Honors Wednesday Memo
Opportunities and Information for Honors Students
edited by Lakin Stevens and Kistler Hunt
Volume 5, Issue 26
March 30, 2022
Dear Honors College and departmental Honors students:
May I invite you to at least one awe-inspiring, helpful, and comforting Honors experience between now and May 6th?
Please attend an Honors College thesis defense! Or three! In every Memo between now and then, including today's, we'll list upcoming Honors thesis defenses with date and time. Just write to honors@appstate.edu to tell us which one(s) you'd like to attend. We'll respond with an invitation and the defense location (and sometimes a Zoom link).
Why go? Support your fellow Honors students, marvel at their amazing work, and learn how defenses are done and what they are for: to give you the opportunity to present your research, scholarship, and/or creative activity to an appreciative audience, and to engage in an exciting conversation with your faculty advisers and other audience members.
I'll see you there!
Yours,
Jeff
Students all dressed up for AHA!’s Honors Formal held on March 19, 2022. Featured in left photo (left to right) are Audrey Hill, Kathryn Long, Emiley Nance, and Scout Green. In the right photo (top to bottom and left to right) are Josh Keaton, Jonas Scott, Justin Mcmahon, Chris Hart, Paige Hemphill, Kathryn Long, Audrey Hill, Emiley Nance, Scout Green, Mackenzie Rouse, Taytem Johnson, and Kistler Hunt. Photos submitted by Kathryn Long.
Upcoming Opportunities:
Dean Jeff is happy to help you apply; send him an email at vahlbuschjb@appstate.edu.
Free LSAT Webinar for Pre-Law Students
LSAT Ally will be offering a free webinar titled Logical Reasoning Masterclass via Zoom on March 31 from 8:30 – 9:30 p.m. In this class, pre-law students will learn the best approach for evaluating questions within the Logical Reasoning section, identifying different parts of an argument on the LSAT, and strategizing for evaluating question types in the section. To register, click here.
Office of Sustainability Creek Cleanups
The Office of Sustainability is hosting Creek Cleanups on April 1 and April 15 from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. at Appalachian Mountain Brewery. Join at 3:30 p.m. for supplies and instructions. For more information, contact the Office of Sustainability here.
International Student and Scholar Services International Careers Panel
The Office of International Education and Development, OIED, will be hosting a series of short talks for globally minded students who are considering careers in international education, whether in study abroad or international student advising. Join the next talk virtually on Zoom on April 1 at 3:00 p.m. to hear Chrissie Faupel, Director of Education Abroad at Appalachian State University, speak about her experiences working in study abroad as well as providing advice for those interested in the field. Email Karen Binger Marshall here to register.
Appalachian Public Health Club T-Shirt Fundraiser
The Appalachian Public Health Club has launched a t-shirt fundraiser with all proceeds going to the World Food Programme (WFP). With the current situation in Ukraine, WFP is providing Ukrainians with vital resources during the public health crisis. Read more about WFP’s work and considering supporting the fundraiser here.
Farm Day of Service
The Office of Community-Engaged Leadership will be hosting their Farm Day of Service on April 2 from 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. This service day will include educational opportunities about where our food comes from, how the local food system is organized, and what working on a farm is like. Register on Engage here.
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 attend a defense this semester, please write to honors@appstate.edu.
Karolyn Martin
12:30 – 1:30 p.m. April 1
Presenting “The Digital Dilemma: Social Media's Impact on Body Image”
Claire Funderburk
9:00 – 10:00 a.m. April 5
Presenting “Map Making for Marginalized Peoples, Participatory Food-Based Community Organizing Strategies and the Decommodified Foodways of Watauga”
Bryce Vorreyer
2:00 – 3:00 p.m. April 5
Presenting “Sensationalizing the Archaeological Record: How Modern Cultural Perspectives and Professional Competition Influence Evaluations of Material Culture”
Kinsey White
3:00 – 4:00 p.m. April 7
Presenting “Local North Carolina News Organizations: How Are They Asking for Financial Support”
Mikayla Stahlbusch
1:00 – 2:00 p.m. April 8
Presenting “Known By More Than Name, or, A Foundational Satiation: The Platonic Relationship”
Mackenzie Millett
3:30 – 4:30 p.m. April 8
Presenting “How Motivation from Physical Therapists Affects Patient Treatment Adherence”
Matt Cottrell
12:00 – 1:00 p.m. April 13
Presenting “Nontraditional Family: Exploring Artistic Expressions of Queer Love”
Tori Joy
1:00 – 2:00 p.m. April 13
Presenting “Changes in physical activity levels of children aged 2-12 years old following a greenway trail enhancement intervention in rural South Carolina”
Stay in the Know:
DLLC 3rd Spring Symposium
The Department of Languages, Literatures & Cultures (DLLC) is hosting its 3rd Annual Spring Symposium from March 30 – April 1. The event will feature a variety of presentations by App State faculty and students sharing their research, pedagogical initiatives, and creative works. Topics will include diversity and inclusivity in the university classroom, immigrant voices, and the power of languages and critical thinking. There will also be a conversation with DLLC alumni about how their language studies have impacted their work and life. Read more about the scheduled events here and contact Dr. Adrienne Erazo with any questions.
Petition to Ban Plastic Bags in Boone
A group of students from an avian biology course would like to share a survey from their group project that encourages Boone Town Council to consider initiating a partial plastic ban. Sign the petition “Build support in banning plastic bags in the town of Boone, NC” here.
Vote for Best of Boone
The Appalachian’s Best of Boone survey highlighting all the best parts of our community is now live. Vote in various categories of Best of Food, Best of Lifestyle, Best of App State Campus Life, and Best of Alumni. They require 10 votes in at least 10 categories to be counted. Voting is open to anyone in the community and ends April 1. To vote, click here.
Graduate Applications
Graduate Admissions is accepting applications for graduate degrees and certificate programs for the Summer and Fall of 2022. The deadlines for application submissions are April 1 and July 1, respectively. To connect with a Graduate Admissions representative, click here. For questions, contact here.
ARTtalks at the Turchin
The Turchin Center is hosting ARTtalks to provide deeper insight into creative practice, context for current exhibitions, and contemporary issues shaping the world in which art is created, experienced, and interpreted. The next talk, in-person and virtual, on April 2 from 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. is “Contemporary Appalachian Photography” with Julie Rae Powers, Byron Tenesaca-Guaman, and Corn Wagon Thurder. The last talk “The New West, An Old Story” with Joan Myers and Steve Fitch will take place virtually on April 7 at 6:00 p.m. To learn more and to register, click here, and visit here to gain more information about all ARTtalks.
In the Honors Spotlight
Cielo Gomez exemplifies how study abroad supports thesis research
Top photo features Cielo Gomez in Segovia, Spain, Fall 2021 semester.
Honors senior and Chancellor’s Scholar Cielo Gomez spent the Fall 2021 semester studying abroad at the Universidad de Salamanca in Salamanca, Spain. There she took nine semester hours of advanced coursework in Spanish language and culture. Gomez majors in theatre arts and double minors in Spanish and psychology. For her Honors thesis, Gomez is working with Dr. Ray Miller, professor in the Department of Theatre and Dance as her director. Dr. Gina Grandi, lecturer in the Department of Theatre and Dance, and fellow App State student Karol Perez, who majors in graphic design with a minor in art history, serve as additional readers. Gomez is writing a bilingual play centered on the theme of Latinx sexuality. She gained significant insights from her study abroad experience in support of her thesis. She explained, “Studying Spanish in Spain has allowed my grammar skills to improve in time for my honors thesis. Furthermore, I built relationships with my Spanish teachers that will allow me to use their input to further advance this creative project.”
Read more about Gomez’ experiences 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!