The Honors Program is proud to highlight students’ accomplishments by recognizing their extraordinary work both inside and outside the classroom. UHP gives students unique opportunities to engage in course material on a whole new level. By looking at what other students are doing, it inspires us all to pursue our passions and dive deeper into enhancing our academic abilities. Junior Abigail Ruffle greatly exhibited one of the possible ways to utilize campus resources and create something amazing.
Abigail Ruffle is a Civil Engineering major from Johnstown, Ohio. She is the President of American Society of Civil Engineering and is the head resident assistant for the WISE (Women in Science and Engineering) floor. For the past two years, Abby has co-oped with CESO Inc., where she works on site development, design, and planning.
As an Honors student, Abby had the opportunity to go above and beyond through her academic coursework. She engaged in a research project on dams, water hydraulics, and the value of water resources. Abby shared a 40 slide presentation of this project with her classmates in her History of Civil Engineering class. This opened up the door for Abby to learn more than she could’ve ever imagined. Through her research, she made several connections with professors, Honors faculty and staff, library assistants, and more! She also got to build her public speaking skills by stepping out of her comfort zone, work on her time management, and learn how to organize and locate information.
This project impacted Abby in a holistic way. She got to learn more about herself and her passions by expanding her knowledge on the importance of water resources and how it will contribute to furthering her exploration of this subject. This was also her first time doing research on a Civil topic, which was a far different experience than when she did research in her other English classes. Abby emphasized the value of collaborating with staff in aiding her success. She was able to make connections, get advice, and ask questions which truly enhanced her learning experience. Her advice to all students: Don’t be afraid to explore your interests and ask professors, faculty, and staff for help. There are so many amazing people on campus that would be happy to support. The first step is just reaching out.
Abigail is happy and grateful to have had the opportunity to engage in research within the Honors Program, because it allowed her to learn about more possibilities she didn’t know were available. By doing extensive research on a societal issue, she feels more prepared for her future after graduating from UD.
Abigail Ruffle is a Civil Engineering major from Johnstown, Ohio. She is the President of American Society of Civil Engineering and is the head resident assistant for the WISE (Women in Science and Engineering) floor. For the past two years, Abby has co-oped with CESO Inc., where she works on site development, design, and planning.
As an Honors student, Abby had the opportunity to go above and beyond through her academic coursework. She engaged in a research project on dams, water hydraulics, and the value of water resources. Abby shared a 40 slide presentation of this project with her classmates in her History of Civil Engineering class. This opened up the door for Abby to learn more than she could’ve ever imagined. Through her research, she made several connections with professors, Honors faculty and staff, library assistants, and more! She also got to build her public speaking skills by stepping out of her comfort zone, work on her time management, and learn how to organize and locate information.
This project impacted Abby in a holistic way. She got to learn more about herself and her passions by expanding her knowledge on the importance of water resources and how it will contribute to furthering her exploration of this subject. This was also her first time doing research on a Civil topic, which was a far different experience than when she did research in her other English classes. Abby emphasized the value of collaborating with staff in aiding her success. She was able to make connections, get advice, and ask questions which truly enhanced her learning experience. Her advice to all students: Don’t be afraid to explore your interests and ask professors, faculty, and staff for help. There are so many amazing people on campus that would be happy to support. The first step is just reaching out.
Abigail is happy and grateful to have had the opportunity to engage in research within the Honors Program, because it allowed her to learn about more possibilities she didn’t know were available. By doing extensive research on a societal issue, she feels more prepared for her future after graduating from UD.