Seventy-five students from all York faculties on both campuses will present their research projects at York University’s third annual multidisciplinary Undergraduate Research Fair, Wednesday Feb. 25, from 11am to 1pm, in the Scott Library Collaboratory (second floor).
Intended to showcase undergraduate research in a friendly, cross-curricular environment, the fair gives students an opportunity to present their work in the form of an academic poster. Student photographers from the School of Arts, Media, Performance & Design will be on site to record the event, and a trio of student musicians from the York Symphony Orchestra will play at 12:45pm. The awards ceremony begins at 1pm, when a total of $7,000 in award monies will be distributed. Awards include the best lower-year project, best upper-year project, best honours thesis or major term paper and best group project. An award will also be presented to the student or group who designs and animates the best poster presentation at the Fair.
The final prize is an inaugural award presented by York University Libraries to the fair participant whose project best exemplifies good practices in library research and information literacy. Information literacy encompasses a set of skills needed to find, retrieve, analyze and use information, and has a particular focus on the development of a critical engagement with information and the information-seeking process. All award winners will be honoured, along with distinguished faculty researchers, at the University’s Research Leaders gala later the same day (5:30-7:30pm, East Accolade, Tribute auditorium).
After the fair, student-presenters will be invited to revise their paper into an article to submit for consideration to a new peer-reviewed e-journal sponsored by the University Libraries and associated with the fair; the first issue of YOUR Review (York University Undergraduate Research Review) will be launched in 2015. Like the fair, the e-journal is a multidisciplinary, collaborative effort by faculty, librarians and students.
Interim University Librarian Catherine Davidson encourages the University community to support these outstanding undergraduate researchers. “The students at York are exceptional. Please drop by the Collaboratory in Scott Library to talk with these budding scholars about their research projects,” she said. “The Undergraduate Research Fair is a wonderful informal learning opportunity as well as an important venue to recognize the quality of student scholarship at York.”
The York Undergraduate Research Fair is open to the York community as well as to family and friends. Light refreshments will be served. For more information, visit the Undergraduate Research Fair website.