Five students are proving that academic achievements can extend beyond the Malibu campus.
Juniors Andrew Clark Andrew Forcehimes Brian Hamm Devon Bryson and senior Alan Reynolds published articles in academic journals or are presenting their papers at national symposiums this month.
Many of these students said undergraduate research can propel students into a career.
“It’s a great stepping stone to get into research as a discipline said Clark, who will present his research on book preservation to the American Chemistry Society.
Clark has worked with Jane Ganske, a professor of chemistry, since the summer of 2008 to study the chemicals given off by old books. The study could lead to better book preservation.
I wanted to do this research for the sake of research Clark said. It’s something I plan on doing for the rest of my career here at Pepperdine and hopefully for my graduate work as well.”
Specifically Clark studied the deterioration of books printed on acid paper.
“The acid catalyzes the breakdown of the paper making it fragile inflexible and brittle so books printed in 1850 are more decomposed today than ones published in the 1600s he said.
Clark said he and Ganske studied bound volumes of The Atlantic Monthly” from 1859 to 1939 and a 17th century Bible.
They are comparing the compounds given off by these books to samples of the air in the Payson Library.
Forcehimes a philosophy major is also looking ahead to research possibilities.
“School is my springboard into academic research Forcehimes said.
Forcehimes’ research deals with contemporary American applied ethics and political philosophy.
Two of Forcehimes’ articles, titled A Reconstruction of Worker Benefits” and “On Licensure were accepted into the Undergraduate Ethics Symposium at DePauw University from April 9 through 11. He said he will present his paper on worker benefits to a group of other students and a visiting scholar at the symposium.
Businesses should take a more neutral stance and give benefits that do not endorse any specific view of ‘the good life'” Forcehimes said.
Bryson who is a philosophy major and a biweekly Graphic columnist said he presented his work on “Paradise Lost” at the Saint Mary’s Conference of Calif. from Feb. 6 through 8. The conference is a part of the Association of Core Texts and Courses which is affiliated with the Great Books program.
“It really epitomized what Great Books stands for: the exploration of ideas and aspects of humanity through Socratic discussion Bryson said.
Reynolds, a philosophy and political science double major, also presented a paper at the conference. His article, Christianity without Ressentiment: Nietzche’s Jesus Weak Theology and the Possibility for a New Christian Ethics argues that Nietzsche viewed Christianity as developed from ressentiment or a feeling of anger, envy and resentment of inferiority to others.
His paper – which investigates what Christianity might look like without ressentiment – was one of three chosen from the conference to be published in the undergraduate journal Agoura at the end of March.
I’m trying to be someone who can see through political science philosophically Reynolds said. And a lot of my papers try to cross those two fields.”
Reynolds said he was accepted into graduate fellowships at the University of Oregon Duquesne the University of Chicago and the master’s program at Stony Brook and he is waiting to hear from other schools.
Hamm a history major will present his article “Sharper than a Double-Edged Sword: Saint Augustine’s Impact on the Valladolid Debate” to the Phi Alpha Theta undergraduate conference April 18 at the University of California Los Angeles.
The piece explores how Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda and Bartolomé de Las Casas used the writings of Saint Augustine in the “Valladolid debate which questioned how Europeans should treat the Native Americans in the New World.
Hamm said Pepperdine facilitates research through honors societies and professors.
Professors at Pepperdine often are involved in assisting students in the research and writing of academic articles.
If it weren’t for dedicated faculty members these articles would never have happened Hamm said.
These five students join the ranks of many other_ Pepperdine students who contribute to the academic community outside of Pepperdine.