Events | Featured | Business and Industry | Arts and Sciences | Health Education and Human SciencesApril 06, 2023

UAFS Student Research Symposium back for 16th Year

Written By: Ian Silvester

On Friday, April 7, 2023, the 16th Annual Student Research Symposium returns as students from the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith will present nearly 50 diverse research projects culminating in a year’s worth of team and individual work.

Throughout the day, more than 90 current and recently graduated UAFS students will conduct half-hour lectures, performances, or demonstrations, or present a visual poster of their projects. Projects will highlight unique research areas from business plans, geosciences, and media in society, to technological advancements, both terrestrial and extraterrestrial. 

“These presentations represent the academic diversity of UAFS’s programs and the intellectual excellence of our students and their faculty members,” says Dr. Shadow JQ Robinson, Provost and vice chancellor for Academic Affairs. “Our faculty and staff are committed to fostering an environment that promotes learning and discovery.”

Robinson continued by saying the symposium – now approaching two decades in existence - continues to make UAFS a “dynamic and engaged academic community.”

Some of the research to be presented includes:

• The history of Fort Smith and indigenous people. Rochelle Griffith-Thomas, a history major, dives into the lost history of the Chickamauga Cherokee. Korina Lopez, a political science major with a minor in history, explores the relationship between the city of Fort Smith and indigenous peoples and nations.
• Matt Neal and Jon Turco, both geoscience majors with plans to pursue a master’s degree, tackle the ever-growing problem of microplastics in water sources. Despite the micro size of the plastics, the issue has created problems up and down the food chain. The pair will present test results on ways to remove microplastics.
• A team of four sophomore-level and one junior-level mechanical and electrical engineering students aspire to continue to push the bounds of ingenuity for UAFS students. The team has been working on a Lunar Terrain Vehicle, which is set to be entirely constructed within the next month. 

Lecture presentations begin at noon and will be located throughout the Boreham Library and Pendergraft Health Sciences Center. Poster presentations will be available at noon in the Boreham Library and displayed until 2 p.m.

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