University Honors students at BHSU to present final projects in the last BHSU Geek Speak of semester

Eight University Honors students at Black Hills State University will present their final capstone projects Tuesday, May 2 and Thursday, May 4 at the Joy Center. The presentations are open to the public.

Black Hills State University Honors students will present their final capstone projects as the last installment of the Geek Speak Lecture Series on campus this semester. Presentations will be held at the Joy Center Tuesday, May 2 and Thursday, May 4 from 2 to 5 p.m.

Students will present on topics including the effect of ligand substitution on copper, internationalization of the Supreme Court, integrating young adult literature into the high school classroom and Americans' love affair with the outdoors. The presentations are open to the public.

According to Dr. Courtney Huse Wika, director of the University Honors Program and assistant professor of English at BHSU, the Honors capstone defense is the students' opportunity to direct their own research or creative activity. Students develop a project and work with a faculty committee over the course of a year to produce an Honors capstone project that is then scored and defended.

Presentations Tuesday May 2:
  • Ella Vinal, political science major from Plainview, Minn. "Internationalization of the Supreme Court: a Constitutional and Case Analysis."
  • Rachel Crawford, chemistry major from Spearfish "Novel Small Molecules synthesized at BHSU their effectiveness at treating malaria."
  • Richard Walbe, mass communication major from Spearfish "Americas love affair with the outdoors how our modern world is pushing to 'get back to nature."
  • JLynn Miller, English education major from Piedmont "Toppling Tradition: Integrating Young Adult Literature into the High School Classroom"
Presentations Thursday May 4:
  • Elizabeth Williams, business administration-economics and finance major from Miles City, Mont. "Alleviating the Wage Penalty, the Effect of Regular Exercise on Wages of Overweight Women."
  • Michael Hurst, biology major from Spearfish "Investigating the Effect of Ligand Substitution on Copper (I) Complexes in the &alpha-Alkylation of Aldehydes."
  • Naveen Malik, chemistry major from Canton, Ill. "Efficacy of Thymoquinone against four strains of Candida."
  • Courtney Buck, history major from Rapid City "Historical trauma on the Pine Ridge Reservation."
The Geek Speak lecture series, sponsored by the BHSU University Honors program, features academic discussion and topics not normally discussed in the traditional classroom. The goal of the weekly lectures is to expose students to diversity within the disciplines.

For more information, contact Dr. Courtney Huse Wika, director of the University Honors Program and assistant professor of English, at 605-642-6918 or email Courtney.HuseWika@BHSU.edu.