The Honors College may have found a new home in Capen Hall, but its students have kept their mentality.
Throughout the summer, many Honors College students have participated in research, internships, and study abroad programs that add depth to their coursework. In a recent survey, 52 percent of Honors College students reported that they had spent part of their summer engaged in either an internship or a research project.
"We know our students are doing awesome and amazing things over the summer," said Megan Bragdon, program director of the Honors College.
Students in the Honors College are required to participate in 16 credits worth of projects known as "honors experiences," a main tenet of the college. These credits can be fulfilled through undergraduate research, internships and study abroad. Students work in the Buffalo-Niagara community as well as abroad in nations such as Japan, Rwanda, and Finland.
"It's not just an extra set of courses," Bragdon said. "Our goal is to really push students to have a rich undergraduate experience."
More than 1,000 students from around the globe are enrolled in the Honors College.
One such student is Andrew Hunt, a senior theatre design and technology major who spent his summer in Delaware Park as the assistant technical director for productions of "The Merchant of Venice" and "As You Like It." The two plays were the 2010 selections for the annual Shakespeare in Delaware Park festival, which has brought free performances to the Queen City for the past 36 years.
As the assistant technical director, it was Hunt's job to assist in all areas of set production, from initial assembly to changeover to striking the set.
He called the process of finding his summer position "unremarkable but serendipitous." He noted that being part of the Honors College pushed him to find opportunities that suited his educational goals.
"[The Honors College] gives us opportunities to do great things: teach for America, become Fulbright Scholars. It's all about how you can make your education perfect for you," Hunt said. "The Honors College offers us opportunities, but we're not puppets; we're not controlled by the various requirements. The requirements just help us do great things."
Kristina Blank, a senior environmental studies major, shares Hunt's perspective.
"Honors College isn't some elite group of privileged students who have opportunities handed to us; rather, we are a family of students joined by our motivation to have the most enriching academic experiences possible. That mindset, more than any particular benefit of being in Honors, is what allowed me to have this opportunity," Blank said in reference to her work over the summer at the University of Washington.
Blank spent her summer participating in the Environmental Health Research Experience Program, studying the negative effects of air pollution on cardiovascular health. She hopes to bring her knowledge and experience back to Western New York.
"The population [of the West Side of Buffalo] suffers from staggering rates of asthma and other chronic respiratory diseases, likely due to their proximity to the Peace Bridge and its relentless diesel truck traffic," Blank said.
Blank initially became interested in this health issue specific to Buffalo after interning with the Clean Air Coalition of Western New York, which qualified as one of her honors experiences.
Andrea Schneider, a sophomore biochemistry major, also spent her summer exploring health issues. Schneider worked at Roswell Park Cancer Institute researching the mechanisms and pathways of apoptosis, also known as cell death or cell suicide. She hopes to help develop a drug that will cause cancer cells to go into apoptosis without affecting a patient's normal cells.
Schneider intends to spend more time in the lab this winter, hoping to determine her professional goals.
"This internship actually made it harder for me to decide my future academic goals. I definitely like science and won't be changing my major. But I am no longer positive about which direction I want to take after my undergraduate education," Schneider said.
Schneider credits the Honors College with encouraging her to look for her internships so early in her academic career.
"I found the internship on my own however I definitely would [say] they are the reason I looked so early. I like how the Honors College gives you a small school feel even though UB is so big," Schneider said.
That small, interpersonal feel is just the sort of environment Bragdon hopes the Honors College's new location in Capen Hall will foster.
"We want to create a small, liberal arts college feel within the larger university setting," Bragdon said. "One with a closeness to faculty and space for continued bonding between students of different grade levels."
The relocation of the Honors College has placed it in the "heart of the campus," as the strategic plan for UB 2020 calls the renovations to Capen and Lockwood Library.
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Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
