UHCL hosts 22nd Annual Student Conference for Research and Creative Arts

UHCL’s 22nd Annual Student Conference for Research and Creative Arts began April 18 and will run through April 23. The conference is being held in multiple rooms inside the Bayou and Student Services and Classroom buildings.

The mission of the conference is to “provide students with an initial experience in creating and delivering scholarly and professional presentations, provide a showcase for students to present their original research and creative arts projects in a professional forum, and enhance classroom experiences by facilitating interaction within and across disciplines.”

“Students gain experience in presenting their original work in a professional forum and to learn the benefits of attending conferences,” said Michael Hunt, director of the UHCL Student Conference for Research and Creative Arts.

The conference, which was founded in 1994, is free and open for the public to attend. Each day offers different presentations including student hosted events, oral sessions, poster sessions and performances, such as a mock trial and poetry reading/open mic.

Hunt has worked with students and coordinators for the past year in preparation for the 2016 conference.

“Events have to be planned in coordination with each other,” Hunt said. “It takes most of a year to set up.”

Due to inclement weather, UHCL closed all campuses Monday, April 18, which coincided with the first day of the conference. Conference coordinators are working to reschedule Monday’s events. Allen Portier, graduate psychology major at UHCL, is the liaison for volunteers and presenters.

“We have to reschedule everybody for a different date, and we have to make sure that the facility’s time and the students’ times align,” Portier said.

Despite the first day of the conference being canceled, student registration for Tuesday has been higher than expected.

Aussie Ravandi, psychology major at UHCL, attended an informal meeting led by Janel Dumbre, associate director in the Office of International Admissions and Programs, to learn more about study abroad.

“It actually made me open my mind to traveling and studying abroad for school,” Ravandi said. “Just hearing them talk and making it sound more accessible was eye opening.”

Close to 200 students are participating in this year’s conference, including non-UHCL students. The conference is open to students from any college or university. An estimated total of 500-800 people are expected to attend the conference this week.

For the full schedule of events, visit the UHCL student conference website: http://prtl.uhcl.edu/portal/page/portal/SCR/Home.

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