The Georgia Collegiate Honors Council (GCHC) is a professional organization that was formed for the promotion and advancement of honors education in institutions of higher learning in the state of Georgia.  Each year, the GCHC hosts a research conference for students around the state to share the exciting work they are doing.  This year, the Honors Program hosted the GCHC conference with the theme of “Honors Education in Progress and Service,” a nod to Georgia Tech’s motto.  Students presented papers, posters, and creative works (e.g., poetry, dramatic interpretations, documentary films, etc.) over a two-day event hosted in February.  The event kicked off with a reception, complete with Buzz, and a keynote talk by Dr. Ed Lee, III of Emory University on the topic of “Leveraging C.A.R.E to Ensure Our Pursuit of Progress and Service Betters the Human Condition.”  More than 180 people registered for the conference, which is one of the largest ever since the GCHC was founded in 1984.  The organization is led by current president Dr. Amy D’Unger, the Faculty Director of the Honors Program at Georgia Tech.  D’Unger also serves as the Treasurer of the Southern Regional Honors Council, which represents over 100 schools in the southeast region. 

Excellence in research was recognized with first and second place awards in a best essay contest in four categories: Engineering and Computer Science; Humanities; Natural Sciences and Mathematics; and Social Sciences and Business.  Georgia Tech students took home three of the essay awards, which were selected by a panel of 10 faculty members from eight different colleges and universities.  The Georgia Tech award winners included:

  • Guilherme Ryuji Weber Nakamura 
    First Place, Engineering and Computer Science: “Progress on Polyethylene- and Polypropylenimine for CO2 Capture by Molecular Dynamics Simulations”
     
  • Aparna Srinidhi Jagannathan         
    Second Place, Humanities: “Prostheses and Their Role in the Perception of Disability”
     
  • Emma Poma  
    Second Place: Natural Sciences and Mathematics: “Dynamics of Cell Spreading with Hyaluronan Glycocalyx”

The conference was a huge success in large part because of the participation of over 30 Honors Program student volunteers who helped with creating paper panels, doing logistics, checking in attendees, and serving as moderators.  Twelve students from Georgia Tech also presented their research in a poster or panel session.  Students who participated in several conference-related activities were able to earn a special badge in the Honors Program’s Jacket Journey student engagement program. 

Here is some more about the conference, by the numbers!

  • 1 keynote speaker
  • 2 days
  • 8 award winners (3 from Georgia Tech)
  • 10 faculty paper judges
  • 12 presenters from Georgia Tech
  • 15 colleges or universities represented
  • 16 paper sessions
  • 31 Honors Program student volunteers
  • 56 posters
  • 102 abstracts submitted
  • 181 registrants

For more information about the conference, visit honorsprogram.gatech.edu/gchc. 

 

March 11th, 2025 07:00 PM