2020 Symposium for Scholarship and Creativity Goes Virtual

The 2020 Symposium for Scholarship and Creativity (SSC) at the University of Findlay will be held as never before on May 1. Established by Dr. Debow Freed to recognize student excellence and achievement across all the programs of the University, the SSC has become an important and celebratory day for all students at UF.

Serving as a, “vehicle for encouraging the aspirations and achievement of inquiring minds for a lifetime pursuit of knowledge,” the SSC allows students to make connections within the University and community, develop communication and critical reasoning skills, and share their research. Each participating student showcases their skills and creativity by designing a poster and presenting their research to fellow peers, alumni, and faculty.

Darin Fields, Ph.D., vice president of academic affairs, explained that the University does not hold regular classes on this day so that students can present research and attend to show support for their fellow Oilers. “In recent years we have also included our Scholarship Donor Luncheon as part of the day,” he said. “Colleges announce student awards and feature alumni speakers. It is a full day of activities across campus.”

“This year, we will attempt to capture some of that spirit in our Virtual SSC,” Fields continued. “We will share the planned program for the day, and we will still have award presentations.” Students will have the opportunity to share their posters and their oral presentations virtually by uploading them to the SSC webpage. “The extraordinary impact of COVID-19 has prevented us from recognizing and celebrating our extraordinary students together in person,” he said, “but we hope that we can still honor their achievements, so well-deserved, with this effort.”

Pharmacy majors Brody Norwood and Kevin Chester, are two of the many students who contributed to this year’s SSC with an intriguing presentation entitled, “Leadership Development and Practical Application: A Comparison of Pharmacy Students and Pharmacists”. When asked why the SSC is so important for UF students, Norwood said, “I have always admired the professionalism in the [SSC] event in that it showcases research from all colleges across the University of Findlay. It is a great way to portray a student’s interests and hard work. To me, the SSC is something that each student should strive to take part in within their time at the University of Findlay. It feels great to show students and professors the hard work that went into the research. It gave me a great sense of appreciation as well for the hard work I put into the project.”

On the SSC webpage, viewers will be able to look through the creatively designed posters just like Norwood and Chester’s, and watch videos of students presenting what the research they have worked so hard on leading up to this point. To recognize the time and dedication put into these projects, awards and respective recipients will also be listed here.

The University invites all faculty, staff, students, alumni, and the community to join us in thanking these students for their hard work, and congratulating them on their achievements.

For more information on the Virtual 2020 Symposium for Scholarship and Creativity, please contact Natasha Lancaster at lancastern@findlay.edu.