Finding Your Topic

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Intent Statement

The College of Human Sciences Honors Program Project Intent Statement form will help you in selecting your project topic and keep you on track for project completion and presentation.

Project Topic

You are responsible for choosing a project topic. The topic should further your educational goals and relate to your career plans. You might choose a specific topic area within your major or relative to your major that you wish to explore more in depth. If there is a faculty member with whom you would like to work, they may be willing to work with you on a topic of mutual interest.

If you are involved in ongoing research in your field with a faculty member (or know of a faculty member conducting a larger research study), there may be a part of the larger study that can become your honors project.

Finding a research project and College of Human Sciences faculty mentor with mutual research interests:

• Step 1
  • Explore faculty interests.
    
    • Talk to College of Human Sciences faculty who you have enjoyed in class. Ask them what they are researching – maybe it will interest you, too.
    • Use the faculty directory to check out faculty profiles to see what their research interests are.
    • Make an appointment to talk to faculty members whose research interests you share and ask whether they have research programs where you could assist.
      
      • Talk to them about their current research and gain an understanding of the topic.
• Step 2
  
  • Identify a faculty member to work with.
    
    • The following questions will help prepare you for searching for a project and advisor:
      
      • Where am I headed? Do I intend to follow my degree with graduate school?
      • What are my interest areas?
      • How much time do I have to commit to this project?
    • After meeting with faculty, determine who you may want to work with.
    • Politely ask them if they would supervise you as a faculty mentor for your project.
    • Complete the project intent form as early as possible to be sure you have enough time to complete the project.

Deadline

• If you plan on presenting your poster in the fall, you need to submit your Project Intent Statement by Sept. 21 of the academic year prior to the poster presentation.
• If you plan on presenting your poster in the spring, you need to submit your Honors Project Statement of Intent form by Feb. 21 of the academic year prior to the poster presentation.

Previous Project Advisors

• Food Science and Human Nutrition
  • Ruth Litchfield
  • Kevin Schalinske
  • Sarah Francis
  • Christina Campbell
  • Lorraine Lanningham-Foster
  • Stephanie Clark
  • Ruth MacDonald
  • Terri Boylston
  • James Hollis
  • Carly Manz
• School of Education
  
  • Alejandro Andreotti
  • Katherine Bruna
• Apparel, Events, and Hospitality Management
  • Eric Olson
• Human Development and Family Studies
  • Amanda Hardy Hillman
  • Jennifer Margrett
• Kinesiology
  • Tim Derrick
  • Jason Gillette
  • Greg Welk
  • Ann Smiley-Oyen
  • Penteleimon Ekkekakis
  • Marian Kohut
  • Holly Lipsey
  • Spyridoula Vazou
  • Rudy Valentine
  • Warren Franke

Complete and Submit the Project Intent Statement Form

Complete the Project Intent Statement form. Include several research questions. Remember, the College of Human Sciences Honors Committee is looking for projects that stretch your educational experience and will help you reach your education and career goals, including graduate school.

Changes

If you change your project you must complete another Project Intent Statement form.