Students from a wide variety of disciplines in the College of Arts and Sciences presented at the fifth annual Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (URCA) Symposium on Tuesday in Upper Convo. 

The event consisted of seven oral sessions that each lasted an hour long and spanned throughout the day. In each of these oral sessions, students gave 15 minute presentations on their selected topic.  Numerous areas within the college were represented including theater, biology, chemistry, art, psychology, history, political science and music. 

Regardless of the specific topic, each presentation served as a culmination of the students’ research as they further explored an area of interest.  The nature of their subject influenced how they explained their material in front of the audience.  For example, some students read passages while others showed examples of their work or data.  The participants provided a general overview of their findings and analysis before answering questions from audience members.     

Senior Rebecca Ribley served as one of the students participating in the oral sessions and focused her presentation on how to market yourself as a journalist.  

“I enjoy this topic because when I started pulling material together I was experimenting,” Ribley said. “I had no idea what was going to make me stand out but I used the knowledge that I had learned in my JDM classes as well as my internship and came out with a really amazing final product.”

Aside from providing the opportunity to practice public speaking skills, she also benefited from the process of formulating all of her ideas into the presentation. 

“I am presenting a topic that comes second nature to me but condensing all of my thoughts into a short presentation was more difficult than I thought it would be,” Ribley said. “I learned how to pick the most important parts of this topic, organize them and present them in a way that would be well received.”

Many students had been preparing all semester or year on their research and gathering the information that they would present at URCA.  In January, they turned in their abstracts that provided an overview of their topic.  Each participant was sponsored by a faculty member who helped oversee their research and project.  The abstracts can be found on the URCA blog at http://ashlandurca.blogspot.com/. 

To support the efforts of URCA, the College of Arts and Sciences classes were cancelled for the day.  This provided students with the opportunity to attend the event and view the work of their peers.  

Senior Kelsey Golec gave a presentation during one of the oral sessions and also listened to the other students participating at URCA.  She said URCA allowed her to learn about new subjects and different areas within the college.

“It was interesting to see what everyone else presented on and their topics,” she said.

Besides the oral sessions, two poster/exhibition sessions were held in the afternoon featuring 19 posters and four exhibitions. Students from various majors had posters on display including those from the departments of biology/toxicology, psychology and chemistry.   

Through both the posters and presentations, the day showcased many of the interests and talents of students in the College of Arts and Sciences.