Undergraduate Research Symposium

About The Program

The Undergraduate Research Symposium (URS) provides a venue for SHC students to present their research, artistic works, classroom projects and more to the entire campus community and the public. Over 30 submission were received in 2022. We are pleased to announce the winners for each of the following categories:

Awards and Categories

Presentation Categories

There are seven presentation categories. Students will be asked to choose a category when registering. (On occasion, a presentation may be switched to a different category if there is a more appropriate one than what the student chooses.) Each category is described below.

1. Art – Fine art projects including painting, sculpture, and other media. All projects in this category will be displayed in the Eichold Gallery.
2. Class Projects – Projects completed as a part of class whether individually or by a group.
3. Internships and Service Projects – Any project involving either a professional internship or service project.
4. Media Projects – Media projects including graphic design projects, film projects, and other media projects.
5. Off-Campus Research – Research projects conducted primarily outside of college settings (e.g., fieldwork).
6. Original Research – Any projects with a substantial original research component whether conducted independently or as a part of a course.
7. Company Analysis – Projects presenting company analyses to give recommendations for the holders of corporate shares of stock whether to keep it or sell it now.

Presentations will be reviewed and scored by a panel of SHC faculty and staff judges on categories including: clarity, content, creativity, originality, and presentation style.

Awards

Excellence in Presentation Awards

An award for excellence in presentation is given in each category. Each award comes with a certificate as well as a gift card for the college bookstore. An honorable mention award is also given in each category. Both are determined by the judges’ scoring of presentations.

Friends of the Library Award

The Friends of the Library sponsor two awards: the Special Collections Award and the Print and Digital Collections Award. These awards are conferred at the Honors Convocation and each carries with them a $250 prize.

• Special Collections Award: This award is given to research that demonstrates substantive utilization of the Burke Memorial Library’s special collections including Archives and federal depository materials.
• Print and Digital Collections Award: This award is given to research that demonstrates substantive utilization of the Burke Memorial Library’s print or digital collections.

Contact Dr. Bret Heim for more details (heim@shc.edu)

Deadline for FoL Applications: April 29, 2022 by 5 PM.

Please send all requests and questions to the URS Co-directors Dr. Vlad Kravtsov  (vkravtsov@shc.edu) and Dr. Jamie O’Bryant (jobryant@shc.edu).

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Register to Present

Registration is currently closed until spring 2023.

Instructions for Student Presenters

Please log in to your SHC Google account first and then register with the form below.

You must have a faculty or staff research/project adviser who is willing to recommend your project.

Please provide their name, and we will follow up with the faculty member to ensure you have that person’s approval.

You will also be required to submit your video presentation by April 29, 2022. Video presentations should be 10 minutes or less.

Presentations will be reviewed and scored by a panel of SHC faculty and staff judges on categories including: clarity, content, creativity, originality, and presentation style.

Previous URS Winners

2021

Original Research

The award presented for best projects with a substantial original research component whether conducted independently or as a part of a course.

Winner: Randa Day, Nicole Johnson, Dionte Rudolph, & Gabby Carollo (Psychology) Student Success Survey

Winner: Gillian Nelson (Political Science) Ukraine and Vaccine Diplomacy

Internship or service project:

The award presented for best projects involving either a professional internship or service project.

Winner: Avery Thayer (Communications) Easter Basket of Plenty: Campaign and Event

Media Project

The award presented for best media projects including graphic design projects, film projects, and other media projects.

Winner: Tara Summers (Communications) Women in Music: A Podcast Series

First runner-up: Eleanor Grindinger & Grace Crapps (Communications) One Hill: A Freshman Yearbook for the Class of 2020

Art

The award presented for best fine art projects including painting, sculpture, and other media.

Winner: Mia Lormand (Visual and Performing Arts) Heterochromia (oil paint)

Class Project

The award presented for best projects completed as a part of class whether individually or by a group.

Winner: Brian Pempel (History) Coordination and Unity Within the Early Ku Klux Klan

First runner-up: Ian J. Poole (History) “Bloody Sunday, A Massacre which Shaped a Nation

Second runner-up: Stephen Bonck & Wyley Sharp (Political Science) Crisis in Yemen: Advice to a Policymaker

Company Analysis

Winner: Jakob Graevinghoff, Valerie Vujnovich, Charles Scheipeter, & William Brackin (Business) Pfizer Company Analysis

First runner-up: Robin Stoffels, Lauren Madden, & Elizabeth Eldridge (Business) Analysis of Zoom Video Communications

2020

Original Research

Winners: Amelia Hoffeld (Communications) The Rebranding of Volkswagen: Brand Identity and Strategy Change

Class Projects

Griffin Morgan (Political Science) Coronavirus out of Deadlock: The Effects of the Pandemic on the Electoral Process in Israel

Media Projects

Cassidi Sterrett (Communications) Where are the Women?