Ten ACU undergraduate students will present original research Saturday at the Phi Alpha Theta Regional Conference, an honors history conference sponsored by the ACU Department of History.
The conference will include 22 sessions with more than 50 presentations by undergraduate and graduate students from universities across the region.
According to Dr. Tracy Shilcutt, associate professor of history, ACU students have worked with various professors on research topics ranging from biographical sketches of Gilded Age politicians to museum collections management strategies.
ACU students will present alongside students from Angelo State University, Dallas Baptist University, Hardin-Simmons University, Midwestern State University, Texas Wesleyan University, Texas Woman’s University, the University of Texas at Dallas and the University of North Texas.
The 22 sessions are scheduled throughout the day Saturday and include a variety of topics. In each session, at least two student panelists will present papers related to a given topic to a session chair and audience.
Sessions include but are not limited to: Military History, Women’s History, British India, Slavery and Human Sacrifice in the Ancient World, Early Nineteenth Century Texas and Ancient and Roman Biographies.
Amanda Arzigian, junior history major from Edgewood, N.M., will be presenting a paper titled “Rocks, Papers, and Sometimes Scissors: The Challenges of Collections Management.” The paper discusses and compares challenges Arzigian noted firsthand during internships with Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument, a National Park Service museum located in New Mexico, and ACU Special Collections.
“I am looking forward to hearing others present and getting feedback on my research,” Arzigian said. “It is interesting to use a paper to synthesize research and process what I have done, putting it in a larger historical context.”
Trent Dietz, senior history major from Longmont, Colo., will present a paper based on his internship with the 306th Bomb Group Association, a group that preserves the history of the 306th during World War II.
“I was able to use the 306th BGA’s historical collection, currently housed at ACU,” Dietz said. “I think that this event will help me step out of the classroom and into a more professional realm. This event isn’t about graded assignments, but about becoming a better historian.”
The university has been encouraging undergraduate and graduate research among students and faculty alike as part of the Quality Enhancement Plan. Dr. Phyllis Bolin, chair of the QEP Development Team, commended the Department of History for furthering the goals of the university.
“ACU’s Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) of Pursuit is working to expand opportunities for faculty-mentored research with students,” said Bolin, “The Department of History has a long history of faculty/student collaboration on research and scholarly projects and is to be commended and encouraged as they fulfill goals of the QEP.”
For more information about the event, visit their http://www.acu.edu/academics/cas/history/pat/index.html.
