Rockhurst University Celebrates Student Research, Scholarship and Creative Activites in April

In honor of the U.S. House of Representative’s declaring the week of April 11 “Undergraduate Research Week,” Rockhurst University will be joining higher education institutions nationwide to celebrate the achievements of undergraduate students in research, scholarship and creative activities.

This designation coincides with Rockhurst’s annual Festival of Student Achievement, an event honoring students’ academic accomplishments. In light of the federal designation and the planned activities, the Rockhurst University Faculty Senate went a step further and named the month of April “Student Research, Scholarship and Creative Activities Month.”

Making these activities a special priority is important because they build critical thinking skills and collaborative relationships, said Zdenka Guadarrama, Ph.D., assistant professor of mathematics.

“Undergraduate research, scholarship and creative activities are rich, student-driven academic experiences that take learning beyond the traditional classroom setting,” she said. “These experiences change students from passive learners to active participants in the process of creation.”

The month’s events begin with the Festival of Student Achievement on April 6-8. Students will display posters describing their research projects on the first floor of the Science Center all week. At 6:30 p.m., on April 8, there will be an art exhibit and live student performances in Greenlease Gallery to conclude the festival.

The month’s activities will also feature two research seminars presented by Rockhurst students and “Science Friday” – a puzzle competition between teams of Rockhurst students.