Winners of the Spring 2026 Sharon Borine Award

Each year, graduating psychology undergraduate students complete a project that allows them to explore an area of interest. The Sharon Borine Capstone Awards acknowledge the students who produce outstanding senior projects.

The award selection involved section leaders and faculty members nominating candidates, who were then evaluated and ranked by an ad hoc panel of faculty members. Congratulations to psychology undergraduate students Rowan Farha, Jacob Mayer, Iban Tolba, and Jacob Wandersee for receiving the Spring 2026 awards.

Rowan Farha

Rowan Farha has been awarded a Top Honors Psychology Thesis, which includes $250 for the paper Understanding How Feminist Identity Predicts Social Justice Behavioral Intentions and Stress in Cisgender Women.

Farha’s thesis was inspired by her passion for social justice and mental health advocacy. By examining how feminist identity may serve as a predictor of social justice behavioral intentions and stress, she honed her interests into a foundational study that lays the groundwork to explore this topic more deeply. The associations between these three variables are largely understudied, and she plans to expand on this paper in future research. Farha hopes that her work will inspire people to learn about the multitude of factors that impact mental health.

Farha was raised in Olathe, Kansas, but is grateful for her experience as a college student in Minneapolis. She will graduate in May 2026 with a BA in Psychology and minors in Family Therapy and Ensemble Music as a member of the University Honors Program. She has enjoyed being a member of UMN choirs during her college experience and plans to continue involving music in her life. For the past three semesters, she has also been involved as a research assistant in the Social Team Research in Promoting Health Equity Lab with Dr. Melissa Ertl. After graduation, she will enjoy a gap year before pursuing a master’s degree in Counseling. In this gap year, she plans to continue her work as a Behavioral Therapist, travel, and enjoy life as a college graduate.

Jacob Mayer

Jacob Mayer received the first-place Capstone Award and $250 for his paper Optogenetic Characterization of the Paraventricular Nucleus of the Thalamus to Nucleus Accumbens Neurons in Aversion Resistant Alcohol Drinking.

Approximately 10% of the US population over the age of 12 meets the criteria for alcohol use disorder. Despite the tremendous costs associated with this statistic, the underlying neural circuitry remains relatively unknown. One brain region, the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus, projects to the nucleus accumbens. This project examined the role of this brain circuit in the development and management of alcohol use disorder. By using optogenetics in rodent models, populations of these neurons were excited, and various behavioral outcomes were measured. Together, these data begin to characterize the function of the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus in the nucleus accumbens circuit and its role in alcohol use disorder.

Mayer is a senior studying both neuroscience and psychology with plans to pursue a career in medicine. He is especially drawn to the fields of psychiatry and neurology due to their complexity and the insight they provide for our human experience under the mentorship of Dr. Jocelyn Richard at the medical school.

Outside of school, Mayer serves as the president of the NeuroNetwork and spends his free time playing intramural basketball and watching the Timberwolves.

Iban Tolba

Iban Tolba is the second-place Capstone Award recipient, receiving $150 for the paper Impact of Augmentative & Alternative Communication on Language Development, Communication, and Behavior in Children with Autism.

Tolba chose to focus on Autism because they feel like the disease is still misunderstood, and they are often frustrated with attitudes towards disability research in general. Too often, people with disabilities are provided with only the bare necessities to contribute to the general public. Autism is no different. With this paper, they hope to acknowledge the strengths of Augmentative and Alternative Communications (AAC), but highlight where they fall short in allowing people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) to express themselves. They personally have a family member with ASD, and have seen firsthand how support that exceeds the bare minimum helps create a more inclusive environment.

Through this work, Tolba shadowed Olivia St. Martin, an Occupational Therapist (OT) at Fraser. Through this experience, they saw AACs in use for the first time and became inspired to pursue AACs as a topic for their capstone.

Tolba is graduating in the summer of 2026 with a BA in Psychology and a minor in Neuroscience. In the fall, Tolba will be starting a Doctorate of Occupational Therapy (OTD) program at Western Oregon University, and believes a psychology degree will provide them with the necessary foundation to explore various potential career paths.

When not in the classroom, Tolba enjoys running on a cool, sunny day or trying to expand their cooking repertoire.

Jacob Wandersee

Jacob Wandersee received $75 and the third-place Capstone Award for the paper Moving Beyond One-Size-Fits-All: A Literature Review on Personalization and Adaptation in Evidence-Based Anxiety Treatment.

Wandersee’s capstone project was kick-started by his innate drive to help others. In his mind, helping others, especially in the realm of therapy, needs to be something that is both as unique and individualized as the person receiving it. With this in mind, the literature review journey took him through the various effective therapeutic approaches professionals in the field use and how therapists in real-world settings go about adapting these evidence-based treatments to better fit the needs of their clients. Through his time exploring the literature, hearing the perspectives of professionals in the field, working with Kaavya Iyer (a graduate student in the Health and Eating Laboratory led by Dr. Traci Mann), and his own knowledge gained from being at the UMN, Wandersee has come to understand that personalization is not just a recommendation, but essential for the effectiveness of anxiety treatment.

Jacob Wandersee is a Psychology major with a minor in Developmental Psychology at the University of Minnesota, graduating in May 2026. During his time at UMN, he participated in the University’s President’s Emerging Scholars Program and was also a member of the men’s rugby club. Following graduation, Jacob intends to pursue graduate study in counseling psychology, with the goal of serving his community as an outpatient therapist one day.