Kyle Wiebers Participates in Buena Vista University's Twelfth Annual Scholars Day

2016 May 6

Buena Vista University's (BVU) twelfth annual Scholars Day was held Friday, April 22. The event provided students from all disciplines an opportunity to present their best presentations, original research, academic posters, artistic creations and performances to their peers, professors and the public.

This year's Scholars Day event featured 38 presentations from 66 students, exploring topics from literature and business to science and history.

Kyle Wiebers , a junior psychology and educational studies major from Holstein, was one of the students who participated. Wiebers 's presentation was titled Do you see what I see?, and the project's abstract is as follows:

When we put ourselves in the shoes of others, does it change the way we perceive our own environment? The 2016 Global Fellows experience in Chile allowed us to look more deeply from various angles into important components of our relationships, our treatment of precious natural resources, and our perceptions of artwork within and outside our own cultures. This opportunity provided us with the skills and knowledge to grow as students and as mutual inhabitants of our global community. The research conducted by our group indicates a deeper and richer understanding of the environment in which we live and how every one of our actions has an effect on the state of the world. How we choose to respond to this information may determine what kind of world we pass on to future generations.

The keynote speaker for the event was Grant Gerlock, BVU Class of 2004, who is a Harvest Public Media reporter at NET News. Gerlock is recognized as a great storyteller and has visited coal plants, dairy farms, horse tracks and hospitals to cover a variety of stories.

"The students put so much into their research-time, effort, resources-that it becomes a part of them," said Dr. Steven Mills, assistant professor of Spanish and chair of the events committee who organized the event. "As they give their presentations and share their knowledge with the audience, their countenance brightens, their confidence rises and their eyes light up. What has become a part of their identity flows out with energy and enthusiasm; they feel like they have truly succeeded, and this success can be valuable to others, as well. I have seen every student walk away with a firmer step and a deeper desire to turn his or her academic work into something more."

A photo gallery from the Scholars Day event is available at www.bvu.edu/scholarsday.