Lone Star College-Montgomery honored five students whose writing appeared in the most recent volume of the College’s “Journal of Student Writing: Writing Across the Curriculum.”
The entries ranged in topics from the civil rights movement to cystic fibrosis to the age of the earth. The awards and categories are as follows:
- Outstanding Essay Humanities: English Nellie McAllister, “An Unapologetic Optimism.”
- Outstanding Research Writing Humanities: History Jasym Mireles Venegas, “Leading the Civil Rights Movement.”
- Outstanding Science Writing Research Report: Biology Alexis Custer, “Could Typhoid Mary Have Been a Carrier for cystic fibrosis?”
- Outstanding Use of Technical Concepts in Argument Mathematical Essay: Mathematics Justin McKenzie, “An Age-Old Question: Kelvin and the Age of the Earth.”
- Outstanding Research Essay Social Science: Government Allison Anderson, “Why Don’t Texans Vote?”
Custer, a history buff, had been reading about Typhoid Mary when professor Dr. Julie Harless talked about cystic fibrosis in class. Custer connected the dots to Typhoid Mary after learning that having cystic fibrosis stops the binding of typhoid bacteria to the intestinal wall.
“Alexis came to class and asked ‘Do you think it would be possible that Typhoid Mary was a cystic fibrosis carrier?’ I used to do genetics and I teach microbiology and I sat there kicking myself thinking, ‘Why didn’t I think of that?’” said Dr. Julie Harless biology professor at LSC-Montgomery. “It was a brilliant idea for a student in a non-majors biology class and she backed it up with stunning writing and historical research.”
Custer worked closely with Dr. Harless.
“It is obvious by how much I worked on this paper with my professor Dr. Harless that I have really enjoyed the smaller class sizes and the more attentive teachers at LSC-Montgomery,” said Custer. “I continually meet professors here who not only exceed my expectations by caring about their students in an academic sense, but they care about their students in a real way and that is important to me.”
When she found out she was being recognized for her paper, Custer was thrilled.
“I was overjoyed and surprised,” said Custer “It was a very exhilarating feeling. I love researching and being able to get my ideas out into the world.”
McKenzie’s essay about the age of the earth contains a lot of complex mathematical equations, something you might not expect to see in a writing journal.
“Mathematics is a language too,” said McKenzie. “Mathematicians are trying to communicate ideas and points in the most logical, concise and formal way.”
McKenzie also spent a lot of time with his professor and mentor, Dr. Jeffrey Groah.
“I thought this was one of the best articles ever written by a student at LSC-Montgomery,” said Dr. Jeffrey Groah mathematics professor. “Justin was self-motivated to study this independent of any honors or class assignment. We do not even teach this material here, this actually goes into the upper division level of differential equations.”
“Lone Star College really opened up their arms to me in a way I was not expecting,” said McKenzie. “School was never my forte, but when I came here I felt like I belonged here. Professors go above and beyond to accommodate us and help us. Dr. Groah stays in his office for every second that he can until his wife makes him go home. He devotes every bit of his mind and his talents to help us achieve our goals.”
These are the first set of awards for students’ writing that have been published in the “Journal of Student Writing: Writing Across the Curriculum in the Disciplines and in the Workplace.”
“It was time to have commendations,” said English professor Ron Heckelman. “We had such excellent submissions this year. In going over the pieces the editors found these five essays floated to the top.”
The “Journal of Student Writing: Writing Across the Curriculum in the Disciplines and in the Workplace” celebrates examples of discipline/field/profession-specific student writing from across the college and provides students and faculty examples of such writing to use in the classroom. To read the latest edition visit LoneStar.edu/WACJournal2017.
Lone Star College offers high-quality, low-cost academic transfer and career training education to 99,000 students each semester. LSC is training tomorrow’s workforce today and redefining the community college experience to support student success. Stephen C. Head, Ph.D., serves as chancellor of LSC, the largest institution of higher education in the Houston area with an annual economic impact of $3.1 billion. LSC consists of six colleges, eight centers, two university centers, Lone Star Corporate College and LSC-Online. To learn more, visit LoneStar.edu.