By Jason Nemcosky '07
Research. It's a common word on college and university campuses, but Virginia Wesleyan has taken it to another level with its second annual Undergraduate Research Symposium.
To celebrate the hard work and academic accomplishments of students, the 2007 Undergraduate Research Symposium will highlight student research from an array of academic departments including Art, Criminal Justice, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Environmental Studies, History, Business, Computer Science, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology and Theatre. The Symposium will give students the opportunity to formally present their research and display their projects.
Associate Professor of Biology Dr. Maynard Schaus says the event showcases the best research conducted by Virginia Wesleyan students. "It's a chance to highlight the most outstanding research projects done by students across all disciplines," he said.
The Symposium will officially kick-off at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 18 in the Pearce Hospitality Suite in the Jane P. Batten Student Center. This year's commencement will feature presentations from the Social Sciences Division with a keynote address delivered by Dr. Stephen Mansfield, director of archives for the College.
More than 30 students will participate in the Symposium, many of whom are upperclassman. Senior Dan Proud, a mathematics and biology major, conducted his research through his Biology 489 class: Research in the Natural Sciences. Proud's research titled, "Parental Care and Multiple Paternity in the Cranaid Harvestmen of Trinidad, W.I," will focus on observations of parental care he made during field work in Trinidad last summer. For his project, Proud conducted two small-scale experiments to assess the homing ability of nymphs as well as the effect of adult removal on the juveniles of the nest.
Another student presenting research is sophomore Matthew Ryan, a liberal arts management program (LAMP) and communications major. Ryan traveled to Vieques, Puerto Rico over spring break to study the island which was used as a bombing station and radar range by the U.S. Navy for six decades.
Ryan's research titled, "The Environment, Health, and Sustainable Development in Vieques," will show how natives were affected by the bombings and future development of the land. Today, locals claim there is a significant contamination on the island that has a direct link to the high cancer rates.
While on the island, Ryan shot 14 hours of video footage with the help of Dr. Steven Emmanuel, Batten Professor of philosophy. "We interviewed many people on the island including the refuge manager, the local Catholic priest and the leader of the local protest movement," Ryan said. "We concluded that everyone, without a doubt, has a love for the land but they disagree on how it should be used."
Senior Amanda Wolk, a theatre and English major, will display her work she completed on campus in December 2006. Wolk is presenting, "The Light Within," a play she directed with the assistance of Associate Professor of Theatre Dr. Sally Shedd.
"I scripted the play over the summer, then cast the show and began rehearsals in September," Wolk said. Her presentation will be an overview of the process, how she made choices about staging and costuming and the background of the play.
The Symposium is a great chance for the campus community to take a peek at what students have been doing throughout the year. In addition, some projects have been in the works for years.
Even though Proud is presenting research, he plans to attend as many talks as possible, across all disciplines. "It's a great opportunity to listen to what other undergraduate students have found through their research," he said, adding, "as well as to share the results of my work with them."
View a full schedule of scheduled projects, times and places.