News

UWF Student Scholars Symposium to highlight research, creative work of students and faculty

The public is invited to attend the University of West Florida Students Scholar Symposium and Faculty Research Showcase from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Thursday, April 20. Activities will be held in the Commons, the Conference Center and the Music Hall of the Center for Fine and Performing Arts.

The free event features the research and creative work of UWF students and faculty. Highlighted in the program are those students whose projects received support from the Office of Undergraduate Research, including many who presented their research at regional and national conferences this year.

“There are new formats this year,” said Dr. Allison Beauregard Schwartz, director of the UWF Office of Undergraduate Research. “Previously, there were only poster presentations. This year, we have a wide range of formats including three-minute oral presentations, research panel discussions, art exhibitions and musical performances.”

The event will include more than 350 research exhibits representing the work of more than 500 undergraduate, graduate and faculty authors. The work spans 38 departments across UWF’s five academic colleges.

Examples of presentation topics include:

Engineering: A show-and-tell session featuring a solar car made out of a golf cart.           

Music: A lecture recital called “Beethoven’s ‘Spring Sonata’ and Other Fake News in the Context of the Classical Sonata Form.”

Archaeology: A presentation that compares different methods of stabilizing artifacts recovered from shipwreck sites in terms of effectiveness and cost.

Environmental science: A collaboration among students and faculty in the environmental science and art departments that highlights research about water quality and the visual characteristics in photographs taken from remotely operated vehicles.

“The symposium offers a great way for UWF faculty and students to see what might be possible and get ideas for future research projects,” Schwartz said. “We also like to invite high school students and prospective students so they can explore the many opportunities to engage in research at UWF.”

For more information on the event, visit uwf.edu/offices/undergraduate-research/student-symposium-faculty-research-showcase/about-symposium.