Student Scholar Symposium continues virtually despite pandemic

The biannual symposium held its second online event to provide undergraduate students a way to present their research and creative projects. Photo by Chapman University

From oral presentation topics on feminist performance art utilizing body fluids to lectures on socioeconomic status and common cold susceptibility, the Student Scholar Symposium Dec. 2 demonstrated a wide array of research, hosted and presented by Chapman students. The Center for Undergraduate Excellence put on the biannual event, which aims to celebrate the scholarly research and creative expression of Chapman undergraduates. 

Julye Bidmead, the director of the Center of Undergraduate Excellence, said that approximately 100 students participated in the online showcase, presenting on a spectrum of academic disciplines like molecular biology, political science and music via Zoom breakout rooms.

“One advantage is to see what students in other disciplines are doing,” Bidmead said. “You could be a Dodge (College of Film and Media Arts) student and not know what's going on in the labs, but at the Student Scholar Symposium, you walk around and you see that.”

During the last 10 years, Lisa Kendrick, the operations manager at the Center for Undergraduate Excellence, said the Student Scholar Symposium has evolved from a one-day conference consisting of only poster presentations to a multi-day event that incorporates oral presentations, poster presentations, performing arts and film. 

Typically, the Student Scholar Symposium is a three to four-day long event held in conference rooms and classrooms across campus. In prior years, the Center for Undergraduate Excellence has invited keynote speakers, provided dinner and presented students with poster awards.

Kendrick said that faculty worked hard to provide students with some kind of normalcy, despite being limited by the online format.

“All of the larger and more fun aspects of the conference got scaled back because of the coronavirus pandemic,” Kendrick said. “We had to enter the virtual world, which we are still learning (about) and trying to navigate through.” 

One persevering aspect of the conference was the application process for students, who were required to write an abstract explaining their research concept, research question and any methods of data collection. Once accepted by the Center for Undergraduate Excellence, students collaborated with an academic adviser to guide them through their work. Ann Gordon, an associate dean of Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, served as an academic adviser for many undergraduate students enrolled in her Political Research Design and Senior Seminar in American Politics courses.

“(My students have) been preparing all semester by doing research, writing drafts, learning how to do data analysis and learning how to make tables,” Gordon said. “All of these skills have prepared my students for their presentations.”

Leana Sottile, a second-year graduate student working toward their master’s degree in War and Society, participated in the symposium as an undergraduate. Sottile believes the conference gave them not only the ability to share research and ideas with the greater Chapman community, but also the valuable experience that’s shaped their journey to become a professor. 

“Everyone thinks that research is a STEM thing and that you can only do research in (science, technology, engineering or) math fields. That’s a lie,” Sottile said. “Students in the humanities can do research and students in the arts can do creative activities. The Student Scholar Symposium really just encompasses so many disciplines of research and gives you the practice needed to succeed in academia.”