Two hundred faculty and staff participated in the annual research showcase on April 25 at Cal U. Strike-A-Spark is intended to be an undergraduate student's first step on a path to a career, presentations at national or regional conferences.
Students Samantha Gloeckl (left) and Allison Greenlief discuss their work with Dr. Gregg Gould, director of the Center for Undergraduate Research.
An academic showcase continues to create opportunities and broaden learning skills for Cal U students.
The fourth annual Strike-A-Spark Conference, presented by the Center for Undergraduate Research and the Faculty Professional Development Center, featured the research, scholarship, creative activity and application of Cal U's students and faculty through presentations, performances, posters and other displays.
Dr. Gregg Gould, the center's director, said 200 faculty and students -- a conference record -- presented their work at the event held April 25 in the Convocation Center.
For many students, having their work on public display was a new experience -- one
they hope to repeat at different venues before they graduate.
Biology majors Karrie Baker and Chloe Wheatley presented a poster exploring how lithium
dosages cause hyperactive effects in tadpole embryos.
"This was our first time doing this type of presentation, which was different and expanded how we learn," said Baker, a junior.
The two are thinking about presenting at next year's Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
University Biologists (CPUB) annual meeting.
"It's something we are looking into. We'll use this experience moving forward," Baker
added.
Undergraduate research is considered a high-impact practice with multiple benefits for students. In addition to taking a deep dive into a specific topic, students gain broad-based skills in research design, data collection and analysis, information literacy and communication.
Junior Joshua Blattenberger, a University Honors Program student majoring in English, presented at Strike-A-Spark after showcasing his scholarship in early April at the National Conferences on Undergraduate Research (NCUR), held at the University of Central Oklahoma.
His poster was titled "Monstrosity in Ignorance: How Inhuman Film Monsters Represent Humanity's Fear of the Unknown."
"I suppose I did it the opposite way, but both conferences were great experiences, and I really enjoyed speaking about the work," Blattenberger said.
"I am definitely more prepared and can't wait to do this again."
Garrett Smyth, a first-year theater major, presented a poster about humor research he conducted for his Honors Composition II course.
"I was sort of baffled by this at the beginning, but I found the research made me understand and appreciate ... humor research theories," Smyth said.
"Being in the Honors Program, I know I will be doing this type of public presenting again."
Senior Senneca Davis presented her research -- "A Critical Analysis of Police Brutality Against African Americans Through a Social Work Perspective" -- for the first time at last year's Strike-A-Spark event.
Two larger conference presentations followed, at the PASSHE Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Conference, and the State System Summit on Inclusive Excellence and International Education.
This year, Davis' work is set to be published in the Keystone Journal of Undergraduate Research, which is open to students from any of the 14 State System universities.
Davis, who will earn her bachelor's degree in social work this spring, credits her faculty mentor, Dr. Azadeh Block, with helping with the research, conference presentation and journal publication processes.
"Strike-A-Spark is a nice way to get feedback," Davis said. "The publishing process is a huge learning curve. It was so important to have someone like Dr. Block to guide me through."
With, perhaps, master's and doctoral degrees in her future, Davis says building on her undergraduate research is a possibility.
Keynote speaker Dr. Stephanie Wallach, assistant vice provost for Undergraduate Education at Carnegie Mellon University, praised Cal U for holding a conference she called "intellectually inclusive."
Conferences like Strike-A-Spark do more than prepare students to engage in research-oriented professional careers; they also can be useful when seeking internships, applying to graduate school or entering the workforce, she said.
"Through research, you have not only successfully completed course credits in an unconventional way, you've also developed intellectual depth and can now talk authoritatively about the experience of using advanced learning beyond the classroom.
"That experience sets you apart from most other students," she told the presenters. "You are fashioning your own unique story line."