CADENZATHE REAUD HONORS COLLEGE MAGAZINE Vol. 1, No. 1 | Spring 2017 A Message From inside this Dr.This past year hasDodson been an exciting and eventful issue one for the Reaud Honors College. We started Exploration through Honors the Fall semester by moving into our new The RHC plays host to the 2017 Conference state-of-the-art facilities in the Wayne A. Reaud 3-5 of the Great Plains Honors Council, Administration Building, where we have two highlighting undergraduate research and SETX new classrooms, a conference room, student lounge, study space, and office suite for the staff. We ended the Spring semester with our Student Profile first annual Honors Faculty Retreat. In A spotlight on the Barry M. Goldwater between, we offered our first Honors study Scholarship recipient: Christopher York abroad course, initiated our new civic 6 leadership program Stepping Up, saw record Honors participation in high impact practices, Minister of Cinema and hosted a major regional Honors conference. An alumni spotlight on Star Wars enthusiast You can read about a number of these in this and film maker: Bradley Weatherholt issue of Cadenza, which has been newly 7-8 redesigned by one of our own students. All in Sustaining the Tropics all, the future is very bright for the Reaud Honors students travel to Belize Honors College at Lamar University, and we Thank You 9-10 and learn about helping the environment plan to tell you all about it in our future issues. Mr. Reaud Phi Beta Delta & Phi Kappa Phi The students of the Reaud Honors College Honors societies of Lamar University would like to extend their gratitude to Mr. Wayne Reaud. Thanks to Mr. 11 Honors Briefs Reaud’s generosity, the Honors College A brief report on clubs, awards, has the support it needs to develop its future projects and plans. His donation 12 and events of the Spring semester has provided students with significant educational opportunities, enabling the Honors Student Association Officers Reaud Honors College to make an even From the 2016-2017 school year and greater impact on students’ lives. 13 those elected for the 2017-2018 school year Thank you for choosing to help provide a quality education and college experience to Honors College Graduates hundreds of students every year. Presenting graduates from 14 Fall 2016 and Spring 2017 Cadenza layout and design by Reaud Honors College students, Ms. Patricia Correa and Ms. Deanna Pina. 1| Spring 2017 | Cadenza Cadenza | Spring 2017 | 2 Exploration through Honors he Reaud Honors College launched itself The Conference was organized around the presentations on Saturday morning. “There was an to lunch with a fish fry at Spindletop-Gladys City on the regional Honors scene this Spring by theme of “Exploration through Honors” and awesome diversity of majors that let us connect with Boomtown Museum, including reenactments and hosting the 2017 Conference of the Great featured a rich sampling of the cuisine, history, each other and still be able to learn a little bit about a blowing of the museum’s gusher. In keeping with Plains Honors Council. From March 31st culture and biodiversity of Southeast Texas. Two everything,” said Thanh Tsan, a junior mechanical the Conference theme of exploration, excursions on toT April 2nd, 440 attendees from 45 institutions across keynote addresses at the Conference’s banquets engineering major from Orange. “I enjoyed Saturday afternoon featured the local destinations Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma framed the proceedings. On the opening evening, moderating the oral presentations,” said Tsan. “I had the of Shangri La, the W.H. Stark House and Stark and Texas, gathered at Lamar University to share their participants were treated to an introduction to the chance to listen to presentations that gave me insight on Museum of Art, the Museum of the Gulf Coast, the academic achievements and learn from each other’s area’s central role in Texas oil exploration and timber areas that I never thought about.” McFaddin-Ward and Chambers Houses, Cattail success at the 2017 conference. “The Great Plains industry in a joint effort from Dean Dodson and The Conference’s oral presentations were staged at Marsh, downtown Beaumont with a tour of the Honors Council is our regional Honors organization, Ms. Jo Ann Stiles, retired Associate Professor of the College’s new state-of-the-art facilities in the Wayne Jefferson County Courthouse, the Art Museum of covering Texas and five other states, so it is a great History from Lamar University and co-author of two A. Reaud Administration Building as well as those of Southeast Texas and the Texas Energy Museum, and a honor to have been selected from all of the Council’s significant works on the region’s development. The the new Center for Innovation, Commercialization, tour with Neches River Adventures. According to Ms. member institutions to host this year’s Conference,” second evening offered a glimpse into the future of and Entrepreneurship. “This was a great opportunity Rebekah Maxwell, Coordinator of the Reaud Honors said Dr. Kevin Dodson, Dean of the Reaud Honors space exploration by Dr. Paul Spudis of the Lunar and to show our community that we’ve arrived on the College, “it was great for our area with so many people College. In addition to participants from all six states Planetary Institute in Houston. scene as a major institution in Honors education,” said coming from outside of Texas. We got to show off our of the Great Plains region, the Conference was selected The student presentations are the focal points Dean Dodson. According to Dr. Dodson, “as the host local treasures of Lamar University and the fabulous to receive a representative of the National Collegiate of every Great Plains Honors Council Conference, institution, we were able to showcase the activities and museums, nature areas, and local architecture.” The Honors Council, which serves as the national advocate and as usual, those presentations ranged across all new facilities of the Reaud Honors College, as well as final night wrapped up with a show by local blues and advisory organization representing all collegiate academic disciplines. Student posters were featured Lamar University and Southeast Texas.” guitarist Silas Feemster followed by a student party. Honors institutions in the United States. on Friday afternoon, followed by student oral After their presentations, participants were treated continued on the following page 3| Spring 2017 | Cadenza Cadenza | Spring 2017 | 4 “Having been a part of GPHC for approximately two decades, I can assure you this year’s conference was the finest I have attended,” wrote Eddie Weller, Distinguished Professor of History at San Jacinto College and District Honors Program Director in a letter after the conference. Maxwell said Christopher York that “it’s exciting because the participation at this A Student of Golden Caliberby Laura Fiedler conference has continued to grow over the last few hris York, a sophomore double major in for gifted and talented high school-aged students, York got a years. Our Lamar students were a huge part of this mathematics and computer science at Lamar head start on his bachelor’s degree. Now a Mirabeau Scholar University, has been selected to receive the and Reaud Honor College student in his sophomore year, he year’s conference by helping to plan and serving as distinguished Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship, one has completed most undergrad math courses offered. volunteers at the conference.” of only eight in the state of Texas. Provost James Marquart called the news “a testament to About 50 Lamar University honors students CThe Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence the quality of our students and the mentoring they receive volunteered their time by directing students and staff, in Education Program confers the most prestigious from our faculty.” leading excursions throughout the region, moderating undergraduate award given in the sciences. The United States “Dr. Andreev has provided Chris with unconditional oral presentations and ensuring that attendees were Congress established the scholarship in 1986 in honor of mentoring regardless of the time, day, or circumstance. I am engaged. Great Plains Honors Council Student former United States Senator and 1964 presidential candidate elated for Chris and deeply appreciative of Dr. Andreev’s Representative and Reaud Honors College student Barry Goldwater. efforts on his behalf,” said Joe Nordgren, interim dean of the Ryan Nunez credited the success of the event to the “I was very surprised that College of Arts and Sciences. outpouring of support from Lamar’s Honors Student I got the Goldwater. Not only York plans to earn his Association, “we had so many people volunteering was this a pleasant surprise, doctorate in mathematics but the Goldwater will help me and specialize in functional from the Honors College all weekend. Everyone was tremendously with graduate analysis and operator theory, incredibly invested in this event and committed to school applications. It should then teach at a reputable making it an amazing and memorable experience for help me get into high-ranking university. Because physics the people attending. I’m so proud that I was able to institutions because it’s very makes heavy use of operator be a part of it.” Dean Dodson echoed that sentiment, prestigious,” York said. theory, he will also complete a “our honors students stepped up and showed their The scholarship is awarded minor in physics. His planned skills as leaders by putting on a program of this to about 300 college sophomores graduation is May 2018. magnitude. They did an outstanding job, and we’ve and juniors nationwide based on York recently completed received a lot of compliments on how they handled merit, and the funding is up to an algebraic combinatorics their roles.” $7500, based on financial need.