Apeiron took place on April 17 at multiple locations across Washburn. The poster presentations were held in Washburn A/B from 3:30-5 p.m. Poster Session one, featuring odd numbered posters, ran from 3:50-4:25 p.m., followed by Poster Session two for even numbered posters from 4:25-5:00 p.m. 

Apeiron serves as a platform for students to display their independent research, academic achievements, creative work and involvement in community focused projects. 

Sharon Sullivan is the professor emerita of theatre at Washburn University. Sullivan attended the event and delivered the distinguished lecture in “Six Impossible Things Before Breakfast: The Power of Being Too Smart for Your Own Good.” Her work focused on violence against women and children, including domestic and gender based violence and human trafficking. She has directed over 200 theatre productions and used theatre to highlight social issues. She also helped create the Women’s and Gender Studies minor at Washburn and currently works with the United Nations through the International Public Policy Institute. 

Akhadian Harnowo, associate professor of production & operations management in the school of business, discussed student presentations, the skills they develop through them and how they are evaluated during the process.

“I think this is a very good opportunity for them [students] to learn more from their current state,” Harnowo said. “Some students, especially those who are new to this kind of presentation can build confidence for the next presentation and for some others who probably have experience, they can transfer knowledge to other teams […]. I’m very positive that we have a good future. All of the students participating in this event put their efforts into their projects.” 

Harnowo said presentations are a major part of the grade and are judged on organization. 

“I judge the layout, also their communication skill, understanding about the materials that they present and being able to communicate,” Harnowo said. 

Cristina Tavares, senior communication major, talked about how deception and humor are used in communication within friendships.

“There’s a lot of manipulation in friendships,” Tavares said. “It’s manipulation, lying, gaslighting that can be used in jokes that causes friendships to be torn apart. So anybody’s your enemy. […] A lot of people tend to have this happen and it is just something that isn’t explored. It’s usually co workers and not close friendships. And I found that interesting.” 

Tavares explained that deception and humor can be used in friendships to serve personal interests, such as making jokes at someone else’s expense to feel better and also emphasized the importance of being able to recognize these behaviors.

“I looked at Pokemon Diamond and I developed the optimal battle strategy and team to defeat the champion Cynthia using statistics and set theory,” said Sophie Kramer, senior pure mathematics major. “This experience helped me research in the math field and create a presentation using mathematical terms and being able to describe them to regular people.” 

Kramer talked about how her research is important to everyday people because it shows that math can be used outside the classroom in daily life. 

“The most surprising thing I discovered was that Cynthia’s team has more under the surface like one of her Pokemon can use,” Kramer said. 

The event concluded after the completion of both poster sessions, during which students presented a wide range of research, creative projects and academic work across the different disciplines. Throughout the event, attendees had the opportunity to walk through the sessions, interact with presenters and learn about the topics being displayed. Apeiron functioned as a space for students to present their projects and engage with others in an academic setting. Food and drinks were also provided to all attendees.

Edited by Bidhya Sapkota and Anushma Dahal