FARMINGTON — The University of Maine at Farmington’s annual spring symposium will be held Wednesday, April 24. An academic landmark for 21 years, the Michael D. Wilson Symposium offers a campus-wide showcase of original student research and creative work. The celebration will begin at 9 a.m. at venues around campus and is free and open to the public.

The symposium gives students the opportunity to present their work in a professional setting in the form of papers, oral and poster presentations, original student readings, art gallery exhibits and performances. The day-long forum helps them gain confidence and experience speaking publicly while translating their knowledge to a broad audience.

This year’s symposium features projects by 280 students supported by the collaboration of more than 40 faculty members. Included in the presentations are those of this year’s Michael D. Wilson Research Fellows and Scholars. This competitive, campus-wide research program provides project funding to top student scholars as they pursue the highest level of undergraduate research.

The UMF Wilson Program names student awardees twice a year, including single-semester scholars and year-long fellows. Student researchers are individually sponsored by faculty and supported at every stage of their research. These faculty mentors assist with proposal development, research methodology, project presentation and continuing follow-up on pre-professional and post-graduate opportunities.

Symposium presentations this year touch on every UMF discipline, including the following:

“Race, Time Travel and the Western”: Presentation by Michael Johnson, UMF professor of English and 2018-19 Trustee professor.

“Hair: A Graphic Novel”: Wilson Scholar Tegan Bradley.

“Turn the Light(s) On: Farmington’s 100 MW Solar Farm”: Grace DiMarco, Portia Hardy and Lily Scribner.

“What Magma Chambers Can Do for You: A Geologic Study of the Twin Lakes Pluton, Colorado”: Wilson Scholar Forrest Meader.

“Dolls with Disabilities”: Lindsey Herzig.

“Microbial Resistance: Standard Household Cleaners vs. Environmentally-Friendly Cleaners”: Kyla Sturtevant and Chase Malloy.

“From the Attic to All the Rage: A History of Genealogy in the 20th Century”: Anthony Blasi.

“The CMP Corridor: What’s in It for Me?”: Kelsey Creamer and Bryanna Franklin.

“First Generation College Student Support in Public Colleges in Maine”: Maine Public Policy Scholar Mariah Langton.

The symposium is organized by the UMF Culture Committee. A link to the full schedule of symposium and Arts Nights events can be found at http://www2.umf.maine.edu/symposium/this-years-symposium/.