Research and creative arts conference seeking student projects
The 22nd annual Student Conference for Research and Creative Arts (SCRCA) will be held April 18-23, 2016. Undergrad and recent graduate students from any college or university are encouraged to submit their work to the conference. The application deadline is March 1.
SCRCA is an interdisciplinary conference where all different kinds of work are accepted.
“It’s not just research and creative arts, it’s from those extremes and everything in-between,” said Conference Director Michael Hunt, lecturer in psychology.
This year’s conference will include special events such as a mock trial, Innocence Project of Texas, the Amazon Symposium and the study abroad presentations. Art projects, animation, photography and poetry are some examples of creative art submitted in the past.
Psychology and Autism Spectrum Disorder are among some of the topics in the research presentations. Hunt describes how everyone should know the basic steps to research.
“Critical thinkers need to be able to make some decisions about what they hear or see on the news,” Hunt said.
Each year students are encouraged to submit work that interests them and that they think will interest others. It is not necessary that projects be completed by the deadline. Only an abstract or a description is required on the application.
“If you can submit a project you are passionate about, that is a great way to get a start on your career,” said Stuart Larson, professor of graphic design and digital media studies. “However, even a class paper can be the spark of something great. If you are having difficulties thinking of a project, go back through your classwork. Even the small ideas can grow the largest discussions.”
Students who are accepted in the SCRCA will be treated like professionals in terms of presentation expectations and evaluations. On top of presenting in a professional format, students will be able to network with others in their field.
“The Student Conference for Research and Creative Arts is an unparalleled way for students to get real world experience while still in school,” Larson said. “This is exactly what faculty do, we take our research and present at conferences.”
Descriptions of the student’s work will be published on the conference’s website under “online proceedings,” which can count as a publication because the SCRCA is an academic conference, it can be listed in the professional section of a student’s resume.
The application fee is $10 per author by March 1, or $15 per author for late application March 11.
For more information about the conference, please contact studentconf@uhcl.edu, or contact the conference directors: Michael Hunt, huntm@uhcl.edu; Pilar Goyarzu, goyarzu@uhcl.edu.
