Valdosta State University will present its 22nd annual Undergraduate Research Symposium April 4-7. Admission is free of charge, and all faculty, staff, students, alumni, and friends are invited to attend.
 
“We have around 300 students participating in the paper presentations, poster presentations, three-minute video research competition, and creative art exhibits this year,” said Dr. James T. LaPlant, assistant vice president for research and dean of the Graduate School at VSU.
 
“Each year I am incredibly impressed with the quality of our undergraduate student research, scholarship, and creative work,” he continued. “The students are making original contributions to the body of knowledge of their disciplines. Many of the students are doing research that we often do not see until the graduate level.”
 
• Spotlight on the Arts — 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Monday, April 4, in the Dedo Maranville Fine Arts Gallery
Blake Pearce, dean of the College of the Arts, and Michael Schmidt, head of the Department of Art, will share the works featured in the 18th annual Juried Student Art Competition, an all-media exhibition of original two-dimensional and three-dimensional works created by students from fields of study all across campus. (Visit http://www.valdosta.edu/about/news/releases/2016/03/vsu-presents-juried-student-art-competition-march-21-april-8.php to read the full story.)  
 
• Student Debate — 5 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. on Tuesday, April 5, in the Student Union Theatre
Coaches and students from VSU’s national championship Forensics (Speech and Debate) Team will discuss whether or not Donald Trump is best for America.  
 
• Paper Session I — 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, April 6, in the Student Union Theatre
Students from the Departments of Art, Chemistry, Mathematics and Computer Science, English, and Modern and Classical Languages will present their original research.
 
• Paper Session II — 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 16, in the Student Union Theatre
Students from the Departments of Modern and Classical Languages, English, Economics and Finance, Marketing and International Business, and Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminal Justice will present their original research.
 
• Paper Session III — 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesday, April 16, in the Student Union Theatre
Students from the Departments of Political Science, Modern and Classical Languages, and Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminal Justice will present their original research.
 
• Paper Session IV — 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, April 16, in the Student Union Theatre
Students from the Native American Studies Program and the Departments of Political Science and Communication Arts will present their original research.
 
• Three-Minute Video Research Competition — 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, April 16, in the Student Union Theatre
The Undergraduate Research Council invited VSU freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors to showcase their original research through the making and presenting of a three-minute video. The top seven student videos, created by students in the Departments of Art, Chemistry, Economics and Finance, and Communication Arts, will be presented live. A panel of judges will award cash prizes to the top three.
 
• Paper Session V — 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Thursday, April 17, in the Student Union Theatre
Students from the Departments of Communication Arts, Marketing and International Business, Mathematics and Computer Science, Modern and Classical Languages, and Physics, Astronomy, Geosciences, and Engineering Studies will present their original research.
 
• Paper Session VI — 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 17, in the Student Union Theatre
Students from the Departments of Communication Arts, Philosophy and Religious Studies, and Modern and Classical Languages will present their original research.
 
• Paper Session VII — 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursday, April 17, in the Student Union Theatre
Students from the Native American Studies Program and the Departments of Modern and Classical Languages, Chemistry, and English will present their original research.
 
• Paper Session VIII — 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday, April 17, in the Student Union Theatre
Students from the Departments of English, History, Modern and Classical Languages, and Physics, Astronomy, Geosciences, and Engineering Studies will present their original research.
 
• Poster Session and Reception — 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 17, in the Student Union Ballrooms
Students from the Exercise Physiology Program, Native American Studies Program, School of Nursing, and the Departments of Art, Biology, Chemistry, Communication Sciences and Disorders, Early Childhood and Special Education, English, History, Mathematics and Computer Science, Modern and Classical Languages, Philosophy and Religious Studies, Physics, Astronomy, Geosciences, and Engineering Studies, Political Science, Psychology, Counseling, and Family Therapy, and Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminal Justice will present their original research.
 
• Awards Ceremony and Presentation of Best Poster Awards — 7:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, April 17, in the Student Union Ballrooms
Dr. Cecil P. Staton, interim president, and Dr. Brian L. Gerber, interim provost and vice president for the Division of Academic Affairs, will recognize the Best Paper and Best Poster winners in several categories, including sciences, social sciences, education, and arts and humanities.
 
All undergraduate students at VSU are encouraged to submit proposals to the Undergraduate Research Symposium each year. Selection decisions are made at the academic department or college level, LaPlant noted.