More than 400 undergraduate students from all academic departments will be given a chance to present their exceptional creative projects and research at Eastern Michigan University’s 33rd annual Undergraduate Symposium Friday.
The Symposium, which will be held from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the Student Center, will consist of oral presentations, poster presentations and a design expo.
“This is our biggest year ever and we are really excited for it,” Amy Bearinger, assistant coordinator for the event, said.
The symposium will feature the work of 430 students: 214 oral presentations, 88 poster presentations and 60 presentations in the design expo.
“It’s about taking the experience beyond the classroom,” Bearinger said. “Seeing the variety of disciplines represented and some of the interdisciplinary connections some of the projects have is really quite outstanding.”
The work students submit to the Undergraduate Symposium is very in-depth and requires faculty sponsorship and approval from department heads. While the work is typically related to their academic field, the research is done outside of the classroom.
“It’s the closest thing to a professional conference in the undergraduate experience,”Bearinger said. “Undergraduate research is a huge thing.”
The majority of students in the Undergraduate Symposium will make 15-minute oral presentations on a variety of topics, ranging from a critical analysis of “Here Comes Honey Boo-Boo” to a discussion on the consequences of the Salem witch trials. The presentations will be held in various locations throughout the Student Center from 8:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.
Projects requiring a visual aid will be showcased through poster presentations.
“Usually students in the math and science fields will do poster presentations, because they tend to have a lot of data,” Bearinger said.
Poster presentations will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Rooms 310 A and B in the Student Center.
Students in design-based fields such as art, fashion and theater will exhibit their work in the design expo, which is in its second year as part of the Undergraduate Symposium. The expo will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in Room 300 of the Student Center.
In 2010, the Undergraduate Symposium celebrated its 30th year. The first event, in 1981, showcased the work of just 17 students and 19 faculty members. Over three decades, that number has grown to the 430 students and 226 faculty members that will be featured in Friday’s event.
“We are very proud of the event and all that it represents,” Bearinger said. “The student focus is what we pride ourselves on the most. We are lucky to highlight such outstanding work.”
The Undergraduate Symposium is free, open to the public and eligible for Learning Beyond the Classroom credit.
For a full schedule of the day’s events and program guide to the presentations, visit www.emich.edu/symposium.
