If you happened to walk into the Weitz Center on the Friday of Family Weekend, you ran into an incredible display of student work and achievement accomplished over this past summer. You would have seen a room full of 4 feet x 3 feet posters displayed on easels throughout the commons and the balcony above. In between the easels, were 292 student researchers and interns chatting with fellow students, family members, faculty, mentors, and staff and sharing all about their summer experiences. Carleton’s intelligence, skills, and creativity were on full display during the 2023 Undergraduate Research and Internship Symposium.
The Career Center’s funded interns were amongst the poster presenters – 131 students strong. Let’s look at the process for our students to prepare for the symposium.
Students in the Internship Reflection Program and many students conducting research are required to share their experiences with the campus community to bring more knowledge, insights, and dialogue back to our institution. Towards the end of a student’s summer experience, they are asked to think about how they want to present their experiences, and a poster is one option that most of our students choose.
While a poster may seem simple to produce, an effective and well-designed poster takes careful design and preparation. Students need to figure out how to show and tell a concise and effective story about their experience and/or work. Deciding on the main points to highlight and how to display that information effectively is all part of the process.
After creating the poster, students arrive at the symposium and find their correct easel number among the many rows, hang their poster neatly on the board, and prepare to discuss their experience with the audience. Many of our interns visually showcase their main responsibilities, what they learned, and how the experience impacted their academic and career plans moving forward.
It’s a fantastic opportunity to see the impressive work and impact Carleton students have every summer through the generous support of our internship fund donors. If you have yet to hear about some of these rich experiences, be sure to mark your calendar for next year’s event.
