Congratulations to our 2025 Symposium Award Winners:
21st Annual
Student Project & Research Symposium
9:00am to 1:30pm at AH/BT Quad - Thursday, April 17, 2025
In conjunction with the 11th Annual Community Open House
The 2025 Student Project & Research Symposium (SP&RS) is open to all City College students. Participants will be given the opportunity to present their original projects and research through posters, oral presentations, spoken word, video, artistic displays and performances.
Interested students are invited to submit an application for this annual symposium. Students can participate in more than one category, but there is a maximum of one award per student. Please read all information below before applying.
*Students are required to contact and receive permission from a City College faculty mentor to submit their project to the symposium. Mentors will be contacted to confirm participation. If no mentor is listed or the mentor does not confirm participation, then the project will not be accepted.
The application deadline has been extended to Tuesday 4/8 by the end of the day.
Online Application
LRC Resources
The LRC has created a website and provided resources to help with your research process. You can find more information at: https://library.sdcity.edu/2025SPRS
President Shabazz Welcome

Ricky Shabazz, Ed.D.
Pronouns: He, Him, His
rshabazz@sdccd.edu
Students must work with a faculty mentor before submitting an application. The faculty mentor must review the completed application before it is submitted. Additional guidance for both Mentors and Students is available at the LRC.
Power Points and Projects must be completed by the application deadline.
Only online registrations will be accepted. Registration has been extended through Tuesday, April 8.
All applications received on or before April 7 will be reviewed by the Symposium Organizing Committee. The Committee reserves the right to "accept" or "not accept" applications. Applicants will be sent an e-mail confirmation with their application status by April 11. Please work with your mentor to complete your project.
Posters must be displayed between 9 am and 1 pm. Presenters are expected to adjust their schedules to remain with their posters as much as possible to answer any questions and discuss their research with attendees. Exceptions are made for attending classes. Please see the "Sample Poster Presentation" for detailed instructions. Faculty mentors must review and approve the final posters before they are presented. Misael Camarena, Erin Engstrom, and Deanna Shelton will coordinate your participation in the event. Power Point slides for Poster Presentations must be completed at the time of application.
*Exciting Printing Opportunity for Poster Presentations: We are partnering with Yo Soy STEM to provide the opportunity to professionally print your Power Point slides on one large sheet. To take advantage of this opportunity, students will make a 30 minute appointment with Yo Soy STEM's Makerspace in S-211M and work with the Yo Soy STEM team to create, organize, and print their poster. The Makerspace is open 8am-2:30pm Mon-Fri. You can book on-campus appointments at Yo Soy STEM-Makerspace or email them directly at city_yosoystem@sdccd.edu.
Sample Poster (PDF)
- the presentation/video meets the time constraints of less than 5 minutes;
- all outside sources (research/audio/video/images) are appropriately cited as to avoid plagiarism and any copyright infringement;
- the final project represents the project parameters decided between you and your mentor.
The Symposium Organizers will coordinate the presentation schedule and notify presenters of the time block for this segment. Arnie Shoenberg and Erin Engstrom will coordinate your participation in the event. Multimedia projects for the 5-Minute Research/Multimedia Presentations must be completed at the time of application.
Applicants will be referred by a faculty member in Communication Studies, Film, and Media Production (Radio, TV, Digital Journalism).. Your participation will include a presentation in the form of a speech or an excerpt from a project in Communication Studies, Radio, TV, Film, or Journalism. Please work with your mentor to complete the project. Professor Erin Engstrom will coordinate your participation in the event. Presenters will be notified of the time block for this segment.
Entries are limited to 3 minutes and students may submit a maximum of 2 entries (pending room in the program for multiple presentations). Professor Deanna Shelton will coordinate your participation in the event. Spoken word can include interpretive readings, performance poetry, poetry readings, storytelling, commentary, or VAMP. Spoken Word pieces must be completed at time of application.
The Symposium Committee is grateful to faculty mentors for supporting students in the pursuit of academic excellence. Students must have a faculty mentor to participate in the event. The role of the faculty mentor is very important in the research process. Faculty mentors have the following responsibilities:
- Identify students who are outstanding candidates for presenting their work in the Symposium
- Approve a student's Symposium application before it is submitted
- Work with participating students to complete their research project
- Work with participating students to complete their presentation
- Attend the Symposium to view the participating student's presentation
Resources
Application (Online Form) - Deadline: Extended through Tuesday 4/8 (end of day)
Sample Completed Application (PDF)
Presentation Rubric (PDF)
Symposium Organizing Committee
Erin Engstrom, eengstro@sdccd.edu, Professor of Communication Studies
Deanna Shelton, dshelton@sdccd.edu, Professor of Communication StudiesMisael Camarena, micamare@sdccd.edu, Professor of Mathematics
George Jessup, gjessup@sdccd.edu, Professor of MathematicsMaría-José Zeledón-Pérez, mzeledon@sdccd.edu, Professor of Communication StudiesG. Timothy Gross, ggross@sdccd.edu, Associate Professor of AnthropologyArnie Shoenberg, aschoenberg@sdccd.edu, Professor of AnthropologyMarilyn Espitia, mespitia@sdccd.edu, Professor of SociologyKirsten Christensen, kchristensen@sdccd.edu, Assistant Professor of PsychologyLupita Lance, glance@sdccd.edu, Counselor/Faculty, DSPS
Support Team
Cesar Gumapas, Public Information Officer
Dean Leticia Lopez/Dean Claudia Diaz Carrasco/Yo Soy STEM team
Jessica Wang, City College Librarian
Patricia Fernandez, Supervisor DuplicatingAndrew MacNeill, Dean of Arts, Humanities, Communications, and Telecommunications