When the Scholars Colloquium began at Lubbock Christian University in 2006, it was envisioned as the main event to highlight the university’s push on academic research.
As LCU has grown academically and added more events highlighting its academics, the Scholars Colloquium has become the “big finish” to the school year, according to Dr. Stacy Patty, director of LCU’s Honors Program and professor of religion.
“It was one of first pushes to highlight the academic strength of university … to show the community of scholars we’re becoming and showcase research students are doing. Now it’s one of them,” said Patty.
The Colloquium is Thursday and Friday and this year’s keynote speaker is <link http: katharinehayhoe.com>Dr. Katharine Hayhoe, director of the Climate Science Center at Texas Tech University, part of the Department of Interior’s South-Central Climate Science Center. Hayhoe is an international leader on climate research. She is also an evangelical Christian whose views have not always agreed with political conservatives.
Hayhoe speaks during the keynote session, which starts at 7 p.m. Thursday in the W.R. Collier Auditorium at the Margaret Talkington Nursing Center for Nursing Education, which is west of Green Lawn Church of Christ.
Beyond the keynote address, there will be more than 60 presentations during the Colloquium, a combination of seniors doing capstone projects and others doing class projects. Faculty will also make research presentations.
The public can attend the presentations. Patty said about 70 percent of the presentations are from undergrads, 20 percent from grad students and 10 percent from faculty.
Patty said one example of how LCU has raised its academic reputation is where students are going after they graduate.
“We can do really good research and our students are among the best,” he said. “One graduate got a scholarship to Carnegie Mellon University for bionuclear engineering.”
Since the Scholars Colloquium started, students have gone from LCU to Princeton, SMU and Emory University, for example.
“It shows the kind of education they are getting [at LCU] and going on to Tier One universities,” he said.
A few examples of projects scheduled to be presented this week:
- Projects on playa lakes in Lubbock and how fecal matter from geese can affect water purity,
- What food products do to us,
- Research on exercise sciences, and
- Adolescent spiritual growth.
For a full schedule of the presentations and events at the 2016 LCU Scholars Colloquium, <link file:2343 download file>click here. Also check out <link internal-link internal link in current>"Pursuit of Scholarship" - <link internal-link internal link in current>An LCU Student Profile featuring Cassidy Flow, a presenter in the 2016 Scholars Colloquium.