Students interested in graduating with honors in their concentration must complete a thesis determined to be of the highest quality and must have excelled in their coursework required for the concentration, which is defined here as receiving a grade of A in the majority of courses taken to fulfill the concentration. The thesis is an in-depth, original work of scholarship. This scholarship can take many forms, from basic discovery that fuels future advances, to applied problem solving that meets the challenges facing our environment, but also to engaged work that involves a reciprocal, collaborative relationship between our scholars and an organization outside Brown. The thesis is conducted during the senior year, over the course of two semesters and under the supervision of a faculty member. Typically the faculty member is a Fellow of IBES, but additional Brown faculty can also serve as a thesis advisor with permission of the student's concentration advisor. The thesis will also have a 'second reader' who can provide additional input on the direction of the work and who will help to evaluate the quality of final work produced. The second reader is often a Brown faculty member, but can also be an environmental practitioner or faculty member based outside of Brown.