Spotlight on research at exposition

The FSU College of Social Work hosted its inaugural Research Exposition, April 10, 2012 in the University Center’s Futch Ballroom. The College shared a rich array of research topics with professors and students of the broader Florida State campus and members of the Tallahassee social services community.  The Exhibition, spearheaded by Professors Jean Munn, Stephen Tripodi, and the College’s Research Committee, renamed and restructured the College’s Research Showcase into a larger, broader annual public event.

Research projects were presented on conference-style, graphic-rich posters lining the ballroom, allowing attendees to easily peruse the broad array of topics. The College’s faculty and graduate students stood in close proximity to their posters, allowing them the unique opportunity to mingle with attendees, discuss their research, and answer questions in a more intimate setting than the lab or lecture hall.

“We wanted to accomplish a variety of things through this expo. Namely, to showcase our research to the community and to interested parties throughout the University with the hope of enhancing possibilities for interdisciplinary research and collegiality,” Assistant Professor Stephen Tripodi said. “We also wanted to get students interested in research, which is part of President Barron’s initiative to make FSU the most student-focused research-one university in the country.”

The exposition featured the research of 18 faculty members and 13 graduate students of the College of Social Work. Over 30 posters were presented.  The topics ranged from criminal and juvenile justice to mindfulness interventions, gerontology, substance abuse, health disparities, human rights, poverty, poetry therapy, school social work, domestic violence, and many others.

“Built upon the art and science of social work with a solid ethical foundation, our College strives to be exemplary in providing research opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students who are committed to making a difference in the community,” Dean Nicholas Mazza said. “Given that social work is a diverse profession, our faculty and students have the opportunity to contribute to a research base that advances clinical practice, social policy, and administration.”