Academics

Patrick Benfield 

Wednesday from 12-1 pm in WEL 2.14 

Unique: 48925 

Making is an iterative process of tinkering, problem-solving, and invention rooted in a DIY mindset. It is collaborative by nature and encourages self-expression through the creation of personally meaningful artifacts. 

In this seminar, you will explore making and maker-centered learning. You’ll visit Hello Maker, the CNS Makerspace, where you’ll gain hands-on experience with design and construction tools to strengthen both your analytical and creative skills.  

Donnie Sackey  

Tuesday from 4-5 pm - Online 

Unique: 48935 

This seminar examines how unequal access to affordable and reliable energy shapes daily life, health, and opportunity around the world. How does limited or expensive energy access affect participation in education, telework, or healthcare? How do heat waves or winter storms make energy poverty worse, and who bears the brunt? Should access to affordable, reliable energy be treated like access to clean water? Do smart meters, apps, and demand-response programs actually help low-income users—or do they assume resources and knowledge that some don’t have? We will draw connections across science, policy, and culture to understand why energy poverty persists and explore solutions—from microgrids to community-led design—that reimagine a more just energy future.  

Scott Burghart  

Monday from 2-3 pm in PAI 5.42 

Unique: 48930

From serving as a habitat for myriad organisms to reshaping the climate, we’re familiar with discussions about how humans interact with the natural world. Yet, our interpretation of this relationship has evolved over time. In this seminar, we will explore the concept of exemptionalism (humanity’s perceived separation from nature) and discuss its implications for how we interact with our environment.  

Brittany O'Malley  

Wednesday from 2-3:30 pm in PAI 5.42 

Unique: 48945   

The current generation experiences higher levels of stress, depression, and anxiety than any prior generation. These issues are further exacerbated by the pressures of college-life and/or expectations of being high-achieving students. In this seminar, students will learn to practice strategies for cultivating and maintaining positive mental health and well-being in college and beyond, as well as ways to approach and help peers and colleagues struggling with related issues. Several guest speakers from various professional backgrounds—including staff from the Counseling and Mental Health Center and Longhorn Wellness Center—will help introduce students to wellness-related strategies and topics that can be carried and expanded upon through their education and career.   

Rachel Cohen-Ford 

Wednesday from 2-3 pm in GAR 1.134 

Unique: 48940  

Through a series of highly interactive activities, you will design a life and career of joy and purpose. You will challenge limiting beliefs, reconsider how you define success, and develop collegeview, worldview, and workview statements aligned with your personal values. This class focuses on four pillars: Be Curious, Get Connected, Try Stuff Out, and Tell Your Story. Some specific class topics include: navigating ambiguity, reframing failure, design thinking, asking for help, and personal values. By the end of the spring semester, you will have a deeper understanding of yourself, a variety of options for your future, and a more well-rounded view of life and career after graduation. Please note this class requires in-person attendance and participation. 

David Laude  

Wednesday from 2-3 pm in WEL 2.140 

Unique: 48950 

One of the things I appreciate about my conversations with honors students the last couple of years is that for the most part, there is an unflagging optimism that humanity will triumph over whatever ever future AI has in store.  I am reminded of a book I read several years ago by Robert Sapolsky, a Stanford neurobiologist, who wrote the book: Behave (The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst), in which he tackles the subject of human behavior, but does it through from various disciplinary perspectives including genetics, neurobiology, psychology, and primatology among others.  The book seeks to explain in a reverse chronological order the reasons why, as the book title suggests,  humans can be capable of both extraordinary achievements and horrific acts of hatred and violence.  What I like about the book is that it is academically framed, but doesn’t require expertise in the field.  This seminar will focus on the book, working through the 700 or so pages in order with presentations by partners each week. 

William H. Press 

Monday from 4-5 pm in PAI 4.28 

Unique: 48960   

AI language models and their use as agents are developing at such a rapid rate that new uses arise unpredictably. In this seminar, we will interactively invent, hands-on explore, and then share, advanced strategies for using AI models in undergraduate education and the production of scientific research. Strategies will include both new understanding of “prompt engineering” (using the LLM mass-market interfaces) and also learning how to use programmatic API calls to prototype agentic behaviors. We will test strategies in formal and informal ways; for example, by friendly competition among small teams. 

Joel Adler 

Monday from 4-5 pm in PAI 5.42 

Unique: 48965  

The United States makes a significant investment in healthcare, yet access and outcomes vary across communities and conditions. This seminar offers a practical, data-informed look at the system from clinicians, researchers, and policymakers, using solid organ transplantation as a case study. We’ll highlight strengths, real-world challenges, and opportunities to improve patient outcomes, affordability, and timely access to care. 

Tepera Holman  

Thursday from 10-11 am in PAI 5.42 

Unique: 48920  

This 1-hour honors seminar invites students to critically examine the evolving landscape of higher education through the lens of current events, policy debates, and institutional challenges. Each week, students will engage with timely topics such as access and equity, student activism, free speech, financial sustainability, technological innovation, and the role of higher education in society. Through guided discussion, guest speakers, and collaborative analysis, students will develop a deeper understanding of the forces shaping colleges and universities today—and their implications for the future. 

Students will be encouraged to bring their own perspectives and experiences to the conversation, and to consider how higher education intersects with broader social, political, and economic trends. 

Mike Mauk  

Thursday from 4-5 pm in PAI 5.42 

Unique: 48970  

George Rodgers and Ryan Quinn

Thursday from 4:30-5:30 pm in PAI 4.28 

Unique:  

48975 

This seminar invites undergraduates interested in healthcare careers to explore the human heart as both a remarkable biological organ capable of astounding athletic performance and an organ capable of adapting and healing from disease. Through anatomy and physiology, clinical cases, exercise and human performance, cardiovascular disease, diagnostic testing and imaging, and emerging medical innovations, students will develop a foundation for understanding how the heart functions in health and disease.