On Thursday, April 12, the Rowenhorst Student Center will be holding a Celebration of Research. This event is a unique opportunity for 60 students from Northwestern to showcase their academic work and research. The event will take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
“At a small liberal arts college like NW, you are just as likely to see a star point guard present her research on SEA-PHAGES as you are a political science and history major who can throw a curve-ball on the outside corner,” Vice President of Academic Affairs Mark Husbands said.
While athletes perform for large, enthusiastic crowds who cheer them on to victory, students’ scholarship and learning is often rather a private and quiet pursuit. The Celebration of Research is a way of changing this.
“It is an opportunity to encourage students to perform academically at a high level,” Husbands said. “Such an event provides faculty, students, staff, townsfolk and the Board of Trustees with the opportunity to honor and learn from many of our most gifted students.”
The Celebration of Research is a relatively new contribution to the life and public witness of the college. For one day the RSC will be filled with tables, posters and students who are eager to share what they have learned and have been working on. With 2018 being the second year, the Celebration of Research is showing signs of growth.
While last year’s celebration featured various students working in the areas of art, biology, chemistry, English, mathematics, religion and more, this year’s celebration has expanded to include student research in 17 different majors including athletic training, public relations, sociology and translation and interpretation.
There will be a vast array of projects on display including “Digital Literacy in the Era of Fake News: The Evolution of Persuasion,” “Mentalizing, mysticism, and absorption: How our minds believe in God” and “Annotation of Three Novel Soil Mycobacteriophages: Sibs6, Roots515, and CHorch11.” Others are “Computer Math Games vs. Paper-based Intervention Games: Effects on Addition Fact Fluency for Second Grade Students” and “Campaign Finance and Corporate First Amendment Protection,” along with many more.
Husbands thinks it is very important for students to come see what their peers have to present.
“One of the secrets to a full and meaningful life is showing up for friends when they are involved in a meaningful event of one kind or another,” Husbands said.
He also says that the Celebration of Research pertains to everyone who attends.
“This is an opportunity to see, hear, learn from and celebrate the hard work of your fellow students,” Husbands said. “At the same time, students can receive a greater sense of what they can accomplish next year in their classes and research.”
Everyone needs models and examples to follow, which is why NW has chosen various students from a number of majors to attend this celebration, providing others with a wide range of options to consider for future years.
Join around 60 NW students on April 12 as they present their projects at the Celebration of Research.
