JACKSON, Tenn. — April 2, 2026 — Union University held its 23rd annual Scholarship Symposium March 31, bringing undergraduate and graduate students to the Carl Grant Events Center and classrooms across campus to present collaborative research projects completed during the academic year.
“The Scholarship Symposium allows students to show the results of their hard work and gives them experience in presenting their research,” said Suzanne Barham, academic affairs and accreditation specialist and symposium coordinator. “Since each of the research projects involves a faculty adviser, it allows faculty and students to work together on research projects, which results in more hands-on learning.”
Sponsored by the Union University Research Program, the Scholarship Symposium is designed to highlight the academic excellence students achieve throughout their time at Union. This year, 82 posters were displayed in the Grant Center and 41 projects presented orally in various academic spaces. Barham noted that there was a significant increase in the number of poster presentations from the previous year.
“I [was] very excited to share my project, particularly in poster format,” said Abby Thomas, a senior art major with an emphasis in graphic design. “I think a lot of what I have to say is more conversational … The poster part of the symposium is such a cool event because you are able to get face-to-face [information] from the students themselves, rather than trying to delve into such a variety of topics yourself.”
This year’s Scholarship Symposium showcased research across 11 major disciplines, from artistic and literary endeavors such as Thomas’ project, “A Judgment of Books and Covers,” to astrophysics research done by senior physics and history double major Timothy White.
“While my project is pretty far on the niche side, I hope that it will interest people in astrophysics as well as help us better understand how large-scale celestial events work and how that might affect our own galaxy,” White said.
Many students complete these projects as part of a senior seminar or as a requirement for specific classes, but they are still able to pursue their passions when choosing their research topics.
“We are rewiring a Nerf gun to turn and fire with the push of a button,” said Jordan Tabor, a sophomore mathematics and mechanical engineering double major. “It’s part of our circuits class for engineering. We had to create a project that applies circuits and particularly potentiometers, and we all decided it would be fun to have a Nerf gun we could control from a distance, because who doesn't want to ambush an unsuspecting passerby.”
With projects related to creating affordable alternative diabetes medication to emphasizing the importance of sentiment and empathy in business to crafting a full picture book being sold after the event, the Scholarship Symposium gives these students the opportunity to contribute unique, personal projects to a school-wide collection of knowledge.
“Despite my dislike of giving presentations, in general, I am excited to share what I’ve been working on,” White said. “Hopefully, I can get others excited about it too.”