Green-Themed Conference Provides Experiences for Students, New Role for Dean Walker

Hosting the 36^th annual conference of the Western Regional Honors Council (WRHC) brought more than peer acclaim and heartfelt thanks to the WSU Honors College in March.

Eleven students traveled the 90 miles to the historic Davenport Hotel in downtown Spokane to get three jam-packed days experience as facilitators and to showcase their own research and creative scholarly activities at a special poster session or to speak at breakout session.  And, Honors Dean Libby Walker was elected to serve as the new WRHC president.

The historic Davenport Hotel, site of the 2009 WRHC conference

“After two years of planning, it was gratifying to see how well the conference came together,” says Walker.  “We had over 160 student and faculty presenters from approximately 30 Honors programs.  Everyone loved the experience of spending three days at the Davenport and taking in many of the sights in downtown Spokane.  It was fun to see old friends and make new ones this year.”

“This conference brought out the best of the best in our students,” says Jessica Cassleman, assistant dean of the WSU Honors College.  She, Walker, and Kim Andersen, assistant professor, served as WSU host faculty at the conference.  “As at past conferences, our students performed as professionals, presented with incredible confidence, and showed an eagerness to learn.  This year, they also displayed a willingness to work as WSU team members with us.  We could not have had such a successful conference without our students.”

The theme of the event, chosen by WSU, was “Pathways to Preservation, Sustainability, and Renewal,” and M. Grant Norton, associate dean for research and graduate programs in the WSU College of Engineering and Architecture, supported the green theme with his keynote address, “Nanotechnology: Fueling an Energy Revolution.”

WRHC is part of the National Collegiate Honors Council, a professional organization of faculty, administrators, and students dedicated to the promotion and advancement of undergraduate honors education.  WRHC’s 126 member institutions are from Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming, as well as Washington.

Those members include the nearby University of Idaho and Eastern Washington University as well as the University of Southern California, Arizona State University, University of Washington, University of California at Los Angeles, Brigham Young University, Boise State University, Chapman University, and University of Alaska, among many others.

A WSU alumnus, Walker has been in the leadership of WSU’s Honors College since 1996, serving as assistant dean until 2004, as associate dean until 2007, and since as interim dean.  In fall 2008, a new curriculum focusing on global awareness and intercultural competencies with a foreign language requirement was put in place under Walker’s leadership. 

WSU Honors Students at the WRHC

Alan Emanuel discusses his poster.

Presenting posters:

• Alan Emanuel, presented a poster on “The Ablation of Hindbrain Catecholamine Neurons Innervating Medial Hypothalamic Nuclei Abolishes Glucoprivic Feeding but not Ghrelin-induced Feeding”
• Gianne Souza, presented a poster on “Mapping Regions of Env Important in the Neutralization of Equine Infectious Anemia”
• Amy Van Nortwick, presented a poster on “Investigating Neurovascular Coupling Under High Stimulation”

Making oral presentations:

• Brian Carlton, “Ocean Energy Technology and its Applications in China”
• Laurissa Hale, “Is Sustainable Urbanism a Viable Solution to Suburban Sprawl? A Critique of Douglas Farr’s Sustainable Urbanism”
• Brittany Navarre, “Sucrose Preference as a Measure of Anhedonia in Postpartum Rats”
• Julian Reyes, “An Odyssey through Germany: Research, Culture, and the Environment”
• Gianne Souza (see topic above)
• Renee Walker, “Educational Process and Politics: Implementing HB 1495 (2005)”
• Lauren Young, “Easter Island: Degradation of Soil and Society” 

Artists’ Works Published

The work of WSU Honors students Leah Rosenkranz, photographer, and Ainsley Nix, visual artist, are featured in the 23^rd edition of "Scribendi," a magazine of art and literature sponsored by the Western Regional Honors Council (WRHC) and the honors program at the University of New Mexico.

The 2009 publication debuted at the WSU-hosted WHRC conference in Spokane and will be available in mid-April.

The art by Rosenkranz and Nix was chosen from 350 submissions from 134 students at 32 universities; 36 works by 29 students at 14 schools appear in the latest "Scribendi."

Rosenkranz's published photo of the streets of Beijing