Record Number of MiraCosta Honors Students Invited to Statewide Honors Conference

The Honors Program at MiraCosta College is getting noticed.

Thirty-six MiraCosta College honors students submitted 33 proposals that have been accepted into the prestigious, 13th Annual Honors Transfer Council of California Research Conference held each year at UC Irvine. That’s a record number of acceptances, easily eclipsing the 23 proposals from last year.

The all-day, March 23 event is described as an opportunity for honors students to boost their academic experience and share months of research in a number of disciplines, including the physical and social sciences and the arts. 

“To have so many students accepted is just a real coup for the Honors Program at MiraCosta College,” said Christopher Sleeper, a history professor at the Oceanside Campus who serves as coordinator of the Honor Scholars Program. “It’s a credit to the honors students and their faculty mentors.”

Numerous instructors have stepped forward in boosting the MiraCosta Honors Program over the past three years. Just a few years ago, Sleeper said, just one or two honors students would be accepted into the Research Conference.

Those selected from MiraCosta College delved into everything from studying the biocompatibility of nanofibers with normal human bronchial epithelial cells, to exploring the masculinity in The Twilight Saga. 

The conference “gives students in community college honors programs the opportunity to present the results of their work,” states the Honors Transfer Council website. “We invite research-based presentations and creative performances reflecting inquiry into the humanities, sciences, arts, social sciences and pre-professional programs; we also welcome results of research into the honors experience.”

The MiraCosta College proposals were selected from the nearly 400 submitted throughout Southern California. 

Students found out in January if they were accepted to the UC Irvine, and they spent the next several weeks working with their mentors in readying their presentations. From 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the morning of March 22, the San Elijo Campus will host an Honors Showcase featuring a sneak peak at Irvine presentations.

More than 50 community colleges from throughout California are members of the Honors Transfer Council. “The organization negotiates special transfer agreements linking community college honors/scholars' programs to specific universities, large or small, public or private. Students completing our programs then enjoy enhanced transfer consideration at the partner-campus,” its website states.

Courses at MiraCosta College’s Honors Program emphasize writing, research, communication and critical thinking skills that are invaluable for successfully transferring to a four-year university.