WEST LIBERTY, W.Va., April 19, 2017 — West Liberty University Honors College students will present their research projects in a symposium from 3:30 – 5:30 p.m., Thursday, April 20 in the R. Emmett Boyle Conference Center.
“We are proud of our students and invite the public to join us for all or part of the program. Our students have prepared interesting projects and posters on topics from a variety of disciplines,” said Dr. Shannon Halicki, Dean of the Honors College and associate professor of foreign languages.
Assistant Professor of Philosophy Dr. Aaron Harper is the Honors College research coordinator. He met with the students throughout the semester to offer feedback and answer any questions on their research projects.
Students taking part in the symposium are: Jessica Bethel, Morgan Campbell, Katie Hoover, Erin Howard, Daniel Lukich, Natasha Muhametzyanova, Abbi Sayre and Nicole Talbott.
Bethel, Muhametzyanova, Sayre and Talbott will give oral presentations and Campbell, Hoover, Howard and Lukich will present posters to demonstrate their work.
In order of presentation, the students, hometowns, times and topics of the oral presentations include:
Talbott, who is from East Liverpool, Ohio, will speak at 3:45 p.m. on her study of “Domestic Violence Among Homosexual Couples.” Talbott is a criminal justice major. Her study investigated domestic violence rates among homosexual couples, comparing them with reporting rates of different relationships and communities.
Muhametzyanova, who is from Turkmenistan, will speak at 4 p.m. on “One Step Crazier.” Muhametzyanova is a public relations major and her project was to write a novella.
Sayre, who is from Wheeling, W.Va., will speak at 4:15 p.m. on “Meet the Ambassadors.” Sayre is a business management major. Her project focuses on the theory that having a personal connection with the tour guide is a very important part of the college tour.
Bethel, who is from Mt. Pleasant, Ohio, will speak at 4:30 p.m. on “Creating and Illustrating Comics.” She is a graphic design major. Her project includes a fully illustrated 20-page comic book that she carried through from concept, script, storyboard, inking, coloring, lettering and compilation.
From 4:45 – 5:30 p.m. the poster presentations take place. Students, hometowns and topics include:
Campbell, East Liverpool, Ohio, “When Two Worlds Collide.” Campbell is an elementary education major and her study looked at two different elementary schools that combined into one for middle school.
Hoover, Mineral Wells, W.Va., “Are You Mistreating Your Contacts.” Hoover is a human biology major and this study examines WLU contact lens wearers and their habits.
Howard, Petersburg, W.Va., “Communication Devices: Speech Therapy to Classroom Carryover.” Howard is a speech pathology and audiology major and her work looks at communication devices in schools for nonverbal students.
Lukich, Washington, Pa., “Craydata: The WLU Astacology Mobile Application.” Lukich is a biology major and his study involved the creation of an app for ecology lab day-to-day operation.
Begun in 2012, WLU’s Honors College is offered to qualifying undergraduates as a program of distinction for high-achieving students. Through a combination of academic and experiential opportunities, it promotes creativity, academic rigor and intellectual exchange. The Honors College offers an enriched college experience in terms of both academic pursuits and social experiences.
These students participate in study abroad, internships and research, with opportunities for leadership roles and service.
Students achieve Honors College distinction at the end of their undergraduate career if they have completed the requisite number of Honors credit hours, through courses and seminars, and if they have completed a senior research project.