Inaugural Program Honors and Capstone Conference Showcases The Brilliance of the Class of 2016 The conference featured knowledge that could have "potential impact locally, globally, and individually"

Victor Levi, a Biological Sciences major, discusses the effects of Novel Diarylpentanoid Analogs on prostate cancer cells.

On Saturday, May 7, 2016, Schmid College of Science and Technology hosted its inaugural Program Honors & Capstone Conference. The event served as an opportunity for Schmid honors students to present their research to faculty, staff, peers and the public in a conference style setting that featured over 25 speakers and a formal breakfast.

“It is our hope that this event becomes a much-anticipated annual tradition where the tremendous accomplishments of our graduating seniors can be showcased and celebrated,” said Schmid College Dean Andrew Lyon. “One of the foundational functions of a university is the creation of new knowledge, and (this event features) students communicating this knowledge – in some cases for the first time in a public forum.”

Dean Andrew Lyon delivers a welcome speech before students would go on to present their final research

The conference began with breakfast and speeches by Lyon, as well as former Allergan VP of Information Services Jeffery Winston, Assistant Dean of External Relations Dr. Elaine Schwartz and Head of Life and Environmental Sciences Faculty Dr. Jason Keller. Students then began their presentations in four various classrooms on the second floor of Chapman University’s Argyros Forum, allowing for the public to bounce around from presentation to presentation depending on their interests. Every twenty minutes, a new student would begin their presentation and have five minutes at the end to address any questions the audience might have regarding their research.

Speaking topics varied from Environmental Science and Policy major Ariane Jong discussing the characterizing of sediment quality in the Southern California Bight, to Physics & Computational Science major Andrew Malfavon discussing traversable wormholes. The topics being presented showcased a truly wide-ranging number of topics, including quantum mechanics, prostate cancer, cosmic dynamics, and the factors effecting the tameness of Common Loons in Northern Wisconsin. 

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology major Joe Dodson educates the room on the properties of Oligo Ethylene Glycol MethAcrylate Microgels.

Lyon went on to say that that Schmid’s students and faculty and ask questions and pursue answers that are vitally important and impactful to not only the science community at large, but to Chapman, Orange, and the public at large. “The new knowledge presented is to be celebrated for its potential impact locally, globally, and individually, as I am certain the individuals presenting today have all been impacted profoundly by their research struggles and successes.”

You can see all of the presentations from the Honors and Capstone Conference on display Wednesday, May 11, 2016, in the Sandhu Conference Center from 2 – 4 p.m. during Student Research Day.

The 2017 conference will be held Saturday, May 6 in the Lyon Conference Center of Argyros Forum at Chapman University. Please check our public events calendar for details as the event approaches.