Hendrix Funding

Spring 2010

 

Students at Hendrix have access to many funding sources to support their projects around the world. In addition to Odyssey Program grants, funding is available from the Hendrix-Murphy Foundation Programs in Literature and Language, the Crain-Maling Center of Jewish Culture, the Miller Center for Vocation, Ethics, and Calling, and Project Pericles.  Congratulations to all Hendrix grant recipients. This list is also available on-line at http://www.hendrix.edu/odyssey/odyssey.aspx?id=46460 <http://www.hendrix.edu/odyssey/odyssey.aspx?id=46460> 

 

 

ODYSSEY PROGRAM GRANTS

 

With the February 2010 funding cycle awards of $138,238, the grand total for funding since the program?s inception in 2005 is $1,372,942.50. In this funding cycle, many projects received financial support form the Hendrix-Murphy Foundation Programs in Literature and Language.

 

A total of 45 projects were funded by the Committee for Engaged Learning for this summer. Students will volunteer their talents to serve orphans and refugees, explore ancient chapels in England, gain valuable work and research experience, and use their artistic skills of songs, words and images in countries around the world.

 

The Odyssey Grant recipients include:

 

Haley Aaron

The Role of Central American Agoutis in the Dispersal of Plants in Costa Rican Forests

Category: Undergraduate Research

Sponsor: Dr. Jennifer Penner

 

The Central American agouti is a small mammal, a larger cousin of the guinea pig. When food is abundant, it creates underground stores of seeds known as scatter-caches throughout its territory. If the cache isn?t used for food either by the original animal or by a ?robber,? there?s a chance that the stored seeds will sprout, resulting in plant dispersal. In Costa Rica, Haley Aaron and Dr. Jennifer Penner will tag seeds with small metal plates and bury fake caches through the foraging area. ?By tracking the seeds with metal detectors we will be able to determine the survivorship of individual caches to determine which factors contribute most to foraging success and forest regeneration,? Aaron said.

 

Luke Adlong

Taking Service from Toad Suck Arkansas to Transylvania Romania

Category: Service to the World

Sponsor: Dr. Peg Falls-Corbitt

 

Luke Adlong will be joining a group of doctors, nurses, dentists, and dental hygienists from Conway on a medical mission trip to the central European country of Romania this summer. In many of the country?s rural areas, access to doctors and dentists can be non-existent.  Adlong hopes to combine his interest in medicine with his desire to help others. ?By serving the people of Fagaras, Romania, I hope to learn how the worlds of medicine and service go hand-in-hand,? said Adlong. 

 

Hanna Al-Jibouri

Writing in Prague

Category: Special Projects

Sponsor: Prof. Hope Coulter

 

Hanna Al-Jibouri is one of only ten American and eight Czech Republic students selected to participate in an intensive four-week poetry workshop at Charles University in Prague. ?Poetry has always been my first choice when it comes to self-expression,? said Al-Jibouri. During the class, she?ll learn more about her art form in sessions with internationally renowned poet Dr. James Ragan. She also hopes to draw poetic inspiration from living in the Czech Republic, and she will compile a small book with new works and photography. This grant was underwritten by the generous support of the Hendrix Murphy Foundation.

 

Reena Badyal

Interning with Jus Broadcasting

Category: Professional and Leadership Development

Sponsor: Julie Brown

 

Jus Broadcasting of New York City was the first Punjabi-based television network launched in the United States.  Immigrants from the northern state of India have made the network increasingly popular in America. ?Jus Broadcasting offers an array of Punjabi programming including news, music, religion, and live-tv shows,? said Reena Badyal. She will serve as an intern at the station this summer, learning the details of interviewing, editing and broadcasting while gaining a new understanding of her Punjabi culture and community.

 

Kaci Billings and Hailey Hundley

Aspiring Physicians Volunteering in a Kenyan Missions Hospital

Category: Service to the World

Sponsor: Dr. George Harper

 

Kaci Billings and Hailey Hundley each have a goal of becoming a doctor. This summer they will volunteer at the Maseno Missions Hospital in Kenya, which is supervised by two doctors from San Diego. Billings and Hundley will observe the doctors as they provide healthcare to the underprivileged people of Maseno and nearby regions in Kenya. ?This experience will serve to strengthen my dedication to pursuing a career in the medical field,? Billings said. ?I am confident that this journey will provide me with an enhanced sensitivity to culture and diversity and redefine my commitment to medicine,? Hundley added. In a country where thousands are suffering from malaria, typhoid fever and HIV/AIDS, the clinic itself faces challenges through limited resources and staff.  This experience will give them a unique perspective on medical service in other countries.

 

Spencer Briggs

AIDS & African Culture: A Broader View

Category: Global Awareness

Sponsor: Dr. Joyce Hardin

 

A physician in Africa needs to understand the culture of the people, how they live and interact with each other and their environment to successfully encourage them to seek the medical attention they need. As a volunteer with the HIV/AIDS Awareness Campaign in Arusha, Tanzania, Spencer Briggs will live with a host family and gain a deeper understanding of the country. She?ll also become more familiar with HIV/AIDS as a global concern. ?In Arusha, where AIDS is widespread, I will learn more about how the disease affects the infected person and what it is like to have such an epidemic be common in a community,? Briggs said. She will support home-based projects for families living with the disease, including teaching about nutrition and health.

 

AhYoung Byun

Differences in the Composition of Coral Snake and Rattlesnake Venoms

Category: Undergraduate Research

Sponsor: Dr. Randall Kopper

 

?Although the eastern coral snake and the western diamondback rattlesnake are common in the United States, researchers know very little about their venom components and the differences between them,? AhYung Byun said. She will use venom samples from each species to compare the protein components them and determine their relative concentrations. She hopes that the results will contribute to our understanding of the ecology and evolution of snake venoms, including whether they are used for self-defense or predation.

 

Patrick Cherry, Katie deFrance, and Michael Nollen

Newton's Method as a Dynamical System

Category: Undergraduate Research

Sponsor: Prof. Lars Seme

 

Newton?s method is a technique for finding the roots of a function by iteration. You begin with an initial guess ?near? the solution, then repeat and improve on each result until you have the desired accuracy for your answer. Things get more complex when dealing with functions with more than one root?and that?s the area of interest for Patrick Cherry, Katie deFrance and Michael Nollen. ?The goal is not simply to repeat previously accomplished results, but to stretch our mathematical knowledge and to participate in a experience different than that of simply working problems encountered in a typical classroom setting,? they said. They will use the tools of pure mathematics and advanced computer programs to work on their research.

 

Stephanie Davenport

Enhancing the Quality of Life in Belize

Category: Service to the World

Sponsor: Dr. Leslie Zorwick

 

Homes in the village of Seine Beight in Belize are built on stilts, which prompts mothers to carry their children until they can walk rather than risk a fall. This custom can lead to developmental delays because the babies aren?t able explore their surroundings and increase their motor, perceptual and intellectual function through sensory input. ?By being held all the time for their very survival and safety, babies of the village are deprived of these experiences,? Stephanie Davenport said. As part of a 36-member mission trip, Davenport will volunteer with a physical therapist working with the mothers and their children, giving her a chance to observe a possible career path. She?ll also participate in a Vacation Bible School and lead tai chi exercises for elderly villagers.

 

Logan Estill

Summer of Hospital Service

Category: Service to the World

Sponsor: Dr. Jennifer Penner

 

This summer, Logan Estill will be a volunteer in the Neuro-Trauma Intensive Care Unit at the Memorial Hermann Hospital ? The Medical Center in Houston, Texas. While there, he will shadow the unit?s nurses as they tend to the patients in their care. Estill will see first-hand the level of care required by those with severe head and neck trauma. He will also have the unique opportunity to shadow the clinical liaison who monitors the patients? happiness and satisfaction and provides support to their families. ?By shadowing the clinical liaison, I will obtain practical skills and learn methods of aiding those in emotional traumas,? Estill said. He will get a practical understanding of topics covered in his social and evolutionary psychology courses while serving in the hospital.

 

Erik Honkonen

Certified Golf Fitness Instructor

Category: Professional and Leadership Development

Sponsor: Danny Powell

 

As a member of the Hendrix golf team, Erik Honkonen understands how to play the game. As a certified golf fitness instructor through the Titleist Performance Institute, he?ll know the latest in golf-specific health and fitness, including golf swing biomechanics, physical screening techniques, exercise prescriptions, and golf swing analysis. He?ll share his knowledge during an internship at Quail Ridge Country Club in Groton, Mass. ?This project will provide a great professional experience to me and also allow me to help others learn about the developing concept of golf-specific fitness,? Honkonen said.

 

Haiyan Huang

Volunteer of EXPO 2010 Shanghai China

Category: Service to the World

Sponsor: Dr. Jay McDaniel

 

The first World Exposition was held in London in 1851; it?s still going strong 150 years later. China was selected to host the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai with a theme focusing on cities and urban environments. Approximately 200 nations and international organizations will participate in the event, which should attract about 70 million visitors. ?The main aim of the World Expo is to share information from different areas like business, communication, technology and culture,? Haiyan Huang said. After immersing herself in English for a year as a student at Hendrix, she hopes to offer her translating services to visitors and help as needed to make the event a success.

 

Hannah Hudspeth

Vital Voices: Hearing Women

Category: Professional and Leadership Development

Sponsor: Dr. Aaron Simmons

 

Headquartered in Washington, D.C., Vital Voices is a non-governmental organization with programs in developing countries, focusing on the business, political and civil society sectors. The organization works to increase women's political participation and representation, support women business leaders and entrepreneurs, and combat human rights violations affecting women across the globe. This summer, Hannah Hudspeth will intern with Vital Voices, learning about public service and community development. ?Vital Voices: Hearing Women will give me the opportunity to immerse myself in the global issues facing women today, showing me how to address and effectively help with these concerns,? Hudspeth said.

 

Kerry Kanatzar and James Shelton

Latin Inscriptions and Epigraphy at PortAnta in Portugal

Category: Special Projects

Sponsor: Dr. Andrew Scott

 

In a three-week workshop at the Museu Nacional de Arqueologia in Lisbon, Portugal, Kerry Kanatzar and James Shelton will learn about Latin epigraphy. This is the study and interpretation of ancient inscriptions, and they will  have the rare opportunity to examine the museum?s collection of artifacts. ?The program provides training in epigraphic methodology, which will allow us to combine what we have learned at Hendrix with the study of the material culture of Roman antiquity,? they said. This grant was underwritten by the generous support of the Hendrix Murphy Foundation.

 

 

Madeleine Keenan

Holistic Chemistry: Interning with a Nutritional Biochemist

Category: Professional and Leadership Development

Sponsor: Dr. Courtney Hatch

 

Tara Palmer, a nutritional biochemist in Eugene, Ore., has made a business of creating personalized nutritional programs for her clients based upon biochemical analysis. This summer, Madeleine Keenan will intern with her to see how individual plans vary based on each client?s level of motivation, fitness, health issues, and personal tastes. ?I look forward to exploring a possible career-path that would allow me to blend my interest in health, nutrition, and human relations with my academic study of biochemistry,? she said. Keenan will also learn how Palmer organizes and markets her private practice and observe her as she relates to her patients.

 

Megan Kurten

Relief for Refugees in Thailand

Category: Service to the World

Sponsor: Dr. Ralph Scott

 

The Burmese Hill Tribes fled to Thailand to escape an oppressive military regime that rules their own country. As refugees, they have no citizenship rights in Thailand, leading to a hard existence in the refugee settlements and camps. ?There is not a lot I can do about the political situation, but I can help the refugees,? Megan Kurten said. She will travel to the village of Baan Thong Luang to provide educational, medical and agricultural supplies for the residents of the settlement. When she returns, she?ll be able to raise awareness of the plight of the Burmese Hill Tribes with her first-hand knowledge of their unique culture and the political challenges they face. 

 

Rachel Lee

The Helping Hands of Villa Milagro

Category: Special Projects

Sponsor: Dr. Jane Harris

 

This summer, Rachel Lee will return to a place close to her heart. During the past three years, her church youth group has performed mission work at Villa Milagro in Peru. Located in the isolated and poverty-stricken Cajamarca Valley, this  ?Place of Miracles? serves area residents. Lee will work in an orphanage, shadow a medical mission group and aid a Peruvian teacher at a local public school. ?Teaching in a Spanish classroom will broaden my cultural understanding and expose me to the socio-anthropological aspects involved in mission work,? Lee said.

 

Hannah McGrew

Nossa Senhora: Discovering the role of the Virgin in Brazilian Culture

Category: Global Awareness

Sponsor: Dr. Jon Arms

 

The patron saint of Brazil is ?Nossa Senhora Aparecida,? a clay statue less than three feet tall of the Virgin Mary, which was found in a river by fishermen in 1717. Many miracles have been attributed to her, and the second largest Basilica in the world was erected in her honor. Images of the dark brown statue appear in works of religious art and are a major influence in the popular culture of Brazil, a country where Roman Catholicism has intermixed with elements of indigenous religions. ?For two weeks, I will explore and learn about images of the Virgin and the religious and spiritual lore associated with her,? McGrew said.

 

Alexander Melnykovych

Internship at Historic Locust Grove

Category: Professional and Leadership Development

Sponsor: Dr. Allison Shutt

 

Gen. George Rogers Clark was a Revolutionary War hero and the founder of Louisville, Kentucky. He spent the last years of his life at Locust Grove, the home of his sister Lucy Clark Croghan and her husband, William. Locust Grove is a National Historic Landmark, featuring the 1790 house and outbuildings along with a museum. Alexander Melnykovych will be an intern at Locust Grove this summer, revising the electronic records documenting the artifacts at the site. This task could include taking digital photographs and researching the history of an object to ensure the accuracy of Locust Grove records. ?This internship will be incredibly valuable in developing my skills as an aspiring historian by allowing me to gain experience in the practice of historical research and history education while providing an intimate look as the behind the scenes operation of a historical site,? Melnykovych said.

 

Lira Mondal

Following the Lieder: An In-Depth Study of German Art Song in Austria

Category: Professional and Leadership Development

Sponsor: Dr. John Krebs

 

 ?Lieder? are German art songs based on poems with pastoral or romantic themes that were made popular by composers such as Franz Schubert and Hugo Wolf. All serious classical singers are expected to be familiar with the style. Lira Mondal is no exception. She will spend a month in Austria this summer in an intensive program focusing on the Lied.  ?The Lied Austria International program is an outstanding opportunity because it offers daily voice lessons with distinguished faculty, along with personalized diction coaching, literary interpretation, and German language classes, all in one place,? Mondal said. By understanding the language behind the notes she sings, she hopes to have a deeper appreciation of the interaction between text and music for her public performances.

 

Natascha Morris

Publishing Internship

Category: Professional and Leadership Development

Sponsor: Dr. Tyrone Jaeger

 

With aspirations of working in the publishing industry, Natascha Morris will head to New York this summer to pursue an internship.  The city is home to many major publishing houses, including Random House, HarperCollins and Simon and Schuster. ?Having the opportunity to intern for my future career is essential to my career decisions within the next two years,? Morris said. She is eager to interact with others in the industry and to see the world of publishing from the inside. This grant was underwritten by the generous support of the Hendrix Murphy Foundation.

 

Allison Mosley

Physical Therapy Volunteering in Romania

Category: Special Projects

Sponsor: Dr. Leslie Templeton

 

?I believe that one of the greatest gifts you can give someone is the gift of care, especially towards the end of one?s life,? Allison Mosley said. That is the driving force behind her project to volunteer at a hospice in Brasov, Romania. More than 600 adults and 70 children with advanced illnesses or incurable diseases live at the site. Mosley will assist a licensed physical therapist as treatment plans are created and implemented for the children. The goal is to help the patients remain as functional as possible through strength therapy and audio and visual stimulation.

 

Parham Motaghedi

Esperanto: Why There is Always Hope

Category: Special Projects

Sponsor: Dr. Jon Arms

 

In the late 1880s in Poland, Dr. Kudovic L. Zamenhof created Esperanto, a simple language with roots in Slavic, Germanic, and Romance languages. His goal was to create a means of communicating that was simple, neutral, and international. ?One can merely look at the word Esperanto, which means ?one who hopes,? to comprehend what this language is trying to accomplish,? Parham Motaghedi said. After teaching himself the basics of Esperanto, he will learn more about the language and Esperanto culture at the third annual Summer Esperanto Study in Piestany, Slovakia in July. This grant was underwritten by the generous support of the Hendrix Murphy Foundation.

 

Kevin Omolo

Enlightening Kenyan Youth for a Greener Future

Category: Professional and Leadership Development

Sponsor: Prof. Irmina Fabricio

 

Kevin Omolo of Kenya knows that his homeland faces many severe challenges. Kenya faces poverty and starvation caused by drought and deforestation. Young Kenyans are particularly vulnerable in a widespread HIV/AIDS epidemic, since extreme poverty can force them into dangerous practices such as prostitution. Omolo will organize a summer camp for 30 high school students in Nairobi, Kenya, where he will focus on climate change education, ecosystems, and HIV/AIDS awareness.  ?If the current generation is educated and trained to incorporate behavior change and live cautiously, then they will not evaluate things only by short term judgment,? Omolo said. He will also help with the country?s reforesting efforts by planting 130 trees.

 

Megan Pearce and Tristan Stolz

Working with Orphans in Malawi, Africa

Category: Global Awareness

Sponsor: Dr. Peg Falls-Corbitt

 

In the small African nation of Malawi, millions of children are orphans?many due to AIDS or famine. The Ministry of Hope operates an orphanage that serves children in the city of Lilongwe. This summer, Megan Pearce and Tristan Stolz will volundary sources in the British Library in London.  ?The British Library will provide me a wealth of information, and many of the primary sources located there, such as chronicles, government documents, newspapers, and broadsheets, are not available through any other venue,? he said. Weingold hopes to discover the contemporary opinions of previously unrepresented groups to include in his thesis.

 

David Yablick

Copperhead Snakes - Is the Arkansas River a Barrier to Gene Flow

Category: Undergraduate Research

Sponsor: Dr. George Harper

 

The Southern Copperhead is widespread in Arkansas, usually living near a water source. However, it avoids crossing large rivers or streams. David Yablick will collect and genetically analyze tissue from snakes of both sides of the Arkansas River.  ?This is important because new differences may appear in the Copperhead populations on either side of the river, which may eventually lead to a divergence in species among the snakes,? Yablick said. He will compare samples from snakes obtained in the Ozark Mountains to those found in the Ouachita Mountains since the Arkansas river divides the mountain chains.

 

Dr. Andres Caro

Mechanisms of alcohol-induced liver damage

Category: Undergraduate Research

 

?Fifteen million Americans suffer from alcoholism,? said Dr. Andres Caro. This summer, he will work with  Grant Chandler, Sarah Thompson and Sinehan Bayrak to discover how alcohol damages the liver, with each student responsible for a distinct area of the research project.  They will learn how to keep a structured laboratory notebook, which will be a valuable skill as they pursue further research projects.

 

Dr. Anne Goldberg

Anthropology Internships in Santa Fe, New Mexico

Category: Professional and Leadership Development

 

Dr. Anne Goldberg has arranged for two Hendrix students to experience anthropology during internships at two noted sites in New Mexico.  The Wheelwright Museum focuses on traditional and contemporary Navajo and other Native American arts. The museum may need a student to conduct interviews at Santo Domingo pueblo along with other research. The School for Advanced Research is a center for the study of archaeology and ethnology of the American Southwest.  An intern could be called upon to work in its widely respected in-house press for scholarly books.  ?These internships could pilot an on-going relationship with these and similar institutions in Santa Fe,? Dr. Goldberg said. 

 

Dr. Anne Goldberg and Prof. Maxine Payne

Oral History and Photography on the United States-Mexico Border: Women, Ranching and Globalization

Category: Special Projects

 

The disciplines of anthropology and art will combine this summer as Ellen Granger and Alyssa Moran travel to the American Southwest with Dr. Anne Goldberg and Prof. Maxine Payne. The collaborative project will document women?s lives on ranches on both sides of the United States-Mexico border through oral histories and photography. ?Students will bring together the visual, oral, and written as they convey the stories of these women?s lives,? they said.

 

Dr. Liz Gron

Ridin' Dirty with Science

Category: Service to the World/Special Projects

 

Now in its fourth year, ?Ridin? Dirty with Science? is an outreach program offered in conjunction with the Boys and Girls Club of Faulkner County that engages local middle school students in fun, interesting, and interactive experiments to bring basic chemistry, biology and physics principles to life. Hendrix students volunteer their time to teach the students through cutting- For example, ?Throw Barbie from the Balcony? will involve students in the basics of physics. There will be two, two-day lab sessions at Hendrix. This year?s session is coordinated by Allyson Keen, Tyler Lewis, Kimberly Pollard and Anna Sciortino.

 

Dr. David Hales

Boron trichloride: The missing link in boron halide cluster ion chemistry

Category: Undergraduate Research

 

Rane Dearing will work with Dr. David Hales on a research project exploring the reactions that take place when clusters of boron trichloride molecules are ionized. Dearing will engage in experimental work with a tandem mass spectrometer and will use state-of-the-art computational chemistry software to create model structures of the cluster ions.

 

Dr. Richard Murray

The Role of Neurogenin1 in Sensory Neuron Fate Determination in the Mouse

Category: Undergraduate Research

 

Dr. Rick Murray, Hailey Hundley and Molly Robbins will perform original biomedical research at Hendrix this summer. They will examine the development of pain sensing neurons in the presence and absence of the neurogenin1 gene in laboratory mice.

 

Dr. Damon Spayde

In Search of a 