Honors Wednesday Memo
Opportunities and Information for Honors Students
edited by Lakin Stevens and Kistler Hunt
Volume 5, Issue 28
April 13, 2022
Dear Honors students and all recipients of the Honors Wednesday Memo,
So much of what the Honors College and our 36 departmental Honors Programs across this campus do is hidden, or nearly: superb mentoring; interactions in Honors courses and communities; research, scholarship, and creative activity; Honors thesis projects!
Our Honors College graduation list for this spring semester alone has 57 outstanding students completing and defending their Honors theses, each under the guidance of at least two great faculty members from different disciplines.
Daily, I send major gratitude to these students and their volunteer faculty thesis advisors and readers. One of the greatest privileges of my life is to attend as many of their thesis defenses as I can: yesterday three, today three, tomorrow one, next week (so far) 10. And each defense I attend inspires awe and admiration.
In thanks always for your support,
Jeff
Congratulations to Honors seniors Karolyn Martin (left) and Claire Funderburk (right) for successfully defending their theses on April 1 and April 5, respectively.
Martin’s thesis titled “The Digital Dilemma: Social Media's Impact on Body Image" was directed by Dr. Melissa Adams, with Dr. Denise Martz serving as second reader and Dr. Peaches Hash serving as additional reader.
Funderburk’s thesis titled “Map Making for Marginalized Peoples, Participatory Food-Based Community Organizing Strategies and the Decommodified Foodways of Watauga” was directed by Dr. Jacqueline Ignatova, with Dr. Richard Rheingans serving as second reader and Dr. Kathleen Schroeder serving as additional reader. The picture above features her at Finca La Flor Farm in Cartago, Costa Rica, where she gained inspiration for her thesis topic.
Remember to take a photo of your thesis defense and share it with us at honors@appstate.edu so we can spotlight your accomplishments!
Upcoming Opportunities:
Dean Jeff is happy to help you apply; send him an email at vahlbuschjb@appstate.edu.
AHA! Executive Team Applications
The Appalachian Honors Association (AHA!) is looking for new members to join their executive team—elective representatives that plan and host events, search for service opportunities, and coordinate with Honors College faculty. AHA! is currently looking for candidates considering the treasurer, secretary, and general executive team member positions. The deadline to submit applications is April 17 at 6:00 p.m. Contact current AHA! President Abigail Burchard with any questions. To apply, click here.
Sinclair Broadcast Group Diversity Scholarship
The Sinclair Broadcast Group is now accepting applications for their Broadcast Diversity Scholarship. In the past, this scholarship has been awarded to aid students in paying their tuition. This scholarship is open to current sophomores and juniors. Applicants can major in any subject, but they must be interested in pursuing careers in broadcast journalism, digital journalism, or marketing. The deadline to submit applications is April 30. For more information and to apply, click here.
Admissions Counselor Position
The Office of Admissions is seeking graduates to be admissions counselors. Admission Counselors are key members of the Admissions team that assist in recruiting, selecting, and yielding Appalachian’s next class of students alongside full-time professional Appalachian Admissions Counselors. Admission Counselors provide professional recruitment presentations to individuals and large groups during campus visits, events, and at high schools, community colleges, and college fairs. To apply, click here.
SRHC Partners in the Parks Stipends
The Southern Regional Honors Council (SRHC) is offering stipends for any honors students who wish to attend one of the National Collegiate Honors Council’s (NCHC) Partners in the Parks (PITP) programs in national parks across the United States. For more information about the PITP program and to view 2022 offerings, click here. To apply for the stipend, click here.
ASU Summer Symposium on Film and Photography
The Center for Judaic, Holocaust, and Peace Studies will hold its 20th annual Martin and Doris Rosen Summer Symposium from July 23-28. This year’s symposium will highlight the role of film and photography during and after the Holocaust and include specific sessions. This event will be held in a hybrid format, with options to join virtually. For more information and to register, click 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.
Katie Ballard
April 14, 6:45 – 7:45 p.m.
Presenting “Dance Communicates Meaning: A Look at The Power of Dance Through a Historical and Societal Lens”
Karen Mumma
April 18, 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
Presenting “Dynamic Discourse – An insight into the New Social Media Shift”
Hallie Wolfe
April 18, 1:30 – 2:30 p.m.
Presenting “Evolutionary and Neural Network Mechanisms of Visual Art Engagement in Humans”
Grace Ruffin
April 19, 11:30 – 12:30 p.m.
Presenting “Racial Disparities in Maternal and Child Health: A Social-Ecological Perspective”
Madeline Clark
April 20, 10:00 – 11:00 p.m.
Presenting “Corseting for Curves: Scoliosis and the Myth of the Iron Corset”
Hannah Apostolico
April 20, 2:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Presenting “Factors Influencing the Use of Mental Health Resources Among Hispanic/Latinx Adults in the US”
Josh Peterson
April 20, 2:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Presenting “Quantification of Esters Produced Using Kveik with Varying Fermentation Conditions using HS-SPME/GC-MS"
Annie Manges
April 22, 9:00 – 10:00 a.m.
Presenting “Community Based Organizations as a Tool for Sustainable Community Development: The Case in Kapchorwa, Uganda”
Katie Childers
April 22, 11:00 – 12:00 p.m.
Presenting “Changes in trail usage among children aged 2-12 years old following a trail enhancement intervention on a greenway in rural South Carolina”
Lauren Mobley
April 22, 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
Presenting “Identifying Suburbia: Competing Place-making Processes and Shifting Materialism within Global Capitalism”
Jenny Eure
April 22, 12:45 – 1:45 p.m.
Presenting “Investigating Early Childhood Trauma Through Harry Potter”
Stay in the Know:
Presentation on Jenny Lind
Join Dr. Candace Bailey, professor of music at North Carolina Central University for a presentation entitled “Jenny Lind: A Star Unlike Any Other” on April 13 at 4:00 p.m. This talk will feature discussions about Lind’s album “Swedish Nightingale,” as well as contextualize a piece of Lind’s music acquired by App State and women’s musical culture of the United States at the time of Lind’s tour throughout the nation. For more information about the event, click here.
Wellness and Prevention Services Nutritional Assessment
Wellness and Prevention Services is seeking participants to be interviewed for a nutritional assessment. This assessment will assess eating habits that are present among members of the student body, primarily in minority and marginalized populations. All participants will remain anonymous. Contact Favian Morales with any questions.
Appalachian Educators Club Clothing Swap
The Appalachian Educators Club is hosting an in-person clothing swap on April 20 from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Students across campus are asked to donate their personal belongings that are lightly worn or new from now until April 18. These donations can be exchanged for any item in the clothing swap. For more information, contact Madison Goodwin.
Upcoming HON 2515 Event
The students of HON 2515: Education, Liberation, & Sustainability in Indigenous Guatemala are holding an event as a culmination of the work they have done throughout the semester. Their event “Guatemala: Identity, Migration, and Indigeneity” will be held on April 21 at 6:30 p.m. This event will feature opportunities to learn about the culture and history of Guatemala and will feature Claudia D. Hernandez, author of “Knitting the Fog” who will share her experiences with immigration, resilience, and sisterhood. For more information, click here.
Tourism in Appalachia Showcase
The libraries of App State, UNC Asheville, and Western Carolina are sponsoring an online event to showcase recent digital projects from each institution on the theme of tourism in Appalachia on April 27 from 1:30 – 3:00 p.m. This event will feature a speaker’s panel with representative from each library, as well as a presentation from Dr. Andy Denson, author of “Monuments to Absence: Cherokee Removal and the Contest over Southern Memory” and associate professor of History at Western Carolina University. For more information about the event, click here.
In the Honors Spotlight
Dr. Vicky Klima awarded the regional Mathematical Association of America 2022 Distinguished Teaching Award
Dr. Vicky Klima, professor of mathematical sciences as well as academic mentor for STEM majors and faculty member in the Honors College, has been awarded the Mathematical Association of America’s Southeastern Section 2022 Distinguished Teaching Award. This award honors university faculty whose teaching has been extraordinarily successful and whose effectiveness in teaching undergraduate mathematics is shown to have influence beyond their own classrooms. As a professor in the Honors College, Dr. Klima has taught Honors seminars that bring her unique and innovative insights to Honors students. HON 1515: Visualizing a Just Society as well as HON 2515: Data for Social Justice call students to think about justice, and to study the role that numerical data can play in informing discussions and understanding of such issues. Dean of the Honors College Jeff Vahlbusch highlighted Dr. Klima’s impact on Honors students in his letter of support for the award, “Dr. Klima’s student teaching evaluations emphasize the clarity and cogency of her teaching, the creativity and broad utility of her courses and assignments, and the time and attention she is always willing to give to individual students, and her investment in their success.”
Read more about Dr. Klima’s accomplishments 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!