Poster exhibit displays faculty creativity and scholarship
Associate Professor Kimberly Kim and her nursing students participated in a research poster exhibit held in 2008. (Photo: Jennifer Cabrejas)
- March 1, 2010
Whether immersed in how a sea slug’s nervous system behaves or what happens when companies cap executive pay, faculty members rarely get a chance to share their work with colleagues in other disciplines or the broader community. It’s a trend that organizers expect to change at the March 10 Faculty Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity Poster Exhibit.
The display of academic posters, scheduled from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. in multipurpose room A of the New University Union, will highlight the research and other activity of 20 students and some 50 faculty members representing 26 departments and each college, said Professor Julie Glass, interim director of Faculty Development.
“We wanted (an event) where we could engage the maximum number of faculty and for the community to be exposed to the work our faculty continue to do despite these challenging times,” Glass said.
The exhibition was scheduled to coincide with the March 10 board meeting of the Cal State East Bay Educational Foundation, allowing board members an opportunity to attend.
Posters outlining scholarly work are commonly exhibited at professional academic conferences. Measuring approximately 3 feet-by-4 feet each and arranged in rows, poster exhibits boast an atmosphere not unlike a science fair, Glass noted.
“As people walk by, they might have questions or ask you how your kids are or ask about your work,” she said.
Faculty members’ posters will examine a broad range of subjects, ranging from stock price manipulation to a fresh water project in the Philippines.
“There’s one about a couple of the teacher training programs in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) we currently have in place,” Glass explained. “There’s one about breast cancer in South Korea. There’s one about jazz composition ... Here’s a good title,`Testing the I.Q. of a Tiny Fish.’”
Given tough economic times, travel and other professional development opportunities may be less available to faculty members than in the past, she observed, making it even more important to bring the university community together.
“Our faculty remain extremely active,” Glass said. “They engage their students in challenging, real research.”
James Murray, assistant professor of biological sciences, will present three posters featuring the work of five student co-authors. Participating in the exhibit, he said, will allow him to give back to the university and the public, which have helped support his research, while giving his students an opportunity to present their research findings to peers and faculty members.
“Part of what we teach is scientific communication, because science not communicated is effectively the same as science not done at all,” Murray said. “The scientific poster is a major means of scientific communication at meetings, so (the students) will benefit from learning this skill, and they will learn more about their project by having to teach about it to others orally.”
Additionally, the exhibition will allow Faculty Development staff members to work closely with the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, an event co-sponsor, to look for connections among scholarly projects at CSUEB that could lead to future collaborations and relationships between faculty members.
“The work that is being done demonstrates our engagement with the community,” Glass said. “It shows that the faculty embraces the mission of the university and incorporate it into their (research) problems and questions they ask. They’re directing their professional expertise at problems that are relevant.”
Admission is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served. Questions? Contact anne.wing@csueastbay.edu or call (510) 885-4212.