Students showcase their research, projects, study abroad experiences and performances during the Washburn University Apeiron from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, April 19. The presentations ranged from fine arts performances to displays and oral presentations.

Kelly Erby, associate professor of history, is the chair of Academic Diversity and Inclusion Committee.

“Apeiron is a day-long event for Washburn students to showcase their creative projects and their scholarly projects, study abroad experience and leadership projects,” said Erby.

Apeiron is a Greek word which means “unlimited.” It was offered by Anaximander of Miletus in the 6th century B.C. that embraces the spirit of this forum. It’s dedicated to the proposition that students are capable of work that knows no limits and transcends all boundaries.

Apeiron began at Washburn in 1996, and it is designed to be inclusive with respect to student research, scholarship, creative activities and community engagement in a setting similar to a professional conference. In the last 144 years, more than 1,300 students have participated in Apeiron.

“It’s been a good year. We have a lot of presenters and a lot of people are participating, and a lot of faculty members involved,” said Erby. “It’s always one of my favorite days of the year, just that I love to see all of the cool projects that students have done and meet their families.”

Apeiron 2019 began with fine arts presentations in the Mulvane Art Museum. The oral presentations were in the Henderson Learning Resources Center. The formal welcome and the Last Lecture were in the Memorial Union with the poster presentation session and a reception following.

In Apeiron tradition, a professor would conclude the oral presentations. John Hunter, professor emeritus of theatre, gave the last lecture this year in the Memorial Union, room B. He presented “Volunteer Leadership in Your Community.”

“As you can see, change takes time,” said Hunter. “Putting this all together, I believe that providing volunteer leadership you and your community will benefit a professional context you make, benefit a collaboration of partnerships you become involved in, benefit from improvements of the quality of your life and place.”

He advocated people to participate in the community.

“You’ll learn by working with others and getting involved,” said Hunter. “Our society cannot grow and improve without your participation.”

Many students, faculties, staff and people in the community came to the lecture.

It’s a great opportunity to hear from someone who in most cases spent their career in Washburn and have a lot of important insight, according to Erby.

This year’s Apeiron featured more than 100 presentations by undergraduate and graduate students.

Shelby Schone, psychology major, gave a presentation of “Gender Differences in Attentional Bias for Grieving College Students” in the poster presentation session.

“I feel kind of nervous, but the more I do it, I feel more confident,” Schone said.

Marissa Schardein, nursing major, presented “Young Children, Germs, and Handwashing.”

“I learned about how to show the impact of my project,” said Schardein. “It’s meaningful because people came to hear about it.”