MOUNT VERNON — A record 95 students are scheduled to present research findings at the ninth annual Cornell College Student Symposium on Saturday, April 9, from 9 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. in The Commons. Admission is free to the event, which is open to the public.
The symposium, which originated as a way to spark intellectual conversation and growth on campus, is one of the premier events at Cornell. This year there will be 75 presentations, either as lectures of about 20 minutes apiece summarizing projects and their findings, or as poster presentations offering visual displays of projects along with explanatory comments.
The lectures will take place at three sessions (9 a.m., 10:45 a.m., 1:15 p.m.) in Hedges Conference Room, Harlan Dining Room, Shaw Lounge and the Rathskeller; poster presentations will occur at two sessions (9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 2:45 p.m.) on the Orange Carpet.
Topics include the history and efficacy of the No Child Left Behind legislation; the communist-inspired work ethic of Soviet workers in the 1930s; a biological study that proposes a common species of flies in Iowa may actually be several distinct species, lumped together under one name; and a study that seeks to understand why Caravaggio’s depiction of St. John the Baptist is so different from images of St. John created by other artists.
Several students will present observations from off-campus experiences, including a mission trip to El Salvador to observe U.S. doctors performing knee and hip replacements; research on coral reefs along the coast of western Australia; and a study of the Jordan International Police Training Center in Amman, where prospective members of the Iraqi police force are trained in tactical policing skills and concepts of human rights, democracy and social equality.
After the symposium, Cornell’s Delta of Iowa chapter of Phi Beta Kappa will hold its annual induction ceremony at 3 p.m. in Harlan Dining Room, followed by a reception. Twelve students have been selected for membership based on academic potential, scholarship, creativity, professional attitude and character. Phi Beta Kappa considers members from the top 15 percent of the senior class and the top 5 percent of the junior class.
Phi Beta Kappa is the oldest and most widely respected academic honorary society in the United States. There are 270 Phi Beta Kappa chapters in the United States, including seven in Iowa. Cornell’s Delta of Iowa chapter was the fourth chartered in Iowa, in 1923.
