About - Academic Traveler

About Us

The Academic Traveler is a non-credit educational travel program offered through the Division of Outreach and The University of Mississippi. We are pleased to present a series of opportunities that meld unique travel experiences and education. UM instructors from a variety of disciplines lead the excursions. Programs may cover literature, art, history, photography and film, and culinary arts in locations such as London, New York, Japan, France, and Tanzania.

In order to provide the most individualized attention and to gain access to unique opportunities at our destination, program size is limited. Applicants are accepted in the order applications and deposits are received. Early registration is encouraged to ensure your space.

About Our Instructors

Laura Antonow
joined The University of Mississippi’s Art Department as an adjunct faculty member in 1995. She has taught Introduction to Western Art, Introduction to Non-Western Art, Color Theory, Art on Location: New York, and Art on Location: London.

Laura received a B.S. in Design from The University of Texas at Arlington and an M.F.A. from Parsons School of Design in New York City. Prior to coming to The University of Mississippi, she served as chief lighting designer in the exhibitions department of the Guggenheim Museum in New York. From 1995 to 2003 she served as principal at Oxford Lighting Consultants, an architectural and museum lighting design firm. She has served as a consultant for museums including the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City, the Frist Center for Visual Arts in Nashville, and the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Laura has served on the Board of Directors, Membership Committee, and Awards Committee of the International Association of Lighting Designers and as an affiliate member of the American Institute of Architects. Locally, she has served as President of the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council, on the Powerhouse Community Arts Center Steering Committee, and on the Screening Committee of the Oxford Film Festival. She is currently a member of the Municipal Art Society of New York and NSEE: National Society of Experiential Education.

Jennifer Angle
obtained her bachelor's and master's degrees from Ole Miss. She has 17 years of early childhood and elementary experience, has served as Director of Youth Programs at the University for nine years, and joined the School of Education seven years ago. Jennifer has been taking University study groups to London and abroad for five years and recently led a six-month program while living in London.

Cory Lewis
graduated from the Institute for Culinary Education in New York in 1998, where she also served as an instructor in pastry and baking. She has worked in the field of culinary arts in New York, Florida, and California. Her work has been featured in Bride’s Magazine, Carmel Bride’s Magazine, and the Key West Citizen. Prior to her culinary work, Cory received a B.F.A. and M.F.A. in ceramics from The University of Mississippi. She has been an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Art at Ole Miss since 2003. She is a member of the National Council for Education in the Ceramic Arts, the College Art Association, and the Chef’s Collaborative, an organization that supports sustainable cuisine by celebrating the joys of seasonal, regional, and artisanal cooking. She recently served as the food stylist and design consultant for Square Table Cookbook, a project of the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council. Ms. Lewis’s international culinary travels have included northern Italy, France, and Spain.

Brooke White
Originally from Hampstead, New Hampshire, Brooke White received her B.F.A. in printmaking and photography in 1999 from Alfred University, New York State College of Ceramics and her M.F.A. in video and photography from Cornell University. She joined the University of Mississippi faculty in 2005 as assistant professor of imaging arts. Her photography and video art have been exhibited nationally and internationally at galleries and film festivals including at the International Museum of Women in San Francisco; The Falls Gallery in Philadelphia; Los Angeles Center for Digital Art, Los Angeles; PhatSpace in Australia; GoDown Arts Center in Kenya; and at the 4th Annual Shorts! International Film Festival in the Netherlands. Her work has been recognized by the Mississippi Society for Arts and Letters and Cornell University, and she has been awarded research grants from the University of Mississippi, Delta State University, and the Mississippi Arts Commission. She has been a guest lecturer at many universities including Watkins College of Art and Design in Nashville, University of Memphis, and American University in Dubai. Active in art education, she is a member of the College Art Association and the Society of Photographic Education. Ms. White has recently served as the experimental film coordinator for the 4th Annual Oxford Film Festival sponsored by the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council. Her international photographic travels have included Africa, Europe, Southeast Asia, and Latin America.

Debby Chessin
received her B.S. and M.S. from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York with in agronomy and life science, post-harvest plant physiology, and food microbiology. A former biochemistry researcher and middle school science math and science teacher, she received her Ed.D. from The University of Mississippi in Curriculum & Instruction.

She currently serves as an Associate Professor in science education and curriculum and is active in science professional organizations, research and publication, educational outreach, and professional, university, and community service.

Since 2001, she has taught science education and Study Abroad courses in Costa Rica, The Galapagos Islands, South Africa, and Greece. Her recent Study Abroad courses include strong intercultural components and education-oriented service-learning opportunities.

About Us

About Our Instructors

Calendar

2013 Adventures

Past Adventures