FHU scholars showcase scientific projects to peers
HENDERSON, Tenn. — After months of research, Freed-Hardeman University scholars showcase their scientific findings to their peers during the annual University Scholars Day.
“This is something we do once a year where we allow faculty and students to kind of showcase their work and research they have going on,” said Joe Deweese, Professor and Director of Undergraduate Research at FHU. “We do this through poster presentations and oral presentations as well.”
The projects ranged from psychology research to engineering.
Senior Lauren Fielding says she has been working on her research for around a year, and finally putting it on display was a big accomplishment.
“It’s just awesome to be here with all of my peers and see what everyone else has been working on,” Fielding said. “Obviously it is exciting to show my own work, but it is also exciting to see what everyone else has been doing.”
And Fielding says she started the project with the idea that it would make her resume look better, but didn’t realize she would unlock a new passion.
“I just fell in love with it, so this is exactly what I want to do,” said Fielding. “These processes and mentalities that I am learning are going to be able to help me with my future career and learn how to do research better. Be the best scientist I can be.”
Senior Alicia Harrington and Junior Leighanne Dugger conducted a study related to behavioral science, and says they were thrilled to find out their initial thoughts were proven to be correct.
“It was really cool to be able to know that our kind of hypothesis was correct in all of that,” Harrington said.
“That was very exciting, and just being able to be done and see everything come together, that was very exciting,” Dugger added.
And Harrington says these projects provide a foundation to continue their educational journey.
“Just being able to take that into graduate school, into a doctorate program and knowing how to conduct research and already conducting research, I think it just prepares us more to do more stuff like that and just continue to learn,” said Harrington.
Deweese says this year, the program had the largest number of scholars to present a research project.
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