'Pulse' to Hold Undergraduate Research Lecture
Media Contact: Amanda Alfano, (512) 940-0693
The Pulse, the undergraduate journal of Baylor University will feature a lecture by senior University Scholar Rachel Early titled "Re(de)fining Communitas: Sexual and Spiritual Love in the Lais of Marie de France" as part of the Honors College Living-Learning Center Lecture Series at 7 p.m., Tuesday, April 24, in the Alexander Reading Room.
"This year's speaker, Rachel Early, is extremely well-read and articulate, and her research on medieval thought about community and love is as fascinating as it is original. Her presentation is sure to engage students and faculty both," said Dr. Susan Colón, assistant professor in the Baylor Honors Program and faculty sponsor for The Pulse.
Past student lectures have included one in philosophy, presented by Lauren Dammon, now a graduate student at the University of Notre Dame, and another in chemistry by Taylor Wootton, now at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston.
"All three of The Pulse student lectures have been so different, which is a wonderful reflection of the Baylor undergraduate body's interest in diverse research experiences. I'm pleased to be a part of sharing students' scholarly work with our peers," said Dallas senior and Pulse president Zoe Tham.
The new edition of The Pulse journal will be released at Early's lecture. Free copies of The Pulse will be given to all attendees.
Approximately 35 essays were submitted to The Pulse for publication this semester. Pulse editors selected five essays to be published in the new edition. The spring 2007 edition will feature articles in linguistics, psychology, music history and literature.
Early's paper, which forms part of her Honors thesis, is this year's winner of the Wallace Daniel Award for Undergraduate Writing. This prize is presented annually by Phi Beta Kappa, a national scholastic honor society, to the best paper published that year in The Pulse. The award carries a $200 cash prize and the opportunity to present The Pulse student lecture.
"The Pulse initially selects the best papers. There is an anonymous panel of four members that spends a lot of time to pick the best one. This year they had a consensus," said Dr. Brad Owens, Phi Beta Kappa member and assistant professor of journalism.
The Honors College of Baylor University established The Pulse undergraduate journal in 2004 as an effort to encourage undergraduate scholarship through publication opportunities. Every semester several undergraduate essays are published in The Pulse both in print and online.
Those who would like a copy of The Pulse should contact faculty sponsor Colón at Susan_Colon@baylor.edu.
More information about the student lecture and journal, including archives of past editions, can be found at The Pulse web site, www.baylor.edu/pulse.