edited by Kistler Hunt
Volume 7, Issue 32
June 19, 2024
Dear Honors students,
I’ve been excited to get to know many of our 152 incoming Honors students at our on-campus orientations over the past few weeks. Most of our newest students began building their Honors community even before visiting campus for orientation. Honors academic mentors have been meeting with new students throughout May and June, beginning to build relationships that should last throughout these students’ careers at App State. Our mentors are doing much more than helping incoming students select coursework for the fall; they are taking time to learn more about each student’s interests and goals in order to best connect them with opportunities. They work to build deeper connections in order to encourage you to challenge yourselves, knowing that you are supported and cared for.
As continuing Honors College students, you have opportunities to strengthen our community by encouraging, supporting, and mentoring our incoming students. If you are interested in volunteering to be a peer mentor, please email me. If you will be in Boone during the week of August 12 and would like to help with welcome week activities—leading a group in our day of service, joining our welcome lunch with pub-style trivia, participating in the Honors club expo, etc.—email Dr. Mead.
Best wishes,
Vicky
Upcoming Opportunities:
Interim Dean Vicky is happy to help you apply; send her an email at klimavw@appstate.edu
Biology Peer Mentors Application
The Department of Biology is seeking applications for its Biology Peer Mentors program. Rising junior and senior biology majors will receive course credit and pay for assisting incoming biology majors with course planning, campus resources, and community building. The deadline to apply is July 5. For more information and to apply, click here.
Honors Wednesday Memo Editor-in-Training
The Honors College is seeking an Honors Wednesday Memo editor-in-training to begin August 19, 2024, for the Fall 2024 semester transitioning to editor in the Spring 2025 semester. The position pays $13 per hour and the person hired would work approximately 5 hours per week. The editor-in-training will work closely with Dr. Garrett McDowell, Honors College communications officer, who assigns tasks, and train under Kistler Hunt, the current editor. The editor-in-training will shadow the HWM editor and master all steps involved in the production of the weekly HWM. They will serve as part of the HWM editorial team, editing and proofreading for the HWM. They will source, propose, develop, write, and edit at least six news stories per semester for inclusion in the HWM. Click here for a full job description and instructions on how to apply before August 1. To submit an application, email Interim Dean Klima. For any questions related to the position, contact Dr. Garrett McDowell.
App Builds a Home Summer Volunteering
App Builds a Home is seeking volunteers to assist with its summer construction projects in June, July, and August. Volunteers can assist for half a day or for an entire day and must sign up at least 24 hours in-advance. For more information and to sign up, click here.
Journal for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity Submission Deadline
The Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (UReCA), sponsored by the National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC), is now accepting submissions for its 2024 edition. As the only undergraduate research journal backed by NCHC, UReCA is solely composed of undergraduate work, and is also edited by undergraduate students. Students of any discipline can submit their work to be considered for publication. Honors students are encouraged to submit, but students do not have to be enrolled in an honors program to submit a work for consideration. The deadline for submissions is September 1. For more information and to submit works for consideration, click here. For any questions, contact UReCA’s editor-in-chief.
North Carolina Honors Association Annual Conference Proposals
The 2024 North Carolina Honors Association (NCHA) conference will be held on September 20 – 21, 2024 at Western Carolina University. Applications for proposals for oral and poster presentations, panel discussions, or creative works are now open, and the deadline for submission is August 30. The early bird deadline to register for the conference is September 13. For more information and to register, click here. Honors College students submitting proposals should contact Interim Dean Vicky to learn about Honors College opportunities of support for attendance, including the possibility of funding for transportation and lodging.
Upcoming Thesis Defenses:
Interim Dean Vicky urges, “Support your fellow Honors College students and faculty by attending Honors thesis defenses! You'll marvel, learn, and grow. With each defense you attend, you'll make your own easier.”
James Auwn
June 25, 2:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Rankin Science South, Room 210B
Presenting “Metallothionein is a protein that directly activates nociceptor sensory neurons”
Stay in the Know:
Appalachian Summer Festival: Eastern Music Festival Orchestra
The Appalachian Summer Festival will be taking place from June 29 – July 27. On June 30, the Eastern Music Festival Orchestra will perform a variety of classical pieces under the conduction of Grammy award-winning artist Bela Fleck as a part of the Broyhill Classic Concert Series. The performance will take place at 7:00 p.m. For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.
Appalachian Summer Festival: Fallen Leaves
As a part of the Appalachian Summer Festival, a variety of foreign films will be screened. To begin this series, a screening of the Finnish film “Fallen Leaves” will take place on July 2 at 7:00 p.m. The film depicts the story of a tragic and dramatic relationship. For more information and to purchase tickets click here.
Appalachian Summer Festival: Canadian Brass
As a part of the Broyhill Classic Concert Series and Appalachian Summer Festival, the classical group “Canadian Brass” will host a performance on July 10 at 7:00 p.m. The group will perform a variety of pieces at their performance, including covers of songs from Canadian superstars like Joni Mitchell and Drake. For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.
Turchin Center Summer Exhibition Celebration
The Turchin Center will be hosting a summer exhibition celebration on July 5 from 5:00 – 9:00 p.m. The event provides the space for people to meet the artists of the exhibits, explore the Turchin Center galleries, and more. For more information, click here.
Rosen Sculpture Walk
The Rosen Sculpture Competition and Exhibition is an annual national juried competition presented by the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts, as part of An Appalachian Summer Festival. The nationally recognized program has showcased contemporary American sculpture in outdoor settings across the university campus for the last 37 years. In honor of the 38th competition, a walk through the ten sculpture finalists will be held on July 13 from 10:00 – 12:00 p.m. For more information, click here.
In the Honors Spotlight
Honors College students embark on faculty-led study abroad trip: Genocide, Resistance, and Sustainability to Guatemala
Photo features students on the Honors College faculty-led study abroad trip: Genocide, Resistance, and Sustainability to Guatemala, summer 2023. Photo submitted.
Students led by Dr. Greg McClure, professor in the Department of Learning, Teaching, and Curriculum, journeyed to Coban, Antigua, and Copal AA La Esperanza, Guatemala, June 5-15, 2023. In this course, students earned three semester hours of credits for HON 3515: Genocide, Resistance, and Sustainability. Copal AA La Esperanza is a multilingual and multiethnic indigenous community of Mam, Q’anjob’al, Q’eqchi’, and Quiche Maya. The community was founded by 86 refugee families in 1996, the final year of a Guatemalan Civil War.
Honors College recent alumna Allie Tippin ’24, who graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science in elementary education, stated, “To name just one of my favorite components of the trip, I loved the strong sense of community in Copal AA and within our delegation. At the beginning of our trip, we were all strangers, and yet, by the conclusion of our time in Guatemala, we had formed many lasting bonds...”
To learn more about the Summer 2023 study abroad trip to Guatemala, 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!