At a university that emphasizes teaching and student research opportunities, this is a moment to shine. Grand Valley State University's annual Student Scholarship Day, coming April 12, will feature nearly 450 students in a range of presentations that culminate the academic year.
This will be Grand Valley's Fifth Annual Student Scholarship Day. The number of students participating represents an 18 percent increase from last year's event. Oral presentations will begin at 8 a.m. and continue until 6:30 p.m. in classrooms on the second floor of Padnos Hall and in 168 Padnos. Poster presentations and exhibitions of art will take place in the Henry Hall Atrium and the first floor landing area in Padnos Hall. All academic divisions will be represented among the presentations.
All presenters and their sponsors have been invited to an appreciation luncheon in the Grand River Room, Kirkhof Center from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Robert Bender, professor of Biology from the University of Michigan, will give a presentation, titled The Tragic Tale of 'Typhoid Mary,' the story of Mary Mallon, who was imprisoned for 38 years because she was a healthy carrier of typhoid fever.
The planning committee encourages faculty members to use attendance at Student Scholarship Day as a class assignment. I've done this myself each year, says Neal Rogness, event coordinator. I require students to attend a minimum of three presentations and to turn in a paper in which they reflect on what they learned from the presentations. I have consistently received comments from students expressing their amazement at the scholarly activities in which their peers at GVSU are involved and thanking me for requiring them to attend the event.
