Florida State University’s Office of the President and the Center for Undergraduate Research and Academic Engagement (CRE) hosted the annual President’s Showcase of Undergraduate Research Excellence on Thursday, Oct. 23. The showcase was part of FSU’s Discovery Days, a weeklong celebration of research, creative activity and discovery.
About 900 people attended the event, where 36 students presented posters and led creative sessions to share the projects they completed during the summer with support from competitive grants and other FSU initiatives.
“The students presenting their projects have enriched their academic journeys through directed research and creative endeavors, guided by the mentorship of some of FSU’s most distinguished faculty members,” said Latika Young, CRE director. “We extend our deepest appreciation to President Richard McCullough and Vice President for Research Stacey Patterson for their steadfast support of this event and of undergraduate research at FSU.”
Student work represented multiple undergraduate research programs at FSU: FSU IDEA Grants, a program that funds undergraduate students’ scholarly and creative work; the Tyler Center for Global Studies, which supports a community of global scholars from 12 partner institutions coordinated by FSU; and the International Genetically Engineered Machine team (iGEM), the premier student competition in synthetic biology.
Students shared projects exploring a wide range of academic disciplines, from English and studio art to exercise physiology and cellular and molecular neuroscience. They examined topics such as physiological stress in stingrays and using drone technology and machine learning for post-disaster relief.
Theatre student Max Allen spoke during a keynote address about his time directing the play “Sea Marks,” a two-act, two-person play by Gardner McKay, for the local Irish Repertory Theatre as part of a Bloomsday Festival held at the Goodwood Museum & Gardens in Tallahassee.
Supported by an IDEA Grant and expanding on theater scholarship he began during an Honors in the Major thesis project, Allen used the summer to explore performance theory, particularly the idea of resonance.
“Resonance became the core concept I’m now taking into my master’s thesis,” he said. “It’s about amplifying energy at just the right time and frequency, and it touches every part of the performance, from the actors’ work to how the audience experiences it.”
Allen, who is enrolled in a Combined Bachelor’s/Master’s Pathways program, credits the IDEA Grant program for giving him the push to pursue research through creative practice.
“It’s probably the best confidence booster I’ve gotten, in entering research,” he said. “It’s a space where you can play and fail without fear, and where you’re supported every step of the way.”
Environmental science student Sofia Lara traveled as a Tyler Fellow to the Caribbean island Bonaire to study coral reef restoration efforts.
“This is not normally something that would be available to everyone, and funding for both scuba diving and traveling somewhere I’ve never been before is just a surreal experience,” Lara said. “I’ve been able to explore what I’m actually interested in while learning academically.”
In a keynote address, FSU Vice President for Research Stacey Patterson shared her own experience with attendees of falling in love with research as an undergraduate student, which led her to pursue graduate school and advocate in her current role for university research of all kinds.
“Your undergraduate research experience can be transformative no matter the field of study and no matter your specific projects,” Patterson said. “At FSU, we’re deeply committed to supporting and celebrating undergraduate research because we believe in the power of student discovery and creativity.”
