Wednesday, April 22, 2020 6910 View all Fort Lewis College news Graduating seniors showcase undergraduate research online Provost Nixon welcomed graduating seniors into the world of ideas at the virtual Undergraduate Research & Creative Activities Symposium. More than 40 presentations were held virtually for the Undergraduate Research & Creative Activities Symposium, covering topics like pollen, internet memes, exertion studies while mountain biking or rock climbing, medical treatments, and ska music. Graduating seniors conduct research creative works under the mentorship of faculty, culminating in the annual celebration of their achievements. This year due to coronavirus, the event was held virtually on the platform Symposium. Select Fort Lewis College from the dropdown menu to view this year's presentations. 2020 Undergraduate Research & Creative Activities Symposium Awards Poster presentations 1st place - Nate Curmano, Troy Brown, Kurt Emslie, Ravon Martin, Mikayla Sanchez, and Jessica Shinkle. Navajo Nation solar initiative. Faculty mentor: Laurie Williams. 2nd place - Claire Stellick, Jordanne Pelkey, Samantha Quezada, and Merri Maddox. The invasion of oxeye daisy: Investigation of allelopathic chemicals by GC-MS. Faculty mentor: Callie Cole. 3rd place - Catherine Rack and Colin O'Gorman. Development of a lab testing protocol to assess ski mountaineering performance. Faculty mentors: Missy Thompson and Rotem Ishay. Oral presentations 1st place - Alyssa Begay. Catching up to the dawn: A memoir of a reincarnated Navajo voice. Facutly mentors: Candace Nadon, Jillian Wenburg, and Susan Cannata. 2nd place - Josh Lingbloom. Arroyo-cutting as a driver of human migrations across the Colorado Plateau 400 CE through present. 3rd place - Matthias Biggs. Hawaiian hula aesthetics and culture discussion. Faculty mentor: Cory Pillen. Begay and Lingbloom are Reed Honors Scholars who presented their Honors Capstone Projects. Congratulations to all of the students who dedicated themselves to investigating, innovating, exploring, composing, and creating. As Provost Cheryl Nixon put it, welcome, Skyhawks, to the world of ideas. "What this symposium really represents is opening our arms wide and saying, come on into the world of ideas," she said. "I think that's what colleges and universities represent and especially at a time like today when we're seeing all of the need for new ideas. This world of ideas that universities and college represent is needed more than ever." "I think that we know right now, how much we need people who are willing to say we can come up with new ideas, even in the face of hardship," Nixon said. "I think that right here on Fort Lewis' campus, we've already seen how our students are willing to be tenacious in the face of hardship. This entire virtual symposium puts that on display." Watch opening ceremony Visit virtual symposium Watch closing ceremony