ULM’s Research Symposium returned on Monday after a pause of three years due to the pandemic. Students gathered at the Hangar to showcase posters, oral presentations and visual research.
58 posters and 25 oral presentations made up the 83 presentations. Students from all of ULM’s colleges and VCOM participated in the event.
The symposium was open to the public, with students visiting and learning from research conducted by their peers.
The research presented ranged from many topics, including discrepancies in the gender pay gap, environmental seedling distribution and abuse behavior development.
ULM’s Research Symposium Chair Burt Ashworth said the symposium helps students develop their communication skills, build confidence and think critically about their work.
Ashworth also explained that symposiums can raise ULM’s profile as a research institution, as well as build bridges between the university and the community.
“This can lead to new partnerships and collaborations that benefit both the university and the community as a whole,” Ashworth said.
The award ceremony for the Research Symposium was held later that day at 3:30 p.m. on the seventh floor of the library.
Before presenting the awards, ULM President Ronald Berry thanked all participating students and faculty, emphasizing the importance of conducting research.
“You’ve learned something that’s going to make you a better citizen because you’ve been given skills that help you question things and not just accept,” Berry said.
Many students were recognized for their work and took home awards. First-place winners received a medal and a $50 Visa gift card.
Biology graduate student Bibek Kandel presented his research project titled “Net radiation drives evapotranspiration in a Bottomland Hardwood Forest in Northeast Louisiana” at the symposium.
It was Kandel’s first time presenting at the symposium, and he took home first place in the biology graduate poster presentation.
“It feels surreal to be able to communicate yearslong scientific work to a broader audience, a crucial part of scientific research,” he said.
Kandel encourages other students to consider participating in the Research Symposium and use it as “an opportunity to refine one’s oral presentation and communication skills.”
