Honors Students Present Research at the Southern Regional Honors Conference

Between Wednesday and Saturday, Brian Newsome and Anna Whiteside accompanied a large group of Honors students to the Southern Regional Honors Conference, held in Jacksonville, Florida. Thursday morning started with the “place-as-text” program. Conference participants explored Jacksonville’s historic districts, which are filled with public art that give it the nickname “City of Murals,” and reflected on the city’s development. Architect Ennis Davis, the plenary speaker, furthered this conversation in the late afternoon, and the day concluded with the President’s Reception at the Jacksonville Museum of Contemporary Art and a free public concert held in the park adjacent to the hotel. On Friday and Saturday, students presented their scholarship at podium and presentation sessions They each did a great job and made connections with other students from universities across the Southeast. At the General Business Meeting, first-year student Chloe Melton was elected SRHC’s student vice president. And on Friday evening, the group enjoyed a guided boat tour on the St. John’s River. For highlights, please check out our slideshow.

Thanks to each of our students—Kassie Arps, Courtney Brandon, Kathryn Brook, Hunter Coates, Katie Cooper, Victoriyah Friend, Maryellen Hagberg, Sydney Irons, Juliann Mackiewicz, Chloe Melton, Jared Reese, Drew Rice, Heather Vincent and Kate Walker—for making this conference so meaningful. And thank you to the faculty who mentored students on their projects. The students, their presentation titles and their mentors are listed below:

• Kassie Arps, “Climate Change in India,” Mentor Dr. Steve Elliott-Gower
• Courtney Brandon, “Mythological Women and What They Reveal about Their Societies,” Mentor Dr. Stephen Auerbach
• Kathryn Brook, “Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Hippocampal Abnormalities,” Mentor Dr. Noland White
• Hunter Coates, “The Proper Role of Religion in Hegel’s Philosophy of Statecraft,” Mentor Dr. Brooke Rudow
• Katie Cooper, “Catalysts, Consequences, and Personal Narrative: A Holistic Analysis of Nigerian Migration,” Mentor Dr. Steve Elliott-Gower
• Victoriyah Friend, “Assessing the Effects of Virtual Reality and Meditation on Pain Tolerance,” Mentor Dr. Whitney Heppner
• Maryellen Hagberg, “Spectators on the Venus Pudica,” Mentor Dr. Stephanie Jett
• Sydney Irons, “Effectiveness of Mark-Recapture Method Using Florescent Powder on Millipedes (Julida: Parajulidae),” Mentor Dr. Bruce Snyder
• Juliann Mackiewicz, “The Treatment of ‘Lunacy’ at Central State Hospital: The Long Shadow of ‘Moral Therapy’ and Eugenics on Public Perception of Mental Health Facilities,” Mentor Dr. Stephanie Jett
• Chloe Melton, “The Queer Experience under the Nazi Regime,” Mentor Dr. Brian Newsome
• Jared Reese, “Delving into the Intricacies and Implementations of Tetris,” Mentor Dr. Yi Liu
• Drew Rice, “The Pacific Theater in American Movies during World War II,” Mentor Dr. Brian Newsome
• Heather Vincent, “The Role of Adenovirus Protein E4 11k in P Body Protein Relocalization,” Mentor Dr. Kasey Karen
• Kate Walker, “The Impacts of World War II on the Children on the American Homefront,” Mentor Dr. Brian Newsome