News Center

Allegheny College will welcome students, their families and friends, staff, faculty and the public to a celebration of student research and achievement on Tuesday, April 30.

This will be the College’s third annual Richard J. Cook – Teresa M. Lahti Scholars Symposium, a campus-wide, all-day celebration that highlights innovative student projects completed during the past academic year.

“The Cook-Lahti Scholars Symposium gives the Allegheny community a unique opportunity to come together. The day is not just a celebration of the students presenting but is a celebration of our community as a whole. We celebrate the hard work of all students — from first-year students to seniors — who have engaged in experiences that have impacted their own lives and that have made our community a better place,” said Aimee Knupsky, chair of the Psychology Department and director of the Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activities Office in the Allegheny Gateway.

“We also celebrate the dedication of all staff and faculty who have supported these students — both in and out of the classroom,” Knupsky said. “Allegheny College is a community dedicated to rigorous learning and to the application of that learning — whether that is through research, internships, civic engagement and community-based work, or study away opportunities. The Scholars Symposium gives us the chance to pause, reflect, and appreciate all these efforts.”

• The day’s events will start with a mentor breakfast for rising sophomores and juniors who want to learn more about research opportunities and learn about the scope of the required senior capstone projects. (This event is open only to Allegheny students; registration is required.)
• Gateway Spotlight events will be held in various locations at 11 a.m. During this session, students from all years and all majors will present projects and activities that they completed over the past academic year. Guests can learn more about Allegheny’s innovative experiential learning center that houses career services, pre-professional and graduate school advising, research funding and fellowships, internship opportunities and more.
• The afternoon features the Keynote Session in the Tippie Alumni Center at 1 p.m. with Professor Ivelitza Garcia from the Chemistry Department reflecting upon what undergraduate research has meant to her and her students. Then, three seniors from various departments and programs will give eight-minute presentations describing their senior project results and experiences.

• 

  Poster sessions in Pelletier Library will begin at 2:15 p.m., where students will discuss their senior projects. Approximately 50 students will present their work.
• At 4 p.m., the Honors Convocation in Ford Chapel will be held, where student prizes are announced. A reception will follow in Pelletier Library at 5 p.m.
• At 6 p.m. in the Montgomery Performance Space, the minors for the Dance and Movement Studies program showcase their work in a special performance. “The Dance and Movement Studies event is a special event this year highlighting the creative activities portion of URSCA — Undergraduate Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activities,” Knupsky said.
• The 14th Annual Student-Athlete Awards Celebration will take place at 7 p.m. in Shafer Auditorium.
• Some scholar symposium events already have been held, such as the Senior Projects Art Show. Other events feature presentations of senior projects, including film screenings and creative-writing readings, all held during April.

“I think the best opportunity one can have is to learn, and the end of the year symposium provides students with this opportunity. As someone who is both a musician and a scientist, it is a way to show others that you don’t have to do art or science; it is very possible to do both,” says senior Katharine Hubert. “Thus, the day itself truly represents the “unusual combinations” motto, where we indulge in the passions of others, closing off the year in a day of celebratory learning.”

A complete schedule of events and more information is available here. Unless otherwise noted, all Scholars Symposium events are free and open to the public. For more information, contact the Allegheny Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activities Office at (814) 332-6270.