This spring, the Class of 2018 participated in the Capstone abstract and poster presentations, where they reported status updates about their research and competed for the Oakland University Credit Union Dean’s Choice Awards.

The presentation is the culmination of the second-year Capstone curriculum, which requires students to learn the process of writing abstracts and discuss the significance and innovation of their current or intended data.

“This event is a valuable experience for students, as they receive constructive feedback on ways to improve their presentation skills and keep their projects moving along in a positive direction,” says Kara Sawarynski, co-director of the Capstone program and assistant professor, Department of Biomedical Sciences.

For the first time, the poster presentations resulted in identifying 15 students as finalists for the Dean’s Choice Awards. A faculty committee representing all areas of research expertise developed a rubric to evaluate the presentations. The panel of judges from OUWB and Beaumont Health applied the rubric to determine the top 15 student presentations. The finalists had the privilege of participating in the Fifth Annual William Davidson Medical Education Week with a short oral presentation at Beaumont Hospital – Royal Oak.

“It is important for the students to learn how to confidently describe and engage others with their research presentations, and it’s helpful that it occurs in a safe environment in front of faculty and peers,” says Sawarynski. “The experience gives them an understanding of what it takes to be a successful professional in the medical and scientific fields.”

The presentation and awards committee will choose three of the 15 finalists to receive the Dean’s Choice Awards scholarship funded by the Oakland University Credit Union.