The event offers students an opportunity to present work they’ve done over the semester—preparing them for life after college.
Kate Hodges, a dance major with a choreography and performance emphasis, addressed an audience at the Hart Auditorium—including dance faculty members—as she introduced a piece she had choreographed during the Winter 2025 Semester.
Still, her contributions went above the choreography. As the final project of a composition class, she also selected the dancers, chose the costumes, and set the lighting design for the piece.
“I'm planning to own a studio when I graduate,” she said. “So, this class has been really valuable because it has taught me which compositional tools I can use, how to solve problems when they arise, how to edit dances, and how to just overall create great pieces.”
Semester-long projects—in the shape of posters with research findings, innovative product designs, or dance performances—took over the Manwaring Center ballrooms and Hart Auditorium during the Research and Creative Works Conference on Thursday, April 3.
The event takes place every semester and gathers senior-level students from multiple departments on campus.
“It's really good for the students,” Janel Young, faculty development coordinator, said. “My favorite part about my job is seeing them succeed and be able to feel good about what they've done.”
Product Design
Mechanical engineering and engineering technology students displayed a variety of creations for a product design class, from household gadgets to an exercise chamber.
Working in teams, the experience taught them how to share responsibilities, work with strict deadlines, and consider their customers’ needs.
Leandro Leal and his teammates designed a modular rotating serving tray after noticing that Amazon customers complained about the small size of the lazy Susans available for purchase.
“We wanted something that looked good, that people would have on their tables,” Leal said. “Presenting has been really nice because people have been surprised by the good quality of the project.”
Undergraduate Research
The Manwaring Center ballroom was also filled with students’ posters showcasing their research and experiments. The experience prepared them for similar projects they will carry out in graduate school and future employment.
Ellie Simmons, a biology student, and her teammates traveled to Moscow, Idaho, to present their research on the correlation between human activity and moose behavior.
“This is really valuable because we got to present this in front of a lot of biologists,” she mentioned. “Not a lot of undergraduates have the opportunity to build their own projects and present them to professional biologists from all over the state.”