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Students take learning to the next step

Photo by: Nick Conley

 

Competition encourages students to take their research papers out of the classroom and into a unique opportunity.

The Student Colloquium started in 1991 as a way to encourage undergraduate scholarship and research. Sponsored by the Beam library, the colloquium is focused on research papers rather than projects.

“The idea behind the Student Colloquium is kind of twofold,” Colloquium director Tammie Willis said. “The first is to encourage a level of scholarship and competitive process that sometimes undergraduate students undergo. And second, it’s to provide our students with the opportunity to present in front of people and get used to that.”

To enter, students must email Willis by Feb. 22 to voice their intention to write a paper.They have until March 25 to submit the finished product.

The papers require a faculty signature, which is meant to encourage students to take the time and work with their professor to get the paper as close to perfect as possible.

“I’ve submitted two papers, once my freshman year and once my junior year,” senior history major Lynneth Miller said. “My junior year, my paper placed, and it moved on to the next phase, which is getting to present it in front of faculty and students at a luncheon. Getting to present in front of my peers was pretty invaluable.”

Miller’s paper was titled “John Calvin and the Theater: Divine and Earthly.” It was 12 pages long, but the essay she plans to submit this year is 26 pages long. Submissions have a ten-page minimum but no maximum.

“All the papers I’ve done have been for classes, so it isn’t any additional work,” Miller said. “The work probably adds up to around five to ten hours a week per semester.”

The papers are chosen from any subject and discipline on campus. The colloquium papers range from English to science to history. Some professors on campus have also competed, like English professor Cami Agan who submitted a paper on “Beowulf.”

“I would definitely encourage students to submit,” Miller said. “It’s something to put on a resume or a curriculum vitae for graduate school that shows that you were willing to pursue opportunities outside of the classroom. I would also encourage them to talk to some of the professors within their department about conference presentation opportunities for research within their disciplines.”

The colloquium also gives students the chance to present their work, which is good experience for conferences.

“Sometimes presenting in front of peers is very different than presenting in front of faculty,” Willis said. “So it gives our students the opportunity to present on a level that you’d find if you went to a conference. Plus, it gives their friends and family a chance to be a part of that as well.”

Last year, the colloquium was combined with the announcement of the winners of the Honor’s Program Student Catalyst award. The winning Catalyst project is not presented, but they have a poster session for those who attend to see.

The judges for the colloquium are professors who volunteer from many different departments on campus. The papers are given to the professors anonymously, and the presentation doesn’t have an impact on the overall winners.

“The judges go on a rubric on what the paper is supposed to have; that’s how they grade them,” Willis said. “They then get together and go over why they graded how they did, and they get a consensus on placing the papers.”

Willis also thanked the faculty for volunteering their time to judge the papers, which can range from 28 papers to five papers.

“I think there is a special appreciation for the faculty members who take the time to evaluate the papers,” Willis said. “On top of everything else they have to do in their classrooms, they feel like this is important enough to encourage students, and so they help out.”

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