Sixth Annual Symposium for Scholarship and Creativity Scheduled
The sixth annual UF Symposium for Scholarship and Creativity will take place from noon to 5:30 p.m. Thursday, April 12, beginning in the Alumni Memorial Union. A student art show will follow at 7 p.m. in the Lea Gallery, located in the Gardner Fine Arts Pavilion.
Approximately 160 UF students will participate in this year’s Symposium for Scholarship and Creativity, a number that has remained consistently high since the symposium began six years ago.
Formerly, the annual event was called Academic Excellence Day, when faculty members and a few students would discuss their research. But in order to increase the number of students participating, the University changed the event to celebrate all types of student scholarship, both academic and creative.
“We want our students to see that everyone has the capability of doing some form of research, whether it is qualitative, quantitative or creative,” said Kim Forget, Ph.D., Symposium for Scholarship and Creativity publicity director. “We want to encourage students to empower themselves. Hopefully they see how important research is because from developing new ideas comes innovations, comes business, comes jobs.”
The annual symposium provides students with the opportunity to share their research, creativity and professional learning experiences as presenters, demonstrators and performers. Students are also recognized for academic and other achievements at the opening University-wide ceremony and individual college awards ceremonies.
The University-wide ceremony is at noon in the Alumni Memorial Union.
Additionally, each college invites an alumnus to speak at the individual ceremonies about his or her experience at UF, the philosophy and learning they gained at UF and how his or her education translates to current careers.
“Hearing from the alumni is a really nice bridge for our students,” says Forget. “It gives them the opportunity to hear how what they learn at UF in theory is put into practice in the real world and how the relationships established here help them become the professionals out there.”
This year’s alumni presenters include:
- From the College of Health Professions, Cal Dietz, class of 1997. Dietz is the head Olympic strength and conditioning coach at the University of Minnesota where he has successfully trained athletes who have achieved 400 All-American honors, 28 Big Ten championship teams and 7 NCAA team championships, among many other awards. Dietz will speak at 1:15 p.m. in the Alumni Memorial Union.
- From the College of Education, Cassandra Holman, class of 2011. Holman is a middle school educator at Van Buren Middle School, where she teaches sixth grade. This year, she won the Outstanding Middle Level Educators Team Award at the Ohio Association of Middle Level Educators Conference. Holman will speak at 1:15 p.m. in Winebrenner Theological Seminary.
- From the College of Pharmacy, Jenny Mason, R.Ph., Pharm.D., class of 2010. Mason is a second-year pharmacy resident specializing in pediatrics at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus. She completed her first year of residency at Baptist Medical Center/Wolfson Children’s Hospital in Jacksonville, Fla. She is pursuing a career in pediatric emergency medicine. Mason will speak at 2:15 p.m. in the Alumni Memorial Union.
- From the College of Business, Phillip P. Lawson, class of 1975. Lawson worked as manager, director and regional manager in Marathon Pipe Line Co., Marathon Petroleum Co. LLC and Speedway Superamerica LLC until 2007. He owns Financial Strategies Group in Findlay, and is the managing partner of JJ Ventures LLC. Lawson will speak at 2:15 p.m. in Winebrenner Theological Seminary.
- From the College of Science, Billy J. Watterson, class of 1996. Watterson is president and recycling innovations officer for g2 revolution, LLC, which he founded in 2008. Prior to founding g2, Watterson co-founded Watterson Environmental Group, LLC, a nationwide environmental consulting firm. Watterson will speak at 3:15 p.m. in the Alumni Memorial Union.
- From the College of Liberal Arts, David LaRocco, class of 1999. LaRocco is as an attorney at the Seneca County Department of Jobs and Family Services and supervises the legal staff for the Child Support Enforcement Agency in Seneca County. LaRocco will speak at 3:15 p.m. in Winebrenner Theological Seminary.
For additional information and a full schedule of events, visit www.findlay.edu, Keyword: SSC.
By Katie Baumgart