edited by Kistler Hunt
Volume 7, Issue 8
October 11, 2023
Dear Honors friends,
I am delighted to share today’s memo with you spotlighting Ben Pluska and their Rachel Carson Fellowship. I first met Ben in Spring 2020, when, as part of my sophomore Honors seminar, they used statistical data to tell the story of industrialized farming’s effects on minoritized communities in Eastern North Carolina. Some of the readings that Ben did for that class connect directly to the project they are completing now as part of their thesis and the Rachel Carson Fellowship. Ben has clearly moved far beyond the data-visualizations we considered in Spring 2020, yet, I still see our class in the roots of their current work. Under the guidance of Dr. Rebecca Whitter, Ben is using a creative lens to produce a thesis combining media, research, and activism. Ben’s work highlights and reminds me of the energy and joy students bring to us as faculty members. We, students and faculty, really are a team and as Ben’s story demonstrates, teamwork pays off! If you need help finding your team, speak with your Honors academic mentor!
Best wishes,
Vicky
Upcoming Opportunities:
Interim Dean Vicky is happy to help you apply; send her an email at klimavw@appstate.edu
Honors College/RIEEE Good Food Institute Visit
The Honors College and the Research Institute for Environment, Energy, and Economics (RIEEE), will be hosting Dr. Nathan Ahlgrim, academic manager for the Good Food Institute, on October 19 from 9:30 – 10:45 a.m. in the Living Learning Center, Room 205. The Good Food Institute is a nonprofit that works across science, policy, and industry to accelerate alternative protein innovation. The event is open to all interested Honors students, and is hosted by Drs. Anne Fanatico and Mike Hambourger in connection with the Honors seminars they are each teaching. Additionally, the Honors College will host a reception on October 19 at 4:00 p.m. in the Plemmons Student Union, Room 137C, where students can speak with Dr. Ahlgrim about opportunities within the Institute. For more information, click here or contact the Honors College.
AHA! Service Trip
The Appalachian Honors Association (AHA!) will be holding a service trip to clean up and remove unwanted trash along the Blue Ridge Parkway on October 21, starting at 8:30 a.m. If you are interested in volunteering or you have questions, contact Anna Carroll. AHA! is seeking students who can carpool with one another to and from the trip. If you need a ride or are willing to drive others, click here to fill out the carpool form.
Japan Exchange and Teaching Program
Applications for the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program are now open. The JET program is a competitive program that allows students to spend a maximum of five years in Japan working as an assistant language teacher, interpreter, or translator in public or private middle and high schools, or in international relations positions. The deadline to apply is November 18 at 5:59 a.m. Eastern Time. For more information and to apply, click here. For any questions or support with applications, contact Johnna Reisner.
Call for Latinx Artists: Watauga County Arts Council
The Watauga County Arts Council is seeking Latinx artists for a student-curated exhibition. The exhibit will feature the work of Latinx artists whose work relates to the Latinx experience or culture. The deadline to submit works for consideration is mid-November. For any questions and to submit works, contact Kayla Crilley.
Campus Climate Support Program
Jamie Parsons, Chief Diversity Officer, announced the Campus Climate Support Program on October 4. The Program is a university-wide initiative designed to educate the campus community on bias and hate and facilitate the timely reporting and successful resolution of bias-related or hate incidents. This will help cultivate a more inclusive environment on campus. For more information about the Program, click here or contact the Office of Diversity.
Stay in the Know:
Sustainable Energy Speaker Series Presentation
The Appalachian Energy Center will be hosting Kate Bashford, project manager on the STEPS4Growth project, as a part of its Sustainable Energy Speaker Series. Bashford will present on the technology, career opportunities, and policy on electric vehicles. The event will take place on October 12 at 3:30 p.m. For more information, click here.
Let’s Get Started Series Workshop
The Office of Diversity is hosting it’s “Let’s Get Started” Series of online, interactive workshops designed to introduce students, faculty, and staff to key concepts in the realm of diversity, equity, and inclusion. The next virtual workshop titled “Exploring Intersectionality” will be held on October 12 from 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. This event will help those interested be able to understand different dimensions of identity and learn how an intersectional lens can raise awareness and help create more inclusive environments for all including LGBTQ+ community members. Registration is required. For more information and to register for the event, click here.
Visiting Writers Series: Emily Nemens
The Department of English is hosting its Hughlene Bostian Frank Visiting Writers Series, which features renowned authors who present about their work. The next presentation will feature novelist Emily Nemens, author of “The Cactus League,” which details the story and struggles of a baseball player and the secrets hidden by those close to him. A craft talk and reading will be hosted on October 12 from 2:00 – 3:15 p.m. and 6:00 p.m., respectively. For more information, click here.
Courageous Conversations: Workplace Diversity
The Walker College of Business will be hosting a workplace diversity presentation based on their Shared Reading Initiative Selection, “Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen.” Titled “Courageous Conversations — ‘Workplace Diversity Beyond Borders: Immigrant Narratives’”, the presentation will feature panelists from Boone and the surrounding community who will share effective ways to implement diversity throughout the workplace. The event will take place on October 18 from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. Registration is encouraged. For more information, click here. To register, click here.
Schaefer Center Presents: Coco Live-to-Film Concert
Throughout the fall semester, the Schaefer Center will be hosting a variety of events that showcase the arts and the beauty of the arts. The first presentation will be the Coco Live-to-Film Concert, featuring musicians, composers, and orchestras that will play pieces from the Disney movie Coco. The event will take place on October 19 at 7:00 p.m. For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.
In the Honors Spotlight
Ben Pluska named Rachel Carson Fellow
Photo features Ben Pluska. Photo by Jo Husk.
Honors College senior and sustainable development major Ben Pluska has been selected as a 2023-24 Rachel Carson Campus (RCC) Fellow. Pluska explains that “RCC Fellows are competitively selected nationwide to carry out educational, organizing, and communications projects that support RCC’s mission from their campus and into the community.” Pluska is currently working on their Honors thesis, Sensing Environmental (In)Justice Amdist Late Industrialism in Eastern North Carolina, engaging with industrialized development and how it is ravaging lives and landscapes in rural Eastern North Carolina. Pluska’s RCC fellowship project directly supports their thesis work. They explained that the RCC project provides them with the opportunity “to operationalize the sensory and experimental ethnographic methods I am employing in my thesis. It will also provide students at Appalachian State University a chance to engage with ongoing issues of environmental (in)justice and advance an understanding of how art, activism, and scholarship can be utilized to convey (in)justice and move toward rectification.”
To read more about Pluska’s RCC Fellowship, click 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!