Hundreds of students will fill the Multipurpose Room in the Williams Center with a cornucopia of research projects in the OSCAR program’s Student Research and Creativity Exposition on Thursday, May 2.
The expo, in its 21st year, will feature exhibits of student work from noon to 4:30 p.m. Presentations on research projects can include poster presentations, live performances, oral presentations, displays of art, or a multitude of other uses of media.
“Our mission is to provide opportunities for students to engage in creative activity and research and to try to provide some support so they’re able to carry out their projects,” said Dr. Jack Croxton, director of the Office of Student Creative Activity and Research (OSCAR), who has been heading the OSCAR program as well as the expo for the last 10 years. “We try to promote and encourage students to get involved in research and creative activity here on campus because many students will say that it was one of the best experiences of their undergraduate career.”
The research, under the tutelage of a faculty member, culminates in a presentation of the research or creative work at the exposition. Croxton said each expo is kicked off with opening remarks from President Virginia Horvath and Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Terry Brown, as well as a keynote address.
“This year our keynote speaker is going to be [Dr.] Scott Ferguson from the biology department,” Croxton said.
They keynote speaker often talks about their own undergraduate career and experiences in research as well as their own work as a mentor of Fredonia students.
Croxton said students who get involved in work like this enhance their critical thinking, communication and interpersonal skills. “When it comes to their educational experience, it’s a definite benefit to them,” he said.
A unique advantage of doing research through OSCAR is Fredonia’s focus on undergraduate research. “Other universities tend to focus on their graduate students. So it’s not that often that undergraduates get the kind of opportunities that we provide here at Fredonia,” Croxton said.
Students don’t have to be solely involved in traditional research to take part in the expo. Croxton said that’s the point of the “creative activity” component of the event.
“Research goes beyond empirical research,” Croxton said. “We want students from music to perform at the expo and we would like students from art to share their artwork. So we want to really broaden our definition of what we mean by ‘research.”
Doing research or creative work like this sometimes helps redefine students and what they’re path is.
“It lights a fire under them,” Croxton said. “I’ve seen students that maybe never thought of themselves as somebody who would have a career doing research. We’ve had students who have gone on and gotten their Ph.D.s .”
The Student Creative Activity and Research Expo is also an opportunity to showcase the intricate and extensive work done in academics by the students of Fredonia who are striving to be professionals in their fields of study.
“I’m highly invested in this,” Croxton said. “I really believe in what OSCAR does and I would like to get more and more students involved here at Fredonia…It’s a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the accomplishments of our students this year in the areas of research and creative activity,” Croxton said. “So it’s always an exciting day.”
