In November 2014, three students from The Ohio State University at Newark attended and presented their original research at the 2014 National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC) Conference held in Denver, Colorado. The conference theme, “Thrill of the Climb”, was selected in recognition of the many challenges, new and old, that are faced today in Honors education coupled with the understanding of the deep rewards that come from taking on these challenges.
In photo above (left to right) Dr. Stephanie Brown, Bryce Jones, Chelsea Hinshaw and Debra Fitch attend the NCHC Conference in Denver, Colorado.
Featured speaker at the event, Erik Weihenmayer, believes that we must constantly challenge ourselves to grow and evolve, to “climb” while others “camp”.
“It is an honor for our students to be recognized and to present their research at a well-respected national conference like NCHC, stated Jen Anthony, director, community access at Ohio State Newark. “These three students have done brilliant work throughout the year, and it was a privilege to attend the conference with them and see their hard work pay off. They truly did an exceptional job and they, along with the entire campus community, should be proud”, she continued.
Students begin by submitting a Poster Session Proposal which includes an abstract that summarizes the student’s research, including outcomes. These abstracts should clearly state the significance of the project in terms that can be understood by a general audience and clearly convey the student’s original analytical, critical or creative contribution to his or her discipline. At the conference, students present their research or fine art in the form of a standard poster. All work is judged by NCHC faculty judges and includes a numerical score and qualitative feedback for student presenters.
The following are abstracts from each of the three students’ presentations at the conference, students who have chosen to experience the thrill of the “climb” to new heights of intellectual and personal development.
Debra Fitch
From The Handmaid’s Tale to Bumped: The Continuing Discourse Concerning Women’s Reproductive Rights in Dystopian Fiction
I’ve been interested in The Handmaid’s Tale and books like it since the 1980s; however, I wasn’t familiar with the term “dystopian” until much later. When Professor Brown offered a dystopian-themed course, my research paper for her class became the spark for this ongoing research project which combines my two favorite genres – dystopian and YA literature.
I’m majoring in English with Research Distinction, and I’ve also completed a minor in creative writing. I’ll be graduating at the end of this semester.
Chelsea Hinshaw
Mysterious Bones: The Lost Key to New Orleans’s Odd Fellows Rest
I owe my first trip to New Orleans to the service learning class at the Newark campus –The LeFevre Fellows. This particular year (AU12-SP12) was really unique for this class as other students and I were able to visit New Orleans twice: once at the end of autumn semester and again at the end of spring semester. The second trip, I joined a fellow student in completing a documentary on Jazz Funerals which was all filmed on site in New Orleans. This fascination with the Jazz Funerals of New Orleans led to my fascination with New Orleans’s unique graveyards, and once again I returned to New Orleans on spring break of this year and began my research on cemeteries there, focusing on a cemetery called “Odd Fellows Rest”.
I plan to graduate in Spring of 2016 with a major in German, minors in English and creative writing, and a minor in Anthropology
Bryce Jones
Berlin, 1989: Sex, Drugs and the GDR
I’m a senior studying English and History. I will graduate by the end of 2015, after which I plan to apply for masters programs in the UK. Currently my research interests center on apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic narratives and how societies function when the human race is threatened with extinction. I have also spent time in Germany and enjoy writing about the representations of Berlin, Germany, in historical fiction.
Also attending the conference was Stephanie Brown, associate professor of English at Ohio State Newark. “ We were most impressed by the originality of the research being presented at the NCHC conference, as well as by the professionalism of the presenters, including, of course, our own students”.
The 2015 NCHC Conference is being held on November 11-15th and will take place in Chicago, IL. Its theme is “Make No Little Plans”. Ohio State Newark students, Lenise Sunnenberg and Bryce Jones have submitted their research for possible inclusion in the event. Lenise’s research topic is New Orleans’s Mardi Gras Indian Queens: Exploring the Intersection of Race, Gender and Culture in a Unique Tradition. Bryce’s research topic is Dystopian Intellectuals and Survival in Apocalyptic and Post-Apocalyptic Narratives.
Please congratulate your fellow honor peers with their excellent work!