With spring semester comes an opportunity for college students to demonstrate what they have learned over the course of the school year through showcases, demonstrations, and research fairs. Penn State Altoona is no exception, hosting both an Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities Fair (URCAF) in mid-April and the Spring Student Showcase at the end of the semester. Like the Student Expo in September and the Fall Student Showcase in December, the spring fairs will include poster and oral presentations, demonstrations, and, in the case of the URCAF, artistic performances.
Although these events happen annually or every semester, that doesn’t mean they stay exactly the same. Faculty members are actively involved in looking for ways to improve both the processes and the outcomes. Three years ago, internships were added as a category for presentation at the URCAF. And this year, winners receive more than prizes and recognition; they will also be invited to present their work at the Spring Student Showcase on April 26, says Laura Rotunno, associate professor of English and Honors Program coordinator. The deadline for registering for the URCAF is March 1; sample entry forms can be found here.
Why should students participate in these fairs? It’s about more than winning. The experience is valuable in a number of ways. According to Nicholas Rowland, associate professor of sociology and environmental studies, and presently Penn State’s first Faculty Scholar for the Engaged Scholarship Academy (2017–2019), it is “important for students to develop professional skills and be able to present themselves in a formal and professional way.” They might be explaining a poster to someone at the fair, or reading a paper they have written, or even performing a dance number on stage, but each time they are reaching a new audience.
The benefits of participating start even before the fair. When developing a poster, students are challenged to formulate a research question and present evidence supporting their conclusion. At the fair, then, they get to explain their work and field questions from visitors. In the case of internship posters, which are a unique opportunity for Penn State Altoona students at URCAF, Rowland says, posters fill a gap: “Students can tell you what they did on an internship with a lot of confidence,” but while they know their subject, they struggle to articulate what they learned on internship. “They need to be exacting about their learning,” he says, so “increasingly we are asking students to use their posters to communicate what they have learned and offer evidence of what they have learned.” By going through the process of preparing a poster, the students learn how to describe their experience thoroughly, and, in the end, make the most of the experiential learning opportunity that is the internship.
Students might be hesitant to participate in the URCAF because they are unsure about their public presentation skills. Rotunno has a solution: attend the pre-fair workshops. “Student Engagement and Outreach Librarian Jessica Showalter and I will be offering two workshops to help students prepare presentations—oral, exhibition, performance or poster,” Rotunno says. “These workshops have been offered for three years now and were started by Reference and Instruction Librarian Alessia Zanin-Yost, who still is an active force behind them and a strong supporter of the URCAF.”
The Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities Fair will be held Saturday, April 13, in Hawthorn and Slep buildings and Eve Chapel. Students are encouraged to register by March 1 and bring their best work for the fair. Everyone is invited to attend the fair and see what the students have been working on this year.
—Therese Boyd, ’79