Monday, November 20, 2006
Vectren RISC Showcase presents “fantastic learning
opportunities”
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USI’s six-year-old undergraduate research conference will have a higher profile on campus next year. The 2007 Vectren RISC Showcase will be held over two days, during the week – on Thursday and Friday, April 12-13, 2007. Dr. Jim Durbin, program chair and associate professor of geology, said the date change from a Saturday to two weekdays is intended to help boost faculty and student involvement in the showcase, and increase attendance at the conference. Durbin strongly encourages faculty to make their students aware of the opportunity to present research and other creative efforts such as photography, literary analysis, theatre, engineering projects, science experiments and research, and business analysis at the showcase. Any student who is doing faculty-guided research of any kind is eligible to submit research for presentation, regardless of whether or not RISC grant money was awarded, or even requested. He also said he hoped that faculty would incorporate student projects into their spring 2007 curriculum for students to present at the showcase as part of requirements for the course. “Even if their students don’t present their own research, faculty should make sure they keep April 12-13 in mind so they can incorporate the RISC showcase into their curricular activities for their classes,” he said. For example, classes could evaluate and critique talks and posters related to their topical information, and ask questions of the presenters. “It presents fantastic learning opportunities for students, both presenters and those listening to the talks. All students who do participate in the conference find the Q and A sessions extremely rewarding. It is beneficial to everyone who comes.” Poster presentations will be on display on Thursday afternoon. That evening, there will be a banquet for student presenters and faculty mentors, followed by a keynote address that will be open to the public. The keynote speaker will be Greg Marshall, executive producer and director of remote imaging at National Geographic magazine. Marshall is a scientist, filmmaker, and creator of the “Crittercam” used in the Oscar-winning film, “March of the Penguins.” Durbin hopes to work with other faculty to arrange a showing of the film on campus in the days leading up to the showcase. Oral presentations by student scholars will be held on Friday, allowing poster presenters the opportunity to attend the talks. The RISC program is designed to encourage independent faculty-guided undergraduate research and creative projects. RISC grants, administered by the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence, provide students with funding to initiate or continue such projects, and the RISC Showcase provides an arena for them to present, demonstrate, or display their academic work to fellow students, faculty members, and the public. “We want to strengthen our community of scholars, and all disciplines in the University need to know what the other disciplines are doing – and are capable of doing,” Durbin said. “Opportunities for cross-fertilization, where faculty and students can go across different colleges and different disciplines and start to think about collaborative research efforts are an achievable goal. “It’s a great learning opportunity for faculty, as well as students.” The deadline to submit abstracts is March 16, 2007. For more information, contact Durbin at 812/465-1208. |
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