Honors Wednesday Memo
Opportunities and Information for Honors Students
edited by Lakin Stevens
Volume 4, Issue 31
April 28, 2021
Dear Honors students!
I know; it's tempting to skip reading the Honors Wednesday Memo (HWM) just this once. After all, it is the last day of class, followed quickly by Reading Day, final exams and projects, and (for some of you) moving out and moving home. You have a lot of good work to do in the next few days. But please at least skim this HWM! Here's a table of contents to help:
- One AHA! Reading Day Honors Study Break tomorrow! Thursday, April 29th, 7 p.m.
- Five Honors College thesis defenses
- Three extraordinary summer research opportunities (deadlines approaching)
- A quick Honors student survey from UT Chattanooga
- The Appalachian Energy Summit student poster competition
- Elevating Climate Conversations: May 5th
- The APP Unidos Picnic: May 7th
- Visiting novelist recordings on Zoom until May 20th
- Spotlight story on Honors student Regina Javier's research award in Plant Science!
- Building an Anti-Racist Art Ecosystem
Sending my best wishes to all. Please reach out here if I can help.
Jeff
Thesis defense the season is still going strong as Honors seniors present their research. Above features some of the students who successfully defended their thesis. In order from top to bottom and left to right are Sophia Lang, Gracyn Travitz, Charlotte Godfrey, Elliot Adler, Jenna Elliot, and Melissa Rowe.
Upcoming Opportunities:
Dean Jeff is happy to help you apply; send him an email at vahlbuschjb@appstate.edu.
Virtual Undergraduate & Graduate Research Summer
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) offers two lab-wide virtual summer internship programs for undergraduate and graduate students June 7th through August 13th. ORNL is located in East Tennessee and is the U.S. Department of Energy’s largest science and energy laboratory. Both undergraduate and graduate programs provide a monthly stipend, dislocation allowance, collaboration with leading scientists, and virtual access to world-class user facilities and labs. Applications close on April 30th. Click to apply for the undergraduate or for graduate application.
Summer 2021 Undergraduate Research Assistantship
The Office of Student Research is now accepting applications for their Summer 2021 Undergraduate Research Assistantship (URA) program. The program offers highly motivated undergraduate students the opportunity to work with a faculty mentor on the faculty member’s research, scholarship, or creative activity. Applications are due May 5 and more information can be found here.
Honors Student Survey
Luke McPherson, an Honors student at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga, has developed a survey for his thesis titled “Promoting Participation and Membership in Student-led Clubs.” In his research he hopes to observe what motivates Honors students to join cubs and how to give student leaders good groundwork so clubs continue after graduation. Help by filling out the survey here.
Appalachian Energy Summit Virtual Student Poster Competition
The Appalachian Energy Center invites students to submit an abstract for their energy-related research or project and be a part of the virtual Appalachian Energy Summit held June 23-24th. Posters should be submitted as slide decks with an optional video and should answer questions such as: why is this important? How does the research inform about ways to reduce climate impacts? How does the research positively benefit society and the environment? How does the research advance clean energy technology or behaviors? Apply by May 31st here.
Join the HR Science Team
The HR Science Team is currently recruiting new members and is looking for students interested in data analytics and the branches of HR to apply. They are an inclusive, diverse team aiming to achieve highly in the field of I/O Psychology. Click here to apply for the HR Science team. They also have a sustainability project which focuses on developing analytic and project management skills with real data.
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.
Nicholas Fiori
10:00 – 1:00 am April 29th
Presenting “The impact of sea-level rise on saltwater intrusion for coastal aquifers in North Carolina”
Erin Henesy
12:00 – 1:00 pm April 29th
Presenting “Do Stereotypes Simplify Cognitive Processing? Examining the Cognitive Toolbox though a Replication and Extension of Macrae et al. (1994)”
Abigail Miles
9:00 – 10:00 am May 3rd
Presenting “(In)visible Cracks”
Sophia Lyons
12:00 – 1:00 pm May 3rd
Presenting “Covering a culture war: An exploration of the agenda-setting role of the media in depicting transgender athletes”
Madeline Gaillard
2:00 – 3:00 pm May 3rd
Presenting “Intersections Among Identity Formation, Political Rhetoric & White Supremacy: Donald Trump's Immigration Policy Regime”
Stay in the Know:
AHA! Reading Day Study Break
AHA! is hosting a pre-finals de-stress event in the Honors courtyard on April 29th at 7:00 pm. Stop by for fun activities, music, and treats. There will also be a Zoom Pictionary game online for those unable to attend in person. Details here.
Building an Anti-Racist Art Ecosystem Event Series
Join the School of Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) for the first of three dialogues on how to build an anti-racist art ecosystem. The first event will focus on Chicago and will feature a panel with Chicago’s art and design leaders to discuss the impact of segregation, bright spots in anti-racist work, and how to work together to remove barriers to entry for BIPOC (black, indigenous, people of color). Attend the free event on April 28th at 1:00 – 2:45 pm EST (12:00 – 1:45 pm CT) and register here.
Elevating Climate Conversations
Join the virtual launch event for Elevating Climate Conversations, a project of three Spring 2021 sustainable development classes. Each class read “All We Can Save: Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis” which served as the inspiration for this online project. Students will share some content from the new website “Elevating Climate Conversations: Healing Where We Live, Holding What We Love” and give a tour of the Elevating Climate Syllabus. Attend May 5th at 2:30 pm here.
App Unidos Primavera Picnic
APP Unidos is hosting an end of semester outdoor gather at Berkshire Park on May 7 from 5:00 – 7:30 pm. Individually packed lunches from ACP will be provided and register here by May 4th to attend.
Spring Season of the Hughlene Bostian Frank Visiting Writers Series
The Spring Hughlene Bostian Frank Visiting Writers Series features recordings from three Appalachian novelists. This includes novelist Charles Dodd White, novelist Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle, and novelist Carter Sickels. Their presentations will be available until May 20th and links to their presentations can be found here.
In the Honors Spotlight
Honors Sophomore Regina Javier Receives Student Poster Award in Plant Science
Featured above is Honors student Regina Javier (left) and Javier’s poster research for which she received the Botanical Society of America Southeastern Section Student Poster Award in Plant Science in March 2021. Photos submitted.
Regina Javier, a second-year senior and honors student, received the Botanical Societyof America Southeastern Section Student Poster Award in Plant Science for her research titled “Ecophysiology of Differently Colored Leaves of Croton petra.” Javier virtually presented her research in March 2021 at the Association of Southeastern Biologists (ASB) annual meeting. As a cellular/molecular biology major, she conducted research with Honors faculty member Dr. Howard Neufeld, professor in the Department of Biology. She currently is working on her Honors thesis in which she will examine the ecophysiological aspects of color variegation building on existing literature and her poster research. Dr. Neufeld serves as her thesis director and Dr. Keith Learn, lecturer in the Department ofChemistry and Fermentation Sciences, as her second reader.
Read more about Javier’s research here.
Have announcements to share? Submissions can be made to honors@appstate.edu. Any content received by 5:00 p.m. on Thursday will be considered for the following week’s issue.
Have a story to share? Share what you have done, what you are doing, or what you will be doing by submitting a story here.
To stay in the know, learn about opportunities, and take part in the Honors community, find us below!