LIFE Fest 2004 showcases innovation, collaboration

Biology and Medical Frontiers, one of 42 freshman cluster groups making presentations at UD’s LIFE Fest

4:36 p.m., Dec. 13, 2004--Enthusiastic students, colorful displays and the upbeat sounds of a 15-member steel drum band graced the conference room of Clayton Hall Thursday afternoon, Dec. 9, as LIFE Fest 2004 showcased 38 collaborative projects by members of UD’s Class of 2008.

An acronym for Learning Integrated Freshman Experience, UD’s LIFE program groups like-minded first-year students into clusters that live, study and share ideas with each other during their first semester on campus. End-of-semester presentations that sum up the four-month partnership are then brainstormed, created and showcased at the LIFE Fest each December.

Held from 1-3 p.m., this year’s event, which drew more than 500 students, faculty and guests, featured projects that highlighted the ingenuity and teamwork of 42 cluster groups enrolled in UD’s LIFE program and gave the three judges at the event a run for their money.

Wandering from table to table taking notes, the trio (which included Diane Davis, assistant registrar; Cynthia Shenkle, senior assistant dean of the College of Arts and Sciences; and James Tweedy, associate director of residence life) was clearly impressed. But, the process of narrowing the field to just three winners was going to be difficult, and the friendly competition between presenting groups didn’t make the process easier.

Clustered around displays that showed the labor of four months, students were only too willing to talk about their efforts, and convictions ran high.

“We wanted to reach out to homeless animals with our project, because every animal shelter needs help,” Emily Stabosz, a freshman in the animal science cluster group, said. “Not everyone can adopt an animal, but there are plenty of other ways to help shelters, and our project makes people aware of those opportunities.”

The project, which was one of many “service-based learning” presentations showcased at this year’s event, required that all 16 members of the cluster group volunteer at the Delaware Humane Association shelter in Wilmington. After completing that practical component, teammates then translated their experiences into an effective display. The presentation, which included a list of shelter needs and a homeless kitten on loan for the afternoon, forced passersby to take notice of the problem of—and solutions for—pet overpopulation.

At another table not too far away, a 17-member group of biology majors showcased their semester’s efforts to assist the medical community. Displaying both breast cancer and prostate cancer cells under twin microscopes, the biology and medical frontiers cluster group examined issues related to both scientific research and medical fund-raising. After purchasing “healing” bracelets online in September, group members then distributed them to peers throughout the semester to raise awareness about the various diseases the bracelets represented.

“The samples under the microscopes show how different cancer cells can be, which makes you think about how different diseases--and the cures for them--can be,” Heather Hannah, a biology major and peer mentor of the biology LIFE cluster group, said.

According to Meghan Biery, LIFE program coordinator, this year’s projects concentrated heavily on social responsibility and, though not required, favored a community service component.

“There seems to be a push toward service learning with this year’s projects,” she said.

Noting also a marked rise in presentations modeled after board games, Biery, who has watched the LIFE program evolve since its inception in 2000, said that each year brings its own trends.

“The LIFE program is an amazing way to help students succeed both socially and academically, and I think it gets better every year,” she said. “This year I particularly noticed presentations with a lot of different takes on board games, such as Trivial Pursuit and Life, and I like that idea, because it shows progression, as if students are tracing their own journeys through the semester.”

Projects are judged in three categories--best integration of learning, best benefit to the community, and best LIFE Fest presentation--and judges’ choices are often a surprise.

This year’s recognition went to the presentations “El Estudio de Humanos—Un Mundo, Muchas Culturas” in the category of best integration of learning; “Community and the Individual—The Game of LIFE” in the category of best benefit to the community; and “Associate in Arts Dover—Journeys to Success” (three clusters combined to work on one final project) in the category of best LIFE presentation.

“The students all did such a great job and were so enthusiastic that I found myself spending a lot of time at each display,” Davis, a first-time judge, said. “Participants were clearly excited about their projects and wanted to share their knowledge, so judging was very difficult.”

Checklists filled out and submitted separately by each of the three judges were tabulated later.

“There were so many projects, and they were all so good that the checklist process definitely helped,” Davis said. “It was a hard process. Every project showed a lot of work.”

Article by Becca Hutchinson
Photo by Kathy Atkinson

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