Scholars Week 2023 Accepting Showcase Submissions April 24-28

Scholars Week, an annual celebration showcasing the best of Western Washington University students’ research and creative works, will be held May 15 – May 19, 2023.  

The Scholars Week Planning Committee invites students to register April 24 – 28, prepare presentation materials, and present as part of Scholars Showcase events open to the campus and the public, highlighting student achievement and the significance of faculty and staff mentorship on student scholarship.   

This year’s Scholars Showcase features the return of the Poster Session — the centerpiece event held in Carver Gym on Wednesday, May 17 — highlighting outstanding scholarly research and creative works by graduate and undergraduate students across a wide range of disciplines, programs and departments. Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) graduate student presentations, to be held Thursday, May 18 in SMATE Library, will feature three-minute talks designed to explain discipline-specific research to an unfamiliar audience. A new Scholars Showcase event this year, an MFA/MA reading of creative works, will be held Thursday, May 18 in SMATE Library. 

Scholars Week 2023 also includes the return of the Faculty/Student Group Collaborations, featuring collaborations involving research, creative work or other academic projects stemming from work in the field, lab, studio or some other collaborative setting or arrangement. These presentations will be held in the Wilson Library Reading Room on Tuesday, May 16.   

Associate Professor Maria McLeod, Scholars Week Planning Committee chair, said the committee was enthusiastic about the return of the Faculty/Student Group Collaborations after its successful debut in 2022, as well as new opportunities to expand Scholars Week to include a wider variety of student work.  

“We’re hoping for a great turnout to support Western scholars from all departments and disciplines,” McLeod said. “Our students are engaged in an impressive array of research and creative projects that deserve to be seen and shared with the Western community and beyond.”  

Scholars Week events will be held in person May 15 through May 19, including activities and events hosted by colleges, departments and programs throughout the university, many of which are listed on the Scholars Week website. To register to participate, go to wwu.edu/scholars. For more information about Scholars Week, contact scholars.week@wwu.edu. 

Scholars Week, an annual celebration of student research and creative activities at Western, was created by a unanimous resolution of the Faculty Senate in November 1999 as “Scholars Day.” The event soon transformed into “Scholars Week” to accommodate a diverse series of events highlighting the scholarship and creativity of Western students across a variety of disciplines. The Scholars Week Planning Committee works in coordination with the Office of the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs to hold Scholars Showcase events and activities. Financial support for Scholars Week is provided by the WWU President, Provost, Office of Undergraduate Education, Offices of Research and Sponsored Programs and the Graduate School, Foundation, and academic colleges and departments.