Today@Sam Article
Contests To Launch Common Reader Author’s Forum
Sept. 9, 2016
SHSU Media Contact: Jennifer Gauntt
Update (9/23): Two more contests have been added. Click here for details.
As the first Canadian astronaut to walk in space, Col. Chris Hadfield spent decades training for his profession and has logged nearly 4,000 hours in space.
During this time, he broke into a Space Station with a Swiss army knife, disposed of a live snake while piloting a plane, and was temporarily blinded while clinging to the exterior of an orbiting spacecraft.
Sam Houston State University students will be asked to display similar ingenuity in a series of contests related to Hadfield’s book, this year’s common reading selection “An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth,” hosted by the First Year Experience Office and various campus departments, which will be recognized during this year’s Author’s Forum Nov. 1-2.
The seven contests include competitions for artistic interpretations of the book through art and poetry/lyrics; classroom design; science communication; freshman essays; YouTube videos; and research posters, as well as a daily social media contest.
The Art Contest, sponsored by the LSC Art Gallery, will offer $500 divided among the top three places for art from any medium that is inspired by themes in the book. The submission deadline is Oct. 25.
The Classroom Design Competition, sponsored by the College of Education, asks future educators to design a classroom that will meet the needs of gifted and talented students by critically analyzing Hadfield as a school-aged child on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. A $1,000 prize will be awarded, and the submission deadline is Oct. 24.
The Science Communication Contest, sponsored by the SHSU Department of Physics and the College of Science and Engineering Technology, asks students to explain in language appropriate for a sixth grader why astronauts float in the International Space Station. Responses may either come in print (graphic story, essay, etc.) or video media. Four $150 scholarships will be awarded for the best print and video entries. The submission deadline is Oct. 24.
The Freshman Essay Contest, sponsored by New Student Orientation, will offer a $500 scholarship to a freshman who best engages in critical thinking and research about the core messages of the book. The submission deadline is Oct. 17.
The Poetry/Lyric Contest, sponsored by the Professional and Academic Center for Excellence, will recognize one freshman and one upperclassman with a $250 scholarship for the best poem or lyric illustrating Hadfield’s spirit of determination and constant improvement. The submission deadline is Oct. 10.
The YouTube/Social Media Contest, sponsored by SHSU Online, will offer a $500 scholarship to a student taking an online class who best creates a social media video—posted on YouTube and shared on various other social media platforms—to demonstrate how the values of hard work and accomplishing goals under stressful situations in an online class can be connected to values portrayed in the book. The submission deadline is Oct. 21.
The Research Poster Contest, sponsored by the Elliott T. Bowers Honors College, will offer a $500 scholarship for a freshman who best produces a research poster presentation analyzing one of the common reading program curriculum guide topics. The submission deadline is Oct. 17.
Finally, a social media contest, sponsored by the Newton Gresham Library, will offer daily prizes for answering questions associated with the book.
For more information—including details about the prompts, contest rules and submission procedures for each contest—visit shsu.edu/fye-contests.
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