Student Symposium set for April 21

Students will present their independent research on topics ranging from an analysis of ancient and modern sex trafficking to the mathematics of wormholes at Cornell College’s 16th annual Student Symposium. The symposium will take place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 21 in the Thomas Commons and is part of the weekend’s larger inauguration celebration.

Since 1997 the symposium has been an academic highlight at Cornell, featuring students’ original research through oral and poster presentations.

This year more than 50 students will give oral presentations, including “Plautus’ Poenulus: An Analysis of Ancient and Modern Sex-Trafficking” by Erin Daly, “Wormholes and Really Weird Space: Higher Mathematics in Action” by Matthew Ewer, “Evaluating the Impact of Moneyball on Player Valuation in Major League Baseball Free Agent Markets” by Andrew Kinn and “Mud Layers in Stalagmites: A Proxy for Past Cyclone Activity” by Daniel Cleary. The oral presentations will take place in three sessions in five rooms, the Harlan and Hedges dining rooms on the upper level of the Thomas Commons and the Paris, Berlin, and Stockholm rooms on the lower level.

More than 30 students will give poster presentations, including “The Cornell College Press and Its Place in Cornell History” by Laura Lindsay and “Synthesis of Gold Nanoparticles Using Titania Functionalized-Phosphotungstic Acid and Sodium Citrate” by Jordan Kemme. The poster presentations will take place in two sessions on the Orange Carpet on the middle level of the Thomas Commons.

Each student participant works closely with a faculty sponsor in developing the presentations. The projects, many of which are initiated by students, generally take several months to prepare.

You can see more about the symposium, including a full schedule and abstracts of the presentations here.