Ideas And Issues
A month-long exploration of sustainable architecture confirmed Jackie Wilcher’s decision to become a double major in environmental engineering and business.
Wilcher studied architect Michael Reynold’s “Earthship Biotecture” homes in Taos, New Mexico, as a member of the first group of students to receive Taos Richter fellowships to pursue research in June at SMU-in-Taos. Reynolds is a pioneer in the use of recycled materials and passive solar power to create self-sufficient homes.
“This project ties in directly with my major, as it has a lot to do with the entire going green effort,” she says.
Students must be part of the University Honors Program to apply for Richter Research Fellowships, which have funded independent research by SMU students in the U.S. and abroad since 1999.
“Each student works with a faculty adviser both to craft the initial proposal and write a scholarly work after completing the research,” says David D. Doyle Jr., assistant dean of Dedman College and director of the University Honors Program.
Samantha Colletti, a member of the inaugural group of Hamilton Undergraduate Research Scholars in Dedman College, ended a four-month project with new respect for communications technology – and for academic research.
Through the new program, which was launched in academic year 2008-09, Dedman faculty members apply for funding that engages undergraduates with their research. Jack Hamilton, a member of the Dedman College Executive Board, and his wife, Jane, created the program at the suggestion of anthropology professor and program director Caroline Brettell, when she served as interim dean of the college. Nine students received stipends during the academic year and two students obtained support during the summer.
Last spring, as a senior with a double major in economics and finance, Colletti assisted economics Professor Isaac Mbiti in a study of the impact of cell phones in the African countries of Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and several others.
“My job was to analyze 30 telecom reports, each of which ranged from 80 to 100 pages of all kinds of charts and data, including details about regulations,” she explains.
“Cell phones have literally revolutionized industries,” she says, by linking far-flung tradesmen to markets that pay the best prices.
Colletti ’09, now working toward a Master’s in accounting in Cox School of Business, says the experience cemented “a greater appreciation for the research that professors do. There’s so much research, analyses, follow-up and writing involved. The end product is something to be proud of.”
– Patricia Ward
ROMANIA REVISITED … Read more
Read other features
Technology in the Classroom
Immersion Experiences
Internships
Happiness Found
The Labyrinth
Scholar Dollars