This year, Hendrix students and faculty have received almost a quarter of a million dollars in Odyssey Grants for their projects. Hundreds of students have participated in a variety of projects, both on campus and abroad.
In April, the Committee on Experiential Learning awarded the final series of grants for the fall of 2006. Many exciting projects will be supported by these Odyssey Grants. For example, the Hendrix Choir will perform in the famed Carnegie Hall in New York, and a group of students led by Dr. Rod Miller will tour the artistic and cultural sites of Italy. The landscape of the Hendrix campus itself will benefit from a new Bee and Butterfly Garden, designed and created by students.
The recipients for the October 2005and February 2006awards are also posted on-line.
Congratulations to the April 2006 Odyssey Grant recipients:
Bonnie Garrigan
Project: EcoHouse
Category: Special Projects
Sponsor: Dr. Chris Campolo
Two years ago, EcoHouse was launched as a student-run residence where the environment almost functions as a roommate. The six to eight students selected to live in the EcoHouse put sustainable living into practice by recycling, composting, buying in bulk, collecting rainwater and creating individual projects that further the goals of the house. Garrigan, who has lived in the EcoHouse for two years says, "Every year I have lived here, the projects have gotten more ambitious, the members have gotten more devoted, and I have gotten more attached to the idea of this house cultivating its purpose for decades to come on the Hendrix campus." This fall, a variety of individual projects in the EcoHouse will be receiving support from the Odyssey Program.
Garrigan is a junior economics major and biology minor from Dallas, Texas.
Adam Hogg
Project: Music Marketing: The Business of the Art
Category: Special Projects
Sponsor: Dr. Karen Oxner
Aspiring musician Adam Hogg has an interest in the marketing of music. He’s been conducting an independent study of marketing, and now he is ready to take the next step by experiencing the entire process first-hand. He’ll record original songs at a professional studio and produce a run of 1,000 copies of the CD. Hogg will then develop a marketing plan and strategy for distributing the final product. This will help him bridge the gap between the largely unexplored arena of small-time marketing compared to the national campaigns covered in textbooks. Through this project, he hopes to grow as an artist and as a businessman. He would like to be "an inspiration to others who are looking to take a risk in something not entirely familiar to them."
Hogg is a junior from Hot Springs.
Kirby Martinez-Fonts
Project: Butterfly & Bee Garden
Category: Special Projects
Sponsor: Dr. Linda Gatti Clark
A Butterfly and Bee Garden will be a colorful addition to the Hendrix landscape this fall. Featuring drought-resistant flowers that are native to Arkansas, the garden is specifically planned to be attractive to bees and butterflies. Located near the Hendrix Beekeeping Club’s hive between the Front Street Apartments and the Art Complex, the new garden will provide a year-round food source for the bees. The butterflies and bees will help pollinate the flowers and continue the cycle.
Martinez-Fonts is a freshman biology major from Coral Gables, Fla.
Amy Russo
Project: On Joseph Rayner Stephens-Social Holiness
Category: Undergraduate Research
Sponsor: Dr. Mark Schantz
Methodist minister Joseph Rayner Stephens took an active role in supporting workers in England. Expelled from the Wesleyan Connexion for advocating the separation of church and state, he moved his congregation and ministry to Ashton-Under-Lyne and became involved with the Chartists. In his sermons in the 1830s, Stephens was vocal about Chartists’ ideas for supporting worker’s rights and installing democratic reforms like annual elections and secret ballots. In 1839, he was arrested for inciting violence and served 18 months in jail. After his release, he toned down his preaching and turned to publishing, and he did not rejoin the Chartists. The questions Russo will investigate on-site in London and Ashton-Under-Lyne involve how Methodist was Stephens and what was truly behind his reluctance to resume his active role in the Chartists. This project encompasses the intersection of religion, a social movement, a secular philosophy and the politics of England in the 1830s and 1840s.
Russo is a sophomore Interdisciplinary Studies and European Culture major from Baton Rouge, La.
Dr. Nancy Fleming
Project: Hendrix Choir at Carnegie Hall
Category: Artistic Creativity
It is every musician’s dream to play Carnegie Hall. In May 2007 members of the Hendrix College Choir will have the opportunity to do just that when they participate in a performance of Mozart’s Coronation Mass and Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy. Featuring groups of singers from across the country, the concert will be directed by John Rutter, the famed English conductor and composer whose works are performed by choirs worldwide. Rutter is one of the most prolific and successful modern choral composers, and the students will spend approximately seven hours in rehearsal with him. The Hendrix Choir was invited by MidAmerica Productions to participate in this event. As Dr. Nancy Fleming, director of the choir, says, "The opportunity to sing in a venue as venerable as Carnegie Hall under a conductor as renowned as John Rutter is extremely exciting."
Dr. Rod Miller
Project: Trip to Italy-May 2007
Category: Global Awareness
In May 2007, ten Hendrix students will explore the artistic and cultural sites of Italy during an extensive ten-day tour that encompasses areas including Milan, Venice, Florence, Pisa, Siena and Rome. The students will have the rare opportunity to see dramatic and famous artworks in situ. Their tour of the art and architecture at Italy’s sites and museums will give the students an overview of the historic cultural legacy that draws visitors to modern Italy. The tour also includes a visit to the Trevi Fountain, where it is traditional to toss a coin into to the fountain to ensure a return trip to the city.
Dr. Jennifer Peszka
Project: Is Chronotype Associated with Academic Performance?
Category: Undergradute Research
Are you a morning person, a night owl or something in between? The scientific term for this is "chronotype," which means the particular circadian rhythm pattern where you feel most comfortable and perform best. About 15-20% of the population falls into the morning or evening types with the majority classed as intermediate. Dr. Peszka will study chronotype in relation to college academic performance and its persistence as high school students transition into college life, where they have more freedom to set their own schedules.
Prof. Mary Richardson
Project: Hendrix College Model United Nations Delegation Member
Category: Special Projects
A delegation of 16 students will represent Hendrix at the Charleston/Savannah Model United Nations, November 2 - 4, 2006. Before they hit the road, the students will prepare for the conference in regular meetings. They have the academic task of diplomatically representing delegates from countries around the world—including doing research on their country’s unique perspectives, opinions, policies and ideas. At the conference, they will present their country’s position on issues and work with other delegates to resolve conflicts.