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| Spring 2017 COST Research Day organizers, keynote speaker, Dean and poster winners |
“Research is
formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose.” - Zora Neale Hurston
“Research is what I’m
doing when I don’t know what I’m doing.” - Wernher Von Braun
Research at most institutions of higher learning has
always been a way of life to one degree or another. While some colleges and
universities have been labeled as “teaching institutions” and are often
differentiated from “research institutions,” research is definitely an integral
part of college and university life, regardless of what the institution’s major
emphasis may be.
Let’s look at it this way: Theory and pedagogy in many
disciplines each create a sturdy foundation for future inquiry and exploration;
and yet both were more often than not, end
products of the research process itself.
Perhaps this cyclical phenomenon undergirds the importance of research as an
ongoing human endeavor, both at institutions of higher learning and in
societies as a whole.
Specifically, research activities have always played
an important role here at Bloomsburg University. As an example, emphasis upon
research has been at the heart of the College of Science and Technology since
its inception in the early years of the new millennium. Even earlier on in the
late 80’s, BU chemistry students often gave research presentations on the last
day of each semester. Shortly after the birth of COST, Dean Robert Marande
helped to formalize the presentation process by thinking that it would be
beneficial for all student researchers in the College to have the opportunity
to present their research findings before a wider audience beyond the confines
of their classrooms. Consequently, the College of Science and Technology’s
Research Day was born.
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| Keynote Speaker Dr. Jennifer Whisner |
This year’s Research Day began with an excellent
keynote address by Dr. Jennifer Whisner an Associate Professor in the EGGS
Department, who offered an interesting overview of the trials, tribulations,
joys, and frustrations of the undergraduate research process. Following Dr.
Whisner’s talk, there was a brief break
which set the stage for the Poster Session. It must be said that each of the
posters exhibited a high quality of professionalism and visual appeal. It
appeared as though the judges had their
work cut out for them, given the quality of the posters.
All posters were judged based upon their coverage of
the topic, use of graphics, quality of layout and design, accessibility/readability
of the text, well documented sources, and the quality of the creator’s oral
presentation. The three posters that won the first, second, and third places
respectively in the competition were Lauren
Chamberlin (“Investigating the Presences of Synapsin III in Human Sperm”), Shana Wagner (“The Effect of Peroxisome
Proliferator- Activated Receptors on Estrogen Receptors in Malignant
Melanoma”), and Ryan Sullivan
(Analyzing Local and Regional Groundwater Flow using ArcGIS within Columbia
County, PA”). Honorable Mentions were awarded to Haley
Kravitz, Madison Aungst, Kirk Jeffreys, Mark R. Drumm, Elliott Fackler, Morgan Ruziecki, Daniel F. McGann and Luke A. Long Jr.
All in all, Research Day offered an
impressive panoply of work on the part of all BU Science and Technology
students. Inquiring minds here at Bloomsburg University are indeed alive and
well and in some cases, may hold the keys which will unlock the doors to
discoveries that may well improve the quality of life here on earth in the
not-too-distant future.
Kudos to all who participated in this
important yearly event, as well as to all who worked behind the scenes to make
it successful!
- Michael Stephans
