Honors Programs at Penn State Brandywine

Honors Programming at Penn State Brandywine

Sun, 01 Sep 2030 17:17:49 -0500

Welcome! We encourage you to explore and learn about our innovative courses and programming that promote the honors mission of academic excellence with integrity, building a global awareness, and opportunities for leadership and civic engagement.

Penn State Brandywine Honors Coordinators Dr. Laura Guertin and Dr. Myra Goldschmidt

Honors group photo at the Washington Monument during a trip to the Solar Decathlon, October 2007.

Cutting coupons for our troops overseas

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 17:09:13 -0500

Our newest honors scholars have done it again, cutting coupons for our military troops and their families overseas. In under an hour, before the honors orientation began, the students cut $1,680.61 worth of coupons for the U.S. Navy base in Sigonella, Sicily.

2009 Fall Literary Launch - Three Cups of Tea

Sun, 24 May 2009 10:37:45 -0500

We couldn't have come up with a better book to match our honors theme that connects to the United Nations Millennium Development Goal of universal primary education. Our honors community will be reading "Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace... One School at a Time" by Greg Mortenson. Enjoy this summer read, and be ready for required assignments in our fall honors courses (ENGL 030S, AM ST 100U, HONOR 301H) and our honors alumni reunion dinner!

Book Synopsis

One day in 1993, high up in the world's most inhospitable mountains, Greg Mortenson wandered lost and alone, broken in body and spirit, after a failed attempt to climb K2, the world's deadliest peak. When the people of an impoverished village in Pakistan's Karakoram Himalaya took him in and nursed him back to health, Mortenson made an impulsive promise: He would return one day and build them a school. Although he was a homeless "climbing bum" living out of his aging Buick in Berkeley, California, Mortenson sold what few possessions he had to launch one of the most remarkable humanitarian campaigns of our time." "Three Cups of Tea traces Mortenson's decade-long odyssey to build schools, especially for girls, throughout the region that gave birth to the Taliban and sanctuary to Al Qaeda. While he wages war with the root causes of terrorism - poverty and ignorance - by providing both girls and boys with a balanced, nonextremist education. Mortenson must survive a kidnapping, fatwas issued by enraged mullahs, death threats from Americans who consider him a traitor, and wrenching separations from his family." Today, as the director of the Central Asia Institute, Mortenson has built fifty-five schools serving Pakistan and Afghanistan's poorest communities. And as this real-life Indiana Jones from Montana crisscrosses the Himalaya and the Hindu Kush fighting to keep these schools functioning, he provides not only hope to tens of thousands of children, but living proof that one passionately dedicated person truly can change the world.

When I look back, I am so impressed again
with the life-giving power of literature.
If I were a young person today, trying to gain a sense of
myself in the world, I would do that again by reading,
just as I did when I was young.
~ Maya Angelou ~

2009 Spring Literary Launch - Your Inner Fish

Sun, 24 May 2009 10:24:20 -0500

"Launch" into the spring with a great book! The book we have selected fits with the Year of Evolution theme and events around the Philadelphia region for Darwin's 200th birthday--"Your Inner Fish: A Journey Into the 3.5-Billion-Year History of the Human Body," by Neil Schubin. Students enrolled in LING 001U and GEOSC 021H must have the book completed before the semester begins to be ready for in-class discussions during the first week of classes.All honors students will meet during the spring semester for book discussions with their honors peers and honors faculty.

Book Synopsis

Why do we look the way we do? What does the human hand have in common with the wing of a fly? Are breasts, sweat glands, and scales connected in some way? To better understand the inner workings of our bodies and to trace the origins of many of today's most common diseases, we have to turn to unexpected sources: worms, flies, and even fish.

Neil Shubin, a leading paleontologist and professor of anatomy who discovered Tiktaalik--the "missing link" that made headlines around the world in April 2006--tells the story of evolution by tracing the organs of the human body back millions of years, long before the first creatures walked the earth. By examining fossils and DNA, Shubin shows us that our hands actually resemble fish fins, our head is organized like that of a long-extinct jawless fish, and major parts of our genome look and function like those of worms and bacteria.

Shubin makes us see ourselves and our world in a completely new light. "Your Inner Fish" is science writing at its finest--enlightening, accessible, and told with irresistible enthusiasm.

Man ceased to be an ape, vanquished the ape,
on the day the first book was written.
~ Yevgeny Zamyatin ~

Student comments about this Literary Launch:

Your Inner Fish does an amazing job taking scientific concepts and breaking them down into understandable, interesting chapters. I enjoyed seeing the similarities between my body and long dead creatures. -- Adrienne Showalter

The book was alright. I don't know whether it really proves anything, though. Similarities between creatures' structures, bones, etc., can just as easily point to a common design as to evolution. There is more convincing evidence out there. -- Mary-Therese Capaldi

I found "Your Inner Fish" very interesting. One of the most interesting facts was how the human middle ear bones developed. I could not believe they were once a reptile jaw. Another fact that I found interesting was the gradual development of the human eye. One last thing was how human are susceptible to disease and other viruses. -- John Formento

Spring 2009 photo contest winner - Paola Pedraza-Rivera

Fri, 08 May 2009 11:41:37 -0500

In Spring 2009, Paola Pedraza-Rivera was part of an honors cemetery demography research group that recorded data from the tombstones at Cumberland Cemetery. Congratulations to sophomore Paola for her winning entry!

Competing Forces, Creative Tensions

I took this picture during one of my excursions to Cumberland Cemetery. To me, this represents the Competing Forces, Creative Tensions honors theme because it shows two different ways of remembering the loved ones that have passed away. We have the normal way, creating a tombstone and putting their name on it. However, you also have the colorful toys in front of it. By using this unusual decoration the person who put it there is remembering the people as an individuals not as one more name on a tombstone.

- Paola Pedraza-Rivera

Six Words on "Evolution" - before and after GEOSC 021H

Sun, 01 Feb 2009 17:48:39 -0500

Inspired by the book Not Quite What I was Planning: Six Word Memoirs from Writers Famous and Obscure, Penn State Brandywine honors scholars in GEOSC 021H (Earth & Life) in Spring 2009 individually contributed six words that define their view on the term "evolution."

Wordle (http://www.wordle.net/) was used to create "word clouds" from the submitted text. In the images, greater prominence is given to words that appear more frequently from the six word collection. Click on the link and/or the image below to see a full screen view of the Wordle.

Wordle for Evolution (pre-semester) (LINK)

Wordle for Evolution (post-semester) (LINK)

Discussion with Aldo Magazzeni, CEO/Founder of Traveling Mercies

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 17:58:49 -0500

On January 22, the Honors Scholars were treated to a private tour of the photography exhibit created by CEO and Founder of Traveling Mercies, Aldo Magazzeni. Aldo was born in Italy yet began his undergraduate career at Penn State Brandywine (then Penn State Delaware County). In October 2007 he founded Traveling Mercies, a non-profit 501(c) (3) foundation "dedicated to helping others, while creating a vehicle to remove barriers between cultures so that individuals can share their strengths, assets and blessings with each other. Human equality is most important and can only be achieved through compassion, love and sharing our life experiences."

Aldo is currently exhibiting his photographs from the people he has met and his work in Kenya and Afghanistan. Aldo led two discussion for the scholars on the use of photography to communicate a message and how one can help others and have a global impact.

Thank you, Aldo, for your inspirational discussion!

Two Schreyer Scholars Tapped for Phi Kappa Phi

Sun, 11 Jan 2009 15:08:20 -0500

Campus Schreyer Scholars Adrienne Showalter and Dana Gibson have been invited to join the prestigious national honor society of Phi Kappa Phi. The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi is the nation's oldest and most selective all-discipline honor society. Standards for election are extremely high. Membership is by invitation only to the top 7.5 percent of second-semester juniors and the top 10 percent of seniors in their college. Because Phi Kappa Phi is highly selective, membership is a stamp of excellence that is recognized by graduate and professional school admissions committees and employers alike.

The traditions of Phi Kappa Phi at Penn State are long-standing; as Penn State joined the Universities of Maine and Tennessee in 1900 to establish the society as a national society. Penn State University became the third chapter of the society. Phi Kappa Phi holds the distinction of being the oldest honorary society that recognizes excellence in all recognized branches of academic endeavor at Penn State University.

Congratulations, Adrienne and Dana!

Six Words on "Building A Global Awareness"

Sat, 10 Jan 2009 22:03:37 -0500

Inspired by the book Not Quite What I was Planning: Six Word Memoirs from Writers Famous and Obscure, Penn State Brandywine honors faculty, students, and alumni individually contributed six words that define their view on the honors mission of "building a global awareness." See the individual contributions at: http://twitter.com/psubw6words/

Wordle (http://www.wordle.net/) was used to create "word clouds" from the submitted text. In the image below, greater prominence is given to words that appear more frequently from the six word collection. Click on the image to see a full screen view of the Wordle.

An honors cross-campus Flickr collaboration in Spring 2009

Thu, 01 Jan 2009 20:48:58 -0500

Fellow honors scholars from across the university came together for an innovative and fun project!

Each scholar was asked to take a photograph of something at a campus, in town, or at a place he/she visited in the new year that they thought represented the theme EVOLVE. Then, by February 12, all honors scholars uploaded their photo to the Penn State Honors Flickr site with a title and description.

Why the theme EVOLVE? There were several significant historic tributes and current events marked in early 2009. Charles Darwin and Abraham Lincoln both celebrated their 200th birthday (on February 12, as a matter of fact!). The first African-American president was sworn in as Commander-in-Chief for the United States of America, and there were nationwide celebrations for the Martin Luther King Day of Service. Scholars were encouraged to take some time to think about what the term EVOLVE means to them, and how they could demonstrate its meaning through a snapshot. The key here was not just taking the photos or viewing them but that scholars exchanged responses to the work of others by commenting in Flickr. Scholars benefitted from the opportunity to view through the lenses of their peers the theme EVOLVE. We encouraged Scholars to avoid the iconic images of Penn State in favor of "insider" views of neighborhoods, streets, events, etc.

To view the submitted photos for Spring 2009, visit: http://www.flickr.com/groups/pennstateevolve/

Fall 2008 photo contest winner - Teron Meyers

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 20:17:30 -0500

The honors field trip in Fall 2008 traveled to Philadelphia to tour the city's murals relating to hunger and poverty. Congratulations to junior Teron Meyers for his winning entry and winning in back-to-back semesters!

Radiance of Global Harmony

This picture of a mural that was seen during the fall honors trip is a symbol of some of the aspects of the honor's mission, building global awareness, leadership, and civic engagement. The thing that caught my eye the most in this picture was the unity seen with the children. All of them are of different backgrounds, ethnic groups, and religions, but they stand together as one. This signifies so much that our society tends to overlook, the need for all of us to coexist. When one is a child they don't always see the differences that adults focus on, color, ethnicity, religion, or economic status. Children just see children, others like them. The image of the Earth fits well with the overall meaning, assisting the theme of global awareness and that this trait displayed by children is a model for us all. And with this mural being a part of an effort to build up the community, it is an act of civic engagement. The upcoming generations truly are the future and the leaders that can inspire this change.

- Teron Meyers

Socratic Symposium, Fall 2008

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 17:43:52 -0500

On December 4, 2008, honors scholars and their faculty research advisers gathered together for the Socratic Symposium. The Symposium is an event that occurs every semester to allow students to share the classwork and research in which they have been engaged. The Symposium celebrated the significant accomplishments of the Brandywine honors scholars for Fall 2008, including the National Collegiate Honors Council's Honors Service Day. Below are the titles of the honors option poster presentations at the Symposium.

Advanced Math Topics

Daniel Sprik, MATH 230H

Small-scale Agriculture: How it functions, How it Survives

Risa Stacey Lisle, STS 296H

"Rescue Mission" Robotics Project

Tuan Ngo, CMPEN 271H

(no title provided)

Si Cong Wang, CMPEN 271H

Fair Trade to Fully Organic: L'e Bella Natural Kisses

Emily Robb and Lindley Jones, SCM 301H

Dinner with honors alumni

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 20:38:46 -0500

On November 9, 2008, the honors program had the privilege of welcoming former Cooper and Schreyer Honors Scholars back to the Brandywine campus (of course, the campus was the "Delaware County" campus for most of them when they were students!). The alumni sat down with current scholars for a lively dinner discussion about school, work, and the honors common read Nickel and Dimed.

"Hacking Democracy" on Election Day

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 20:42:21 -0500

Released in 2006, the documentary "Hacking Democracy" details the holes that exist in America's electronic voting system. Scholars gathered on Election Day to view what one woman discovered when all she wanted to learn is what happens to her vote after she pushes the voting button. Despite the inconsistencies and questions raised in this Emmy-nominated documentary about what happens to a vote, all scholars agreed that they were proud to have engaged in a historic presidential election and will continue to engage in the democratic practices allowed by the Constitution.

Honors Day of Service - Sweat for Hope

Fri, 17 Oct 2008 20:14:28 -0500

The honors scholars are establishing a tradition of participation in the National Collegiate Honors Council's National Honors Service Day. Each semester, the NCHC selects a day and asks honors programs across the country to perform service. In Fall 2008, the scholars at Penn State Brandywine created a two-part service project. First, on October 17, the scholars arranged an open mic on campus to discuss world food problems and collected donations for Profugo. Then, on October 25, a group of scholars, with the honors coordinators, participated in Profugo's Sweat for Hope 5K in Ridley Creek State Park. The scholars raised $50 for Profugo, and many of the scholars completed the 5K in record time! Two additional medalists are missing from the photo below (all photos from the 5K can be viewed on Profugo's Flickr page). Congrats to all for helping a local organization making a global difference!

Medal winners: Gold - Yee Lin Tan and Dr. Goldschmidt; Silver - Alexis Bennett, Qian Ye and Chris Collins; Bronze - Matt Bachman and Ashlee Hutras