NB
Nicole Boysen
  • English
  • Class of 2016
  • Danbury, IA

Nicole Boysen Participates in Buena Vista University's Twelfth Annual Scholars Day

2016 May 6

Buena Vista University's (BVU) twelfth annual Scholars Day was held Friday, April 22. The event provided students from all disciplines an opportunity to present their best presentations, original research, academic posters, artistic creations and performances to their peers, professors and the public.

This year's Scholars Day event featured 38 presentations from 66 students, exploring topics from literature and business to science and history.

Nicole Boysen, a senior English and theatre major from Danbury , was one of the students who participated. Boysen's presentation was titled I Like the Way You Talk: Perceptions of American Dialects by Midwestern University Students, and the project's abstract is as follows:

This poster session exhibits where Midwestern university students believe dialect regions are in the United States and which dialects of English are the most and least pleasant. The Midwestern dialect is what is considered to be "standard," and the purpose of this project is to see how these students view other dialects that are considered to be "non-standard." We asked participants to section off the different regional dialects on a blank map and to indicate which regions are the most and least appealing in order to collect data for this study.

The keynote speaker for the event was Grant Gerlock, BVU Class of 2004, who is a Harvest Public Media reporter at NET News. Gerlock is recognized as a great storyteller and has visited coal plants, dairy farms, horse tracks and hospitals to cover a variety of stories.

"The students put so much into their research-time, effort, resources-that it becomes a part of them," said Dr. Steven Mills, assistant professor of Spanish and chair of the events committee who organized the event. "As they give their presentations and share their knowledge with the audience, their countenance brightens, their confidence rises and their eyes light up. What has become a part of their identity flows out with energy and enthusiasm; they feel like they have truly succeeded, and this success can be valuable to others, as well. I have seen every student walk away with a firmer step and a deeper desire to turn his or her academic work into something more."

A photo gallery from the Scholars Day event is available at www.bvu.edu/scholarsday.