Wittenberg’s first-ever Undergraduate Research Symposium, a new event organized as an effort to bring together undergraduate students from the region to share their passion for excellence in research, learning, and professional growth, will debut Friday, March 31.
The event, which will run from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the Joseph C. Shouvlin Center for Lifelong Learning, the Benham-Pence Student Center, and Thomas Library, will feature students from Wittenberg, the University of Mount Union, and Wilmington College, as well as a special keynote speaker, Gina Schaefer, Wittenberg class of 1993, founder and CEO of A Few Cool Hardware Stores.
The morning session of the symposium will take place from 9 to 11 a.m. and feature presentations and poster sessions from life sciences, physical sciences, health sciences, computer sciences, data sciences, and mathematics. Schaefer’s keynote address will take place at 11:30 a.m. in room 105 of the Shouvlin Center. Poster and presentations from humanities, social sciences, languages, and education will be featured in the afternoon session from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the Shouvlin Center, the Benham-Pence Student Center, and Thomas Library.
The goal of this first symposium is to bring together undergraduate students doing honors-level research and scholarly or creative projects to share their work in a semi-professional, conference-type environment. The event also looks to give students the opportunity to express the results of the significant time and effort they have spent on these projects, to recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of these highly motivated and talented students on a bigger stage, and to facilitate interaction and networking between students in their fields of study with others who will potentially become their professional peers.
While on campus to present the symposium’s keynote address, Schaefer will also be the featured speaker during the Office of Advancement and Alumni Engagement-sponsored Tiger Talk Book Club edition, from noon to 1:30 p.m. in room 201 of the Shouvlin Center on Thursday, March 30. Schaefer will discuss her new book Recovery Hardware in which she shares her powerful journey of how she built an innovative business that revitalized her urban community and provided opportunities for everyone to thrive, no matter their past. Recovery Hardware is available to purchase through Schaefer's website.
Passionate about her work, Schaefer grew her business from one to 13 stores, as well as added garden centers and specialty stores, in 18 years. Her stores are located throughout the Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, Maryland, metro areas. Schaefer is dedicated to maintaining a strong corporate culture and has a deep passion for developing urban markets, supporting small businesses, and helping women to succeed in all aspects of the hardware industry. She has tirelessly focused on the "Return to Main Street" movement in her own city of Washington, D.C., to promote ‘Shop Local’ campaigns and community revitalization in urban areas. For more on Schaefer, go to https://acehardwaredc.com.
Schaefer’s Tiger Talk will be held in person and via Zoom. To register, click here.
