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Carol
Hayes: A Woman With an Infectious Enthusiasm for Art
by Crystal McLeod, `04
 Assistant
Professor of Art Carol Hayes recently was honored with Meredith
College’s Harry and Marion Eberly Faculty Development
Award (FAME) for 2003. She has been part of the College’s
faculty since 2000. Hayes currently teaches Ceramics I and
II (Art 160A &B), and team-teaches "Art and Science:
Anatomy, Photography and Ceramics" with Professor John
Mecham.
This fall Hayes and Mecham are teaching Art and Science: Anatomy,
which combines elements of both art and science. This course
examines the history of the depiction and representation of
the human form, the biology of skeletal-muscular systems and
surface features, the two-and three-dimensional expression
of human anatomy, and the relationship of functional morphology
to art. This innovative class will require students to create
drawings, sculptures, photographs, an artist book and a web
page.
“When I first put my hands on (the) clay, that was it,”
says Hayes, noting with a smile that she knew almost immediately
she wanted to purse a career in art instruction. What she
most enjoys about teaching art is seeing her students learn
visually. She describes art as “hands-on and more active…there
is a product at the end, something physical to show for your
work - you have something to remember what you have learned,
something tangible.” Hayes’ teaching philosophy
consists of paying close attention to feedback from students
and emphasizing her zeal for art in the classroom, which students
find infectious.
Maintaining a high level of knowledge in one’s chosen
discipline is most essential in art, Hayes maintains. She
currently continues her ongoing research of cyanotype, a progressive
process of blueprinting images on clay. Hayes calls this research
“a career-long endeavor to put photography on clay.”
She has experimented with decals, Polaroid transfers, and
liquid light to transfer her images. Her goal is to work with
“images of contrasting environmental and industrial imagery
on organic pots,” said Hayes.
Hayes draws from a myriad of professional and personal accomplishments.
Last summer she participated in a Meredith faculty trip to
London. Past pursuits include receiving her Master of Fine
Arts degree from the University of North Carolina and her
bachelor’s degree at Mary Washington College. She has
attended the Alfred University summer graduate program, a
highly competitive school for professional ceramics, and in
addition has had her work featured in numerous prestigious
art exhibits. In 2002, Hayes received a regional artist project
grant from the United Arts Council.
Hayes will use the FAME award stipend to attend workshops
and to further her career in art.
Meredith
College Study on Students’ Sept. 11 Memories Indicates
that Picture-Perfect Recall is Unlikely
By Andrea Weaver
 A
Meredith College faculty member and a student recently completed
an analysis of human memory using the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorists’
attacks as the basis for the study. Their research disputes
the popular belief that emotional events produce unforgettable
memories.
They studied “flashbulb memory,” a theory proposed
in the 1970s that humans retain accurate, detailed memories
of significant personal or historical events.
“People can give very detailed descriptions of personally
relevant and highly emotional events,” said Mark O’Dekirk,
assistant professor of psychology at Meredith. “They
remember much more detail than they normally would. Flashbulb
memories are supposed to be immune to forgetfulness or distortions,
but there is evidence to the contrary.”
The Meredith project included an unusual characteristic not
found in previous flashbulb memory studies. O’Dekirk
collected 18 students’ initial thoughts about the terrorists’
attacks minutes after two planes crashed into the World Trade
Center. Researchers typically gather their initial data a
few days after a significant event. Even a short delay may
alter a study’s final results because the participants’
memories may change in that timeframe, he said.
O’Dekirk asked the 18 students enrolled in a regularly-scheduled
class that met that fateful September morning to record their
responses to general questions about the attacks. The students
wrote about where they were when the learned about the plane
crashes, whether they saw the crashes on TV or heard about
them later, who they thought was responsible for the attacks,
and what they were wearing when they heard the news.
The same 18 students were asked to respond to similar questions
about the attacks two months and then seven months after Sept.
11, 2001. Paige King, who graduated from Meredith in May 2003
with a B.A. in psychology, worked with O’Dekirk to conduct
the research and analyze the results. King, now in law school
at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, wrote
her senior thesis about the project.
Based on previous memory research, O’Dekirk and King
expected the results to show that the students’ memories
eroded with time. In other words, they thought the students
would remember more correct information two months after Sept.
11 than seven months later.
Instead, the students provided accurate answers to about 30
percent of the questions included in each follow-up survey.
About 20 percent of their responses were completely wrong
for both surveys. Yet the students’ confidence in the
accuracy of their answers increased for the seven-month survey.
“Even though their accuracy wasn’t that great, their
confidence was greater,” O’Dekirk said.
According to King’s senior thesis, “Flashbulb Memory:
A Post 9/11 Analysis,” most of the students were categorized
as “feelers” based on their responses to a temperament
test administered as part of the research. King theorizes
in her thesis that the students’ emotional response to
the terrorist attacks increased their confidence in their
memories.
Interestingly, King’s analysis of previous flashbulb
memory studies indicates that the Meredith students’
30 percent accuracy rate seven months after Sept. 11 is high.
Previous studies revealed decreased accuracy over time. King
suggests in her thesis that the students’ improved their
memories of Sept. 11 by recording their initial thoughts minutes
after the Twin Towers were attacked.
O’Dekirk presented King’s thesis at a psychology
conference held in Atlanta earlier this summer, where the
research garnered media attention that resulted in references
in articles published by the “Atlanta Journal-Constitution”
and “Good Housekeeping” magazine.
O’Dekirk, who began teaching full-time at Meredith three
years ago, values the emphasis the College places on undergraduate
research. He and King studied memory, but they also learned
other important lessons. She acquired hands-on experience
and analytical skills; he honed his teaching abilities.
“It was a great experience to work with her on this,”
O’Dekirk said. “Research… is the basis of what
we do in the social sciences. It teaches students to think
critically about information.”
Memory research, including the project completed by O’Dekirk
and King, has implications for courtroom practices. Eyewitness
testimony may not be an accurate resource for information
about a crime given the inexact nature of human memory, O’Dekirk
said.
“Memory is not like a photograph. It changes continuously,”
he said. “You can be very convinced in your memories,
but that doesn’t mean they are accurate.”
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