EMU Today

YPSILANTI – The 39th annual Undergraduate Symposium, an inspiring and engaging reflection of the academic year at Eastern Michigan University, will be held on Friday, March 29 in the EMU Student Center.

The Symposium features the exceptional academic work of EMU undergraduate students, showcasing their research and creative projects from a wide variety of disciplines.

The event features oral presentations, exposition of posters, and the Crossing Lines Design Expo. This year’s Symposium features 109 faculty members serving as mentors to 337 unique student participants. All EMU colleges are represented at this annual highlight of undergraduate research and academic excellence.

A highlight of projects includes:

• Ethan Smith, political science major, presenting “The Keys to Life: A More Humane Policy Prescription for Global Pharmaceutical Trade and Manufacture,” in room 204 at 9 a.m.
• Scout Bostley & Mackensi Crenshaw will highlight, “Teach What You Preach: Practical Application for English Language Arts Social Justice Curriculum,” in room 204 at 3:15 p.m.
• Macallan Winning, from the Department of Visual and Built Environments, will present “The Showroom VR: An Introduction to Building in Virtual Reality,” at the Design Expo.
• Dallas Hassoun, a biology major, will present a poster from 2:45 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. representing their work, “Behavioral Response to Flooding in Tropical Tarantulas.”
• Leith Quasem will discuss “Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) and the Arab-American Community,” at 11:30 a.m. in room 350.
• Sean Ryan, from the Department of Geology and Geography, will discuss, “Interpreting ‘Difficult History’ in the Context of 21st Century Museums,” in room 330 at 3:15 p.m.
• Jordan Seija will present a poster from 9 a.m.- 10 a.m. representing work from the Psychology Department in a project titled, “Augmented Reality Exposure Treatment for Specific Phobias.”

Oral and poster presentations begin at 9 a.m. and run through 4:15 p.m., with a short break from noon to 1:15 p.m. for a private luncheon. The Crossing Lines Design Expo, which displays projects that are more visual in nature, is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The keynote speaker at the Symposium luncheon will be EMU alumni Robert Murkowski, a partner at Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone PLC, Michigan’s largest law firm.  

Murkowski graduated from EMU in 2006, the same year in which he served as student emcee for the Undergraduate Symposium. During his career at EMU, Murkowski was Student Body President and a member of the EMU Mock Trial Team. A two-time Symposium presenter under the mentorship of Professor Barry Pyle, Murkowski was awarded EMU’s Outstanding Young Alumni award in 2011 and has served on the EMU Alumni Association Board of Directors.

Michigan Super Lawyers has named Murkowski as one of their “Rising Stars” in Business Litigation every year since 2013. Murkowski is a member of the Board of Directors of the Detroit Bar Association, a council member for the State Bar of Michigan’s Antitrust, Franchising & Trade Regulation Section, and holds leadership positions with the American Bar Associate and Michigan Defense Trial Counsel. Michigan Lawyers Weekly has named Murkowski for the Top 10 Verdicts and Settlements in Michigan several times.

For more information about the Undergraduate Symposium please visit the symposium website. The Student Center is located at 900 Oakwood, Ypsilanti, 48197. The event is free and open to the public.

About Eastern Michigan University

Founded in 1849, Eastern is the second oldest public university in Michigan. It currently serves more than 19,000 students pursuing undergraduate, graduate, specialist, doctoral and certificate degrees in the arts, sciences and professions. In all, more than 300 majors, minors and concentrations are delivered through the University's Colleges of Arts and Sciences; Business; Education; Health and Human Services; Technology, and its graduate school. EMU is regularly recognized by national publications for its excellence, diversity, and commitment to applied education. For more information about Eastern Michigan University, visit the University's website.