A total of eighty-five presentations took place this past Wednesday, April 15th, from 9:00am to 3:30pm at the Convocation Center. The presentations consisted of both creative works and research projects.
A few of these presentations include excerpts from the theater department’s spring productions, The White Rose and Into the Woods , and poster projects from biology, chemistry, exercise science, and many other majors.
Strike-a-Spark gives students the unique opportunity to not only showcase their projects, but to prove that they have the potential to make a difference in the world. This event provides students with a platform to explain how their work in the classroom can translate to making big changes in the world beyond college.
Riley Smith is a senior biology major who presented at Strike-a-Spark for the first time this year.
Her project focused on finding an anti-fungal that can be used to combat a disease commonly found in bananas.
When asked about her time spent presenting, she expressed gratitude for the opportunity.
“Good experience. I encourage anybody, if they get the opportunity to present, to do it, because it’s a good way to learn to present your work to an audience.”
In the future, Smith hopes that her project will result in the development of an anti-fungal treatment to combat banana wilt disease. This work could make a huge difference in agricultural sectors whose crops are significantly affected by this disease.
Smith is not the only one who presented a project at Strike-a-Spark that possessed potential for the future. Katelyn Victor, department of student services, TRIO SSS, Act 101, and exploratory studies, had the opportunity to judge this year’s Strike-a-Spark showcase.
Victor conveyed a sense of admiration for the works that were on display this year.
“I am always amazed at what our students are able to come up with. Some of the presentations, I guess all of the presentations I’ve seen, well, it’s amazing to see what the students are researching and presenting about and it’s so cool just to see all this work come together.”
She also had a message for all of the students that presented this year.
“Everyone who is involved should be proud of themselves and just keep up the good work. You’re doing amazing things.”
This year’s Strike-a-Spark showcase exemplified that the students at Pennsylvania Western University are gaining skills in the classroom that will make a real difference in the world.
Strike-a-Spark is an opportunity for students to prove that they have the potential to make a difference. This year, students proved that they could not only “strike-a-spark” in the classroom, but that they have the ability to make a difference in whatever place they find themselves in the future.
