November 12, 2024

THIS WEEKS HONORS EVENTS!

Check out our Fall 2024 Calendar of Honors Events!

Need a Permission Number?

If you have completed a Co-curricular or Track experience and are ready to take HNRC 200-02, HNRC 200-03 and/or HNRS 361 email honors@calpoly.edu for permission numbers. Same goes for HNRS 461!

We are offering:

HNRS 361 in Fall 24 and WN 25

HNRS 461 in WN 25 and SP25

REMEMBER! We will not give you a permission number if you have not submitted your Track and/or Co-curricular form (see Handbook).

A Note About HNRS 353 in WN25

Due to extenuating circumstances we can only offer 5 seats in HNRS 353 in WN25. These seats will be reserved for graduating seniors who need this course to graduate. If you are a graduating senior and were counting on taking this Upper Div B in Winter 25, please email Jenni, jeduval@calpoly.edu. Please note that this will be a large section of HNRS 353 cross-listed with WGQS and ES.

Important Note About Honors Cross-Listed Courses!!

If you are planning to take an Honors GE this year use the Tentative Course Offerings link on the Honors website to see what Honors courses will be offered. Just because you see a course on your Degree Planner does NOT mean the course will be offered. The Tentative Course offerings list is the most up to date information on what will be offered. Although Honors officially has a lot of cross-listed GEs, many will not offered.

REMEMBER! The only way to get credit for an honors course is if you register under HNRS. Just because a course is cross-listed does NOT mean it is an honors section. Honors sections are only honors sections if you can enroll under HNRS. Otherwise it is NOT an honors section and you will not get honors credit for the course.

Meet our NEW Honors Peer Advisors!

Find out more about Peer Advising on the honors website. Peer advisors are available in-person or on zoom to answer any questions you have about the Honors program (e.g., Honors requirements, balancing Honors & major requirements, Co-Curricular experiences, Track, etc).

Meet our 2024-25 Honors Ambassadors!

Our Honors Ambassadors are available as a resource to all Honors students to share about their experiences in Honors (e.g., balancing Honors & major requirements, requirements of the Honors program) and as Cal Poly students more generally. Please feel free to reach out to any of our ambassadors via email if you have any questions and/or would like to meet a new friend within Honors! They are here for you!

Research Opportunities

NEW! The Honors Program is continuing a new effort to offer ever quarter the opportunity for students who want to "try on" research to apply to work with a faculty on a research project for 1 quarter. Students who apply and are selected will register for 1 unit of HNRS 400. This unit can be used as an Honors Elective. The time commitment for this 1 unit is 4 hours of various research responsibilities each week.

FOR WINTER 2025

NEW! Dr. Emily Taylor from the Department of Biological Sciences is seeking applicants for the following project. Students from ANY major can apply!

Project description:

Analyzing California animal services divisions' policies about snakes. Have you ever wondered what happens to animals when someone calls Animal Control to remove a raccoon, skunk, or feral cat from their yard? What about rattlesnakes? California has over 150 separate animal services divisions, some of which are tasked with removing snakes from residential areas. In this study, we will continue analyzing a dataset collected by previous Cal Poly students about the policies and procedures of California animal services divisions when it comes to snakes. Preliminary results of our survey suggest that policies and procedures vary widely, ranging from the (scientifically recommended) policy of relocating snakes into the wild to the (unethical) policy of euthanizing them by decapitation. In this research project, students will examine the intersection of wildlife biology, public policy, and people's perceptions of unpopular animals to produce a publication documenting current practices and making evidence-based recommendations for changes.

Use the following link to apply to Dr. Taylor's Research Assistant Application. Applications are DUE BY TUESDAY NOVEMBER 19TH!

Dr. James Antony from the Department of Psychology and Child Development is seeking applicants for the following project. Students from ANY major can apply!

Project description:

Using Large Language Mmodels to Analyze Memory. Dr. James Antony seeks students interested in an opportunity to use new large language models (like ChatGPT) to break down memory recall. He has multiple data sets in which individuals watched videos (a two-part episode of Friends, the movie Memento, short TikTok videos, and various basketball games) and tried to freely recall them. The transcripts have been scored on various attributes, but the potential to automate these processes using large language models and discover new findings is tremendous. The students will primarily train with Dr. Antony to understand the nature of the data and some of the existing code that underlies prior analyses and then will work independently with regular meetings throughout the term. Students will also be welcome to attend the Bennion-Antony Memory (BAM) Lab meetings (Dr. Antony and Dr. Bennion co-run their lab), which focus on various research and professional development topics.

Use the following link to apply! Antony Research Assistant Application. Applications are DUE BY WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 13TH!

Student Applications for the 2025 BEACoN Research Scholars DUE TODAY!

Please view all available research projects at https://diversity.calpoly.edu/2024-2025-beacon-research-projects and apply at tinyurl.com/BEACoNScholar2025. Students may apply for up to three projects. Dr. Bennion will be hosting an informational Q & A for students on Thursday, 11/7 from 11:10-noon at https://calpoly.zoom.us/my/kbennion for anyone interested in learning more about the program!

Apply to participate in the Change the World Challenge!!

Cal Poly's Change the World Challenge is an opportunity to join a multidisciplinary team of students to brainstorm and design a solution to a "problem" facing our society/world. If you apply you will be asked to attend a kick off meeting where you have the opportunity meet other students and form a team. The The mandatory kick-off meeting is scheduled for Saturday, November 16, 2024, from 10 AM - 2 PM. Lunch will be provided. THIS IS WHAT HONORS STUDENTS ARE BUILT FOR!!!

Nominate Your Favorite Professor for Cal Poly's Distinguished Teaching Award!!

Have you had a professor that really made an impression on you? Someone you think stands out as amazing instructor? Consider nominating them for Cal Poly's Distinguished Teaching Award. The Distinguished Teaching Award recognizes faculty members who demonstrate excellence in teaching at Cal Poly. Only students and alumni, those who have been influenced most by faculty, are eligible to submit nominations. Nominations may be submitted online here and the last day to nominate is November 22, 2024.

Scholarship/Funding Opportunities

Learn about the Strauss Foundation Scholarship. They give a $15,000 scholarship annually to undergrads. Join their webinar to learn more.

Webinar:

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_DgaYj3oDQhCph-H2mYnHnw#/registration

Proposals are being accepted for the Baker/Koob Endowments, which support hands-on, project-based learning opportunities for individual students and groups at Cal Poly. All students are invited to apply for funding, which may be used for student support, student and faculty travel, student and faculty expenses associated with participation in student research, group projects, conferences, competitions, and equipment and materials related to student research. Completed proposals, including a letter of support from a faculty advisor, are due electronically to baker-koob@calpoly.edu by 5 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 14th. Email baker-koob@calpoly.edu with any questions.

Undergraduate Research Opportunities!

Stay up to date! Follow the Office of Student Research on Instagram @calpolystudentresearch.

Learn about other undergraduate research opportunities at Cal Poly. Check out the Office of Student Research website.

Check out the members of our Honors Student Committees for 2024-25!

Event Planning Team

Marketing & Communications Team

Newsletter Team

We are grateful to all of these students who are giving their time to help make Honors the amazing program it is! THANK YOU!

If you are interested in getting more involved in Honors watch out for future opportunities in the Weekly Update!

CO-CURRICULAR OPPORTUNITIES

See Module 2.8 of the Student Handbook for more information about Honors required Co-curricular experiences. Please see the Co-Curricular Experiences link under the Current Students tab for the steps to take to fulfill this requirement. We will post new opportunities that you can consider for fulfilling these requirements as they come up.

Teaching/Mentoring

NEW! We are seeking students who are interested in serving as Learning Assistants to Honors courses in Winter 2025 quarter. If you are interested please complete the Learning Assistant Interest Form WN25 by November 13th. Learning Assistant responsibilities will involve assisting a faculty instructor in a particular HNRS course. Responsibilities may include facilitating discussions, preparing course activities, and answering student questions. Learning Assistants will be required to attend the class at its scheduled time.

If you are selected as a candidate, we will be in touch with you about your availability to be a Learning Assistant for a specific course. At the moment we are sorting out which HNRS courses will need Learning Assistants in Spring. If you are selected you can count this as your Teaching/Mentoring Co-Curricular experience!

Leadership

TBA

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Check out what's happening at Career Services THIS WEEK!

Don't miss the workshops and events to prepare you for your profession or graduate school. Click on the Career Services website.

How to submit an announcement for the Weekly Update!

If you have an event that you want to share with our Honors Community, please complete the form (see link below). Announcements received by Sunday 11:59pm will be included in the Weekly Update posted on Monday.

https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/4589651/Honors-Weekly-Update-Announcement-Request

Honors Program Information!

Contact

Phone: 805-756-7029
E-mail: honors@calpoly.edu

The Honors Commons and Office is in transition! We have moved to Building 52, room E34 but are waiting for the room to be complete to open up to students. You can, however, stop by to print.
- If you need to meet with Dr. J please email her at jjovanov@calpoly.edu to set up a time.