Belmont Hosts Second Annual SPARK Symposium

SPARK banner hanging outside of McWhorter Hall. (Georgina America)

From live Shakespeare performances on the lawn to graduate thesis presentations at the Janet Ayers Academic Center, students from across Belmont’s campus showcased their work at SPARK Day.  

“Our amazing students do incredible work throughout the year, oftentimes having projects that culminate at the end of the semester. We created spark last year as a way for students to have that chance to showcase their work across the university,” said Beth Bowman, Assistant Dean of the College of Sciences and Mathematics and Director of SPARK.  

Belmont cancelled academic classes and hosted its second annual SPARK Day on Wednesday. SPARK stands for Scholarship, Performance, Art, Research and Knowledge, and students across campus displayed their own work which fell into one or more of those categories. 

Over the course of the day, 1,200 students presented across 650 presentations, and each took place through 135 different sessions.  

SPARK Day rearranges a typical academic day, allowing students to learn from one another and from colleges they may not be a part of.  

“It really helps build a sense of community and camaraderie among the students. It’s a great way to expose different majors to different disciplines,” said graduate student Lauren Massing.  

Students crowded into Ayers 2095 to hear Massing present her thesis on the Victorian novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, along with the presentations of three other graduate students.

Students listen to SPARK presentations in Ayers 2095. (Georgina America)

Massing is getting her Master of Arts in English Literature in May and flew in from Dallas, Texas to present months’ worth of research about how the novel uses walking as a form of feminist resistance.  

As a virtual student, SPARK Day gave Massing the opportunity to present her work in-person and meet classmates she’d only ever interacted with from the other side of her computer screen for two years.  

“Even though I’ve been a distance learner, my master’s degree here was everything I wanted it to be and more, which is why I did it from Dallas. And I would do it again in a heartbeat,” said Massing.  

When students weren’t attending sessions, SPARK Interludes brought activities to keep them engaged throughout the day.  

Students participating in SPARK Interludes on the lawn. (Georgina America

Suggested for the first time by a student advisory committee, SPARK attendees could choose from 14 different activities ranging from therapy dogs on the main lawn to mid-day pick-me-ups provided by Belmont alum-owned Prickly Pear Coffee Co.  

The different interludes gave students opportunities to stay connected and learn in-between sessions, said Bowman.  

The themes of connection and learning played a role in the keynote for the day, presented by mechanical and aerospace engineer and renowned content creator Destin Sandlin. 

Sandlin’s knowledge of mechanical and aerospace engineering sparked the start of his YouTube career in 2007 while working as a missile and rocket tester for Redstone Technical Test Center.  

His natural curiosity segwayed into a documentation of different informational and how-to videos which grew into SmarterEveryDay, his YouTube channel with 11.8 million current subscribers.  

Both students and Belmont faculty filled the seats of the Massey Performing Arts Center to listen to Sandlin speak about the importance of being a “doer and not a thinker” and living in a constant state of curiosity beyond student years. 

“I hope students are motivated to learn things for learning’s sake. I want people to be more curious and to realize that knowledge is not understanding, and what you really want is understanding,” said Sandlin.  

He spoke of seeking understanding over knowledge by learning and unlearning skills through life. 

Destin Sandlin speaking with students after his keynote. (Georgina America)

Senior Reina Khairollahi said it was refreshing to see how an established person such as Sandlin showed how much can be learned from just doing, which is something she aligns with. She said her biggest takeaway was to continue the pursuit of knowledge and to stay involved with the world around her. 

“It’s so easy, especially these days, to lose touch with the world. We become so comfortable with the things that we do, we fall into the same routines. If you’re able to step out of your comfort zone and approach things from a new perspective, you only have things to learn,” said senior Reina Khairollahi. 

Aside from session topics and interlude activities, WELLCore opportunity played a large role at SPARK Day.  

Every scheduled session offered WELLCore and gave students the opportunity to earn up to ten credits along with a SPARK Badge, which students got by attending a session which fell under each of the five SPARK categories. 

“One of the things we want to do is encourage people to go outside of their area,” said Bowman. 

While WELLCore may be a key motivator for students to participate in SPARK Day, the chance to build community in a different learning environment also draws them in. 

“I really enjoyed sitting in on the presentations. It was really nice to see how students were really engaged,” said freshman Jocelyn Valdez.  

Valdez ended her first SPARK Day by watching Wallee with her friend Meronica Forrester-Kent, also a freshman.  

While they topped off the day with a movie night on the main lawn and an Environmental Well Core credit, Forrester-Kent said that attending the presentations and seeing the opportunity students got to show what they’ve been working on left the biggest impressions on her. 

“It’s a great opportunity for these students, especially those who’ve been working on these research projects for a whole semester, to get some recognition,” said Forrester-Kent.  

Written by Georgina America