Month: April 2014

2014 Holster Scholars

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 2014 Holster cohort

Marissa Piccolo, from Trumbull, CT, is a political science and economics major with a minor in history. She is also a SHARE Awardee with Dr. Prakash Kashwan (Political Science), researching the role of NGOs  in international environmental governance and policy. In addition, she is a staff writer for the Daily Campus, an Ex-officio Senator representing the Honors Council in USG, and President of the UConn College Democrats.

Project: “Redefining the Role of Public High Schools and Community Mental Health: An Exploration of Mental Health Care Access in the PBIS Framework”
Faculty mentor: Dr. Jennifer Freeman (Department of Educational Psychology)

 

Brian Liang, from Bethany, CT, is a pre-med molecular and cell biology major who has been a regular volunteer at Yale New Haven Hospital.  In high school, he participated in numerous research projects.  Among many accolades for his work, he won first place for his poster presentation at the CT Junior Science and Humanities Symposium, held at UConn in 2013.  In addition, before college he was consistently a top-16 ranked swimmer in the state of Connecticut.

Project: “Analysis of the anti-adhesion mechanism in ovarian cancer cells”
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Xiuling Lu (Department of Pharmaceutical Science)

 

Sarah Mosure, from Cromwell, CT, is a pre-med biological sciences major.  In addition to her work in the Sun Lab, which she began in September 2013, she is a member of the UConn’s Division I Varsity Women’s Rowing Team and an active member of Arm 2 Arm, an organization which provides medical care to Haiti.

 Project: “The Effect of Adipose Secretions on Fertility and Ovulation”
 Faculty Mentor: Dr. Jianjun Sun (Department of Physiology and Neurobiology)

 

Patrick Adams, from Wethersfield, CT, is an economics major (with an intended double major in mathematics).  He is also the recipient of a SHARE Award with Dr. Talia Bar (Economics), examining patent application systems.  In addition, Pat is an accomplished jazz musician.

Project: “Iterated Two-Sided Matching”
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Victoria Knoblauch (Department of Economics)

 

John Ovian, from Madison, CT, is a chemistry major and research assistant in the Leadbeater Lab, interested in new synthetic (“green”) chemistry. A singer and vocal instructor in high school, he is also Director of Extreme Measures, a co-ed a cappella group at UConn.

Project: “Oxoammonium Salts as a Tool to Access New Chemicals from Biorenewable Feedstocks”
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Nicholas Leadbeater (Department of Chemistry)

 

Joseph DeSisto, from Orono, ME, has already been identified as one of the leading myriapod experts in New England, having studied “creepy- crawly things” throughout his youth and having worked as field assistant for researchers at the University of Maine. He is currently developing an identification guide to centipedes of New England.

Project: “The Centipedes of Great Smokey Mountains National Park”
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Jane O’Donnell, Scientific Collection Manager (Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology)

 

Isabel Nip, from West Hartford, CT, is a pre-med biological sciences major who began conducting research at UConn in the summer of 2012 through the UConn Mentor Connection for Talented Youth program. She is also an accomplished pianist and a volunteer at UConn’s John Dempsey Hospital  and for the Hartford Rescue Mission.

Project: “Exploring the Role of the Cytoskeleton in Neurodegenerative Diseases”
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kenneth Campellone (Department of Molecular and Cell Biology)

 

Adam Kuegler, from Watertown, CT, is a political science major with an interest in law and politics, having served on state and national campaigns.  A runner and 2013 Valedictorian of his high school, he was selected as the Republican-American Top Male Scholar Athlete of 2012.

Project: “The Heart of the Democratic Struggle: The Voter ID Debate”
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Thomas Hayes (Department of Political Science)

 

Andrew Harnedy, from Guilford, CT, is majoring in classics and ancient Mediterranean studies.  In addition to his passion for classics and history, he is a performer and author of The Second Impeachment of Andrew Johnson, a historical novel.

Project: “Whose Victory? A Debate for the Ages”
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Daniel Caner (Department of History)

Get to Know UConn!

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As you go through the college decision process, you’ll want to know as much as you can about your potential schools.  Once you’ve been admitted into UConn and the Honors Program, there are several ways to find out what it’s like to be a Husky!

To really experience the day-to-day life of a UConn student, prospective students can sign up for a Husky-for-A-Day visit.  At their visit, prospective students will shadow a current UConn student.  They will attend a class or two, visit a dining hall, and get an inside look at the residence halls.  Throughout the day, their UConn student host will be available to answer any questions about academics, campus life, and everything UConn.

This year’s remaining Honors Husky-For-A-Day visits will occur on the following days:

  • Monday, April 14th
  • Tuesday, April 22nd

Visit admissions.uconn.edu and click on the “visit” tab for more information and to register!

When you attend an Honors Husky-for-a-Day visit you will have the opportunity to attend our Honors Meet and Greets, which are run by HIPS (Honors Initiative for Prospective Students) student coordinators.  At the Meet and Greets, students and parents will be able to mingle with current Honors students as well as Honors faculty and staff over light refreshments.  It is an extremely valuable experience to get acquainted with the many faces of the Honors Program at UConn!

Another opportunity to get to know UConn is the Spring Open House, which will occur on April 12th this year.  On this day, students and their families can get tours of the University and of the Buckley/Shippee Complex , the first-year Honors Learning Community.  There will be many opportunities to speak with representatives from various organizations and resources on campus.  In addition, there are presentations from the different schools and colleges, Residential Life, Study Abroad, Financial Aid, and more!  Again, visit admissions.uconn.edu for more information and to register for Open House!

We look forward to having you visit campus to learn more about UConn.  If you questions about these opportunities or the University, please email uconnhips@gmail.com.

Sarah Levine (’16)
Communication and Journalism
HIPS Coordinator

ANTH 1000-81: Other People’s Worlds (ONLINE SUMMER CLASS)

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Instructor: Jocelyn Linnekin
Course dates: 07/07/2014 – 08/15/2014

This course is an introduction to the discipline of Cultural Anthropology, which studies the diverse life-ways, social arrangements, and cultural beliefs found in human groups around the world. By comparing different societies and cultures with our own, students will acquire conceptual tools for understanding global issues and current events. The course emphasizes the connections between social institutions, cultural ideas and customs, and historical outcomes. Students will learn how cultural anthropologists apply their methods and insights to the solution of contemporary human problems.

Students in the online Honors section will have the opportunity to design and carry out a short-term field research project on a social, cultural, or environmental problem. Working closely with Professor Linnekin, who teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in methodology and research design, Honors students will learn about anthropological methods by actually using them in their own local settings. Student-investigators will receive ongoing feedback on their research from Professor Linnekin and other students through online and offline discussions.

(CA2, CA4-Int)