The A&S Student Symposium held last week brought together students, faculty, and staff for a campuswide celebration of inquiry. Here’s a look at the event by the numbers:

• 400+ A&S student presenters
• 160+ faculty mentors
• 296 students receiving funding from A&S
• 203 posters
• 95+ oral presentations
• 30+ disciplines

The presentations were held in 13 classrooms and presentation spaces, one art gallery, the Modlin Acting Studio, and the Modlin Center Booth Lobby. About 20 A&S staff provided support, as did several Facilities support services crew members. The Weinstein Learning Center offered students poster design and printing sessions plus a series of presentation skills workshops. 

“Scheduling is surprisingly complicated,” said David Brandenberger, professor of history and current faculty coordinator of the symposium. “Not only are there hundreds of poster presentations and dozens of student panels and performances to organize, but a surprising number of students wish to present two or even three projects."

The symposium began in 1985 following a conversation between chemistry professor Emma Goldman and Sheldon Wettack, former dean of the School of Arts & Sciences, who envisioned a public forum for undergraduate scholarship.

“What has always mattered to me is giving students a venue to present their work beyond the lab or classroom,” Goldman said. “When they step back to report their findings, explain their methods, and answer questions, they gain valuable perspective on their work and begin to think about the next step.”

The symposium has grown significantly since its inaugural year, when there were 25 student poster presentations. It now features capstones, exhibitions, film screenings, and performances in the arts, as well as the Latin American, Latino, & Iberian Studies Symposium, where students present research in Spanish and Portuguese.