Six Students Present Research at Alpha Chi National Convention

In March, six Belmont University students presented their research at the Alpha Chi National Honor Society Convention at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Baltimore. Two faculty advisors, Dr. Sarah Ann Fleming (Math/Computer Science) and Dr. Jonathan Thorndike (Honors Program)also attended the convention, which is organized around student presentations by juniors and seniors from their respective chapters. 

Membership in Alpha Chi is the highest academic honor awarded by Belmont University.  Its members are invited based on their academic standing in the top 10 percent of the junior and senior classes within any academic major.  Belmont has had an active chapter of Alpha Chi for more than 25 years.  Dr. Fleming (Mathematics) and Dr. Caresse John (English) are the Belmont chapter’s current Sponsors. Dr. Thorndike serves as secretary-treasurer for Region III, which includes the colleges and universities with chapters in Alabama, Washington, D.C., Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North and South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. This year’s featured convention keynote speaker was New York Times best-selling author Sharyn McCrumb. 

Belmont student presentations at the convention included:

• In the Art section, Lizzie Davis presented her findings on “The Pre-Raphaelites and Literary Portraiture: The Unveiling of a Victorian Woman.”
• In the Music section, Kyle Johnson presented his research on “Listening to Modern Music.”
•  In Buisness, Shirah Foy presented findings on “Social Norms & Personal Financial Capital Interact in the Entrepreneurial Intentions Model: Evidence from a Russian Context.”
• In Mathematics, Kevin Crowl discussed “Picking a Winner: A Mathematical Look at Voting Methods.”
• In the Creative Writing section, Rachel Worsham presented “A Reading of an Excerpt from ‘potatochipbag’.”
• In Political Science, Stefanie Faull presented her research on “Revenge of the Nerds.”

It was also announced that Belmont student Jenny Westbrook is one of the 2012 winners of the prestigious Alpha Chi Sledge/Benedict Scholarship.  Additionally, Belmont student Stefanie Faull was elected as the Region III Student Representative to the National Council of Alpha Chi.  Stefanie will serve a two-year term on the National Council.