Celebration of Student Scholarship showcases student research

The third floor of the Adron Doran University Center (ADUC) may normally be a quiet place for students to study, but it was filled with academic activity yesterday thanks to the 14th Annual Celebration of Student Scholarship held Wednesday. 

The event featured 198 presentations that involved 269 undergraduate and graduate student scholars and their 112 faculty mentors. It was presided over by 112 faculty, staff, guest judges and session moderators. 

The Celebration of Student Scholarship showcases the outstanding scholarly work of students involved in the Undergraduate Research Fellowship program to the greater campus community. Initiated in the spring of 2006, the annual celebration has grown into a day-long event of presentations, exhibitions and performances by students from the Caudill College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, the College of Education, the College of Science and the Elmer R. Smith College Business and Technology.   

“Morehead State University has a long history of support for undergraduate research and this has resulted in an environment that embraces faculty mentorship as a means of enhancing student engagement, retention and critical thinking skills,” said said Dr. Mike Henson, associate vice president for research and the dean of the Graduate School. “Participation in the annual celebration is one of multiple paths to success in research and creative activity.” 

Among the 198 presentations, the celebration included 91 oral presentations in the morning and 107 poster presentations in the afternoon, followed by a reception and awards presentation for projects of exceptional merit. Dr. Morgan Getchell, assistant professor of communication at MSU, served as a judge for oral presentations from students in the School of English, Communication, Media and Languages. She said part of what makes the Celebration of Student Scholarship so special is how it serves to honor the students’ effort on their specific projects. 

“It’s the culmination of all the hard work that the students put in,” she said. 

In the ADUC Ballroom, students presented research through posters that demonstrated their work outlining and displaying their research took up much of the ballroom floor. Cameron Goble, a junior neuroscience major from Prestonsburg, was admittedly “terrified” at the thought of presenting his research project for the first time but he said presenting at the Celebration of Student Scholarship proved to be beneficial and rewarding on multiple levels. 

“It gives you the opportunity to give away the knowledge you have learned, but it also gives you the opportunity to get more confidence in yourself,” he said. 
 
A photo gallery for the Celebration of Student Scholarship can be found at www.flickr.com/photos/msu1887/sets/72157706825722571/show. 

For a complete list of winners, click here.
 


For more information about the Celebration of Student Scholarship, contact the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs at 606-783-2010, email b.dehart@moreheadstate.edu or visit www.moreheadstate.edu/research.