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The annual SEARCH Symposium, held April 8 on campus at Asbury, allowed students, faculty, staff and guests to share their research and academic passion with their peers. The SEARCH Symposium and competition showcased student research in the Walt and Rowena Shaw Collaborative Learning Center to celebrate innovative ideas in art and research through conversation across the liberal arts. The event invited students and faculty of every major and level of experience to come together for learning and discovery.
Two students tied for first place, each receiving a $1,000 award for their research projects: Dina van Heemst ’25 for her paper, “Preserving Palestinian National Identity Among Refugees in Jordan” with faculty-sponsor Dr. Glenn Harden and Klara Kinman ’25 for her paper, “Loving Herself, Regardless: How Alice Walker and Lucille Clifton Reclaim Black Female Embodiment” with faculty-sponsor Dr. Erin Penner.
Sara Gantz received second place for her paper, “Discussing the Effectiveness and Ethical Considerations behind Harm Reduction Programs in Kentucky” with faculty-sponsor Dr. Laura Walther, and Haven Emery received third place for her paper, “Secrecy, Solidarity, & Strategic Assimilation: Deciphering Diaspora” with faculty-sponsor Dr. Brian Shelton. These students each received a $500 award for their research projects.
“Receiving recognition for the work that I have put into my paper is greatly encouraging and motivates me to continue pursuing avenues of research and academic writing which allow me to explore social injustices,” said van Heemst. “It was a great privilege to listen to and engage with the stories of Palestinian refugees and to personalize the complexities of their lived experiences through a detailed research project. Throughout this process, I was challenged to do things I had never done before, such as interviewing people in a refugee camp in a foreign country, transcribing interviews from Arabic into English, coding and generating themes, writing a literature review, and condensing everything into a lengthy academic research paper. I am grateful for Dr. Harden’s guidance, unwavering support and insightful feedback.”
“In my project, I wondered what embodiment looks like for Black women who have loved themselves deeply despite a history of enslavement and discrimination,” said Kinman. “Examining the works of Alice Walker and Lucille Clifton, I argued that grief, at various stages of life, is an underappreciated but valuable form of self-love which welcomes complicated, even tragic experiences. I am grateful to my Asbury faculty advisor, Dr. Erin Penner, who met with me regularly, read through multiple drafts, and provided a great deal of constructive feedback during the editing process for this project.”
Learn more about SEARCH at Asbury.