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The atmosphere abuzz with nervous excitement and energy, honors students from Pensacola State College and the University of West Florida gathered on Dec. 6 in the Baars Technology Building at the PSC campus for the Fall 2024 PSC Student Symposium, along with faculty and staff, friends and family who attended to support their student scholars.
This opportunity all started with an invitation from Dr. Allison Schwartz, UWF Director of the Office of Undergraduate Research, asking if PSC’s Robinson Scholars would be interested in presenting at their UWF Symposium in the spring of 2022. Since then, students present at PSC each fall and at UWF each spring; the Symposium has provided an opportunity for undergraduate students to showcase their research, hone their public speaking skills, and get real world practice presenting in an academic environment.
Robinson Honors Program Coordinator Amber Carey said, “A core principle of the Robinson Honors Program is a commitment to lifelong learning. The Symposium marks the culmination of students’ semester-long dedication to research and the pursuit of knowledge. We feel privileged to be part of their journey of academic and personal growth, and we are absolutely thrilled to celebrate this milestone with them.”
Dr. Jocelyn Evans, UWF’s Kugelman Honors Program Director, couldn’t agree more: “The Kugelman Honors Program has developed a strong partnership with the Robinson Scholars Program. We have traveled to research conferences together, engaged in enriching events at both campuses, and built study abroad opportunities for students together. We are so blessed to have Amber Carey as the organizer for this event. Her dedication to her students is a hallmark of the Robinson Scholars Program.”
The morning began in the Grand Hall with opening remarks from Ms. Carey, then PSC President Ed Meadows introduced Grover Robinson IV, benefactor of the Robinson Honors Program at Pensacola State and important member of the community. Mr. Robinson commented, “The investment in education pays off so much more, potentially, than anything else. It’s exciting to see this level of education here in Pensacola and at Pensacola State College. We are surging as a community, and part of that is because of what you do here at Pensacola State, so thank you for what you do.”
Dr. Alexander Crist, Assistant Professor in the PSC Humanities and Social Sciences department, then led and participated in a panel discussion with Dr. Brian Rucker, Dr. Tom Barber and the guest speaker, Ms. Nancy Fetterman, who all shared their expertise about Pensacola´s cultural heritage. During this session, Ms. Fetterman discussed Bernardo de Gálvez and her successful campaign to secure honorary U.S. citizenship for him. Her efforts led to Gálvez becoming only the eighth individual ever to receive this prestigious honor, joining the ranks of figures such as Winston Churchill, Mother Teresa and Marquis de Lafayette.
Immediately following, individual and panel presentations took place in various rooms of the Baars Technology Building from 9:00 am to 1:30 pm, with faculty mentors overseeing the rooms and watching their students shine. Concurrently, there was a poster, prototype and artwork session in the first-floor atrium from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m., where students stood beside their exhibits or posters to share their research or creative processes.
Abigail Hrabar, a dual enrollment student at PSC’s Charter Academy who is both a high school senior and a second-year college student, gave two different presentations, in literature (“Jazz and Jack Kerouac: How Music Influenced Kerouac’s Famous Novel”) and in history (“Deborah Sampson: How a Continental Soldier in Disguise Changed America”). Her passion for learning translates into her future goals: “I am currently uncertain on how to mesh all my academic interests into a career, but I would love to put my writing and research skills side by side to help within the broader biomedical field – whether this is by research, medical journalism, or even going to medical school to become a doctor myself.”
Currently on a pre-engineering track that leads into a nuclear engineering program, PSC freshman Ian Benton presented “Antiquity’s Influence on American Federal Architecture” and said, “Though it proved challenging to find some supporting information, it was a great learning experience. The largest benefit for me was the accrual of new bits of knowledge regarding the ideas that drove the designs we see standing until this day, both symbolic and practical.” Benton used a well-constructed Power Point presentation to compare and contrast architectural styles of various world-known buildings in Greece and Rome to prolific structures here in the United States that gave audience members better understanding of his research. Benton plans to go through the U.S. Navy’s Nuclear Propulsion Officer Candidate (NUPOC) program to become an officer, then proceed in the Air Force to continue his engineering career.
Countless student scholars shared their posters, artwork, prototypes, and research findings, impressing audiences with the vast amount of knowledge accrued throughout this process, affirming the academic excellence coming from both Pensacola State and the University of West Florida, and promising a bright future for these brilliant young individuals.