Seven members of Louisiana Tech’s English honor society, the Rho Gamma chapter of Sigma Tau Delta, made a mark on the organization’s international convention held recently in New Orleans, including a first place award for scholarly research. Brian Bellocq, a graduate English student from Metairie, placed first in the Critical Essays, British Literature category for his essay, “Male Homoeroticism in ‘Heart of Darkness’ and ‘Mrs. Dalloway.’” Bellocq received $500 for his achievement. Five other Tech English majors presented research at the convention:

• Missy Wallace, a graduate student from Ruston, presented “’He is Born Again and not of Woman’: The Womb and Rebirth in ‘All the King’s Men.’”
• Patrick Boyd, a junior from Choudrant, presented “Panoptic Paradoxes: Control and Captivity in Morrison’s ‘Beloved.’”
• Lillian Grappe, a junior from Jonesboro, presented, “The Wife of Bath: A Tragic Caricature of Women.”
• Kristin Farquharson, a junior from Ruston, presented, “Assigning Blame in ‘Chronicle of a Death Foretold.’”
• Christina Thompson, a senior from Ruston, presented “The Panoptic Gaze of Kafka’s ‘The Trial.’”

Thompson was also selected Student Regent for the Southern Region for the upcoming academic year. As part of her duties, she will edit a regional publication and work with other regents to plan the 2013 convention in Portland, Ore. In addition to presenting original research, Tech students participated in other convention activities. Sophomore Alicia Schillerstrom of Neenah, Wis., chaired two convention sessions. Boyd also participated in a writing workshop led by Natasha Trethewey, winner of the Pulitzer Prize in poetry and a featured speaker at the convention. Tech’s chapter of Sigma Tau Delta placed second in the Chapter Display competition. Members from more than 400 chapters attended this year’s convention.