BHSU to host 21st Annual Research Symposium; Keynote to address media literacy education

Students of Black Hills State University will present what they have learned through their research experiences during the 21st Annual Black Hills Research Symposium March 26-28 in Spearfish.
 
The BH Research Symposium is an interdisciplinary conference designed to showcase BHSU students’ undergraduate and graduate research and creative activity in the Black Hills region.
 
The Symposium will include 12 oral presentations and seven poster presentations sessions by BHSU students from the College of Liberal Arts, the College of Business and Natural Sciences and the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences. All presentations are free and open to the public.
 
The keynote speaker for this year is Dr. Vincent Youngbauer, assistant professor of education at Mercer University in Macon, Ga. The title of the talk is “The Importance of Media Literacy Education in 21st Century America.”
 
Youngbauer taught social studies for 10 years in central Pennsylvania. His research interests include the application of media literacy in social studies education, cultural studies, and the effect of digital media on engaged citizenship. He will present his research results on Thursday, March 28 at 4p.m. in Meier Hall.
 
Dr. Youngbauer's research is focused on teaching young people how to critically engage with the media that is ubiquitous today. In 2009, the National Council of the Social Studies released a position statement on media literacy in social education “the multimedia age requires new skills for accessing, evaluating, creating, and distributing messages within a digital, global, and democratic society.”
 
Youngbauer earned his Ph.D. at Pennsylvania State University in Curriculum and instruction; language, culture, society, his M.S. in Educational Development and Strategies from Wilkes University of Pennsylvania, and his B.S. in Secondary Education from Penn State University where he also earned minors in history and geography. He was also formerly an assistant professor at the University of South Dakota.
 
All BH Research Symposium events are free and open to the public. Student research projects include different and diverse topics including history, writing, art, education, psychology, sustainability, and immigration.
 
The schedule is as follows, all events are open to the public:
 
Tuesday, March 26
·        Student Research Poster Presentations, all day, Student Union Lobby

Wednesday, March 27
·       Student Research Poster Presentations, all day, Student Union Lobby
·       Faculty Presentation, 2-3 p.m., Jonas 204
·       Poster Judging, Q&A Session, 3-5 p.m., Student Union Lobby

Thursday, March 28
 ·      Student Research Poster Presentations, all day, Student Union Lobby
 ·      Student Research Oral Presentations, 8 a.m.-1p.m. Trump and Swarts Conference Rooms of the David B. Miller Yellow Jacket Student Union
·        Keynote Address by Dr. Vincent Youngbauer, 4 p.m., Meier Hall
 
For more information on the BH Research Symposium, visit  www.BHSU.edu/ResearchSymposium