Franke Honors Assistant Professor Dr. Joost van Haren recently co-authored a study about how plants emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the atmosphere—which was conducted as a part of controlled drought experiments in Biosphere 2. Dr. van Haren serves as Assistant Professor of Research at Biosphere 2 and has worked extensively on projects regarding soil-plant-atmosphere interactions. 

The Borderlands Education Center (BEC) at the College of Education in partnership with the College of Architecture, Landscape Architecture and Planning (CAPLA) and W.A. Franke Honors College is offering a non-credit internship opportunity for undergraduate students to participate in integrating culture, community and ephemeral art based on ancestral Mexican technique and expression.

Dr. Nadia Alvarez Mexia, W.A. Franke Honors Assistant Professor of Practice, was honored in her home country of Mexico for her years of serving as a liaison between the University of Arizona and international partner institutions and for creating programs for international students.

Nicole Duby is a UA alum and Fulbright grant winner— she earned a B.S. in psychology and a B.A. in French in 2021. The Fulbright Scholarship is funded by the U.S. Department of State and serves abroad as a partnership with Fulbright Commissions and Foundations, along with U.S. embassies.

Sebo Diaz is a Goldwater Scholarship recipient and rising senior at the University of Arizona, studying biomedical engineering and mathematics. The Goldwater Scholarship is one of the most prestigious scholarships for sophomores and juniors who have a focus in natural sciences, engineering, and mathematics and intend to pursue research-oriented careers in one or more of those fields.

Five students from the W.A. Franke Honors College were involved in significant research regarding global gender equality, as well as Environmental, Social, and Governance commitments (ESG) in the workplace. The outcome of the research showed that gender equality is a key catalyst for accelerating ESG within business structures and vice-versa, indicating that women’s equality in terms of economic opportunity, educational achievement, health, survival, and political empowerment could be achieved within our lifetime.

Hannah Doskicz is a Fulbright grant winner and recent graduate from the University of Arizona College of Medicine. Doskicz earned double majors— a B.S. in physiology and a B.A. in Spanish literature. Doskicz will be teaching English abroad in Mexico as a part of winning the Fulbright award, and hopes to improve her cultural and linguistic knowledge, as well as foster cross-cultural connections between the U.S. and Mexico.

W.A. Franke Honors College Assistant Professor of Practice, Dr. Caitlyn Hall, is an environmental engineer with a passion for interdisciplinary thinking and community-focused science. She and her team of faculty and staff from across the University of Arizona were recently awarded the 2022 CUES Spanning Boundaries grant for their project, Community Stories of Sustainability and Resilience: Sonoran Desert and Baja Regions.