REDDING, Calif.—Celebrating a decade of showcasing student academic excellence, Simpson University invites the community to participate in its 10^th annual Student Research Symposium, which will feature a daylong “live” painting by artist Hyatt Moore.

The symposium on Wednesday, March 11, is modeled after professional academic symposiums and will feature more than 40 presentations and posters by more than 60 undergraduate and graduate students on topics from multiple disciplines. Visitors are welcome to sit in on thought-provoking presentations and participate in Q&As throughout the day.

Staging in the James M. Grant Student Life Center, Moore, a Southern California artist, will be creating a large painting as part of the event. Community members are encouraged to stop by throughout the day to observe the work in progress and are invited to participate by putting fingerprints on the canvas.

Free registration for the symposium will be from 8 to 10 a.m. outside the Bean Scene coffee shop on campus. Guests are welcome to purchase lunch in the campus dining hall. From 12 to 1:15 p.m., the Science Department will sponsor an egg-drop contest at the Bean Scene patio.

Moore will headline the opening plenary session at 10:20 a.m. inside the Grant Center, focusing on this year’s symposium theme of “Wonder.” Moore has been a full-time painter since 2004, with works displayed in galleries, organizations, homes and Christian colleges throughout the U.S. Prior to his becoming an artist, Moore served with Wycliffe Bible Translators, including five years as president. His varied background includes jobs as a draftsman for Shelby American (Cobra sports car), a technical illustrator for Lockheed Aircraft, art director for Surfer Magazine, and positions in printing and media direction in Guatemala and Papua New Guinea.

Artist Hyatt Moore talks about his painting of the Last Supper in this video. Moore will be on campus doing a “live” painting throughout the day on March 11.

The symposium’s theme of “Wonder” seeks to recognize the wonder that has sparked human curiosity, creativity, and exploration—fundamental qualities of student research. Indeed, the university exists as a place to satisfy that human capacity for wonder from a variety of disciplinary perspectives, said event organizers.

“The theme this year really embraces the whole idea for student research at a Christian liberal arts university,” said Dr. John Ayabe, chair of the symposium committee. “At Simpson, faculty work really hard to stimulate our students’ natural curiosity and sense of wonder, and for the past ten years, the symposium has become the platform for celebrating the results of that sense of wonder.”

Throughout the day, participants will present their scholarship in 10- to 30-minute presentations in various classrooms. Seating at each session is limited and available on a first-come basis. A poster session with refreshments is scheduled from 3:45 to 5 p.m. in the Grant Center.

A schedule of sessions will be posted online at simpsonu.edu/researchsymposium.

This year’s presentations include titles such as “The Latinx Wondering Woman,” “The Worst Epidemic You Never Heard Of,” “The Wonders of Child Centered Play Therapy,” and “California’s Housing Crisis and What to do About it.”

The symposium will conclude with an awards banquet for presenters in the Collord-Humphries room. The Stanley Clark Student Research Awards—named after former university provost Stanley Clark, a strong supporter of student research—will be presented to students for best research paper, best poster, and best research presentation in undergraduate and graduate categories.

Learn more about the symposium at simpsonu.edu/researchsymposium.

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Simpson University, founded in 1921, moved to Redding 30 years ago and will celebrate its centennial in 2021. In addition to offering 25 majors in its traditional undergraduate program, the university has graduated more than 4,000 North State adults from its ASPIRE degree-completion program, and nearly 3,000 from its School of Education. It has a No. 8-ranked School of Nursing, a seminary, and master’s programs in counseling psychology and organizational leadership. Simpson University is recognized nationally by Colleges of Distinction. Simpson has new athletics programs in track and field, swimming and diving, women’s wrestling, and men’s volleyball, as well as a bass fishing team. The university is also working to better serve transfer students from community colleges through its commitment to Associate Degree for Transfer agreements, and it is offering new scholarships. Learn more about Simpson University at simpsonu.edu. Follow university news at simpsonunews.com.