Academic excellence from across PennWest will be on full display this month, as California, Clarion and Edinboro conduct their annual highlights of student scholarship and creative achievement.

Students at PennWest Clarion and Edinboro will present and discuss their research, scholarship and works of creativity during Celebration of Scholarship, which will be held at Clarion from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. and Edinboro, from 2-4:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 17.

Clarion’s traditional poster-style presentations will be held on campus in the Carlson Library. Edinboro’s are set for the second-floor atrium area of the Baron-Forness Library.

Work will include independent research or creative projects, independent study, and scholarly or creative projects in upper-level courses.

PennWest California’s Strike a Spark is slated for April 17 in the Convocation Center. Students will present in the categories of: Arts and Humanities; Business, Communication & Information Sciences; Education; Health Sciences; Natural Sciences & Engineering, and Social Sciences & Human Services.

“Conducting research usually requires students to engage in inquiry-based learning, project-based learning, and/or learning through hands-on experiences,” said Dr. Xiaofeng Li, assistant professor of library sciences. “Complementary to traditional classes where students listen to lectures, these multi-ways of learning afforded by research activities are beneficial for students' intellectual growth. Through events like our three campuses’ Celebration of Scholarship/Strike a Spark, students also have opportunities to brainstorm and collaborate with faculty and peers for potential scholarly interests and develop communication and presentation skills.”