December 9, 2016
Northwestern Oklahoma State University will play host to Oklahoma Research Day (ORD) - a first for the university - on Friday, March 3, 2017, at the Central National Bank Center in Enid. Abstract submissions and conference registration deadlines are set for Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2017.
Poster presentations will start at 9 a.m., followed by the banquet at 12:30 p.m. featuring keynote speaker Kate Blalack, archivist at the Woody Guthrie Center in Tulsa. To register for the conference, find abstract examples, submit an abstract individually or as a team, or view general information visit: www.oklahomaresearchday.com. Conference participation and banquet attendance are free.
Northwestern’s jazz ensemble and University Singers will be performing during the banquet.
Students and faculty who participated in Ranger Research Day this fall at Northwestern are encouraged to present their research and represent Northwestern at ORD.
Now in its 18th year, ORD is a premier annual event celebrating student and faculty research, creative, and scholarly activities. The event has grown in numbers and in stature with contributions from all of Oklahoma’s institutions of higher education, including many collaborative contributions from national and international academic and research institutions. The 2016 ORD event had more than 1,000 registered students, faculty and guests, and featured more than 500 unique poster presentations.
Dr. Shawn Holliday, associate dean of graduate studies and professor of English, is responsible for putting in the bid to the Council on Research for Regional Universities that allowed Northwestern to be chosen for this opportunity. He is serving as chair of Northwestern’s Oklahoma Research Day Committee.
Joining Holiday on the committee are Dr. Eric Schmaltz, professor of history and co-chair; Dr. Wayne McMillin, Northwestern-Enid dean; Dr. Aaron Mason, professor of political science; Dr. Aaron Place, professor of biology; Dr. Tim Maharry, professor of mathematics and chair of the Math and Computer Science department; Mark Bagley, instructor of computer science; Dr. Jennifer Page, assistant professor of English; Dr. Steven Mackie, associate professor of education at Northwestern-Enid; Dr. Leslie Collins, assistant professor of nursing and assistant chair in the Division of Nursing; Alica Hall, coordinator of printing services; Fred Riggins, maintenance and telecommunication; Dr. Bo Hannaford, ex-officio to committee and vice president for academic affairs; and Candace Reim, coordinator for Student Services at Northwestern-Enid.
Holliday is grateful to the committee members for the amount of time and effort they have spent preparing for ORD. He also encourages the public to attend the free event to support students, faculty and staff who are participating.
As a more environmentally-friendly way to host all of the abstracts and general information, Bruno Miguel, Northwestern junior computer science major from Brazil, is developing an app, with assistance from Bagley, to be used at Oklahoma Research Day. The app is free and will provide information to anyone interested in the conference, its materials and the City of Enid. Holliday also will be working with VisitEnid for more information about the city for the app and possible incentives for Enid businesses.
“The official hashtag for ORD 2017 is #ExploreORD,” Page said. “ORD is a great opportunity for students across the state to showcase their hard work and scholarly accomplishments, but the committee wanted to incorporate social media to give the student participants a publicity signal boost. By tagging their photos and posts with the official hashtag, we hope that these students will get even more recognition for the truly impressive research projects they’ve undertaken.”
Others helping to sponsor ORD this year include Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education (OSRHE); Oklahoma Experimental Program for Stimulating Competitive Research (EPSCoR) - National Science Foundation; Idea Network for Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) - National Institutes of Health; Cameron University; East Central University; Langston University; Northeastern State University; Southeastern Oklahoma State University; Southwestern Oklahoma State University; and the University of Central Oklahoma. Chancellor Glen Johnson, as well as other Oklahoma regents and university presidents, will be attending the conference.
Northwestern plans to play host to this event again in March 2018.
For more information contact Holliday at (580) 327-8589 or spholliday@nwosu.edu.
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