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While no objector to Starbuck’s coffee, Rob Lisak would rather explore a more ancient tradition in which liquid refreshment is but one of the outcomes. The creator of a short video reflecting his fascination with the meaning-rich Chinese tea ceremony, Lisak has put himself on a steep learning curve as an Honors College student.

Stroll the streets of Florence, Italy and the breathless opulence of the Renaissance exerts itself at nearly every turn. Nestled among the shrines to commerce and benefactor-fueled artistry is the birthplace of Dante Alighieri. 

Pearl Craig’s essay recently helped her win a regional NAACP scholarship. But this Honors College student’s insights extend well beyond the application process and subsequent award. WEEKLY recently went looking for Craig’s comments as she pursues a Nutritional Sciences degree from the University of Arizona. And beyond.

Honors students in the Department of Geosciences at the University of Arizona are rewriting the geologic history of the Grand Canyon. The traditional view of the sedimentary layers exposed in the canyon, as originally described by John Wesley Powell, is that they contain sediment shed from rocks exposed nearby. Honors students have been testing this interpretation by using new techniques of geochronology to determine the provenance of zircon crystals in various sedimentary layers.

New research shows that Rapa Nui islanders built their iconic monuments close to freshwater sources.

Rapa Nui, known as Easter Island, is an isolated 63 sq mi volcanic mass in the eastern Pacific. On foot or bobbing offshore in the waves, the ability to discern the complexities of the famous stone forms left by a thousand-year-old culture is limited.  From the air, the landscape becomes clearer. And the mystery less shrouded in mythology and hearsay.
 

Dr. Cheree Meeks, director of the First Year Experience at the Honors College, was named Woman of the Year last week.

Leah Crowder, now pursuing an M.A. in Middle Eastern and North African Studies at the University of Arizona, emerged as a Rhodes Scholarship winner after a grueling process that culminated in recent interviews in San Francisco. 

After graduating from the University of Arizona Honors College in May, Leah Crowder dove immediately into graduate studies. With the recent announcement of her selection as a Rhodes Scholar, she is England bound as one of 32 representatives from the U.S. to enter the University of Oxford this fall.