March 2, 2009

Students in the Smittcamp Family Honors College at California State University, Fresno made presentations about their research at the sixth annual California State University Honors Consortium Student Conference at Sacramento State.

Sonja Venter, Lynda Musselman and Daniel Schultz were among students from eight CSU campuses who gathered Saturday, Feb. 28, to present papers on topics such as training for pre-med students, gay marriage and figures in contemporary art.

Venter, a senior biology major, discussed “The Scribe Program: Clinical Experience for Pre-Med Students.” She described the benefits to scribes, doctors and patients in the Scribe Program at Saint Agnes Medical Center in Fresno. The program pays pre-med and medical students to work side-by-side with physicians.

Musselman, a freshman linguistics major, presented “Gay Marriage: How Have the Countries Who Have Legalized Gay Marriage Been Affected by It?” Musselman examined the impact of legal gay marriage in the Netherlands, Belgium, Canada, South Africa, Spain and Norway. Her goal was to provide an objective review on the changes in each country since legalization of gay marriage and offer alternatives to biased advocacy or opposition.

Schultz, a graphic design major who graduated in December, presented “Kara Walker: Silhouettes from the Margins.” Schultz illustrated Walker and her work by using classic images and cutout silhouettes to demonstrate African-American identity and how it has been stereotyped and misinterpreted throughout American history. Walker is one of the premiere figures in American contemporary art.

For more information on the conference and the topics presented, contact Dr. Stephen Rodemeyer at stephenr@csufresno.edu.

(Copy by University Communications student news intern Amanda Fine.)