Faculty Accomplishment: Philip Frana
Philip Frana鈥檚 interview with Turing Award winner Stephen A. Cook on computational complexity theory and the P versus NP problem appears in the January 2012 issue of . 聽His interview with Turing winner Edsger Dijkstra, also published in CACM, was downloaded more than 25,000 times last year, making it the 4th most requested article in the Association for Computing Machinery鈥檚 Digital Library collection. Frana is the Director of Undergraduate Research in the Honors College.
Honors College Event: Freshman Lock-in/Book
All Honors freshmen and Track-II sophomores are reading the acclaimed 1946 coming-of-age novel The Member of the Wedding by Southern writer Carson McCullers. A student troupe, led by professors Adam Frank (Honors) and Monika Alston-Miller (Speech Communication),聽 performed scenes from the work as adapted for the stage at a lock-in in the Student Center held Jan. 20. The lock-in was sponsored by the Honors Mentors student organization and their advisor Cindy Lea.
Spring Soapbox Schedule
Coordinator Philip Frana has released the Spring Semester 2012 Honors Soapbox schedule. Soapbox is an informal Honors student and alumni forum for the dissemination and exchange of ideas on a wide variety of topics. Soapbox began as the Honors College Open Forum in 1993. A complete list of is available online. Students, faculty, staff, and the public are welcome to join us in dialogue every Friday at 3 p.m. in the Farris Honors Hall Presentation Room.
Jan. 27 – Joey Baker, 鈥淧lanking, Teapotting, and Owling鈥� & Andrew Holt, 鈥淚nternet Culture: 4chan, Memes, & Anonymous鈥�
Feb. 3 – Josh Simmons & Jax Fliss, 鈥淕osh Darn Delicious鈥�
Feb. 10聽– Sarah Maxam, 鈥淎ww, Miscreants CAN be Nice People!鈥� & Sergio Ivan Perez Bakovic, 鈥淭echnology and Culture in Bolivia and America鈥�
Feb. 17聽– Colby Qualls, 鈥淭he Tea Party: Steamed Off鈥� & Matthew Ford, 鈥淐an He Say That? Defining the Limits of First Amendment Jurisprudence鈥�
Feb. 24聽– Brittany Edwardes, 鈥淕lobalism and Literature: The Production of Understanding or Stereotypes?鈥� & Laura Maxam plays the Baroque Masters
March 2聽– Matt Hankins, 鈥淕ame Theory for Everyday Life鈥� & TsungYen Chen, 鈥淣anorobotics鈥�
March 9 聽– Kendall Fancher, 鈥淐anada and the United States: Do They Share a Common Culture?鈥� & Jo Beth Sence, 鈥淭he Big (Pine)Apple: Costa Rica鈥�
April 6 聽– Matt Duncan, 鈥淧ot-Luck Theatre鈥�
April 13聽– Nick Rogers, 鈥淏elgium, Beer, and Bikes鈥� & Josh Bregy, 鈥淪torm Chasing!鈥�
April 20聽– Taylor Sutton, 鈥淗.P. Lovecraft and Philosophy鈥�
Featured Student: Wilson Alobuia
Prior to enrolling at the University of Central Arkansas, Wilson Alobuia (major: Biology; minor: Honors Interdisciplinary Studies) served as an intern at the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in Accra, Ghana. As an intern in the Educational Advising Center of the Public Affairs section, he worked as a college counselor for students interested in attending college in the United States. Serving with a group of other counselors, he helped students understand the American College Education system, helped them prepare for and take the SATs, ACTs and other standardized exams, as well as select and apply to colleges that fit their criteria, needs and interests.
Following his first year of college, in the summer of 2009, Alobuia was offered a research internship at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) through their Center for Diversity Affairs. He had never been in a lab before, but was fortunate to be assigned to work with Alexei Basnakian M.D, PhD, a professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology. Dr. Basnakian put him to work collecting data for a research project involving human vascular endothelial cells. His work during this initial study produced direct evidence about the role played by a DNA-degrading enzyme, Endonuclease G, in cellular damage. He was made a co-author on an abstract about the research submitted for the Arkansas Biosciences Institute fall symposium in Jonesboro, AR, where he represented the research team in a poster session. He then engaged in further studies of this enzyme over a period of two years, which led to final findings and a publication of the research article 鈥淓ndonuclease G mediates endothelial cell death induced by carbamylated LDL鈥� in the American Journal of Physiology.
In the summer of 2010, he was honored to be among three students selected by the University of Alabama at Birmingham for International Health Research training in Jamaica. In Jamaica, he worked on the research project, 鈥淎ssessment of vector-borne diseases in selected communities in Western Jamaica.鈥� He worked with the Jamaican Ministry of Health, visiting various hospitals in Western Jamaica and interviewing patients and their families on their knowledge, attitudes and practices concerning vector-borne diseases, notably malaria and dengue fever. This study was imperative following an outbreak of malaria and dengue fever, in order to provide suggestions to the Ministry of Health on ways to prevent future outbreaks and to educate the citizens on ways to protect themselves and prevent outbreaks.
Alobuia was accepted for another internship in the summer of 2011. After a highly competitive application process, he was selected to participate in the Summer Internship Program at the Johns Hopkins University, in the Pulmonary and Critical Care Division where he was assigned to work with Dr. Emmanuelle Clerisme-Beaty. At Johns Hopkins, he researched the topic 鈥淧redictors of pulmonary function test quality.鈥� After 10 weeks of research, performing pulmonary function tests (PFT) and analyzing pulmonary function test data, his research showed that patient demographics (race, gender), underlying lung disease (restrictive, mixed) and testing location (inpatient vs. outpatient) are associated with PFT quality and thus may impact interpretability and findings.
Alobuia explains that being a member of the 每日大赛网站 Honors College 鈥渉as been a very rewarding experience and has truly enhanced my understanding of the importance of civic involvement and giving back to the larger community. Through the Honors College, I have also learned the skill of inquiry and conversation that have helped tremendously in all of my research, article writing and oral presentations of my research work at various conferences. The Honors College has also played a critical role in the development of my leadership potential; from serving locally as the President of the Pre-medicine club at 每日大赛网站, to serving as a present Pre-Medical Regional Director for the American Medical Student Association (AMSA), I am grateful to the Honors College for the opportunity to learn the very important organizational skills of collaboration, planning and assessment, as well as the personal skills of self-discipline and task management. These skills have efficiently helped in my capacity to work independently as well as guide and/or direct group-based work.
鈥淚 am sincerely indebted to the entire faculty of the University of Central Arkansas Honors College, and all other faculty members across the 每日大赛网站 campus for their immense support and the superior education they continue to provide! As I prepare to start medical school this fall, I feel fully equipped to 鈥榗ontinue the conversation鈥� (which began at the Honors College) and to embrace the civic responsibility instilled in me by the Honors College, wherever 鈥業 belong.鈥欌��
Featured Alumnus: Joanna Swirszcz
This fall Joanna Swirszcz (Class of 鈥�08; major: Psychology; minors: Linguistics & Honors Interdisciplinary Studies) began studying at Georgetown University鈥檚 School of Foreign Service, where she will graduate with a Master鈥檚 in Foreign Service with a concentration in International Commerce and Business in May 2013. The school is ranked the number one international relations program by Foreign Policy magazine, and provides its students with rigorous, cross-disciplinary insights into the dynamic world of global affairs. The ICB concentration helps students master functional business-related skills while gaining understanding of the complex political and social environments within which international business takes place. In addition, since the school is in DC, students have ample opportunity to network with distinguished practitioners and make meaningful professional connections. Georgetown alumni find work in national governments, international organizations, private businesses, and civil society groups. Swirszcz recently began an internship with McLarty Associates, an international strategic advisory firm, and provides research and language support to the firm鈥檚 Europe and Eurasia team. After graduating, she hopes to find work in the US government or in a consulting firm.
Prior to starting Georgetown, Swirszcz worked at the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) as a Program Assistant for Central Asia and Belarus, where she provided support for the non-profit鈥檚 democracy reform programs, including economic journalism programs in Kyrgyzstan and business association support in Belarus. Before that, Swirszcz worked with Congressman Vic Snyder, and during her two years there, her duties ran the gamut 鈥� she gave Capital tours, conducted legislative research, helped manage the office鈥檚 constituent mail system, and advised on foreign policy issues related to Russia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia.
Before moving to DC, Swirszcz attended Middlebury College鈥檚 Russian School in Vermont, an immersion program where she spoke nothing but Russian for nine weeks. While at Middlebury, Swirszcz found out that her undergraduate Honors thesis (advisor, Randall Pouwels of the 每日大赛网站 History Department) would be published in Nationalities Papers, the leading academic journal on nationalism, ethnicity, ethnic conflict, and national identity in Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and the former Soviet Union. The citation for this publication is 鈥淭he Role of Islam in Chechen National Identity,鈥� Nationalities Papers 37.1 (2009): 59-88.
December Graduates
The Honors College offers its sincere congratulations to all eleven December 2011 graduates with Honors minor degrees. All graduates received a certificate of completion of the program and a medallion handcrafted by 每日大赛网站 art professor Bryan Massey in a ceremony and banquet on December 16th, the evening before Commencement exercises.
Tamami Akagi (major: Business Administration; minor: Honors Interdisciplinary Studies)
Jackson Fliss (majors: Mathematics & Physics; minors: Music & Honors Interdisciplinary Studies)
Anna Horton (majors: Psychology; minors: Spanish & Honors Interdisciplinary Studies)
Katelyn Johnson (major: Biology; minor: Honors Interdisciplinary Studies)
Ben Maddox (major: Political Science/International Studies; minors: Spanish, Honors Interdisciplinary Studies)
Hannah Marks (major: Pre-Occupational Therapy; minor: Honors Interdisciplinary Studies)
LeeAnne Maxey (major: Art/Studio-Graphic Design; minor: Honors Interdisciplinary Studies)
Aaron McMoran (majors: Mathematics & Physics; minor: Honors Interdisciplinary Studies)
Ariel Moore (major: Creative Writing; minor: Honors Interdisciplinary Studies)
Robert Rogers (major: History/Social Studies; minor: Honors Interdisciplinary Studies)
Stephanie Schneider (major: Psychology; minors: Art, Honors Interdisciplinary Studies)