The 2014 Symposium Schedule is Complete!

The students, the faculty mentors, the members of the URCA Committee, and the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences have worked hard over the last five weeks to polish abstracts and finalize plans.  Now, we are pleased to announce that the schedule for the 2014 URCA Symposium is available!  Click here to view and print the schedule.

Check Out Our New Display!

Next time you're near the AU Library, stop in and check out the URCA display in the case near the elevators on the main floor.  We're hoping the display will serve as a reminder to students to submit their abstracts, and as a way to get everyone excited for this year's event.  Many thanks to the Library staff, especially Reference and Instruction Librarian Kathryn Venditti, for allowing us to use the display case!

Abstract Workshop Set

The Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (URCA) Symposium Committee will hold an abstract preparation workshop on Wednesday, January 8th at 8:00 p.m. in Schar 103.  Reservations are not necessary.  All students who are eligible to present at this year's URCA Symposium are welcome.  Students should bring drafts fo their abstracts-in-progress to the workshop, where they will receive individualized feedback from a member of the URCA Symposium Committee.

The 5th Annual URCA Symposium will highlight the research, scholarly, and creative activities of students throughout Ashland University's College of Arts and Sciences, and will be held on Tuesday, April 1, 2014.  All students who are declared majors in a program within the College of Arts and Sciences are encouraged to participate in this year's Symposium.  Presenters may choose to give an oral presentation, poster presentation, exhibition, or a performance.  All presentations should have a significant research or creative component; examples include, but are not limited to summer research conducted at AU or elsewhere, results of independent study projects, thesis work, literary readings or analyses, musical or theatre performaces, and exhibitions of artwork.

Students who wish to present at the Symposium must prepare an abstract in Microsoft Word and email that Word document to the URCA Symposium Committee at au.urca@gmail.com.  Instructions for how to prepare a submission, as well as sample abstracts, can be found here on the blog by clicking the navigation tabs along the top.  All abstracts submitted require approval of a faculty sponsor.  The deadline for submitting abstracts is 5:00 p.m. on Friday, January 17, 2014.

Ashland URCA Blog: Submission Instructions

The Call for Abstracts for the Fifth Annual URCA Symposium has just been released!  Click the link below for more details.

Ashland URCA Blog: Submission Instructions: The Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity Symposium Committee is pleased to announce the call for abstracts for the Fifth Annual Coll...

Another Chance to See "Unconscious Surrealism"

Mauricio Uranga (senior, Fine Art & Commercial Art) will give an encore presentation of his URCA talk, "Unconscious Surrealism," on Wednesday, April 17th at 12:00 p.m. in the Coburn Art Gallery.  Please attend and support this artist's fine work!  Many thanks to Professor Charles Caldemeyer, Cynthia Petry, and everyone at the Coburn Gallery for allowing us another opportunity to hear from Mauricio.

Highlights from the 2013 Symposium

What a fantastic day!  AU students are doing some great things!  Here are just a few of the highlights from the 2013 URCA Symposium:  

 

 

Chris Yocum and Ben Bushong discussed the computer game

that they created with Symposium guests:

 

Mauricio Uranga exhibited five of his paintings:

 

 

Jensen Glick displayed some of the costumes he created for

AU's production of The Importance of Being Earnest.

 

Jacob Ewing presented twice today, including giving this

engaging talk about hipsters: 

Jalessa Brown and Morgan Phillips discussed

Morgan's research on coping styles:

Jared Baisden shared his research on the characterization of

a compound extracted from wilted red maple leaves:

It's URCA Symposium Week!

It's nearly here!  This Wednesday, April 10th, is the 4th Annual Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity Symposium at Ashland University.  More than 50 students from 13 academic departments from across the College of Arts and Sciences will present their work on Wednesday in Upper Convo.  Those students have been working for months to produce the work that will be showcased at the Symposium, and many are continuing even now to put the final touches on their presentations. 

I am proud to be part of a College that supports students' research and creative activty and thrilled that I am able to be involved with the Symposium.  Although I shouldn't play favorites, I have to admit that I am particularly excited to see three students in particular shine on Wednesday: Amber Weaver, a senior psychology major who will present data from her Honor's thesis; Jalessa Brown, a senior criminal justice major who will present the results of a study she conducted during her study abroad experience; and Morgan Phillips, a sophomore psychology major who will present data that she collected as a research assistant in the Psychology Department.  I am honored to have had the opportunity to work with these women and cannot wait to see their presentations.

I hope you'll be able to join me at the Symposium on Wednesday!  It will be a fantastic day!