Belmont University

A group of 20 Belmont students recently participated in "Belmont at Bonnaroo," a new Belmont Abroad program that didn't take students across an ocean, but rather to a farm just 90 minutes down Interstate 24. Still, as any attendee of this 17-year festival will attest, life at the 'Roo is an entirely different cultural phenomenon, one that provides a perfect opportunity for students to immerse themselves in a unique festival environment and in-depth music research.

Beginning her days with the sights and sounds of whales, Belmont senior and marine biology and publishing double major Samantha Rodriguez is spending the summer at the deep sea bioluminescence lab at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) in Moss Landing, California. After arriving there 3 weeks ago, Rodriguez said she's been immersed in a unique environment, with an underwater canyon, that provides easy access to the deep sea.

As the Spring semester ended and final exams came to a close, students across campus began packing up for the summer. For 700 Belmont students, preparations to pack looked a bit different as they prepared to participate in one of 43 faculty-led Maymester and Summer Study Abroad experiences across the world. Traveling all across the globe to Argentina, Belfast, London, Israel, Jordan, Greece, Cambodia, Poland, Austria, Costa Rica, Florence, Rome, Portugal, Ireland, Scotland, Korea, South Africa, Germany, Haiti, India, Tanzania, Hawaii and more, these 43 programs provide students with the opportunity to expand the classroom beyond the traditional experience. Students are able to visit places they've never been, see historical sites and spend time experiencing new cultures.

A group of Belmont student-athletes and administrators recently returned from Kenya as part of the Bruins' annual mission trips.

Recent Belmont University graduate and Brentwood, Tennessee resident Khadija Ali Amghaiab was recently awarded a Fulbright grant to Germany to partake in the English Teaching Assistantship (ETA) program there. The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is an international exchange program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board that provides competitive grants to graduating seniors and graduate students to serve as cultural ambassadors of the United States abroad.

Recent Belmont University graduate and Woodbury, Minnesota resident Erin Sanislo was recently awarded a Fulbright program grant for overseas teaching to the Canary Islands region of Spain. The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is an international exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government that provides competitive grants to graduating seniors and graduate students to serve as cultural ambassadors of the United States abroad.

The following students achieved the Dean's List at Belmont University for the Spring 2018 semester. Eligibility is based on a minimum course load of 12 hours and a quality grade point average of 3.5 with no grade below a C.

A group of Belmont students recently participated in the 2018 DECA International Career Development Conference, an opportunity for budding professionals to put their business acumen to the test and swept the award categories. Out of 27 Belmont students who competed, 20 were judged as international finalists-the best-ever overall showing by a Belmont team.

Belmont University recently celebrated scholastic achievement with its annual Scholarship and Awards Day, an event held each spring to recognize top student talent.

Students from Belmont University spent days of their Spring Break serving the Nashville community, a biannual tradition led by the Office of Residence Life during both Spring and Fall Break each year.

Belmont biology students Samantha Chu and Joanna Bellan recently began collections for their thesis projects alongside Biology Department Chair and Associate Professor Dr. John Niedzwiecki and two Belmont Biology Honors students, Samantha Chu and Joanna The work is connected with a recently funded Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency grant that Niedzwiecki is the Co-Principal Investigator on with Dr. Carla Hurt at Tennessee Tech University.

For 125 Belmont University students, faculty and staff, Spring Break this year meant a trip away from Nashville, but it didn't include the typical beach and relaxation scene most often associated with Spring Break. Rather, these groups traveled to locations in the United States as well as overseas, including sites in Mexico and the Dominican Republic, to serve their neighbor.

Third year honors neuroscience student Crystal Lemus was recently awarded a travel grant by the National Science Foundation/Department of Energy Office of Science and presented her physics research at the Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics (CUWiP) at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA.

Chloe Hendrickson has been named the 2017 recipient of The ASCAP Foundation Bart Howard Songwriters Scholarship at Belmont University. Hendrickson's award-winning song "Lightening" was selected as the best entry based on its compositional elements, artistry and professionalism.

The following students achieved the Dean's List at Belmont University for the Fall 2017 semester. Eligibility is based on a minimum course load of 12 hours and a quality grade point average of 3.5 with no grade below a C.

Senior Honors corporate communications major Erin Sanislo recently presented her thesis, "The Making of the Modern Pilgrim," to discuss her journey on the Camino de Santiago in Spain.

A group of five senior Belmont students recently traveled to Washington, D.C., with Biology Professor Dr. Lori McGrew, to attend and present at the The Society for Neuroscience (SfN) Conference. SfNas 47th annual meeting, "Neuroscience 2017," is the world's largest neuroscience conference for scientists and physicians devoted to understanding the brain and nervous system. More than 30,000 colleagues from more than 80 countries gathered at the world's largest marketplace of ideas and tools for global neuroscience.

Kara Garrett, a Belmont University senior neuroscience major and Dr. Lori Mcgrew, professor of biology at Belmont, attended Vanderbilt University's Center for Addiction Research (VCAR) first annual Science Day on October 17. The symposium included presentations by Dr. Stephen Loyd, Tennessee's medical director of the division of substance abuse, Nashville Mayor Megan Barry and the neuroscientist who first cloned opioid receptors Dr. Brigitte Kieffer.

Spanish and nursing double major Chanel Thomas recently returned from Valladolid, Spain where she completed courses in Spanish language & culture and Spanish for health care. While there, she participated in lessons on medical terminology, the Spanish health care system, patient assessment, emergency management, basic nursing skills, and patient interventions - all in Spanish.

Yihao Hong, a senior accounting major at Belmont University, was recently named the recipient of the Vaco Accounting Student Scholarship Award. Vaco provided a $1,000 scholarship to a deserving undergraduate student in the region, and Hong was recognized on stage at the Nashville Business Journal's Chief Financial Officer Awards on Oct. 18. He will also be included in the Oct. 27 issue of NBJ.

Caroline George always knew she loved to tell stories. Now, as a senior public relations and publishing double major at Belmont, she is the published author of three young adult novels. Her most recent, "The Vestige," released in July. George said, "stories have been my passion since I was a toddler. Before I could hold a pencil, I told my mom stories, she'd write them down and let me illustrate the pages. In middle school, I made it a goal to be published by my sixteenth birthday." And publish she did.

Belmont Honors student and classical guitar major Cameron Welke recently published a post about his semester abroad at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. In the post, Welke reflects on the meanings of traditions and community through his first experience at a Scottish ceilidh (kay-lee), a social event featuring Scottish or Irish folk music and singing, traditional dancing and storytelling.

Senior Kyle Minardi originally thought his "From Here to Anywhere" plan would land him in divinity school in the future, but now the Nashville native believes his ministry will occur in a different field entirely: law.

Belmont University's newest science club, Women in Science (WIS), was recently introduced to campus by a group of five students. The group is dedicated to achieving equity and full participation of women in all STEM related fields

Belmont's fall 2017 semester kicked off with a record-breaking enrollment number for the 17th consecutive year as the University welcomed 8,080 students to the first day of classes, nearly triple the enrollment in 2000. As part of its Vision 2020 strategic plan, Belmont aims to hit 8,888 students by the Fall 2020 semester, providing more students than ever the opportunity to embrace the Belmont mission to "engage and transform the world."

A group of Belmont students hit the road this summer for the ultimate musical experience. Joining their professor, musical legend and co-founding member of The Turtles Mark Volman, students experienced life on the road during the East Coast, 15-show run of the Happy Together Tour. Created as a summer course, the 10 participating students spent time in their "classroom" for nearly three weeks this summer-a tour bus, hotel rooms, stages and countless green rooms. Starting in Biloxi, Mississippi, the group followed the tour through Florida and back up to Virginia, New Jersey, Massachusetts, New York and Pennsylvania before ending in Hampton Beach, New Hampshire.

The following students achieved the Dean's List at Belmont University for the Summer 2017 session. Eligibility for the summer session is based on a minimum 9-hour load over 10 weeks and a quality grade point average of 3.5 with no grade below a C.

This summer, Belmont has sent its largest group of students across the world for study abroad experiences. With more than 650 students participating in 34 programs, including Maymester trips, students have spent time in Greece, Brazil, England, France, Switzerland and Haiti, among many other locations.

Belmont University's Office of Student Engagement and Leadership Development recently recognized significant student achievement by hosting its Divisional Awards Ceremony. Students were honored for their exemplification of Belmont's Community Commitments, involvment in campus life, service to the Belmont community, participation in campus leadership, potential for leadership development, contribution to the Greek community and more.

The following students achieved the Dean's List at Belmont University for the Spring 2017 semester. Eligibility is based on a minimum course load of 12 hours and a quality grade point average of 3.5 with no grade below a C.