Featured – Page 29 – University Honors Program Blog

Spring 2015 Hike with Prof. Ralkowski

April 2, 2015Extracurricular Opportunity, Featured, General News2 Comments

Join Professor Mark Ralkowski and GW TRAiLS for a day-long hike in Shenandoah National Park!

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Saturday, April 18, 2015 – Leave from the UHP Townhouse at 7:45am, return at 6pm.

Old Rag Day Hike
Trip Leaders: GWTRAiLS

Cost: Free to UHP Students!!

Destination:

Located in Shenandoah National Park, Old Rag is one of the most popular hikes in the region. It is a circuit hike with some beautiful panoramic views and some cool rock scrambles. The total loop is 8 miles, so this would definitely be a trip that takes an entire day. We’ll provide lunch — sandwich assortments from the GW Deli!

PLEASE RSVP BY FRIDAY, APRIL 17. You MUST register to attend!

Attention UHPers: New Fall 2015 Course Added!

April 1, 2015Courses, Featured, General News

We’re so pleased to announce that our new and high-achieving Program Officer, Mary Rothemich, has volunteered to offer a Self & Society (2048W) course this coming Fall!

While many of you have met Mary and see a spunky, Zumba and chocolate-loving adviser, you may not know that she has an intense interest in Animal Sociology. In her spare time at American and Catholic Universities, she worked with preeminent researchers to develop a theory on the social relationships of squirrel communities.
“There are so many that live among us, even in Washington, D.C., that it is irresponsible for us to ignore the very real behavioral patterns they exhibit,” Mary writes of “Social Squirrels,” the course description for which will be available online shortly.
Mary hopes to spread awareness on each college campus where she has worked, and involves testimonies and studies conducted by other DC-based scholars, such as “Red Squirrels: Where and Why?” and “Roadkill: An Existential Crisis“.
Class activities will include observing squirrels around campus at play in trees, in mating rituals, and their patterns of food hoarding.
If you wish to enroll in “Social Squirrels,” please send an email to uhp@gwu.edu and be sure to copy Mary (rothemich@gwu.edu). All you need to apply a very short personal statement of interest! The CRN for this five-credit course is 412015.

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Happy April Fools’ Day! This course, of course, will not be offered by the UHP. You can find all of our (real) courses for the coming semester here, or you can giggle at last year’s April Fools’ Day post.

2015 Strasser Winners Announced!

March 26, 2015Competitions, Featured, General News

Congratulations to the winners of this year’s Strasser Writing Prize competition! We have one first place winner, and two runners-up!

1st Place:

Jacob Greenblatt
Freshman
“Buddhism & Environmental Ethics”
Written for Origins with Prof. McManus

Runners Up:

Brooke Talbot
Senior
“Memorializing Disease: The Public Contribution to the FDR Memorial Wheelchair Statue”
Written for Prof. Gamble’s Epidemics in American History class
Lacy Myrman
Sophomore
“’Us’ and ‘Them’”
Written for Prof. Dworkin’s Individualism class
The first place winner will receive a $100 gift cards and the runners up will each receive $50 gift cards. Congratulations!

UHP Research Showcase

March 25, 2015Events, Featured, General News

You are invited to celebrate the research of your peers at the University Honors Program Research Showcase!
Enjoy brief, casual talks and ask questions Thursday, April 30th from 1pm to 3pm in the Club Room of the Honors Townhouse. Let your fellow UHP’ers know how proud we are of their dedication and willingness to take a risk in order to contribute and disseminate original work as active scholars!

And if you have research you’d like to present, let Catherine know by Friday, April 3rd to be included in the program!

Commencement 2015! (not just for seniors)

March 16, 2015Events, Featured

As the time of year approaches when our seniors leave us, opportunities arise for all!

Not a senior but want to: see your friends graduate, attend the only commencement on the National Mall, or cozy up to Tim Cook to see if you can get a deal on Apple stock? Apply to work at Commencement 2015! Get paid, represent GW, and celebrate the class of 2015 by signing up here.

If you are a senior, make sure you keep an eye on Infomail for important information regarding ticket pick up and the MANDATORY Online Graduation Ceremony. Also, the Commencement Fair!

In case you’re too excited to wait for the Commencement Fair, here are the times, locations, and dates:
- Foggy Bottom Campus: Tuesday, March 24th to Saturday, March 28th at the GW Campus Store. Hours: Tuesday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM, Saturday, 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM.
- (Virginia Science and Technology Campus: Thursday, April 9th at Innovation Hall. Hours: 10:30 AM to 1:30 PM)

Commencement Student Speaker Competition

February 25, 2015Competitions, Featured

Want to speak alongside the likes of Kerry Washington, Michelle Obama and Bobby Flay? Commencement this spring may be your chance to shine!

Every year since 1992, GW has hosted a student speaker at its commencement ceremony. Just think, it could be you! Any student who will have who earned their degrees in summer or fall 2014 or will earn their degrees in spring or summer 2015 is eligible to apply, so why not give it a shot?

The application is due by 11:59 p.m. on Monday, March 2. To apply, submit a short biography (up to 150 words), the text of the speech you plan to deliver if selected and a video of your speech. It should be approximately three minutes long, provided in the form of a YouTube or Vimeo link. You can submit your materials here! The top ten finalists will audition in person, or via Skype, for the Commencement student speaker committee on April 17. Following this presentation, the committee will select the winner.

Aside from all the glory of speaking on the National Mall in front thousands of people, there are a couple of perks to this gig. The winner will receive six tickets for the reserved seating section at Commencement, a photo with the Commencement speaker, invitations to special events during Commencement Weekend, and free Commemorative Commencement photos.

Questions? Contact University Events at commencement@gwu.edu or 202-994-7129!

Macau Friedman Scholars Meetup

February 24, 2015Events, Featured, General News1 Comment

The UHP is teaming up with GW’s International Programs office to provide an exciting opportunity for UHPers to mingle with the Macau Friedman Scholars on Wednesday, March 4 at 12 PM in the Town House Club Room.
The Macau Friedman Scholars program allows visiting undergraduate honors students from the University of Macau to study at GW. These third year students study mathematics, economics, and media. If you’re interested in Chinese culture, studied abroad in China, or just want a chance to meet some cool honors students from around the world, this event is for you!
Please RSVP here. Refreshments will be provided.

A Paid RA-ship for an Elliott School student

February 18, 2015Featured, Research Assistant Opportunity

Hey Elliot School Students,

Check out this PAID Research Assistant Opportunity with Professor Christov!

Description: Prof. Christov is looking to hire a paid research assistant (5-7 hrs/per week) for the remainder of the current Spring semester (possibly extended through early summer, upon availability). The student must be enrolled in the Elliott School, have excellent research skills, and a willingness to work closely on a number of research projects. The bulk of the work will consist of reading articles and books on history and theory of International Relations and editing & indexing.

Individual interviews will be conducted this Friday afternoon, Feb 20 (or later for reasons of scheduling conflict). If interested, please contact Prof. Christov directly to set up an interview (christov@gwu.edu). Deadline: 12pm on Feb 20th.

Looking to Study Abroad at Oxford?

January 29, 2015Featured, General News

Want to polish up your British accent while studying at a top notch university?

Two professors from St. Anne’s College at the University of Oxford will be visiting the Office for Study Abroad on Thursday, February 12th, and are interested in meeting with any students that may want to study at St. Anne’s in the future, including freshmen and sophomores.

If you’re interested, check out the event details here!

Join the Honors Program!

January 20, 2015Featured, General News

Freshmen in their second semester can apply to join the Honors Program. The deadline is January 30, 2015.

Students accepted will enter the program their sophomore year and jump-start with a specially designed course in fall 2015. If you’d like to be part of the University Honors Program, please apply!

If you’re already in the UHP — we know you’ve got friends that would be perfect for the UHP, so encourage them to apply!

More details below; find the application here.

When/where/how to apply?
Applications are available online. Complete it and return it to the UHP Office at 714 21st Street NW by 5pm on January 30, 2015.

What are the requirements to apply?
The specific application materials are described in the application. Second-semester freshmen with strong GPAs should apply — the UHP requires its students to maintain GPAs high enough so that it’s mathematically possible to graduate with a 3.4. Please note that student schedules must allow for the student to take HONR 2016 Enlightenment East & West in fall 2015.

When are decisions announced?

We’ll notify applicants this semester, before registration in March.

Please come to an info session!

We’ll be holding information sessions for interested students to ask questions and hear from Honors advisors and current students! Join us on Thursday, January 22 at 7pm or Monday, January 25 from 6pm. Both sessions will be held in the Honors Program office at 714 21st Street NW, walk up the steps at the brick townhouse between Hall of Government and Lisner Auditorium.