CAFE Symposium Displays First-Year Scholarly Research
First-year students present research at Cafe Symposium (Photo Allyson Frantz/The Gettysburgian)
By Alicia Method, Staff Writer
The CUB Ballroom was dotted like a checkerboard with posters and stationary students as onlookers milled around this past Wednesday afternoon, Feb. 5. These students were a group of exceptional first-years who were selected to present their research at the CAFE Symposium.
The Ballroom featured a wide variety of presentations and students. First-years stood by large posters detailing their research and ideas, ready to discuss their findings. These first-years were nominated by faculty members to exhibit work which they had completed during various First Year Seminars.
“I think it’s really unique that Gettysburg gives us the opportunity as first-years to do a project like this and have the ability to present it,” CAFE presenter Ziv Carmi ‘23 said.
Students presented on a wide range of topics from a variety of disciplines.
Ellie Sandt ‘23 compared Gettysburg’s environmental sustainability to other colleges, finding it much lower. Sandt commented, “It’s hard to incorporate sustainability, but there’s more we can do. It’s just about getting creative.”
Collin Presser ‘23 explored artificial intelligence (AI), debating theories on AI technology and looking to the future. Presser said, “The project was fun to put together, I thought it was worthwhile. I didn’t expect to write against one of my favorite authors, it opened my eyes to problems in AI that we see even today.”
Like Presser, the first-years expressed an abundance of positive feedback on the CAFE Symposium as well as the First Year Seminars which had spurred their research.
Attendees walked around, allowing the presenters to speak to a multitude of curious groups and individuals. One presenter, Alyssa Ritchie ‘23 noted, “This experience is really beneficial to learn how to talk to people about a big project you’ve done and learn about networking.”
