Celebrating
12 Years of Student-Faculty Collaboration
For 12 years, every April on
a Saturday, hundreds of Smith students step in front of an
audience and present their research, developed in collaboration
with faculty members.
 , on Saturday, April 20, will feature more than 400
students giving more than 250 presentations, assisted by
more than 120 faculty members across all disciplines.
Students
will present in a range of categories, including the sciences,
literature, performing arts, sociology and language studies.
The presentations represent senior theses, independent study
and research.
The day begins at 8:30 a.m.
with a science poster session in the Campus Center, followed
by a wide range of presentations in Seelye Hall, beginning
at 10:45 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 2:45 p.m.
Refreshments will
accompany the poster session from 8 to 10:30 a.m. Also, a
campus-wide luncheon, accompanied by the Smith College Jazz
Ensemble, will be served in Scott Gymnasium, 11:30 a.m. to
1:15 p.m. (lunch will not be served in
campus dining rooms).
And for the first time, a “Collaborations Recital,” at 4:15 p.m. in Sweeney
Concert Hall, Sage, will feature vocal and instrumental chamber
music performed by students and faculty, followed by a reception.
“Celebrating Collaborations” is free and open to the public.
For student participants in “Celebrating Collaborations,” the event
offers an opportunity to hone an invaluable skill not easily obtained. For most,
gaining comfort in giving presentations comes only from giving presentations.
In the opportunity it affords, “Celebrating Collaborations” is a unique event
within the undergraduate curriculum.
In its 12 years, “Celebrating Collaborations” has
not only become a valued component of Smith’s annual academic culture, it has
also served as a model for similar events at peer institutions.
Behind the student
presentations is the cooperative guidance of faculty members.
And while some of the presentation titles reflect highly
technical subject matter, others are pertinent to modern
social, health and political issues.
Consider these titles
from the morning science poster session: “Rural Electrification in South Africa:
Design Challenges and Considerations,” a presentation by Jennifer Holliday ’13; “Design
of a Scalp Cooling Device to Reduce Hair Loss during Chemotherapy” by seniors
Sofia Goodrich, Linda Son and Sarah Weber; “Greene Infrastructure for an Aging
Storm Water System” by Salma Bargach ’14 and Natasha Krell ’16; and “The Brain
Changes Associated with Fatigue” by seniors Bushra Anis and Gloria Kim.
Afternoon
sessions range across disciplines with presentations on education,
history, literature, archival and museum studies, global
studies, philosophy, dance, economics and many other topics. |
