Christopher Patrick Miller (Ph.D., UC Berkeley) is a poet and interdisciplinary scholar in the humanities with a focus on poetry and poetics, critical theory, and urbanism. His first book of poems, ARCH (Tuumba, 2019), is a writing-through of Vitruvius’s Roman manual for architects for the contemporary Americas. Recently published scholarly work in Poetics Today, Twentieth-Century Literature, and Modernism/Modernity has focused on transient culture, democracy and its limitations, literatures of war, and the intersections between politics and language philosophy. He is excited to be a part of the Honors community here at the University of Utah.

Born in Brazil, raised in Bolivia, and having lived in the US for nearly a decade, my life experiences have shaped me into a questioner of narratives—a cross-cultural storyteller who processes the world through literature, short stories, and poems as much as academic research. My trajectory began in Bolivia. with a bachelor’s degree in communications, specializing in Literature. Later, I pursued my MA at The Ohio State University, where I explored visual expressions—particularly comics—and their connections to representations of violence, social inequalities, and identity formation.

This path deepened my fascination with history and the forces that shape our sense of self and collectivity. I became drawn to archival work, leading me to my PhD research on the dictatorial past of Latin America, with a focus on Bolivia. My work and interests sit at the intersection of multiple disciplines—anthropology, history, cultural studies, sociology, and literature—revealing the complexities of memory and how remembering can be an act of hope and resilience.

In the classroom, I love helping students explore how stories shape history, how our world is deeply connected, and why emotions matter in understanding society. We dig into texts, visuals, and sounds together, connect ideas across disciplines, and have real and honest conversations about today’s big questions— because learning should be alive, thoughtful, and meaningful.

As someone who’s navigated cultural shifts and academia at the same time, I get how challenging (and exciting) college can be. My goal? To light curiosity, sharpen critical thinking, and help students see their own agency in shaping the world around them.

Melissa Watt has a joint faculty appointment in the School of Medicine (Department of Population Health Sciences) and the Honors College. This dual appointment allows her to be a bridge for Honors students who are interested in health-related careers. Dr. Watt is an accomplished population health researcher, with a strong track record of funding from the National Institutes of Health and over 160 publications in peer-reviewed journals. She currently has active research projects in Malawi, Tanzania, Rwanda, Mali, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the United States. Prior to joining the University of Utah in 2020, she was faculty at Duke University’s Global Health Institute, where she directed a Masters of Science in Global Health. As the inaugural director of the Honors Integrated Minor in Health, Dr. Watt is delighted to be creating opportunities for Honors  students to explore health from an inter-disciplinary perspective and outside of the confines of the clinical setting. In the Utah track of the minor, she supports students to get hands-on experience through community engaged learning at the Fourth Street Clinic. In the Global track of minor, she directs a 5-week Learning Abroad program in South Africa where students explore the intersection of health and ecology across the unique landscapes of South Africa. Dr. Watt says of the minor: “This program not only enhances individual academic and personal development, but also cultivates a community where students support each other's growth. Together, students are empowered to drive positive change in society, laying the foundation for lasting impact beyond their time in the Honors College.