Not so long ago, nearing completion of my master\u2019s degree at Dartmouth College, I found myself presenting research from my dissertation to a room filled with suited and booted professors, classmates, and college community members. I had practiced the night before, and felt confident. My research was strong, the paper well-written, and the audience was keen to hear me speak. It went well but, in hindsight, it also could have gone better. Now, having attended the recent Undergraduate Summer Research Symposium here at Colorado College, I think that I might know why.<\/p>\n
One of the great strengths of a CC education is the near-requirement to actively engage with and seek out materials, texts, and topics. The Block Plan allows dexterity of thought and process to develop over time, both in faculty and students.<\/p>\n
The Undergraduate Summer Research Symposium in September served as the perfect showcase for these two groups, highlighting their combined research projects.<\/p>\n
Held in the Edith Kinney Gaylord Cornerstone Arts Center, more than 100 members of the Colorado College community gathered to view presentations and poster sessions from CC students and their faculty supervisors. The symposium was sponsored by the President\u2019s Office\u00a0and the Dean\u2019s Office.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was so wonderful to see the enthusiasm in the students as they presented their work from this past summer,\u201d said Lyrae Williams, assistant vice president for institutional planning and effectiveness.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was exciting to see the results of all the planning and work that went into this summer\u2019s projects, including those funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation in the humanities and humanistic social sciences,\u201d she said. \u201cNext year will be even bigger!\u201d<\/p>\n
The summer of student and faculty collaborative research was funded by the Faculty Student Collaborative Grant and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Grant.\u00a0The Faculty Student Collaborative Grant involves students in the research of a CC faculty member, providing them with first-hand research and presentation experience to complement their classroom experiences at CC. Offering students $2,500 for a 10-week commitment and their faculty mentors $500 toward their research, this grant is a vital part of CC\u2019s continued commitment to involving students in experiences that provide immersive and explorative learning.<\/p>\n
One presentation was that of history and political science major Erik Laitos \u201915<\/b>, who worked with Professor of History Susan Ashley on research titled \u201cDeviance in the Fin-de-Siecle: Misfits and Sexual Inverts.\u201d The culmination of a summer\u2019s work, Laitos combined Ashley\u2019s research into medical analyses, diagnoses, and treatments of \u201cmisfits\u201d in the late-19th century with his own manuscript review, revision, and bibliographic assistance.<\/p>\n
Laitos said that despite having \u201cno previous background in archival research,\u201d he was able to glean a huge amount from the complex, high-level research.<\/p>\n
\u201cI spent hours poring through books and articles, making me a more informed student and a much better researcher,\u201d he said. \u201cMy summer research experience proved invaluable in improving my time management, organization, and independent study skills.\u201d<\/p>\n
Poster sessions ranged as greatly as the presentations, with topics ranging from anaerobic capacity testing to African sleeping sickness to research into George Gershwin\u2019s \u201cRhapsody in Blue.\u201d<\/p>\n
Williams said she was \u201ctaken by the buzz of energy in the main space of Cornerstone from the excitement of the poster presentations and the previous oral presentations. I only wish I could have talked to every student who had participated in the project this summer.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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