Discover USC, Part 1

The University of South Carolina sponsors Discover USC, an annual event for students who want to present their research, creative, or community projects. The most recent program was on April 21, 2017. Students from all academic areas across the USC campus system give oral presentations and display posters of their work. Not only does this wonderful event showcase projects from outstanding and ambitious students; it also gives them an incentive to go beyond the classroom to prepare their projects. The University of South Carolina Aiken made a wonderful showing, with dozens of our students presenting their work, and several winning awards.

Elaine Clanton Harpine and I were lucky enough to sponsor or co-sponsor several USC Aiken students at this event. Davonte' Jenkins prepared an outstanding oral presentation, entitled "The Effects of Speaker Credibility in Race Relations: A Study of Two Speeches," in which he compared and contrasted speeches about race relations by two conservative Republicans, Nikki Haley and Tim

Davonte' Jenkins at Discover USC

Scott. Drawing on theories of speaker credibility, Davonte' examined how Haley and Scott demonstrated their expertise and knowledge of the topic, established good will, and spoke with an appropriate degree of dynamism. The reviewers, who especially praised Davonte's rapport with the audience, awarded him the first-place prize in his session.

Davonte's success was no accident. He spent months preparing his speech's content. He met with me several times to rehearse his presentation, and eagerly accepted advice and feedback. He practiced at home, with family members serving as an audience. He was still reviewing his materials during the lunch break before his session. As often happens, hard work and dedication produce quality output.

Michaela Day at Discover USC

Michaela Day, a USC Aiken Honors Students, prepared an excellent presentation about "Life through an Unfamiliar Lens: The Underwater Photography of Charlie Hamilton James and Paul Nicklen." She discussed their use of color and composition, comparing and contrasting their photographic styles to show how they expressed the underwater world. Her presentation concluded by showing her own excellent nature photographs. Michaela, who plans on a career in biology, has had a long interest in photography. She feels that nature photography has become important in biological studies, and foresees ways to integrate her work in biology and photography. Like Davonte', she spent months preparing her lively and interesting talk. In fact, she and Davonte' were able to rehearse their speeches together and practice answering each other's questions. I anticipate great things out of both of these excellent students.

Many (although, sadly, not all) outstanding scientists are also outstanding speakers. If you want people to understand, accept, believe, and act on your research, you need to present that research with effect.

Kudos to the USC Office of Undergraduate Research, led by Julie Morris, who organized this massive event with clarity, efficiency, and good cheer.

See my second post about Discover USC


Michaela Day's photo by Elaine Clanton Harpine