LHU Honors Students headed to San Antonio for the NCHC Conference are (left to right) Caroline Sweeney, Autumn Riley, Chris Brittain and Johnny Blough.

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. -
Four Lock Haven University students have been invited to make presentations at the annual National Collegiate Honors Council conference in San Antonio, Texas, October 22-26. All four students are in the LHU Honors Program.
The 2008 NCHC Conference theme is "Crossing Frontiers.” According to the NCHC, “The barriers to understanding and achievement are many. Honors education addresses these barriers by empowering students to challenge expectations and explore new worlds."
Caroline Sweeney, a sophomore physician assistant major, will give a presentation entitled “Managing Malaria: Then & Now.” She will be presenting her research on bacteria and malaria, specifically how to inhibit genes in malaria so mosquitoes can't transmit it. Sweeney is currently training to be a Student Associate Director in the Honors Program.
Autumn Riley, a senior psychology major, will be presenting her senior independent study and capstone project: “Listen With your Good Ear: Testing Hemispherically Lateralized Auditory Emotion Recognition.” Her project examines whether there is an ear advantage to emotional tone recognition. She will also be co-presenting with Chris Brittain during the “Nuts and Bolts” session a presentation ntitled “Framing Student Inspired Topics.” Riley is the Public Issues Forum Coordinator, creating forums for the Honors program.
Chris Brittain will deliver a presentation entitled “Is Torture- Porn as Bad as it Sounds?” In his presentation, Brittain analyzes the pros and cons of horror film sub-genres. He is also co-presenting the public issues forum with Autumn Riley. Brittain is a junior English and communications media major and plans to become a screenwriter. He is a current Student Associate Director in the Honors Program
Johnny Blough was chosen to participate in the 2008 PASSHE Summer Honors Program in China and will present his research: “China Today: An Examination of the Country's Post Maoist Reform,” which discusses the market policies in China since the 1970's. Blough is a junior secondary education/political science major.
Interim Honors Director Kathy Richards will accompany the four student presenters from LHU. “I am fully confident that this year's group will serve as excellent ambassadors of Lock Haven's proud tradition of academic excellence,” said Richards.
Richards noted that “Few undergraduate students have the opportunity to attend national conferences, yet LHU's Honors students not only attend, but have their proposals for presentations accepted. Here, they gain valuable experience to enrich their lives as well as enrich the Honors Program.”
The Lock Haven University Honors Program sent 8 student presenters to the 2006 NCHC conference in Philadelphia and 3 to the 2007 NCHC conference in Denver. Richards said, “Our representation says that the Lock Haven University Honors Program has consistently produced high caliber undergraduate students whose research and presence at both national and regional conferences confirms the expectation of high academic achievement, working beyond the scope of the classroom, preparing our students for graduate school and successful careers.”