Hendrix Odyssey
Program
Project Funding
February 2019
With the February 2019 funding
cycle, the Committee on Engaged Learning has now awarded $4,224,354.21 in
Odyssey grants to support 1,317 projects by Hendrix students and faculty since
the Odyssey Program’s inception in 2005. In this cycle, 31 projects were
awarded $107,634 in grants to help Hendrix students conduct research, learn new
skills, share their passions in film and print, and explore their interests
around the world. Also, see below for this year’s recipient of the Robert F.
Baker Prize in Economics.
Landon Anderson
Examining the Role of Lipid Concentration and Flow
Rate on the Formation of Supported Lipid Bilayers (SLBs)
Category: UR
Supervisor: Peter Kett,
Chemistry
Landon Anderson will apply his academic background to
solving real-world problems and prepare for a career as a chemical engineer
through a research project this summer. He will conduct a series of experiments
on the formation of Supported Lipid Bilayers, which are a form of model
biological membranes.
Steffan Bonilla
Banking on the Future
Category: PL
Supervisor: Buck Buchanan,
Intercollegiate Athletics
As a corporate banking analyst for Regions Bank, Steffan Bonilla
will be a key team member supporting both internal
and external client initiatives He will be mentored by several senior
analysts at the company. During this summer, Bonilla will increase his management skills by taking part in corporate
level decision making, implementing financial plans, and advising corporate
clients.
Cayman Botner
Summer 2019 EPROACH Program
Category: SP
Supervisor: Courtney Hatch,
Chemistry
As part of the Experiences in Professional Research
Organization and Atmospheric Chemistry at Hendrix (EPROACH) program, Cayman
Botner will travel to Boulder, Colo. He will tour national scientific and
academic laboratories and have informal discussions with professional
researchers to learn about potential career options in chemistry.
Sandy Burks
Atlantis Fellowship-Clinical Shadowing in Spain
Category: PL
Supervisor: Cori French,
Foreign Languages
As an Atlantis Fellow, Alexander Burks will spend three
weeks shadowing physicians at Hospital Universitari Sagrat Cor in Barcelona,
Spain. The Atlantis Project gives students who are interested in medical
careers the opportunity to experience international healthcare through clinical
shadowing.
Brittany Chue
Documentary on Food Insecurity in Panama
Category: UR
Supervisor: Stacey
Schwartzkopf, Sociology and Anthropology
Brittany Chue will study hunger and poverty in Panama this
summer. A series of video interviews with Panamanians from diverse cultures,
social classes and geographic regions will form the basis of her documentary,
which will explore how poverty and food insecurity are tied to the country’s
economy.
Michael Crippen
Jr.
Printmaking Professional Work Experience with
Professional Artist Kristin DeGeorge
Category: PL
Supervisor: Melissa Gill,
Art
Kristin DeGeorge is an accomplished professional artist in
France who has a print studio of her own. She will mentor art major Michael
Crippen, Jr. this summer to teach him new methods of researching and creating
art, the steps to prepare for an exhibition, and how to market himself as a
professional artist.
Rachel Elmakiss
Coffee and Hospitality in the Bedouin Society of the
Negev
Category: UR
Supervisor: Stacey
Schwartzkopf, Sociology and Anthropology
Coffee is an integral part of
Bedouin hospitality. In Bedouin society, hospitality is often expressed through
coffee, such as how many cups a guest may receive from their host or even how
much coffee one is given in their cup, which can represent how long a guest can
stay and the level of hospitality that will be provided. Rachel Elmakiss will be
staying in a Bedouin Community in the Negev Desert of Israel as she
conducts her research on the importance of coffee in hospitality and their
society in general while also teaching English to the local children.
Claire Fleming
Engaging with the African Leadership University in
Mauritius
Category: GA
Supervisor: Allison Shutt,
History
Mauritius is a small island nation off the coast of
Madagascar, and it is home to the African Leadership College. International
students and faculty learn about entrepreneurship as a method for global
economic and political change, Claire Fleming will have the opportunity to
interact with problem-solvers from many African cultures through special
sessions planned around the graduation of the first group of scholars from the college.
Additionally, she will learn more about the island, its culture, and the impact
Mauritius can have on the future of Africa through educating forward-thinking
scholars.
Storm Gardner
Using RNA Interference to Study Genes Involved in DNA
Repair in bdelloid rotifers
Category: UR
Supervisor: Andrew Schurko,
Biology
Storm Gardner will work on an independent research project
this summer. His project focuses on silencing gene expression in a group of
aquatic invertebrates. Learning about how DNA is repaired in these organisms
may increase understanding of the repair mechanisms in other creatures.
CJ Gormly
A Summer Fellowship in Cáceres
Category: PL
Supervisor: George Harper,
Biology
Through the Atlantis Fellowship, CJ Gormly will shadow
doctors, prepare for the MCAT and learn about the differences between
healthcare in Spain and the United States. Gormly will shadow up to twelve
doctors in a range of specialties at a local hospital in Cáceres, Spain.
Zach Gray
The Impact of Sex Differentation on Drug Abuse: A
Summer Professional Field Experience at the Neuroendocrinology and Motivation
Lab at UT Austin
Category: PL
Supervisor: Sara Taylor,
Pyschology
As a research assistant for Dr. Juan Dominguez in the
Neuroendocrinology and Motivation lab at the University of Texas at Austin,
Zach Gray will help conduct research on the role of sex differences in response
to addictive drugs, particularly cocaine. Gray will gain experience working with
animals, abiding by ethical requirements in the lab, and using microbiology
techniques to analyze samples.
Jacob Handloser and
Tucker Andrews
Design and Development of Supported Lipid Bilayers as
a Model for Studying the Kinetics of Membrane Bound Enzymes
Category: UR
Supervisor: Peter Kett,
Chemistry
Jacob Handloser and Tucker Andrews will work on a
collaborative research project to examine the feasibility of using supported
lipid bilayers as model biological membranes for kinetics research. Their goal
is to see if the model systems are useful in the study of how enzymes speed up
chemical reactions.
Elizabeth Jones
Think About What You Saw: A Learning Experience in
Eastern Europe
Category: SP
Supervisor: Dorian Stuber,
English
Elizabeth Jones hopes to specialize in World War II and
Holocaust Education as she obtains her doctorate. One important step in that
process is viewing the size and scope of concentration camps firsthand so she
can share that as an educator. In addition, her visit to Holocaust sites in
Europe will give her the opportunity to see original artifacts of the time that
are only available abroad. For Jones, these locations are sites of memories
that should continue to resonate with the world.
Maggie Lodge
Religion and the LGBTQ+ Community: An Exploration of
Self-Identity and the History of LGBTQ+ Affirming Churches
Category: SP
Supervisor: JJ Whitney,
Chaplain's Office
Maggie Lodge will visit LGBTQ+ affirming churches in Salt
Lake City and San Francisco to understand the relationship between the churches
of various denominations and the LGBTQ+ community. Lodge will also attend the
2019 Utah Pride Festival and visit the Human Rights Campaign Action Center and
the National AIDS Memorial Grove.
Ivan Midtbust
Heger
Investigation of the Longevity of Nicoya, Costa Rica
Category: SP
Supervisor: Brenda Houck,
Biology
Nicoya, Costa Rica is one of the world’s five “Blue Zones,”
where many people have above average longevity. Ivan
Midtbust Heger will accomany Dr. Anne Goldberg
and Dr. Jennifer Peszka to the area to investigate how same-sex friendships,
attitudes and habits of work, and quality and quantity of sleep affect
longevity.
Mary Nail
Thinking Outside the Museum: Exploring the Venues and
Roles of Public Art in the United States
Category: SP
Supervisor: Maxine Payne,
Art
Mary Nail is considering a career in museum curation. First,
she intends to explore public art and other art in non-traditional venues as it
relates to activism, community enhancement and artistic collaboration in San
Francisco, Ca.; Fayetteville, Ark.; and Santa Fe, N.M.
Larissa Isimbi Ndimbira
Discovering the Financial World in Rwanda
Category: PL
Supervisor: Gina Bergfeld,
Economics and Business
Inyange Industries is one of the largest food processing
companies in Rwanda. Larissa Isimbi Ndimbira will intern in its finance
department, which will allow her to apply the knowledge she gained in her
accounting and economics classes to real-world situations.
Tristan Norman
The Humanity of Mohammad Yunus: The Social Vision of
Social Business and Innovation
Category: SP
Supervisor: William Haden
Chomposy, Economics
Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad
Yunus pioneered the concept of a micro-credit loan system for the poor in
Bangladesh. Inspired by his philosophy that focuses on social innovation and
the merits of social entrepreneurship, Tristan Norman will attend the
International Social Business Conference where students, NGOs, Grameen Bank,
and other social businesses will discuss and apply social business and microfinance
models to global social and environmental issues. There, Muhammad Yunus will
give a lecture and advise different student and NGO committees on their designs
for the future.
Kristen North
Testing the Role of Electrical Coupling to
Thermotactic Learned Behavior in C. Elegans
Category: UR
Supervisor: Brenda Houck,
Biology
Kristen North will delve into neuroscience research this
summer with a project on nematodes. She will focus on learning and memory,
which will help her understand how other scientists are approaching those
issues in vertebrates.
Grace Rogers
Vocational Discovery in the Church: A Pastoral
Internship
Category: PL
Supervisor: Eva
Englert-Jessen, Center for Calling
As an intern at the Morrilton First United Methodist Church,
Grace Rogers will develop basic pastoral skills including preaching, worship
preparation, house visits, hospital calls, and serving communion. She will also
design her own project that addresses her calling to meet social justice needs
through the church, including applying theology to popular culture.
Keane Sammon
Penguin Conservation: Volunteering with SANCCOB
Category: SP
Supervisor: Jennifer Dearolf,
Biology
This summer, Keane Sammon will head to Cape Town, South
Africa, to volunteer for six weeks with the South African Foundation for the
Conservation of Costal Birds. The foundation works to restore the population of
marine birds, with a particular emphasis on the endangered African Penguin.
Christian Sandoval,
Violet Pirtle, and Austin Jared
Retracing Revolution: Communism in Cuba
Category: GA
Supervisor: Jose Vilahomat,
Foreign Languages
Christian Sandoval, Violet Pirtle, and Austin Jared will explore
Cuba from a political, historical, and cultural perspective from the beginnings
of Marxism to the modern Republic of Cuba. After conducting research
domestically, they will visit significant sites on the island and engage with
the Cuban people to get a better understanding of life in the
post-revolutionary era.
Nugget Settles
Summer Spanish Progam
Category: SW
Supervisor: Irmina Fabricio,
Foreign Languages
The Faulkner County Library is hosting a summer program to
teach students aged 8 to 12 beginner level Spanish. Nugget Settles, a Spanish
major, will create lessons and conduct classes for the students, giving them an
exciting and creative way to learn a second language.
Arthur Trickett-Wile
Life, Labor, and Love in a Terlingua, Texas Summer
Category: SP
Supervisor: Maxine Payne,
Art
After a mercury mining operation closed, Terlingua, Texas, became
a ghost town—but it is making a name for itself now as a tourist attraction. Photographer
Arthur Trickett-Wile
will document the town and its inhabitants in a book with quotes about life
there. At the conclusion of his project, he will have a public presentation in
the town and give copies of the book to the Chamber of Commerce and the local
lending library.
Shelbey Winningham
Hendrix College Cats: The Book
Category: SP
Supervisor: Carol West,
English
The Hendrix Cat Colony has been a staple at the college for
years. Shelbey Winningham will create a coffee table book on its history and
role in the campus community, along with a look at similar colonies across the
United States. The completed book will be sold online to help support the
Hendrix cats.
Dr. Heidi Dahlmann
Organocatalyst Optimization and Artificial Nucleoside
Development
Category: UR
Dr. Heidi Dahlmann will work with students to design,
synthesize, and investigate the chemical and physical properties of molecules
designed as tools with specific applications.
Dr. Jennifer Dearolf
Mophology of the locomotor muscles of three Arctic
seal species
Category: UR
Dr. Jennifer Dearolf and McKenzie Fletcher will conduct
research on the physiology and locomotor muscles of the bearded, ringed, and
spotted seals to determine how far they can travel as distances increase
between their icy home base and their feeding grounds.
Dr. J.D. Gantz
A Survey of Summer Active Insects Associated with
Alaskan Peony Farms
Category: UR
Dr. J.D. Gantz will take three students with him to Alaska
to survey potential insect pests that could threaten the yield of the
developing peony farm businesses in the state.
Dr. Andrew Morgan
Attending the 2019 Estonian Song Festival
Category: GA
Dr. Andrew Morgan will take Hanna Detar, Jessalyn Hoskyn,
Nicole Hendry, Matthew Haley and Avery Waid to Tallinn, Estonia. They will
attend the Estonian Song Festival and learn about the unique role of vocal
music in the country’s history.
Dr. Adam Schneider
Professional Field or Museum Experience at the Charles
Darwin Research Station at Galapagos, Ecuador
Category: PL
Dr. Adam Schneider and Rosie
Ronca will be participating in the Galapagos Tortoise Restoration Initiative,
an ongoing project of the Galapagos Conservancy in cooperation with Galapagos
National Park. Ronca will be working with staff scientists to
better understand wild tortoise migration and dietary habits to better aid
in conservation of these threatened species.
Dr. Caitlin Scott
Computational Drug Design to Develop Safe and
Effective Pain Medication
Category: UR
Dr. Caitlin Scott, Monish Shukla and Mariny Phomakay will
work on a research project to design drugs that relieve pain, but without the
undesirable side effects of opioids.
Baker Prize for
Economics Research: Monish Shukla, who will conduct research under the
supervision of Dr. William Haden Chomphosy.