Outstanding Thesis Awards
Each year the Integrative Studies Program recognizes two Integrative Studies majors whose senior projects represent particularly outstanding work.
The Wendy J. Wenner Thesis Award
The Wenner Award is given to work that embodies the spirit and legacy of Dr. Wendy J. Wenner. Dr. Wenner first taught in GVSU's English Department before being named as the founding Dean of Grand Valley's new College of Interdisciplinary Studies in 2004, later the Brooks College of Interdisciplinary Studies. Dr. Wenner's lifelong commitment to interdisciplinary inquiry, inclusive and equitable teaching and service, as well as her tireless commitment to supporting innovation and the transformational power of education are among her many legacies. This award is given to students whose senior projects show strong, ethical research practices, are well-written, and which demonstrate work that is both academically excellent and that has "real-life" application.
Wendy J. Wenner
Founding Dean, Brooks College of Interdisciplinary Studies
Stanley Krohmer
Senior Affiliate Faculty (Retired)
The Stanley Krohmer Senior Project Award
The Krohmer Award is given to work that honors the creative spirit, commitment to critical inquiry, innovation, and community-mindedness that can be seen throughout Professor Stanley Krohmer's life and work. A long-time faculty member in IRIS (formerly Liberal Studies), Professor Krohmer has been recognized not only for his outstanding teaching but for his own tireless commitment to lifelong learning as part of a larger creative, engaged community of artists, writers, and scholars. Professor Krohmer is also an award-winning painter and photographer, much beloved by colleagues and students alike. This award is given to students whose senior projects take a creative approach to their subjects, whether through writing, visual, or other multimedia approaches and celebrates the way the humanities can enrich all aspects of human experience.
Brielle Friar Stanley Krohmer Senior Project Award for "Accessibility to Doula Care"
Heather Brewer, Stanley Krohmer Senior Project Award for "Writing Inclusive and Diverse Narrative Fiction"
Jenna Johnson Wendy J. Wenner Senior Thesis Award for "The Gendered Differences in Diagnosing ADHD"
Madison Couch Wendy J. Wenner Senior Thesis Award for "A Crisis at the Border"
Lindsey Wylie-Gruen Stanley Krohmer Senior Project Award for "ABA Therapy: Controversy and Reconciliation"
Grace Branding Stanley Krohmer Senior Project Award for "An Anti-Racist Reading Guide for White People"
Natasha Stewart Wendy J. Wenner Senior Thesis Award for "Returning to Knowing, and Teaching the Old Ways"
Amanda Niswander (left) Wendy J. Wenner Sr. Thesis Award for "Buildling Communities for Restorative Justice" and Ivy Baillie (right) Stanley Krohmer Senior Project Award for "Identity and Amateur Literature"
Wendy J. Wenner Award
Erica Ramos (middle)
Thesis Title: Earthship Technologies: The Environment and Housing Equality
Benjamin Scott-Brandt, Wendy J. Wenner Award for "Functions of Behavior in Secular Student Communities"
Kate Willett, Stanley Krohmer Award Fall 2019 for "Mindfulness Curriculum"
Stanley Krohmer Award
Leah Fast (second from right)
Thesis Title: Identity
Wendy J. Wenner Award
Shanna Turner
Thesis Title: Crimes Unreported
Wendy J. Wenner Award
Lisa Castro (far right)
Thesis Title: Is Architecture Compassion Made Visible?
Exemplifying Our Way of Building
Outstanding Religious Studies Award
Waverly Sisson (second from left)
Thesis Title: Tritiya-Prakriti:
Queering Religious Studies
Thesis Title:
A New and Holier Love:
Intersectional Narratives in Postbellum Southern Commemoration
Area of Focus:
Politics of Memory
Erin Donnelly
Thesis Title:
Outdoor, Experiential Education:
The Implementation of Lesson Plans in the Classroom
Area of Focus:
Environmental Action, Policy, and Communication
Cody Gallagher
Winter 2016
Thesis Title
Not Milk: A Feasibility Study
Area of Focus:
Sustainable Food Systems and
Small Business Management
Marisol Menken
Fall 2015
Thesis Title
Education and Racism
Area of Focus:
Equal Opportunities &
Social Advocacy
Marc Lehman
Thesis Title:
Questions on the relationship between narrative identity and hermeneutic design
Area of Focus:
Linguistics and Design Anthropology
Natalie DePyper
Fall 2014
Thesis Title:
Talk Isn’t Cheap; It’s Powerful
Area of Focus:
Community Development and
Cultural Integration
Leslie Boker
Winter 2015
Thesis Title
Treatment of Trans Characters in
Japanese Sequential Art and Animation
Area of Focus:
Japanese Language and Culture
Suzanna Katerberg
Winter2014
Thesis Title:
Extending Domestic Violence Advocacy for
Incarcerated Battered Women
Emphasis Area:
Leadership and Advocacy
Julie A Kane
Fall 2013
Thesis Title:
An Integrative Approach to Discovering the Benefits of
Environmental Education and Nature Experiences
Emphasis Area:
Environmental Leadership
Thesis Title:
Commitment to Consciousness:
Cultivating the Capability of Mindfulness in Learning
Emphasis Area:
Education, Philosophy and
Religious Studies
Andrea Marz
Winter 2012
Thesis Title:
Urban Food Deserts: An Interdisciplinary Analysis
Emphasis Area:
Sustainability in Theory and Practice:
Environmental and Social Justice
Annette M Nelson
Winter2013
Thesis Title:
Biophilia: Examining Our Relationship with Nature
and its Influence on an Environmental Mindset
Emphasis Area:
Sociology, Psychology, and
the Environment