News Archive
Thirty Westminster College students and two faculty members arrived in England to begin a semester abroad studying at Pembroke College, part of Oxford University. Instead of living in dormitories, students are living with host families among the outskirts of the city to experience British culture.
On Sunday, Sept. 18, Westminster College's study-abroad Oxford students and faculty embarked on their first excursion to London. Traveling using "the tubes," London's famous underground rail system, the group freely toured the historic city. While some found this form of transportation exciting, others were, to say the least, anxious.
"At first it was scary, with the terrorist bombings that occurred here in July, but I slowly became comfortable and adapted," said Kristin Nelson, a junior sociology/criminal justice from White Oak. "Plus, my friends made fun of me so I had to calm down quickly."
Once above ground, the historic qualities of the city were overwhelming. For several students, the main attraction was "Big Ben."
"It was absolutely breathtaking standing in front of Big Ben. It was unreal; you see the structure in movies and in pictures, but it is nothing like seeing it in person," said Katie Crompton, a junior elementary education major from Pittsburgh.
Other attractions included Westminster Abbey, Tower Bridge, Portobello Market, Buckingham Palace, and the London Eye.
An end to the day's excursion, the group watched "The Tempest," a comedy by William Shakespeare, at the famous Globe Theater. The Globe, which was built eight years ago, is a modern replica of Shakespeare's actual theater.
"The Globe was absolutely amazing! I thought it was interesting how the show was directed with Shakespeare's traditional ways of not having any costume or scenery changes and having few actors playing several different characters", said Matthew Kurtz, a senior history major from DuBois. After the two-hour show concluded, the group took its last trip on "the tubes" and headed back to Oxford on a double-decker bus.
Written by Carson Nesbitt, a sophomore political science major from Albion, NY; Kristin Nelson, a junior sociology/criminal justice and English major from Pittsburgh; and Michelle Mair, a sophomore exploratory major from East Aurora, NY.
Winifred Limmer, a Westminster College senior psychology major from New Vernon, N.J., was recently awarded a Drinko Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning Undergraduate Research Travel/Presentation Grant.
"The research grants for projects and creative activities must be conducted under the mentorship of Westminster College faculty," said Dr. Virginia Tomlinson, director of the Drinko Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning at Westminster College. "Funding may include supplies, equipment, travel to libraries and data sources, and travel to make presentations. In order to apply for research support, the student must have a research proposal completed as a degree-seeking student at Westminster College, and be in good academic standing."
Limmer is a daughter of John and Meredith Limmer, New Vernon, N.J., and a graduate of Newark Academy. The title of her research is, "Etiology of executive functioning deficits: Can they be attributed to obsessive-compulsive disorder or comorbid depression?" and she was advised by Dr. Kirk Lunnen, assistant professor of psychology.
"Some studies have implied a relationship between executive functioning deficits and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, but they failed to control for depression. Based on screening scores, 46 participants were assigned to an OC-symptomatic, a depressed/OC-symptomatic, or a control group. The Wisconsin Card Sorting Test and Trail Making Tests were administered. Some of the OCD and control participants first completed a stressor task. Depressed/OCD participants performed the poorest on both tests. OCD participant s in the hyperarousal condition performed poorer than those in the neutral condition. This indicates that executive functioning deficits are due primarily to comorbid depression, not OCD. Results also suggest that the deficits observed in individuals with OCD may be due to hyperarousal," wrote Limmer.
Contact Tomlinson at (724) 946-6033 or e-mail tomlinvm@westminster.edu for more information.
Three Westminster College students presented their undergraduate research at the Fourth Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium at the University of Maryland in October.
The Westminster College Office of Church Relations will host Dr. John Burgess, former associate professor at the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, Tuesday, Sept. 26 from 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. to begin the first of a series of Continuing Education Events at Russell Hall.
Dr. Bryan Rennie, associate professor of religion and philosophy, recently presented a paper at the Eastern International Regional Meeting of the American Academy of Religion held at Mercyhurst College.
The paper, "Compassion as Evidence of Understanding: A Response to Carl Olson's Indian Philosophers and Postmodern Thinkers," argues that while Olson, a professor of history of religion at Allegheny College, does an excellent job of presenting the thought of a collection of classical and contemporary Indian thinkers, his understanding of those contemporary Western authors dubbed postmodern is less than satisfactory.
Shannon Bobbert, a Westminster College English major, was recently selected as a 2006 SharonSteel Foundation Scholar.
Westminster College recently restructured its Communication Services Department by hiring Jody Peterson as Assistant to Graphic Designer and promoting Sandra Chandler to Communication Specialist and Office Manager.
The demand for a Westminster College education has never been higher. The 156-year-old, private, liberal arts college in New Wilmington, Pa., is on pace to double the previous record for applications.
David Smith, Westminster College assistant professor of accounting, has modified the board game of Monopolyâ„¢ into a teaching tool for accounting students. Smith and four Westminster students recently demonstrated the modified game at the Promoting Student Success conference at the College of Southern Maryland.
Westminster College will celebrate Constitution Day 2009 with a presentation and student competition Thursday, Sept. 17, at 12:45 p.m. in the Sebastian Mueller Theater of the McKelvey Campus Center.
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