Issue date: 11/20/09 Section: News

Media Credit: Duc Minh Pham Senior Honor Scholar Danielle Jaegers explains her thesis, "Television News on the Net: Strategies of user appeal as seen on msnbc.com," to a group of students Wednesday in the Union Building.

While deliberating about a senior thesis for her Honor Scholar seminar, Shelby Vorndran wasn't sure how she would combine her two passions - physics and art.

After taking several classes and conversing with many professors, Vorndran discovered her perfect project. She is spending this academic year defending her thesis, titled "Alternative Realities Including Our Own."

Vorndran's interest in perception was the main factor in her final decision. Along with this interest, several of her classes helped point her toward this topic. Professor Doug Harms' Honor Scholar class, called "Mind and Machine," along with her physical optics and visual arts classes, played an influential role in her final thesis.

Although Vordran is still finishing up her research and writing, she presented her work with the nine other honor scholar seniors Wednesday night. Each of the seniors shared their initial research during the fifth-annual senior thesis poster presentation, held in the Union Building terrace rooms.

"The primary purpose of the poster session is to share the research of the seniors with the greater community," said Amy Welch, director of Honor Scholar Program.

Welch also said the presentations help the students get ideas from outside sources while they discuss their research.

Students and faculty who attended the poster session could expect to find "intellectual energy," Welch said. Though there are only ten students presenting their research, the topics "run the gamut," she said.

Sophomore Honor Scholar Kristina McLane said she was impressed with the interdisciplinary nature of the presentations.

"I thought the poster was inspiring," McLane said. "All of the projects seemed interesting and complex because they incorporated so many different ideas. I don't know if mine will end up being that good."

Vordran said she chose her thesis topic based exclusively on her personal interests.

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