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Volume 1, Issue 13 June 2012

H O N O R S Outlook

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Table of Contents

Page 1- Honors Year-End Celebration- Honors Convocation Page 2- Audeamus Launch Party- Spring Luncheon

Page 3- Honors Profiles

Page 4- Honors Profiles

Page 5- Getty Museum Trip- CTS Riddle- Thank You to MCC

University Honors2316 Olmsted Hall

Riverside, CA 92521Tel: (951) 827-5323Fax: (951) 827-5320

On May 30, third and fourth-year Honors students, along with their faculty men-tors, friends and family, came together to celebrate the cul-mina on of years of hard work: their theses. As Dr. Perring stat-ed in his welcome speech, the comple on of a thesis is “the pinnacle of what we do in Uni-versity Honors.” The variety of theses presented revealed the intellectual diversity that per-meates throughout University Honors, where thesis topics ranged from cancer research to a study of American col-lege students. One by one the

students were called up to an-nounce their thesis and be pre-sented with a cord, cer fi cate and pin from Honors. It was a ceremony rich with symbolism as the cording of the students was done by their faculty men-tor, a wonderful metaphor of passing the torch of knowl-edge from one genera on to the next.

However, the celebra on was not only aimed at stu-dents; faculty mentors were lauded for their hard work as well. Dr. Charmaine Craig, nominated by Fa ma Mirza and Emily Wells for her “per-sonal touch” and “immeasur-able” impact, was awarded

Professor of the Year. Award-ed Faculty Mentors of the Year were Dr. Heidi Brevik-Zender and Dr. Eugene Nothnagel. Other professors recognized for their commitment and ex-cellence were Dr. Nigel Hughes and Dr. Chris ne Gailey.

Igni on Seminars were also praised for their successful de-but. As Dr. Perry Link phrased it, igni on seminars empha-sized “crea ng a bond with faculty” and helping students realize all “the diff erent ways to see the world.”

However, all of this would not have been possible with-out the eff orts of the Honors staff . They work relessly to make University Honors the fantas c program that it is. The combined eff orts of Dr. Per-

ring, Elena Perez, Emily Nudge, Gladis Herrera-Berkowitz, Jane Kim, Mayra Jones, and Sco Silverman create an impact whose eff ects will reverber-ate for years to come. This celebra on of students and faculty shows the synergis c eff ect of scholarly engagement between the mentor and the mentee— an important aspect of what the new University Honors has to off er.

Honors News

1Honors Outlook

By Jessica Soria

HONORS YEAR‐END CELEBRATION

Every year, students from across campus come together at UCR’s Honors Convoca on to celebrate the achievements of those among us whose dedi-ca on and hard work have led to outstanding results. The event, which took place on the evening of May 15 this year, also stands as a cheerful indi-cator that the ba le for good grades is nearly at an end and summer is just around the cor-ner.

At the convoca on, stu-dents were recognized both for their exemplary grades and the work they’d done in par cular departments/majors. Individu-als who received a cumula ve GPA of 3.9 or higher received the Dean’s Academic Dis nc- on Award, while others were

nominated for special awards by faculty members or depart-ment chairs with whom they had worked throughout the year.

When the names had all been called and the cer fi -cates, pins and medals handed

out to their recipients, ap-plause rang out through the University Theatre.

Having one’s name read at the Honors Convoca on is no paltry occasion. Honors stu-dents, many of whom were recognized at this event, work relessly the whole school year

long to keep up with their stud-ies, and those that manage to exceed the o en staggering ex-pecta ons set out for them are due a li le acclama on.

In the end, however, the awards are only a small part of what makes the Honors Con-

voca on an important part of the undergraduate experience. The event marks the successful comple on of another school year, an accomplishment that all of us, not just those rec-ognized at the convoca on, should be very proud of.

HONORS CONVOCATIONBy Townsend

Gallinger-Scholz

On May 25, University Honors gathered to celebrate the release of this year’s edi on of Audea-mus, the program’s UC-wide cre-a ve and academic journal. The launch party, which was held in

the Honors Offi ce, was a ended not only by student editors and staff members that assisted with the produc on of the journal, but also several of the authors whose work is featured therein.

A er guests helped them-selves to some light refresh-ments, the party assembled in the Honors Conference Room

where authors shared their work. As Erin Simpson, co-editor-in-chief of Audeamus, notes, “The party was a great success with a UCLA honors student coming and presen ng her work that made it into the journal.”

The event marked the suc-cessful comple on of a long year of work for Audeamus editors, who had to choose 12 selec ons to publish from the over 100 sub-missions they received from all over the UC system. According to Simpson, things really started to come together when the edi-tors agreed on the theme for this year’s journal: the dic onary. “We thought that since words are always at our disposal in ev-eryday speech, why can’t we do something fun with them to re-

ally showcase UC honors work?” stated Simpson.

The journal, which is designed to resemble an aged leather-bound dic onary, includes pages of words created by Audeamus editors with (o en hilarious) defi ni ons alongside them. The dic onary thema c even carried over to the launch party, where paper cranes made out of dic- onary pages hung from the ceil-

ing. As always, the winning eccen-tricity of both the journal and its editors were big hits at the event, which served as a joyous remind-er of the importance of crea vity and hard work to University Hon-ors and its students.

SPRING LUNCHEON

By Eric Gamboa

A new event at University Honors this year was the spring luncheon, which was held on Thursday, May 24, at the Ento-mology Building courtyard. The event provided students with a rest from midterms and the chance to have fresh-off -the-grill hotdogs made by Honors’ own top chef, Dr. Thomas Perring. Stu-dents and faculty alike were able to play games such as water pong and share lighthearted conversa- ons including a discussion of

U.S. policy toward Chinese dissi-

dents (courtesy of Dr. Perry Link). Like many year-end celebra-

ons, the spring luncheon of-fered a look back to the past three quarters at UC Riverside and University Honors—a par c-ularly nostalgic event for gradu-a ng seniors, whose refl ec on touched upon the past four years. Among some of the seniors at the spring luncheon were Kevin Harrison, Spurty Surapaneni and Sarah Sawaf. In an interview with the Honors Outlook, the afore-men oned students commented upon their bi ersweet feelings toward depar ng from UCR and

heading into, as Surapeneni put it, the “unknown.”

Harrison noted that the con-clusion of four years of hard work had le him with a sense of accomplishment, but that the thought of leaving UCR was a strange feeling. Surapeneni shared a similar sen ment and lamented on the impact that her departure would have on the long me friendships that she made at UCR. Nonetheless, the seniors held a posi ve outlook on the upcoming year—which, for many, would entail the start of graduate school. Sarah Sawaf

stated that she looked forward to making new connec ons at the University of Southern California, where she will pursue a master’s degree in social work.

But regardless of whether you’re a gradua ng senior or fi rst-year student, everyone can look back with a shared apprecia- on of the role of Honors in their

undergraduate career. “Honors really made me into what I am today. Thank you Honors,” con-cluded Sawaf.

Honors News

2Honors Outlook 22222tloookokokokokkkk

AUDEAMUS LAUNCH PARTY

By TownsendGallinger-Scholz

Honors student Geneveive Newman’s short fi lm was recently screened at the Culver Arts Center during UCR’s an-nual Master of Fine Arts student video fes val. Newman’s fi lm, “Anxiety,” is a two-minute, non-narra ve fi lm that was made in an introduc on to video course that she completed last quarter.

Newman stated that she “wanted the

viewer to feel agitated, anxious, stressed, upset, or whatever that individual expe-riences those emo ons as.” The inspira- on behind the making of this short vid-

eo came from two years of dealing with the serious stresses of handling college courses, extracurricular ac vi es, work schedules and rela onships. The video presents a college student earnestly try-ing to succeed amongst the chaos—a reoccurring theme of the fi lm—caused by her decisions and pressure from her peers. Being that the video was non-narra ve, viewers are given the power to interpret the video whichever way they desire.

While watching the video, the viewer immediately no ces an odd background noise that seems to fade away, illustra ng how easily we can become complacent about our circumstances. The video is full of imagery that is most likely very famil-iar to the average college student, and watching it can possibly show the viewer areas in which they may have fallen short or could improve upon. “[Anxiety] makes

people realize something important that they might not have [realized] other-wise,” explained Newman. Her greatest hope for the video is, “that some kind of catharsis, thought, considera on, evalu-a on or just something produc ve can come out of the feelings my fi lm brings about.”

Honors Profiles

3Honors Outlook

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: ELISA POGU

By Nickolas Moreno

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: GENEVEIVE NEWMAN

By Corinne Verghese

This June, fi rst-year Honors student and pre-business major Elisa Pogu will compete for the chance to win a gold medal with Team USA at the 2012 Senior Women’s In-line World Championships in Colombia. This will be Pogu’s fi rst me compe ng with the senior women’s team, which was a big goal of hers when she was on the junior wom-en’s team last year. She will play as one of the defensemen for Team USA.

Pogu began to play inline hockey at the age of 6. Her interest in the sport came from her brother, who was also a talented hockey player. Her passion con nued to grow through the years and drove her to go

far in the sport. “I love the atmosphere of the fans, the support that my parents have given me throughout the years, the bond between my teammates and the friend-ships we have off the rink,” stated Pogu.

With the tournament quickly approach-ing, Pogu feels confi dent and believes that Team USA has a shot to win the gold medal. “I look forward to ge ng to meet new peo-ple and compe ng against teams such as Colombia, Czech Republic, Canada, France, and Sweden”, stated Pogu. Outside of the rink, she enjoys going to the movies and the beach. In the future, Pogu hopes to intern for an NHL team and then pursue a career in sports management. Good luck to Elisa Pogu and the rest of Team USA in Colombia!

Honors Profiles

4Honors Outlook

STUDENT PROFILE: ELIZABETH TIZCARRENO

By Anissa Monteon

Whether it be an interest in the natural sciences or hu-mani es, Honors students are always immersing themselves in their respec ve fi elds of interest. One such student is third-year student Elizabeth

Tizcarreno, a third-year envi-ronmental science and wom-en’s studies double major, who is involved with Gender Dia-logues at UCR.

Gender Dialogues at UCR is sponsored by Diversity Ini a- ves and allows a group of stu-

dents to meet once a week for fi ve weeks in order to discuss the dynamics of gender iden- ty, social jus ce, sexuality and

other topics. The focus of the program is to have par cipants gain a be er understanding and apprecia on of them-selves and their peers in a safe learning environment.

Tizcarreno stated that she fi rst joined Gender Dialogues “to learn how to use dialogue in a student-led seminar us-ing feminist cri cal pedagogy.”

Through the use of media, interac ve ac vi es and per-sonal stories, students are encouraged to explore topics of similari es and diff erences between their experiences as members of a gender. Another benefi t of the program, as ex-plained by Tizcarreno, was that students are able to become more cri cal thinkers and im-prove their listening and com-munica on skills—skills that can be advantageous in every other aspect of life.

Tizcarreno fi rst joined the Gender Diaogues a er a end-ing Common Ground events in fall of 2011. Common Ground is a union of numerous campus departments (such as Ethnic and Gender Programs, Diver-sity Ini a ves and The Well)

that host events with the aim of promo ng unity among students. When Tizcarreno is not involved with Gender Dia-logues, she can be found gar-dening and a ending Cul vate R’Space mee ngs.

STUDENT PROFILE: JANE H. KIMBy Eric Gamboa

Second-year plant biol-ogy major and Honors student Jane Hannah Kim has set the bar for scholas c achievement with her recent acceptance of numerous awards including the Frank Cozza Agriculture Scholarship, a grant from the Hasegawa Memorial Fund, the 2012 Science Circle Award in Excellence and a summer re-search opportunity with UC LEADS (UC Leadership Excel-lence through Advanced De-grees).

“I love to explore and learn new concepts that were once foreign to me. It is amazing just how much we don’t know about the world—how it works and why it works in that way—

and how much we don’t know about ourselves,” stated Kim in an interview with the Honors Outlook.

Kim explained that her in-terest in research fi rst began with the CNAS Summer Rise Program, which served as the founda on for her research with Plant Physiology Professor Eugene Nothnagel. Since then, Jane has a ended na onal con-ferences, joined the American Chemical Society and has con- nued to pursue her fascina- on with the natural sciences.

“I have developed a pas-sion for research to the point that I am now considering it a possible career path…[Do-ing research] opened a lot of doors for me, doors that I knew I could not have opened by my-

self,” stated Kim, who hopes to someday be a medical re-searcher. “I wish to be on the fron er of the new wave of medical treatments and drugs that will focus on work-ing with chronic diseases and illnesses,” added Kim.

Her progress toward this goal has been greatly supple-mented by her aforemen- oned awards and recogni- ons. Combined, the three

scholarships amount to more than $4,000 and will be used to support Kim’s undergradu-ate career and research in-volvement. Meanwhile, UC LEADS will allow Kim to spend this summer at UCR con nu-ing her research with Dr. Noth-nagel and spend next summer at UC San Francisco.

5Honors Outlook

Honors Announcements

Honors Entertainment

CTS Riddle!

The cost of making only the maker knows; valueless if bought but some mes traded. A poor man

may give one as easily as a king. When one is broken, pain and

deceit are assured. What am I?

If you’d like to guess, please submit your responses to jane.kim@ucr.edu. We’ll

announce winners in the Fall Issue!

A BIG Thank You to the 2011-2012 MCC Committee

GETTY MUSEUM TRIP WITH HONORS

On Sunday, May 20, stu-dents living in the Honors housing at Pentland were giv-en the opportunity to go on a trip to the Ge y Museum. From 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., art en-thusiasts and curious students were given free rein to wander the museum located in the heart of Los Angeles.

Guided tours, free sketch jams and picture-taking were among the ac vi es available to Honors students. Most par- cipants, however, were happy

to simply appreciate the fi ne art works that the museum had to off er. Prospec ve art-ists could even make their own masterpieces thanks to the free art lessons off ered by the museum on every third Sunday of the month.

Although the day was hot and the Ge y was under reno-va ons for their well-known central garden, they s ll had plenty of pain ngs, sculptures and other a rac ons to keep everyone occupied. Further-more, the splendor of the gar-dens could s ll be appreciated from certain parts of the mu-seum.

Most Honors students broke into smaller groups to explore the museum at their own leisure and pace. In one of the many architecture tours, it is men oned that the Ge y is in fact one giant building con-nected underground, although it ini ally appears to consist of separate buildings and towers. The unique layout of the mu-seum has in turn created hid-den gallery places for insiders

to enjoy. By the end of the trip, there

were s ll many things that the group was unable to cover due to the museum’s massive size; hopefully the uncovered sec- ons can be explored during a

future visit. Ul mately, it was an exci ng and exhaus ng day of art admira on, refl ec on and inspira on.

By Alice Deng

NOTE: The winner will not necessarily be the one who gets the “correct” answer. Instead, the winning

entry will be the one voted most crea ve/funny by the MCC members.

By: Jane E. Kim

As the staff advisor to the Media and Communica ons Commi ee (MCC), I had the privilege and opportunity to work with some truly outstanding stu-dents this year. I wanted to take a moment in this last issue for the 2011-2012 academic year to thank all the students for the hard work they put into the Honors Outlook and for contribu ng each of their unique talents to bring the newsle er to where it is today. I look forward to con nue working with all of you in the next academic year!

I’d also like to congratulate the seniors who will be leaving MCC this year as they graduate and go on to do great things! Thank you to Eric Gamboa, Townsend Gallinger-Scholz and Arthur Chandra, not only for the numerous ar cles wri en, pictures taken, designs forma ed, and words edited, but also for all of your innova ve, crea ve and funny ideas that have kept the newslet-ter moving forward and connected to the Honors community. You will all be terribly missed!