USU’s 2026 Spring Student Research Symposium

At this spring’s Student Research Symposium, English Department undergraduates took the opportunity to explore and present on a variety of different topics in literature.

Brooklyn Hibshman won a Best Presentation Award for Undergraduate Oral in the Arts and Humanities division for her presentation “What Makes a Monster? Vampires as the Rationalization of War.”

The idea for the presentation started in Professor Christine Cooper-Rompato's Vampire Literature class. After reading “Lenore” by Gottfried August Berger, Brooklyn expanded her reading to other war-related vampire literature with the help of Christine.  “I really latched onto the idea that war changes people, specifically that it changes them into monsters,” Brooklyn explains. “From that idea, I wanted to dive deeper into how we use vampires as a way to explain what happens during war, and in some cases, explain war away.”

“I wanted to show how an alternative portrayal of history can impact our current attitudes towards the events, including how we perceive ourselves as humans,” she elaborates.

Sydney Foster’s presentation “A Look Through the Bluest Eye: Intersectionality, Identity & The Role of Fiction,” explored Toni Morrison’s novel The Bluest Eye. 

“My project centered on the connection between the intersectionality, experiences, and identities of Black women and girls,” she says. “Additionally, I also analyzed the role fiction plays in human connection, as well as its relationship to nonfiction accounts.” 

Sydney began the presentation to bring the novel’s challenges yet important themes to focus. “The Bluest Eye is currently banned in a large majority of schools and libraries, and it breaks my heart that Morrison's work is becoming inaccessible,” she notes. “I don’t think we should run from the uncomfortable because those spaces are where we often learn the most.”

Additionally, Brooklyn believes these events expand students’ awareness of the role of research. “Events like the SRS are a great way for students to practice presenting their research without the added pressure of a multi-university event,” she shares. “I also think a lot of people have misconceptions about what counts as ‘research,’ and think they need to be doing something earth-shattering. Symposia are a great way to show everyone, including students, faculty, and community members, that you can truly research just about anything that sparks your interest.”

Syndey found the symposium to also be an encouraging event in her educational career. She reflects, “The research symposium gave me the opportunity to translate my passions into real, academic research. I was able to converse with others and think critically about topics that are important to me, as well as share those ideas with others. The symposium also provided a platform for me to receive feedback about my research and continue pushing myself to refine my research and writing skills.”

“The research symposium is valuable because it gives students the chance to share their research in ways that matter. While it is important to research and continue learning, it's even more important to share knowledge with others,” she concludes.