The student news site of El Camino College

El Camino College The Union

The student news site of El Camino College

El Camino College The Union

The student news site of El Camino College

El Camino College The Union

student symposium

Students of all fields and majors will come together on May 15 to present their research in a Student Research Symposium being held in the Haag Recital Hall. “We usually have about 6-8 presenters that have a time limit of 12 minutes to present their research” Prof. Angela Mannen said. Mannen is one of the coordinators of the symposium that is also being put on by the Anthropology club on campus. The symposium gives students a chance to “present their research in a very professional setting to their peers as well as faculty members”, Mannen said. This opportunity not only provides students with a chance to hone their research and presentation skills but also gives them a competitive leg up when it comes time to apply to four-year Universities. “They can put this on their student resume and to have something like this is great,” Mannen said. Through this these students also have the opportunity to win prize money with amounts in the past ranging from $200 to the top presenter to $35 each for anyone who is chosen to present. “This year we have raised the most money yet through ICC,” Mannen said, and this is very good news for the lucky few that have the chance to compete for it. Papers and applications were due May 1 and will be reviewed first before the finalists are chosen to present. “Anthropology is the study of humans so the topic one can choose to write about is almost limitless,” Mannen said. This broad range of possible topics will no doubt lead to a very interesting symposium, and is surely the reason why this is going on its 6th year of being held. “A past winner did a paper on Cultural Appropriation in Fashion”, Mannen said, thus showing that almost anything having to do with humans or what humans do is up for research and discussion. Depending on the student this research could take from a “few weeks up to a semester,” Mannen said, though luckily many students who have taken any anthropology or similar classe on campus are often able to adapt essays written for class into what the symposium requires. “I wrote a paper for my art history class that if I added a little more to could probably work for next year,” Katelynn Rogers said. This ability to translate works from other classes into what could work in a competition like this makes it a no brainer for students to apply. “This looks great for applying to colleges and if you already have the paper written there’s no reason not to,” Mannen said. Even if you don’t win the competition you can still gain valuable experience by simply being a presenter or attending it to listen to what fellow students have to offer. Those interested can find out more from fliers posted around campus or by asking anyone in the anthropology club that meets every Thursday at 1p.m. “The symposium is being held from 1p.m.-3:30p.m. and it should be really great this year,” Mannen said.

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