Each year on Discovery Day, the Benedictine College community cancels classes and gathers for a whole day to hear and honor the academic projects of its students.
Discovery Day was started in 1996, and since its inception, over 3,500 students have presented their work and its achievements to the college community. Working alone or in teams, with the aid of faculty advisors, students push the boundaries of their creative and intellectual pursuits.
They question, and they answer. They observe, and they report.
Discovery Committee member Dr. Julie Bowen says, “This year marks the twenty-ninth anniversary of the Discovery Program at Benedictine College. This program funds research in all disciplines at the undergraduate level, allowing students to explore questions beyond their coursework in collaboration with their professors and peers.”
Juliette Lange presented at last year’s discovery day. She and her project lead Kirstyn Crane presented a biology project: “Expediting Diapause and Testing the Effects of S-Methoprene on Bee Larvae.” Since then, the duo has gone on to present their research project at other conferences, both state and national. The research team has grown since last Discovery Day to include Evelyn Parsons and Fiona Metzinger. The group is working on publishing their findings later this year.
Lange shares, “Presenting at Discovery Day last year was a great experience! It was awesome to show my friends and peers what I had been working on all semester and to share all the ups and the downs that my team and I overcame.”
Both the lead up to Discovery Day and the day itself pose numerous challenges such as time management, hard work, and more, as well as offer numerous opportunities for student growth. Bowen says, “These projects make BC students unique from other applicants when they apply for jobs, graduate school, medical school, internships, and other opportunities because they have what for most are graduate-level experiences at the undergraduate level.”
It is a very special opportunity too for the rest of the college and its community. Discovery Day is open to everyone and advertised heavily ahead of time. It is a day dedicated entirely to discussion and education.
Dean Kimberly Shankman says, “We all have a chance to learn something that no one ever knew before their project was undertaken.”
Still, it is a special badge of honor to participate in the day as a student.
Lange says, “Discovery Day is a great opportunity to become comfortable presenting your research and was a nice springboard allowing me to continue my research and go on to present at more conferences.”
Discovery Day will take place April 9.
