STS Honors Theses

The Stanford Program in Science, Technology, and Society (STS) invites undergraduate students from all majors to apply for admission to its Honors Program. Since the program was launched in 1978, STS honors students have carried out a variety of innovative research projects that address the intersection of science, technology and society. The Stanford SearchWorks Catalog contains more than fifty STS honors theses dating from 1991. We hope that you will take some time to explore our honors students research. 

 

Explore STS Honors Theses in  SearchWorks

Award Winning Theses

Firestone medal

The Firestone and Golden Medals are awarded to the top 10 percent of Stanford honors theses completed in a given year. The Firestone Medal for Excellence in Undergraduate Research recognizes theses written in the social sciences, natural sciences and engineering. The Golden Medal for Excellence in Humanities and Creative Arts similarly distinguishes theses in the humanities or creative projects in the fine arts. Many of our STS Honors Program students have received this prestigious recognition.

STS Honors Program Medal Recipients

2022 Veronica Ayala, "It Takes A Village... and More: Southeast Los Angeles as a Model for Alleviating Infrastructure Deficits and Environmental Injustices Through Community Based Resistance", Science, Technology, and Society, advised by Sibyl Diver

2021 Hannah Scott, “Light and Sound, Not Song and Dance: Cybernetic Subjectivity in the Environmental Art of the Pulsa Group, 1966–1973” Science, Technology, and Society, advised by Fred Turner (Communication).

2020 Harika Kottakota, “Who ‘Speaks’ for Autism and Who is ‘M[i]ss[i]ng’? Examining Autism Narratives and Advocacy in the Era of Genomics,”  Science, Technology, and Society, advised by Duana Fullwiley (Anthropology).

2019 Elle Billman, “More than Medical Records: Uncovering How Childhood Cancer Survivors Learn About and Interact with their Cancer Histories,”, Science, Technology & Society, advised by S. Lochlann Jain (Anthropology). 

2018  Janna Huang, “A Break in the Cloud: Finding the Local in the Global Internet,”, Science, Technology, and Society, advised by Paul Edwards (Science, Technology, and Society and Center for International Security and Cooperation).

2017 Sophia Laurenzi, “The Gray Matter of Young Adulthood: Neuroscience, Social Trends, and Justice Reform,”, Science, Technology, and Society, advised by Angela Garcia (Anthropology).

2016 Vienna Harvey, “The Role of Ethics in the Design and Regulation of Autonomous Vehicles,”, Science, Technology , and Society, advised by Robert McGinn (Management Science and Engineering).

2014 Jeff Chen, "Exploring Consumer Behavior: How Prior Product Experience and Consumer Feedback Impact Online Search For Product Information," , advised by Advised by Mark Granovetter,  Sociology Department.

2012 Sanna Ali, “Unlocking the Power of Your Genome: Financial and Regulatory Challenges," Science, Technology and, Society, advised by Russ Altman (Bioengineering).

2011 Danny Crichton, "Academic revolution and regional innovation: The case of Computer Science at Stanford 1957-1970", Science, Technology, and Society, advised by Barton Bernstein (History) and Rebecca Slayton (Science, Technology, and Society).

2010  Greg Gaskin, "Embracing Complexity: Using Qualitative Research Methodology to Understand the Process of Implementing a Hybrid Personal Health Record in a Hospital Setting", Science, Technology, and Society, advised by  Amar Das (Medicine) and Rebecca Slayton (Science, Technology, and Society).

2008  Lee Trope "Preventing Cervical Cancer: Stakeholder Attitudes Toward Fast HPV-Focused Screening Programs in Roi-Et Province, Thailand", Science, Technology, and Society, advised by Paul Blumenthal (Obstetrics and Gynecology), Paul Wise (Pediatrics), and Rebecca Slayton (Science, Technology and Society).

2006 Jonathan Pearlstein, "Implementing Electronic Health Records in Ambulatory Care Organizations: Expectations, Perceptions and Conflicts", Science, Technology, and Society, advised by Amar Das (Medical Informatics) and Rebecca Slayton (Science, Technology and Society).

2005  Alejandro Diaz, "Through the Google Goggles: Sociopolitical Bias in Search Engine Design", Science, Technology, and Society, advised by  Robert McGinn (Science, Technology, and Society; Management Science and Engineering), Terry Winograd (Computer Science), and Aneesh Aneesh (Sociology, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee).

2004 Harini P. Raghupathi, "Clinical Adaptations to Diagnostic Reproductive Technologies: Toward a Hegelian Synthesis on Sex-Selective Abortions in Tamil Nadu, India", Science, Technology, and Society, advised by Robert McGinn (Science, Technology, and Society).

2003 Lilly Irani, "A Different Voice: Women Exploring Stanford Computer Science", Science, Technology, and Society, advised by Eric Roberts (Computer Science).

2000 Erin Raye Anderson, "Bicycles for South African Women: A Case Study of Cross-Cultural Technology Transfer", Science, Technology, and Society, advised by  Robert McGinn (Management Science and Engineering).

1997 Michael J. Putnam "Computerization, Human Rights Advocacy and Organizational Change: A Case-Study of the Czech Helsinki Committee", Science, Technology, and Society, advised by Robert E. McGinn (Science, Technology, and Society).

 

To learn more about Undergraduate Honors Theses awards visit Stanford Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education.