UHP Honors Research Showcase

You are invited to the annual UHP Honors Research Showcase! Come learn something new and support your peers as they present their brief talks followed by questions.

The Research Showcase will be on Friday, April 26th from 1-3pm in the Club Room at the Townhouse. Let your fellow UHPers know how proud we are of their dedication and hard work as researchers and scholars!

Questions? Contact Brianna Crayton (bcrayton@gwu.edu).

Apply to be an Enosinian Scholar!

The Enosinian Scholars Program is now accepting applications for the 2019-2020 school year. Each year, this program welcomes a select group of rising seniors to conduct student-driven research in a variety of academic areas. Students apply at the end of their junior year to begin the program their senior year.

If you are interested, please check out the program description as well as the application form. Applications are due by Friday, May 17th.

If you have additional questions, please contact Professor William Winstead at stimmung@gwu.edu.   

It's Okay to Not Have a Passion

“What are you passionate about?” It’s a question that has been asked all too often at college and one that I hate. I don’t have a passion. I have interests, sure. Hobbies? Maybe not; it’s not like I have a stamp collection or any extraordinary fascinations. I have a few favorite sports teams, follow a handful of comedians on Twitter, and sometimes read articles that pertain to my academic areas of interest. But none of these are all-consuming, enduring, I’m-an-expert-on-xyz-subject-matter passions.
Let me be clear. There’s nothing wrong with having a passion; some people find what they love early and take that to the end. Sometimes I wish I had a passion; because then I would know what I was destined to do and in what direction to go. It becomes problematic when you are constantly told that in order to be happy with your career, you need to work in an area you are passionate about. Or when you’re told to find your passion to find your career. It’s put a lot of pressure on me to hurry up and find my calling to pursue it wholeheartedly. But the truth is: my interests are constantly changing.
As college students, we are extremely malleable. And that’s a good thing – we open ourselves up to receive advice and the tools we need to shape ourselves into being the people we want to become. But if we’re too malleable, we are susceptible to blowing in whichever way the wind takes us. This can have consequences: wasting time on things that don’t work out, being unable to decide which direction to go in, and irreparably going down the wrong path. Some people would disagree saying that there is no wrong path or that something that feels like a mistake can actually be beneficial in the long-term. I welcome this positive outlook (I’m pretty optimistic myself), but it doesn’t ease the pressure that I feel now to figure out how I should apply myself to a career. I can analyze a research paper about mineral wealth and civil conflict on a Monday, listen to a podcast about the problems of ocean acidification on a Tuesday, read an article about data privacy policy on a Wednesday, and want to do it all. How can I make a career (or even an internship) decision when I’ve been told I must determine my passion first?
I’m passionate about whatever is in front of me. I’m passionate about getting stuff done – whether it be a research paper or a long list of chores. I’m passionate about making other people feel good. I’m passionate about feeling good myself. These “passions” cannot be fulfilled by one and only one career or discipline. Why should I be contained to only one area? Why shouldn’t I have the freedom to wear several different hats? Why is it wrong to have just a mild interest in a variety of different fields?
For those of you who do feel this way – I wish I could put your minds at easy with a quote or word of advice. The truth is I’m in search of that myself. But I can share with you that it’s okay to not have a passion. At the very least, you’re not the only one who feels overwhelmed that despite having the potential to succeed in anything you do, you simply don’t know where to start.
So please – don’t ask me what I’m passionate about. Ask me instead about the last TED Talk I watched. Unironically, here’s mine.

Honors cords, reception, and graduation!

If you’re graduating, have we got the survey for you! When you complete it, you can pick up your gold honor cord to wear at graduation.  You can also pick up your 5 tickets for the UHP Graduating Seniors reception until 5/15. I’m not saying we’re holding your cords and tickets hostage, but I’m also not not saying it.

Here’s what you need to know:

First, complete the senior survey. You can do this online.  The survey is anonymous so that you can feel free to be honest, but we need to confirm that you’ve completed the survey. To do this, we will collect your childhood street name and high school mascot (think like a security question), which will be used to verify that you completed the survey.

Next, come pick up your golden cord and graduating senior reception tickets at the Foggy Bottom office staring Monday, April 22nd.  You can continue to pick up your materials any time during regular business hours (9AM-5PM) after that up until the Friday, May 3rd. We’ll check to make sure you’ve already completed the Senior Survey by asking your to confirm your childhood street name and high school mascot.

Finally, attend the  UHP Graduating seniors reception.  We’ll be in the City View Room at 1957 E Street from 5-7pm on Saturday, May 18th, 2019. Please note the reception will feature a cash bar. Graduates can also take part in the annual UHP tradition of signing our senior poster.

Spring 2019 Special Honors Verification

Graduating seniors, ensure your DegreeMap is a sea of green checks and blue waves: submit your Special Honors Verification Form to the UHP front office by 5PM on Friday, April 12th. This form is only necessary if you’re filling your Honors Thesis requirement by pursuing Special Honors in your major.

You’ll need to get your form signed by your school advisor (not Brianna or Ben), so please don’t wait until the last minute to get started!

German Film Series

The UHP will be hosting a viewings of German films on the Foggy Bottom Campus over the course of the next month. Snacks will be provided!

(2/19): Trace of Stones, Ames B101, 6:30 PM

(3/26): The Lives of Others, Monroe Hall 352, 7 PM

(4/2): Barbara, Rome 350, 7 PM

(4/11): Goodbye, Lenin!, Monroe Hall 353, 7 PM

Attend an Advising Bagel/ Pizza Party!

Need help with Registration for Spring 2019? Need to carbo-load? We’ve got the events for you! Attend an advising party and have all your questions answered by peer advisors and Program Managers Ben and Brianna!

Wednesday, April 10th from 4 -6pm (pizza!) 
Thursday, April 11th from 10am-12pm (bagels!)
Friday, April 12th from 12:30-2:30pm (pizza!)

Welcome to Brianna Crayton, new Program Manager!

Hey everyone! My name is Brianna Crayton and I am pleased to officially join the Honors Program community as a Program Manager. Everyone I’ve met so far has been incredibly open and kind, and I look forward to getting to know many more of you soon!

A lil’ background about me: I’m a DC-area native but I’ve spent the last few years in Philadelphia. In 2017 I got my Masters of Science in Education from the University of Pennsylvania, and then began working with Ph.D. students and faculty at Penn.

Before that, I worked closely with students, families, school administration, county government, donors, and other stakeholders to deliver a range of academic, public health, and extracurricular programs and resources to a diverse school community. At every turn I have enjoyed building relationships with people of all identities and backgrounds and I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to do that with you all.  

I look forward to learning about you and being a resource in any way that I can. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch (bcrayton@gwu.edu) — have a great rest of semester!


New Fraternity on Campus – Become a Leader Now

Who is Alpha Sigma Phi?
We are the nation’s 10th oldest and 5th largest fraternity founded at Yale in 1845. We are the nation’s fastest expanding fraternity and are here at George Washington University because we believe there are men of high-character that share in our five values of silence, charity, purity, honor, and patriotism. We are nationally renown as a gentlemen’s fraternity seeking the best men GW has to offer.
Why should you join?
Alpha Sigma Phi strives to provide our undergraduate members the best undergraduate experience promoting scholastic, professional, and personal growth within the organization. We actively provide service and philanthropy opportunities raising over $1.6 million last year for our 5 non-profits. We also have a strict scholarship plan as well as an opportunity to win a book scholarship for those men who join the fraternity. We are a group that strives to help undergraduate men be the leaders they were born to be – we believe in our vision “To Better the World Through Better Men” and want to give that same opportunity to you!
How Do I Learn More?
To learn more about Alpha Sigma Phi and our Kappa Delta Chapter reach out to Beau Grzanich at bgrzanich@alphasigmaphi.org or Neal Hoover at nhoover@alphasigmaphi.org. You can also follow our Instagram page @gwu_alphasig. We look forward to meeting you!

Intersection of Religion and Science: a Unique UHP Opportunity [SURE Stories]

As a biology major, taking non-science classes through the University Honors Program has been an incredibly unique experience and it has enhanced my undergraduate career at GW.
During the Spring 2018 semester, I took a course titled Buddhist Contemplative Practices with Professor Eyal Aviv to learn more about meditation. This resulted in me asking an existential life question in the middle of class one day: “What is our purpose in the world as humans and why does it matter?” Pretty deep, right? With that question came more questions and my interest in the class, aided by Professor Aviv’s enthusiasm, led me to work on a research paper studying science and Buddhism side-by-side. My research project focused on exploring the intersection between science and Buddhism to support the Buddhist notion of non-self by using scientific evidence, such as (1) the evolution of the brain through natural selection and neural plasticity not allowing a single constant self to exist, and (2) the compartmentalization of the brain with individualized functions preventing the existence of one “self”.
My paper was accepted to the Southeast Commission for the Study of Religion (SECSOR) Conference (a regional chapter of the American Academy of Religion) in North Carolina in March 2019. There, I gave a 20 minute presentation to undergraduates, graduate students, and professors. I had the opportunity to listen to experts in their fields who discussed various topics such as Buddhism and Women’s Rights in Thailand, Religion and the World War II Occupation of France, and Depictions of Asian Culture in American Popular Culture. I even received very useful advice for my senior thesis which focuses on the intentionality of consciousness in Advaita Vedānta, Yogācāra Buddhism, and contemporary philosophies.
Writing a paper, presenting at a conference, and answering questions on the spot are all skills I have gained through this experience. I can use these skills when I present at GW Research Days and when I defend my senior thesis for the Enosinian Scholars Program at the end of my senior year. All of this would not have been possible without the SURE Award, as the SURE Award supports Honors students in their research and academic endeavors. The SURE Award funded my travel and stay for the three day conference– giving me the opportunity to learn new skills and continue to become inspired in the field of research.
I highly recommend that students take part in research that they find interesting even if it entails stepping outside of their comfort zone and entering a whole new field of study– just like I did last spring. The University Honors Program gives students the support necessary to conduct exciting interdisciplinary research, and students should definitely take advantage of this!