volume 14, issue 1 h o n o r s & s c h o l a r s a s s o c ... › academics ›...

Outdoor Internship Kelly Jacobson Congratulations to

our August Scholar

Graduates and our

senior scholars

graduating in

December!

Inside this issue:

President’s Message 2

Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Mavel Velasco

5

Senior Spotlights: Nancy Kelly Jessica Mackey Jennifer Panton

3 4 5

Feature Articles: Outdoor Internship Weather Station Repair Spring in Sevilla

1-2 3 4

H O N O R S & S C H O L A R S A S S O C A T I O N

Fall 2014

Volume 14, Issue 1

Intellectual Inquirer As a country girl, I thought working outdoors all summer would be a blessing. I know how to farm, grow fruits and vegetables, and there’s no such thing as too much sun…or so I thought. My experience this summer was eye-opening to say the least. Who knew there were more cultivars (varieties) of strawberries and blackberries than there are states in this coun-try?! This summer, I had the pleasure of expanding my knowledge of science from animals and aquatic life to that of terrestrial flora at the Hampton Roads Agriculture Research Extension Center, provided by Virginia Tech.

Very early on in my internship I learned that working as a member of a team for the greater good was essential. If team members were not on the same page, the work could not be ac-complished in an efficient amount of time. It was important to beat the weather in every-thing we did - the heat of the sun, the stinging summer rains, and the nuisance of sweat bees and other pests. My knowledge of fruits at the AREC was learned through Virginia Wesleyan alumnus Mikel Conway, the project oversight of the Small Fruits Program and guru of all things outdoors. The back-breaking work of strawberry harvest was made easier when Sydney Covey, another member of Wesleyan’s Honors and Scholars Program, joined our team. With Mikel’s direction, we were able to quickly jump into the heart of strawberry season setting up plots at grower sites across the countryside, and learning about the various plasticulture (types and colors of plastics atop the plantts used in deterring weed growth) used in each trial.

The direct attention of my research was spent on the harvest of fruits at various loca-tions across Virginia;

from some place called Charlotte Court House (yes, that’s a county in the middle of nowhere) some three hours away to right down the road in Pungo. The small fruits program placed an emphasis on the diseases and pests associated with strawberries, as well as the marketable and non-marketable yields when subjected to various treatments per variety of strawberry. At the AREC, we housed our own strawberry plants and subjected them to various treat-ments. Other sites from which we collected included Lilley Farms in Chesapeake, West-moreland Farm in Colonial Beach, and Flana-gan Farms in Pungo. We also visited Vaughn Farm in Pungo regularly, as this was the site from which we collected data on strawberry weevils (a small bug that feeds on the druplets of the berries) in conjunction with a project for a Doctor at NC State University. It was surprising to learn that one very small bug, the size of a tip of a pen, could entirely wipe out the marketable yield of a strawberry plot without proper pesticide application and plot maintenance. Berries were separated based on category of their appearance and health. Data from the harvests and samples collected were used to compare sugar content, size, and fruit yield biomass based on treatments and variety at each farm. Let’s just say I have a new found appreciation for the pints of strawberries you can find in your local grocery store, as I know from a first-person point of view that the work is extremely tiresome and demanding. Strawberry season ended in the middle of July, just in time for the start of blackberry season. Blackberry harvest was much welcomed by Sydney, Mikel, and I as it required a significantly reduced amount of back-bending

(Continued on page 2)

Welcome to our

Freshmen Scholars!

Welcome Scholars! For those new to the program, acting as a member of the Honors and Scholars Association is a great way to scout out for potential internships that past members have completed, socialize with an intellectual peer group, and enjoy invigorating events that the program provides for you. To the returning members, I encourage you to guide the new members in taking advantage of the opportunities H&S offers. Together we can celebrate the scholarship of Virginia Wesleyan.

Being a member of H&S does not have to be a passive role. This program provides countless opportunities that can lead to potential careers. Actively participating in H&S is a great way to seek out research projects, attend valuable conferences that enhance your leadership and academic skills, learn about study abroad, and even link you to outreaching in the local community. The benefits of this awesome association are right at your fingertips, so grab a hold on them while you can!

With H&S, this upcoming year of 2014-2015 can be an exciting and fulfilling one, so I hope you take full advantage of it. As the name implies, it's an honor to be in the Honors and Scholars Association, so you deserve this special experience at VWC. I look forward to seeing you at all our events!

Liz Wade, ‘15

President’s Message

pesticide used by the growers was Pristine, aimed at minimizing the spread of disease and improving plant health and quality. I was shocked that so many of the growers (both strawberry and blackberry) used this specific pesticide, as it is organic and quite pricey. It was great to see that although the growers were driven by sales and consumer-relations they were focused on protecting the environment as well, no matter the cost. These people gave just as much back to the Earth as they took, which was a beautiful thing to experience.

The opportunity to work as a summer intern for the Small Fruit Production Department of Virginia Tech Hampton Roads AREC was both interesting and mostly enjoyable. I learned much about field research this summer, and realized that in order to be a good scientist you have to work hard, but to be a spectacular scientist you have to dedicate yourself to every task and step outside of your comfort zone to achieve an ultimate goal. Years from now I will look back at the summer I spent at the HR AREC and be

Intellectual Inquirer

physical labor in the hot summer sun. Essentially the same process of measur-ing fruit yield biomass, size, and sugar content was performed on blackberries from Pungo Blueberries, ETC. in Pungo, Wildberry Farm in Charlotte Court House, Agriberry in Mechanicsville, and Mill Farm in Williamsburg. Different from strawberry season, plant health ratings were recorded at every harvest. Plant health ratings were based on the leaf discoloration, severity of diseases found, level of bug interference and dam-age, presence of flowers, and color of the berries.

While the demise of strawberries was commonly disease as derived from our study, the downfall of blackberries this season was the damage from pests including the Japanese beetle, Spotted-Wing Drosophila, and Stinkbug. The Japanese beetles would suck out the contents of individual drupelets until the whole berry was drained of useful juice. These and Stinkbugs also ate the leaves of the plants, which hindered the aesthetic value. Spotted-Wing Drosophila, a beefed-up red-eyed fruit fly, was detrimental to the production of healthy blackberries. These flies would lay their eggs within healthy berries, and the pupae would develop into larvae which then ate the fruit from the inside out, surprising pickers and buyers and causing catastrophic damage to the berries. Berries could often be found with small white caterpillar-like larvae wiggling about within them. Several times we would bite into a perfectly healthy look-ing berry and see larvae staring into our souls. Sydney, Mikel, and I stopped sneaking berries after we came across those little guys!

I was able to learn a lot about pesticides from the growers themselves. A common

(Continued from page 1)

happy about working outdoors, pushing myself, and expanding my knowledge of botany altogether.

While I am not sure if I will ever eat another strawberry or blackberry again, I will continue to use all that I have learned from the internship in my own life. Botany is not my calling, and I hope to never pick another berry again. I did however love working outdoors and subjecting myself to Mother Nature. For this reason, I am assured I will love pursuing my extended education as a Marine Biologist once I complete my B.S. in Biology and B.S. in Earth and Environ-mental Science, with minors in Marine Science and Environmental Studies here at Virginia Wesleyan. It will be worth getting my hands dirty and taking hours to compile and analyze data, for a subject I am most passionate about.

My advice to anyone seeking an intern-ship is to take whatever opportunities you have, step outside of your comfort zone, and remember to stay positive throughout your journey. You never

know what will become of it.

Volume 14, Issue 1

Hometown:

Baltimore County, MD

Education before VWC:

Dulaney High School

Major:

Biology (BS)

Minor:

Hispanic Studies

One thing that attracted you to VWC:

The family feeling in the classroom and on the basketball court

Best memory from VWC:

Watching all my friends in the '14 senior class graduate and celebrating

with them.

What you do for fun:

I love to try new restaurants and cook new foods! I have quite an extensive DVD collection

Future plans:

Furthering my education at Eastern Virginia Medical School

Favorite course :

Comparative Anatomy. The course was challenging and fascinating! I loved learning cool things every day. Plus, I got a cake :)

Professor that has inspired you:

Dr. GJ really has a passion for teaching and helping her students. She helped

me get into medical school!

Favorite Quote:

“The world breaks every one and after-ward many are strong at the broken places.” -Hemingway

Advice to H&S underclassmen:

Do not be scared of chemistry because you will need it in all aspects of biology! Make sure you talk to your professors - they could become your friends one day.

Senior Spotlight: Nancy Kelly

suite. The aim was to locate the cause of the non-transmission of data.

We discovered the first day of work on the station that the outlet the station was plugged into was not working. Even after the outlet was repaired by the electrician, the station monitor only displayed the indoor data such as indoor temperature and humidity.

After we assessed the station, I accessed the station manuals. After I felt that I had a good idea of its functions, I began to

clean it. We decided that the station needed calibrating, so I contacted the manufacturers. They offered us a good deal on calibrating and cleaning the station, so we packed it up and mailed it to them. In the process I discovered that the cable that transmitted the data from the sensor suite to the monitor was partially severed, the likely cause of the monitor not receiving data. We

subsequently found a working cable to replace the severed one, but we decided that the station needed calibrating, and

This summer I worked one-on-one with Dr. Elizabeth Malcolm to repair the campus weather station located on Blocker Hall’s roof. I eagerly took advantage of this opportunity because I had really enjoyed the Meteorology course I had just taken from her the preceding spring. I knew that the project would be a chance to get some practical experience with some of the actual technology used to collect the weather data that makes up the weather forecasts we see in mass media.

Dr. Malcolm started by showing me the station and explaining its functions. I learned the different components of the station, which is composed of the monitor that displays the collected data, and the sensor suite, the business end of the station that includes measuring devices for outdoor ambient temperature, humidity, wind speed, wind direction, precipita-tion amounts, precipitation rates, UV exposure, and total solar exposure. However, the station monitor, which was displayed in the case on the first floor of Blocker Hall, was not receiving data from the sensor

Weather Station Repair Seth Antozzi

therefore sent it to the manufacturers even though it probably would have functioned once the working cable was connected.

After the station returned from the manufacturer, calibrated and cleaned, we reassembled it and tested it. We were frustrated to find that the monitor still did not receive data. After double- and triple-checking everything, I finally discovered that we had plugged an old cable into the monitor. This cable was piled up with the good cable, causing our mistake. The station had not been connected at all. After the good cable was connected to the monitor, it received outdoor data. The station was finally repaired.

I learned a lot about the practical workings of weather reading devices. Dr. Malcolm informed me that I was getting good practice for graduate school, where sometimes one’s research equipment breaks and it is largely up to the student to find a solution. I also learned that with perseverance and Repetitive use of logic to find a solution, one may overcome even very simple, obvious mistakes like plugging in the wrong wire!

When life gives you amazing opportuni-ties, sometimes you just have to go with it. To fulfill the study abroad requirement for my Hispanic Studies major, I was planning on traveling to Mexico for Win-ter Session with Dr. Risk. But when my FYE advisor Dr. Sara Sewell told me about the Global Scholars Program, I knew I’d have to apply. It took some re-search and some changes in my schedule but I was able to find a program in Se-ville, Spain with a variety of courses in Spanish as well as science courses in Eng-lish that would help me finish my Biolo-gy major and Chemistry minor.

Life in Spain is becoming more Ameri-canized, especially in the younger genera-tions and the newer universities. But the culture is still very different from what I am used to. I realized quickly that taking 9 am classes every day is seen as slightly loco by the sevillanos. Their schedule usu-ally involved waking up late, going to class or work for a few hours, and then coming home for a large lunch around 2. Then there is the midday nap, followed by another class or two for students or a merienda for the adults, a snack made up of the seasonal tapas. Dinner can be any-

where from 8:00-11:00 at night, depend-ing on the family. Yikes!

Thankfully, it wasn’t too difficult to ad-just and Fridays were always open, which allowed for long weekends filled with traveling and adventures. I took this opportunity to visit as much of Spain as I could. My program took us to see many of the major cities in Spain as well as some town that were not as famous, which gave us a better feel of the authen-tic Spanish culture. I also traveled with friends to several famous cities in the province of Cataluña, which has a unique culture as well as its own language! I would have loved to see more of Europe but I know I will be back soon to travel even more!

My favorite part of the entire semester was the Feria de abril, which actually fell in May this year. Nearly everyone in Se-ville had the entire week off from school and work. They set up casetas (tents) and rides in the fairgrounds just outside the city center. The girls and women wore the latest fashion in flamenco dresses and accessories while the boys and men brought out their best suits. Every day there was food, music, and of course,

flamenco dancing in the Sevillano style. It was an amazing experience and it was a great way to end my semester in Seville.

Being away from home for four months was difficult but I had some amazing experiences in Spain that I could never find here in the United States. Visiting a country for a short amount of time can only give you a glimpse of life there. To truly understand a foreign culture, spend several months living their routine and following traditions with an open mind and welcoming heart. I’ve learned things I’d never even considered before and I made friends from all over who each had a different perspective on the world.

Spring in Sevilla Tanya Puccio

Intellectual Inquirer

Future plans:

Attend law school. Favorite course:

Classical Mythology with Dr. Haller. I've had an interest in mythology since grade school and to be able to study the history behind my favorite myths was very cool. Plus, Dr. Haller teaches the class with so much passion and excitement, you can't help but to feel the same passion too.


Dr. Westfall. She has pushed me to become a better student, citizen, and overall general person. She believed in me, even when I doubted myself and my abilities, and I credit her support and guidance for much of my success throughout college .

Hometown:

Virginia Beach, VA


First Colonial High School

Majors:

Political Science

English


Small class sizes and the significant scholarships.


Participating in Model United Nations Conferences. They are life changing.


Hanging out with friends on and off campus.

Favorite Quote:

“What’s meant to be will always find its way.”


Embrace every opportunity that comes along the way. Don't be afraid to make mistakes. And, most importantly, enjoy your time on campus. It goes by faster than you think .

Senior Spotlight: Jessica Mackey

Volume 14, Issue 1

about herself in this way.

Velasco was drawn to Wesleyan because of the institution’s emphasis on teaching. Her main professional objective is to help students grow academically, intellectual-ly, and as productive members of our community. Velasco spends her days on campus preparing for and teaching her courses, but also engaging students in conversations about their daily routine, concerns, and progress in their classes.

Velasco is active in her community as a member and leader within local Hispanic

organizations. She is a vegetarian, but has recently challenged herself to become a vegan as her way of protesting the mistreatment of animals in the meat industry. She enjoys both dancing and running. On the weekends, she tries to run between 10 and 14 miles, as well as spend an evening on the dance floor at a Latin club. Her favorite author is Julio Cortázar from Argentina.

Faculty Spotlight:

Dr. Mavel Velasco

Professor of Spanish

“I sometimes longed for someone who, like me, had

not adjusted perfectly with his age, and such a person was hard to find; but I soon discovered cats, in which I could imagine a condition like mine, and

books, where I found it quite often ."

~ Julio Cortázar

Mavel Velasco joined the faculty at VWC 27 years ago after earning her B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. from Rutgers University in New Jersey. Born in La Paz, Bolivia, which is the highest capital in the world, Velasco has lived in no less than five countries, including Bolivia, Spain, Saudi Arabia and Japan. She has traveled the world visiting locations on nearly every continent including Korea, Morocco, Brazil, Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic. She enjoys travel to different countries throughout the world because she learns a great deal

Future plans:

Once my finances start keeping up with my goals, I plan on attending graduate school.

Favorite course: I

enjoyed the film course I took with Dr. Minnis. He made it very interesting and made us watch a wide variety of films, most of which I truly liked.


Both Dr. Holzer and Dr. Slivka are in-spirational professors because they aren't afraid to expose a piece of the world to you in their classes and they care about their students outside of the classroom.

Favorite Quote:

I think it's impossible for me to pick a favorite quote because inspiration is everywhere in the literary world. If I pick one, then I'm cheating on the other words that inspire me.


Procrastination is your enemy and complete your Honors-level classes as soon as you can.

Hometown:

Portsmouth, VA


Woodrow Wilson High School

Major(s):

English w/ Secondary Certification


Small class sizes


The friends I've made here hold many great memories.


I enjoy going on adventures, whether they're the literary kind or with real people.

Senior Spotlight: Jennifer Panton

Virginia Wesleyan College

1584 Wesleyan Drive

Norfolk, VA 23502

www.vwc.edu/academics/honors-and-scholars/

Phone: 757-455-2126

Liz Wade, President: [email protected]

Dr. Easter, Director: [email protected]

H O N O R S & S C H O L A R S A S S O C A T I O N

volume 14, issue 1 h o n o r s & s c h o l a r s a s s o c ... › academics ›...

Documents