Congratulations to Angela Endres

Angela Endres, of Ellicott City, Maryland, was recently selected as one of two recipients of the 2021 Undergraduate Research Award from The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi Chapter 22BC University of Maryland-University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UM-UMBC).

Each spring, the chapter's awards committee selects two applicants to receive $500 each for this prestigious honor on the recommendation of the Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement Day (URCAD) Committee.

Angela was selected by the awards committee for her innovative research abstract and strong letter of support from her mentor, Evan Tedlock.

Abstract: Familiarity in Change is a 43 second digital animation about feeling distant from the world yet finding beauty and comfort in it. My goal for this project was to convey how I feel about my surroundings while also making this piece look cinematic, especially focusing on creating interesting transitions. I strove to achieve this feeling by combining a strong music piece with imagery of peaceful environments. One of the benefits that art has as a medium is its ability to communicate nonverbally; for example, my piece says nothing, yet the sounds and visuals instill a feeling. Art is subjective, and that reflects into psychology; each person sees and reacts to works of art differently. Such aesthetic experiences have the ability to arouse emotion whether it be joy, awe, or even negative feelings. As I have grown up watching animated pieces that have given me strong emotional responses, I now find myself wanting to do the same to others, and I would like to further strengthen my ability to use animation in this way. As I prepare for my senior project, this technique is something I hope to experiment more with.

Chartered in 2010, Chapter 22BC invites the top 10 percent of seniors and 7.5 percent of juniors for membership in Phi Kappa Phi. Graduate students in the top 10 percent of the number of candidates for graduate degrees may also qualify, as do faculty, professional staff and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction.

More About Phi Kappa Phi
Founded in 1897 at the University of Maine, Phi Kappa Phi is the nation's oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines. The Society's mission is "To recognize and promote academic excellence in all fields of higher education and to engage the community of scholars in service to others." Since its founding, more than 1.5 million members have been initiated. Some of the organization's more notable members include former President Jimmy Carter, NASA astronaut Wendy Lawrence, novelist John Grisham and YouTube cofounder Chad Hurley. Each year, Phi Kappa Phi awards nearly $1 million to qualifying students and members through graduate fellowships, undergraduate study abroad grants, member and chapter awards, and grants for local and national literacy initiatives. For more information about Phi Kappa Phi, visit www.PhiKappaPhi.org.