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honors A record number of six Northern State University Honors students presented their Honors thesis research at the National Collegiate Honors Conference in November 2017. The students spent the better part of a week attending conference sessions, taking in Atlanta, and presenting their research alongside some of the best young minds in the nation. The theme of the conference was Just Honors . Bryan Stevenson, author of Just Mercy , which was the 2016 NSU Common Read, served as plenary speaker for the conference. Stevenson implored students not to write off the underprivileged or the forgotten of society. He encouraged students not to ignore the “bad” part of town, but instead to “get proximate to the people – the poor and incarcerated.” Stevenson contends that getting close to people who need help makes us see them as equals. The NSU contingent visited the World of Coca-Cola, toured the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, and sampled southern cuisine at area restaurants. Students participated in the City As Text program to explore Atlanta. Students spent a majority of their time in Atlanta attending conference sessions. NSU Honors students learned how to improve their own campus community and found new ideas for the NSU Honors Club and NSU Honors Program. The last day of the conference featured student research presentations. NSU Honors Program Director Dr. Erin Fouberg explained why presenting at a national conference is important for Northern Honors students, “It helps them recognize that they can compete academically with the best from around the country.” Judges listened to students give an overview of the content on their research posters and asked questions, and then they ranked the presentations for awards. Whitney Berner, senior math education major fromWatertown, SD, won first place in the Education and Pedagogy division for her research Effects of Classroom Environment on Math Anxiety among Elementary Education Majors. Fouberg explained this is a great honor for Berner and for Northern, “Whitney winning confirms that the undergraduate research Northern Honors students are conducting is top notch.” ( see NCHC, page 2 ) NSU Honors Students Travel to Atlanta, Georgia to Present Thesis Research Author Bryan Stevenson, whose book Just Mercy was the 2016 NSU Common Read, spoke about social justice at NCHC. The NSU Honors Program visited the World of Coca-Cola. Front row, left to right: Zachary Feil, Balie Albrecht, Annika van Oosbree, and Bailey Alonge. Back row, left to right: Taylor Ellingson, Dr. Erin Fouberg, Kylie Rusch, Melanie Kruse, and Whitney Berner. Fall 2017 Issue 2

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