Scholars Symposium 2017

Illustration by Sarah Seitanakis

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

NOTE: All Allegheny students, faculty, and staff are invited to attend the following events. In addition, we welcome family members as well as members of the Meadville community. Please share this schedule with anyone who would be interested in joining us.

MENTOR BREAKFAST–RSVP REQUIRED

9:00 AM – 10:00 AM, Campus Center Lobby

Are you a first or second year student interested in opportunities to engage in research, internships, civic engagement, or other Allegheny opportunities like these? Would you like to talk with students and faculty who have participated in such opportunities in the past?  If so, please apply to attend the Celebration Day Mentor Breakfast on Tuesday, May 2nd. The Mentor Breakfast is a casual, catered breakfast where first year and second year students can mingle and talk with seniors, professors, and Gateway representatives about how to get involved in these opportunities at Allegheny. Because breakfast will be provided and we want to have a sufficient number of mentors available, this is an RSVP event and is limited to the first 75 students who sign-up. If you are interested in participation, please fill out the Google Form no later than Wednesday, April 26th by 5:00 p.m.


STUDENT SPOTLIGHT SESSION

10:00 AM – 10:50 AM, VARIOUS LOCATIONS (see below)

During this session, concurrent panels will highlight the exemplary and creative work that Allegheny College students have completed this past year. Panel ideas were submitted by the students and selected by the URSCA office for participation. They include:

URSCA in the Humanities, Carnegie Hall Room 100

Students in this session present research conducted with faculty mentors in the humanities. The first project by Lynsey Brame is entitled, Examining Latina Representation on Orange is the New Black. The second project by Rebecca Duch is entitled Women’s Right to Sexual Pleasure in “The One Thousand and One Nights.” The audience will have the opportunity to talk with the students about how they got involved in this work and what advice they have for others who may be interested in developing similar projects. Read more about the topic of these papers here.

URSCA in the Social Sciences, Carnegie Hall Room 101

Students in this session will present interdisciplinary research conducted across the social sciences and humanities. The first project by Hayley Diemer is entitled, Russian Incarceration Systems as a Source of MDR-TB: Global Health Implications, Ethics, and Solutions. The second project by Angela Mauroni and Sydney Fernandez is entitled The Face Behind the Bars: American Indians and the Criminal Justice System. The audience will have the opportunity to talk with the students about how they got involved in this work and what advice they have for others who may be interested in developing similar projects. Read more about the topic of these papers here.

URSCA in the Natural Sciences, Carnegie Hall Room 105

Students in this session will present research in the natural sciences. The first project by Hannah Fischer is entitled Time-Dependent Release of Methylene Blue from Polymer Films for the Prevention of Anaphylaxis. The second project by Megan Arnold is entitled Investigating the Molecular Mechanisms of Muscle Contraction Using Electron Microscopy. The audience will have the opportunity to talk with the students about how they got involved in this work and what advice they have for others who may be interested in developing similar projects. Read more about the topic of these projects here.

Community Efforts to Increase Food Security in Meadville, Carnegie Hall Room 110

Under the Community Wellness Initiative (CWI), students have been able to participate in community-based work addressing food insecurity in Meadville. Three major projects have been conducted where student participation has been integral. Students working with the MARC Community Garden have interviewed community members on their experiences in the garden. We have documented positive social, economic, environmental, and health benefits of this project from these interviews. Student interns and senior compers have also been involved at the middle school, writing, teaching, and sharing garden-based education lessons to promote the Farm-to-School movement in local school districts. The French Creek Food Hub project has allowed students to survey local residents on food access, involve computer science and communication arts students in web design and branding, and student researchers have helped design a mobile food market that will be visiting Meadville neighborhoods this spring delivering locally grown foods.

The New York Arts Program: A Study Away Semester in New York City, Carnegie Hall Room 112

The NYAP provided us with the opportunity for hands on experience in the fine arts field while also allowing us to experience life in New York City. We would like to increase awareness in the Allegheny Community about this unique program for Arts students by sharing our experiences and answering questions for students who may want to participate in the future.


GATEWAY SPOTLIGHT SESSION

11:00 AM – 11:50 AM, VARIOUS LOCATIONS (see below)

During this session, concurrent panels will highlight student work and experiences that were selected by offices of the Gateway to demonstrate the kind of opportunities available for students in the Gateway. They include:

Student Service Leader Corps, Campus Center Room 206

Civic Engagement at Allegheny College is driven by student service leaders. This year we have over 70 service leaders who partner with local agencies and mobilize other students to make an impact in the community beyond campus. This corps of leaders comprises Allegheny Volunteer Service Leaders, Bonner Service Leaders, and Davies Service Leaders.  A representative from each of these groups will share their experiences and what they have learned.

Study Away Experiences, Campus Center Room 301

Interested in exploring another area of the world and experiencing a new culture? Come hear about the experiences of Allegheny students who studied away in Belgium, China, Morocco, and Germany.  Learn about what they did on a daily basis, how their language skills improved, academic credit they earned while abroad, where they lived, and new friendships they made both in and outside of the classroom. Students will also share about the benefits of study abroad, advice for the application process, explain how they funded their experiences, and how they imagine it will impact their future plans.

Global Citizen Scholars Program, Campus Center Room 302

The Global Citizen Scholars Program is a selective curricular and co-curricular three-year educational program of the Gateway that integrates civic engagement, diversity and global learning. The panel will consist of volunteers from our first cohort. Come learn about this new program and how to connect with this Gateway initiative.  You will be inspired!

The IDEAS Center History Project, Campus Center Room 303

Want to learn more about Allegheny College’s history of underrepresented students and faculty? If so, join Christopher David Miller, IDEAS Center Historian Intern, for an informative presentation highlighting some of  Allegheny’s very own hidden figures. He will answer questions such as, “Who were the first students of color to enroll and graduate from Allegheny and what did they do afterward?” and “What is the history of diversity organizations here on campus?” Miller will also present some of his own thoughts regarding Allegheny’s commitment to diversity both historically and at the present moment.

Alumni Stories: Foreign Language Study Took Me Places, Pelletier Collaboratory

Dynamic Allegheny alumni return to share how their language study informs and contributes to their career development.  This session caters to students pursuing languages or International Studies as well as international and bi-lingual students at Allegheny who may be pondering life beyond graduation.  PLEASE NOTE! Students must register to attend.


CELEBRATION DAY KEYNOTE SESSION

1:00 PM – 2:00 PM, TILLOTSON ROOM OF TIPPIE ALUMNI CENTER

At this session, President Mullen will introduce our guest speaker, President Emeritus Richard J. Cook, who will provide a brief address about the importance of URSCA and share a special announcement with the community. Following his remarks, three seniors will give eight minute presentations of their senior projects. They are Jack Ohrman ’17, Environmental Studies and Studio Art; Jocelyne Serafin ’17, Political Science and Communication Arts; Lora Waybright ’17, Neuroscience and International Studies. You can see titles and descriptions for their talks here. Finally, the 2016-2017 Library Research Award recipients will be recognized. The winners of the three main categories are Andrew Skelly (junior seminar/senior project category), Brianna Kunes (FSBio 201), and Rachael Robertson (faculty-student collaboration). We will also recognize Nadiya Wahl ’17 who won first place in the Arts, Humanities, Business, and Social and Behavioral Sciences Division at the Undergraduate Research at the Capitol-Harrisburg conference.


SENIOR POSTER SESSION

2:15 PM – 3:45 PM, PELLETIER LIBRARY, GATEWAY AND MAIN FLOOR

For the past 12 years, Allegheny College has held a Senior Project Poster Symposium to highlight work from nominated students across all departments and programs. This year, we continue that celebration and have also added students nominated by offices in the Gateway. At this session, you can learn about research representing the humanities, the natural and social sciences, interdisciplinary pursuits, and Gateway endeavors such as internships, civic engagement projects, and international experiences.


HONORS CONVOCATION

4:00 PM – 5:00 PM, FORD CHAPEL

At this special ceremony, student prizes are announced and awarded by representatives of all the departments and programs at Allegheny College. In addition, the valedictorian of the 2017 graduating class will speak and the teaching awards will be announced.


CELEBRATION DAY RECEPTION

5:00 PM – 6:00 PM, PELLETIER LIBRARY, MAIN FLOOR

Following the Honors Convocation, we invite everyone to join us at the Celebration Day reception on the main floor of the Pelletier Library. Snacks and drinks will be provided and this will be the last chance to explore the senior posters on exhibit.


STUDENT-ATHLETE CELEBRATION

7:30 PM, RAYMOND P. SHAFER AUDITORIUM

The Allegheny College community is invited to attend the 2017 Senior Student-Athlete Awards Celebration. The Department of Athletics encourages all faculty, staff, administrators and friends of the department to join us as we look back at the outstanding accomplishments of our student-athletes this past year, in addition to celebrating the four-year careers of the senior class. If you have any questions about this event, please contact Bill Ross at (814) 332-2316.