Honors Program

[ N E W S L E T T E R ]

WELCOME BACK!

[ Spring 2019 Issue 1 ]
INSIDE
THIS
ISSUE:

All-Honors Meeting
Service Initiatives
Contracts & Independent Studies
Student Spotlights
Announcements

Morgan Whitlow is a sophomore Honors
student in the illustration department. She
enjoys playing with silly animals, characters,
and images that are a little offbeat.
Recently she has been getting a kick out of
Western themed artwork, so she has been
drawing a lot of cowboys and chickens.
Being in the illustration department at
Edinboro, Morgan finds it “really cool to
have a small community because we are all
able to bounce ideas off of each other and
have a really great time while doing it!”

ON
THE
COVER:

[ check out more of Morgan’s art on Instagram at
@morganwhitlowart ]

CONTACT
US:

HONORS OFFICE
103 Earp Hall, Edinboro, PA
16444
Phone: (814) 732-2981
Fax: (814) 732-2982
DIRECTOR
Dr. Roger Solberg
rsolberg@edinboro.edu
OFFICE MANAGER
Sue Althof
salthof@edinboro.edu
STUDENT STAFF
Katie Holt
kh163169@scots.edinboro.edu
Julia Love
jl160034@scots.edinboro.edu
Brooklynn Goodworth
bg163654@scots.edinboro.edu

All-Honors Meeting

Photo retrieved from Lyons Den Production’s Facebook Page

Edinboro Honors students braved the cold on Thursday, January 31

to welcome
John Lyons, a local filmmaker and Edinboro staff member. Lyons spoke with the
students about his work, beginning with the showing of a short film entitled Our
Erie, a portrait of the city in response to its negative portrayal on popular news
channels recently. Lyons recommended some of his favorite films and opened up
about his passion for filmmaking. He summarized each of his films and took Honors
students behind-the-scenes, discussing the mechanics of shooting and editing
footage, and offering advice for how to handle unexpected challenges.
Lyons spoke about the process of funding independent films and the art of
crowd funding before discussing his newest project, still in the making, called
Unearth. The film is a horror story about fracking filmed in the Edinboro and Erie
areas starring local and professional Hollywood actors. Details of the evolution of
the film were included in Lyons’ presentation, and he gave the Honors students a
first look at his footage, making Edinboro Honors students the first non-crew eyes
to see edited shots from the forthcoming project.
st

Service Initiatives

HONORS STUDENTS SHAYMA
MUSA AND LEAH PILEWSKI
HEAD A CAMPUS COMPOSTING
PROJECT
Edinboro Honors students are not slacking this year when
it comes to amazing projects. Shayma and Leah noticed the
Van Hauten garden and other efforts for composting waste,
and are in the process of beginning a functional system
for waste management on campus. Below, Shayma details the
experience so far.

“The idea of starting up a composting program on campus started out as a kind
of absentminded comment. Me and Leah, my partner in this project, where
walking out of a late class and she was talking about how she hated throwing
away her fruit peels when on campus, because she composts at home. That one
idea kind of acted like a catalyst to this whole project. A few weeks later we
talked to a professor who asked us to consult another professor who was
passionate about composting. This helped us develop an idea of what would be
viable to start-up on campus.
So, by the time we had talked to everyone it was winter break. Over the break
we researched college composting programs, and through one of Leah’s friends
learned that Penn State Behrend has a program, so we contacted them and
spoke to them about how they implemented their program, and the logistics of
the entire operation. After much research and thinking about what would best
fit the Edinboro campus, we decided that the best place to start was a pilot
program.
One of the first people we contacted was Justin Stull, the executive chef at Van
Hauten Dinning Hall. He stood out to us because of his efforts to start the Van
Hauten Garden, we thought that he would be a good person to talk to because
he knew the process of starting up something like this. We’re currently in the
process of solidifying our plans for how we want to conduct this pilot study.”
- Shayma Musa, co-partner of project

Contracts & Independent Studies

Every semester, Honors students are given the
opportunity to get more out of their non-honors
classes through a contracted course. Students work
with their professors to develop an extra project,
paper, or something else to gain Honors credit.
Contracts are challenging, rewarding, and usually
really enjoyable! Listed below are some of the inprogress contracts for this semester.

E l i z a b e t h
B e n n e t t
In order to achieve honors credit for PSYC225 (Psych Statistics), I will be
required to complete an additional final project. This will require readings
from a supplementary textbook, which will then be discussed during out-ofclass meetings with the professor. I will then be given a set of data from a
mock study and will be responsible for analyzing it using SPSS, and will be
responsible for running the appropriate differential and analytical
statistics. After the analysis, I will be required to provide a written
summary of the results, including graphs and charts, what will be
formatted in APA style.

L e a h
P i l e w s k i
I am doing research with Dr. Foradori and Shayma Musa. We are doing
research which involves isolating specific proteins and enzymes that are
known to inhibit angiogenesis in bee venom. Angiogenesis is a process by
which new blood vessels form from pre-existing vessels. This becomes an
important process when it comes to cancer because cancer tumors need
blood vessels to grow in order for them to gain the nutrients they need to
metastasize. Beause tumors and cancer cells need these blood vessels, we
are looking to find cellular components located in bee venom that will
inhibit the blood vessels’ growth.

Contracts & Independent Studies

K y l e H u r y z
I'm conducting research with Dr. Michael Morrison of the Business and
Economics Department regarding the effect of the British Petroleum oil
spill on overseas shipping costs. There appears to be a significant
upward spike in overseas freight costs and a downward spike in
airfreight costs around 2010. The oil spill, which occurred in that year,
could have caused the sudden price changes. However, the regression
model that illustrates the changes does not break down shipping costs
by port of entry. This research will attempt to explain the extreme price
fluctuations by developing models that show how freight costs have
changed since 1975 by port of entry. If we parse the data and the spike
disappears in ports that were unaffected by the disaster, then the spill is
a probable explanation. If not, then more research will be needed to
explain the phenomenon.
M o r g a n
K i n g e n
I am very excited to contract my Tech for Teach and Learning class with
Dr. Dempsey. I will be working with Erie County 4-H members to create a
portfolio that includes the multiple projects the program has to offer. I
will be using QR codes to link information to a website. A QR code is the
small, square, black and white object that you see on posters and
informational objects.I hope that I can teach the members more about
incorporating technology into their lives. I am excited to contract this
class and take the next step to advancing my education.

Consider a contract next semester – they are
worth 2 HOPs points and allow you to get so much
more experience out of your non-honors classes.

Student Spotlights
R A C H E L

M A L Y

Honors student Rachel Maly is a sculpture major. Last semester, her contract was
especially intriguing, involving the combination of writing and sculpture. The interaction
of the two came naturally to Rachel as her sculptures are frequently driven by narrative.
Her recent body of work, and her contracted course, involve a specific set of stories to be
compiled into an anthology, all telling tales of animals in our environment.
The work that was developed during this contract was also accepted into Chimera, a
curated collection of student work that is displayed at the Erie Art Museum and compiled
into a graphic book. It follows a group of rabbits, or “dirtbunnies” as Rachel has
nicknamed them, trying to outrun a bulldozer that seeks to destroy their habitat.
The rabbits are
made from a
combination of
lightweight
spackling paste and
dirt over a wire
armature. This was
an experimental
material for Rachel,
and she was
“amazed that it
worked, shocked
even.” She recalled
at the Chimera
show opening how
fascinated viewers
were with the
material.
Rachel’s work aims to give voices to creatures without them, as she considers herself a
political artist with a motive to bring awareness to the sometimes gruesome reality of
animal experience. She is largely inspired by literary works of Henry David Thoreau and
George Orwell, Walden and 1984. She looks to the art of the 19th century French group of
artists who called themselves “Les Animaliers” – giving voices to animals in the 1800s.

Student Spotlights

The following is an excerpt from Rachel’s short story, The Legend of the
Eyes and Ears of the Earth:
“The rabbits watched and listened and sat so
still, that every once in a while, an animal
would join them in watching. ‘Like mange on the
earth.’ A fox thought of the houses and padded
sadly away.
When it began to snow, the humans left. True to
form, they returned at first thaw. After walking
in and out of houses carrying an array of
strange objects, they stuck small trees and
shrubs in the ground.
The rabbits felt the earth welcome these new
plants but knew that the earth still remembered
and mourned the ones that used to grow there.
“Now they want the plants back after they
destroyed them. What was wrong with the other
trees? There had been a maple there about the
same size.” The oldest remarked pointing his
nose at a russet house at the end of a row.
Soon, new groups of humans arrived with young
and moved into the houses. The rabbits knew from
the soil the young human tracked into the house
that the humans lived in these houses. Feeling
that the Place of Houses may be safe, animals
began to return to the former field. Rabbits and
ground hogs found shelter beneath shrubs, and
song birds roosted in delicate young trees.”

Rachel has also completed a work entitled Albatross that follows the
story of a bird who has mistakenly been fed plastic, inspired by the
documentary Plastic Ocean. It follows this albatross through an epic
story, similar to the rabbits, of hardship, death, and resurrection.
For more, or to read the endings of these stories, contact Rachel at
rm153204@scots.edinboro.edu, or look for her at upcoming gallery
events.

Student Spotlights
S A R A H

W A T S O N

Sarah Watson is an Early Childhood Education major who, through a
previous contract, sought out information and implementation on
strategies for integrating STEM into elementary classrooms.
Sarah was curious and inspired to dedicate a semester to this project
because of her passion for math and discussions about STEM
integration in other courses.
To achieve this, Sarah interviewed members of local school districts
that had an established program for STEM incorporation. Sarah
recalls feeling surprised when she learned about the lack of
materials the schools had. She says that this drove her to collect
donated supplies from these programs to give to her hometown
school in Cambridge Springs. The supplies included tool and building
materials, and board games.
Through this experience, Sarah gained a new perspective on STEM
integration in early childhood. She considers the main idea behind
successful integration is authentic learning experiences and
instructing realistically, “rather than just a worksheet,” or the like.
Sarah actually wishes to continue this project by checking in with the
schools who received supplies from her last semester. She hopes to
record the changes they saw in their students and if STEM is
becoming more accessible to them. She hopes to bring this research
to the National Collegiate Honors Council conference to share her
newfound expertise in STEM integration.

Important Announcements
N Y C
The Honors Program is hosting a trip to the Big Apple this April. The cost
is only $25 – stop by the office for more information and to sign up!

Harrisburg Honors Student Leadership Conference
Eight students will be headed to Harrisburg on Monday, March 25th to
attend a conference centered around Honors education. Stay tuned for
the next Newsletter to hear about knowledge gained from this
experience.
Honors Housing Moved for Next Semester
Beginning in Fall 2019, Honors housing will be in Highlands 1. The office
will move with it. Stay tuned for more information!

Honors Office Position Open Next Fall
We’re hiring! We’re looking for someone who’s dedicated to their
education and the education of their peers, is hard working, and wants
the coolest job ever! Stop into the office to inquire.
Applications Open for Fall 2019 Mentor Program
This opportunity for service hours is a great way to help incoming
freshmen orient themselves to college life. Contact Brooklynn for more
information on how to apply!