The Villa Maria College Undergraduate Research Symposium is calling for creative, innovative and thoughtful work created by Villa Maria College students.
Submissions can be essays or a combination of essays and visuals that:
- Enter an academic conversation in a discipline
- Incorporate or is informed by research
- Maintain a unique perspective on a topic
- Develop interesting ideas and claims
Papers from every discipline are welcome, including (but not limited to) art, business, graphic design, health sciences (PTA and OTA), interior design, literature, music, philosophy, photography, psychology, and religious studies.
Submissions should have been created as a part of course work completed during the Fall 2018 semester. All students, from freshmen to seniors, are eligible for the symposium. Submissions will be chosen by a jury, and all presenters will be required to attend a presentation training session in the SSC.
Awards will be presented for outstanding presentations. The symposium will be held on Thursday, April 4 from 11 AM – 12 PM, with the possibility of a second session if there is a high number of quality submissions. Student work which meets the above criteria should be submitted by March 1 using this recommendation form. Those selected to participate will be notified by March 11. Students also have the ability to nominate themselves for the symposium.
For questions, please contact Professor Joyce Kessel at [email protected] or Dr. Ann Rivera at [email protected]

Jenna Erwin presents her paper, “The Benefits of Cursive Handwriting,” during the 2017-2018 Undergraduate Research Symposium.