Students from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College will engage in “Lightning Talks” on April 12 as a part of the Student Engagement Programs Symposium.  The Symposium is open to the public at no charge.

 Dr. Jordan Cofer, assistant vice president for academic affairs, said the program will begin at 9:30 a.m. in Bowen Hall 100 and move to the Carlton Library from 11 a.m. until 12:15 p.m.  He said STEPS was implemented into ABAC’s Quality Enhancement Plan to improve students’ educational experience, and it has flourished on campus.

“Hosting an undergraduate research conference is an important milestone for ABAC,” Cofer said.  “Very few colleges our size or state sector offer such an opportunity for students.  It certainly helps to align ABAC with other universities who have strong academic programs.”

Students went through a formal application and selection process to qualify for the “Lightning Talks.”  The Undergraduate Research Committee then chose the top four submissions.

Participants include Cody Mock, a wildlife major from Coolidge, and Kyle Parris, a wildlife major from Cleveland, on “Late Winter and Spring Roost Ecology of Rafinesque’s Big-Eared Bat;” Amanda Mohammed, a rural and community development major from Snellville, on “E-Health Literacy:  Perceptions Among ABAC Nursing Students;” Jana Register, a history and government major from Ray City, on “Mildred Lewis Rutherford:  A Georgia Daughter’s Lost Cause;” and Hannah Dinkins, a wildlife major from East Bend, N.C., on “Agriculture and Natural Resource Education Evaluation.”   

Students majoring in natural resource management, biology, nursing, business, rural and community development, and writing and communication will participate in the poster session.

To prepare for the Symposium, some students assisted a faculty member who was conducting research.  Others undertook replication studies to learn how to research, and some performed their own research with faculty guidance.  Cofer said the goal of the Symposium is to teach students how to better perform research within their discipline.