Honor Code- is it a good
idea? 2
SGA
ELECTIONS
PG. 3
SHH! Pay of Silence
pg. i
stentorian
the north Carolina school of science and mathematics 1219 broad street, durham nc 27705
vol. XXXIX
http://www.ncssm.edu/stentorian
may 2004
Miniterm Trips Blow Students Away
Kristoph Kleiner
A ttention all juniors: my
suggestion for every
one is to take a trip
next Miniterm. This year we
had students in Belize, Italy,
Cay Marine Lab. When not
working, they explored the
rainforest and snorkeled
around the world's second-
Jargest coral reef At night the
students fell asleep on the
dock and watched the sunrise
the next morning. Plus, each
day they were served unique
-♦
The Ireland trip at the Aran Isles
Southeast Asia, Japan, and
Ireland. Additionally, there
were also several shorter trips
to areas inside and around
North Carolina. The countries
ranged far and wide, but all the
students seemed to have one
thing in common: they all had
a great time. Being the fabu
lous (and modest) reporter that
I am, I tracked down some of
own world traveling peers to
ask them about their Miniterm.
Belize: These students
spent their Miniterm on a trop
ical island paradise. At Wee
Wee Cay our peers worked in
groups on biological research
at the aptly named Wee Wee
Nice German Couple at the Isles
Belizean specialties!
Japan: The student who
traveled to Japan actually
spent their Spring Breaks in
Japan and were given
Miniterm off. The first stop
for these students was the sites
of Japan. They visited popular
tourist attractions, including
the famous city of Hiroshima.
Next they each stayed with a
Japanese host family living in
Iwate (where is Iwate?).
During their stay with the host
family, they gave a presenta
tion to the Iwate High School.
Ireland: Even though it was
cold and rainy, the students
had a great time. They trav
eled all over Ireland, and saw
major sites such as the Cliffs
of Moher. Also, everywhere
they looked, they saw ancient
stonewall castles
from the Middle
Ages. On one island^’o?,; u |[
measuring twenty-
seven square miles,
there were over
three hundred thou-
sand miles of~
stonewall. Overall
the landscape was
beautiful, and the
history they learned
was fascinating.
Southeast Asia:
One of the students
of this trip used the
phrase, "Incredible,
the best three weeks |
of my life!" The trip
lasted both
Miniterm and the
majority of spring break, mak
ing it the longest of any of the
trips. The students spent their
time in Thailand, Cambodia,
and Vietnam. Highlights of
the trip include: seeing Ho Chi
Minh (even though he's dead),
riding a Ferris wheel at a
South East Asia group
Nice person
Cambodian festival, getting
custom-made silk clothes, and
watching the water fights at
the New Years festival in
Laura Brown
Kinkakuji temple in Kyoto
Bangkok.
Italy: Our students who
traveled in Italy were able to
see in person some of the most
m
important
cities and
sites in
European
history. The
trip focused
on art,
architecture,
and histori
cal attrac
tions. They
visited
Venice, the
city on
water,
Rome, the
capital of
Italy and
. , , , former capi-
who took the photo ^ ‘
tal of the
Roman
Empire, and Florence, the
birthplace of Renaissance art,
as well as Capri,'Sienna, and
Rivera. The highlights of the
trip included the Sistine
Chapel and amazing Italian
food.
Everyone I interviewed was
excited to be able to recite the
memories of their trip. After
talking to each person, I decid
ed to spend my Miniterm next
year in a foreign country, and I
definitely invite the seniors of
next year to do the same. To
the juniors that already used
their trip, there are many other
options. The small trips were
a huge success, as well as the
classes. No matter what you
decide, make sure it will be
something you love.
Students Research Rocks Symposium
Ying Liu
T he day began like most
typical Fridays.
Students woke up reluc
tantly to face another ALT day,
looking forward to the week
end. Only, on this day, words
like Shiga Toxin B and
Quinoxalines were heard
alongside pieris rapae and
cannabinoid receptors. Was
NCSSM plunged into another
world with a strange new lan
guage? No, it was the 19th
annual Research Symposium.
Although some of the titles
were difficult to understand,
the presentations were excel
lent and the hard work of the
students really shined through.
Students were required
to attend one fifteen minute
session before the break and
one session after the break.
However, many students
attended more. Among the
Siemens wiimers were
"Responses to Global
Warming in Pieris Rapae: con
sequences of increased noctur
nal temperature on fitness
components" presented by
Emily Hon, Maggie
Thompson, and Alia Whitney-
Johnson, "The Microwave
Synthesis of Disubstituted
Quinoxalines" presented by
Monica Shah, Leah Hawkins
and Yuki Jung, and "Discovery
of an Seyfer II Active Galaxy
Behind 3C397" presented by
Drew Foster and Ivana Vu.
There were also presentations
from Miniterm, mentorship.
and research classes. Topics
ranged from playwrights, to
plastic, to exotic plants. Some
of the most popular were the
presentations from members
of the Belize trip.
This research symposium
was an opportunity for stu
dents to showcase their work,
an opportunity not usually
given at most schools.
Grandparents were also invit
ed to the research symposium,
and most were impressed and
enjoyed the day. Favorites
included presentations on aye-
aye primates, gorillas, memo
ry, and Armenian genocide.
The wide range of topics pro
vided something for everyone.
"The research symposium
offered many opportunities to
view the research that fellow
students have accomplished,
said Connie Griffin, "This
opportunity is unique to
NCSSM."