RELEASED: May 22, 2003

DANVILLE, KY—Five Centre seniors were honored recently as part of the John C. Young Scholars program. Each was chosen to collaborate with a Centre professor in advanced research and the culmination of their work was presented at a symposium on May 10.

The John C. Young Scholars program offers outstanding seniors an opportunity to engage in two terms of independent work, guided by faculty mentors, in their major discipline or in an interdisciplinary area of their choosing. Each student receives a stipend to cover expenses related to his or her project and the results of their research are subsequently published.

This year's scholars and their topics are as follows.

Eva Bookjans from Germany collaborated with Marshall Wilt, professor of physics, on saturated laser spectroscopy.

Susan Courtwright of Lebanon, Ky., did a study on the impact of the Sharia Law on the rights of women in Nigeria. She worked with Lori Hartmann-Mahmud, assistant professor of international studies.

Katherine Fegley of Lexington, Ky., worked with Nayef Samhat, NEH Associate Professor of Government and International Studies, on a study of stable democratic reform in Kuwait.

Neil Parrish of Louisville, Ky., worked with Mark Rasmussen, associate professor of English, on researching the history of the Arthurian literary tradition. Rasmussen served as the chair of the John C. Young Scholars committee this year. He's chaired it several times in the past.

Brandi Stearns, of Monticello, Ky., researched Emerson's influence on Whitman. She collaborated with Mark Lucas, Jobson Professor of English.

"It's truly heartening to see strong students present research on such a variety of sophisticated topics," Rasmussen said. "In the way that it supports in-depth collaborative research between students and faculty, the John C. Young Scholars program is one of the most worthwhile things that we do at the College. This year's students and presentations were especially strong, and the students' passionate commitment to their projects made the symposium a rich intellectual feast."

During the symposium, the John C. Young Scholars and faculty mentors for 2003-04 were announced. Lauren Crosby will collaborate with Richard Bradshaw, associate professor of history. Sarah Hermann will work with Helen Emmitt, associate professor of English. Zach Hoy will study with Joe Workman, associate professor of chemistry. Meghan Langley will collaborate with Endre Nyerges, associate professor of anthropology, and Robert Ziemba, visiting assistant professor of biology. Angela Ratliff will study with Hartmann-Mahmud. Sherri Rose will collaborate with Ken Keffer, NEH Professor of Modern Languages.

- end -

Back to News and Events Home Page