Student News

Honors celebrates scholars, faculty, and alumni at the 2012 Medals Ceremony

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Hettinger, DeWalt, and Kennedy
Award winners Dr. Virginia Hettinger, Dr. Bill DeWalt, and Ms. Marian Kennedy. (Photo courtesy of Thomas Hurlbut)

The Honors Medals Ceremony is a time for the Honors Program to individually recognize each graduating Honors Scholar before family, friends, and the university community. Seniors are presented with commemorative medallions to wear at Commencement and keep as a reminder of their successful completion of a rigorous Honors curriculum. The event also celebrates the contributions of Honors faculty members and marks the accomplishments of Honors alumni, highlighting the circular relationship of educators, students, and graduates. This year, three members of the extended Honors community were recognized. Continue reading →

Top U.K. grad programs have Honors Scholars within their ranks

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By Cheryl Cranick, Honors Program

Nestled in the quiet country town of Storrs, accomplished students are hard at work preparing for what waits after graduation. These Honors Scholars eventually disperse across the country and beyond; some settle close to home, while others cross an ocean. Two alumni—one an economist, the other a molecular biologist—graduated from the Honors Program just two years apart. They both pursued competitive funding for graduate schools in the United Kingdom—programs with only a handful of slots—and both were successful. They now reside relatively close to each other, though they’ve never met. What they have in common is the firm foundation they gained here at UConn Honors. Continue reading →

Understanding culture makes Honors alum a musical visionary

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By Cheryl Cranick, Honors Program

Building exterior
Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, Ariz. (Photo courtesy of the Musical Instrument Museum)

In the desert of Phoenix, Ariz., is a sprawling $250 million, 200,000-square-foot facility that blends into the arid background. But inside the walls is a collection of instruments that brings to life the world’s music. The Musical Instrument Museum (MIM), led by UConn Honors alumnus Dr. Bill DeWalt ’69, ’76, is not just a museum that displays devices for sound. MIM has a deeper mission: to create an all-encompassing sensory journey around the globe. It promises to be “the most extraordinary museum you’ll ever hear.”

Continue reading →

Class of 2012: Alexandra Raleigh

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Alexandra Raleigh
Alexandra Raleigh ’12 (CLAS) (Photo: Peter Morenus/UConn)

By Lauren Lalancette

To prepare for her dream job of U.S. Secretary of State, Alexandra Raleigh ’12 (CLAS) will begin a Ph.D. program in political science at the University of California-Irvine this fall, specializing in political psychology.

“I am deeply patriotic,” says Raleigh, who is graduating with a double major in psychology and political science. “I care about my country’s values, and I want to work really hard to protect those values.” Continue reading →

Hayley Dunnack: Lasting Motivation and a Constant Smile

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By Julie Bruhn

Sophomore Hayley Dunnack genuinely values her time here at UConn. As a nursing student, she takes full advantage of the simulation labs and is excited to start her first hands-on clinical experience next semester. Hayley serves as secretary for UConn Irish, a cultural organization that focuses on Irish stepdancing. Furthermore, she enjoys her job at the Student Activities office and believes that working on campus is a great way to get involved and build connections. Continue reading →

Class of 2012: Alexander Velázquez

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Alexander Velazquez
Alexander Velazquez ’12 (CLAS) (ENG) (Photo: Peter Morenus/UConn Photo)

By Lynnette Repollet ’12 (CLAS)

Alexander Velázquez’s passion for engineering first manifested itself when he was only 5 years old. “I told my parents I wanted to be an inventor,” he says. “I’ve always been very technically-inclined.”

Velázquez, who is graduating in May from UConn’s EuroTech program with a dual degree in computer science and engineering and German studies and a minor in mathematics, is fulfilling that childhood dream at an international level. During a four-month internship in Stuttgart, Germany in summer 2011, Velázquez contributed new code to the driving simulator, extending the traffic module that generates computer-controlled cars. Continue reading →

Honors graduate puts problem-solving skills into practice

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By the Honors Program

Outside the window of his classroom was a view of the Mexican border. His students were children growing up too fast in a climate of border violence and poverty. But Jeffrey “Steve” Ferketic ’08 found a way to reach them. Ferketic joined Teach for America, seeking to make a difference in the lives of south Texas students. A biology and political science double major in the Honors Program, Ferketic was inspired by the other teachers in his family. He also knew his UConn education had prepared him for the challenges of this experience. Continue reading →

Recent alumni pay it forward with new giving fund

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By Cheryl Cranick, Honors Program

A $10,000 gift established a new Honors giving fund this summer. Its donors are three Honors alumni who’ve graduated within the past six years. According to one of the fund’s creators, Nate Eaton ’05, “Our vision for the Young Honors Alumni Fund is to provide a mechanism through which young alumni can give back to the students of the Honors Program so that they may fulfill their own vision of an Honors experience at UConn.” Continue reading →

Young scholars discover potential through Holster grants

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2011 holsters

By Cheryl Cranick, Honors Program

In September, Robert Holster ’68 witnessed the culmination of his generosity: the first Holster Scholar presentations. His $1 million gift, given jointly by his wife Carlotta ’68, funds the Holster Scholar First Year Project, sponsoring Honors student research. But it has a unique qualification: the grants are given to first years.

Holster felt giving back was an “obligation,” crediting UConn Honors as “fundamental to getting me off to a good start,” he said. He was a member of the inaugural Honors class in 1964. Continue reading →

Rowe Researcher: Social Interaction and Anxiety in Mice

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Ashley Bonet with her research poster.
Ashley Bonet with her research poster.

Spring 2012: Social Interaction and Anxiety in Mutant BXD29 Mice

By A.C.Bonet1 , D.T.Truong2 , R.H. Fitch, PhD1

            The purpose of this research was to observe anxiety and social interaction in the BXD29 mice strain. BXD29/Ty -wild type and BXD29-Tlr4lps-2J/J -mutant mice have never been tested for social interaction or anxiety related behaviors, thus this research offers a preliminary observation of the behaviors. The BXD29-Tlr4lps-2J/J mice have subcortical heterotopias formed by neurons destined for layers 2-4 of the neocortex as well as partial callosal agenesis. Continue reading →