On Nov. 29, the Center for Undergraduate Excellence (CUE) held the fall semester’s Student Scholar Symposium. The event saw various undergraduate Student Scholar Ambassadors present research projects to display the opportunities afforded for undergraduate research by the CUE.

The ambassadors themselves were selected for the symposium and for their positions after participating in academic research, a creative project or having been granted a fellowship or scholarship from the university. The students’ research combined different areas of academic study with popular culture and creative projects of their own, making for different projects from each ambassador depending on their personal interests.

Markell spoke about how Chapman’s faculty had shared her passion in their particular research fields and were more than happy to share their love for science with undergraduates like Markell. 

Another ambassador, senior English major Rhyan Warmerdam, said he appreciated being able to work alongside Chapman faculty in their research and that their presence during his research was something he greatly appreciated.

“After receiving the opportunity to dedicate myself to research, I realized that I loved every moment of the research process,” Warmerdam said. “I discovered that I actually want to pursue a career that involves research in some form.”

Warmerdam went on to say that being able to perform this research project presented a great opportunity for him to grow his experience. He learned how to gather and present information, something he firmly believes will help him beyond Chapman. In general, he believes his experience in the symposium was a highlight of his Chapman experience.

“I've learned a ton about the actual process of designing and executing a research project, working with the IRB and how to lead a research project myself,” Markell said. “But outside of the actual research, I've learned a ton about how much I actually enjoy conducting research and how much I'd like to keep research as an integral part of my career in the future.”

Like Warmerdam, Markell expressed that her experiences at Chapman would be something that would benefit her in the future, such as looking for grants and successfully applying to internships and graduate schools. She reflected that what she had learned during her research would allow her to start any kind of project that she was creatively drawn toward.

“The Student Scholar Symposium is one of the most important opportunities on campus,” said Jan Osborn, a faculty mentor for some of the Student Scholar Ambassadors and an associate professor in the Rhetoric and Composition Studies program. “It foregrounds research; it celebrates intellectual pursuit.”

Osborn said that the opportunity to work with undergraduates presented her with a way to learn from the students. It also allowed her to learn alongside them as she researched the same sources and information as the students she advised in order to follow along with their projects. Something that stuck out to Osborn about the experience was how collaborative it was for her and the undergraduates alike.

“I strongly encourage undergraduate students to pursue a research project and to present that project at the Student Scholar Symposium,” Osborn said. “This allows them an opportunity to engage with research in a concentrated way, possibly taking class projects and expanding or deepening their work with the topic.”