HIGH POINT, N.C., March 25, 2021 – High Point University faculty and students recently received the following academic and professional awards and recognitions.
HPU’s Society of Physics Students Win National Award
The High Point University chapter of the Society of Physics Students (SPS) won an Outstanding Chapter Award from the SPS National Office. This is the sixth year in a row the chapter has been recognized for excellence as a top-tier student-led physical sciences organization, a designation given to fewer than 10% of all SPS chapters at colleges and universities in the United States and internationally.
The Society of Physics Students (SPS) is a professional association designed for students and membership is open to anyone interested in physics and related fields. SPS operates within the American Institute of Physics (AIP), an umbrella organization for professional physical science societies.
“This award recognizes our work in community outreach and our dedication to physics research and development on campus,” said Sam Mycroft, a senior physics major and mathematics and computer science minor. “Our goal has always been to nurture a sense of curiosity in physics with children in our local community, while also providing opportunities on campus for students from all departments to join the rocketry team, volunteer at HPUniverse Day, and host shows in the Culp Planetarium.”
Education Leadership Studies Professor Appointed to Several Positions
Dr. Tawannah Allen, associate professor of leadership studies, has been appointed to the Dudley Flood Center for Educational Equity and Opportunity with the Public School Forum of North Carolina. She has also been selected as an inaugural cohort member of the ElevateNC Higher Education and was chosen to participate in the North Carolina Education Policy Fellowship Program.
The Dudley Flood Center will serve as a hub to identify and connect organizations, networks and leaders to address issues of equity, access and opportunity in education across North Carolina. ElevateNC Higher Education is designed to enhance leadership capacity as well as provide a forum for the development of statewide and community-specific strategies that increase postsecondary attainment. The North Carolina Education Policy Fellowship Program is the only statewide program of its kind that focuses on leadership and professional development in the context of education policy.
“Working with the Dudley Flood Center, ElevateNC Higher Education, and as a NC Education Policy Fellow provides a tight and seamless alignment between my focus on using effective policies to provide equitable access and opportunities, to the K-12 and postsecondary education system, for underrepresented populations,” said Allen. “This is what excites me most about being a part of these outstanding organizations.”
HPU’s Department of Physician Assistant Studies Hosts Community Blood Drive
Faculty and students in HPU’s Department of Physician Assistant Studies partnered with the American Red Cross to host its annual community blood drive.
The department’s goal was to collect 25 units of blood and they collected 35 units.
“I became passionate about blood donations during my undergraduate experience after learning about the necessity of consistent and adequate blood supply for many lifesaving treatments,” said Natalie Haas, a first-year physician assistant studies student. “Giving blood and advocating for it has been a great way to help patients in a meaningful way. It was incredibly inspiring to see the way my classmates and the community came together to make a difference for so many people in just one afternoon.”
The department partnered with Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church in High Point to serve as the blood drive’s site.
HPU Alum Makes Professional Opera Debut
Laura Hutchins, a 2017 HPU graduate and current HPU adjunct music instructor, made her professional operatic debut in Piedmont Opera’s production of Pauline Viardot’s “Cinderella” on March 19 and 21. She played Maguelonne, one of Cinderella’s stepsisters. Dr. Scott MacLeod, associate professor of music, played the wicked stepfather Baron de Pictordu. The performance was delivered virtually and marked the first time the company
produced an opera composed by a woman. It was written in an operetta style that combines musical numbers and dialogue in this re-telling of the well-known fairy tale.
“I was incredibly grateful to be a part of this production and to work with a company that is displaying such courage and creativity in these artistically challenging times,” said Hutchins. “I know that the training and skills I received at HPU prepared me well. The show was made more significant because Scott MacLeod, one of my most influential mentors at HPU, was also cast in the production. I encourage students to invest in their friends and mentors during school, as these relationships continue far after graduation.”
HPU Student Selected as Inaugural Member of Student Trustee Council
HPU student Joseph Maronski, a journalism and political science major, recently was selected as one of nine students from across the country to serve as an inaugural member of the Society of Professional Journalists Student Trustee Council. Maronski along with students from Georgetown University, Columbia University and others, will be working with the Board of Directors to improve student journalist support.
“As a journalism student at HPU, I was introduced to the Society of Professional Journalists from day one and immediately joined,” said Maronksi. “Throughout my time here at HPU, SPJ has remained a central force bringing ethics to both the classroom and newsroom. Being selected to serve on the inaugural Student Trustee Committee is truly an honor and I am excited by the opportunity to share not only the lessons I have learned here at HPU, but to support student journalists across the country.”
HPU Professor Made History News Network’s Top Ten Twice in Last Month
Paul Ringel, associate professor of history, was featured twice in the last month on History News Network’s Top Ten, a weekly roundup of the top opinion writing by historians about history. His articles highlighted the importance of history in today’s world.
One piece discussed a local shootout in February 1971 between High Point Police and Guilford County Sherriff’s departments with members of the local Black Panthers. It was written to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the event, and to show how the shifting relationships between law enforcement and black political activists during the 1960s and 1970s help to explain contemporary conflicts between police and communities of color.
The other article was about the rebranding of Potato Heads to give children a gender-neutral option for play. Ringel’s piece investigated the ways that children’s toys and books have treated gender from the 1820s until today and argued that commerce rather than ideology has driven the changes in how these products were gendered.
“The fact that the History News Network has twice recognized my work in recent months is an indication of the growing acceptance of histories of youth culture as an emerging and important field of historical scholarship,” said Ringel.