History & Purpose
The Mould Senior Thesis Award recognizes excellence in research, creative endeavor or impact in one senior thesis each year. The award was established by the family of Dr. William A. Mould, the first dean of the South Carolina Honors College, to commemorate his legacy. Bill helped craft the Honors College in its earliest days and was a driving force behind the senior thesis requirement, believing that it was the ideal capstone experience for bright, eager young minds. One student completing a thesis in the current academic year is recognized at May Revocation and receives a $1000 award.
Nominate a Student Thesis
Students are nominated by their thesis directors, and the winning thesis is selected by a committee within the Honors College. The award is presented at Spring Revocation each year; however, any student completing their thesis within the current academic year can be nominated.
2024-2025 Mould Award Winners
Each year, Honors College students develop and present an array of outstanding research and creative or applied projects. Selecting the very best out of some 400 projects each year is challenging, to say the least. Through the generosity of the Mould family, we recognized two outstanding thesis projects at the May 2024 Revocation.
Meaghan Arnold’s thesis built on a line of research in Dr. Lydia Matesic’s (Biological Sciences) lab that sought to explore the role of protein expression in human cancers and heart failure. Specifically, Meaghan sought to identify the function of WBP2 in the heart—a previously unexplored process. Her study represents a critical step in understanding the regulation of key signaling pathways involved in human disease phenotypes and identifying novel therapeutic interventions targeting WBP2 and related oncoproteins.
Dr. Matesic commented on the groundbreaking nature of Meaghan’s work, saying, “[she] showed me that both WWP1 and WBP2 have been characterized as drivers of cancer, particularly of breast cancer. Further, Meaghan pointed out the underappreciated parallels in the cellular mechanisms that promote both cancer and heart failure. Combined, these disorders account for the lion's share of mortality worldwide. Yet, progress toward continued identification of effective therapeutics has been slow. By shining a light on WWP1 and WBP2 and figuring out how they might work in the heart, Meaghan has opened the door to new avenues for drug design that could impact large numbers of individuals with cancer or heart failure worldwide.
Carlos Sanchez-Julia also received the Mould thesis award for an SCHC and Magellan-funded research project in the Ecuadorian rain forest. His interdisciplinary project combined economics, human geography, and critical development studies to explore the ethical and economic impact of land use policies through the lens of smallholder cacao farmers and a conservation NGO in the Mache-Chindul Ecological Reserve in Northwestern Ecuador.
Carlos’s thesis director, Dr. Robert Kopak (Geography), commented, “Carlos’s thesis is indicative of his greater passion for people, communities, environmental justice, global collaboration, and sustainable development.” Carlos plans to continue this line of research as he pursues a master’s in global environment and development through the prestigious Erasmus Mundus MERGED program.
Read more about Meaghan and Carlos and their award-winning research here.
2023-2024 Finalists
Haley Durbin - Phytoplankton Biomass and Community Responses to Additions of Limiting Nutrients
in Lake Murray, SC
Directed by Jay Pickney, Biological Sciences and School of Earth, Ocean and Environment
Reagan Green - Eat or Be Eaten: Taste, Appetite, and Consumption as Key Ingredients in Women's
Identities in Quicksand and Bitter in the Mouth
Directed by Catherine Keyser, English Language and Literature