Georgia Southern students present research, win cash prizes at CURIO symposium
More than 70 students in Georgia Southern University’s College of Arts and Humanities (CAH) showcased their talents at the annual CURIO Symposium, a hybrid event featuring research presentations and fine arts performances.
Students weren’t only provided an opportunity to show off their skills and research, but also competed for cash prizes. Held on the Statesboro and Armstrong campuses, there was a potential to win $250 in 10 categories, totalling nearly to $2,500 in awards.
Among the winners was senior Whitley Gatch, a double major in anthropology and history, who won for her research on the ecological health of her own backyard.
Gatch grew up along the Ogeechee River, which experienced a major environmental crisis in 2011 that led to a massive fish kill and changed how the community used the waterway.
“You couldn’t swim for a bit,” she recalled. “You still don’t really eat the fish out of the water. But before that, there are these oral interviews that talk about how people would drink the water from the river, how it was a clean stream, how it provided food sources and really cared for that population there.”
Increased industrialization of the area inspired her research about the long-term health of those natural landscapes.
Following graduation in May, Gatch will attend Yale University to pursue a masters in archeological studies with the intent to become a professor.
Other winners from this year’s CURIO were:
- Performing Arts/Original Creation: Eva Jones and Jacob Talevski
- Research & Analysis: Whitley Gatch, Jenna Glenn, Olivia Forrest and Bari Kponi and
- Research-Based Creative Projects: Reagon Padget and Taylor Woodard
- Original Creations: Kelly Bauer and James Rowell
- Research Poster: Christian Cotten-Dixon and Aaron Murphy
Eileen Ponich didn’t win a cash prize, but was excited to showcase her music at the symposium. Ponich, a lifelong music lover especially fond of the tunes of her youth from the 1960s, found CURIO the perfect place to showcase her passions.
“I’d really like to keep these songs alive for future generations,” Ponich said. “There are so many underrated and undervalued female singers of the 20th century. I want people of the younger generation to know about and appreciate them.”
After a career in information technology, she and her husband retired in Savannah to be near the ocean. It didn’t take long for Ponich to realize she wasn’t ready to slow down just yet. She was inspired to follow her passion for music to create a deeper connection to the music she loves. Ponich took private singing lessons in the past, but she felt there was a gap in her education that could be filled with an understanding of music theory.
She decided to give it the old college try again. After earning a bachelor’s degree in business from a small Massachusetts college a few decades ago, she returned to the classroom on the Armstrong Campus in Savannah for a diploma of passion. Ponich will graduate with a degree in music with a music industry concentration in May.
For all of the participating students, CURIO provided them with an opportunity to improve their public speaking skills, promote their undergraduate studies and connect with colleagues and other industry professionals.
“CURIO provides the opportunity to present and defend research and creative presentations, performances and exhibits to peers and faculty,” said David Owen, dean for the College of Arts and Humanities. “Preparing a presentation for this public setting and then explaining and defending one’s research deepens critical thinking skills, draws on inspired creativity and polishes communication skills. All of this prepares our students to succeed in whatever future career path they find themselves on.”
CURIO, an annual symposium held by CAH since 2008, is a hub for undergraduate students to apply their knowledge, develop new skills and contribute to their academic community through research and creative activities. It is an annual symposium held by the College of Arts and Humanities, and has been held each spring since 2008.
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