As the semester draws to a close, a sigh of relief from Blackburn seniors can be heard across the campus. For many of them, their senior seminar projects are finished, and have been presented. But for some of them, there was one more trial – the senior symposium, an event that showcased the college’s best projects.
The symposium is made up of student work representing the three divisions: Natural science, social science and humanities. Each major falls somewhere within these broad categories, therefore there were a wide variety of projects to be displayed. From computer science to communications, students and their projects are nominated by faculty and department chairs to participate in the symposium. Though the event is open for all to visit, three judges (division chairs) visited each display to determine the winners.
One of the Blackburn seniors presenting their projects at the symposium was creative writing major Sara Lewis, with a display she made to show scenes from her horror novel “Monarch Biological Preserve.” This nearly 300 page novel is a great example of how complex these projects can be. “It’s sorta like the “Hunger Games” for senior seminar,” said Lewis, referring to the competition of students and their projects.
Another student with an interesting and creative project was graphic arts major Brandon Secrist, with a display of alternate Blackburn College promotions, including signs and buttons, much like one would see on a college preview day. However, these signs and buttons feature the college mascot not as a beaver, but a bison. “I chose the bison as a mascot, and just built a whole scheme around it,” Secrist said. “If they really wanted to, we could roll [the promotions] out tomorrow.”
The event was followed by appetizers and an awards ceremony. The winners of the senior symposium will be announced at graduation.