MOORHEAD — The Celebration of Student Scholarship, also referred to as COSS, is an all-day event at Concordia where students can show off the research they have conducted through discussions, presentations and exhibits.
Since COVID-19, COSS faculty members have had the goal of bringing more attention to the event so students can get involved in projects they would like to present.
During the pandemic, COSS became more of an online event where they had fewer presentations. Now, COSS faculty members are trying to engage more students.
At COSS, students can present research projects they have worked on over the academic year and summer break. This can be a paper they are writing, an art project they are working on, a science experiment they have conducted etc.
Students who are studying ecology often must do a research project that spans out over the course of a couple of months, according to Michael Bush, an assistant professor at Concordia and a COSS faculty member.
A few of his students observed fungal growth on the sides of trees and collected physical samples. Other students of his have looked at soil nutrients, conducted aquatic invertebrate surveys and tropical stream surveys.
Bush encourages his students to present at COSS, he said. To him it is a way to gain professional experience since the oral sessions are set up like professional conferences.
“It’s a way to meet people and for you to get your research out there,” Bush said.
The experience allows students to learn what a clear and concise discussion or presentation of research can look like and is something that a lot of graduate programs look for, according to Bush.
“It’s a really powerful tool,” Bush said.
The event is for all students to attend, according to Krys Strand, the director of the Neuroscience Program and the program director of COSS. It’s a venue where students can gain experience from presenting, even if they are a first-year student.
“I think there are ways that the students presenting can both gain experience and then also kind of inspire other students to think about what kind of research or creative scholarships they want to do,” Strand said.
Though the Concordia website labels COSS as a “full-day research symposium,” Strand said that only some disciplines use the term research. Other disciplines could call what they do creative scholarship or creative activities.
“I think sometimes there’s a misconception that it’s just a science thing or something, but it’s really not. It’s for all disciplines,” Strand said.
Strand is very passionate about making sure that art students know that COSS is for them too, said Susan Lee, another member of the COSS committee and an associate professor in the art department.
When the art department holds their Senior Art Exhibition every year, students that participate in the event are also part of COSS.
“It’s understood that being in this show means they are COSS presenters,” Lee said, and the department has coordinated the Senior Art Exhibition to officially open on the day of COSS.
To present at COSS, students must create an abstract made up of 250 words or less. It is there to outline the research’s purpose or goal. The abstract can also include the anticipated results of any research conducted.
A helpful tip for an abstract is to include the approach or methodology used in the research, according to Strand.
Abstracts are officially due by March 13 and COSS will be held April 17.
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