WKU News

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – About 400 students will make presentations at Western Kentucky University’s 47th Annual Student Research Conference on March 25 at Downing Student Union.

The WKU Student Research Conference will showcase scholarly activities of 401 graduate and undergraduate students of diverse disciplines from 43 schools, departments, programs and institutes in all colleges at WKU across the main and regional campuses.

Students will present and co-present original research and creative projects that include 153 posters and exhibits, 177 oral papers and presentations, four performances and one video. All student projects are mentored by WKU faculty and staff members. More: List of 2017 conference presenters; conference program; project abstracts.

The conference will feature a keynote address that is free and open to the public.  Dr. Karen Oates, Sigma Xi Distinguished Lecturer, will speak on Science in the Public Interest at 9:50-10:50 a.m. in the Downing Student Union Auditorium.

 “This year’s conference is the second-largest on university record,” said Dr. Derick B. Strode, chair of the WKU Student Research Council. “With an interdisciplinary philosophy, our event brings together students of all scholarly backgrounds in one location to share their original works with one another. The presenters and their faculty mentors are to be congratulated for taking an original project to this stage.”

The conference schedule features student presentations throughout the day in the Downing Student Union. Registration for all conference participants and guests begins at 7 a.m. Presentations start at 8:10 a.m. and conclude at 3:10 p.m. All student presentations are free and open to the public; the event is swipeable for WKU students. Parking is also free, and parking instructions and maps are available on the conference website.

About the WKU Student Research Conference: The WKU Student Research Conference showcases scholarly activities of graduate and undergraduate students of diverse disciplines from across the main and regional campuses. An annual tradition since 1970, the conference has provided opportunities for thousands of students to present talks, performances, posters, exhibits, and displays on their research and creative endeavors. The conference is planned each year by the university’s Student Research Council in partnership with the Office of Research & Creative Activity which provides both administrative and financial support for the conference.

Contact: Dr. Derick B. Strode, (270) 745-3167