Auburn University's research symposium features Auburn Talks, Creative Scholarship Showcase

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Auburn University will hold its "This is Research: Faculty Symposium 2016" Sept. 16 at The Hotel at Auburn University and Dixon Conference Center to recognize research and creative scholarship of Auburn and Auburn Montgomery faculty.

"This is an excellent way for our researchers to develop collaborative relationships across campus, and it's a wonderful venue for spreading the word about great projects at Auburn," said John Mason, Auburn University vice president for research and economic development.

The event is designed to provide a forum for collaboration, offer information about support offices on campus and increase the visibility of Auburn research to external constituencies, such as advisory board members, representatives from industry and foundations as well as community members.

"Auburn has researchers in countless fields, from the more-known fields in basic sciences to those lesser-known research areas such as liberal arts," said Jennifer Kerpelman, chair of the This is Research Symposia Committee. "In addition to our daylong event, we will also have a two-week exhibition of creative scholarship at the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art."

Lightning talks will kick off the day. Faculty will be presenting five-minute descriptions of their research interests and expertise in 13 different lightning sessions during the morning as they discuss multidisciplinary research and creative scholarship across campus. The 8:30 a.m. sessions will have faculty discussing applied arts and design; nanoscience; environmental sciences/natural resources; one health/public health; neuroscience; and additive manufacturing/3D printing.

The 10 a.m. sessions will include new approaches to STEM education; fine arts; practical applications of digital technology; biomedical discoveries/genetics; social justice research; sustainability; and occupational safety and health well-being. Members of the audience will be able to join in the discussions after the two sets of sessions.

An afternoon research expo from 2-3 p.m. will have 37 representatives from Auburn's centers, institutes and research support offices to talk with attendees.

"Auburn Talks are another highlight of the symposium," Kerpelman said. "Twelve Auburn researchers will present 10-minute talks about their work during two afternoon sessions."

Five Auburn Talks will occur from 1-2 p.m. and the next seven from 3-4:30 p.m. The second set will be held in conjunction with the university's "This is Auburn Lecture Series," a speaker series held each Friday before home football games. The list of presenters and titles is available on the This is Research website; the order of the talks will be announced later.

Afterward, more than 100 researchers will share their work during an interactive poster session from 4:30-6 p.m.

The Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art will be the host site for the Creative Scholarship Showcase Sept. 17-Oct. 2, with a reception set for Sept. 22 from 5-7 p.m. The exhibition will highlight faculty and student creative work, such as art and poetry.

A welcome session for new faculty hired as part of the university's strategic cluster hiring initiative will be held Sept. 15 from 2-5 p.m. in the hotel's ballroom B, followed by a reception from 3:30-5 p.m. The university is in the process of hiring 41 new faculty in five strategic clusters: climate, human and earth system sciences; health disparities; scalable energy conversion science and technology; omics and informatics; and pharmaceutical engineering.

The "This is Research: Faculty Symposium 2016" is one of two This is Research symposia scheduled this school year. A spring event, "This is Research: Student Symposium 2017," will be held in April in the Student Center. More details on the symposia are available on the This is Research website at www.auburn.edu/thisisresearch. For more information, contact Jennifer Kerpelman at kerpejl@auburn.edu.

Auburn University is a nationally ranked land grant institution recognized for its commitment to world-class scholarship, interdisciplinary research with an elite, top-tier Carnegie R1 classification, life-changing outreach with Carnegie’s Community Engagement designation and an undergraduate education experience second to none. Auburn is home to more than 30,000 students, and its faculty and research partners collaborate to develop and deliver meaningful scholarship, science and technology-based advancements that meet pressing regional, national and global needs. Auburn’s commitment to active student engagement, professional success and public/private partnership drives a growing reputation for outreach and extension that delivers broad economic, health and societal impact.