Honors Wednesday Memo
Opportunities and Information for Honors Students
edited by Lakin Stevens
Volume 4, Issue 29
April 14, 2021
Dear Honors students, colleagues, parents, friends,
Soon the Honors College will release its annual spring call for students to apply for Honors research scholarships! Faculty and staff members: please alert students to these important opportunities. Students, please click on the links below to explore the scholarships and the easy application process. Check the Honors Wednesday Memo and your email inboxes for additional details and application links.
Thanks to wonderfully generous private supporters of the Honors College, we have at least 3 outstanding scholarships to give yet this spring: one Dr. Dane Ward endowed Honors Research Scholarship and at least two Honors College Special Research Scholarships: each awards the recipient up to $1000 of support for research, scholarly, or creative projects in any discipline, usually connected to students' Honors theses. Honors College Special Research Scholarships are reserved for Honors College students; the Dr. Dane Ward Honors College Research Scholarship may be earned by Honors College and departmental Honors program students! We also have some of our own dollars that may be used to fund student research.
Please say "thank you," often, for those who support student research, scholarship, and creative activity with their generous giving. The results, as I see in every Honors thesis defense, are stunning.
Yours,
Jeff
Mary Alice Faunce successfully defended her Honors Thesis on April 7, 2021. She presented “Interactions Between Education and Art-Making” masked and in-person to her thesis director Dr. Peaches Hash, and her second reader Shauna Caldwell, while Drs. McDowell, Mead, and Vahlbusch attended virtually. Photos above feature Mary Alice Faunce defending her thesis in Appalachian Hall and Dr. Hash with Faunce. Remember to send photos of your successful thesis defense to honors@appstate.edu!
Upcoming Opportunities:
Dean Jeff is happy to help you apply; send him an email at vahlbuschjb@appstate.edu.
Apply to be a Peer Educators
The Student Learning Center currently has open applications for the undergraduate positions of tutors and Peer Academic Coaches. Tutors like Sammie Little featured in our spotlight story below, assist students in developing and improving their competency in course work. Peer Academic Coaches (PACs) are upper-level, undergraduate students selected for their exceptional academic habits and interpersonal skills. PACs receive training in evidence-based coaching strategies and meet individually with students to develop personalize academic success plans and more. Click here to learn more about each position and apply.
LSAT Information Sessions
LSAT Ally is offering free Zoom information sessions. The two upcoming one hour sessions will focus on LSAT time management strategy and applying to law school. Each session will take place respectively on April 14th and 15th from 6:00 - 7:00 pm. View details here.
Lead for North Carolina Fellowship
The UNC School of Government sponsors the Lead for NC Fellowship program. This year-long cohort-based program provides 25 college graduates the opportunity to work with local governments in rural and underserved regions of NC. The fellowship provides professional development and mentoring. Apply by April 15th here.
Second Story Media Applications Open
Second Story Media is an App State student led agency focused on helping the community and making an impact. They focus on copy, press releases, social media strategies, videography, graphic design, and more! To apply by April 19th click here. Contact here with any questions.
Volunteer for Tree Campus Spring Planting
Volunteer with Tree Campus USA Spring Planting at the App State natural area to clean up, dig, plant, mulch, and stake trees by King Street. To clean up and remove invasive specifies, sign up to help during the three hour shifts on April 21st starting at 9:00 am or 12:30 pm. To plant trees along King Street, sign up to help during the three hour shifts on April 22nd starting at 9:00 am or 12:30 pm. Contact Mike Madritch to sign up.
Upcoming Thesis Defenses:
Dean Jeff urges, “Support your fellow Honors College students and faculty by attending Honors thesis defenses! You'll marvel, learn, and grow. And each defense you attend, you'll make your own easier.”
To receive the Zoom link to a thesis defense this semester, please write to honors@appstate.edu.
Kami Heath
4:00 – 5:00 pm April 14th
Presenting “Female Representation in the Horror Genre: An Analysis of the Hitchcock Era and Beyond”
Melissa Rowe
10:00 – 11:00 am April 15th
Presenting “Block M1 Repolarization of M2 THP-1 Macrophages Through Inhibition of the Type I Interferon Response by Vesicular Stomatitis Virus”
Charlotte Godfrey
10:00 – 11:00 am April 16th
Presenting “Integration, Navigation, and Organization: An Exploration of Two Spatial Processing Loops Using Environmental Enrichment in Adolescent Rats”
Elizabeth Popovic
10:00 – 11:00 am April 16th
Presenting “Clouded version: Art and Exhibition During WWI”
Ethan Triplett
3:00 – 4:00 pm April 16th
Presenting “Investigation into the Effects of Playing Posture on Fatigue in Violinists and Violists”
Stay in the Know:
Settler Colonialism in Appalachia with Dr. Dunbar-Ortiz
Join Dr. Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz—professor emeritus of Native American studies at California State University, historian, memoirist, speaker, and author of “An Indigenous People’s History of the United States”—as she speaks on settler colonialism in Appalachia. Dr. Dunbar-Ortiz has been committed to social justice issues and worked to ensure sovereignty and land rights of Indigenous communities for decades. Register here to attend on April 14th from 5:00 – 7:00 pm.
LGBT and BIPOC Health Awareness
Join Wellness and Prevention Services in conversations and activities during their LGBT and BIPOC Wellness and Health Awareness Initiative throughout the month of April. They will host various activities such as fitness classes, panels, and connection spaces. Explore the calendar here and contact Kiauhna Haynes with questions.
Public Health and BIPOC Communities Chat
Wellness and Prevention Services is hosting a Public Health and BIPOC (black, indigenous, people of color) Communities Chat. This virtual event will host a panel discussion on the impacts of COVID-19 and the social determinants of health for members of BIPOC communities. Register to attend here on April 19th at 6:00 pm.
Dr. Gayatri Gopinath on Promiscuous Intimacies
The Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies program presents Dr. Gayatri Gopinath, professor and director of the Center for the Study of Gender and Sexuality at New York University, on “Promiscuous Intimacies: The Art of Shahzia Sikander.” Dr. Gopinath’s research expertise focuses on transnational queer and feminist studies, postcolonial studies, visual art, and performance. Register here to attend on April 20th from 4:00 – 5:00 pm. Contact Dr. Sushmita Chatterjee with questions.
Environmental Conservation and Sustainable Partnerships
Join the College of Arts and Sciences as a part of their CAS Zoomer Series on April 20th from 5:00 – 6:00 pm for a session on Environmental Conservation and Sustainable Partnerships at Appalachian. Dr. Matt Estep, Dr. Christine Hendren, and Dr. Mark Spond will cover the preservation of our state’s nature heritage while looking at environmental history and directional guidance for managing potential risks. Register to attend here.
In the Honors Spotlight
Honors Leads Sammie Little to Success with University Tutoring Services
Photo features Sammie Little. Photo submitted.
Honors sophomore Sammie Little has spent her spring semester tutoring with University Tutoring Services and will continue working with them moving forward. Little is an Honors student and double major in management and supply chain management with a minor in human resource management. The Honors College and UTS are mutually beneficial experiences that cultivate strong learners and leaders through their academic challenges, teaching experiences, and unique approaches. Specifically, the Honors College’s focus on collaboration and community aid Sammie Little in her work with University Tutoring Services. Little explains that the Honors spirit encourages students to be continual learners, engagers, and leaders in their fields.
Read the full story and learn more about opportunities at UTS here.
Have news to share? Submissions can be made by to honors@appstate.edu. Any content received by 5:00 p.m. on Thursday will be considered for the following week’s issue.
To stay in the know, learn about opportunities, and take part in the Honors community, find us below!