM KOUKUNTLA — Computer Science   

Advanced Scholarship - Multidisciplinary Honors 

 

EUGENIA A. KOVTUN — Neuroscience, Psychology   

General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors 

Loneliness vs. Academic Stress as Predictors of Depressive Symptoms Among Undergraduates 

Muzzo Uysal, Isenberg School of Management 

 

EMILY A. KRESS — Biology   

General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors 

Interactive Effects of Temperature and pH on Root Growth Dynamics in Arabidopsis thaliana 

Tobias Baskin, Biology 

 

ADITI KUDVA — Accounting   

Advanced Scholarship - Multidisciplinary Honors 

The Immigrant Health Paradox: Declining Wellness Across Generations in the United States 

Dean Robinson, Political Science 

 

GRACE KUHN — Speech, Language, & Hearing Sciences   

General Studies & Multidisciplinary Honors 

 

SEJLA KULDIJA — Physics, Mathematics   

General Studies & Departmental Honors 

Simultaneous Inference of the Higgs Boson Width and Couplings Using the Atlas Higgs Boson Production Measurements in the H → ZZ and H → WW Channels 

Rafael Coelho Lopes de Sa, Physics 

 

ANOUSHKA KUNDER — Public Policy   

Advanced Scholarship - Multidisciplinary Honors 

The Experience Gap: AI Adoption in the Tech Industry in the United States and Germany 

Brenda Bushouse, School of Public Policy 

 

ROBERT J. KWOLEK — Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering   

General Studies & Departmental Honors 

Fabrication-Aware Design of Nanophotonic Chips 

Rajveer Nehra, Electrical & Computer Engineering