On Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Union seniors from the art and biology departments presented their research projects at the fourteenth annual Fall Poster Session in the Student Union Building. The presenters included eight art majors and three biology majors, whose projects served as their “capstone” and encapsulated semesters’ worth of learning and research.
This session serves as a unique opportunity for students to not only present their work to their professors, but also to the student body. Students had the opportunity to teach listeners about a topic in their major that they care about and have dedicated significant time to studying.
Brianna Glynn, a senior zoology major, presented on a chemical’s ability to deter squirrels from bird feeders. She said that having her main points summarized on a poster helped her present her research to students passing by in an accessible way.
“It just showcases the research and projects that students have done,” Glynn said. “It’s kind of an overview of what they’re doing for their major and what they’ve been learning in all their classes, all into one project.”
Kylin Carmack, a senior sculpture major, has been researching how the female figure was painted and depicted in the past, and exploring how that can influence her art. She said that this event gives students an opportunity to share what they’re learning about with people who may not otherwise know what they learn in their major.
“As an art major, I feel like I tell people I’m studying art and they’re like, ‘She probably just colors or something’ and that’s it,” Carmack said. “But this is super important because I’m learning about history and philosophy and science and humans as a whole.”
The biology and art professors engaged with their students’ presentations and gave them the chance to elaborate on the research outlined on their posters.
Dr. Steve Halla, associate professor of art, expressed that these presentations uniquely assess students’ learning:
“You’re doing the research, so pulling the information together, then you’re having to analyze, go through all the research, package it in a way that you can communicate it to an audience, and then have the verbal skills to be able to communicate that as well,” Halla said. “So taking what you’re learning in the classroom, but adding some of these other real-world skills to it, and you’re putting it all together.”
The session serves as the last formal opportunity for those graduating in December to integrate and reflect on their learning before they enter the workplace. A similar event for project presentations, the Spring Scholarship Symposium, will be held on April 6, 2027, and is open to both undergraduate and graduate students.
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