Martha Frances Dalton dives off the coast of South Africa using a laser device to measure the size of marine life.

Animal, Vegetable, or Cellular.  This year’s University of Mississippi senior honors biology students investigated these topics and more in their thesis projects - intense bodies of research that were two years in the making.  From sharks, squirrels and songbirds to lettuce, fungi and brain cells, these students and their faculty advisers were immersed in a wide variety of interesting projects.

Martha Francis Dalton, working with biology professor Glenn Parsons, used a bite force gauge developed by Parsons to measure how hard sharks can bite and then examining the biological, ecological and environmental factors that alter that bite force.

As part of her research, which took her around the world, Dalton had the opportunity to see a couple of very large sharks up close, including a tiger shark and a great hammerhead shark. She was also part of a team that set a world record for tracking a great white shark during a summer internship in Africa.

Fascinated by sharks since her childhood, Dalton’s enthusiasm for the topic led her to choose it for her thesis. That childhood interest may turn out to be the impetus for a career.

“I am very glad that I was involved in an honors program that required I write a thesis involved in my field of study,” Dalton said. “It was very good exposure to the field of research biology, and I am now heavily considering applying to a graduate program to continue research in shark biology.”

Jonathan Hughes

Jonathan Hughes, working with biology instructor Carol Britson, studied the measurement of cell-packing density and size of calbindin-immunoreactive (CB-IR) GABAergic neurons in post-mortem brain samples of occipital cortex in major depressive disorder (MDD, or clinical depression) subjects. Hughes did his research at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson and at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

“To be brief, we wanted to determine whether there was an actual morphological difference between depressed and healthy patients in the actual cells using/producing this neurotransmitter, one subpopulation being calbindin-immunoreactive GABAergic nonpyramidal neurons,” Hughes said. “We found that this specific subpopulation of neurons was indeed significantly decreased in MDD patients by roughly 30 percent.”

Hughes’ research was published in Biological Psychiatry, and Hughes was listed as second author. The article can be viewed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20004363.  He plans to pursue a career in the pharmaceutical industry, and he is now attending the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy.

“This research has largely shaped my career outlook as I would like do research as well as practice pharmacy, specifically in this area,” he said. “The field of pharmacogenomics, the study of how a persons genetic blueprint affects how he/she responds to certain medications, is experiencing explosive growth right now. It is my hope that I could contribute research that would one day allow us to genotype depressed patients and determine what drugs would work best for them based on their genome, in essence treating the person, not the disease.”

Brittany Simpson

Brittany Simpson, working with biology professor Elaine Day, tested the effects of the natural product Schizandrin, which purportedly reverses spatial memory impairments caused by the drug Scopolamine, to determine whether the natural product could potentially be used to treat Alzheimer’s disease. Her abstract was presented at the Society for Neuroscience in San Diego last year.

“Dr. Lainy Day and the rest of the Day lab guided me through the many problems and questions that come along with research, especially researching for the first time,” Simpson said. “Being able to obtain so much research experience has opened my eyes to the world of medicinal research, and made me want to continue to investigate diseases when I become a doctor.”

Simpson said she expects to have published three papers by the time she enters medical school in the fall at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.

Shelly Osborn and Kevin Randolph, working with biology professor Colin Jackson, both examined the presence of bacteria in salad greens. They used DNA methods to identify bacteria in lettuce, and they compared the numbers and types of bacteria found in both regular and organic varieties of the produce.  Osborn became interested in the topic after taking Jackson’s microbiology class.

“Food microbiology is a growing field due to outbreaks of food borne illnesses worldwide,” she said. “Because salad greens only have minimal processing, many of the bacteria associated with the plant are readily ingested upon consumption. I was really intrigued by this and wanted to better understand if these bacteria were primarily plant-associated, or if they could actually be linked to infections in humans.”

According to Osborn, the students’ work will help Jackson form a study that will eventually be published in a scientific journal. Osborn plans to attend the University of Mississippi Medical Center School of Dentistry in the fall.

“I feel like this project gave me a better understanding for the dedication and hard work that I will need to be able succeed,” she said.

Other biology students’ projects included:

Becky Brasher, working with biology professor Jason Hoeksema, analyzed the enzymatic properties of ectomychorrihizal fungi to determine what chemicals they can and cannot break down to determine their ecological and symbiotic functions.

Stephen Clark, working with biology professor Bradley Jones, analyzed the mechanisms and processes by which glial cell fate is determined over neuronal cell fate in neural progenitors.

Miles DeBardeleben, working with biology professor Richard Buchholz, examined variations within the Eastern grey squirrel related to parasitism.

Matthew DiGiusto, working with biology professor Elaine Day, studied whether the cerebellum plays a role in learning or producing song in songbirds.

 Filley Howe, working with biology professor Gary Gaston, spent three weeks in Belize researching the behavior of schoolmaster snapper. For her research, she swam daily to observe and record the fishes’ behavior and daily activities, resulting in a log of good, statistically significant data.

Robert Spencer Mills, working with biology professor Richard Buchholz, analyzed the correlation between parasite load and sexual signals that affect mate choice among mallards. Plumage quality and bills of mallard drakes will be measured relative to parasite samples in the organs.

Warren Steel, University of Mississippi Professor of Music and Southern Culture, is in the unique position of being both a scholar of musical culture and also a participant, said Charles Gates, professor and chair of the Department of Music.

Steel recently authored a book, “The Makers of the Sacred Harp,” published by the University of Illinois Press, and he and his wife, Anne, a Latin teacher, travel around the country participating in this unique style of singing that dates from Colonial times.

“Dr. Steel’s respect for and active participation in the culture of Sacred Harp singing greatly informs his research in its history,” Gates said. “Is it unique to be both a scholar of music culture and an active participant in the culture. I have met few people who are conversant in as many areas of knowledge in the arts, humanities, religion, and literature as Dr. Steel. Simply having a conversation with him is an educational and enriching experience.”

Steel took up his first instrument at the age of 6. He heard some Sacred Harp songs on a recording as early as 1963, and immediately found a songbook in the public library.  “The Sacred Harp” is an oblong songbook first published in 1844 by B.F. White and E. J. King. The music is printed in “patent notes,” wherein the shape of the note head indicates the syllables FA, SOL, LA , and MI.   The songs include psalm tunes, fuging tunes, odes and anthems by the first American composers (1770-1810), and also folk songs and revival hymns (1810-1860). The current 1991 edition contains many songs in these styles by living composers.

Sacred Harp singing doesn’t involve playing the harp, but rather people singing with no accompaniment.

“Sacred Harp singing is a non-denominational community musical event emphasizing participation, not performance,” Steel said. “Singers sit facing inward in a hollow square. Each individual is invited to take a turn leading, standing in the center, selecting a song, and beating time with the hand.”

“This style of singing stems from singing schools in the Colonial period,” Steel said. “Preserved in the rural South, Sacred Harp singing (also called fasola singing or shape-note singing) is making a major resurgence in cities and campuses throughout North America. North Mississippi is fortunate to have traditional all-day singings within easy driving distance. Most singings last from about ten in the morning till three in the afternoon, with an hour break at noon for dinner on the grounds.”

Steel started participating in Sacred Harp singing in Boston in 1972 after finding a group of singers who gathered twice a month to sing from The Sacred Harp.

“That summer I drove with three others to Alabama to attend an all-day singing at a country church,” said Steel. “In 1973 I moved to Ann Arbor, MI, where I helped local singers found an annual all-day singing.  What attracted me at first was the concept of participation. I liked the music much better than that of typical church or gospel hymns.”

Participants in Sacred Harp singing value being connected with supportive, loving individuals and with a distinctively Southern culture.  Steel said people at singings avoid contentious subjects such as politics or religion, but they all agree that for the blessed, the afterlife consists of singing, specifically singing Sacred Harp songs, forever.

Steel believes the resurgence of interest in Sacred Harp can in part be traced to music-lovers who are disgruntled with the music industry and the concept of musical sound as a commercial commodity that can be bought and sold.

“Sacred Harp singers need only a songbook and an empty room to make music together,” Steel said. “Some singers identify strongly with the strong theology of the poetry, but others who may reject the theology can still admire the conviction and eloquence of the verses, as well as that of the music.”

Professor Steel maintains a web site on Sacred Harp Singing.

Warren Steel leads a performance of Sacred Harp 285, Arnold, in Goshen, Indiana on July 14, 2007, at the Michiana Singing Convention. 

In October 2010, Warren Steel discusses his work on Sacred Harp music for the Botkin Lecture at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.

James Cizdziel, Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry

The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that one in six American women has enough mercury in her body to put her child at risk should she become pregnant. That means detecting and reducing mercury emissions is important to public health.

Mercury is a toxic pollutant that is known to bio-concentrate up the food chain where it can lead to poisoning in both humans and wildlife.  Emissions, especially from coal-fired power plants, are leading to a general increase in mercury on local, regional and global scales.  James Cizdziel, Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Mississippi, is involved in cutting edge scientific research designed to measure mercury emissions and determine their origins.

“The kind of work Cizdziel does is critical to society because we all want to know the distribution and levels of toxic pollutants in the environment,” said Charles L. Hussey, professor and chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. “His work is focused on looking at heavy metals, including mercury, and their distribution in the ecosystem. In order to do that, he has to develop special methodology based around some of the most powerful analytical instruments that we now have. Most of his work is done with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.”

Cizdziel moved to UM in 2008 from the Harry Reid Center for Environmental Studies at the University of Las Vegas. Hussey said since coming to UM, Cizdziel has been extraordinarily successful in attracting external funds including EPA grants and the National Science Foundation Major Research Instrumentation Award.

“We are very delighted he is here,” Hussey said. “He is doing very well. He has already established a large research group, and I feel like he is and will continue to be an asset to this state and its citizens.”

Cizdziel is an analytical chemist whose work measuring different pollutants in the environment tends to be interdisciplinary in nature.  And, his active research program helps train the next generation of scientists.  For example, one group of students worked on heavy metal contaminants in the BP oil spill.

“I’m continuing to do primarily environmentally related research and I’m establishing collaborations with others on campus and in the region to utilize our new capabilities,” Cizdziel said. “I convinced the National Science Foundation that we could develop a first-rate trace element research center for the Mid South region if we could acquire a high resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer. This state-of-the art instrument housed in Coulter Hall is the only one of its type in our region. I have a graduate student helping me analyze a wide-variety of samples for researchers and industrial clients who don’t have such equipment.”

There is also equipment on the top of Anderson Hall that monitors mercury species in the air.

“Mercury is a special element in that it can reach levels that are toxic to humans if too much contaminated fish is consumed,” Cizdziel said. “It is responsible for the most fish advisories in the nation. Mercury gets put in the air and disburses globally. There are subtle differences in isotope ratios from one deposit of coal than another. The technology now can measure these isotopic signatures. It is kind of like fingerprints for mercury stemming from different sources. Once you have those fingerprints, you can follow the mercury.”

Kristen Vise

Kristen Vise, a University of Mississippi art major with a concentration in graphic design, has gained a great appreciation for the value of interdisciplinary collaboration as it relates to design and the built environment, the manmade surroundings that define everyday life.  The exploratory approach to education, encouraged by the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College, the Department of Art, and the College of Liberal Arts, has been instrumental in Vise’s realization that she is drawn to work that combines the perspectives of individuals from a variety of fields of study. At the University of Ulster’s School of Art and Design in Northern Ireland, where she studied in 2010, she discovered the close relationship between graphic communication and architecture and how it affects the way we use and view a space.

“I am excited about the possibilities of working collaboratively with professionals from a variety of creative disciplines,” Vise said. “Both the connection between seemingly unrelated things that I have learned in and out of class, and my exploratory research on collaborative environment design projects between visual communication designers and architects has led to my interest in design that crosses disciplinary lines.”

According to Vise, the academic culture of the College of Liberal Arts has nurtured her creativity and helped to change the way she views the world.

“The curriculum encourages exploration and exposure to so many ideas and subjects,” she said. “Things I have learned in history, literature, biology, Russian, political science, psychology, art and art history find their way back into my art and design work.”

Virginia Chavis, Associate Professor of Art, compliments Vise on her creative thinking and creating life choices that influence her design work.

“Kristen’s work is influenced by personal experiences and the world around her and not solely by what design annuals and the internet provide,” said Chavis. “She travels and collects found objects, witnesses events first hand and then uses those items as a springboard in her research.  A good designer truly understands who he/she is designing for and utilizes her ability to develop thoughtful concepts.

“Kristen is also able to express her thoughts with drawing, technology and craft skills. Her work isn’t just a well-composed design on paper either.  Kristen works in such a way that she is able to find the best vehicle to express her ideas whether that be a handmade book, a plaster sculpture or a photograph of a tiny installation.  But she still makes really great t-shirts and business cards too.”

Vise also acknowledges the role the faculty has played in her creative and academic development. “My skills and knowledge of the art world, and my development as an artist, designer and illustrator, are all attributable to the leadership and encouragement I received. It has helped me to grow as an artist and as a person.”

Vise, a native of Jackson, is the recipient of a 2011 Hearin Foundation Scholarship and a Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College Fellowship. She received an Award of Excellence in 2009 for her entry in the Mississippi Collegiate Art Competition, and she is an Academic Excellence Scholar and Luckyday Scholar for 2007-2011.

Graphic design student Kristen Vise talks about her enjoyment of drawing and graphic design, including her own brand ideas.  Video created by UM student, Lauryn Duvalle.

Gloria Gonzalez

A new internship program in the University of Mississippi’s Department of Religion and Philosophy is engaging students in real-world scenarios that allow them to apply their academic training.

The purpose of the internship is to provide valuable pre-professional experience and a unique opportunity to study philosophy or religion outside of the traditional classroom.  By participating in the day-to-day operations of an organization, an intern can gain new perspective on topics related to philosophy or religious studies.

Sarah Moses, an assistant professor in religion, organizes the program. “Students are free to choose a placement ranging from government positions to private sector to non-profit agencies, as long as their experience can be connected meaningfully to a topic in their academic discipline,” she said.

Last summer the department placed two philosophy majors in law offices where, among other things, they reviewed depositions and transcripts, culling them for materials that could be used in their employer’s arguments. By doing this, they made use of analytic reasoning, critical thinking and logic, and argumentative skills learned in their major.

Gloria Gonzalez, a double major in philosophy and religious studies worked as an archival assistant in Archives and Special Collections in the J.D. Williams Library. She spent 120 unpaid hours digitizing pictures of segregated schools taken in the mid-1950s. As part of the academic requirements for her internship, she researched the ethics of digitization and the effect that the use of digital materials has on scholarly research.

Each student participating in the internship course must write a 10-page academic analysis paper relating the internship experience to a topic or issue in philosophy or religion. Gonzalez’s final research paper argued that without the proper context and organization, use of digital materials may hurt the quality of academic research.

She credits this work with solidifying a plan for her future. “The Department of Philosophy and Religion has done a wonderful job of preparing me for the future,” Gonzalez said. “The most practical way was through Dr. Moses’ summer internship course. It provided me an opportunity to fine-tune my interests within the field of library and information science.”

After graduation in May, Gonzalez will spend the summer as a 2011 Junior Fellow at the Library of Congress. “I was able to use my previous internship experience when applying for the internship at the Library of Congress,” she said.

Gonzalez also used her internship and research experience in letters of purpose, cover letters and diversity statements when she applied to master’s programs in library and information science. She plans to attend graduate school at the University of California at Los Angeles, and she hopes to eventually pursue a doctorate degree in philosophy.

Walt Davis (left), Martin Fisher, Meaghan Gandy, Diana Price, Matthew Henry, Lindsey Robinson, Katherine Watson, John Trey Nordan, Jenny Urban and Graham Smith are members of the first graduating class of public policy leadership students.

The first full class of public policy leadership students at the University of Mississippi graduated in May. Because of their experiences in the department, ranging from study abroad trips and internship opportunities to leadership roles on campus and community service, these 22 young leaders have proven they are prepared to go on to change the state, the nation and the world for the better.

“The PPL program and major has challenged me to look at the world a little bit differently and changed my worldview for the better,” said Elliot Warren, a member of the 2011 graduating class. “For that, I am very grateful because it will live on with me for the rest of my life.”

The Department of Public Policy Leadership provides the academic program for the Lott Leadership Institute. The institute prepares students to assume positions of responsibility in the public sector in an increasingly complex world. It is built around the concept of civic globalism—the individual and collective actions designed to identify and address issues of public concern on a global scale.

Students must be admitted to the Lott Leadership Institute in order to major in public policy leadership, which is separate from admission to the university. Students are admitted on the basis of their energy, commitment and involvement in their communities as well as their record of academic achievement.

The interdisciplinary public policy leadership curriculum emphasizes the global nature of responsible decision-making, the ethical imperatives of leadership, critical thinking, communication skills and the quantitative skills necessary for careful policy analysis. It incorporates economics, geography, history, philosophy, political science and psychology.

“We started out four years ago trying to hire a faculty, develop a curriculum and enroll the first class,” said Robert Haws, associate professor and chair of the department, who will retire this summer. The idea, according to Haws, was to provide an education tailored to students who had aspirations for careers in public life. “You hope it works,” he said.

The class of 2011 has proven that, without a doubt, it works. “The record this first class has established goes way beyond any expectations I might have had for them,” Haws said. “It’s a remarkable group of students. They’ve done very well, and in anticipation of public life, they’ve been exercising their leadership skills both on and off campus.”

On campus, PPL students have served as presidents of College Republicans, Model United Nations, the Columns Society and the senior class, and one was student director of the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College. They have held Associated Student Body positions including Senator, Vice President, Secretary, President Pro Tempore, Director of Communications, Director of Athletics, Director of Community Service and Cabinet Executive Liaison. They have served on the One Mississippi Coordinating Committee, the Presidential Debate Student Steering Committee, the Student Programming Board and the Ole Miss Ambassadors Leadership Council. They have also been presidents and vice presidents of their fraternities and sororities, and they have been Ole Miss Orientation leaders.

Off campus, internships engaged students in a variety of work environments. The department funds two internships, sending one student each summer to work for the Sunflower County Freedom Project, an organization improving education in the Mississippi Delta, and another to work for Mississippi First, a policy organization in Jackson.

Other students have sought internships on their own: Jenny Urban was an intern with California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Nick Luckett interned with the William Winter Institute. Mary Katherine Graham was an intern with U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Financial Services. Matthew Henry was selected as a parliamentary intern for the Scottish Parliament through a program at the University of Edinburgh.

“Having one or more internship experiences on your resume puts you at a distinct advantage when entering the job market upon graduation,” Henry said. “It also gives you a great chance to establish or expand your network.”

Students have also taken what they’ve learned in the classroom and applied it to public life. After taking Melissa Bass’s social policy class that included an examination of charter schools, for example, several PPL students testified before the House Committee on Education in Jackson in support of charter schools. “ They went to Jackson and made their own contacts,” Haws said.

PPL students are immersed in issues that affect the world at large through study abroad opportunities. The Lott Leadership Exchange programs, which provide scholarships for students to learn about and in another part of the world, took members of this class to South Korea, Argentina, South Africa, Germany, Australia, Japan and Ecuador.

“Travelling to South Korea and to Osnabruck, Germany, were invaluable opportunities for learning beyond anything I have experienced in the classroom,” said Katherine Watson, who studied abroad during the summers of 2008 and 2010. “Not only did we learn about important academic topics in those nations, but we also grew in knowledge about cultures other than our own.”

Community service was a critical learning component for the students in this graduating class. The service organizations that benefitted are too numerous to list. And, PPL students did more than volunteer hours with those organizations—they played important leadership roles. Elliot Warren planned, organized and managed a charitable event on the UM campus during the spring semester of 2010 that raised $25,000 to benefit multiple charities and set the single-week record for blood donated and collected through Mississippi Blood Services. Sarah Rogers served as director of the 2011 UM Big Event community service project, and she was a co-founder and president of the Habitat for Humanity Greek Leadership Summit, a fundraising project to sponsor a Habitat for Humanity house.. Alex McClelland served as president of Students for a Safe Ride, helping to revamp and raise funds for the Rebel Ride late-night campus transportation service.

Through the department faculty, guest speakers from academia routinely visit the school to discuss current issues. Guests in recent years have included Edwin Dorn, professor of public affairs and dean emeritus of the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas; George Lucas, Class of 1984 Distinguished Chair in Ethics in the Vice Admiral James B. Stockdale Center for Ethical Leadership at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis and professor of ethics and public policy at the Graduate School of Public Policy at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif.; Steven Teles of the Department of Political Science at Johns Hopkins University; and Gianfranco Battisti, professor of geography in the Dipartimento della Formazione e dei Processi Culturali at the University of Trieste, Italy.

Additionally, through its connection with the Trent Lott Leadership Institute, the department provides unique opportunities for students to talk candidly with high-ranking public officials and policy makers. The institute has hosted speakers including Mikhail Margelov, chairman of the European Democrat Group of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe; Senators John McCain, Trent Lott and Tom Daschle; and King Abdullah II of Jordan.

While each PPL student benefits from a personalized experience in the department, the 2011 graduates have been working together as a class, pushing each other to succeed since their first days on the UM campus.

“ The night before classes started we all came together at the Depot on campus for a dinner,” said Sarah Bransford, 2011 graduate. “This proved to be just the beginning because as the year went on this group of people began to get involved on campus; today it is an amazing feeling to look around at the biggest leaders on campus and think back to that night when we all first meet.”

Four years later, these new graduates are prepared to play defining roles in the future of the state and nation. Several of them plan to pursue further education, including law school and master’s degree programs in education, history, accountancy and divinity. Others will be off to work—taking jobs in Mississippi state politics, pursuing policy work in Washington, D.C., joining the Mississippi Teacher Corps and more.

The 2011 class has paved the way for the young leaders that will follow them. With 45 incoming freshman expected, approximately 180 students will be enrolled in the public policy leadership program for the 2011-12 school year. “It’s more than we expected,” Haws said.

“It has been amazing and encouraging to watch the PPL program grow so quickly,” said Mary Katherine Graham, a 2011 graduate.  “There are so many more opportunities provided now than when we started four years ago. Part of the reason the program has grown so fast is because people in our class created their own opportunities and paved their own way.”

For individual bios and photos, click here. 

Steve Stringer meets with a group from Uganda.

Steve Stringer found his passion for writing, particularly fiction writing, in the fertile creative environment of Oxford and the University of Mississippi.  This passion was further stoked through various opportunities for travel and discovery.

“I had the opportunity for the first time in college, to create something entirely new,” Stringer explained. “Rather than commenting on someone else’s ideas, I had the freedom to express my own. Since then, I’ve been seeking that same thrill of creating something original by taking fiction and poetry workshops. It has informed my senior thesis and led me to pursue a graduate degree in fiction writing. That short two-week period in Paris has potentially impacted the rest of my life!”

Fisher-Wirth described her impressions of Stringer’s creative perspective.

“Steve was an ideal member of the class, always affable, indefatigable, knowledgeable and eager,” she said. “He had a great sense of humor and a fresh, quirky approach to the short creative nonfiction pieces that the course generated. I’m so happy that American Writers in Paris gave Steve the opportunity to discover his talent and passion for creative writing.”

On campus Stringer has been involved with an organization that has taken him to a very different part of the world, Hope for Africa. After attending his first meeting as a freshman, he became very committed to the cause, which involves the sponsorship of thirty primary and secondary students in Uganda. As a member of the group, and president of the organization from 2009-2011, he had the opportunity to travel to Uganda to see first hand the impact Hope for Africa was having on the students it supports through various fundraising events.

“Meeting the students in Uganda and seeing the impact education is having on their lives, was extremely rewarding,” explained Stringer. “It made me appreciate my own education and the opportunities I have had and honestly, made me re-evaluate my reasons for what I was working toward. It also educated me about sustainable solutions to world hunger that could have an impact here at home, and could be applied to places like the Mississippi Delta.”

Stringer plans to pursue a Masters of Fine Arts degree in screenwriting from the University of Texas at Austin. He is very interested in film and the opportunity it would give him to create multi-dimensional works that incorporate the elements of dialogue, music and the visual arts. He found his academic experience at UM to be both formative and liberating—giving him the tools with which to develop his craft and the freedom to let him find his own voice.

Among Stringer’s academic honors is a Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College Fellowship.  He also was a 2010 Evans Harrington Creative Writing Fiction Scholar.

Jonathan Winburn, Assistant Professor of Political Science

With the new U.S. Census out, political redistricting to reflect new population estimates across the country is a contentious exercise that can have major implications for the balance of political power.  Jonathan Winburn, Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Mississippi, has authored a book, “The Realities of Redistricting: Following the Rules and Limiting Gerrymandering in State Legislative Redistricting,” that provides insight into how to make that process more equitable.

“Jon Winburn’s work integrates an amazing range of election, census and state-level data to measure the impact of redistricting,” said Richard Forgette, professor and chair of the Department of Political Science. “All 50 states are currently redrawing political boundaries after the 2010 census.  Professor Winburn’s research convincingly shows that redistricting processes—the rules for how states draw legislative lines—influence election outcomes.”

Redistricting is one of the most political and often contentious processes in American politics as politicians, especially in the state legislatures, fight over how to draw the lines that will form election districts for the next decade, said Winburn.

“This is contentious and controversial because many see how the maps are drawn as having a direct influence on who gets elected,” Winburn said. “People usually think of this in terms of gerrymandering or drawing districts to benefit one group over another. Partisan gerrymandering benefits one party over another and incumbent gerrymandering helps those already in office, regardless of party, by drawing lines to protect themselves from potential challenges.”

Winburn’s research focuses on state legislative redistricting and specifically how gerrymandering can be limited. The book examines ways to limit the negative effects of redistricting for the voters and making the system more responsive to citizens.

“I argue that having certain rules in place can limit gerrymandering regardless of partisan politics,” Winburn said. “Specifically, protecting communities of interest is one way to limit gerrymandering.”

One example of a community of interest is counties, which have clear, recognizable geographic boundaries. Many states require district lines to follow county boundaries to the fullest extent possible, and in the states that enforce the rule, Winburn finds less evidence of gerrymandering. Mississippi has a similar rule. But legislators do not really follow it, and Mississippi lines cross county boundaries at a high rate.

“Another area I examine is the use of independent commissions, as the traditional method is to allow the legislature to handle the process,” Winburn said. “Much of the reform movement across the country focuses on the use of independent commissions. Overall, I find that they can be successful in limiting gerrymandering, but this is not absolutely the case.”

A review of Winburn’s book by Gary E. Bugh of the Department of Political Science at Texas A&M University, said the book explores multiple incentives and constraints on remappers in order to outline the conditions under which partisan influence on redistricting is most likely.

“His lesson that rules help control partisan reapportionment is an important one for understanding and limiting gerrymandering,” Bugh said. “Winburn provides some suggestions that are relevant for activists working to remove partisanship from redistricting.”

For more information about the MS census and redistricting, visit http://www.msjrc.state.ms.us/.ms.us

Christin Gates (left) and Laura Johnson, Associate Professor of Psychology

Christin Gates has developed an avocation to help erase the inequities and inadequacies of the Mississippi public education system through policy making and social advocacy, using skills she has honed in the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Mississippi.

“One thing I love about Ole Miss is the value it places on servant leadership,” Gates explained. “Beyond the classroom, I feel the sentiment of the university is to go beyond reading and writing, to taking the knowledge gained and making an impact on those around you. This value aligns with part of my favorite quote by Mary Church Terrell, ‘Lift as you climb’.”

Gates, a senior psychology major from Kosciusko, has a special interest in cross-cultural psychology. She credits Laura Johnson, associate professor of psychology, for providing “the spark that lit the fire for me to expand beyond what I imagined was possible.”

“Through her [Johnson’s] multicultural psychology class and as a member of her research team, I have been able to find the vocabulary and language to effectively promote social justice and diversity issues,” Gates said. “Since I have learned to understand the patterns and motivations of people, how we think and operate, I believe it will give me an advantage in how I communicate with others in my future career as a policy maker.”

Johnson supports her decision to attend graduate school.  Gates has been accepted to Harvard’s Graduate School of Education, where she will work toward a Masters of Education in educational policy and management.

“Christin has been a joy to work with, exactly the kind of student that keeps me passionate about my own work,” Johnson said.  “She has the perfect combination of social justice values, intellectual acumen, and ability to build diverse constituencies that are the hallmarks of a great leader and change agent, especially in our multicultural society.  I am sure she will contribute to successful public policy initiatives that make a positive difference in the lives of many.”

Gates’ senior thesis project is a qualitative study of how the No Child Left Behind’s accountability system influences the ability of African American students to gain access to higher education.  Her findings suggest that test scores under NCLB in this particular pipeline fluctuate; however, college access directly depends on the high school counselor.

RoSusan Bartee, associate professor in the School of Education at UM, who served as director of Gates’ thesis topic and her McNair research project, also had a strong impact on her development as a scholar and a researcher.

“With Dr. Bartee’s help, I was selected as an American Education Research Association Undergraduate Fellow,” Gates said. “This organization gave me the opportunity to be in the same room with researchers that I have read and admire. This experience humanized the world of academics for me.”

Gates’ academic honors also include a Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College Fellowship, and she is a Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Scholar.

Chelsea Caveny, a public policy leadership graduate, is the University of Mississippi’s first recipient of the prestigious George J. Mitchell Scholarship.

Chelsea Caveny

The scholarship funds one year of graduate study at any university in Ireland or Northern Ireland.  Caveny plans to earn a master’s degree in community education, equality and social activism at National University of Ireland in Maynooth.

“I am really excited to be the first UM student to have the honor to interview for the Mitchell, but I know that I will not be the last,” said Caveny, who is also a 2010 Harry S. Truman Scholar.

A total of fifteen college students from across the country were interviewed in the final round, and twelve were selected.  Other schools with recipients include Princeton, Standford, the University of Georgia, West Virginia Wesleyan College, Johns Hopkins, Yale, Villanova, Georgetown,  Swarthmore, Dartmouth, and Centre College.

A member of both the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College and the Trent Lott Leadership Institute, Caveny has been deeply involved in the Sunflower County Freedom Project for her entire undergraduate career. Beginning as a weekend volunteer, she began urging friends to join her in that experience.  Eventually, Caveny lobbied the Lott Institute to establish a summer internship with SCFP, which she held during its first year.

“I met Chelsea as an intern in 2009 and she was absolutely indispensible,” said Sarah Hoftiezer, SCFP executive director. “Her dedication to students here and to the Mississippi Delta region as a whole is something not found often in college students. She’s been an excellent resource for our organization.”

Caveny has addressed the Mississippi Legislature about a charter school bill. She is writing her honors thesis, a casebook study of how the SCFP model could be replicated in a neighboring county.

“In the Mississippi Delta and in South Africa, Chelsea has forged a human link between local and global concerns,” said Douglass Sullivan-Gonzalez, dean of the honors college and institutional faculty representative for the Mitchell. “Her solutions to problems in communities consistently reflect genuine hope and sustainable possibility.”

Other UM faculty members were equally complimentary of Caveny.

“I recommended Chelsea because she is a perfect fit,” said Melissa Bass, assistant professor of public policy leadership. “Her commitment to and experience with public service, combined with her outstanding academic abilities and accomplishments, make her an ideal candidate for the Mitchell Scholarship.”

Even if Caveny had not been named a Mitchell Scholar, it remains an honor for her to have been a finalist, UM officials said.

“I’m very, very pleased that Chelsea is taking the university’s name into the finals of this prestigious scholarship,” said Debra Young, associate dean of the honors college. “This invitation validates some of the directions our talented students are selecting – figuring out how to solve complex, real-world problems.”

Caveny served as Associated Student Body Director of Community Service. In addition to SCFP, her memberships include the Columns Society, University Judicial Council, Hope for Africa, One Mississippi and the U.S. Public Service Academy Youth Advisory Council.

She is the daughter of Jay Ladner and Jennifer Caveny of Hattiesburg.

Named in honor of the former senator’s pivotal contribution to the Northern Ireland peace process, the George J. Mitchell Scholarships are intended to interest and involve the next generation of America’s leaders in the U.S.-Ireland relationship. The Mitchell looks for persuasive, documented evidence of achievement in three areas: academics, leadership and community service. Unlike the Marshall and the Rhodes, the Mitchell Scholarship does not conduct regional interviews. Instead, 20 finalists are invited to interview in Washington, D.C. From that group, up to 12 scholars are selected.  Learn more about the Mitchell Scholarship at http://www.us-irelandalliance.org/scholarships/html