UWG News Item
Contact: UWG Public Relations Office
Phone (678) 839-6464, FAX (678) 839-6645
ucm@westga.edu
Big Night 2006!
March 28, 2006
CARROLLTON, GA - The University of West Georgia will host its eighth annual Big Night 2006! An Evening of Student Scholarship on Thursday, April 6, at 7 p.m. at the Townsend Center for the Performing Arts. A reception and exhibit will follow the event in the Technology-enhanced Learning Center atrium.
Big
Night 2006! celebrates undergraduate student research and creative student
activities with presentations and exhibits in six academic areas. The
Association for Research and Creative Humanities, an interdisciplinary
student organization, and the Office of the Vice President for Academic
Affairs is sponsoring the event.
According to Dr. Andrew Leavitt, Big Night! Coordinator
and associate vice president of development, the event is an opportunity
for local donors to A Day for West Georgia to see the benefits to their
gifts.
Students and their faculty advisors spend months working together on a
project that will enhance the students’ studies and be a competitive
entry for Big Night.
Kristine Kendal Cooley, one of seven students chosen to present at this year’s event, said the effort was worth it.
“Although the research was challenging and time consuming, we gained knowledge that can be never be obtained in a book,” said Cooley. “We give thanks to our advisor, Dr. James Burton, for all of his encouragement and support with our research.”
Cooley, whose hometown is Buford, worked with James Searels of Summerville on a research project titled, “Carrollton Apartment Rental Market Analysis.” Burton is a professor of real estate and marketing.
Other students and their advisors whose research will be
presented at Big Night 2006 are:
Barrett Bowers of Palmetto, “Looking Within,” advisors Clint
Samples and Dr. Debrah Santini, art; Stephanie S. Hardy of Kingston, “Science
Olympiad and Student Learning,” advisor Dr. Donna Harkins, curriculum
and instruction; Phillip Fowler of Douglasville, “Why Are You Wearing
That Stupid Man Suit?: A Genre Study of Richard Kelly’s Donnie Darko,”
advisor Dr. Barbara Brickman, English; Anna Hix of Snellville, “Automatic
Identification and Extraction of Semantic Relations from Dictionary Definitions,”
advisor Muhammad A. Rahman, computer science and Christina Tacoronti of
Fayetteville, “U.S. Sioux Relations Leading to Wounded Knee,”
advisor Dr. Ron Love, history.
Bronze sculptures, handcrafted by UWG art students, will be awarded to the Big Night 2006! winners in recognition of their accomplishments. From conceptual drawings to the finished work, each sculpture can take about two months of studio time to complete depending on the design and the student’s experience.
Big Night 2006! is a free event. For more information, call 678-839-6582.
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