edited by Kaylie Morales
Volume 8, Issue 27
April 16, 2025
Greetings Honors Students!
Thesis defense season is here, and I love seeing the incredible work you create—and the way you support one another. I witnessed the same spirit from ten of our students who attended the Southern Regional Honors Council Annual Conference last month. I was so proud of their research presentations and even more impressed by how they showed up for each other; you can read more about our experience in the spotlight story below.
This memo also includes an invitation to join the Mountaineer Magicians, a group founded by Honors student Chloe Glaser, for their magic show. Chloe just defended her Honors thesis examining the therapeutic effects of magic tricks on App State nursing students. I hope you’ll attend some of the upcoming defenses—you’re sure to learn something fascinating, and maybe even a bit of magic!
Best wishes,
Vicky
Upcoming Opportunities:
Dr. Klima is happy to help you apply; send her an email at klimavw@appstate.edu
Become a 2025-2026 Peer Mentor
The Honors College Peer Mentor program encourages current Honors students to sign up to be peer mentors for the 2025-2026 school year by Wednesday, April 30. Peer mentors are current Honors students who will be paired with an incoming Honors student with a similar major or minor to help them adjust to life in the Honors College. To complete the mentor interest form, click here. For questions, contact Sierra Focazio.
Name Readers Needed for Holocaust Remembrance Day
The Center for Judaic, Holocaust and Peace Studies (CJHPS) is organizing a public reading of the names of Jews murdered during the Holocaust for Yom HaShoah on Thursday, April 24 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the square between Belk Library and the Plemmons Student Union. To sign up to read names for one or two fifteen-minute slots, click here. For questions, contact Amy Hudnall.
Appalachian Energy Summit Poster Competition
The Appalachian Energy Center invites students to submit an abstract for their environmental, sustainability, or energy-related research or project and be a part of the Appalachian Energy Summit. The Energy Summit will be held June 4-6, 2025, and is a free event for all attendees. The highest-ranking posters are eligible to earn cash prizes. The deadline to apply is May 2. For more information and to apply, click here.
Full-Ride Study Abroad Opportunity to attend Noble Prize Week in Sweden
Education First, in partnership with The Forum on Education Abroad and the Noble Prize Museum, is offering a scholarship to support a virtual, credit-bearing course co-designed and taught by Dr. David Wick, from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. This course runs alongside the Fall 2025 semester and culminates in an immersive, in-person week in Sweden during the Noble Prize ceremonies. Students will travel to Sweden December 5 – 12, 2025. The deadline to apply is May 11. For more information and to apply, click here.
Fall 2025 One-Credit Courses for Professional Development
High Country Humanities will partner with the Career Development Center to offer three one-credit courses with guest speakers in the Fall 2025 semester on career and professional development. The courses are open to all undergraduates but will primarily interest students who have at least one major or minor in a non-STEM field. For questions, contact Dr. Darci Gardner.
Upcoming Thesis Defenses:
Dr. Klima 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.”
Claire Kennedy
April 17, 11 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Appalachian Hall, Room 186
Presenting “S[ai]nts: The Use of GPTs for Spiritual Conversation in Christianity”
Alena Dastur
April 18, 8:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Appalachian Hall, Room 186
Presenting “Human Wildlife Conflict and Paths Toward Coexistence in the Southeast U.S.”
Abby Hartnett
April 21, 9 a.m. – 10 a.m.
Smith Wright Hall, Room 204
Presenting “ADHD Accommodations: Teacher Knowledge, Use, and Willingness to Explore Different Accommodations for Students with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder”
Sayler Gentry
April 21, 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Smith Wright Hall, Room 205
Presenting “The Role of Cultural Identity Clarity in Shaping Self-Concept and Self-Esteem”
Kinsey Wasko
April 21, 4 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Smith Wright Hall, Room 204
Presenting “COVID-19 Impacts of College Belonging and Academic Adjustment”
Ella Cooper
April 22, 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Online, access video link here
Presenting “Voces Del Mundo”
Les Meares
April 22, 4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Appalachian Hall, Room 187
Presenting “A Review of the Current Literature on Firefighter and Police Officer Sleep Data”
Lydia Jacobson
April 22, 5:15 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Chapel Wilson, Room 111
Presenting “Narrative Review of Common Dietary Changes Prevalent amongst First- and Second- Generation Immigrants Relating to Cultural Identity”
Jamie Suggs
April 23, 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Smith Wright Hall, Room 205
Presenting “’Teacher Perceptions of Standardized Testing”
Audrey Hill
April 23, 5 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Leon Levine Hall, Room 548F
Presenting “Investigating Dietary Fiber’s Role in Colorectal Cancer Prevention and Prognosis”
Stay in the Know:
Frontline to Farm Free Documentary Screening
The Frontline to Farm team will be holding a public screening of their short documentary that tells the story of their program on Friday, April 18 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Leon Levine Hall. Frontline to Farm is an interdisciplinary effort in the College of Fine and Applied Arts with the mission to support veterans transitioning to sustainable agriculture as a profession and to promote local food equity and diversity in our food system.
Taste of Dialogue Series
The Office of Community-Engaged Leadership is hosting a free dinner, presentation, and panel discussion on Monday, April 21 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the Parkway Ballroom. The event will focus on the UNC System’s institutional neutrality policy. Students will have the opportunity to share their thoughts and experiences of how this policy has affected them. To RSVP, click here. For more information, contact Summer Wisdom.
Science Communication Through Art
Climate Artist and Science Communicator Jill Pelto will share about her work and the role of art in communicating about climate change and other environmental problems on Tuesday, April 22 from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. in the Parkway Ballroom. Jill will also lead a hands-on practice through a data art activity she developed. For more information, click here.
Mountaineer Magicians Club: Magic Show
The Mountaineer Magicians Club will put on a magic show Tuesday, April 22 at 6:30 p.m. in the Solarium in the Plemmons Student Union. The club was started three years ago by Chloe Glaser, a nursing major in the Honors College who will be graduating in May. Come see amazing tricks from fellow Honors students. For questions, contact Kayla Ekstrom.
Friends of Copal AA: Earth Week Open Mic Night Fundraiser
The Friends of Copal AA will host their second Earth Week Open Mic Night Fundraiser on Wednesday, April 23 from 6 p.m. – 10 p.m. in the Solarium in the Plemmons Student Union. This event will bring attention to and fundraise for the Maya community in Copal AA, Guatemala, in support of their New Dawn Middle School. Handmade textiles from Copal AA and hand-me-down clothes will be sold. Click here to RSVP. For questions, contact Hope Spurlock.
In the Honors Spotlight
Honors College students travel to Chattanooga to present at the annual SRHC conference
Photo features the group in Chattanooga eating together, visiting the Tennessee Aquarium, and exploring the town. Photos submitted.
Ten Honors College students, along with Dr. Vicky Klima, associate vice provost of the Honors College, and Dr. Heather Waldroup, associate director of the Honors College, traveled to Chattanooga, Tennessee from March 26-29 to present at the Southern Regional Honors Council Annual Conference 2025 (SRHC). The SRHC promotes and advances Honors programs and Honors Colleges in the Southern United States. “The Southern Regional Honors Council conference is an outstanding venue for our Honors students to present their research and connect with other Honors students from colleges and universities throughout the Southeast,” said Dr. Waldroup.
Click here to read more about App State’s Honors College participation at the SRHC Annual Conference 2025 in Chattanooga.