Lisa Wood
Assistant Dean for Honors and International Programs
University of Arkansas
AFLS E-202
Fayetteville, AR 72701
(479) 575-6770
lswood@uark.edu
Honors Student Board
The Board members serves as representatives of the Honors Program and the College. They are to portray to prospective Honors students, parents, and alumni the philosophy and benefits of participation in the Honors Program of the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences at the University of Arkansas. Board members will co-host activities with other college student organizations and with the College Dean's Office.
Board Members Elected for the 2023-2024 Academic Year are:
Braeden Smith
Chair
Alexander Moss
Vice-Chair
Anna Switzer
Director of Events
Bumpers Honors Student Board Applications
The Board is currently recruiting for two open positions, Secretary and Director of Communications and Outreach for the Spring 2024 semester.
Applications will remain open until February 5, 2024. Apply online here!
For more information regarding the Board, please contact Dr. Lisa Wood (lswood@uark.edu), Assistant Dean for Student Success or Mrs. Isabel Whitehead-Adams (iwhitehe@uark.edu), Coordinator for Honors Programs.
Interested in joining the Board? Please review the responsibilities of the Bumpers College Honors Student Board below:
The mission of the Bumpers College Honors Student Board is to provide a student voice for programmatic activities of the Bumpers Honors Program and to enhance student development and leadership skills of its members. The Bumpers Honors Program fosters interaction among Honors students, faculty, and other student organizations, provides liaisons to the Bumpers College Honors Director, Dean, and Associate Dean, and the UA Honors College. The Board also serves in recruitment for the Honors Program.
Bumpers Honors Student Board (BHSB) members serve as representatives of the Bumpers College Honors Program and the College. They are to portray to prospective Honors students, parents, and alumni the philosophy and benefits of participation in the Honors Program of the Dale Bumpers College of Agriculture, Food and Life Sciences at the University of Arkansas. Board members will assist with hosting honors activities with the Bumpers College Deans Office and other student organizations across the College and University.
Board Members commit to attend monthly Board meetings and to support and participate in the programmatic activities associated with the Bumpers College Honors Program. These activities may include: information sessions, recruiting, networking, professional development, and social events associated with the Honors Program.
- Must have a declared major in any Bumpers College degree program.
- Must be a member in good standing within the Honors Program.
- Must have completed or be enrolled in at least 3 hours of Honors coursework.
- Must have demonstrated verbal and written communication skills.
- Must have a strong and positive feeling about the University of Arkansas Honors College, the Bumpers College, and the Bumpers College Honors Program, and be motivated to participate and support the program.
- Board member may be terminated if it is determined that he/she is not maintaining ethics befitting an Honors Student, not performing satisfactorily, not able to work productively with other Board members and staff members or jeopardizing the success of the program.
- New and returning Board Members must reapply annually.
- Work closely with Director of the Bumper College Honors Program to set strategic directions for the Board and Honors Program.
- Work closely with the Director of Bumpers College Honors Program to identify monthly tasks for the Board and execute those, accordingly.
- Schedule bimonthly BHSB meetings.
- Coordinate with Secretary to reserve location for BHSB meetings.
- Preside over BHSB meetings, ensure meetings are ran efficiently and effectively.
- Serve as a spokesperson for the Board when required.
- Work with faculty, staff, and student organizations across campus to create new opportunities and direction for the BHSB.
- Plan and facilitate beginning-of-the-year Board retreat each Fall.
- Work with all members of the BHSB to ensure they are aware of role-specific responsibilities and they are prepared to delegate responsibilities, accordingly.
- Serve as a representative for at least one academic unit you are assigned.
- Carry out duties as directed by the Chair.
- Preside over meetings in the absence of the Chair.
- Assist in planning and executing the Board retreat.
- Communicate regularly with Chair and other board positions to ensure strategic goals are met.
- Presides over the selection of the Honors Faculty Mentor Award.
- Serve as a representative for at least one academic unit you are assigned.
- Work with Chair and Director of the Bumpers Honors Program to create meeting agendas.
- Record and distribute meeting minutes.
- Work with Chair to schedule location for BHSB meetings.
- Coordinate with the Events Director to ensure events and tasks have adequate BHSB presence.
- Serve as a representative for at least one academic unit you are assigned.
- Contribute 4 posts per month to the Bumpers College Honors Program Instagram page, highlighting student achievements, program events, opportunities, and deadlines.
- Invite students to attend Bumpers College Honors Program meetings and Events.
- Create video boards for all BHSB events at least 2 weeks before scheduled event.
- Take photographs of all BHSB events.
- Work closely with the Events Director to obtain information about upcoming events for promotion purposes.
- Send congratulatory emails on behalf of the BHSB to Bumpers College Honor Program Students distinguished in the Newswire.
- Review the BHSB webpage once per semester and send needed revisions to the Chair and Honors Program Director.
- Work with Bumpers College Communication Director and Web Director for communication of events and activities.
- Serve as a representative for at least one academic unit you are assigned.
- Responsible for the set-up and tear down of each BHSB event.
- Coordinate with the Secretary to delegate tasks to BHSB members for events.
- Create a materials list for each BHSB sponsored event and purchase materials working with the Coordinator of Honors and International Programs to follow necessary PCARD guidlines.
- Inform Director of Communication of details regarding BHSB sponsored events for the creation of a any video boards, student invitations, or social media posts.
- Plan 2 involvement events for each semester.
- Serve as a representative for at least one academic unit you are assigned.
Bumpers Honors Research Symposium
Hosted by the Bumpers Honors Student Board
Each spring the Bumpers Honors Student Board hosts a research symposium that is meant to be a collaborative learning experience for both the participants and the student judges. Bumpers Honors Student Board members co-judge poster and oral presentations in partnership with Bumpers College faculty members to learn the process of judging. Participants are able to gain professional experience communicating about their research and creative work to judges and audience members and compete for monetary prizes!
All undergraduate students pursuing a degree in Bumpers College (honors or non-honors), who have completed (or are nearly finished with) a research, creative, or service learning project may submit an abstract for consideration for either an oral or poster presentation. Undergraduate students who have received a Bumpers College Undergraduate Research and Creative Grant are encouraged to present their project upon completion.
Submit abstracts through this online Microsoft Form. For the Spring 2024 symposium, abstracts are due April 1, 2024.
Abstracts should adhere to the following guidelines:
- Include the lead student researcher's full name and the name of any student co-authors.
- Include the project mentor's full name.
- Include the full project title.
- The abstract should be limited to 300 words.
- The abstract should consist of five linked parts - background and problem statement,
methods/development plan, results/design process and creative works, and conclusions/implications.
- The background provides context to the study, rationale
and significance. Follow with the problem being studied,
the purpose of the study, and any specific research
objectives or hypotheses. - Provide a brief overview of the research methods or creative approach for the study.
- Present important and specific data or products of the creative project, with visually quantified and/or described.
- State the major interpretations and findings as related to the original research problem, and any limitations of the results.
- Finish by stating the relevance, contribution of the work, and its implications to science.
- The background provides context to the study, rationale
Students are allowed one paper or fabric printed poster.
- The standard poster size is 36” by 48”.
- Students are encouraged to print their poster through the AECT Department’s Experiential Learning Lab, or other local printers.
- Posters must acknowledge affiliation with Bumpers College and/or the Division of Agriculture (if applicable) and any funding sources through logo placement and/or an acknowledgements section.
- Students who have received grant funding from the Honors College or from Bumpers College
must credit the grant appropriately according to the respective grant guidelines.
- Any poster presentations, oral presentations, or publications must credit Bumpers College as follows: This research has been supported by a Bumpers College grant.
- Did you receive a grant from the Honors College? Review instructions for crediting your Honors College grant.
Attendance Expectations
- Students accepted into the poster presentation sesesion are expected to present next to their poster in the AFLS Atrium or other designated event site, and be available for the majority of the event to engage with judges and audience members. If the student researcher or student co-author is unable to present, the submitting student will lose points for the speaking category.
- Students should encourage their student co-authors and project advisors to be present
during the symposium, but this is not mandatory.
Judging Criteria
Criteria |
Points |
Title and submitted abstract (i.e., descriptive title, clear, concise, and correctly formatted abstract). Abstract should clearly represent the student’s research or creative project. |
15 Points |
Content and organization. All expected components are present, clearly laid out, and easy to follow. This includes introduction, materials and methods, data, and discussion/conclusion. The text is concise and consistently free of spelling or typographical errors. A logical hypothesis/statement of problem was presented. Thorough explanations of why particular methods were selected is provided. Clear discussion of appropriate statistical analyses and implications of project results/outcomes. |
25 Points |
Importance and quality of research (i.e., clear significance to related discipline, relation of results and conclusion to purpose, innovation, and quality). Background information was relevant and summarized well. Connections to previous literature and broader issues were clear. Reasonable conclusions were given and strongly supported with evidence. Relation of results and conclusion to the purpose, innovation, and quality of the research to impact within the discipline. |
25 Points |
Quality of visuals (i.e., ease of interpretation of visuals used, absence of grammatical and spelling errors, and visual appeal). The figures and tables are appropriate and consistently labeled correctly. Photographs/tables/graphs improve understanding and enhance the visual appeal. Visuals are easily interpretable and lack grammatical/spelling errors. |
25 Points |
Student author’s clear knowledge of subject, including ability to answer questions. Presentation and explanation including delivery and visuals (i.e., voice, grammar, terminology, enthusiasm, motivation of audience, neatness, pleasantness, mannerisms; clarity, effectiveness, use, and variety of visuals). Note: The project must be presented in person by either the lead student author or student co-author(s) and not a mentor. If poster speakers are absent without prior arrangement they will automatically be given a zero for this category. |
10 Points |