Each year, CURL\u2019s Fall Exhibition and Spring Conference showcases the breadth of intellectual curiosity on campus, offering a platform for students to present projects, spark meaningful dialogue, and discover new avenues for collaboration.<\/p>\n
When\u00a0Dr. Christine Tsang<\/strong>, Chair of CURL and the Psychology Department at Huron, describes the Centre\u2019s mission, her enthusiasm is palpable:<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s an opportunity to celebrate student work\u2014work that students conduct over the academic term\u2014and a way to allow faculty and students who aren\u2019t part of that specific research or class to see what others are doing. If they\u2019re interested, they can chat with the presenter, see what synergies or collaborative opportunities might result.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Dr. Michael Kottelenberg<\/strong>, this year\u2019s conference lead, emphasizes the communal spirit behind the event:<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a place to build general connection. There are spaces for students to connect, but also for faculty. We get to see what each other is working on, share ideas, and maybe spark something new.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n One of the conference\u2019s key strengths is its interdisciplinary nature. Projects span economics, literature, psychology, global displacement studies, activism, and beyond. As Dr. Kottelenberg notes:<\/p>\n \u201cStudents are the most interdisciplinary of us all. They\u2019re taking multiple classes across different disciplines. By bringing them together at a conference, we see students with a range of perspectives\u2014and for faculty, it\u2019s a reminder that our own research might benefit from viewpoints outside our usual wheelhouse.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n That crossover is exactly what makes the conference unique at Huron. Dr. Tsang points out that unlike department-specific conferences, CURL encourages faculty and students from all fields to engage in the same space:<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s really unusual to see, for example, an economics talk followed by an English lit talk and then a psychology poster session, all in the same hour\u2014with all those faculty members actually there, asking questions.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Rather than selecting or rejecting proposals, CURL operates on an inclusive, facilitative model. Dr. Tsang describes it as \u201cpeople indicating they want to participate, and the committee facilitating that participation.\u201d Some students present final course projects, while others develop posters to share emerging findings. There\u2019s also room for novel session formats\u2014such as student panels or Instagram-based research showcases\u2014all designed to accommodate varying presentation styles. Dr. Kottelenberg underscores that \u201cit\u2019s not so much a selection process, but rather: How can we help bring your work to life during the conference?\u201d This results in an event that reflects the full spectrum of undergraduate research at Huron.<\/p>\n For many students, preparing to speak at an academic conference can be daunting. Yet Huron\u2019s smaller class sizes and close-knit campus lend themselves to highly personalized mentorship. Faculty involvement ranges from reviewing draft slides or conducting practice sessions to simply cheering from the audience:<\/p>\n \u201cSometimes students just want to present\u2014they feel confident and ready,\u201d says Dr. Kottelenberg. \u201cOther times, they need more guidance, so we\u2019ll read their slides, talk about time management, or do practice talks. It all depends on that student-faculty relationship.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Interestingly, this mentorship isn\u2019t one-sided:<\/p>\n \u201cStudents come with interests that spark faculty curiosity,\u201d says Dr. Tsang. \u201cI\u2019ve ended up reading activist methodologies I never would have otherwise, simply because a student brought it into the conversation. It\u2019s mutually beneficial\u2014it can even be more interesting than my \u2018main\u2019 research line.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n A major theme both Dr. Tsang and Dr. Kottelenberg highlight is the importance of students viewing themselves as researchers and knowledge producers\u2014not just learners completing assignments.<\/p>\n \u201cWe want them to see they\u2019re participants in a broader conversation,\u201d Dr. Kottelenberg explains. \u201cWhen they present their work and answer questions, they\u2019re stepping into that role of active contributor\u2014and that skill carries over into life after Huron.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Dr. Tsang puts it succinctly:<\/p>\n \u201cResearch is social. It\u2019s iterative and dynamic. It\u2019s not just sitting alone in a library\u2014at some point, you share your findings, answer questions, and spark new ones. That\u2019s what the conference helps students do.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n The conference also aims to prioritize accessibility and inclusive practices. From virtual participation opportunities (such as Instagram-based exhibitions) to offering non-presenting roles (like conference administration), CURL ensures that everyone can engage in ways that suit their comfort and skill sets.<\/p>\n \u201cSome students don\u2019t want to be the headliner,\u201d Dr. Tsang says. \u201cBut they want to help organize or run the event. Those behind-the-scenes roles are equally valuable. It\u2019s all about creating multiple entry points into the research community.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n While there\u2019s no formal metric for success, feedback indicates a growing culture of undergraduate research at Huron. The large faculty attendance\u2014often sitting in on student talks from start to finish\u2014speaks volumes about campus-wide support. Dr. Tsang recalls students who once wandered in to \u201csee what\u2019s going on\u201d and ended up presenting their own research the following year. For Dr. Kottelenberg:<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s the best kind of impact\u2014when curiosity becomes contagious. When students watch their peers present, they\u2019re thinking: \u2018I could do that too. How do I sign up?\u2019\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n As the annual CURL conference continues to evolve, Dr. Tsang and Dr. Kottelenberg hope to preserve its core spirit: celebrating knowledge, fostering curiosity, and building community. They invite everyone at Huron\u2014whether first-year students or long-time faculty members\u2014to explore the fascinating range of undergraduate research, connect with peers, and maybe even find a new research direction.<\/p>\n \u201cThe best thing you can get out of your degree,\u201d Dr. Tsang says, \u201cis being able to formulate good questions. CURL is one small but powerful way we help students\u2014and ourselves\u2014learn to do exactly that.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Interested in learning more or getting involved?<\/strong> Keep an eye out for CURL announcements and conference dates. Whether you want to present, organize, or simply attend, there\u2019s a place for everyone at Huron\u2019s CURL Undergraduate Research Conference.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" At Huron University, Research is More Than Coursework Each year, CURL\u2019s Fall Exhibition and Spring Conference showcases the breadth of intellectual curiosity on campus, offering a platform for students to present projects, spark meaningful dialogue, and discover new avenues for collaboration. Mission & Objectives: \u2018A Chance to Celebrate Student Work\u2019 When\u00a0Dr. Christine Tsang, Chair of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":401,"featured_media":5746,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[132],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-5712","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-features","8":"czr-hentry"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.huronresearch.ca\/curl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5712","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.huronresearch.ca\/curl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.huronresearch.ca\/curl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.huronresearch.ca\/curl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/401"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.huronresearch.ca\/curl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5712"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.huronresearch.ca\/curl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5712\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.huronresearch.ca\/curl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5746"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.huronresearch.ca\/curl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5712"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.huronresearch.ca\/curl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5712"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.huronresearch.ca\/curl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5712"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nFostering an Interdisciplinary Community<\/h2>\n
\nHow Presentations Come Together<\/h2>\n
\nFaculty Mentorship & Mutual Inspiration<\/h2>\n
\nSeeing Students as Knowledge Producers<\/h2>\n
\nAccessibility & EDI: Making Space for Every Researcher<\/h2>\n
\nMeasuring Success: The Ripple Effect<\/h2>\n
\nLooking Ahead: An Open Invitation<\/h2>\n
\n