Hendrix
Odyssey Program
Project
Funding
October 2016
With the October 2016 funding cycle,
the Committee on Engaged Learning has awarded $3,523,911.91 in Odyssey grants
to Hendrix students and faculty since the Odyssey Program’s inception in 2005.
In this cycle, 25 projects were awarded $90,591.71. Hendrix students will
immerse themselves in world religions, discern future careers in the medical
field, and even eat insects as they explore other cultures.
Victoria
Amadi
Survey of
Theravada Buddhism
Category: SP
Sponsor: Dr. Jay McDaniel
Theravada Buddhism draws on the earliest teachings of the Buddha
and is the dominant form of Buddhism in Thailand. Victoria Amadi will travel to
the country as she surveys the ways Theravada Buddhism is practiced in public
temples, monasteries and meditation center, including a comparison with its
forms in America.
Assira Ba
Atlantis Project: Pre-Med Fellowship
Category: SP
Sponsor: Dr. Lilian Contreras-Silva
By participating in the Atlantis Project, Assira Ba will learn
about health care in a global context during an immersive experience at a
hospital in Budapest. She will shadow physicians at the publically funded healthcare
system, gaining experience with the medical field abroad while she is
introduced to a foreign culture.
Anna
Conard and Robbie Borrello
Hear
Hendrix Round Three: Refining and Professionalizing
Category: SP
Sponsor: Tonya Hale
Anna Conard and Robbie Borrello will record 20 original student
musical compositions that encapsulate a year at the Hendrix campus. They will
mix and produce the recordings, ultimately releasing the compilation in both
digital and CD form. They will learn the technical requirements audio
recording, music production software, and sound mixing as they gain
professional skills in creating and publicizing the album.
Michelle
DeLouise, Ben Curry and Baylee Jennings-Wells
New Year,
New Orleans
Category: SW
Sponsor: JJ Whitney
New Orleans is still recovering from the devastation from
Hurricane Katrina and other natural disasters. Michelle DeLouise, Ben Curry and
Baylee Jennings-Wells will volunteer with The Saint Bernard Project, a
non-profit dedicated to rebuilding homes. In addition, they will explore the
cultural impact of the hurricane through museum exhibits and contemporary
literature to get a wider view of the city beyond their worksite.
Kelsey
Dietrich
Working
to End Education Inequality in South Africa with One Heart Source
Category: SP
Sponsor: Dr. Jane Harris
In Cape Town, South Africa, Kelsey Dietrich will work with One
Heart Source at its “Greatness Initiative for Township Education Development
(GIFTED) Community. GIFTED provides high-quality mentorship and fosters an
environment where all students have the opportunity to thrive academically. In
addition to being a mentor, she will learn the local culture as she explores a
future career path.
Olivia Ensley
National Museum of African American History and Culture: Contextualizing
and Representing a History of Black Rights, Oppression, and Activism
Category: UR
Sponsor: Dr. Stella Capek
Olivia Ensley will examine social movements in the context of
Black Lives Matter and the newly opened National Museum of African American
History and Culture in Washington, D.C. She is interested in the visual layout
of the museum, its architectural symbolism, and how it presents black
rights both historically and contemporaneously. She hopes to learn more about
how grassroots movements mobilize and become successful.
Karthik
Garimella
Analysis
of Visibility Flagging Algorithms of Data from the Very Large Array
Category: UR
Sponsor: Dr. Damon Spayde
The Very Large Array Telescope in New Mexico is one of three main
telescope side of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NARO). Karthik
Garimella has been working with NARO to develop software to remove radio
interference from the telescope’s data. He will present his results at the 2017
American Physical Society meeting in Washington, D.C.
Alysha
Hemani
Advocates
for World Health Service in Jamaica Trip
Category: SW
Sponsor: Dr. Deb Skok
Advocates for World Health is an organization that recovers
surplus medical supplies from local hospitals and distributes them in
developing countries. The Hendrix chapter has raised enough funds to send a
shipment to Alexandria Hospital in Middlesex, Jamaica. The executive board will
visit the hospital and serve the local community in January. The participants
are Alysha Hemani, Megan Hunter, Tahiya Islam, Lucille Maccash, Austin Lacey,
Ilya Pound, and Kendra Schwartz.
Heather
Hirsch
Beyond
the Safe Sleep Message-Cultivating Community Collaborations
Category: PL presentation
Sponsor: Dr. Maureen McClung
Heather Hirsch will join the Arkansas Children’s Hospitals Injury
Prevention Center research team as they travel to the National Cribs for Kids
Infant Safe Sleep Conference in Pittsburg, PA. Their research on “Paternal
Perception of Infant Safe Sleep” focuses on the knowledge, attitudes and
perceptions male caregivers have about the topic, with the ultimate goal of
developing strategies to reduce infant sleep-related deaths.
Anna
King, Raychl Reger and Gabby Pochron
An
Investigation of Mixed Martial Arts Culture
Category: SP
Sponsor: Jennifer Koller
Anna King, Raychl Reger and Gabby Pochron share an interest in
Mixed Martial Arts and are embarking on a group project to consider aspects of
gender, mindfulness, and physicality in the sport. They will observe
competitors at the highest level by attending the Ultimate Fight Championship
in Las Vegas.
Amber
Melcher
Atlantis
Fellowship: A Holistic Approach to Healthcare and Vocation
Category: SP
Sponsor: Dr. Laura MacDonald
Working with the Atlantis Fellowship Program, Amber Melcher will
travel to Zaragoza, Spain, to shadow doctors at the Hospital Miguel Servet. She
will observe patient-physician interactions, learn about clinical hospital
work, and discover the key distinctions between American and international
health care.
Allison
Monroe
Successful
Entomophagy: A Journey Through Thailand
Category: GA
Sponsor: Dr. Brett Hill
Entomophagy is the human consumption of insects for food; the
invertebrates are valued as a good source of protein in many countries
around the world. Thailand in particular is the premier country in insect
farming techniques and markets. Allison Monroe will explore this world from the
rare perspective of a female entomologist. When she returns, Monroe will give
an oral presentation on campus that includes the sampling of insect-based
dishes.
Lena Pham
and Pearl Jangjiravat
An
Exploration of Meditation in South Korea
Category: GA
Sponsor: Dr. Michael Sprunger
Lena Pham and Pearl Jangjiravat will visit five Buddhist temples
in four South Korean cities as they explore various aspects of Buddhism,
meditation and Korean culture. The many locations on their itinerary will allow
them to compare the perception and interpretation of meditation in both rural
and urban settings.
Danielle
Rosson
Wie man
Deutscher wird: German Language and Cultural Immersion
Category: GA
Sponsor: Dr. Wayne Oudekerk
With almost two years of language
studies behind her, Danielle Rosson plans to visit Germany itself to learn
about the country and its dialects. She will spend time in both the northern
and southern regions of the country, increasing her comprehension of the German
language and its idiomatic phrases as she explores the country’s culture.
Jasmine
Watkins, Alundra Dickson, Laruen McHenry, MarTashia Settles
Pardon My
Fro: Exploring the Natural Hair Movement
Category: SP
Sponsor: Dr. Dionne Jackson
The Natural Hair Movement began during the Civil Rights era, when
African American women balked at pressure to conform to a European perception
of beauty. They objected to the use of relaxers and straighteners on their
hair, feeling that this stripped them of their identity and made natural hair
undesirable. Jasmine Watkins, Alundra Dickson, Laruen McHenry, MarTashia
Settles will explore the Natural Hair Movement in New York City and in Paris,
areas where strides have been made in encouraging natural hair and celebrating
black beauty.
Dr. Jay
Barth
Poverty
Studies: The Shepherd Higher Education Consortium on Poverty Experience
Category: PL
Two Hendrix students will participate in summer internships
through the Shepherd Higher Education Consortium on Poverty. As part of the
program, the students will attend conferences and symposiums where national
leaders speak about poverty-related issues. Their own experiences during the
summer will form the basis of a public presentation.
Dr. Andres
Caro
Faculty
and student travel and presentations at American Chemical Society Spring
National Meeting in San Francisco, CA
Category: UR
Dr. Andres Caro and Ian McVinney will travel to the American
Chemical Society National Meeting this spring. McVinney will present the
results of his current research at the event with Dr. Caro as an on-site
mentor.
Claudia
Courtway
Service
Over Self Through Home Repairs in Memphis
Category: SW
Claudia
Courtway, along with Aya Murata from Japan, will lead a group of four
international students and four Hendrix students who returned from study abroad
on an educational service trip to Memphis. They will partner with Service Over
Self, a non-profit that provides volunteer opportunities for college students
to repair homes in the Binghampton and Orangemound neighborhoods in the city.
The group will also visit historic sites in Memphis, learn about Civil Rights
and explore the concepts of poverty and service in America.
Dr. Jennifer
Dearolf
Improving
the Marine Biology Staghorn and Elkhorn Coral Research Project
Category: SP
Staghorn and elkhorn corals are the main builders of the Belize
Barrier Reef and are on the Endangered Species List. Olivia Sims and Brandon
Cathey will work with Dr. Jennifer Dearolf as they devise an experiment to
measure parameters that impact coral growth. The group will troubleshoot their
plan on site in Belize before incorporating it into the 2018 Marine Biology
class.
Dr. Mark
Goadrich
Solving
Real-World Problems with Tools from Mathematics and Computer Science: The COMAP
International Contest in Modeling
Category: SP
Four teams of Hendrix students will participate in the 33rd
International Mathematical Contest in Modeling in January. The students will
use mathematical modeling to tackle real-world problems, such as how to locate
a plane when contact is lost, as part of the weekend competition.
Dr. Brenda
Houck
The
timing in C. elegans movement
Category: UR
Dr. Brenda Houck will use roundworms to familiarize Ploy Freebairn and
Amber Melcher with the basics of neuroscience
experimentation and cultivate their research skills. The students will become
proficient at microscopy and behavioral assays as they observe and measure the
movements of the roundworms.
Prof. Maxine
Payne
Endangered
Species Public Art Mural
Category: AC
A group of Hendrix students will work with professional artist
Roger Peet from Portland, Ore., to create a public art mural in Conway.
Featuring the Ozark Hellbender(Cryptobranchus alleganiensis bishopi), one
of Arkansas’ endangered and threatened species, the mural is intended to foster
a sense of community with nature, promote affinity for the natural world and
raise awareness about at-risk species. Other partners in the program include
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Center for Biological Diversity, The
City of Conway, and the Conway Public Art Board.
Dr. Jennifer Peszka, Dr. Tim Maxwell, and Dr. Ruthann Thomas
Psychology Research: The Relationship between Technology Use
before Bed and Sleep Quality, Cognitions, and Personality Across Adulthood
Category: UR
Current research suggests a relationship in technology use before
bed and sleep quality in children and adolescents, but Hendrix Psychology
Faculty will lead a research team to consider the effects for adults, ranging
from college age to the elderly. Jessica Bonumwezi, Kelly Brice, Amy Crump,
Alundra Dickson, Graham Harris, Justin Lockhart, Alex Raymond-Schmidt, Kristi
Scott, Adrian Shuler, and Althea Strozier will participate as research
assistants for the project.
Prof. Brigitte
Rogers
American
College Dance Association Conference: Kickin' Out the Kinesphere
Category: SP
Prof. Brigitte Rogers, Amanda Ayers, Kathryn Bolt, Brian Earles,
Jennifer Norman, Maddy Shaddox, Rosie Ronca and Eva Zhao will attend the
American College Dance Association conference at Auburn University in March.
The students will work with and dance alongside students from other
institutions, engage in class instruction and experience the choreographic
process in a collaborative way. The experience will conclude with their
performance in an adjudicated concert series.
Dr. Michael
Sprunger
Peace,
War, and Memory in Contemporary East Asia
Category: GA
Six students will explore the significance of collective and
individual memories of war and peace in contemporary Japan and South Korea on a
two-week tour with Dr. Michael Sprunger. They will tour commemorative sites and
have conversations with public officials, activists, participants/survivors and
peers about the ongoing significance of World War II and the Korean War to
current politics and everyday life.