Hundreds of students will present, perform and exhibit their work Friday, May 6, as part of the 26th annual Steinmetz Symposium.
More than 500 students will participate in the all-day event, including nearly 300 oral presentations and more than 65 poster presentations. Some 200 students are involved in a dance performance, musical concerts, an art exhibit and other activities.
Hands-on, faculty-mentored undergraduate research is a staple of the Union experience. Classes are canceled to allow parents, faculty, staff and students to sample projects from every discipline.
Visitors can shuffle between numerous academic buildings to sample presentations.
At 4 p.m., more than 90 performers will take to the stage in the Nott Memorial for the Lothridge Festival of Dance, presented each year at the Steinmetz Symposium.
The hour-long show includes highlights from this year’s Winter Dance Concert, “Minds of Interest,” inspired by artists, scientists and activists of the 20th century.
Featured are faculty choreographies by Dance Program Director Miryam Moutillet and Dance Program Assistant Marcus Rogers, as well as original pieces by Jillian Callanan ’16, Avery Novitch ’16, Laura Schad ’16 and Megan Wells ’18.
In addition, students from the Ballroom, Bhangra, U-Break, Hip-Hop and Step clubs, Terra Dance, the Dance Team and the Queens of Dancehall will dazzle with their unique and surprising moves.
Also, the annual Visual Arts Student Art Exhibit, on view in the Nott Memorial, features the most accomplished student works completed during the 2015-16 academic year.
Curated by Visual Arts faculty members, the exhibit includes works from classes in photography, sculpture, digital art and video, painting, drawing and printmaking.
One new event for the Steinmetz Symposium is a reception for student presenters and their families, faculty mentors, alumni and guests. This will be held from 5:30 to 7 p.m. in the Lally Reading Room in Schaffer Library. There will be a cash bar and light refreshments.
The day wraps up with a concert by the Union College and Community Orchestra and the Union College and Community Chorale, under the direction of John Cox, director of performance and lecturer in choral and orchestral music. The concert is set for 8 p.m. in Memorial Chapel.
Steinmetz Symposium coincides with Prize Day, which begins at 11 a.m. Saturday in Memorial Chapel, followed by a reception on the Reamer Campus Center patio at 12:30 p.m. Students are honored for achievement in academics, research, service and governance.
Among the top awards given are the Josephine Daggett Prize to the senior for conduct and character and the Frank Bailey (1885) Prize to the senior who has rendered the greatest service to the College in any field.
Check back later for a list of winners.
Also, the Union College Jazz Ensemble, led by Professor Tim Olsen, will perform at 2 p.m. in Emerson Auditorium.
The Steinmetz Symposium is named for Charles Proteus Steinmetz (1865-1923), who taught electrical engineering and applied physics at Union. Also chief consulting engineer for the General Electric Company, he was widely regarded as America’s leading electrical engineer.
For a complete schedule, including a list of presentations, visit the Steinmetz website.