In December, the Department of Family Sciences held a poster symposium to showcase student internship placements during the fall semester. A total of twenty-one students prepared poster presentations highlighting their semester-long internship. Departmental faculty and invited guests visited with students, learning about their experiences and providing an opportunity for students to enhance presentation skills.
Pam McFarland, Academic Coordinator in the department, coordinated the event. McFarland, along with graduate student Melissa Pike, worked with the students to provide guidance and assistance in developing the poster presentations. McFarland shared, "Our students had great experiences during their internships, and the symposium allowed them to highlight their work. The internship placement provides a real-world opportunity for students to connect their classroom knowledge with professions in the field. The symposium offered a chance to discuss those connections and how they might translate to professional careers or graduate school."
All students completing a Bachelor of Sciences in Family Sciences are required to complete an internship prior to graduation. While the requirement is for 140 hours of work with a business or community agency with connection to the field of family sciences, several students gained much more than 140 hours of work experience.
Dr. Ron Werner-Wilson, Chair of the Department of Family Sciences, stated, "I was very impressed by the quality of the poster presentations developed by students and very pleased by this innovation that Pam McFarland introduced for students. Pam has infused the internship course with enthusiasm, and this experience provides students with an opportunity to showcase what they have learned."