Eric Townsend

From researching new chemical methods of detecting explosives, to the mathematical modeling on synapses related to epileptic seizures, Elon University students taking part in a summer research program shared their work July 22 in a series of morning presentations that showcased a variety of academic disciplines from across campus.

Issues in Political Economy, the undergraduate research journal published jointly by the economics departments at Elon University and the University of Mary Washington, recently published its 20th anniversary volume.

Elon University is one of four institutions in North Carolina awarded funding this summer from the North Carolina Preservation Consortium to help preserve library materials, manuscripts and other special collections – which, for the university, includes dozens of scrapbooks compiled by students and other campus organizations over the past century.

It’s no longer enough to teach reading, writing and arithmetic. Teachers must also emphasize “the four Cs” - critical thinking, creative problem solving, collaboration and communication, said Michelle Shearer, the 2011-12 National Teacher of the Year who addressed hundreds of North Carolina Teaching Fellows visiting Elon University for a weekend conference for college seniors throughout the state studying to be educators.

The youngest scholars spoke on the habits of highly effective teenagers, while those a year older focused on how the Elon Academy has changed their lives. The eldest of the Elon Academy students who presented to classmates, parents and educators on Friday evening? They read from the first drafts of admissions essays that will be used this fall to apply for college educations many once thought were out of reach.