<p style=

“margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.4px; line-height: 11.3px; font: 10.5px Times;”>

Recently, two sets of UNA students were recognized for academic

achievements in their respective fields. 

<p style=

“margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.4px; line-height: 11.3px; font: 10.5px Times;”>

Two UNA graduates, Lauren Gover and Jared Hornsby, had research

papers approved by the American Society of College Medicine (ASCM).

The two UNA graduate assistants are working at the UNA Department

of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, which is a first in

the history of the department and within the College of

Education. 

<p style=

“margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.4px; line-height: 11.3px; font: 10.5px Times;”>

The students chose to complete a challenging thesis in a program

with a non-thesis option, which will result in more publications

and presentations in the coming year. In February, they will go to

the ASCM Southeast and National conferences to present their

research projects. These two conferences are among the most

prestigious in the field of exercise physiology. 

<p style=

“margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.4px; line-height: 11.3px; font: 10.5px Times;”>

“Scholarship in peer-reviewed outlets such as these is a highly

notable academic achievement, even for faculty. They inarguably

have an exceptional start and a bright future,” said Dr. Matthew

Green, an associate professor of Health, Physical Education and

Recreation at UNA.

<p style=

“margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.4px; line-height: 11.3px; font: 10.5px Times;”>

Honors program students Cayla Buttram and Amanda Sheehy also

presented research projects to the National Collegiate Honors

Council (NCHC). The two ladies, along with Honors Director Vince

Brewton, traveled to Kansas City, Mo. to present their projects at

the conference. 

<p style=

“margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.4px; line-height: 11.3px; font: 10.5px Times;”>

Buttram, a geography and secondary education major, gave a

presentation entitled, “The Space Between: How Cultural Isolation

Affects Language and Culture.” Sheehy, a professional biology

major, presented her report “Monitoring Freshwater Snail

Populations with Digital Photography.”

<p style=

“margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.4px; line-height: 11.3px; font: 10.5px Times;”>

NCHC is the largest and most prestigious collegiate honors society

in the nation. During their individual presentation times, they

were able to discuss ideas with other honors students and faculty

from across the country, and they were able to speak about their

topics in depth with their peers.

<p style=

“margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.4px; line-height: 11.3px; font: 10.5px Times;”>

“I wish that everyone, not just honors students, could have a

chance to experience something similar—exchanging ideas, advancing

knowledge and interacting with intellectual peers is not only

fun—it is also essential to growth as a student and an individual,”

Buttram said. 

<p style=

“margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.4px; line-height: 11.3px; font: 10.5px Times;”>

This is the first year UNA has taken students to the conference,

and Brewton hopes it is not the last. 

<p style=

“margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.4px; line-height: 11.3px; font: 10.5px Times;”>

“They both really distinguished themselves with the quality of

their research projects. Research is an increasingly important

priority here at UNA, and to have had their work accepted at this

national conference speaks extremely well of them and our Honors

Program,” he said.