edited by Kistler Hunt
Volume 7, Issue 19
February 7, 2024
Greetings Honors students,
Isn’t today a beautiful day? I walked to work in the brisk air and sunshine with practically no wind blowing in my face. Sometimes a walk outside on a day like today makes space for you to think and to dream. As you do that, know that you can reach out to Honors alumni for help in working towards those dreams! You can connect with alumni through our Honors College Ask a Mountaineer Circle, featured in today's memo. Today’s memo is also full of opportunities for you to extend the energy of our Honors community outside the confines of App Hall: receive support to travel and present your Honors research, submit your written work to the AFHVS paper award competition, or apply to participate in one of the symposiums highlighted in the memo. Sonoma Dixon’s spotlight story shows that your Honors adventure doesn’t end when you graduate. Your Honors experience is uniquely yours; customize it to support your goals. Then, like Sonoma, as your Honors experiences help you find success post-graduation, you can give back to Honors by sharing your story and extending your network to include a new generation of Honors students.
Best wishes,
Vicky
Upcoming Opportunities:
Interim Dean Vicky is happy to help you apply; send her an email at klimavw@appstate.edu
Office of Student Research Travel Grant Applications
The Office of Student Research (OSR) is currently accepting travel grant applications for students to present accepted research at meetings or conferences with travel dates of departure from March 1-31. Students in good standing are able to apply to receive up to $400 in funding. The deadline to apply for funding for any March departure date is February 15 at 11:59 p.m. For more information and to apply, click here.
Agriculture, Food, and Human Values Society Paper Award Applications
The Agriculture, Food, and Human Values Society (AFHVS) is currently accepting undergraduate papers for its 2024 AFHVS Student Research Paper Awards. If awarded, students will be able to travel to AFHVS’ conference, serve on a panel, receive an AFHVS membership for two years, win a monetary prize, and more. To be considered for the award, papers must focus on food or agriculture and feature the student as the lead or sole author. The deadline to apply is February 16 at 2:59 a.m. Eastern Time. For more information and to apply, contact Dr. Jennifer Gaddis.
University Libraries AI Symposium Proposal Applications
University Libraires will host its symposium, titled “AI Symposium: Academic Frontiers of AI: Innovations and Impact” on April 5. The symposium will critically explore a myriad of topics in relation to generative artificial intelligence, providing a rich opportunity for discovery and conversation. They are currently accepting proposals for students, faculty, and staff to present at the symposium. This can be in the form of a short talk, poster presentation, a formal presentation, or a round table discussion. Symposium proposals are due by February 26. For more information about the symposium, click here. To submit a proposal, click here.
Languages, Literatures, and Cultures Symposium
The Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures will be hosting its fourth annual symposium on March 27 and 28. Applications are also open for proposals for symposium presentations. The symposium titled “What Animals Can Teach/Tell Us,” welcomes proposals on the following topics: animals as friends and companions, biodiversity and climate crisis, animals as teachers, animal power and rights, and more. Proposals in the domains of the humanities and pedagogy, preferably with a focus on world language, literature, and/or culture are also welcome. The deadline to submit a proposal is March 1. For any questions, contact Dr. Jean-Francois Fournier. To submit a proposal, contact Dr. Paul Worley.
App State Master of Public Health (MPH) Program
A newly formed Master of Public Health (MPH) program at App State is accepting applications for its inaugural Fall 2024 cohort. The program will focus on applied public health, with a special focus on rural resilience and sustainability. The priority deadline is March 1, but applications will be accepted through July 1. For more details about the program and how to apply, click here. For any questions, contact Program Director Dr. Richard Christiana.
Stay in the Know:
Ask a Mountaineer Honors College Circle
The Office of Alumni Affairs has developed a new service that connects students and recent alumni with alumni who are available for questions. This new initiative Ask a Mountaineer uses artificial intelligence to pair student or alumni questions with suitable alumni who can provide answers. The Honors College has partnered with the Office of Alumni Affairs to create an Honors-specific circle within the Ask a Mountaineer software such that it will automatically preference Honors College alumni to answer questions. For more information and to use Ask a Mountaineer, click here.
Vet Tech Program Pet Food Drive
The Veterinary Technology Program will be hosting a campus pet food drive to benefit the Watauga Humane Society's Pet Food Pantry. The program will accept dog food, cat food, and cat litter through February 9. Multiple drop-off locations for donations are set up across campus, including Belk Library, the Plemmons Student Union, Sanford Hall, and more. For any questions, contact Mary Beth McKee.
Hayes School of Music: Carmina Burana
The Hayes School of Music will present the infamous cantata “Carmina Burana” on February 10 from 7:00 – 8:45 p.m. A collaboration between the Western Piedmont Symphony, Appalachian Chorale, and University Singers, “Carmina Burana” is an epic, captivating choral masterpiece centered around living life to the fullest. For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.
Office of Diversity/ASL Club: DEAFinitely Dope
The Office of Diversity and the ASL Club will host deaf musician Matt Maxey’s “DEAFinitely Dope” Sign Along & Sing Along on February 15 from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m.. During this event, the audience will collaborate to pick songs and learn from a deaf professional to sign along to the chosen music. For more information and to register, click here.
West African and Appalachian Music and Dance
High Country Humanities will present "From West Africa to Appalachia: Expert Insights and Demos with Music and Dance" on February 15 from 6:30-7:45 p.m. in the Rosen Concert Hall. The event will feature faculty from French and Francophone Studies, Appalachian Studies, and Theatre and Dance, who will all provide an interactive introduction to global and rural dance cultures. For more information, click here.
In the Honors Spotlight
Honors alumna Sonoma Dixon ’21 publishes Honors thesis
Photo features Sonoma Dixon. Photo submitted.
Honors alumna Sonoma Dixon ‘21 has recently published her Honors thesis as an article, “Airline satisfaction and loyalty: Assessing the influence of personality, trust and service quality,” in the Journal of Air Transport Management. Dixon defended and completed her thesis in the spring of 2021. Dr. Steve Leon, associate professor in the Department of Marketing & Supply Chain Management and director of the Walker College of Business Honors Program, served as her thesis mentor, and Dr. Hoon Choi served as second reader. Dixon graduated from Appalachian in the spring of 2021 with a Bachelor of Science in business administration — supply chain management and a minor in international business. Dixon highlights that the Honors College, “Has helped me by teaching me how to ask the right questions, to be confident in my knowledge and expertise, and how to be well-written in both work and personal matters.” She also shared that her participation in the Honors College Vanguard was a pivotal aspect of her Honors experience, helping her learn how to interact with others and present herself in a knowledgeable fashion. She remarks that Honors has helped her in many aspects of life, including searching for jobs and networking.
To learn more about Sonoma and her path toward publishing, click here to read more.
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!