Students present research during 16th annual Symposium of Artists and Scholars

Student experiences on and off campus drove the research featured during Randolph College’s 16th annual Symposium of Artists and Scholars on Wednesday.

The symposium brings together students from all academic departments to share their research and highlight some of the work they’ve produced while at Randolph.

Modeled after a traditional academic conference, the event features a keynote speaker—retiring professor David Schwartz this year—and luncheon alongside oral and poster presentations and exhibitions of student artwork.

Posters spread around Hampson Commons told many stories—of studying abroad, completing summer research projects, and working in classrooms across Central Virginia. 

Students also shared their research in 15-minute presentations.

In “The Effectiveness of Clicker Training for Teaching Cooperative Care to Captive Leopards,” Izaiah Burgos ’24 documented his use of the training style while interning at ZA Cheetah Conservation in South Africa last summer. 

Aaron Scott ’24 and Madison Daniels ’24 read their original work and reflected on their participation in the Sigma Tau Delta Centennial Convention earlier this month. Sigma Tau Delta is a prestigious international English honor society; Scott submitted three poems to the conference, and Daniels presented a piece she wrote in an advanced creative writing course at Randolph. 

Jadin Wilkening ’24 explored the impact of mathematics and sciences on computer-generated animation in “STEM to Screen: Exploring the Math & Science Behind Pixar’s RenderMan” and created a poster about her experience interning with NASA. 

Students also shared research on interfaith conversations, smartphone accelerometers, the antioxidant potential of wine, and the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago. 

Poster topics ranged from “Bring Drama into the Classroom: How Readers’ Theater Influences Elementary Students’ Prosody and Word Recognition Skills” to “Observing Dark Matter through Strong Gravitational Lensing using Next Generation Space Telescopes” to “EMT Training in Wilmington, NC.” 

Students in Randolph’s Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) and Master of Education (MEd) programs also participated in the Symposium, presenting their results from various classroom trials.

Jenna Fink ’25 MAT tested the effectiveness of flexible seating to decrease off-task behavior in a first-grade classroom, while Caleb Hendrix ’24 used brain breaks to promote engagement in a high school history class, and Michelline Hall ’24 MEd explored historical developments, pedagogical shifts in art education, and current models of community-based art education. 

The full program and list of presentations for the 2024 Symposium of Artists and Scholars is available at https://www.randolphcollege.edu/research/wp-content/uploads/sites/52/2024/04/2024_4-SAS-Program-PR.pdf.