Undergraduate James Nichols won an award on Thursday, April 19, for a paper he presented at University Scholars Day. James received second place for his proposal entitled "Negotiating in the 21st Century: Bridging the Gap Between Technology and Hostage Negotiation." He was awarded a cash prize and is eligible for a $500 travel grant to present his work elsewhere within the next academic year. Included below is an abstract of his work.

James is a junior at the University of North Texas and is also a member of the Honors College. As a department, we congratulate James on his scholastic achievement.

"Negotiating in the 21st Century: Bridging the Gap Between Technology and Hostage Negotiation"
Hostage negotiation is an interpersonal communicative event that primarily relies on verbal communication through landlines. The purpose of this research proposal is to promote the inclusion of new technology, specifically cellphones with text, call, and video chat capabilities, into hostage negotiation situations.