The Spring Research and Arts Conference is the largest academic conference held on the UTC campus. On April 10, University Center guests will explore 290 unique presentations. Photo by Angela Foster.
Are you interested in checking out studio art projects done by students? Do you feel a passion for learning about artificial intelligence or philosophy? What about museum-style exhibits by a medieval magic and medicine class?
If so, the 2024 UTC Spring Research and Arts Conference—the largest academic conference held on the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga campus—will have all that and hundreds more.
On Wednesday, April 10, guests will explore 290 unique presentations from over 650 presenters, including 11 students from the Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences.
The conference will include four presentation sessions from 9 a.m.-5:15 p.m. throughout each room in the University Center and creative presentations in the UC Auditorium.
“This is the one time of the year where everything that’s happening in terms of research is there and actively on view,” said Dr. Lisa Piazza, executive director of the UTC Office for Undergraduate Research and Creative Endeavor (URaCE). “This is a time to celebrate the work being done here and to showcase the amazing, diverse array of research.
“You’re going to see everything from nursing to communication to criminal justice to some really fantastic political science presentations, chemistry, biology—anything you could imagine. This is the culture that we are trying to create here.”
This year’s highlights include:
- The Spring Research and Arts Conference’s first AI panel discussion from noon-1:45 p.m. in the University Center Raccoon Mountain Room. Attendees can take advantage of the on-site opportunity to have an AI-enhanced profile portrait photo made for use in career or social media purposes.
- Professor of Philosophy Talia Welsh will host the annual Philosophy and Religious Studies panel, with students giving talks on a variety of topics.
- Students in Dr. Kira Robison’s Medieval Magic and Medicine class have created museum-style exhibits related to “Tools of the Trade.”
- Studio Art Professor Shane Ward and his students will present an art research project titled “Convergence: Technological Singularity, Societal Collapse, and the Loss of Human Agency.”
- Six students participating in the Office for URaCE Undergraduate Research Work-Study program will present mentored research projects as the culminating experience for the yearlong program.
- Dr. Raga Ahmed and six Hamilton County teachers will present research related to the Research Experience for Teachers (RET) project “Engineering and Data Analytics in Smart Cities,” an RET site that provides authentic experiences in Smart City development for high school STEM educators.
- Dr. Hassan Afzal’s political science students will give presentations on various topics related to his spring course, “American Foreign Policy.”
- Approximately 200 students participating in the Class Visit program, including the first cohort of University High students.
Piazza said that by attending this event, not only will the campus community be able to witness all the research and creative performances happening on campus, “but you will also be able to meet those behind it all.”
“It’s a great networking tool,” she said. “I meet people there every year myself. I find myself meeting people from the previous year, and then we’re doing something collaborative together. It is a great networking venue and a great way to showcase the work happening on campus.”
A full list of events can be found here.
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2024 UTC Spring Research and Arts Conference
More than 700 presenters participated in the 2023 UTC Spring Research and Arts Conference. Photo by Angela Foster.
