Celebrating 10 Years of Student-Faculty Collaboration

For 10 years, every April on a Saturday, hundreds of Smith students step in front of an audience and present their research, developed in collaboration with faculty members.

This year’s event, on Saturday, April 16, will feature more than 400 students giving more than 250 presentations, assisted by 129 faculty members across all disciplines.

Students will present in a range of categories, including the sciences, literature, performing arts, sociology and language studies. The presentations represent senior theses, independent study and research.

The day begins at 8:30 a.m. with a science poster session in the Campus Center, followed by a wide range of presentations in Seelye Hall beginning at 10:45 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 2:45 p.m.

Refreshments will accompany the poster session from 8 to 10:30 a.m. Also, a campus-wide luncheon, accompanied by the Smith College Jazz Ensemble, will be served at noon in Scott Gym (lunch will not be served in campus dining rooms).

And for the first time, a “Collaborations Recital,” at 4:15 p.m. in Sweeney Concert Hall, Sage, will feature vocal and instrumental chamber music performed by students and faculty, followed by a reception.

“Celebrating Collaborations” is free and open to the public.

For student participants in “Celebrating Collaborations,” the event offers an opportunity to hone an invaluable skill not easily obtained. For most, gaining comfort in giving presentations comes only from giving presentations. In the opportunity it affords, “Celebrating Collaborations” is a unique event within the undergraduate curriculum.

At its tenth anniversary, “Celebrating Collaborations” has not only become a valued component of Smith’s annual academic culture, it has also served as a model for similar events at peer institutions.

Behind the student presentations is the cooperative guidance of faculty members. And while some of the presentation titles reflect highly technical subject matter, others are pertinent to modern social, health and political issues.

Consider these titles from the morning science poster session: “Are Cities Bad for Your Health?” a presentation by Ella Hartenian ’11; “Effects of Deepwater Horizon Crude Oil on Marine Life” by Emily Ulrich ’11 and Esther Hong ’14; “The Implications of Emerging Energy Policies on the New York State Power Grid,” by Lindsay Holle ’11; and “Gendered Boundaries in the Discipline of Engineering” by Heidi Waugh ’12J and Sophie Mettler-Grove ’13.

Afternoon sessions range across disciplines with presentations on education, history, literature, archival and museum studies, global studies, philosophy, dance, economics and many other topics.

Participating students will have opportunities to rehearse their presentations during a series of preparatory workshops, hosted by faculty and staff members. There they can glean methods for “Delivering Powerful Presentations,” for example, and learn how “Practice Makes Perfect,” and to “Project Like a Pro.”