The first IUS Student Showcase on Wednesday, March 11 allowed students see what some clubs and academic programs at IU Southeast have to offer.
“It’s so much more appealing because it’s by students for students,” Hannah Piechowski, an Academic Success Center intern said.
The Student Showcase was organized by Sarah Gierke, academic adviser. She is also a coordinator for retention.
Gierke got in touch with advisers throughout the school to see if students had done anything remarkable or just wanted a table at the showcase.
Piechowski said the showcase is an event they hope to continue to offer and grow.
Many clubs were at the showcase including the French Club, English Club, Informatics Club, Chemistry Club, Bioinformatics Research Group and Math Club.
At the Chemistry Club’s table, they were giving science demonstrations including crispy marshmallows formed by dipping marshmallows in liquid nitrogen, which instantly freezes the marshmallow and changes the texture.
A member of the Chemistry Club and chemistry junior, Bree Shroyer, said they were trying to show how one could have fun with chemistry.
The Informatics Club had a small demonstration of what a computer program could be like in the future. It was a program where the human and computer could interact. It took the club just one hour to put together after ordering the parts needed to build it.
“The purpose of the club is for social networking,” Andy Majot, Informatics Club president, said.
Majot said they try and teach each other things they know about informatics.
The Bioinformatics Research Group had an interactive robot to show off to those who stopped by their table.
“The robot helps them find solutions to computer problems in the field,” Josh Opoku, computer science junior and BiRG member, said.
The BiRG also had two other examples of their research to show off which included digital art and a virtual telescope. The BiRG have many active projects that include evolutionary genomics, astroInformatics, grid computing, social informatics, robotics, human computer interaction and digital forensics.
Besides campus clubs, academic departments were showcasing what they have to offer students. The nursing department, advertising, safety science, graphic design and field biology all had booths at the showcase.
The nursing department brought their simulation baby, referred to as the sim baby. They use it to listen for abnormal bowl or lung sounds. Nursing sophomore, Kasey Trinkle, said the sim baby even has its own nursery.
“We even have a sim man,” Trinkle said. “He has his own stretcher and he talks to you.”
She said the sim man simulates real situations for nursing students.
“He even talks to you and says things like, ‘don’t touch me,’” Trinkle said.
By MARY LYONS
Staff writer
marlyons@ius.edu
