帝王会所

Under the bright lights of the Convocation Center, 600-plus students presented their projects at the annual Student Research and Creative Activity Expo (held this year on April 11) to the alumni who volunteer as Expo judges. Members of OHIO鈥檚 Research Division and OHIO鈥檚 work hard to engage and prepare alumni to volunteer as Expo judges, whose knowledge and expertise are invaluable to the success of the Expo.

Judges, who work in pairs, 鈥渁re not the actual faculty or staff that a student would have in a classroom,鈥� said Expo Director Martha Adsitt-Ergood, also the services administrator in the Graduate College. After an 8-10-minute 鈥渓ay鈥� presentation from the student or student team, judges query students from a set list of questions, she explained, before submitting their final scores. In total, each judging pair will assess between seven and nine presentations. Though the Expo itself is in its 23rd year, it鈥檚 Adsit-Ergood鈥檚 fourth year working with the Expo and second year as director.

New judges needn鈥檛 be intimidated by the process, said , associate director of development for major giving in the Division of University Advancement.  鈥淲e pair returning judges with some of our rookie judges, so that they have a partner to go around with to learn the ropes,鈥� she noted, adding that subject matter interest is taken into account when making assignments, 鈥渢o make sure that we鈥檙e aligning judges with student projects that they鈥檙e familiar with.鈥� With Expo presentations representing all departments throughout the University, according to Adsitt-Ergood, finding that alignment is what makes the judging so important to the event.

As a bonus, alumni judges have the opportunity 鈥渢o network and meet other alumni and some faculty and staff who they probably wouldn鈥檛 connect with otherwise,鈥� Karagosian said. 

Karagosian shared that many alumni who show interest in volunteering are previous student participants of the Expo, making it 鈥渁 really full circle moment for them to come back and serve as a judge.鈥�  

OHIO News connected with three of this year鈥檚 judges to learn more about why they give their time to this event and others like it.

Dr. Ren茅 Paulson

Ren茅 Paulson, BA 鈥�99, is no stranger to leveraging her professional skills in support of OHIO students. Based in Dallas, Texas, the research and statistical consulting firm owner has already sponsored student prizes at the University鈥檚 Three Minute Thesis庐 Competition this year.

Working to 鈥渋ncrease engagement and bring attention to the work that graduate students are doing,鈥� Paulson said the Three Minute Thesis庐 鈥渋s really important, because in the world that we live in, it鈥檚 often that pitch of your idea in such a short window [that] is really what creates opportunities [for] your research.鈥� The opportunity to practice such a skill was extended further this year, with undergraduate students joining in the fun.

Ultimately, Paulson said, her involvement with such opportunities at OHIO is about helping prepare students for the first stages of their careers.

鈥淭wenty years ago, the amount of experience you needed as an undergrad was different; now what you need is much more, right out of the gate, to be competitive,鈥� she explained. 鈥淧eople like me [with] careers in this area really need experienced students, and events like the Expo and the Three Minute Thesis庐 gives those opportunities that students can translate to the work they do when they leave school.鈥�

To that end, Paulson encourages students presenting at the Expo 鈥渢o really think about the most salient message of their research鈥攚hat did they learn, what did they gain, what were the actionable insights that came from their work鈥攁nd lead with that,鈥� instead of getting bogged down by the minutiae of the project.

And while volunteering as an Expo judge is rewarding in and of itself, Paulson noted that 鈥渂eing able to come back to 帝王会所 U [to do so] is just an extra bonus.鈥�

Dave and Cathy Levy

The journey that brought Dave Levy, BS 鈥�78, and his wife, Cathy, to begin volunteering at OHIO started with Dave鈥檚 retirement in 2013. Shortly after leaving, his employer invited Dave to return on a part-time basis.

鈥淲e said, 鈥榃hy in the world would I do that?鈥欌�� Dave recalls. He and Cathy didn鈥檛 need the income, and Dave had been looking forward to taking a step back. But after further reflection, the couple realized they could leverage the opportunity to make positive changes in the world. Over the last decade, the Levys have used their additional revenue stream to fund endowed scholarships and other support at both OHIO and Cathy鈥檚 alma mater, 帝王会所 State University. Dave fully retired in 2023, but he and Cathy continue supporting their schools by donating not only their treasure, but also their time and talent. 

Similar to Paulson, the Levys will arrive as Expo judges fresh off the experience of judging this year鈥檚 Three Minute Thesis庐. And like Paulson, they encourage others to get involved, too.  

鈥淵our judging is important to help [students],鈥� Dave said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a whole lot of learning that happens鈥� in the process of delivering feedback. However, students aren鈥檛 the only ones who benefit from the interactions, Cathy added.

鈥淵ou can get very encouraged鈥� by volunteering at either event, she said. 鈥淥ne of the most exciting parts about it is that you get a [boost to your] faith in humanity, because you get to see these motivated, smart, passionate students and you just know that the world鈥檚 in good hands.鈥� 

A Common Goal

Both Paulson and the Levys share an interest in supporting students, whether that means showing 鈥渢hat people outside of just their faculty and their colleagues are interested in their work,鈥� said Paulson, or encouraging students by telling them, 鈥溾�業 am so glad you鈥檙e working in this field; this is such an important question that you鈥檙e looking at,鈥欌�� said Cathy.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 one of the main purposes here [at University Advancement], is to make sure that our alumni are engaged and they鈥檙e staying connected to their alma mater,鈥� said Karagosian.

鈥淭here鈥檚 nothing more valuable than that [engagement],鈥� added Adsitt-Ergood. 鈥淭hat, to me, is the ultimate goal for alumni, because it is the beauty of bringing the strength of our past together with our present. It is a joining of knowledge and our future. You bring those things together, and you get just the coolest opportunities.鈥�

Are you inspired to volunteer as a judge at next year鈥檚 Expo? Contact Adsitt-Ergood at adsitt@ohio.edu or keep an eye out for a registration email from University Advancement and Alumni Relations this winter. 

This article was first published on March 26, 2024. Last updated April 19, 2024.