VSU Presents Undergraduate Research Symposium April 11-13

VALDOSTA — Valdosta State University will present its 23^rd annual Undergraduate Research Symposium April 11-13.

“We have around 300 students participating in the paper presentations, poster presentations, and three-minute video research competition this year,” said Dr. James T. LaPlant, assistant vice president for research and dean of the Graduate School at VSU.

“Each year I am incredibly impressed with the quality of our undergraduate student research, scholarship, and creative work,” he continued. “The students are making original contributions to the body of knowledge of their disciplines. Many of the students are doing research that we often do not see until the graduate level.”

• Student Debate — 5 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. on Tuesday, April 11, in the Student Union Theater

Coaches and students from VSU’s national championship Forensics (Speech and Debate) Team will discuss whether or not the House believes violent protests are a legitimate counter action to oppression.

• Panel Discussion — 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, April 11, in the Student Union Theater

Dr. Thomas Aiello from VSU’s Department of History and Dr. Jake Newsome from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum will discuss the role of law and legal continuities in both justifying and challenging systemic discrimination in society.

•  Paper Session I — 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, April 12, in the Student Union Theater

Students from the Department of Chemistry, Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, and Department of Modern and Classical Languages will present their original research. 

• Paper Session II — 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 12, in the Student Union Theater

Students from the Department of Political Science, Department of Computer Science, Department of English, and Department of Management and Healthcare Administration will present their original research.

• Paper Session III — 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesday, April 12, in the Student Union Theater

Students from the Department of Modern and Classical Languages, Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Department of Music, and Native American Studies Program will present their original research.

• Paper Session IV — 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, April 12, in the Student Union Theater

Students from the Department of Political Science, Department of Modern and Classical Languages, and Department of Communication Arts will present their original research.

• Three-Minute Video Research Competition — 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, April 12, in the Student Union Theater

The Undergraduate Research Council invited VSU freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors to showcase their original research through the making and presenting of a three-minute video. The top six student videos — created by students in the Department of Art, Department of Chemistry, and Department of Physics, Astronomy, Geosciences, and Engineering Studies — will be presented live. A panel of judges will award cash prizes to the top three.

• Paper Session V — 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, April 13, in the Student Union Theater

Students from the Department of Physics, Astronomy, Geosciences, and Engineering Studies, Department of Communication Arts, Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, and Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminal Justice will present their original research.

• Paper Session VI — 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 13, in the Student Union Theater

Students from the Department of Political Science, Department of Chemistry, Department of Mathematics, and Department of Management and Healthcare Administration will present their original research.

• Paper Session VII — 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursday, April 13, in the Student Union Theater

Students from the Department of Communication Arts, Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminal Justice, Native American Studies Program, and Department of Physics, Astronomy, Geosciences, and Engineering Studies will present their original research.

• Paper Session VIII — 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday, April 13, in the Student Union Theater

Students from the Department of English, Department of Mathematics, Department of Modern and Classical Languages, and Department of Communication Arts will present their original research.

• Poster Session and Reception — 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 13, in the Student Union Ballroom

Students from the School of Health Sciences, School of Nursing, Department of Art, Department of Biology, Department of Chemistry, Department of Communication Arts, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Department of Computer Science, Department of Early Childhood and Special Education, Department of English, Department of Mathematics, Department of Modern and Classical Languages, Native American Studies Program, Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Department of Physics, Astronomy, Geosciences, and Engineering Studies, Department of Political Science, Department of Psychology, Counseling, and Family Therapy, Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminal Justice, and Department of Women’s and Gender Studies will present their original research.

• Awards Ceremony and Presentation of Best Poster Awards — 7:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, April 13, in the Student Union Ballroom

Dr. Brian L. Gerber, interim provost and vice president for the Division of Academic Affairs, will recognize the Best Paper and Best Poster winners in several categories, including sciences, social sciences, nursing and health sciences, education and human services, and arts and humanities.

Admission to all Undergraduate Research Symposium events is free of charge. Faculty, staff, students, alumni, and friends of the university are invited to attend.

All undergraduate students at VSU are encouraged to submit proposals to the Undergraduate Research Symposium each year. Selection decisions are made at the academic department or college level, LaPlant noted.

VSU is committed to increasing the opportunities available for undergraduate students to participate in research through specialized courses, engagement in internships and service learning, and other opportunities. This has many benefits, according to the university’s Council on Undergraduate Research, as students who engage in research activities are able to build relationships resulting in enhanced learning with their faculty mentors, are more likely to be retained, are more likely to pursue advanced degrees, have an increased knowledge base of research methodology, and are more likely to promote an innovation-oriented culture.

Contact Dr. James T. LaPlant at (229) 333-5694 or jlaplant@valdosta.edu for more information.