Where can you find a coffee demonstration, see art being made, watch a vehicle from the future zoom around doing tricks and learn how to keep Sedona’s famous red rock trails in good condition?
Yup, it’s NAU’s annual Undergraduate Symposium, where more than 1,200 students will present research and creative projects they’ve worked on over the last year. And that’s just a tiny percentage of what you’ll see there.
“The 2024 Undergraduate Symposium is the place to be this year,” said Tina Zecher, director of the Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity. “The Undergraduate Symposium is a wonderful opportunity for students to demonstrate their written and oral communication and network with industry partners, alumni and the Flagstaff community.”
The symposium takes place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, April 26, at the High Country Conference Center. Students will present more than 600 projects representing every college at NAU. Presentations will include posters, demonstrations, talks, performances and more, given by students doing their own research funded by the Hooper Undergraduate Research Award, students who worked with graduate students and professors through Interns2Scholars and other programs, students who are heading straight to graduate school after they finish their bachelor’s degrees and students who are preparing for careers in industry, education, administration, art and more.
Knowing the importance of research, including presentation, is a critical motivating factor NAU’s robust undergraduate research pathway.
“There’s been a lot of research on research, and it has been shown to build students’ confidence and persistence as well as key career competencies such as communication, critical thinking and teamwork,” Zecher said. For many students, the Undergraduate Symposium is the first time they are presenting their work at a large, public event. We often hear from students that they’re nervous to present, but after participating, those same students always come back to tell us how much fun they had and how great it is to have people interested in their work and to get feedback on their projects.”
The event is free and open to the public. Professionals in the NAU and Flagstaff communities who are interested in being reviewers can sign up on the Undergraduate Symposium website.
Explore before you go: The research is available online as well.
Heidi Toth | NAU Communications
(928) 523-8737 | heidi.toth@nau.edu