The 15th annual President’s Academic Showcase is just around the corner. Students of all academic disciplines are encouraged to consider participating in the competition.
Up to three units of credits can be earned as well as over $5000 in prizes!

The competition is split into two levels, one for freshman/sophomores and one for juniors/seniors. A selected panel of faculty from various specialties serve as judges for the competition. Prizes range from $200 to $1500.

Students may submit a scholarly research paper up to 25 pages in length as well as an academic poster for the showcase. n oral presentation will be required for the five finalists.

”The Academic Showcase is a perfect opportunity for students to prepare for grad school and to work one-on-one with a faculty mentor," said Dr. Melinda Schulteis, coordinator of the Academic Showcase. "That's not something you get to do at a lot of universities, so it's a huge benefit to our students."

Dr. Erin Nelson, Assistant Professor of Communication Studies, suggests taking an idea or topic from a paper written in one of your classes and turning it into a research project. Each student will need a faculty advisor for their project to help guide them through research. Nelson suggests reaching out to a professor in your desired area of focus and asking them if they would be willing to work one-on-one with you to compete in the showcase.

The competition is inter-disciplinary, meaning students from biology, english, theology, behavioral sciences, music, theatre, education, business, communication studies, psychology, art, chemistry, history, anthropology, linguistics and mathematics (i.e. any academic discipline) can participate and do research.

Nelson also notes that the academic showcase can be a great resume boost especially for those looking to pursue a higher education. “Besides the monetary prizes, this is an excellent opportunity for you to exercise your academic muscles and delve deeper into a particular discipline and experience cutting-edge research,” said Nelson.

The window for sign-ups is open now through Jan. 26 and the research paper is due March 20.

Other important dates: Academic poster- due April 5, finalist presentations- due April 11.

Questions can be directed to faculty members or the President’s Academic Showcase Coordinator, Dr. Melinda Shulteis at Melinda.shulteis@cui.edu.

Tags: Education

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