You are here: Home / Archives for College of Arts and Sciences

Leadership Program Gives UMW Students a Taste of Political World

June 18, 2012 By
Sean Simons, Meghan Hobbs and Brendan Oudekerk are among 18 college students and recent graduates chosen for the Sorensen Institute's College Leaders Program

At the Sorensen Institute of Political Leadership’s College Leaders Program, party lines are set aside. Participants are not allowed to disclose their political affiliations to each other. “It bonds everybody together,” Brendan Oudekerk said. “It is really refreshing to get along with everybody…and know we are working toward common goals. Each person brings different qualities to the table.” Oudekerk, a 2012 graduate of the University of Mary Washington, and UMW seniors Meghan Hobbs and Sean Simons are among 18 college students or recent graduates who were selected for the four-week-long summer program held at the University of Virginia. The College Leaders Program, now in its eighth year, brings together youth leaders from across Virginia with a focus on ethics, bipartisanship, public policy and civic engagement. The Sorensen Institute was founded as the Virginia Institute of Political Leadership in 1993 in hopes it would identify and bring together … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Academics, College of Arts and Sciences, Newsletter Latest News, Top Stories Tagged With: , , ,

UMW Student Wins Virginia Psychology Conference Award

May 1, 2012 By
Rizzo

University of Mary Washington senior Kathryn Rizzo has been named the winner of the Frederick B. Rowe Award for an outstanding paper at the Virginia Psychological Association conference. Rizzo received the award for her paper “Intensive Mothering Outcomes for Women.” The work is part of a year-long research project with Miriam Liss, associate professor of psychology, and Holly Schiffrin, associate professor of psychology. “Kathryn is a really wonderful student,” Schiffrin said. “She is very intrinsically motivated and just the type of student every professor wants. While at the VPA conference, she was able to describe her project clearly, comfortably, enthusiastically and with a maturity that is rare for an undergraduate student.” A psychology major, Rizzo was the recipient of the J. Christopher Bill Scholarship for Excellence in Psychology in 2011. She is co-president of the UMW chapter of Psi Chi, the psychology honor society; a member of  Pi Gamma Mu, the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: College of Arts and Sciences, Top Stories Tagged With: , , , , ,

UMW Student, Winner in National Political Science Essay Contest

May 1, 2012 By
Callie Kyhl web

University of Mary Washington senior Callie Kyhl has been named one of the winners in the national essay competition sponsored by the Naval Academy Foreign Affairs Conference (NAFAC). Kyhl is the fourth Mary Washington political science or international affairs major in eight years to be a winner in the NAFAC contest.  She was named first runner-up for her essay “U.S.- China Competition in the South China Sea: A U.S. ‘Eclipsed’ or ‘Resurgent’.” The essay is part of a semester-long independent study with Jack Kramer, distinguished professor of political science and international affairs. “This is a truly outstanding and very well deserved achievement on Callie’s part especially given NAFAC’s preeminence for  annually bringing together several hundred of the ‘very best and brightest’ students from throughout the United States and abroad to discuss and debate  contemporary pressing issues in American national security policy,” Kramer said. “It is also … [Read more...]

Filed Under: College of Arts and Sciences, Top Stories Tagged With: , , ,

UMW Economics Professor to Attend Global Networking Summit

April 24, 2012 By
Shawn Humphrey

Shawn Humphrey, associate professor of economics at the University of Mary Washington, has been invited to attend the upcoming Opportunity Collaboration, a strategic business retreat and networking summit as one of 300 global delegates. Meeting annually for four days in conjunction with World Poverty Day, Opportunity Collaboration brings nonprofit leaders, for-profit social entrepreneurs, grant-makers and social investors together to “convene, connect and create” with leaders in similar fields, according to its website.  The summit focuses on economic justice and poverty elimination. Jonathan Lewis, CEO and entrepreneur, founded Opportunity Collaboration in 2009. This year, the summit will be held from Sunday, October 14 through Friday, October19 in Ixtapa, Mexico. “Although I was the recipient of this incredible invitation, I go as a representative of my current and former Mary Washington students and the work we have accomplished over the years,” Humphrey said.  … [Read more...]

Filed Under: College of Arts and Sciences, Top Stories Tagged With: , , , ,

UMW Hosts Psi Chi Research Symposium

April 16, 2012 By
Ted Dumas

Ted Dumas, assistant professor of molecular neuroscience at George Mason University, delivered the keynote address, “Boundaries: When One Stops and Another Begins,” at The 27th Annual Psi Chi Symposium for Undergraduate Research in Psychology at the University of Mary Washington. Students presented their research during sessions on Thursday, April 19 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Friday, April 20 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. A reception followed the conclusion of the symposium on Friday. Dumas is a faculty member and researcher in the Department of Molecular Neuroscience at the Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study at Mason. Dumas has been studying the relationship between behavior, the brain and disease for more than 20 years and has published articles in numerous academic journals. Dumas also is the head of the Physiological and Behavioral Neuroscience in Juveniles Lab at Mason. The symposium is sponsored by UMW’s chapter of Psi Chi, the international honor society in psychology … [Read more...]

Filed Under: College of Arts and Sciences, Newsletter Latest News, Top Stories Tagged With: , , , ,

Commonwealth Governor’s School Wins UMW’s High School Calculus Tournament

April 2, 2012 By
Calculus tournament 2012

Commonwealth Governor’s School in Spotsylvania County claimed first place in the Sixth Annual University of Mary Washington High School Calculus Tournament. The Jeopardy-style tournament, held Saturday,  March 31 on the Fredericksburg campus, featured 38 students from seven regional high schools. The winning team included Adam Maung, Morgan Locks, Joshua Carlson and Mason Poffenbarger. Chuck Conran, a student from Paul VI Catholic High School in Fairfax, earned the top individual score of the tournament. The team from Paul VI placed second overall. More than $1,000 worth of prizes was awarded to the student winners as well as the schools represented by the top two teams. This year, the event was sponsored by GEICO, SimVentions Corporation, HDT Global and Texas Instruments.  Twelve UMW students helped run the competition. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Academics, College of Arts and Sciences, Top Stories Tagged With: , ,

UMW Student Interns Assist Fredericksburg With Housing Report

March 23, 2012 By
Brianna Gavigan and Brian Auricchio are interns with the City of Fredericksburg

University of Mary Washington seniors Brianna Gavigan and Brian Auricchio are burning up the phone lines in an effort to shed light on housing practices. As interns with the City of Fredericksburg, they’re calling hundreds of residents to make sure housing opportunities here are fair, regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, gender/sex, familial status or disability. The effort is instrumental to a report the city must submit to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). As part of the process, Gavigan and Auricchio must survey five percent of the Fredericksburg population, either in-person or over the phone. They also hope that two upcoming public forums will help them fulfill their requirements. Fredericksburg is required to submit the report every five years in order to receive federal community development block grants.  In the past, the city used outside research consultants to handle the survey and report. “It is critical that the report … [Read more...]

Filed Under: College of Arts and Sciences, Top Stories Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Students From Across Disciplines Represent UMW Nationally

March 22, 2012 By
Ethan Bottone_featured

University of Mary Washington student Ethan Bottone earned national distinction as a member of a regional team placing second in the Association of American Geographers World Geography Bowl last month in New York City. Perhaps more impressive, he helped claim that win as a sophomore in a competition dominated by graduate students. The Southeastern Division of the Association of American Geographers team—made up of mostly graduate students—missed first place by a mere 20 points. In November, Bottone secured a spot on the team after placing third overall in the regional bowl. “Competing against grad students was really nerve-racking at first, because I was just sitting there thinking, ‘Wow, some of these people have been in college since I started high school',” Bottone said.  “But after answering a few questions, I just felt settled down and ready to play, like there wasn't any gap between our educations.” The geography department isn’t the only opportunity … [Read more...]

Filed Under: College of Arts and Sciences, Students, Top Stories Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Historic Preservation Students Blend Humanities and Sciences

March 13, 2012 By
NS Mt Vernon 9

When Audra Medve first visited Mount Vernon as a child, she was struck by the timelessness of George Washington’s home, so much so that she returned dozens of times. She never could have imagined she would be an intern at the estate decades later as a senior in the historic preservation program at the university named for Washington’s mother. Medve enrolled at the University of Mary Washington after the Navy transferred her husband to the Washington, D.C. area in 2008. “There are very few undergraduate degrees in historic preservation available in the United States, and when I decided to return to school I realized I lived within 30 miles of a truly wonderful program,” Medve said. Medve’s internship is one of a dozen this spring through UMW’s historic preservation department, regarded as among the best in the nation. Each year, internships range from local preservation organizations like the Historic Fredericksburg Foundation and the Fredericksburg Area Museum, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: College of Arts and Sciences, Students, Top Stories Tagged With: , , , ,

UMW Political Science Students Collaborate on Book Project

February 14, 2012 By
(From left) Ian Huff, Assistant Professor of Political Science Chad Murphy, Chris Blough and Eric Stortz in Monroe Hall

As a political science and pre-law philosophy double major, Michael Behrens figured he would spend much of his senior year writing extensive research papers. He never expected to collaborate with his professor on writing a book. Behrens and three fellow seniors -- Chris Blough, Ian Huff and Eric Stortz -- have teamed up with Assistant Professor of Political Science Chad Murphy to research and write chapters for a book on presidential rhetoric. The project is one of more than dozen research initiatives in the university’s innovative undergraduate research program. This semester’s undergraduate projects delve into such issues as women in Islam; statistical consulting for after-school programs; stress, guilt and eating; the effects of Atrazine in zebra fish; and the effects of exercise and estrogen on mouse hearts. Still Behrens isn’t surprised to be part of such a challenging project at UMW. “That’s just the environment that the school’s attitude … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Academics, College of Arts and Sciences, Students, Top Stories Tagged With: , , ,
« Older Posts
Newer Posts »