Students at Allegheny College are required to complete a senior comprehensive project (senior thesis) as part of their graduation requirements. In addition, students may complete independent research projects. The following is a list of current and past student projects in the Whitenack lab:
Current student/alumni projects:
The effects of tooth wear on shark tooth puncture performance
The paleontological resources of coastal U.S. National Parks in collaboration with Vincent Santucci & Justin Tweet (National Parks Service) and Christy Visaggi (Georgia State University)
Shark breaching biomechanics in collaboration with Adele' Poynor (Allegheny College Physics)
Performance of serial shark teeth in penetration
Shark tooth puncture performance on a variety of prey: FSBio201 students 2017-present
Correlating shark tooth shape and diet with Phil Motta (University of South Florida) and Matt Kolmann (University of Louisville)
Documenting extinct shark tooth diversity and disparity
Tooth morphologic changes in little gulper sharks
Estimating shark size from bite marks on rays in the Gulf of Mexico
Past projects:
Tooth wear during draw events in three carcharhinid sharks
Sexual dimorphism in red-tailed hawk measurements
The effects of caffeine on athletic performance in mice
The effects of microfossil collection techniques on paleoenvironmental interpretations in the Hell Creek formation
Content analysis of 30 years of Shark Week: in collaboration with Julia Saltzman (University of New Hampshire), Steve Kajiura (Florida Atlantic University), Catherine Macdonald (University of Miami), and David Shiffman (Arizona State University)
Sandbar shark tooth biomechanics across prey types
The impact of shoulder injuries on trapezius function during overhead athletic motions:
Ecdysis patterns in the Cambrian trilobites Elrathua and Asaphicus
The effects of different stretching regimes on lacrosse passing speed
The soils of Pittsburgh and their effects on the development of land use in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
The effects of shin splints on running biomechanics
The physics of soccer ball surfaces and their effects on the biomechanics of shooting goals
Quantifying parrotfish defecations at the Port of Miami Reef in Florida in collaboration with Coral City Camera
Effects of an urbanized coral reef environment on southeastern Florida parrotfish feeding behavio in collaboration with Coral City Camera
Tyrannosaur niche partitioning and its implications for American Crocodylia in the Everglades.
Biodiversity of pseudosuchians and the effects of their diets during the Mesozoic era
Mesozoic shark teeth patterns and tooth morphology lineages in extinct and extant shark tooth type: Shiloh Taul ('21)
The effects of gonadal steroid hormones on tooth development, growth, and maintenance
The influence of athletic playing surfaces on knee angles of Division III collegiate athletes performing change of direction movements and the impact on risk of injury
The efficacy of the protection of yellow filters on retinal damage in mice (Mus musculus)
Dynamic testing to determine tooth wear in Negaprion brevirostris:
The effects of tooth wear on lemon shark Negaprion brevirostris tooth performance
The effects of dietary supplemental combinations on physical performance in late adolescent mice
Evolution of predatory methods using a phylogenetic framework in Ocenebrinae (Muricidae): in collaboration with Gregory Herbert (U. South Florida)
Patterns of evolution in Ordovician trilobites of both dying and surviving lineages across the End-Ordovician mass extinction boundary
Variations in cranial and dental sexual dimorphisim in the cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus)
Effects of warming up with a bat weight on swing speed and muscle activity in baseball players
Analysis of marine protected areas in the Florida Keys and Hawaiian regions, focusing on coral reef stability in modern day environmental conditions
The effects of ocean acidificication on sea urchin taphonomy
Fatigue and playing surface influence on knee angles of college soccer players and the impact these angles have on the risk of injury
Fatigue of antagonist muscles and its relation to the force of agonist muscles used during the bench press
Determining the effects of force and hip flexion on long jump performance
The effects of post-pitching recovery procedures on the loss of internal rotation in the throwing shoulder of baseball pitchers
Baseball and softball players’ swing mechanics and percentage body fat as they contribute to maximum ball velocity after contact
Effects of temperature on bluegill sunfish feeding performance
Shape differences in wolf skulls before and after the Endangered Species Act
Effects of nitrogen levels on morphology and prey capture in Venus flytraps
Differences in ground reaction forces in baseball pitching
The effect of caudal anatomy on social status in male Carolina green anoles (Anolis carolinensis)
Species identification of unknown Carcharhinidae shark jaws through geometric morphometrics
Squaliform tooth histology and composition
Feeding kinematics of two darter species
Identifying Carcharhiniform species based on tooth morphology: 2012, 2014 Junior Seminars
Landing forces & forelimb structural mechanics in tree frogs and fire bellied toads: 2012 Junior Seminar
Kinematics of plethodontid salamander jumping in collaboration with Bill Ryerson (Saint Anselm College)
Speciation & evolution in Plio-Pleistocene Oliva (Gastropoda)
Salamander limb regeneration and its effects on locomotion:
Bite force in northern pike Esox lucius, in collaboration with Maria Laura Habegger (University of Northern Florida).
Jumping and landing forces in frogs and toads
Morphology and function of pelvic and pectoral fins in Neogobius melanostomus and Cottus bairdii
Variation in craniofacial sexual dimorphism between captive and wild Rhesus Macaques (Macaca mulatta)
Variation in reversed size dimorphism as an effect of human population densities in the great horned owl Bubo virginianus in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia