Three students from the English department presented their research papers at the annual ASAT Conference on Nov. 16 at Baylor University in Waco, Texas.
“They are the first undergraduates in the 57 year history of the American Studies of Associate of Texas to present alongside with faculty members,” Todd Giles, English Professor, said.
Students Ginger Bartush, Cody Parish and Sarah Muschiol worked alongside with Dr. Todd Giles to create a presentation over their literature piece of choice.
“The EURECA program allowed me to solely focus on this one paper and gave Cody, Sarah and myself the support we needed to take the papers to the American Studies Association of Texas conference this past weekend.” Ginger Bartush, senior in English, said.
Each student presented for 20-minutes and once finished they were given 15 minutes to answer questions.
“Although it was humbling and slightly terrifying to present my research to PhD and master level scholars, the experience was well worth all the work I put into the paper,” Bartush said.
In addition to MSU students, other students at other colleges also presented to the panel on a range of topics.
“I’ve presented at other conferences before, but I’ve never been a part of one with such a wide array of presentation topics,” Cody Parish, senior in English, said. “I found many of the presentations really engaging.”
EURECA provides undergraduate students in departments from radiology to music with the chance to get involved in graduate research in order to aid them in admissions to graduate school and prepare them for future research.
Twelve faculty members were chosen to work side by side with undergraduates, two of whom being Dr. Todd Giles and Kirsten Lodge from the English department.
“With the opportunity to help Dr. Giles craft an original article for publication and present our findings at a professional conference, I’ve distinguished myself from other graduate program applicants and increased my chances of being accepted into the graduate school of my choice,” Parish said.
These students, in addition to the UGROW program, are coming together Friday, Nov. 22nd in the CSC Atrium to present their research to the public.
Students are also encouraged to apply for the EURECA program to gain experience with graduate research.
“It’s beneficial because it’s enabling undergraduates to do research that is above and beyond what they can do in the classroom,” Giles said. “This is precisely what a liberal college like Midwestern State should do.”
