University showcases highlight student research, creative activities

With the end of the semester and Commencement approaching, it’s celebration season at San Francisco State University, and many colleges, departments and organizations are honoring students’ successes in and outside of the classroom. Among the festivities are college- and campus-wide research project showcases, many of which are highly anticipated long-standing traditions. All of these events shine a spotlight on the variety and caliber of student research, scholarship and creative activities (RSCA) happening at San Francisco State.

Undergraduate and graduate students across campus shared their work in posters, presentations, performances and more. This year, the colleges of Liberal & Creative Arts (LCA), Science & Engineering (CoSE), Ethnic Studies (CoES) and Health & Social Sciences (CHSS) held showcases in early May. In April, there was a Graduate Research and Creative Works showcase.

“The purpose of the showcases is to celebrate and make visible the remarkable research and creative work that our students do. This work often goes above and beyond the traditional classroom experience and highlights the experiential learning opportunities that students have at SF State,” said Kinesiology Professor Kate Hamel, who is also assistant dean of faculty development and scholarship. “These events provide students an opportunity to develop presentation skills and network with peers, faculty and community members.”

At the second annual CHSS showcase, Hamel was pleasantly surprised to see that students generally stayed off their phones — which everyone knows is quite a feat — and fully engaged with the event. Students chatted and networked even as the event approached a close.

“My research experience at SF State has been so encouraging. The Marcus Fellowship has allowed me to delve into topics I’m passionate about from an academic standpoint,” said LCA showcase participant Eleanor Boone, a Political Science major with a Pre-Law certificate graduating this semester. Her work examines the relationship between contemporary religious liberty decisions and sociopolitical minority rights at the Supreme Court level, and conveys the broader implication of the current court’s decisions. “It’s grown my confidence in my abilities as a student, and I hope to continue my research as I pursue higher education.”

At the project showcases, students shared their research and creative work to faculty, staff and external community members.

While the Lam Family College of Business doesn’t have a project showcase, it held its annual Innovation Pitch Competition in April. Students pitched business projects to entrepreneurs, investors and faculty for an opportunity to compete for $10,000 in shared cash prizes and receive entrepreneurship feedback.

In addition to the college-level showcases, the University held its annual Student Research Competition, in which SF State students from all colleges shared their independent research. This year, 11 student delegates from the SF State competition advanced to the 38th CSU Student Research Competition at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Four of the SF State participants placed second in their respective categories after competing against hundreds of undergraduate and graduate students from across the 23-school CSU system.

Visit SF State Create to learn more about these showcases and student research opportunities.