By Sofia Montoya-Deck
Hood College is hosting its annual SPIRES, SAFIRE and departmental honors presentations on Monday, April 15 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
SPIRES (Scholarship, Performance, Innovation, and Experience Symposium) is a celebration of undergraduate student achievement, showcased through various presentation formats. The submission of a SPIRES presentation is open to any undergraduate student wishing to share their work.
“Presenting can look a lot of different ways,” Amber Samuels, assistant professor of counseling, said. “You can display original artwork, perform a musical piece, read a poem; those are examples of ways that students have engaged with this day of scholarship.”
Presentations can additionally take the form of sharing completed or proposed research projects or other forms of creative works.
“We received more submissions than ever,” Samuels said of this year’s presenters. SPIRES had a total of 68 submissions and over 100 students will be presenting at the event.
“We are really excited to have multiple departments and disciplines represented this year,” she said. “We’re really looking forward to celebrating and recognizing all the great work that Hood College students are doing.”
SAFIRE (Staff and Faculty Innovation and Research Exhibition) will be held in conjunction with SPIRES this year. SAFIRE allows Hood College faculty and staff to showcase their research and creativity by presenting knowledge, theories, research or recent academic developments in their respective fields.
“SAFIRE is an exciting opportunity for faculty and staff to share their research or projects with the larger Hood community,” Catherine Breneman, assistant professor of social work, said. “We’re excited to partner this year with SPIRES and Honors to be a part of that day.”
The SAFIRE component consists of poster presentations as well as two lectures. This year’s lectures will be conducted by Lisa Marcus and Chaz Martinsen.
Marcus will be sharing a literary criticism titled, “Translating Reproductive Rights in Émile Zola’s Work,” based on her current research project of translating an 1899 French novel.
Martinsen will be delivering a lecture regarding ceramic arts titled, “Structured Treatment,” which will delve into the artist’s personal journey.
In addition to SPIRES and SAFIRE presentations, departmental honors presentations will take place in the afternoon. Departmental honors projects allow students who have qualified as Christine P. Tischer Scholars the opportunity to produce and display an extended independent project that applies to their course of study.
Candidates are selected by their major departments from members of the junior class with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 and a GPA of at least 3.5 in their major.
“[Departmental Honors] is the culmination of a year-long research project that students are invited to do by their major departments if they meet the criteria,” said Marcus, a professor of French and co-director of the Honors Program. “They give a presentation on the day of SPIRES and share the results of their research.”
This year’s departmental honors consists of 28 student presenters. These Tischer scholars, named after the donor who helped set up and fund the program, typically receive a rose after their presentation in celebration of their achievements.
“If students are considering doing presentations in future years, they should come and see one just to have it not be scary,” Marcus said. “See either a SPIRES presentation or if they’re considering departmental honors in their future, come and see what that looks like. I always encourage our juniors who might be interested in doing departmental honors to come if they can.”
April 15 has been designated a day of alternate instruction by the college, meaning professors are encouraged to cancel classes or hold them asynchronously in order to promote student attendance at the event.
“Come join us,” Breneman added. “In the words of Dr. April Boulton, ‘Make the campus come alive with scholarship and research!’”
The SPIRES, SAFIRE and Departmental Honors presentations will take place as follows:
SPIRES
Poster Presentations: 9 a.m.-9:45 a.m. and 1:15 p.m.-2 p.m. in Whitaker Commons
Oral Presentations: 10 a.m.-10:45 a.m., 10:55 a.m.-11:40 a.m., and 11:50 a.m. -12:35 p.m. in the library (Board Room, Tutoring Center and Room 2028)
Original Artwork: Throughout the day; some artists will speak from 10:40 a.m.-11:50 a.m. in the library commons
SAFIRE
Lectures: 9 a.m.-10 a.m. and 1 p.m.-2 p.m. in Whitaker Commons
Departmental Honors
Student Presentations: 2:10 p.m.-3:15 p.m. and 3:25 p.m.-4:35 p.m. in Tatem Arts Center
Be the first to comment