Our Crowdfunding Groups
What is the Stupka Symposium?
The Stupka Undergraduate Research Symposium came from the mind of Robert "Rob" J. Stupka III (picture to the right), an undergraduate student, in the fall of 2005. He and his fellow classmates worked to turn this idea into a reality; however, Rob would not see the symposium he worked so fervently to plan. On November 30, 2005, Rob passed away after a pedestrian-vehicle accident in front of the Molecular Biology Building. Rob envisioned the symposium to be an opportunity for undergraduate students to showcase their research and experience the need for communication in science. Rob's contagious enthusiasm drove his classmates to hold the first symposium in the spring of 2006; the enthusiasm has never gone away. Undergraduates, inspired by Rob's vision and story, have continued to lead and plan 15 consecutive, annual symposia, including this year's 15th-anniversary event.
Each year, the undergraduates who plan the symposium do their best to leave their legacy on this tradition and fulfill Rob's vision. At this year's online symposium, around 40 undergraduate students are given the opportunity to present a poster showcasing their research, and five students are chosen to present their research in a keynote presentation. Additionally, the planning committee chooses three scientists from across the country and invites eight alumni to verbally present their research. The symposium has evolved to give undergraduate students the most opportunities to interact with each other and the invited speakers to discuss science- this happens through two days filled with open-house poster sessions and several interactive meals. It is the committee's pleasure to announce that the 2021 Stupka Symposium will still involve these hallmark discussions but in an online format. With each symposium, we see a rise in attendance; in 2019, we had around 200 students, faculty, and other scientists join us.
Why should I donate?
You are reading this because we need your help. In an anniversary year, and with the symposium being online, the cost is elevated to reflect online accommodations. Even with being online, the committee plans to simulate being in-person by shipping T-shirts, programs, and providing funds for food delivery services. The speakers give all attendees, especially undergraduate students, the unique opportunity to learn about other topics in biochemistry that they normally wouldn't hear about in class or in their own labs, a chance to engage with the speakers over lunch and poster sessions, and the opportunity to experience the environment of a professional conference. The 2021 Symposium will feature speakers Dr. Elizabeth Sattley, an Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering and a Stanford Chemistry and Engineering for Human Health (ChEM-H) Faculty Scholar at Standford University, Dr. Jeff Karp, a Professor in Human Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and Dr. Gaya Amarasinghe, a Professor of Pathology and Immunology, of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, and of Molecular Microbiology at Washington University in St. Louis. Additionally, the symposium will feature eight alumni speakers. Finally, any extra money raised through this FundISU is placed into a fund with the goal of future endowment. Thank you for your support of the symposium!
If you would like to know more about us, please visit our website: https://stupka.bb.iastate.edu/. If you have any questions, feel free to contact anyone under the "Project Owners" section on this page - our email addresses are available if you click on our pictures.
