LSU’s 12th annual Discover Day provided undergraduate students with the opportunity to pursue their passions through research and creative projects.

Discover Day was held April 25 in the Student Union. Discover Day is the biggest academic showcase at LSU where undergraduate students from any university are able to share their research and creative works.

“I always say that we don’t create research in a vacuum,” Sarah Ferstel, the director of undergraduate research, said. “It’s meant to be shared. You’re supposed to share your ideas, get feedback, learn from other people and what they’re doing and maybe even apply that to your own projects.”

The conference kicked off at 9 a.m. Friday and featured a variety of presentations, including posters, oral presentations, panels, art projects and performances from 465 students in total, making it the biggest Discover Day to date.

The purpose of Discover Day is to not only perform as a creative and intellectual outlet for students, but also serve as a way for other students to learn about research opportunities on campus.

A common misconception about Discover Day is that only students affiliated with LSU can apply; however, undergraduate students from any university are welcome. Many students also view undergraduate research as a highly competitive field only accessible to top university students, a misconception that Ferstel said cannot be further from the truth.

“It’s really open to students who are curious and who want to pursue it,” Ferstel said. “Those are really what faculty are looking for—students who are genuinely interested and who do the work to pursue those interests.”

Savannah Boynes, a freshman journalism major, gave her presentation about other worlds in sci-fi films as part of the Ogden Honors College and Religious Studies Program Student Symposium panel. Boynes first heard about Discover Day from her honors religious studies professor, Dr. Kenneth Smith, who passed around a flyer in class.

“It seemed really interesting,” Boynes said. “And I was like, ‘why not take a leap and do something academic related?’”

The hardest part of the process was simply starting the essay, Boynes said. But pushing through the initial writer’s block allowed Boynes to create something she could truly be proud of.

“The love I put into it, it’s like the love I put into everything else,” Boynes said. “Everything I write has love in it.”

The sheer size of the conference makes it very difficult to pull off. Ferstel only has about eight weeks from the application deadline to Discover Day to recruit judges, put together the program, order catering, buy supplies and reserve space in the Student Union. Because so many students applied this year, Discover Day was an even bigger challenge to take on than ever.

Still, having this outlet for students to share their research and create something worthwhile is part of what Ferstel finds so rewarding about the day.

“I know they’re very nervous, very anxiety-ridden,” Ferstel said. “But when it’s over, they always seem ecstatic. They’re like, ‘I did it! I was able to do it!’ It’s one of those things you can practice, but until you do it, you don’t know exactly what you can do.”

More information about Discover Day can be found on the Office of Undergraduate Research website here.