UIS Student Technology, Arts & Research Symposium to showcase research, creativity and innovation

WHAT: The University of Illinois Springfield presents the 7th annual Student Technology, Arts & Research Symposium (STARS). The two-day event showcases student research and creative activities during the academic year. All events are free and open to the public.

WHEN: Thursday, April 5 from 4 to 9 p.m.
Friday, April 6 from 9 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

WHERE: UIS campus – with various presentations in the Student Union, Sangamon Auditorium, Public Affairs Center and Brookens Auditorium

DETAILS: UIS undergraduate and graduate students will present their research and creative activities through short talks, poster presentations, art exhibitions and musical performances. All events are free and open to the public. The symposium is also a great opportunity for businesses to explore and network with potential new talent for their organizations.

Thursday, April 5

• Student oral presentations session & student-directed play readings will take place from 4 to 6 p.m. in the Public Affairs Center
• The Launch of the “Alchemist Review”, a literary journal, takes place in Brookens Auditorium at 6 p.m.
• Keynote Speaker Chen Chen will speak at 7 p.m. in Brookens Auditorium. His A. Poulin, Jr. Poetry Prize-winning book “When I Grow Up I Want to Be a List of Further Possibilities” is longlisted for the 2017 National Book Award for poetry. He will sign books during a reception that follows his presentation.
• An open music rehearsal will be held from 8 to 9 p.m. in Sangamon Auditorium 

Friday, April 6

• Art exhibitions will be on display all day in the UIS Student Union
• Poster sessions will take place from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. in the Student Union
• Keynote Speaker Rashawn Ray, Ph.D., associate professor of sociology at the University of Maryland, College Park, will speak at 1 p.m. in the Student Union, as part of the Engaged Citizenship Common Experience (ECCE) Speaker Series. Ray is the author of “Race and Ethnic Relations in the 21st Century: History, Theory, Institutions, and Policy.” He will speak on the divisiveness plaguing the country and how social media seems to be used as a tool to segregate and isolate rather than unify.
• An Implicit Bias Workshop led by UIS Assistant Professor Carlee Hawkins, Ph.D. will take place from 2-3 p.m. in the Student Union, followed by a reception for Hawkins and Ray from 3 to 3:30 p.m.
• Student oral presentation sessions will continue from 3:30 to 5 p.m. in the Student Union Leadership Center
• The first annual Illinois Capital Innovation Awards Night will take place from 5:00 to 8 p.m. in the Student Union
• The UIS Spring Music Showcase concert will be held at 7:30 p.m. in Sangamon Auditorium

For the full STARS schedule, visit http://go.uis.edu/stars/. Questions may be directed to Brian Moore at 217/206-6664 or STARSymposium@uis.edu.