Faculty Accomplishment: Allison Wallace
Associate Professor Allison Wallace’s essay on “The Place of Drawing in Place Journaling” has been accepted for publication in Honors in Practice.
In Honors seminars on American nature writing and the history of environmental activism, Wallace’s students must each choose an outdoors location on campus to visit weekly and to compile a “place journal” about it. The goal is for students to become astute observers of nature, partly by writing (i.e. developing the necessary vocabulary to describe what they encounter) and partly by drawing. Artistic skill is not necessary, but a good-faith effort to really see and to record these close observations is important, and tends to yield greater understanding of the natural world than students initially believe possible in this assignment. Dr. Roger Bowman of UCA’s art department has been instrumental in helping Wallace to prepare students for the drawing requirement in these courses.
Craftin’ for CASA
Associate professor Donna Bowman’s Honors seminar “Craft Wisely: The Past, Present and Future of Handmade” wanted to make a splash with handcrafting both on campus and off. Partnering with Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of the 20th Judicial District, they found a cause for their knitted and crocheted winter accessories: children in the custody of local courts, who have been removed from their homes due to abuse or neglect. For twenty-one of these children, the class of 14 students, a teaching assistant, and an instructor created custom hats, scarves, mittens, toys, blankets and comfort objects, made with love and in the children’s favorite colors. But the class wanted to do more than give their work to the clients; the students wanted to contribute to the important work of CASA. They committed to a fundraising sale on campus in which their handmade headbands, hats, scarves, decorations, blankets and bags were paired with the items made for the children CASA serves. Customers who bought a paired item took home one, and donated the other.
On December 1, the Craftin’ for CASA Buy One, Give One sale went live on “the block” between Snow Fine Arts and Short-Denney. Scheduled to run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., the last item was sold around 2 pm and the clotheslines were empty. Thanks to the generosity of the campus community — students, faculty, staff and visitors — the class was able to present an $876 donation to CASA of the 20th Judicial District along with the 21 gifts handmade for its clients. Tess Fletcher, Executive Director for the Children’s Advocacy Alliance, commented: “While we are grateful for the items and the financial support, what has overwhelmed our staff has been the dedication and passion to our mission that the students have shown. They, Dr. Bowman, and the entire UCA campus should know that through not only their actions, but through their compassion, a message of hope has been sent to the abused and neglected children in our community.” Reflecting on what she learned through the service project, a student in the class wrote: “Because people see us contributing to the world, performing craft-activism, attempting to make a difference and pay it forward … maybe someday they will remember our efforts and do the same.”
Featured Student: Destiny Davis
Destiny Davis
Destiny Davis is a senior Biology major and Honors minor focused on plant research. Her involvement in biological research began fall of 2010 with her work in Dr. J.D. Swanson’s laboratory exploring trichome development in blackberries as a model for cell signaling and differentiation. Her work involved genetic transformation to ascertain the function of a particular gene in trichome development. This being her first introduction to the world of scientific research, she attributes much of her confidence to the “shared experience of working alongside other students in Dr. Swanson’s lab.”
Besides her work in biology, Destiny is also involved on campus through the Student Government Association. She has served on SGA since her junior year and is currently representing the students as both a senior representative and as Chair of the Green Initiatives Committee. Through her involvement in SGA, she is able to serve the students by “making sure the students are heard in every conversation which involves them across campus.” Her main goals with SGA this semester are to “inspire others to carry on the tradition of activism at UCA, regarding green initiatives in particular, and ensure the continual inclusion of students in all UCA matters.”
Destiny also had the opportunity to travel abroad after her sophomore year. In the summer of 2010, she was awarded a Travel Abroad Grant from the Honors College to study abroad in New Zealand for a month. The trip was largely focused on the unique ecology of the two islands with activities including museum visits, hikes, guided nature tours, as well as university visits to hear lectures from prominent, New Zealand biologists. An experience, she says, afforded her a sense of community in science in particular.
The following summer Destiny was selected to participate in Arkansas’ IDeA Networks Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) summer outreach program. The program is designed to encourage students to pursue careers in science by pairing them with faculty researchers on an independent research project. During the ten-week program, Destiny (mentored by Dr. Grace, Associate Professor of Biology at UALR) explored the light effects on antioxidant synthesis in tomatoes. With two different genotypes under two light conditions, she used gene expression data as well as metabolic analysis in order to correlate the production of a specific antioxidant with the expression of eight particular genes. At the conclusion of the program, she presented her research at both the INBRE research day at UAMS and the fall poster symposium in Fayetteville—where she received 1st place in the Biology oral presentation competition. Destiny also presented her research poster at the Arkansas Plant Powered Production (P3) (a consortium of plant researchers focused on collaboration across college campuses and building a strong basis for plant biology research in Arkansas) summer conference where she won 1st place in the undergraduate poster competition. Destiny also incorporated her research into her Honors College thesis entitled: “Biotechnology of Tomatoes: A Genetic and Metabolic Approach to Nutritional Improvement,” completed in the fall of 2011.
Destiny plans on attending graduate school next fall in pursuit of a Ph.D. in Plant Biology focusing on how the molecular biology of a plant dictates physiology (specifically how the plant interacts with the environment). She was selected for on-campus interviews at Pennsylvania State University (in March) and University of California, Davis (in February) where she will meet with faculty to discuss potential research projects.
Destiny describes her time at UCA so far as “enlightening and enriching in all senses of the words. I have gained much from being a part of the UCA community through the Honors College, SGA and being a student in general. I understand the importance of continual inquiry and exploration as a true life-long learner and I am constantly surprised of how these ideas shape and connect all aspects of my life. I am also grateful for the experiences I have had working with the faculty and my peers. As my time at UCA comes to close, I realize how much I have grown in the four years since I took my first college class. I welcome the challenge that awaits me in graduate school and I have the UCA community to thank.”
Featured Alumnus: Laci M. Rogers
Laci Rogers
After a lifetime as a student, you’d think I would be ready to leave school. Instead, my days at UCA formed my ambition to become a professor so that I could stay in college forever. To this end, I completed a Bachelor of Business Administration with an Honors minor (Class of ’06) at the University of Central Arkansas and a Master of Business Administration at Florida State University. During summer 2011, I completed my dissertation and earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration with an emphasis in Organizational Behavior at Florida State University.
My mother often says “if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.” So far, I have to agree. I’m really enjoying my first academic position. In August 2011, I became an Assistant Professor of Management at the University of Southern Indiana in Evansville, IN. There are three main parts to life as an academic: teaching, research, and service. I teach three management classes a semester. My research focuses on mentoring and career development, organizational politics, and cross-generational interactions at work. I’m currently focused on publishing out of my dissertation research. For my service responsibilities, I am leading the International Case Competition Team which will compete at Royal Roads University in Victoria, BC. Top business undergraduates analyze business cases and then present their recommended solutions to panels of executives. The competition is a chance to apply academic knowledge to real-world scenarios.
When I’m not working, I love to spend time with my husband, Derrick. We have been together since I was a sophomore at UCA, and we finally got married last October. We love sports, being outdoors, food and spoiling our pit-mix, Davie. I recently rediscovered my love of reading and watching crime dramas. A good story helps to break up all the academic reading and papers that need grading. My Honors experiences helped define my passions and gave me the foundation to build a great career and a great life.