Thirty-six seniors made their way to Ryan Library on Feb. 16 in order to present their senior theses. Topics ranged from “Conflict Resolution in the Bosnian Civil War,” to “The History of Bagpipes and their Influence at Iona College.” Professors, parents and friends sat in the audience to support the students as they presented what they had been working towards for years.

“It was very gratifying to present over a year-and-a-half’s worth of work to the public,” said senior Robert Bucci. “Culminating the long process of research and writing, the presentation was a great way for us to share the passion amassed for the various subjects of our work.”

Every year, 30 to 40 new students enter Iona College and join the Honors Program. It is a rigorous curriculum that culminates with the presentation of each student’s thesis. Honors students start out by taking Humanities courses during the first two years and have to complete a major oral presentation each semester in order to practice defending a thesis.

Throughout their junior year, they start researching different areas they might want to write their paper on. Halfway through the year, each student selects an advisor who will oversee their work up until Thesis Day.

Students continue working throughout the summer until the end of their senior fall semester. They research information, formulate a thesis, develop an argument and prove their point. Papers average around 50 pages but some get up into the 100s if need be. Either way, students have no choice but to be thorough.

Many majors require a written thesis in order to graduate, so it is not a new concept to grasp. The difference is that on top of each student’s major requirements, this thesis is built into the honors core curriculum.

According to the Honors Program Thesis Handbook, “It is a piece of independent research which allows the student to contribute to a field of inquiry, to gain expertise in a specific area of interest to the student academically or professionally, and demonstrates the student’s intellectual accomplishments.”

Each thesis is meant to be included in the academic world as another stepping stone for whichever field they chose to work with. Thesis Day is a time for each student to share their findings and spark interest in the minds of the audience.

Senior Cara Hynes presented on “Benefits of Cochlear Implant Socialization of Children and Families with Peer Group.” Like many of the other presenters, she made a call for more research to be made on the topic and commented on how she would like to expand her thesis in the coming years.

Bucci said, “It is almost surreal that we can now look back at the thesis process in the overall context of the presentation itself and say, ‘This is something I did and contributed to the academic community.”

Thesis Day showed that this was not just any paper that these students had been working on for a year and a half. They dedicated serious time and thought to what they were writing because this was an opportunity to share their knowledge with the world of academia.