The 2025 Student Technology, Arts and Research Symposium (STARS) at the University of Illinois Springfield will take place April 10 and 11. This annual event will showcase the exceptional talents and scholarly achievements of our undergraduate and graduate students. It provides a dynamic platform for students from all academic disciplines to present their research and creative works, bringing together students, faculty and the broader community to celebrate their accomplishments.
What is the STARS Symposium?
The STARS Symposium highlights the diverse research, creative works and technological innovations of UIS students. It provides a professional platform for them to present their projects, receive feedback and engage with peers, scholars, community members and invited speakers. The symposium features oral presentations, poster sessions, art exhibitions and live performances, all guided by faculty mentors. Spanning disciplines from the arts and humanities to the sciences and technology, STARS fosters collaboration, inquiry and innovation across the university.
Significance and impact
The symposium plays an important role in student development, providing a unique opportunity to present work professionally and engage with the broader academic and local community. Students benefit from feedback, enhance their communication skills, and build confidence, preparing them for future academic and professional pursuits.
Beyond individual growth, the symposium enriches the academic environment at UIS by promoting interdisciplinary research, collaboration and creative projects. It strengthens the connection between the university and the local community, showcasing the contributions of UIS students to broader societal, STEM and creative fields.
Highlights of this year’s symposium
This year’s symposium will feature a keynote address by Aleksander Ksiazkiewicz, Ph.D, associate professor of political science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. His talk, “Sleepy Citizenship: The Biopolitics of Rest in American Democracy,” will explore the implications of sleep on democratic participation.
The event will also include a wide range of presentations across business, humanities, natural sciences, social sciences and technology. Visual arts students will display their projects in an exhibition, and student musicians will perform live, making this a vibrant celebration of student talent, innovation and creativity. Additionally, the UIS theater production Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike will be performed April 10-12.
Unique opportunities for student research at UIS
The STARS Symposium is just one example of the many opportunities that foster student research, innovation and creativity. At UIS, students are encouraged to go beyond traditional research by collaborating with faculty mentors and industry experts. From local initiatives to international projects, students are able to design their own research, pursue topics of interest and develop ideas from concept to completion.
For example, the Summer Fellows program recently paired a management information systems (MIS) student with a computer science student to assist a local Springfield non-profit in upgrading its technology. Through the IMMAS program, a UIS computer science student traveled to Mexico to apply machine-learning techniques in collaboration with seismologists. This interdisciplinary project combined data analysis, volcanic activity and machine learning to enhance national security efforts. Another example includes a UIS exercise science student who turned a language immersion program in Spain into an international internship, researching athletic training practices across cultures.
At UIS, students can push boundaries, pursue innovative projects and make meaningful contributions both locally and globally. Whether through local initiatives or international experiences, student research at UIS includes valuable opportunities to grow and make an impact.
Open invitation to the community
The STARS Symposium is more than an academic event – it is a community celebration. UIS invites all community members to attend, engage with students and experience the impressive work being done by the next generation of scholars and artists. Your support will make a meaningful impact on the students and their research.
Please join us in supporting the talented students of UIS by being a part of this inspiring event.
Anne-Marie Hanson, Ph.D., is the associate dean of the UIS College of Health, Science and Technology. Jessica Flynn, Ed.D., is the director of the UIS Office of Engaged Learning.
This article appears in Young offenders in Illinois still serving life sentences.
