A friend once asked Isidor I. Rabi, a Nobel Prize winner in physics, how he became a scientist. Rabi replied that every day after school his mother would talk to him about his school day. She wasn't so much interested in what he had learned that day, but she always inquired, "Did you ask a good question today?" "Asking good questions," Rabi said, "made me become a scientist."
-- Thomas Friedman (2005) The World is Flat, original source unknown
WSC Celebration of Scholarship Undergraduate Research Symposium
The faculty of Western State College of Colorado is committed to our mission to "graduate students skilled in written and spoken communication, problem solving, critical thinking, and creativity." The Celebration of Scholarship Undergraduate Research Symposium grew from this commitment. The "Celebration" highlights the independent creative work of our students and reflects our vibrant community of inquiry.
Providing opportunities for students to actively participate in original scholarship is essential to a high quality undergraduate education in the 21st century. At WSC we recognize the challenges our students face upon graduation as they enter an increasingly competitive and technological workforce. Through experiences such as the "Celebration of Scholarship" we convey to our students an understanding of the dynamic nature of knowledge and motivate their engagement with the world around them. Independent research helps students acquire the skills they need for academic success, enables them to become contributing members of the larger research community and encourages them to take responsibility for their education in a way that best prepares them for graduate school, professional school, career opportunities and active citizenship.
As a multidisciplinary event, this semiannual "Celebration of Scholarship" provides an opportunity for students to be exposed to the practices of communication and critical inquiry across disciplines. Exposure to inquiry across disciplines supports our commitment to the Liberal Arts and builds the" foundation and appreciation of values appropriate to a liberally educated individual". A schedule including both oral and poster presentations communicates scholarly activity under the critical eye of peers. Both faculty and students benefit from participating in this academic discourse which contributes to the development of our students' critical thinking and communication skills, providing them with the solid intellectual foundation necessary to "assume constructive roles in local, national, and global communities."
As noted in the quote above, it is our questions that drive acquisition of knowledge. We hope that this event will elicit more questions than answers as our students share their work with the wider WSC community.