When Kent State student Madison Jackson, a senior sociology major, presented her research on housing equity at Kent State’s Undergraduate Symposium for Research, Scholarship and Creative Endeavors she garnered a first-place win.
Jackson was among the 261 students who presented 203 posters and oral presentations ranging from scientific research to dance pieces at the Undergraduate Symposium for Research, Scholarship and Creative Endeavors.
The Undergraduate Symposium provides an opportunity for undergraduate students and recent graduates to showcase their hands-on involvement in research and creative endeavors to a larger audience. About 212 faculty mentors guided the student presenters in their endeavors.
Students from all majors on all of Kent State’s eight campuses were encouraged to submit their completed or ongoing work through posters, oral presentations, or any creative medium.
All research, scholarly work, or creative activity must be completed in collaboration with a faculty or graduate student mentor.
Douglas L. Delahanty, professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences and vice president for Research and Economic Development at Kent State, said the symposium is one of his favorite days of the year. He goes up onto the ballroom balcony to get a bird’s-eye view and is impressed by the depth of topics that students explore.
“The breadth of interest, the breadth of expertise and the breadth of scholarship being conducted at Kent State is phenomenal,” Delahanty said.
There are many benefits of the symposium including participating in an academically enriching experience, building a professional resume and winning cash awards for exemplary presentations.
Aryan Majhi, a sophomore aerospace engineering major who grew up in Berea, decided to tackle a topic that was outside of his area of study – “How Senate Bill 1 Promotes a Dangerous Ethnocentrism.” This topic allowed him to explore the ethical and political impact of an issue he would not have gotten to explore within his major.
“As an aerospace engineering major, I don’t get to look at issues such as this,” Majhi said. “They affect our everyday lives. It really did help me broaden my understanding of what is happening in our nation and in our state.”
For more information about the Office of Student Research, go to https://www.kent.edu/research/student-research.