KENNESAW, Ga. | Jul 22, 2025

Kennesaw State University Honors student Jessica Torres wants to pursue a career in biology, and she is feeling inspired after having an up-close experience this summer with one of the ocean’s most fascinating creatures. 

For an Honors Discovery course led by Kennesaw State’s Terri Collins and Leigh Funk, Torres spent a week on Wassaw Island off the Georgia coast studying the nesting and hatching practices of loggerhead sea turtles. Torres and other volunteers monitored the beach for turtles coming ashore to lay eggs in the sand and collected biological data on them for the Caretta Research Project, which protects Georgia’s threatened sea turtles.

But Torres didn’t observe the nesting turtles from a distance – she was right alongside them. The loggerheads “go into this trance and don't really notice you once they actually start laying their eggs,” she explained, so that calmness enabled Torres to measure the size of each turtle along with each nest’s distance from the dunes and from the tide line.

“It was incredible to be right there next to them,” said Torres, a junior from Duluth majoring in biology. “I had never been that close to a turtle, so it was amazing to be able to touch them and measure them while they were perfectly fine with you being there.”

The sea turtle study is just one example of the Honors Discovery courses offered through the KSU Journey Honors College. Honors Discoveries are short-term, non-credit learning experiences focused on unique topics beyond the regular curriculum, often integrating current events or popular culture. Honors Discovery courses involve small groups of Honors students learning through seminar discussion and experiential learning under the guidance of a Kennesaw State subject matter expert.

“Because Honors serves the whole university, we have a really interesting group of students from every major who work closely with faculty in these hands-on or discussion-based courses,” said Karen Kornweibel, dean of KSU Journey Honors College. “Honors students are curious about a variety of things beyond the area in which they are getting their degree. They know that by pursuing opportunities in different areas they will get the most out of their KSU experience and set themselves up for future success.”

The Wassaw Island excursion was the second Honors Discovery recently led by Collins, a senior lecturer of elementary education, and Funk, assistant vice provost and a professor of special education and education technology. During Maymester, they conducted a five-day study in the coastal plains of South Georgia, exploring conservation and environmental practices necessary to maintain a healthy ecosystem.

In addition to faculty members leading courses, several Kennesaw State administrators, deans and cabinet members have taught Honors Discoveries. Earlier this year, KSU President Kathy S. Schwaig and Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Ivan Pulinkala taught an Honors course called “Cultivating Leadership Skills.”

“Honors Discovery courses are a win-win-win for students, faculty, and the university in general, because they provide different levels of exposure, encourage students to explore varied topics, and allow everybody to have fun in the learning environment,” said Daniel Hoffman, the associate director of Honors curriculum, data, and infrastructure. “We love the interdisciplinarity of Honors, which allows students to engage with other students who have different perspectives and to connect with faculty outside of their subject area who they otherwise wouldn’t get to meet.”

The Honors Discovery on Wassaw Island was “a chance of a lifetime,” Torres said. She stayed busy, as sea turtles laid 29 nests during her one week there. Since loggerheads are nighttime nesters, Torres’ typical schedule involved catching some sleep during the day and then working from 9:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. Along with collecting data, Caretta Research Project volunteers marked the location of each new nest, covered the nests with screens to protect them from predators, and tagged the turtles so they can be identified if they return to Wassaw to nest again.

Torres added that studying sea turtles affirmed her interest in becoming an aquatic veterinarian. Also, seeing a variety of wildlife on Wassaw Island – snakes, alligators, deer and shorebirds, to name a few – expanded her scope.

“Through this experience, I've learned that I definitely want to do more hands-on things that can help make a difference for all animals and the environment,” she said. “It felt like I had a purpose being there.”

– Story by Paul Floeckher

Photos provided

A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees to its more than 47,000 students. Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia with 11 academic colleges. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties, and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the country and the world. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 8 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.