Finding the functions of bird tails in slow flight. Investigating invasive species. Catching cyberbullies. Witchcraft in Scotland during the Renaissance.
More than 600 Longwood students have been hard at work studying these topics and many more, from aquatic intervention for children with cerebral palsy to politics in the age of social media.
All of that research—more than 500 separate projects—will be on display Tuesday, April 23, beginning at 8 a.m. in the third annual Spring Showcase for Research and Creative Inquiry. All classes at the university will be canceled so that students, faculty, staff and members of the community can come and learn about the research being done on campus.
This day is a fantastic example of our campuswide commitment to providing and fostering undergraduate research opportunities for the entire student body.
Dr. Amorette Barber, associate professor of biology and co-chair of the showcase Tweet This
This year, organizers are extending a special invitation to community members to come and hear short presentations or just wander around and talk to students about their studies. Posters will be displayed in many buildings across campus. A complete list of presentation locations is available.
“We have a lot of support from the campus community,” said Dr. Amorette Barber, associate professor of biology and co-chair of the showcase. “We are hoping this year that more community members will stop by for even as little as 10 minutes to talk to students and find out about some of the great work going on across campus. There’s no registration—just walk in, and I’m sure you’ll leave impressed by these young minds that have been so hard at work.”
For many of the students, it’s their first chance to professionally present their hard work over the past year. And with projects from each academic college, the variety is enormous.
“This day is a fantastic example of our campuswide commitment to providing and fostering undergraduate research opportunities for the entire student body,” said Amorette Barber. “Longwood students have been working extraordinarily hard all year, and this is their chance to step into the spotlight and be recognized for what they have accomplished. And all of them have been working closely with faculty mentors, which is a real point of pride for us as professors—there simply aren’t opportunities to build working, professional relationships with faculty members at other larger institutions. We’re here to support these students, and their talents will be on full display on Tuesday.”
Presentations themselves are as varied as the disciplines they stem from—many will take the form of posters that students will stand next to, ready to answer questions or explain their research. Others will be scheduled oral presentations from visual art students or theatre majors.
The showcase kicks off at 8:15 a.m. in the Greenwood Library Atrium as Dr. Larissa Smith Fergeson, provost and vice president for academic affairs, and Sarah Karamarkovich, a 2015 Longwood University graduate in psychology and mathematics who is currently pursuing a Ph.D. at North Carolina State, deliver opening remarks. Student presentations will be on display starting at 9 a.m.
Leave a Comment