On April 13th, Victoria Sunseri gave an Honors Symposium where she discussed her travel as the recipient of the Timothy M. Smith Inspiration Through Exploration Award. Victoria traveled to Sri Lanka where she volunteered with a non-profit that helps women who have been part of human trafficking operations. She spent close to a month working with the organization then spent some time traveling in the area.
Category: Honors Symposia
Honors Symposium – Honors Research Fellows – Noah Oakley, Kelly Fryar, and Laura Hearst
On Tuesday, April 24th, three Honors students presented the results of their Honors Fellowships for the 2017-2018 academic year. Noah Oakley presented his findings on the different aspects of undergraduate general education requirements under the tutelage of Dr. Dan Dooghan from UT’s Department of English and Writing. Kelly Fryar discussed her research on the prevalence of anti-biotic resistance bacteria in the Hillsborough River under the guidance of Dr. Bridgette Froeschke from UT’s Department of Biology. Laura Hearst presented the results of her research into the eyes of scorpions under the direction of Dr. Abraham Miller from UT’s Department of Health Sciences and Human Performance.
Honors Symposium – Honors Research Fellows – Gaston Merideth, Adeline Davis, Tanner Scott, and Victoria Sunseri
On Monday, April 23rd, four Honors students presented the results of their Honors Research Fellowships. Gaston Merideth discussed his research on mass spectrometry under the guidance of Dr. Kenyon Evans-Nguyen from UT’s Department of Chemistry. Adeline Davis discussed her research into gender, make-up, and literature under the guidance of Dr. Kathleen Ochshorn from UT’s Department of English and Writing. Tanner Scott presented his research on race, health, and body image mentored by Dr. Brittany Harder of UT’s Sociology Department. And Victoria Sunseri discussed her project on improving UT’s students’ mental health under the guidance of Dr. Mary Martinasek from UT’s Department of Health and Human Performance.
Coffee Conversations – Bridgette Froeschke
On April 4th, Dr. Bridgette Froeschke, Assistant Professor of Biology, led a Coffee Conversation on the questions “Who does water belong to? Should water be privatized?” The conversation covered a lot of topics relating to water, from the quality of bottled water versus tap water to who should own water rights and how water consumption and regulation (or lack thereof) affect environmental quality.
Coffee Conversations – Dr. Cheri Etling-Paulsen
Dr. Cheri Etling-Paulsen led a Coffee Conversation on March 20th in the McKay Hall common room exploring the question, “What is causing major swings in the stock market – and does it really matter?” The conversation explored what the stock market is, what factors influence stock prices, and explored how a variety of factors contribute to market volatility.
Honors Symposia – Santiago Echeverry
UT Professor of Film, Animation, and New Media, Santiago Echeverry, presented his work The Cabaret to Honors students on March 21st. Professor Echeverry uses 3D capture technologies to explore a variety of spaces, including gay and drag nightclubs. The resulting video footage can then be used to create animated films and prints that display remarkable depth and novel perspectives. Examples of his work can be found on his professional website.
Honors Symposia – Dr. Vanessa Rukholm
On Thursday, March 1st, Dr. Vanessa Rukholm, of UT’s Department of Languages and Linguists, presented, “I can’t get you out of my head: popular music and second language learning.” Dr. Rukholm discussed some of the history of music and noted that music has long been an important element of human culture. The presentation also explored language acquisition and then combined the two, culminating in a discussion of how language may help facilitate second language learning.
