KU Libraries, CURF open student research gallery at Anschutz Library
A small crowd gathered Wednesday afternoon along with KU Libraries faculty and staff for the opening of the Student Research Gallery at Anschutz Library, marking a new showcase for student research posters.
Science and Engineering Librarian Gwen Geiger-Wolfe provided opening remarks, calling the gallery "a simple but powerful idea" that student research matters and deserves to be seen.
"Giving them a home in the library, we hope to extend the life of this work and to spark curiosity and inspiration among students," Geiger-Wolfe, one of three KU Libraries co-coordinators of the project, said. "And also reinforce the library's role as a partner in research in every stage."
The inaugural exhibit features posters from KU's four Lawrence-campus participants in this year's Kansas Undergraduate Research Day at the Capitol -- Evanna Dominic, Mira Rausch, Ariana Siddique and Gerardo Fornoza -- alongside a digital display of posters from other Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships (CURF)-affiliated events.
CURF Director Mulu Lemma reflected on the transformative potential of visible student scholarship, sharing the story of a first-generation student who joined a CURF research program simply because he needed a job and had no prior sense of what university research looked like. The student is now applying to graduate school.
"There are students who are not exposed to research, who have no idea what's happening at the university, how much insightful work, informative work is happening," Lemma said. "This is an opportunity to present research (opportunities)."
Dawn Tallchief, also of CURF, spoke about the Day at the Capitol event, in which each Kansas Board of Regents institution selects five undergraduate researchers to present their work to state lawmakers each year. She noted the gallery's digital display component offers flexibility to showcase additional student work on an ongoing basis.
Geiger-Wolfe noted that during a pilot display in Watson Library's Haricombe Gallery last spring, a student passed by and spotted a poster connected to a field they were passionate about and reacted with excitement, a moment she said confirmed the gallery's potential.
The gallery, located in a high-traffic corridor of Anschutz Library's main floor, features four wall-mounted frames and a digital monitor, funded by the KU Libraries' Innovation Fund. Displays will rotate regularly throughout the year.