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Initiated in 2016, The Giles T.聽Brown聽Student Project and Research Symposium was conceived by a group of faculty, staff and Deans who believe in the value of the relationship formed between a student and mentor when they explore their academic discipline together beyond the classroom. 聽 The Symposium group provides a venue for all聽students from聽any field聽at OCC to showcase work聽they've done聽in class or independently.聽 聽We recognize that disciplines showcase work in different ways, so we have created a safe and supportive way for students to share posters, oral presentations, or exhibitions of work to their peers.聽 聽We hope the Symposium can simulate a professional conference, but also recognize that students need a first step into their profession. 聽 More than just a day of presentations, we provide support throughout the academic year in the form of faculty-led workshops to identify a research idea, develop an abstract and prepare a poster or oral presentation. 聽At the event, our OCC community provides constructive feedback and selects the top participants for a scholarship award. 聽The entire activity is made possible by the many hours of volunteer work put forth by our faculty and staff driven committee who see the value in mentoring students to build community and a sense of connection to the OCC campus. 聽In the last 8 years, more than 400 students have showcased their work and some have gone on to receive local and regional awards for the work they鈥檝e conducted at OCC.聽As an聽attendee shared, the symposium 聽"helps you gain knowledge in something you might not have looked into on your own."