2011 Spring Honorable Mention

Honorable Mention Not Just Scholars Student Athletes in Honors It’s 6:30 in the morning and an alarm is blaring. I pry my eyes open. It’s still dark outside, so I roll over and try to go back to sleep. My roommate, on the other hand, crawls out of bed to get ready for cross-country practice. This routine occurs daily, and every morning as I gratefully drift back to sleep, I cannot help but be amazed at my roommate’s unwavering commitment. The dedication of the studentathletes in the Honors program is something to be admired. In addition to their already rigorous course loads, these students spend hours each week practicing, conditioning, and going to competitions. “I am busier than I ever thought possible,” said Wyatt Jackson, a freshman on the track team. “Sometimes it’s hard to find the energy to complete the day.” These students face many challenges when trying to cope with their busy schedules: finding the motivation to keep working throughout the day, prioritizing their academic and athletic commitments, and just waking up early every morning. “Balancing my academics with my commitment to soccer proved to be a challenge early in the semester,” said freshman Andre Biscaye. “I often felt overwhelmed.” But when Andre realized that his schoolwork was suffering, he made the difficult decision to take some time off from soccer. “School always comes first,” he said. Senior captain of the lacrosse team, Jacob Wayman, has also faced challenges while attempting to balance school and sports. When asked what the most difficult part was, he replied, “Staying healthy. I burn the candle at both ends far more often than I probably ought to.” While all of the student-athletes in the Honors program have had to cope with the challenges of balancing their commitments, their experiences should not, by any means, be mistaken as negative. “It’s been an incredibly rewarding experience,” said Wayman. “I’ve become accustomed to very long days at school and uncomfortably short nights between them, but those long days have provided me with what I feel is a very unique opportunity.” It is not only the opportunity to participate in two very difficult programs that makes his experience so rewarding. In fact, one of the most satisfying aspects of his involvement is interacting with other students. “The Honors program is filled with students that, like me, are very well-read and have strong and diverse opinions on everything from politics to poetry,” said Wayman. “The lacrosse team is filled with sports nuts and lacrosse bros that watch Sports Center twice a day. I’m glad I get to be a part of both groups.” Wyatt Jackson, left, and Katrina England are Honors freshmen who run for Westminster. Jake Wayman is a senior biology student and captain of the men’s lacrosse team. Katrina England, a freshman in the Honors program and a member of both the cross-country and track teams, has also had a very rewarding experience. Being on the cross-country team has helped Katrina become a better Honors student. “Sometimes when I have a billion pages of reading for the next day,” she said, “I tell myself to focus the same way that I have to when I run races.” And overcoming academic challenges has similarly benefitted her sports performance. During a particularly difficult workout this past season, Katrina caught herself thinking, “this hurts, but it’s nowhere near as bad as prompt writing.” Knowing that she had been able to overcome such difficult mental challenges enabled Katrina to face a physical one. In the past, not many students chose to take on both Honors and athletics. But recently, more students have decided that they are up to the challenge. Whether they chose to do it for scholarships, community, or self-improvement, these students show an admirable amount of dedication. “It’s always been difficult,” said Jacob Wayman, “but I wouldn’t have it any other way.” –Sara McCaskey Personal and Global Transformations Honors Students Across the Country Upon graduating last June, I was frustrated by the lack of opportunities in a job market devastated by the financial crisis. So I explored various alternatives and ended up securing a position teaching in Cairo, Egypt, where I have witnessed history in the making. From the very first weekend I arrived in Alexandria, the first protests that eventually brought down the nearly 30-year reign of President Hosni Mubarak began to surface. Mohamed ElBaradei, a prominent figure in today’s post-revolution Egypt, accompanied Alexandrian protests When 2010 Honors program graduate Amanda Ruiz discovered Northwestern Law School, she was immediately intrigued. However, a campus visit assured Amanda that Northwestern wasn’t the school for her. Amanda says, “I could tell from the atmosphere and from talking to students… that it didn’t fit well with my needs.” Now a first-year law student at the University of Minnesota, Amanda is one of many students who have had their first impressions dispelled by visiting a graduate school campus. Unfortunately, visiting schools across the United States can be prohibitively expensive, especially on what Amanda calls a “student’s budget.” To address this problem, the Honors program established a graduate school travel fund. These grants offer up to $250 to upper-class Honors students to help defray travel expenses related to investigating out-of-state graduate schools. A former Honors student reflects on his experiences in Egypt Dallin Van Leuven, an Honors graduate, is currently teaching in Cairo, Egypt. over the violent death of Khaled Said at the hands of the police. Seven months later, the “beginning of the end” protests sprung up across Egypt, organized by a group who adopted the name “We are all Khaled Said.” I hit the streets with protesters and watched the people overpower security forces across Cairo, amid a haze of tear gas and even live ammunition. And although the two and half months which followed were not entirely safe or stable, I would not trade my experience for anything. Thanks to Egyptian monuments stand backlit by the setting sun. the skills developed through Honors And just as Honors has enabled me and its opportunities, I don’t have to. to cultivate necessary skills for success I have used these skills cultivated in in life, it will continue to do so for Honors seminars throughout college current and future students. Today, and beyond. The Political Economy in addition to struggling with the of Conflict seminar prepared me for lasting effects of the economic crisis, an internship in Belgium, working in graduating students face the challenges the Political and Economic Section of an increasingly international of the U.S. Embassy. Combining economic and political scene. The the knowledge I gained from this interdisciplinary nature of the Honors experience with lessons learned curriculum lends itself to the needs of from Science, Power, and Diversity, I current graduates in today’s changing presented a paper at the World Civic world, namely achieving adaptability Youth Forum in South Korea on and potential for continual progress. strategies to discourage radicalism by Recent events demonstrate the incorporating minority groups. And fluidity of the world community’s as I teach now in Cairo, I constantly political and economic landscape. seek to bring similar cross-disciplinary Today’s unique challenges require experiences and thinking to my young unique solutions, solutions which, students. All of these, random though thanks to a quality education, are much they seem, have helped me pursue more easily wrestled with. career goals. –Dallin Van Leuven Parent Contributions to Student Honors Council Fund The Westminster College Honors program is very grateful to the following parents of Honors students who have contributed to the “Student Honors Council Fund” since the last newsletter. This fund supports travel grants to assist Honors students in making decisions about continuing their educations in graduate school. Contributions to this fund, which are tax deductible, can be made at any time of the year and should be sent care of the Westminster College Honors program, 1840 South 1300 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84105. 2010-2011 Parent Donors Anonymous Regie & John Bradford J. Michael & Dorothy Coombs Elizabeth and Paul Henderson page 2 Douglas & Brandy Hoffman Leonora Midgley & Gary Resnick Daniel Barton & Sylvia Trevino-Barton Dana & David Wolf Grad Fund Facilitates Student Exploration The application requires students to budget their expenses and answer reflective essay questions about their visit. Dr. Richard Badenhausen explains that the graduate school travel grant is about more than just providing financial assistance. He says the Honors Council sought to give students a mechanism through which they could reflect on their plans for graduate school and make the most of their campus visits. Paula Porter, another 2010 graduate and current first-year med student at the University of Utah, found that traveling to medical schools she was considering played a vital role in her final decision. Looking back on her trip, which was funded by a travel grant, she says, “[The visit] allowed me the opportunity to ask faculty and students practical questions. This helped me envision what my future would be like at each school.” Inaugural grant recipient Jay Springer adds that his visit to New York University proved that “statistics and admissions offices simply can’t provide the information you get from the personal visit.” Jay now studies law at the University of Michigan. The travel fund is a relatively new addition to Honors; the first grant was awarded in 2007 after the program built a reserve from the generous contributions of parents and alumni over the previous four years. An average of two to four students take advantage of the program each year, but Dr. Badenhausen hopes to see the graduate school travel fund grow in future years, offering more grants and potentially increasing the size of the award. Students who have had the chance to visit graduate schools have no hesitation in encouraging others to do the same. “This resource allows you to explore how you might spend a significant part of your future,” Paula Porter says. “Go for it!” –Melanie Long End of Year Announcements 2010-2011 Writing Award Recipients Melanie Long Humanities (Badenhausen & More) “Locking Up Memory: The Wanderer, Seneca, and the Question of Memory’s Autonomy” Christina Della Iacono Sciences (Goldsmith & Wellman) “Ego Bust: Blurring the Line between Human and Non-Human Animals through Animal Modeling, Evolution and the Physicality of Consciousness”** Kellie Carrigan Social Sciences (Tripp & Watkins) “The Subjective Nature of Objectivism” Tracy Hansford Special Topics and Crosslisted (Goldman & More) “Accelerated Decrepitude: An Exploration of Human Nature through an Examination of J. F. Sebastian” SHC 2011-2012 Election Results President: Marya Smith Vice President: Sam Wilkinson Secretary & Treasurer: Danny Burroughs & Victoria Valencia The future SHC looks forward to continuing the standards of excellence set by previous councils while integrating new ideas for a more unified Honors community **Best Paper Overall $2,500 Independent Summer Research Grant Recipients (Summer 2011) Tess Graham “Pigou versus Minsky: Reconciling Demand Theories through Historical Analysis” Allie Roach “Characterization of a Novel Haloarchaeon Genus: Halophiles as a Source of Bioremediation” page 3 Student News & Notes Steven Nagie (‘14) has been accepted into a Columbia University summer program to do environmental fieldwork in Puerto Rico. • Jackie Wilson (‘12), Hailey Henderson (‘13), and Annie Brantley (‘13) worked as actors and technicians in Westminster’s Production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. • Taylor Hoffman (‘13), Annie Brantley (‘13), Annie Brings (‘13), Hailey Henderson (‘13), Cera Cantu (‘14), and Ali Monjar (‘10) worked and performed in Westminster’s production of Peter Shaffer’s Equus. • Erika Rodriguez (‘11) presented her research at the Utah Conference of Undergraduate Research and at the National Conference of Undergraduate Research. • Lauren Robinson (‘11) will teach English in Grenoble, France next year. Jared Christensen (‘12) and Christian Felt (‘12) have had their work published in Scribendi, the annual journal of the Western Regional Honors Council. • Tyler Sutton (‘12) and Chistopher Roundy (‘11) presented on Malaria Vector Control in Uganda at the Western Regional Honors Conference in April. • Tyler Sutton (‘12), Camber Stoddard (‘11), Cooper Henderson (‘11), and Jillian Edmonds (‘12) competed in the National Ethics Bowl tournament in Cincinnati, Ohio. • Erika Rodriguez (‘11) was chosen by poet Henri Cole as a co-winner of the Academy of American Poets student prize and will be published in Ellipsis: Literature and Art. • Demetri Coombs (‘11) has been accepted into a post-graduate summer study program at the University of Cambridge. • page 4 A Voice for Students An Honors Style Conference In September 2010, this year’s Student Honors Council wrote a letter to the Honors community welcoming its members to another (or their first) year in the Westminster College Honors program. That letter urged students to involve themselves in everything the program has to offer and to really make it their own. But SHC offers more than just an encouraging word. SHC President Jacob Wayman remarks, “The Student Honors Council represents the students’ ability to affect the course of their college experience.” The Student Honors Council is composed of four individuals who represent the Honors students at large to the Honors Council and also organize fun, educational events to keep students sane during the academic year. The President and Vice President occupy seats on the larger Honors Council, which mostly consists of faculty and staff. “As members of the Honors Council, we have the opportunity to support the interests and voice the concerns of the Honors population. The presence of students in council meetings has a serious impact on council decisions, resulting in outcomes that will have positive effects on the lives of our classmates,” Jacob says. Beyond such representation, SHC plans and orchestrates many events for Honors students. Such previous events have included the Dead Paper Society, during which students wear black and burn copies of papers that received imperfect, if not dismal grades; Profs On the first and second of April, the time in a few years, and it was a new Western Regional Honors Conference experience to some students who had was held in Park City, Utah. Thirteen previously gone out-of-state for the Westminster students arrived at the WRHC. Yvonne Clark reflected on conference ready to participate and the significance of the WRHC being learn from 250 other students and held in Utah, saying, “The different faculty from Honors programs across perspectives that people had of Park the Western region. In the midst of City and Salt Lake made me reevaluate poster sessions, roundtable discussions, my point of view. Sparked by the and panel presentations, Westminster out-of-state students, suddenly Park Honors students branched out and City was a place to look at and explore networked with other Honors students academically to me, even though I in the West. live right down the canyon. It seems However, the conference is not just whether in or out of state, the WRHC a place for networking, as evidenced broadens my mind to explore new by the many students who commented topics.” on the diverse range of topics. When Many students went in to the asked how they felt about attending the Western Regional Honors Conference conference for the first time, freshman with an attitude of apprehension. The students Katrina England, Marlayna uncertainty of presentation standards, Townsend, and Sara McCaskey all the open-mindedness of other expressed their surprise. “You see a students, or what to expect can make lot more diversity in the presentations any student nervous. However, as the than I originally pictured when I roundtable discussion led by Andre thought of an academic conference,” Biscaye, Melody Redmond and Clark Marlayna mentioned. Everyone proved, everyone at the conference agreed that the mystery and prestige was accepting and willing to discuss surrounding words like “academic any topic. After a weekend spent at the conferences” and “Honors students” conference, the students left feeling seem to hold more weight than they satisfied. Everyone was knowledgeable should; the air of the conference about their topics and, like the was one of learning and acceptance. students from all the other colleges Similarly, Jamie Resnick was impressed and universities in attendance, excited by the ease of communicating her to explore the topics other students topic, tree mortality, to other students brought to WRHC. –Yvonne Clark at the conference. “I decided to do a poster presentation because I was unsure what caliber of communication the conference would have,” she remarked. But inspired by the success of her presentation, she was encouraged, “Next time I’m confident that I could utilize a 30-minute or even hour-long slot for a discussion presentation.” The conference From left, Richard Badenhausen, Victoria Valencia, Sara McCaskey, Yvonne Clark, was within driving Marlayna Townsend and Chris Roundy eat dinner in Park City during the Western distance for the first Regional Honors Conference in April. SHC Adapts to New Ideas, Programs Tessie Graham, left, and Tracy Hansford pose during Monte Carlo night in Nunemaker. Pick the Flick, where professors showcase their favorite movies; and Monte Carlo Night, where Nunemaker transforms into a casino, cocktail attire required. These events and others have remained ever popular, but over the last few years, new events have been added to accommodate the changing interests and desires of new Honors classes. Two years ago, SHC instituted a new event called Last Lecture based on a book by Randy Pausch in which he gave a lifetime’s worth of advice in his final talk before succumbing to cancer. SHC’s event mimics this concept by asking speakers to give their own “last lecture” to Honors students each April. Previous speakers have included prominent Salt Lake defense attorney Pat Shea, and Mayor and gubernatorial candidate Peter Corroon. SHC strives to balance education and academia with recreation and relaxation, and as the needs of Honors students grow and change, SHC will be able to adapt to those changes while remaining, above all else, a voice for students. –Camber Stoddard Quayla Skevington, left, and Elizabeth Nelson play blackjack in Nunemaker during Monte Carlo night. Paving the Path to Expanded Horizons Student News & Notes Jillian Edmonds (‘12), Cassidy Jones (‘11), Camber Stoddard (‘11), Christina Della Iacono (‘12), Cera Cantu (‘14), Annie Brings (‘13), Kelsey Arcocha (‘13), Taylor Hoffman (‘13), Marya Smith (‘12) and Tracy Hansford (‘11) led the 2011 V-Day at Westminster effort and performed in The Vagina Monologues. • Cassidy Jones (‘11) has been selected as the student speaker for Westminster’s 2011 Commencement. • Erika Rodriguez (‘11) will start in the Romance Languages graduate program at the University of Oregon in the fall. • Tyler Sutton (‘12) and Cassidy Jones (‘11) presented their summer research projects at the Utah Conference of Undergraduate Research. • Tracy Hansford (‘11) was Westminster College Student Employee of the Year, and she placed first in the women’s division at the Weber State Intercollegiate Bouldering Competition. • Kayla Whidden (‘12) and Mai Ho (‘13) have accepted summer positions with Goldman Sachs in Salt Lake City. • Lauren Johnson (‘13) studied at the University of Glasgow this semester. • Fehmi Yasin (‘13) and Zak Burkely (‘13) have accepted summer positions to conduct undergraduate research in physics sponsored by the University of Oregon and Hampton/MIT, respectively. • Bryan Craven (‘10) has been accepted into the Ph. D. program in Economics at the University of Utah with full funding. He will also be a fellow at a summer institute of economics at Bard College. • Gus Paras (‘11) will attend law school at USC next year. • Morgan Anderson (‘13) will study coastal conservation and sea turtle populations in Mexico this summer. • page 5 Honorable Volunteers Serving up Connections, Comm unications, and Cammraderie Everyone has something to learn from Andre consulted with the Center for Library Renovation project, which allowed Yvonne Clark, Melody Redmond, and two service, which is a truism I learned by Civic Engagement and gained access to its a dozen Honors students to volunteer students from the University of Utah’s becoming involved with the Center for many resources. When asked what inspired labeling, categorizing, and shelving books Honors program. Ultimately, the programs Civic Engagement. A semester abroad in him to start this project, he explained that one Friday afternoon. decided to work under the umbrella Argentina triggered my service-minded while talking in class about philosophical At the WRHC meeting, about twenty theme of education and collaborate via a outlook and appreciation for all of the collective Facebook page and then a blog opportunities available, but I had no idea that will document their progress. They what a profound effect service could have plan to share the results of their work at on my peers and me. In my case, I became next year’s meeting in New Mexico. more comfortable speaking in front of Once a project enters the Honors groups, reaching out to faculty and other community, it tends to stick around. Every professionals, and following through with year Honors students play leading roles an idea from its inception to completion. in Westminster’s V-Day campaigns raising And best of all, when I heard about an tens of thousands of dollars for the Salt organization or issue in class that struck Lake City Rape Recovery Center. For the me, I knew I possessed the tools to spread past four years, Student Honors Council awareness and get other students involved. has sponsored a bake sale to contribute The Honors program provides a great to the V-Day cause. SHC Secretary and network for students who have ideas and V-Day committee member Marya Smith need help planning. Freshman Andre explains “when we can make a difference, Biscaye, after learning about the Western From left, Nicole Bedera, Andre Biscaye, Sam Wilkinson and Kayle Whidden prepare books for circulation at the Bennion Elementary School we have gone beyond the textbook [or during an Honors service day. Students labeled, categorized and shelved books in the school’s library. Regional Honors Conference (WRHC), rather, primary source] Honors experience decided to take action. He organized a problems, “[we felt] like ‘oh, we totally to something more valuable.” These students from six different Honors panel at the WRHC meeting as a way of solved that!’ It [made] us feel like you can students have found that service is a great programs engaged in an hour-long engaging Honors students at other Western go do anything.” We decided to experiment roundtable discussion about how to initiate way to put learning into action to achieve region schools interested in a collaborative with a dry run before the conference, real outcomes. –Kayla Whidden a year-long, intra-program service project. year-long service project. resulting in the Bennion Elementary School The conversation was led by Andre, page 6 page 7 Tracy Hansford Student Profile Rock climbing expert Tracy Hansford is receiving her bachelor’s degree in Arts Administration (focused on business, communications and non-profit) with a minor in theatre. This semester she chose to tone down her involvement with theatre and volunteering to better focus on academics, but she still manages to participate in the peer mentor program and work at the rock climbing wall in the Health, Wellness, and Athletic Center. Despite her tough schedule, Tracy has successfully produced a track record of involvement both on and off campus. Every semester without fail, Tracy has participated in at least one, if not two, theatrical productions. In previous semesters she also worked with Tracy Aviary, the Human Outreach project, The Vagina Monologues, and joined one of the original groups to India for the library and literacy project. After all of this, Tracy is ready for a break. When asked about her plans after graduation, she admits that the most appealing option is to “just chill” until she figures out where she wants to go with her life. While elaborating on her experience in the Honors program, Tracy remarked on the biggest change she’s seen in the program: classes. The number of classes has increased to accommodate the growing size of the program and more professors have been recruited to improve class availability. In the past, students could easily ask any peer mentor about a specific professor or seminar, but now with more professors teaching seminars, it’s not guaranteed that a peer mentor will have prior knowledge of specific teachers. Tracy will never forget a quote she found in one of her Honors seminars: “Friends live together,” said Aristotle, and in the Honors program, Tracy finds that especially true. She currently lives with some of her best friends from the program, and spends many nights studying with them, sometimes starting papers the night before their due date (something you should never do). As she graduates, Tracy’s parting advice to those who still have time in the Honors program is that you can’t do it all. Feel free to get super involved, but know that over-extending yourself makes you unhappy and makes life more difficult than necessary. Besides, diversity is what it’s all about. –Melody Redmond Faculty Profile Han Kim Most people don’t imagine their professors shredding down mountains in fresh powder, but that’s exactly why Dr. Han Kim decided to come to Utah. After completing his undergrad degree at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, he worked as an engineer for a well-respected corporation in Ohio. He enjoyed his job but was unimpressed with the rolling hills of the Midwest, so he moved to Utah to be a “ski bum.” Having satisfied his passion for good powder, Han returned to school to pursue another personal interest, public health. In 1998, he received his Master’s of Science in Public Health at the University of Utah and entered the Epidemiology Ph.D. program at the University of Washington. With a freshlyearned doctorate degree, Han returned once more to the University of Utah—this time as a tenure-track faculty member. Doing research was a rewarding experience, but he wished for more opportunities to work closely with students. Realizing he was more interested in teaching than research, Han joined Westminster’s faculty in 2008. Since then, he has brought his knowledge of public health to a variety of Westminster courses, including the Honors seminar “Science, Power & Diversity,” which he co-taught for the first time this fall with Sabrina Hom. He says he has enjoyed learning and expanding his own teaching repertoire by teaching with professors so different “pedagogically and in expertise.” Reflecting on his first Honors seminar, he says he was impressed by the students’ level of preparation and their high expectations for him as a professor. However, Han is not fully satisfied with keeping his instruction to the classroom. “I’m a big fan of experiential learning,” he says. “Until you see something or do something on your own, it’s just an academic exercise.” Instead, he strives to personalize his teachings by providing students with opportunities to experience first-hand what they learn in his classes. He has implemented this goal through his “Service Learning in Thailand” May Term trip. While staying in local households, students on the month-long trip participate in a number of service projects designed to address developmental, educational and health-related issues in rural communities. Because of Han, students who go on the trip now have the opportunity to earn upper-division Honors credit. He sees the untapped potential to enhance the Honors experience with hands-on learning. “After all,” he says, “health touches everyone.” –Katrina England page 8 What changes in the Honors program have you observed? How have these changes transformed the role Honors plays in students’ experiences at Westminster and within the academic community? Student Response Faculty Response Dave Goldsmith, Ph.D. Professor of Geology Where to Find the Honors Students: College is often a very compartmentalized place. The history professors stick to the history department while the chemistry professors remain in the chemistry department. One might expect, then, that the Honors students reside in the Honors building. While this is true to a certain point, as a professor in Honors for the last eight years, I have noticed that two of the most profound changes in the program involve where I can find Honors students across campus. One of the most obvious changes during my time in Honors has been the acquisition of Nunemaker Place as a dedicated Honors space. Although a building might not seem like a big deal on a campus full of buildings, Nunemaker helps to create an Honors community. Events such as Profs Pick the Flicks, Monte Carlo Nite, and Living Arts seminars all feel like Honors events because they transpire in our own little part of the world. Nunemaker provides a place for Honors students to share both deep thoughts and stupid jokes. But it is not the only place to find Honors students. Walk around Westminster and notice the Honors students everywhere. Four of the last five ASWC presidents have been Honors students. They are the faces of the START Center, the Admissions Office, our theater productions, V-Day, and countless other Westminster offices, events, and institutions. Newer students might not realize it, but this widespread involvement has not always existed. A tremendous explosion of Honors students in leadership roles on campus has occurred in recent years, providing a change for the better for both the Honors program and wider college community. I still remember walking into my first Honors class, looking around the room, and realizing that other than Michael Popich—a fellow Honors professor—I didn’t know anyone in the class. Comparing that experience to this year’s Honors banquet really drives home the tremendous amount of change within the program in the intervening eight years. Looking around the room at the banquet, I knew almost everyone there, not just because they are Honors students, but because they are some of the most prominent student leaders on campus. And I knew them because we are all part of the same Honors community. -Dave Goldsmith Demetrius Coombs Class of 2011 Looking over the last four years is a difficult task, as it seems like only yesterday I was scrambling to my firstyear Humanities class. As Honors has grown, we’ve witnessed the addition of a new Associate Director, watched students and professors come and go, and met with greater demand for the Honors experience, evidenced by an expanding applicant pool, increased retention in the program, and additional course options. As a senior Biology major, I am often asked about the Honors experience and its role in contributing to a comprehensive science education. Courses such as History & Philosophy of Science highlight the painstaking work of scientists throughout history, while classes like Science, Power, & Diversity explore contemporary matters regarding gender, bias, and ethics. A true scientist remains loyal to antiquity and dedicated to posterity, because if we cannot understand the past, we cannot move into the future as a community equipped with minds destined for innovation. Through the exploration of ideas relating to history, theory, and morality, Honors offers students a rich and diverse foundation for learning in any discipline. Expanding the Honors experience to something beyond the confines of a traditional classroom via May Term trips such as Service Learning in Thailand and the Natural Sciences of Hawaii also enhances student learning. Whether through immersing students in the impoverished regions of Thailand or helping us analyze the natural rock formations of Hawaii, these encounters apply interdisciplinary learning broadly. Additionally, the collaborative effort between Utah high schools and the Honors program—hosting the annual Academic Decathlon at Westminster each January— demonstrates Honors students’ interest in helping future students imagine a place for themselves in a rigorous collegiate environment. Honors has indeed changed significantly during my four years at Westminster, but these changes have mostly turned on helping empower a community of learners who can inspire positive change. Although that path might sometimes seem long and treacherous, I’d encourage you to maximize your potential and embrace the chaos. -Demetri Coombs page 9 2011 Senior Thesis Abstracts Students seeking Honors degrees must complete a thesis, usually in the student’s major, though an emphasis is placed on cross-disciplinary research. All students must present their thesis orally in some format; many choose to present at Westminster’s Undergraduate Research Fair, NCHC, or WRHC, while some students choose to hold their own presentations in Nunemaker Place. A selection of abstracts from the graduating class of 2011 follows. “The Gender of Madness: Examining the Hysteria of Women in late 19th to mid-20th century American Women’s Literature” Caroline Hill • English My senior thesis will focus on several American novels and short stories written by female authors from the late 19th to the mid-20th century through a synthesized psychological, historical, and women’s studies lens. Using the literary works of Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Kate Chopin, and Sylvia Plath, I will attempt to interpret many of the female protagonists’ or authors’ descent into a sort of “madness” as a negative reaction to the limitations of their white, middle-upper class gender roles, focusing on early to mid-20th century domestic roles in particular. In each piece, I will then demonstrate a correlation between a female protagonist’s descent into “madness” and her own dissatisfaction with the limitations of her gender role within the domestic realm, highlighting the limited, but significant, changes in women’s rights that distinguish the experience of Plath’s protagonist from those of Gilman and Chopin. “Voices of Grand Staircase-Escalante: A Question of Ecocritical Literary License” Cassidy Jones • English The area encompassed by and surrounding Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (GSENM) in south central Utah is in many ways the modern American frontier. As remarkably remote terrain and as recently preserved land managed by the Bureau of Land Management, GSENM raises contemporary environmental and social issues about public lands and wilderness. Ecocritical literary studies strive to understand a cross-pollinating relationship between human culture and nonhuman nature. Concurrently, GSENM invites ecocritics to consider human perspectives on preservation and the literary license of those who write about preserved lands. This thesis presents and ecocritically evaluates literature written by both urban and rural authors about Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. This vast range of human perspectives on GSENM evidences an incomplete presentation of the purpose and proper usage of environment in literature. I suggest that an inclusive ecocritical literary conversation could help cultivate sustainable approaches to environmental stewardship. “Indulging in Equitation: A Dramaturgical Analysis of Peter Shaffer’s Equus” Tracy Hansford • Theatre The research is intended to create a dramaturgical packet for the play Equus by Peter Shaffer, which Westminster College produced in spring 2011. A dramaturgical packet includes research on relevant aspects of the play. This packet is a resource for the director, actors, and designers which assures the company is informed as they work towards a unified production. Research will include: information about the author; the setting of the production; the time period; character biographies; important social, cultural and religious references; descriptions of previous productions of the show and reviews; set designs; costumes styles; productions styles and concepts. Discussion topics will also include nudity on stage; hypnosis; a psychoanalytic analysis of the characters; information about Christian beliefs regarding sex; and lastly, information about horses, stables, and riders. It is important to describe why Westminster College has chosen this production so that actors know and understand the motivation of the department for mounting this challenging and controversial show. “Airline Deregulation’s Impact on the Abnormal Development of Airline Structure” Cody Proulx • Economics The process of airline deregulation in 1978 generated a number of different effects on the industry as a whole, such as the modified route structures, changes in consumer airfares, and the development of both increased competition between airlines as well as increased control over airports by individual airlines. This environment contains abnormalities that otherwise would not occur in typical competitive markets. They were brought on by a history of regulation followed by deregulation, a process known as a market-structuring process. Although the pressures of historical dynamics indicate the inadequacy of deregulation to eliminate abnormalities, the benefits of deregulation would likely reverse if reregulation occured. “Stuck Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Why the European Union Must Deal with Gazprom” Cooper Henderson • Economics Infrastructure left behind by the Soviet Union combined with the proven natural gas deposits in West Siberia establishes Russia as a dominant producer of natural gas now and in the future. Construction of new natural gas fields on the Yamal Peninsula, increased pipeline capacity from Russian production facilities, and strategic export markets within the European Union demonstrate that Russia is poised and eager to become the World’s most important supplier of natural gas. More specifically, the completion of the Nord Stream and South Stream pipelines and projected increases in the global demand for natural gas will give Gazprom, Russia’s state-sponsored natural gas corporation, unparalleled clout within the Europe Union. The potential for economic, political, or social instability in other nations with significant potential as exporters, particularly those in the Middle East, amplifies Russia’s dominant standing within the global natural gas industry. Currently, the European Union lacks the infrastructure necessary to decompress liquefied natural gas for large-scale consumption, cementing Gazprom’s standing in the European market for energy. Path dependence provides a theoretical perspective for understanding the long-term implications of constructing the Nord Stream and South Stream pipelines for Gazprom and the European Union, including the potential for an aversion to technology and consumer preferences within the European market for energy. This path dependent aversion to technology and consumer preferences would result from sunk costs associated with constructing intercontinental pipelines, the durability of intercontinental pipelines, and increasing returns that prominent economic agents receive based on the extent that intercontinental pipelines are used. Ultimately, the path dependent nature of transporting natural gas through intercontinental pipelines from Russia to consumers within the European Union will, to a great extent, influence how Europe consumes energy for decades. page 10 “Probando (Tasting/Testing/Proving) Latino Identity in the Translation of Como Agua Para Chocolate” Erika Rodriguez • English Although English-dominant and English-only Latinos in the United States are a steadily growing population, historically they have been largely ignored by translation and ethnic studies scholars as an audience for Latin American literature. Many scholars and writers view the loss of Spanish in Latino populations detrimental to their cultural identification. However, translations of Latin American literature preserve the essential story, which leads to the question: What is being lost in translation? Do translations from Latin American literature into English alter the ability of English-dominant Latin Americans living in the United States to identify with the Latino identity portrayed in the text? Comparing the word choice and sentence structure of the Spanish and English versions of Like Water for Chocolate illustrates how the translation affects a reader’s ability to connect with that Latino identity, as well as with the rest of the text. “The Benefits of Exposure to Nature for Survivors of Domestic Violence” Jessica Hawks • Social Sciences Due to increasing amounts of technology in our society, many people have experienced a dramatic decrease in the amount of time spent in nature. Research suggests that this lack of exposure to nature has been detrimental to individuals, and that greater exposure to nature correlates with psychological and physiological benefits. The goal of the proposed study is to determine whether individuals who have experienced domestic violence would experience increased benefits if they engaged in a program that combined traditional group and individual therapy with gardening. In order to explore this question, the proposed study will incorporate at least ten survivors of domestic violence who will participate in the same group counseling program and have similar access to green space. This paper will also explore whether an individual’s connectedness to nature influences the level of benefits that he/she is capable of receiving when exposed to nature. “Species and Hybrid Recognition Within Utah Oak Populations” Jacob Wayman • Biology Quercus gambelii and Quercus turbinella are two oak species indigenous to different regions in Utah. Because oaks hybridize readily, it has been proposed that a small number of trees with morphologically intermediate leaf characteristics found along the Wasatch front are hybrids between these two species. The hybridizing event would have most likely occurred during a warm period after the last ice age. Because differentiating oak species based on physical morphology is difficult and inexact, we are developing a simple and dependable genetic assay that can be used to discern Quercus gambelii from Quercus turbinella and to identify hybrids of those two species. We are testing several primer sets, including some RAPD primers, to find distinguishing genetic characteristics for each tree population. We will use this assay to identify known and suspected hybrids. “Wilderness Experience Facilitation: A Qualitative Look at Whitewater Guiding on the San Juan River of Southern Utah” Lena Bain • Social Sciences What makes an effective outdoor educator? This paper considers effective outdoor education facilitation techniques as well as factors related to female outdoor leaders, educating children in the wilderness, and guide characteristics that may contribute to client biases. These themes are explored utilizing surveys of the American Southwest river guiding community in combination with a review of the literature. The rationale for the guide’s career choice as well as their personal sentiments towards the river are included to provide deeper insight into this largely understudied group. Particular emphasis was placed on the San Juan River as an exceptional classroom for outdoor education. It is hoped that the models and techniques investigated in the research will provide useful tools to assist education goals and foster effective river trips for guides and clients alike. “The Feminization of Poverty: Women and Welfare in the United States” Camber Stoddard • Economics In an affluent nation like the United States where there are means, either public or private, to provide for all citizens, it is unjust and unacceptable that poverty still exists. Poverty has become a growing institution that seems to be following a distinct trend of feminization. I plan to follow this progression of poverty as an institution, specifically through the lens of feminization, focusing mostly on the last decade with a brief, but broad, historical perspective to give context to my discussion. I will consider how welfare is currently implemented, comparing it to past welfare programs and discuss its effectiveness in alleviating the complex issue of poverty for those most greatly affected, specifically women, in a generally affluent society. I will then use this discussion to formulate policy recommendations regarding our current and potential welfare systems. “Serine Protease and Hemolysin Production by Urogenital Isolates of Enterococcus Faecalis: an Integral Mechanism of Urinary Tract Infections” Demetrius Coombs • Microbiology Although the bacterium Enterococcus faecalis harmlessly inhabits the intestinal tracts of all humans, it remains a paramount cause of urinary tract infections worldwide. This investigation examined the frequency and concentration of several proteins intimately associated with infectiousness, and the conditions in which E. faecalis secretes them. We hypothesized that exposure to urine within the culture environment, simulating the urinary tract, will generate a significant increase in the production of these destructive proteins. Exposure to urine increased the activity of specific, degenerative proteins by approximately 50-175%, suggesting that the ability of E. faecalis to cause disease remains associated with some clinical strains and that exposure to urine heavily influences gene expression. This observed increase in protein activity implicates these molecules as having a possible role in clinical urinary infections and disease, and the necessity for exploring treatments beyond traditional antibiotics, as these may represent potential drug targets. page 11 Dear Honorables, As we come to the close of one more semester, we look back on a fantastic year for our program. We were challenged in new and different ways this semester: from the search for a new professor to the introduction of new Honors classes and the expansion of our little community to include more students and professors, we are experiencing some exciting changes in the program. Though some things change, some stay the same—like our dedication to the students and their experiences in the program. As we prepare to say goodbye to another school year and another senior class, we look forward to everything that is to come next year, and we eagerly anticipate experiencing it all together! We can’t wait to continue our tradition of awesomeness and work with all of you during our upcoming school year! Your 2010-2011 Student Honors Council Left to right: Hailey Henderson (Treasurer), Camber Stoddard (Vice President), Jake Wayman (President), and Marya Smith (Secretary). Dear Friends, The students in the Westminster Honors program continually transform it. From individuals pursing science and art to those dedicated to lacrosse and soccer, Honors brings together students with diverse interests and experiences. With every class, these combinations of people make neat things happen, like when young students take up social issues discussed in class and develop a project to make a change locally. Finally, an alum’s firsthand view of a tumultuous world scene shows that Honors develops a community devoted to pushing the limits in the classroom and beyond. We at Honorable Mention chronicle these changes in the program, but we also observe Left to right: Jessie Aragon (layout), Kellie Carrigan (copy), another kind of Honors transformation. We see motivated students enter the Elizabeth Nelson (layout), Cassidy Jones (layout), and Honors program, watch as they leave their mark on every inch of the Westminster Jackie Wilson (copy). Community, and hear about their post-graduation efforts to take part in a changing world. The best part of creating Honorable Mention is watching our friends grow and change. We are honored to record the developments that define each of you during your tenure with Westminster Honors and after graduation. This semester we thank Cassidy for her contributions to the newsletter; we’re excited to hear about the next developments in her life. We also welcome Kellie and Jessie to the team and look forward to the changes they will inevitably bring to Honorable Mention. Have a tremendous summer, folks. Keep makin’ big moves in your lives and out in the world—we’ll be watching. Honorably Yours, Cassidy Jones, Jackie Wilson, Elizabeth Nelson, Kellie Carrigan, and Jessie Aragon Co-editors of Honorable Mention Honors Program Westminster College 1840 S. 1300 E. Salt Lake City, UT 84105 www.westminstercollege.edu/honors We will be nationally recognized as an exemplary community of learners, distinguished by our distinctive educational programs, our record of preparing graduates for success in a rapidly changing world, and our commitment to continuous improvement, effectiveness, and value.