More than 300 student presenters displayed their research and creativity on Friday, April 5, at the Undergraduate Symposium on Research, Scholarship and Creative Endeavors. The second floor of the Student Center was filled with research posters and was abuzz with oral presentations during the symposium, which was from 12:30-2 p.m.
An awards ceremony was held at 3:30 p.m. in the Kiva at which time President Todd Diacon addressed the attendees.
The symposium was sponsored by the Division of Research and Economic Development, Office of the Provost, Honors College, and University Libraries.
There were 322 student presenters in this year’s Undergraduate Symposium on Research, Scholarship and Creative Endeavors, according to Ann Gosky, director of the Office of Student Research.
The symposium provides an opportunity for undergraduate students and recent graduates to showcase their hands-on involvement in research and creative endeavors. Undergraduate students attending any Kent State campus and representing any major were eligible to participate.
All research, scholarly work, or creative activity must be completed in collaboration with a faculty or graduate student mentor. Students were able to present their work through posters, oral presentations or any creative medium.
Sophomore Honors College student Ruth Morara, whose presentation was a second place winner in the Symposium, told Kent State Today that she started her research during the 2023 Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE). Her mentor for the project was David Costello, Ph.D. Here is Morara talking about her research.
Fashion design major Lizzy Truitt, spoke to Kent State Today about her presentation, which displayed creations derived from the cotton grown on her family farm in Decatur, Alabama.
According to Douglas L. Delahanty, Ph.D., professor and Kent State’s vice president for the Division of Research and Economic Development, undergraduate research is a life-changing experience. "My experience with undergraduate research solidified a desire to pursue research as a career, and undergraduate research provides KSU students with a life-changing experience that helps them to find their passion. Rather than simply digesting knowledge from textbooks/lectures, undergraduate research gives students the ability to create knowledge and solve problems of immense public health relevance."