- Honors is piloting a paid research program with the MUSC Hollings Cancer Center! 🔬
- Honors College Field Day, our annual battle between the classes, returns on reading day. 🏆
- Seniors: Celebrate your graduation on the Honors College Class of 2025 boat cruise! 🛥️
Check Out the Fulbright US Student Program!
Are you starting to make plans for after graduation? Are you interested in traveling abroad? If so, check out the Fulbright US Student Program, which provides funding for students to attend graduate school, conduct research, complete an arts project, or teach English abroad. This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that will introduce you to different cultures and make you more competitive for the job market.
Additional Details: Fulbright grantees receive a stipend based on the cost of living in their host country. These funds may be used by the grantee to cover to room, board, and incidental costs during the grant period. Depending on the country, grantees may also receive round-trip airfare and other allowances.
Who Should Apply: Rising juniors, graduating seniors, and recent graduates.
Application Timeline: The internal CofC deadline for the 2026/27 award cycle of early September. The national deadline for applications is on October 7th. Semi-finalists will be notified in January 2026.
For more information, including specific programs and eligibility requirements, head to this link, schedule an appointment with Dr. Woram, or email nationalawards@cofc.edu.
Faculty Lecture Series: The Andes on the Silver Screen: War and Desire in Secret of the Incas
Join Honors Faculty Fellow Dr. José Chávarry for a discussion about film, war and the representation of indigeneity in Paramount’s 1954 Secret of the Incas, the first Hollywood picture made in Peru and the inspiration for the Indiana Jones franchise!
About the Lecture: By tracing the history of the film’s production and the collaboration between the company and Peruvian politicians and artists, and through a close reading of its WWII and Cold War cinematic languages (airplanes! bureaucracy! romance!), we will explore how Peru’s Incan legacy and Andean culture was made into an object of tourist desire and expression of modernity—and backwardness—during the geopolitical context of the mid-20th-century.
When & Where: This discussion will be held…
- On Wednesday, April 16th, from 12:00–1:00 p.m.
- In Addlestone Library, Room 227
Details: This lecture is free and open to all. Lunch will be provided.
Click this link for more information or to add this event to your calendar.
Volunteer for Mindful Move-Out!
Come volunteer for Mindful Move-Out from April 27th through May 2nd!
The Opportunity: The Center for Sustainable Development and its partners need all hands on deck to collect and sort the donations they receive during move-out. This is a great opportunity to help their campus work towards our Zero Waste Goal of 90% waste diverted from landfills by 2035 (and to get first dibs on free clothes, housewares, and more)!
Benefits: Working can be counted for volunteer hours! Plus, this is a great chance to connect with the Center for Sustainable Development, which will have more opportunities in the fall, including internship positions.
Great Chance For: Anyone looking to get involved on campus, anyone needing volunteer hours, and anyone wanting to get some free stuff!
To Volunteer: Use this link to sign up!
Email sustainability@cofc.edu and/or zerowaste@cofc.edu with any questions.
The BLOCKS Program: Paid Research with MUSC’s Hollings Cancer Center
MUSC’s Hollings Cancer Center is piloting an innovative new research program for Honors students called the BLOCKS Program: Building Learning Opportunities for Cancer, Knowledge, and Success.
The Opportunity: Students will participate in paid research with one of several Hollings Center labs throughout the 2025/26 academic year. You’ll gain hands-on research experience working alongside expert faculty and researchers.
- Multiple spots available! An initial cohort of 8 – 10 students will be selected for the program, with each participant paired with a specific lab and mentor based on their interests and aspirations.
The Benefits:
- Gain hands-on research experience in ground-breaking cancer treatments.
- Get paid! Students will work up to 20 paid hours a week during the school year.
- Connections and mentorship for PhD program applications down the road.
- Potential for Honors Immersed and Bachelor’s Essay material.
Great Fit For: Students seeking hands-on research experience and students considering a future career in biomedical research, particularly those interested in:
- Biology / Biochemistry / Molecular Biology / Microbiology / Public Health
The Application: The deadline to apply is Friday, April 11 at 5 p.m. EST. Applicants selected as finalists will be contacted in April for a formal interview with MUSC Hollings Cancer Center faculty.
Learn More About the BLOCKS Program
The BLOCKS Program
Building Learning Opportunities for Cancer, Knowledge, and Success
The Hollings Cancer Center at the Medical University of South Carolina is offering an innovative new research program aimed at connecting College of Charleston students with impactful, hands-on research experience. The program will be piloted with College of Charleston Honors College students during the 2025/26 academic year.
The Research
MUSC's Hollings Cancer Center is one of 72 National Cancer Institute-designated cancer centers in the nation and the only one in South Carolina. Their mission is to reduce the cancer burden in South Carolina and nationally through innovative research, exceptional education and training, multidisciplinary patient care, statewide cancer prevention programs, and progressive public policy transformation.
Students in the BLOCKS Program will gain hands-on experience working in ground-breaking cancer research labs. Multiple Hollings Center labs are participating, and students deemed a good fit for the program will have a chance to interview with mentors for a spot in their labs. Learn more about the participating labs.
Application Materials
The deadline to apply is Friday, April 11 at 5 p.m. EST. Students interested in the program should submit a program application. The program will ask them for:
-
Statement of Intent: In 500 words or less, briefly discuss your academic and career goals. Your response should outline the following:
- Any prior research (or related) experience.
- What you hope to achieve from participating in the BLOCKS program.
- How the knowledge and skills gained from the BLOCK program would influence your academic and career development.
- Research interests in which you indicate which labs you'd be interested to work with.
- An updated resume or CV.
- An unofficial transcript.
Students will also have the option to upload a letter of recommendation if they choose to do so. A student's candidacy will not be penalized or devalued if you do not upload an LOR. The letter is simply a chance to provide additional context should you deem it relevant. Worthwhile recommendations are most likely to be written by the following:
- Faculty who are familiar with your science coursework or research skills.
- A scientist/clinician at another institution who has mentored you in a research experience.
Applicants selected as finalists will be contacted in April for a formal interview with MUSC Hollings Cancer Center faculty.
Join an AI Solutions Hackathon with IBM Granite
Enter IBM’s virtual Lean AI Solutions Hackathon and grow your skills, work in a team, and win prizes!
The Challenge: In this hackathon, you will use IBM Granite to build a proof-of-concept solution to align with one out of two possible themes:
- Making work less boring, or
- Decent work and economic growth
Details: This virtual hackathon will take place from April 24th through May 5th. You’re invited to network with peers and form a team in the time leading up to the event. Access to necessary tools, including watsonx services on IBM Cloud, will be provided. All experience levels are welcome.
To Enter: This link has registration instructions and advice on how to get ready for the hackathon. Detailed instructions will be given to participants once the hackathon begins.
Prizes: You could win up to $5,000, tickets to the IBM TechXchange Conference 2025 in Orlando, entrance into the 2025 Call for Code Global Challenge (where you could win up to $50,000!), Airpod Pros, and more!
Click here for more information about this hackathon.
Honors College Class of 2025 Boat Cruise
The Honors College is hosting a boat cruise for graduating Honors students!
The Date: Thursday, May 1 from 6:30 – 9:00 p.m.
The Cruise: All aboard for a senior class Blues & BBQ cruise! Enjoy live music, a BBQ buffet, and a cash bar alongside your fellow Honors graduates and Honors faculty/staff. Boarding begins at 6:30 p.m. and the boat sets sail promptly at 7:00 p.m. from the Charleston Maritime Center (10 Wharside St.) for a two-hour tour.
The Cost: Honors is subsidizing tickets for graduating seniors such that you can join us for a discounted rate of $30.
- Because we’re subsidizing the tickets, participation is limited to graduating Honors students (no guests allowed, sorry!).
Anchors away! Seniors, to join us on the cruise…
- Complete this registration form to be added to the passenger manifest.
- Purchase your ticket through the College’s marketplace portal.
The deadline to register/pay is Thursday, April 10. contact Mary Moser moserm@cofc.edu with questions.
Honors College Field Day Returns on Reading Day: Thursday, April 24th!
Honors College Field Day, our annual class competition event, is BACK this Reading Day (April 24th)! May the best class win!
What to Expect: Come out and compete for your class before finals begin! There are events for everyone to excel at, including…
- Feats of strength and athletics
- Puzzles and brainteasers
- Team-trials
- …and so much more!
When & Where: These electrifying games will be…
- On Thursday, April 24th, from 11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
- In Marion Square
Want to be a Champion? Click here to sign up for Field Day!
More Details: Not into field games? Not a problem! Come out for a study break and cheer on your class. If you’re competing, we’d love for you to stay for the whole time, but if you’re in a time crunch, feel free to pop by for a game or two.
Register for Breaking the Silence: Stories of Afghan Women
On Thursday, April 3rd, the Bonner Leader Program, in partnership with the Center for Sustainable Development, will host an important and thoughtful discussion in which four Afghan women–all current students at U.S. universities–will share the challenges they and other Afghan women face in pursuit of education and other essential freedoms at home in Afghanistan, as well as in the United States.
When & Where: This event will be…
- On Thursday, April 3rd, from 3:00–4:30 a.m.
- In Addlestone Library, Room 227
Bonus: With professors’ approvals, participating students could earn extra credit for attending if their professors would like to offer it.
To Attend: Scan the QR code on the flyer or click this link to register.