Honors Tutorial College
The Herbert L. Baer Prize
The Honors Tutorial College is pleased to announce the seventeenth
annual Herbert L. Baer Prize Competition. The prize was established in
honor of an Honors Tutorial College alumnus, Dr. Herbert L. Baer, who was
very interested in research and work that bridged traditional disciplinary
boundaries, particularly those involving mathematics in some way. The
award is designed to recognize excellence and achievement in multi-or crossdisciplinary thinking.
The $1000 prize will be awarded to a selected undergraduate student at
Ohio University, based on an essay submitted to the Honors Tutorial
College.
Eligibility: Any fulltime undergraduate student at Ohio University is
eligible for this award. An endorsement by a fulltime faculty member at
Ohio University must accompany the essay. (Faculty endorsement form
below.)
Application Process: Students interested in competing for the Herbert L.
Baer Prize should submit an original essay or article (published or
unpublished) accompanied by the cover and faculty endorsement sheets
attached below directly to the Honors Tutorial College, 35 Park Place, no
later than Friday, April 19, 2013, at 5:00 p.m.
Essay Requirements: Essays must have a cross-disciplinary or multidisciplinary approach. Creative, original ideas are encouraged. The essay
should accomplish one of three things:
1) It should take the tools, methods and techniques of one discipline and apply them to a problem
or challenge that is normally thought of as part of another discipline in order to produce new
insights.
2) It should combine the tools, methods and techniques of two different disciplines to create a
truly integrated approach to a problem, such as the fusion of music theory with developmental
psychology, producing the field of music therapy.
3) It should use the perspectives, concepts and/or approaches typically used in one discipline to
challenge a traditional way of thinking in another discipline, producing a new way of looking at
a concept, belief, natural phenomena or social practice.
Successful essays will demonstrate a compelling thesis or point of view and
will be grammatically sound with no misspellings. Successful essays will
avoid jargon so as to be easily understood by all readers.
Essays must be in 12-point font, double spaced and not exceed 10 pages
excluding the cover and faculty endorsement sheets.
Four copies of the essay with the aforementioned forms should be submitted
to the Honors Tutorial College, 35 Park Place, Athens, OH 45701 no later
than 5 p.m. on Friday, April 19, 2013.
Essays not meeting the font and length requirement and/or received
after the deadline will not be considered.
Selection Process: The essay will be read and evaluated by a three-judge
panel selected by the Honors Tutorial College. The Honors Tutorial College
will announce the winner of the $1000 prize in late May. The prize will be
awarded in early July.
For Further Information: If you have any questions, contact the Assistant
Dean of the Honors Tutorial College, Jan Hodson at hodsonj@ohio.edu
~REQUIRED FORMS ARE BELOW~
Honors Tutorial College
The Herbert L. Baer Prize
COVER SHEET
(must be attached to essay submitted)
Title of Essay _______________________________________________________________________
Student’s Name ________________________________________PID# ________________________
Major _________________________________Class Year: ___Fresh ___Soph. ___Junior ___Senior
Campus Address_____________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Cell phone ____________________________ E-mail __________________________________
Permanent Address: _________________________________________________________________
Faculty Endorser ____________________________________________________________________
Faculty
Department_________________________________________________________________________
Please provide us with some background information about your essay: when was it written, under
what circumstances, for a certain course, etc.? Did anyone collaborate on the work with you? How
did you select the topic and develop it? Please provide any other information you would like us to
have.
Please explain below in one paragraph why you believe your essay is multi-or cross-disciplinary in its
focus.
Honors Tutorial College
The Herbert L. Baer Prize
FACULTY ENDORSEMENT
(must be attached to the essay submitted)
Title of Essay _______________________________________________________________________
Name of Student ____________________________________________________________________
Name of Faculty Member _____________________________________________________________
Title and Department _________________________________________________________________
Faculty Signature ________________________________________ Date _______________________
Please list any supportive comments you would like to add to this candidate’s submission for the
Herbert L. Baer Prize. Thank you.