Last week, students had the opportunity to attend the annual SBU Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creativity. The event featured the work of students involved in undergraduate research as well as activities in the arts. According to a recent press release issued by Karen Kernan, the Director of Programs for Research and Creative Activity (as a part of the Office of the Provost), there were over 225 abstracts compiled in this year’s book of Collected Abstracts. These 225 project descriptions represented over 300 undergraduates in the various departments of ‘Anesthesiology; Applied Mathematics & Statistics; Biochemistry & Cell Biology; Biomedical Engineering; Business, College of; Chemistry; Child & Family Studies; Computer Science; Dermatology; Ecology & Evolution; Electrical & Computer Engineering; European Languages, Literatures, and Cultures; Geosciences; Hispanic Literatures & Language; Linguistics; Marine Sciences Research Center; Materials Science & Engineering; Mechanical Engineering; Medicine; Molecular Genetics & Microbiology; Neurobiology & Behavior; Pathology; Pediatrics; Pharmacological Sciences; Physics & Astronomy; Physiology & Biophysics; Preventive Medicine; Psychology; and Sociology.’ Kudos goes to the Department of Biomedical Engineering, which had the greatest number of abstract submissions, 25 in total. The main event of the Celebration was an all day poster presentation session where students and faculty were able to see type of research that goes on across campus all throughout the year. Some of the other featured events included symposia held concurrently by the Departments of English, History, and Psychology involving student oral presentations. Also, the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences held its annual senior design conference comprising the two best senior design projects from each of the four major engineering departments, Biomedical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering. URECA also showcased, with the aid of the Departments of Art and Music, a two-week art exhibition at the SAC Gallery. Throughout the entire day, the sight of students, faculty mentors, and other visitors coming together to recognize the dedication of the students who had put countless hours into their projects. Towards the end of the Celebration, seniors who presented humanities based projects and students who competed in the CEAS sponsored senior design competition awaited the results of prior judging. While the results certainly brought the day’s events to a close, the purpose and scope of the Celebration of Undergraduate and Creative Activities was clear. Dr. Robert McGrath, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, and Dr. Mark Aronoff, Deputy Provost and Professor of Linguistics delivered the welcoming and closing remarks, respectively. In both their remarks, McGrath and Aronoff applauded the students for their efforts, emphasizing the University’s push for events that highlight the strengths of its student body, bringing the students themselves closer together. Aronoff, looking in awe at the SAE Mini Baja next to his podium, reflected on the day’s events. He said, ‘This was a day for the students’hellip;truly a remarkable experience.’