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Art major Maya Freelon ’05 (Durham, N.C.) and Britney McCoy ’05(Upper Marlboro, Md.), a double major in A.B. engineering and government & law, shared their experiences from the 19th annual National Conference on Undergraduate Research and discussed how students can seek to participate next year on Thursday.
Freelon and McCoy encourage students who will conduct EXCEL, independent study, honors, or other research to consider applying to present their findings at the conference..
Thirty-nine Lafayette students were invited to make presentations on their scholarly research at the conference, held April 20-23 at Washington and Lee University. Thirty-five of the students attended, and some took advantage of professional instruction on how to present their research, which was provided by Lafayette.
Freelon gave a presentation entitled “Is Digital Art ‘Fine’?” based on her work with Curlee Raven Holton, professor of art and director of the Experimental Printmaking Institute. McCoy shared a presentation entitled “Searching for Environmental Justice for Urban Water Systems,” which she researched under the guidance of Sharon Jones, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering.
“NCUR is an environment that promotes intellectual dialogue, and a great learning experience,” says McCoy. “My overall experience is something that I will never forget because my mind was able to absorb so much information in a three-day conference. I love environments where creative juices are just free.”
Dyan Argento ’05(Pittsburgh, Pa.), a double major in German and history, presented “Leni Riefenstahl: The Visual Culture of Nazi Aesthetics,” a research project supervised by Margarete Lamb-Faffelberger, associate professor of foreign languages and literatures. Argento says the experience was an incredibly rewarding one.
“Not only did it provide us with the opportunity to share our current research with others, but it also served as a model for future academic research presentations,” she says. “The format of oral presentations, with the inclusion of questions, allowed us to engage with our audience and afforded them the opportunity to challenge our assertions. From senior thesis defenses to dissertations, the process of defending research orally is one that we as students will surely come in contact with again.
Amy Levinson ’05 (Orinda, Calif.), a double major in anthropology & sociology and religious studies, spoke on “Friend or Foe of Death? A Comparative Analysis of Jewish and Buddhist Views on Aging,” which she researched with the guidance of Eric Ziolkowski, Dana Professor of Religious Studies. She says her time at NCUR left many fond memories.
“The opportunity to interact and form friendships with fellow students was not something I had anticipated,” she notes. “.I also found that nothing encourages a student more in their scholastic pursuits than constructive engagement with other young minds. Having students approach me on the days following my presentation, and not only remembering what I spoke of but having additional inquisitive questions, was the greatest compliment I could have received.”
Public speaking coach Kathleen Dowd works with Erich Struble ’05 (left) and Eric Imhof ’05, two of 34 Lafayette students who would present their research at the 19th annual National Conference on Undergraduate Research.