Senior honors defenses mark end of intensive research projects Share on: Posted on Wednesday, April 7, 2021 This spring, several Westminster College senior honors scholars will publicly defend their capstone research—a culmination of nearly two years’ worth of high-level academic exploration. “While every student at Westminster experiences capstone, students in the All-College Honors Program begin working on their capstone research early in the junior year, developing and proposing a project to their honors board of three faculty,” said Dr. Kristianne Kalata, director of the All-College Honors Program and associate professor of English. Each honors scholar conducts research under the mentorship of three faculty mentors—two experts in the major field of study and one faculty member from another department. After a project has been approved, students work closely with their lead honors board faculty adviser to conduct innovative, rigorous hands-on research.