On Thursday, Oct. 16, West Chester University will showcase the first ever Research Instills Skills and Knowledge (RISK) symposium. Over the past summer, a small group of West Chester students participated in the first ever Summer Undergraduate Research Institute (SURI) event. For one month, a select group of dedicated students stayed in West Chester and conducted research on proposals submitted during the Spring 2014 semester. Students from all disciplines were chosen, and every Friday all student researchers met, discussed their research, and compared research methods from different disciplines.
Now, they get to display their accomplishments for the University to see. The sponsor of RISK, the Office of Sponsored Research, has split the presenters into two groups: oral presenters and poster presenters. The poster presentations will take place in Sykes’ ballroom A, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., and the oral presenters in Sykes Conference rooms 209 and 210, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., both on Oct. 16. Each oral presenter has been allotted 15 minutes for speaking, followed by a brief Q&A session. Some sample oral topics include: LGBTQ Police, Chemistry of LEDs, and Eating Disorders. Poster presentations include topics from Criminal Justice, Antropology & Sociology, Kinesiology, Nurtrition, Physics, and Health. The symposium is open to all faculty and students.
“The RISK symposium is the first university-wide opportunity specifically for undergraduate students from all colleges to discuss their research and creative activities with the rest of the campus community,” Dr. Gautam Pillay, the associate vice-president for research, said. “We hope that all students will be able to take some time out of their busy schedules to talk with these student researchers and the faculty who will discuss available research projects that need student participation.”
Adam Farence is a fourth-year student majoring in history and French. He can be reached at AF764146@wcupa.edu.