By Jonas Shellhammer

Earlham’s first Annual Research Conference (ARC) began last Friday evening, and continued until 4:15 p.m. on Saturday. In total, 20 student-led presentations were held, not counting those who only participated in the two poster sessions that also were part of the program.

Around 1 p.m. last Saturday, while the sun and a cool breeze attracted a mass of students to the Heart, three Earlhamites elected to stay inside. They were just one of the groups that participated in the ARC, an event that some hope will become a mainstay here on campus.

The idea for the event emerged in January 2009, when Assistant Professor of English Joann Quinones put together a proposal in consultation with Academic Dean Greg Mahler.

“It would be really valuable for Earlham to have a place where students can present their research to the community,” said Quinones. She also remarked that, since there is so much research going on at Earlham College, it would be good to have one single annual event where people could learn more about it.

The three students that decided to stay inside last Saturday, then, did so in favor of their presentations.

Senior history major Ian Cross presented “The Creation of the Image of the Scottish Highlander and the Army of the British Empire,” a modified version of his senior thesis. While the ARC might seem fairly formal, Cross’ presentation was relaxed, and included pictures of kilt-bearing Scottish warriors drawn by Cross as a child. The presentation also included little-known facts, one of which was that the kilt was invented by an English Quaker in 1727.

Junior history major Isaac May entitled his presentation “The Domestic Battlefield: Film and the Changing Nature of American Homecomings from War.” May argued that new war-based films use the military to reinforce traditional family structures, and commented on how he wants films to not celebrate masculine-dominated families in the future.

“I thought it [ARC] went really well, and it’s also really well organized,” said May.

May also stated that he was happy with the turnout of non-presenting students. For the 1-2:30 p.m. session in Landrum Bolling Center room 211 on Saturday, a total of 17 people were in the audience.

Cross was “was actually really pleasantly surprised” at the attendance. At the beginning of the 1 p.m. session, he thought it looked like the only people in the audience would be the faculty involved and the presenting students.

“I think it speaks to the interest or commitment of students on campus to this sort of thing,” he said.

Freshman Charlie Umhau, undeclared major, was the last to present, and covered a topic that originally piqued his curiosity in high school: Zouave uniforms used in the American Civil War. Umhau mentioned that he has had a lifelong interest in the Civil War, and has participated in several reenactments. For his presentation, he even donned a Union uniform of his own.

As it is right now, senior research projects and Ford-Knight presentations are held at various different times during the academic year, which Quinones thinks might be difficult for people to keep track of.