FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
INDIANAPOLIS — Student pursuits in undergraduate research, international study and service learning will take the spotlight next week during Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis’ annual presentation of accomplishments of high-ability students.
The Fifth Annual Honors College Student Showcase takes place from 3 to 5 p.m. Thursday, April 23, in the lower lobby of the IUPUI University Library, 755 W. Michigan St. The event is free and open to the public.
“The Honors College Showcase is one of my favorite events for the college,” said Honors College Dean Jane Luzar. “It not only demonstrates the range of activities our scholars pursue but also the passion and excellence our students devote to these efforts.”
Morgan Moran is among the 26 IUPUI Honors Scholars who, using posters, live performances, media and other creative presentations, will showcase their recent accomplishments in the areas of research, art, design, visual communication, business solutions, service learning and community engagement and international experiences.
Moran, a psychology major, spent a week doing crafts and other activities with children in an orphanage in Costa Rica. She has captured the excitement of that life-changing service-learning experience in a short video that she’ll present at the showcase.
The spring break trip to Costa Rica was a confidence-builder for Moran who, in addition to maintaining a rigorous academic schedule, spends three hours per week working with children at Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health, volunteering 300 hours of service since her freshman year at IUPUI.
“It boosted my confidence in my abilities,” said Moran, who was able to transfer the skills and knowledge she uses at Riley Hospital to her work with the children at the Costa Rican orphanage.
She looks forward to sharing video footage and still photographs from her international experience.
“I really wanted to focus on the connections I made with the children there,” said Moran, who hopes her viewers get the message that “regardless of whether you have different backgrounds, regardless of any speech barriers, there is a human connection that can overcome all those things.”
Moran and other students say Honors College projects and programming have allowed them to build relationships with people from different walks of life, have provided funds and opportunities for study abroad, and have increased their campus engagement.
Showcase presenters include:
- Dorothy Slover, art education sophomore, who will display a collection of books, drawings, paintings and other original art. Most of her work has been independent art exploration. But when she begins her student teaching in the fall, she will build lesson plans around her creations, starting with art books like the ones in her showcase presentation.
- Jeffery Joll, biomedical engineering junior, who has spent two years studying bone biology in an IU School of Medicine lab, first as an intern and now as a part-time research assistant. He will present a poster display of research that in the long term could lead to more successful therapy for people with brittle bone disease or osteoarthritis.