Research Symposium Cites History of 'Excellence'
Oak Leaves Staff
Manchester University held its 20th annual Student Research Symposium on April 27, and its founder, President Emerita Jo Young Switzer, returned to be honored and to hand out awards.
In her remarks, Switzer noted that Manchester’s strong academic tradition may not be as well-known as it should be. Citing significant graduates including Andrew Cordier (who helped found the United Nations), Roy Plunkett (who discovered Teflon), and Switzer’s classmate Jane Henney (who was the first woman commissioner of the Food and Drug Association), she noted that Manchester has long had a tradition of excellence.
Switzer herself was noted to be part of that tradition, as Symposium Chair Dr. Katharine Ings cited Switzer’s own accomplishments, progressing from Oak Leaves editor in the late 1960s to being named Manchester’s first woman president in the twenty-first century. To thank Switzer for establishing the Symposium and the writing award that bears her name, Ings presented Switzer with an engraved silver pen.
Before Switzer received her own award, she passed them out. Emily Lynn received both the Keynote Speaker Award and the Jo Young Switzer Writing Award; Carissa Fockler received the Poster Award.
The twenty-first annual Student Research Symposium will be held in April 2019 and both students and faculty mentors are invited to begin thinking about potential presentations.