Theses/Dissertations from 2025
African Swine Fever Prevention In The United States: A Behavioral And Policy Perspective, Richmond Silvanus Baye, PhD, Community Development and Applied Economics
Collective Action And Agroecological Transitions: Participatory Action Research In Ecuador And Bolivia, Amaya Carrasco Torrontegui, PhD, Food Systems
Examining Sustainable Diets for Planetary Health: A Mixed Methods Study of Sustainable Diets Knowledge Creation, Reproduction, and Recommendations, Carolyn Hricko, PhD, Food Systems
Examining Urban Watershed Resilience In Cities And Gardens: A Spatial Analysis Of Equity Of Green Stormwater Infrastructure Distribution And A Mixed Methods Analysis Of Soil Properties And Sub-Surface Nutrient Leaching From Urban Gardens, In Light Of Gardener Perceptions And Management Practices, Amir Naseem Johnson, MS, Plant and Soil Science
Genetic And Functional Characterization Of Ccdc22 And Ccdc93 In Arabidopsis Root And Root Hair Growth, Connor Lewis, PhD, Plant Biology
Exploring the effects of environmental variability on adaptation and phenotypic variation in sea urchins and simulations, Csenge Petak, PhD, Biology
Biofilms: The Latest ‘blockbuster’ In Preweaned Holstein Calf Management, Cari Reynolds, PhD, Animal Biosciences
Sustainable Agricultural Practices, Resilience, & Food Security Among Small Scale Farming Households in Uganda: Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Emily Rose Schalkham, MS, Community Development and Applied Economics
Exploring the effects of dairy fat on cardiometabolic health in a short-term controlled-feeding trial comparing full-fat yogurt with non-fat yogurt, Victoria Marie Taormina, PhD, Animal Nutrition and Food Science
Growing Alternatives: An Exploration Of Veganic Agriculture In The United States And Opportunities For Future Synergies, Alisha Utter, PhD, Plant and Soil Science
From Methane To Milk: The Potential Of Milk Biomarkers For Methane Assessment, Emily Caitlin Youngmark, MS, Animal Biosciences
Theses/Dissertations from 2024
Looking north and thinking ahead: Understanding the range expansion of vector-borne cervid pathogens, Lauren Berkley, MS, Biology
Evaluating The Performance Of Winter Peas As Dual-Use Crops For Both Cover Crop And Profit Crop, Emmanuel Kwame Brefo, MS, Plant and Soil Science
The Inclusion of Woodchips and Drinking Water Treatment Residuals in Vegetated Bioretention Planters: How Do They Stack Up to Conventional Soil Media?, Samantha Kay Brewer, MS, Plant and Soil Science
Selection For Insecticide Tolerance Alters Phenotypic, Transcriptomic, And Epigenetic Responses To Multiple Stressors In The Colorado Potato Beetle., Erika Bueno, PhD, Plant and Soil Science
Culturally Acceptable Food: Exploring Its Status In The Literature And Growers’ Capacities To Embed It In Seed Value Chains, Sally Burke, MS, Community Development and Applied Economics
Evaluating the Role of Tetraspanins in Syncytin-Mediated Syncytiotrophoblast Formation, Madeline Carr, MS, Microbiology and Molecular Genetics
Evaluating The Zoonotic Potential And Antimicrobial Resistance Profiles Of Staphylococcus Aureus In Dairy Farm Settings: A Genomic Epidemiological Approach, Ashma Chakrawarti, PhD, Animal Biosciences
Identification Of Novel Sh Protein Phosphorylation-Dependent Binding Partners And Interaction Mechanisms., Phoebe Cousens, MS, Biology
The Power of The Commons, Julia Danielsen, MS, Community Development and Applied Economics
Development of Needed Tools for Babesia duncani, a Rising Cause of Human Babesiosis, Emmett Asa Dews, MS, Microbiology and Molecular Genetics
Development of Needed Tools for Babesia duncani, a Rising Cause of Human Babesiosis, Emmett Asa Dews, MS, Microbiology and Molecular Genetics
Extreme Weather Events: Perception, Pro-Environmental Behavior, and the Tools to Measure Them, Christopher Donovan, MS, Community Development and Applied Economics
The Roles Of Plexina2-Semaphorin6a Bi-Directional Signaling In Zebrafish Eye Development, Caroline Dumas, PhD, Biology
Assessing The Impact Of An Intervention To Build Food Agency During Emerging Adulthood, Amy Finley, MS, Food Systems
Elucidating the genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying thermal tolerance in embryonic Drosophila melanogaster, Kylie Maureen Finnegan, MS, Biology
Born To Be Wild: Hatchery Rearing Has Life-Time Effects On Foraging And Movement Behaviors Of Lake Trout Salvelinus Namaycush, Matthew Futia, PhD, Biology
Characterization Of Toxoplasma Gondii Genes Mic13 And Rop28 Utilizing A Novel Brain Cell Model For Chronic Infection, Amber Goerner, MS, Microbiology and Molecular Genetics
Udder Health On Organic Dairy Farms In Vermont: A Focus On The Epidemiology Of Staphylococci Causing Intramammary Infections In Dairy Cattle, Caitlin Elizabeth Jeffrey, PhD, Animal Nutrition and Food Science
Examining Consumer Preference For Hemp-Based Products In The United States, Hannah Katharine Lacasse, PhD, Community Development and Applied Economics
An Agroecological Approach To Improving Soil Health Practices On Vermont Vegetable Farms, Rebecca Reed Maden, PhD, Plant and Soil Science
Rhoptry-Associated Perforation Of The Host Cell Plasma Membrane During Toxoplasma Gondii Invasion, Frances K. Male, PhD, Microbiology and Molecular Genetics
The influence of the hexosamine biosynthesis pathway and O-GlcNAcylation on glucose metabolism in ovarian antral follicles, Abigail M. Maucieri, PhD, Animal Nutrition and Food Science
Unraveling Public Evacuation Likelihood: Structural Equation Models and the Extended Parallel Process Model in Focus, Molly Margaret Myers, MS, Community Development and Applied Economics
Analysis Of Environmentally Acquired Toxoplasma Gondii With Samples Collected From The Low-Income Community Of Pau Da Lima, Brazil, Meghan J. Owens, MS, Microbiology and Molecular Genetics
Characterizing Prevalence, Genomics, and Risk Factors of Campylobacter spp. and Salmonella enterica Isolated Among Backyard Poultry in Vermont, Chelsey Patch, MS, Animal Biosciences
Entrepreneurial Behavior, Technology Adoption, And Climate Change Resilience: Evidence From Small And Medium-Scale Livestock And Maple Producers In Vermont, Dimagi Pitawala, MS, Community Development and Applied Economics
Beyond Nutrition Panels: A Mixed Methods Analysis Of The Healthfulness Perceptions Of Natural And Ultra-Processed Foods, Nick Rose, PhD, Food Systems
The Population Genetics Of Four Ant Species In A Fragmented Urban Environment, Jacob Anthony Sorrentino, MS, Biology
Microevolutionary dynamics of ecological niche shift in the Adiantum pedatum complex, Morgan W. Southgate, PhD, Plant Biology
Compensatory Mechanisms in Eye Development: Critical overlapping roles of Crk and Nck adaptor proteins in the zebrafish retina, Helaina Renee Stergas, PhD, Biology
Theses/Dissertations from 2023
A Quantitative Study Of The Impact Of Foreign Aid On Economic Growth And Human Development Index In Afghanistan From 1960-2020, Fareed Ahmadi, MS, Community Development and Applied Economics
“no Solamente Del Café Puede Vivir Uno...”: Participatory Action Research On Agricultural Diversification In Smallholder Coffee Systems Of Chiapas, Mexico, Janica Mia-Maaria Anderzén, PhD, Plant and Soil Science
Applications Of Bayesian Hierarchical Detection Models, Emily Beasley, PhD, Biology
Investigating Dna Methylation In Ruminants: Conserved Patterns, Tissue Specificity, And Evolutionary Impact, Suraj Bhattarai, PhD, Animal Biosciences
Weathering Gradients in Podzols of the Northeastern U.S., Jenny Bower, PhD, Plant and Soil Science
Anaerobic Soil Disinfestation And Vermicompost To Manage Rhizoctonia Solani In Organic Lettuce, Anna Rissland Brown, MS, Plant and Soil Science
Understanding The Connections Between Cross-Sector Collaboration And Service Delivery For Charitable Organizations Using Mixed Methods, Kristin Elizabeth Darby, MS, Community Development and Applied Economics
The Effects Of Processed Seaweed Supplements On Rumen Fermentation And Methane Production In Vitro, Ashley Winter Driemel, MS, Animal Biosciences
Effects of Late Gestation Episodic heat Stress in the Northeastern United States on Holstein Dams and their Calves, Emily Fread, MS, Animal Biosciences
Groundwater Governance and Agricultural Sustainability: Examining Farmer Interactions with California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, Zachary Matthew Goldstein, MS, Food Systems
Encapsulation And Culture Of Plant Protoplasts In Hydrogel Microspheres Using Droplet Microfluidics, Matthew Grasso, PhD, Plant Biology
Exploring Potential Domains of Agroecological Transformation in the United States, Catherine Horner, PhD, Plant and Soil Science
Dengue Virus Modulation Of Genome Instability In Vero E6 Cells, Erica Nicole Lamkin, MS, Microbiology and Molecular Genetics
A Qualitative Study Of Rural Plant-Based Eaters’ Knowledge And Planning For Nutritional Adequacy, Michelle Leonetti, MS, Food Systems
Detecting Ranavirus Presence In Vermont Through Avian Species And Edna, Raymond Looney, MS, Biology
Potential Enhanced Stress Tolerance Of Outbreak-Associated Salmonella Enterica From Multiple U.s. Outbreaks, Ariel E. Martin, MS, Nutrition and Food Sciences
Towards A Food-Secure Future In An Era Of Uncertainty: Cultivating Resilience In Vulnerable Smallholder Food Systems, Maya Moore, PhD, Food Systems
Influence Of Dietary Carbohydrate Profile On Rumen Health Of Dairy Cows And Identification Of Milk Protein Biomarkers As Indicators Of Carbohydrate-Induced Ruminal Shifts., Bharath Kumar Mulakala, PhD, Animal Biosciences
The Effect Of Tryptamine Producing Bacteria On Gut Motility In Mice, Emilia Sofia Norberg, MS, Microbiology and Molecular Genetics
Green Space, Mental Health & Risk-Related Behaviors During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Megan Roush, MS, Community Development and Applied Economics
Examining Gendered Aspects Of Land Tenure Security And Smallholder Food Security During The Covid-19 Pandemic In Uganda, Michelle B. Saunders, MS, Community Development and Applied Economics
Evaluation Of Forage Energetics And Implications To Pasture-Based Dairy Cattle In The Northeastern United States., Miriam Allison Snider, PhD, Animal Biosciences
Socio-ecological economic impact analysis of food systems initiatives using mixed methods and community-based research approaches, Josiah J. Taylor, PhD, Food Systems
Functional Evolution Of Latd/nip And Its Role In Abscisic Acid Localization In Medicago Truncatula, Berke Tinaz, PhD, Plant Biology
Reorienting Local Housing Development Trends Via Land Value Taxation: A Bottom-Up and Top-Down Quantitative Analysis, Dakota B. Walker, MS, Community Development and Applied Economics
The effects of ericoid inoculum source and nutrient addition on growth and reproduction in highbush blueberry, Ilana Williams, MS, Biology
Theses/Dissertations from 2022
The Effect of Amphibian Host Ecology and Evolution on the Pathogen Dynamics of Ranavirus, Lauren V. Ash, PhD, Biology
Copepods As A Model System For Exploring The Impacts Of Climate Change On Marine Ectotherms, Lauren Ashlock, PhD, Biology
Determining The Effects Of Castration And Estrogen Replacement On Habit Development In Adult Male Long Evans Rats, Francesca Carasi-Schwartz, MS, Biology
Investigating Routes Of Pollinator Exposure To Pesticides, Jessica Cole, MS, Biology
Anchoring Communities Through Crisis: Enhancing Anchor Institutions’ Roles In Local Food Systems, Naomi Cunningham, MS, Community Development and Applied Economics
Evolution Of Drought And Low Temperature Responses In Temperate Pooideae Grasses: Timings, Determinants, And Intersections, Aayudh Das, PhD, Plant Biology
Hemp in the United States: An Analysis of Policy and Consumption, Amanda Falkner, MS, Community Development and Applied Economics
Communicating during widespread systematic noise reduction amid Covid-19 lockdowns: A tale of two marine vertebrates in the archipelago of Bocas del Toro, Panama, Emma Gagne, MS, Biology
Seeding Coexistence: Understanding the Potential for Seed System Pluralism Through a Mixed-Methods Research Study of Vermont Growers, Carina Isbell, MS, Community Development and Applied Economics
Characterization And Manipulation Of O-Glcnacylation In Granulosa Cells Of Bovine Ovarian Antral Follicles, Abigail Marie Maucieri, MS, Animal Science
Diversity and distribution of the malaria parasites (genus Plasmodium) of the Common Loon (Gavia immer) and of Vermont mosquitoes, Alyssa Neuhaus, MS, Biology
Elements Of Biocontrol Strategies For Pheretimoid Earthworms, Maryam Nouri-Aiin, PhD, Plant and Soil Science
Providing New Insights On Sarracenia Purpurea’s Stoichiometry, Morphology, Obligate Invertebrates, And Plankton Communities In Response To N And P Deposition., Lindsey Ann Pett, PhD, Biology
Drought Tolerance in Native and Invasive Populations of the Centaurea jacea Hybrid Complex, Zoe Portlas, MS, Plant Biology
Whistle Repertoire And Structure Reflect Ecotype Distinction Of Pantropical Spotted Dolphins In The Eastern Tropical Pacific, Manali Rege-Colt, MS, Biology
Adaptive Capacity And [un]natural Disasters: Puerto Rican Farmers’ Adaption And Food Security Outcomes After Hurricane Maria, Luis Alexis Rodriguez-Cruz, PhD, Food Systems
Exploring Mycorrhizae In Riparian Restoration To Enhance Phosphorus Mitigation And Pollinator Habitat On Unceded Territory, Jessica Ann Rubin, MS, Plant and Soil Science
Characterizing Phosphorus Transport to Agricultural Tile Drains in Vermont, Ryan Andrew Ruggiero, MS, Plant and Soil Science
Sustainability Transitions With Precision Agriculture And Compatible Incentives For Farmers, Benjamin E. Ryan, MS, Community Development and Applied Economics
Spiny spiders and spiny trees: Molecular phylogenetics and biogeographic reconstruction reveal history of recurrent overwater dispersal events, single-island endemics, and new species of Caribbean Micrathena (Araneae: Araneidae), Lily Kay Shapiro, MS, Biology
Experiences Participating In Federal Nutrition Assistance Programs During The Early Months Of The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Mixed Methods Study In Vermont, Emma Haven Spence, MS, Food Systems
Visualizing The Forces Exerted During 3d Motility By Toxoplasma Gondii, Rachel Stadler, PhD, Microbiology and Molecular Genetics
Changing environmental conditions and the response and potential adaptability of freshwater whitefishes, Taylor R. Stewart, PhD, Biology
Building Relationships and Resilience: Local Food Systems in Vermont and New England During the Covid-19 Pandemic and Beyond, Claire Whitehouse, MS, Food Systems
Theses/Dissertations from 2021
Multiscale assessment of drinking water treatment residuals as a phosphorus sorbing amendment in stormwater bioretention systems, Michael Rick Ament, PhD, Plant and Soil Science
The Effects Of Dietary Yeast Extracts On Rumen Microbiota And Fermentation In A Dual-Flow Continuous Culture Fermentation System, Lauren Baker, MS, Animal Science
Spillover, dilution, and coinfection: Understanding the spread of disease within managed and native bee communities., Phillip A. Burnham, PhD, Biology
Healthcare Professionals’ Perceptions Regarding The Nutrition Of Dairy And Plant-Based Dairy Alternatives, Bridget Clark, MS, Nutrition and Food Sciences
Biofilm Sanitizer Tolerance of Vermont Dairy Listeria monocytogenes, Emily C. Forauer, MS, Nutrition and Food Sciences
Influence Of Summer Hedging And Plant Growth Regulators On Apple Trees Grown For Hard Cider. An Evaluation Of Return Bloom, Tree Growth, And Juice Quality., Jessica A. Foster, MS, Plant and Soil Science
Unique Genomic And Phenotypic Responses To Extreme And Variable Ph Conditions In Purple Urchin Larvae, Strongylocentrotus Purpuratus, April Dawn Garrett, MS, Biology
Effects of changing winter severity on plankton ecology in temperate lakes, Allison Rose Hrycik, PhD, Biology
Examining Consumer Perceptions And Behaviors Toward Hemp-Based Products, Hannah Lacasse, MS, Community Development and Applied Economics