Whitney Berner

ABERDEEN, S.D. – Northern State University Honors Student Whitney Berner won the Education and Pedagogy Division of the student poster competition at the National Collegiate Honors Conference this month.

Berner’s project, “Effects of Classroom Environment on Math Anxiety among Elementary Education Majors,” studied the correlation between math anxiety and classroom environment in math concepts/math methods classes for elementary education majors.

Berner, a senior math education major from Watertown, said she is extremely grateful for her experience at the National Collegiate Honors Conference.

“As the theme for this year was ‘Just Honors,’ I was able to attend many interesting workshops on social justice and visit the Civil Rights Museum. The highlight of the trip for me was definitely presenting my research,” she said. “It was so much fun to be able to discuss math education with people who are just as excited about the topic as I am! The NSU Honors Program has given me so many opportunities for growth, and I would recommend it anyone.”

Berner is currently writing her thesis under the direction of her advisor, NSU Instructor of Mathematics Dr. Erin Brownlee.

“Whitney has proved herself to be a very dedicated student, and her work on this project reveals no exception,” Brownlee said.

Six NSU Honors Program students presented posters at the national conference, held Nov. 8-12 in Atlanta. That’s the most Northern has ever had present at the annual conference, said NSU Honors Program Director Dr. Erin Fouberg.

“Presenting their thesis research at the national conference helps our Northern Honors students recognize that they can compete academically with the best from around the country,” Fouberg said. “Whitney winning confirms that the undergraduate research Northern Honors students are conducting is top-notch.”

For more information about the NSU Honors Program, contact Fouberg at Erin.Fouberg@northern.edu or visit the Honors Program webpage.

About Northern State University

Northern State University is a regional university that offers outstanding academics and exceptional extracurricular activities at an affordable price on a safe, welcoming campus. Northern State recently announced its Educational Impact Campaign, with a goal of raising $45 million for a new South Dakota School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, new athletic and recreation fields, and an on-campus regional sports complex. Once the campaign is complete, NSU will be the recipient of more than $100 million in privately funded building projects and scholarships within a decade. To learn more, visit NSU Admissions.

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