UNA Seniors Present at National Collegiate Honors Council Conference

Nov. 4, 2010

FLORENCE, Ala. – Two senior-level students in the University of North Alabama Honors Programs recently presented research projects at the National Collegiate Honors Council Conference in Kansas City, Mo.

Amanda Sheehy, a professional biology major, presented her research project “Monitoring Freshwater Snail Populations With Digital Photography.” Cayla Buttram, a geography and secondary education major, presented a project on the Gullah people called “The Space Between: ‘How Cultural Isolation Affects Language and Culture.’”

Director of the University Honors Program Dr. Vince Brewton accompanied Sheehy and Buttram at the conference and led a discussion on academic integrity and intellectual copyright issues in institutions of higher education.

“This is the first year UNA had ever taken students to the national conference to present their research,” Brewton said. “NCHC is our national body for honors. There’s nothing above this – this is the big leagues.”

Sheehy and Buttram proposed their research projects to a panel of NCHC judges in February, where their proposals then went through a review process and were ultimately chosen for the fall conference presentations.

The annual NCHC conference, which attracted more than 1,000 students across the country, provides students and instructors with networking opportunities and one-on-one time with experienced consultants in honors, teaching, learning and administration.

For more information about the awards or the Honors Program at UNA, contact Brewton at 256-765-5005 or vjbrewton@una.edu.