explorate University of Missouri Honors College Newsletter
All’s Fair in Love and War
Student Spotlight
Dr. Keller’s Science Wars course
Freshman Hannah Hercher
New school year, new scholars HC Induction Ceremony
September 10, 2014 | honors.missouri.edu
- explorate - - (ex-plo-raht) is a explorate plural imperative form of the - - “to exLatin verb explorare, plore.” Drawing on the Honors College motto, Explore. - Dream. Discover., explorate invites students to seek out every opportunity available to them.
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- - contributors explorate editor Rachel Koehn staff reporters Siyu Lei Kate Maxcy Jacob Renie Kelsie Schrader Congrong Zheng HC staff advisor Megan Boyer
Cover photo courtesy of John Kumia.
in this issue 3 Announcements & Upcoming Passport Events 5 New school year, new scholars HC Induction Ceremony
7 Student Spotlight
Freshman Hannah Hercher
9 Faculty: All’s Fair in Love and War Dr. Keller ’s Science Wars course
11
Dr. West on
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Announcements DECEMBER 2014 GRADUATES: Apply for the Honors Certificate and for Participation in the Honors Convocation Applications for December 2014 Honors Graduation are due September 12th, 2014.
Please print and complete the Application for Graduation with the Honors Certificate and for Participation in the Honors Convocation, and return it to 210 Lowry Hall.
Application for Graduation with the Honors Certificate: Upon completion of the required honors course work, students must apply for their Honors Certificate and for participation in the Honors Convocation.
Your Honors Certificate eligibility will be verified after Graduation to confirm that your GPA is still within the eligibility limits, that Learning-by-Contract courses are complete, and to make certain you have completed 20 total honors credit hours. Participation in the Honors Convocation does not guarantee you will be awarded the Honors Certificate.
Application for Participation in the Honors Convocation: Eligibility to participate in the Honors Convocation will be made based on the honors credits for which you are enrolled in your final semester (if any), along with the honors credits listed on your transcript and your cumulative GPA as recorded at the end of the semester prior to the one in which you graduate. (For example, if you plan to participate in the Spring Honors Convocation, you must have (or must be enrolled to complete) at least 20 eligible honors credits and have a 3.5 cumulative GPA at the end of the Fall Semester. Students must complete the application no later than the end of the third week of classes in their final semester. Graduating students who do not apply in time will not be eligible to participate in the Honors Convocation.
Upcoming Study Abroad Information Sessions
The International Center will be hosting several information sessions for the winter break 2014/15 faculty-led study abroad programs. Below is a list of the scheduled sessions: Ecuador: Biology, Culture and Sustainability | led by Heidi Appel Wednesday, Sept. 10, 3 p.m. in 2206A Student Center | international.missouri.edu/ecuador Spanish Language and Costa Rican Culture | led by Jacquelyn Sandone Thursday, Sept. 11, 3 p.m. in 2206A Student Center | international.missouri.edu/costarica
Peru: Politics in the Andes |led by Moises Arce Thursday, Sept. 11, 4 p.m. in 2206A Student Center |international.missouri.edu/peru-politics Trinidad: Culture and Pan Music | led by Julia Gaines Monday, Sept. 15, 3:00 p.m. in N206 Memorial Union | international.missouri.edu/trinidad
As a reminder, the International Center study abroad application deadline for winter break 2014/15 programs is Sept. 22.
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Information Sessions for NSF Graduate Fellowships GRFP Overview: This national fellowship provides three years of financial support ($32,000-per-year) plus tuition waiver for beginning graduate study leading to a research-based degree in biological sciences, computer sciences, chemistry, engineering, geosciences, information science, social sciences, life sciences, mathematics, psychology, physics, astronomy or STEM Education. Eligible: - First and second year graduate students who have not yet earned a master’s degree. - Re-admitted graduate students with a break in study of more than 2 years (contact us for details) - Seniors who will begin graduate study the fall of 2015 - Must be a U.S. citizen, national or permanent resident alien.
See eligibility details in the official solicitation http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2014/nsf14590/nsf14590.htm?WT. mc_id=USNSF_25&WT.mc_ev=click NSF Solicitation: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2014/nsf14590/nsf14590.htm?WT.mc_id=USNSF_25&WT.mc_ ev=click
GRFP Eligibility & How-to-Apply Session Note: for those with schedule conflicts, students may join any one of these sessions as basic information is the same: Social Science Students Mon, Sept 15, 4-5 PM 2205 B MU Student Center
STEM Students Mon, Sept 15, 5-6 PM 2205 B MU Student Center
College of Engineering Students Tues, Sept 23, 4-5 PM Ketcham Auditorium
Undergraduate Research Dr. Linda Blockus blockusl@missouri.edu 573-882-5979
Graduate Studies Dr. Robin Walker walkerrob@missouri.edu 573-882-8629
RSVP link is https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Attend-GRFP-Session Additional information can be found at: http://grfpessayinsights.missouri.edu For questions, please contact: Fellowships Office Tim Parshall Parshallt@missouri.edu 573-884-4661
New Deadline for DAAD RISE
Please note that the deadline for applications for the DAAD RISE program has recently changed. The new deadline is January 15, 2015. RISE is a summer internship program for undergraduate students from the United States, Canada and the UK in the fields of biology, chemistry, physics, earth sciences and engineering. RISE offers unique opportunities for Bachelor students to work with research groups at universities and top research institutions across Germany for a period of 2 to 3 months during the summer. For additional information and details on how to apply, please visit:www.daad.de/rise/en/
* Please note that the deadlines for RISE professional and RISE worldwide have remained the same.
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New school year, new scholars Raffle prizes, advice among Induction Ceremony takeaways By Kate Maxcy
Incoming freshmen in the Honors College gathered at the Missouri Theatre for the third annual Honors College Induction Ceremony on August 23. The inductees heard from Honors College Director Dr. Nancy West, Vice Provost for Undergraduate Studies Dr. Jim Spain, and student ambassador Rachel Koehn about becoming engaged and involved within the Honors College, following the values of the university, and taking risks in order to learn about oneself while at Mizzou. Inductees also recited the Honors Pledge with Associate Director Dr. Steven Keller. During the reception, students mingled with fellow freshmen and MU faculty and staff, and had the chance to get involved by signing up for book clubs. The end of the ceremony featured a raffle, in which door prizes from Sparky’s, Rag Tag Cinema, the Blue Note, Yogoluv, and even a lunch with Dr. Nancy West were won. Throughout the ceremony students were asked to tweet using the hashtag #MizzouHonors. Check out what some inductees had to say:
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756 Top 12
6. CA MN Home States: 8. AR 1. MO 9. OK 2. IL TN 3. TX 11. IA 4. KS IN 5. CO
new honors scholars
31 1344 Average ACT
Average SAT
Top 10 Majors: 1. Undeclared Journalism (185) 2. Undeclared Arts & Science (118) 3. Undeclared Engineering (82) 4. Biological Sciences (78) 5. Biochemistry (29) 6. Animal Sciences (26) 7. Chemistry (22) Pre-Nursing (22) 9. Psychology (21) 10. Pre-Health Professions (17) Top: Dr. West poses with the Mistresses of Ceremony, Emma McIntyre (left) and Emma Krachmalnick (right). | Middle: Incoming Honors College students sign their names on a class board. | Bottom: Kristina Wright, Medopp Program Manager and Chief Health Professions Advisor; Megan Boyer, Academic Adviser; and Kristina Bradley, Academic Adviser greet students at the reception. All photos courtesy of John Kumia.
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STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
Hannah Hercher
by Siyu Lei
“I went to Duke (University),” freshman Hannah and [the counselor] kind of explained to me that the Hercher said, talking about her multiple college vis- Honors College does an amazing job with making its. Florida, North Carolina and Ohio are just some [MU] feel so much smaller, like one of the more presof the many places that the Missouri native went to tigious, smaller private universities,” Hercher said. for her different college tours. “I thought it was really cool. You also have all the “Before I looked more in-depth at schools, I want- resources of a huge state university, then you also ed to go really far away, either the East Coast or Cali- have the quality classes and professors of a smaller fornia,” Hercher said. school, which is really nice.” But before all these other lonAs a Show-Me Scholar, Herchger trips, Hercher visited the er’s first official contact with the University of Missouri during Honors College was at a luncheon the fall semester of her junior that she was invited to attend. She Do you have a story that year in high school. Hercher said met Honors College Director Dr. because of her hope to go to a Nancy West at the luncheon. deserves to be in the university somewhere further “I felt like [the Honors College] spotlight? If you or someaway, she even had “a little bit really desired that I come here, one you know has a of attitude before visiting.” MU and they are going to provide me story that you would li k e was her very first college visit, with a lot of cool opportunities,” and now as an MU freshman, she Hercher said. to see in the Honors Collaughs about that experience. Months later, Hercher found lege Newsletter’s student For Hercher, MU is a university herself sitting in Dr. West’s Genspotli g ht, let us know! that is less than two hours away eral Honors 3113H class as a first from her home in a St. Louis semester freshman, discussing suburb. There are many reasons the topics regarding mental illness Send your story idea and that led Hercher to become one and exploring the intersections contact information to of the over 25,000 undergradubetween the fields of psychiatry, si y ulei @ mai l .mi s souri . edu. ate students enrolled at MU this literature, film and art. fall: her family, the tuition, the “We do a lot of reading,” Hercampus visit. Among all these cher said. “It’s kind of fascinating reasons, Hercher said, a very big push was being actually.” able to join the Honors College. Being able to take upper level classes, including Hercher first learned about the Honors College the ones offered by the Honors College, is one of the from her high school counselor. benefits that Hercher enjoys as a Show-Me Scholar. “I wasn’t sure if I wanted such a big university, She took full advantage of this benefit by enroll-
What’s Your Story?
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ing in 17 credit hours of courses. Her academic advisor suggested dropping a class, but Hercher decided not to after trying them out during the first week of school. “I didn’t end up dropping any because I like all of them,” Hercher said. “I am actually looking forward to going to them.” Besides Dr. West’s class, Hercher is also in two other Honors College courses. One is a Spanish class, and the other is an Honors College tutorial about food science, which is relevant to her major. There are also many reasons that Hercher decided to major in Food Science and Nutrition, but the most important reason is probably her passion for food and cooking. “I’ve loved to cook since I was little,” Hercher said. She likes to make guacamole and chocolate chip cookies because “everyone loves those two.” Hercher was once a restaurant hostess, going in and out of the kitchen. She has also done an internship at a St. Louis company that develops soy-based products. During her time at the com-
Photo courtesy of Hannah Hercher.
pany’s sensory department, she helped set up for the taste tests. This experience spurred her interest in food science research. However, Hercher wants to keep her options open. She found that the university provides many resources to develop her specialized interest, but it is also a great place to explore other things. “[That] is a good thing about loving cooking as a hobby, because I can always do that on the side,” Hercher said. With many passions and a lot to take in, Hercher commented that the first three weeks of her first college semester have been “a little overwhelming.” She has 8 a.m. classes every day, although she commented that she is “not a morning person.”
“School has been a little more challenging than I anticipated,” Hercher said. “But everyone I met so far has been super nice and friendly, so it has been easy to make friends.” While still finding her way around the new school and the new town, Hercher has not yet made up her mind what exactly she wants to do at MU. She is thinking about joining a service organization, something she did extensively back in high school, but meanwhile, adapting to the new environment takes some effort while also proving to be very exciting.
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FACULTY
All’s Fair in Love and War Professor Steven Keller on his Science Wars course By Kelsie Schrader Many freshman students may not have known what to expect on the first day of college classes. Would all of their classes be in a large lecture hall with 200 other students? Would their professor even know they were in the class? Would there be time for student input and discussion? Would classes be similar to the way they were in high school?
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Professor Keller, who has taught at MU for 19 years, is also one of the Associate Directors of the Honors College. Photo by Kelsie Schrader.
As it turns out, many of their classes probably are in large lecture halls, and at least one or two of them are likely smaller in size and include discussion-based elements. However, it is unlikely that many students have a class that is almost exclusively discussion-based, free of tests and papers and open to student opinions as is Professor Steven Keller’s Science Wars class—and even more unlikely that students enjoy a class as much as the students in Science Wars. Starting from the beginning of the course in 2008, Science Wars has tended to always be a fun yet thought-provoking course. Keller first had the idea for the course during the presidential campaign of 2008. There was a lot of
talk of issues such as climate change, prescription drugs and the like, and Keller says that was when he really got interested in the concepts. He created the course and taught it in the fall of 2008, presenting it as a course based on discussion of a few large, controversial topics. He taught it two more years after that—until 2010— but this semester is the first time he has taught it since then. There are three “big topics” that students discuss and debate on
throughout the semester: climate change, teaching evolution in schools and stem cell research. Prior to engaging in discussion of these topics, students spend a few weeks on science literacy—learning and establishing a common scientific language that enables students to discuss these topics as scientists would using the correct terminology. Once students have displayed accurate knowledge of such scientific terms, they begin to look at each of the three topics. They spend three weeks on each topic. One week is spent discussing the scientific details behind the topics, another week is spent looking at policy issues concerning the topics, and the final week is spent debating on the topics. Keller said he reserves the last three weeks of the class for whatever issue may arise or for whatever issue the students may want to discuss. “It’s open. I want it to be flexible. It’s not a prerequisite for anything and we don’t really have any tests,” Keller says, so if the students want to talk about any
particular topic, they can do so. Keller describes the class as being very unique from other classes found around campus. Calling it “light on stress, heavy on discussion,” Keller says it gives students an opportunity to discuss opinions without needing to settle on a right answer. “A lot of times there aren’t right answers,” Keller says, and students must focus more on backing up their opinions with data or evidence. The course “really allows students to explore things in ways they wouldn’t have in high school,” Keller says, which is one of the reasons that it is reserved mostly for freshman. “It’s a great opportunity [for students] to start out [their] college career being able to think and be challenged to think” in different, more interdisciplinary ways than they have done before. Graduate student Kaleb Sellers, who sat in on the course in 2012—his “super-senior year”—says the course was “one of the most interesting, stimulating, and enjoyable courses” of his undergraduate career. He says that students at any level would likely benefit from the course and the discussions that occurred during the course. “For freshman specifically,” he adds, “I think the informal atmosphere encourages very open discussion, which is intimidating for almost all of us when we first start college.” The course, on Keller’s side of the podium, is different from many of his other courses. As the course is discussion-based and includes debates over controversial topics, Keller says it’s challenging for him in that he has his own opinions that often times are different from those of his students. How-
ever, he says it’s important to make sure that the students know their opinions are valued, even when Keller does not necessarily agree with it. Another challenging aspect of the course for Keller is “keeping the discussion in general amicable, respectful, and confidential,”—a challenge that is much different than teaching chemistry. A difference that Keller really appreciates is the course’s element of surprise. “I don’t exactly know what we’re going to do on any particular day,” he says, “because it’s really up to the students.” Their opinions guide the discussion, causing the class to be different every day. “You don’t quite know what it’s going to be until it happens,” Keller explains—an aspect of the classes he greatly enjoys. For freshman and seniors, sophomores and juniors alike, Science Wars is a class that will challenge students to think about their own opinions on topics. It will allow them to build their knowledge base on topics that are widely discussed in the real world. With no tests or quizzes to study for and no papers to write, students are free to just participate in class discussion and debates without worrying about memorizing the information. It is a class that many students have enjoyed in the past and that many are sure to enjoy in the future. And it is taught by a great professor—“Probably the best professor I’ve ever had,” comments Seller—who truly cares about the information and the students.
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Dr. West on
The Right Choice Judging from popular culture, it’s now hip to be smart. The evidence is everywhere—in movies, TV, literature, the clothing and makeup industries. Look at BBC’s Sherlock, who possesses a luminous intellect and great fashion sense. Or The Big Bang Theory, which has galvanized interest in Physics by making hyper-verbal, socially maladaptive Sheldon Cooper TV’s most loveable nerd. Or AMC’s Breaking Bad, where the real bad ass is high-school Chemistry teacher, Walter White. High school students now have the slogans “Smart is the New Cool” and “Smart is the New Gangsta” emblazoned on their T-shirts. And Engineers and IT guys—once objects of popular ridicule—have assumed heroic status because they’re the brains behind our IPhones. But all this celebration of “smart” poses some problems. To begin, “smart” emphasizes ability, not effort. We never see Sherlock Holmes work hard; his detection comes across as cool and sexy precisely because it’s effortless. A similar argument can be made about people like Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg, who for all the hours of work I’m sure they’ve clocked, are portrayed in popular culture as Boy Wonders. In celebrating smart, it seems, we’re ignoring—even discounting—the importance of working hard, overcoming challenges, accepting that occasional moments of tedium are a necessary part of acquiring knowledge. I’m reminded here of Professor Dumbledore’s famous speech to Harry Potter in The Chamber of Secrets, which I’m sure you all know. “It is not our abilities that show what we truly are, it is our choices,” Dumbledore says. Choice is what determines our character, not our natural talents. One choice I hope each of you makes as you enter this university is to use your intelligence to pursue the life of the mind: to be a smart student who views learning as both a daily habit and a lifelong process—and who recognizes the challenges and frustrations, as well as the rewards, of this choice. Some people (including me) would call such a student an “intellectual.” I realize this word may sound stodgy to some of you. Say the word “intellectual,’ and it often conjures someone pale-faced and tweedy, sexless, conceited, and aloof: someone who uses obscure words and lacks all useful skills, or pontificates on every subject, whether he knows anything about it or not. These stereotypes may be funny, but sadly, they speak to a rampant strain of anti-intellectualism in this country. As far back as 1964, Richard Hofstadter argued that American culture promotes a disdain for thoughtful contemplation in favor of more “functional” learning that guarantees higher incomes and social affluence. He was very clear in
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his insistence that Americans are not dumb.. The problem is that professional intelligence can often be mechanical, too narrowly focused, too bent on producing a result. The other problem is that in valuing this kind of intelligence, we dismiss the kind of learning that may have no other function than to make us more compassionate and interesting people. As an optimist, I believe it’s possible to change this situation—to make “intellectual” just as cool as “smart.” To do so, we first need to clarify what we mean by the word. Standard definitions don’t help. Miriam Webster, for example, defines an intellectual as a person of superior intellect, which erroneously emphasizes natural ability rather than behavior. Oxford English Dictionary defines an intellectual as an extremely rational person, ignoring how such cognitive skills as creativity, empathy, and intuition all play a role in intellectualism. And Roget’s Thesaurus defines intellectual as “someone professionally engaged in mental labor, such as a professor.” This definition is the worst of all because it suggests that only professional thinkers, such as academics, can be intellectuals. Tell that to Woody Allen or David Byrne of the Talking Heads, neither of who even went to college—and, between us, is far more learned than some of the professors I know (outside this university, of course). If I were writing my own dictionary, I’d define an intellectual as someone who
works hard for knowledge. She recognizes that learning must be sought after with ardor and diligence. And she doesn’t expect a payoff for pursuing an education. Contrary to what educators across the country are now telling students, she does not believe that “learning more” is about earning more.” An intellectual also thinks deeply. I don’t mean she has to be Kierkegaard, but she does have to possess a mind that questions, complicates, distills, and refines. She’s not content to accept explanations about the recent events in Ferguson, MO that seem reductive or naïve. Nor does she dismiss these events from her mind as unrelated to her. She knows that the pain happening there concerns us all. An intellectual also leads a curiositydriven life, lying in wait for every secret the world has to offer. He possesses a child’s sense of wonder no matter what his age or social standing. I can’t help but think of Teddy Roosevelt here. His Harvard classmates depicted him as a rapidtalking enthusiast who often wore them out with his boisterous interest in everything. He furnished his dorm rooms with piles of books, a large tortoise, sundry snakes, and a collection of lobsters. He hunted, boxed, wrote 38 books, ran a cattle ranch, and purportedly read somewhere between 3 and 4 hours every day, even when he was President. Finally--and perhaps most important of all--an intellectual is someone willing to probe the depths of her inner life, knowing that what makes a life valuable is the quality of attention paid to it. And yet, she is always ready to forget her own worries and petty distractions in order to understand all that is not her. To be someone who does all these things—works hard for knowledge, thinks deeply, and leads an examined life—requires time, silence and idleness, the absence of which is a major reason for the anti-intellectualism that runs through our country. Obsessed with doing, we find no time to simply be. Ob-
sessed with sensation, we don’t know how to appreciate stillness. Obsessed with our own self-promotion (but not our self-knowledge), we don’t know how to pay attention to others, or to take pleasure in their conversation. Look again at our “smart” heroes: Sherlock relentlessly checks his cell phone, Sheldon Cooper is always talking at people, and Walter White only became our hero when he transformed from self-effacing Chemistry teacher into a homicidal meth tycoon. Over this past week, you’ve likely been told about the importance of keeping busy—of getting involved in extracurricular activities, attending campus events, etc. But I’m going to ask you to make sure you block out time, every day, for reflection and idleness both—which means putting away your cell phones and laptops. To do so is harder, and more necessary, than ever. According to a recent survey, the average American spends 164 minutes a day (by the way, that’s 67 minutes more than we spend with our spouses, boyfriends, or girlfriends) on her cell phone. Research shows that this high frequency of cell phone use has negative effects on our physical health, particularly on our stress levels. 91% of college students own smart-phones—sending an average of 109 text messages a day, receiving just as many each day, and checking your phones 60 times on average. What if I asked you, then, to devote a portion of the time you spend on your cell phones just doing nothing? Odd advice to give honors students, but I’ve got great backup on this. “Idleness,” write neurologist Tim Kreider, is “not just a vacation, an indulgence or a vice; it is as indispensable to the brain as vitamin D is to the body.” According to Kreider, the space and quiet that idleness provides is a necessary condition for standing back from life and seeing it whole, and for making unexpected connections and waiting for the lightning strikes of inspiration. In his 1932 essay ‘In Praise of Idleness’, Bertrand Russell argued that work was an overrated virtue, and that civilized living demanded leisure time in which personal interests could be pursued. And as far back as the first century B.C. the Romans regularly took midafternoon breaks, which they called meridiari, because they understood these facts. In today’s American culture, meridiari has been displaced by thaasophobia, the fear of idleness, which Psychology Today ranks as the 11th greatest fear in the United States, right after fear of the dentist. Writing in 1921, a philosopher named Antoine Sertillanges argued that an intellectual life is possible if we devote 2 hours a day—the same amount of time we’re spending on our cell phones-- to a serious pursuit of higher things. He advises us to create a “zone of silence” within ourselves and to work far from the world, “as indifferent to its judgments” as we are “ready to serve it.” So as you begin your college career at MU, find time to create that zone of silence, to think about higher things, to let yourself be idle, and to look upon this university with reverence. It is a sanctuary to all of us who still believe in the world of ideas, just as Hogwarts is a sanctuary for those who believe in magic. Don’t be content with just being smart, and don’t just check your IPhones for knowledge. Go to books, libraries, conversation with friends, and your own hearts as you go about the business of learning. And remember, it’s your choices, not your ability, that determines who you are.
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“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails.
Explore. Dream. Discover.” — Source Unknown
September 10, 2014 | honors.missouri.edu