Students, faculty, and community members will gather for the Celebration of Creative Inquiry in Jackson Campus Center banquet rooms from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday, May 1. Students will be presenting projects which highlight work they have done over the past year.
“Celebration of Creative Inquiry (CCI) is an annual event that allows Gustavus students to showcase the research, scholarship, and creative work that they have conducted throughout the year as part of a class or in collaboration with faculty,” MCMS Representative and Assistant Professor of Psychological Science Lauren Hecht said.
Students can bring in their research or creative projects from any department to share with those who choose to attend.
“The projects span all disciplines,” Hecht said, “resulting in a diverse manifestation of creative inquiry that includes, but is not limited to, students asking novel questions and filling-in or adding ideas, knowledge, information, or art of their own.”
The Celebration of Creative Inquiry is open to all students who have an idea on which they wish to present. This results in a significant portion of the student body participating in the event.
“Involvement in CCI varies each year, depending on the number of projects submitted and the number of student authors per project,” Hecht said. “Currently we have between 70 and 75 projects registered for this year’s CCI; each project has anywhere from 1 to 6 student authors.”
While the Celebration of Creative Inquiry presents an opportunity for students to expand their knowledge within their own areas of interest, it also gives them a chance to explore unfamiliar topics and fields of study.

“We encourage everyone in the community to come and enjoy talking with the student presenters and learning about their academic endeavors.”—Lauren Hecht

“Because CCI spans all disciplines, students can learn about a wide range of topics and ideas,” Hecht said. “In fact, we hope that attendees learn about some projects in disciplines other than their own major, provoking the intellect and stimulating the learning process – the heart of a true liberal arts education.”
For students who are unable to attend or desire further information on any of the projects, there are online resources available.
“If students want to know more about the presentations, we encourage them to check out the 2015 Abstract List, located on the CCI website,” Hecht said.
Out of the students presenting, a significant portion of them are expanding class projects which they found particularly interesting.
“I’m presenting for my Political Geography class,” First-Year Taylor Wicklund said. “There are five people in my group, presenting ‘Territoriality and Terrorism,’ an exploration of the connection between al-Shabaab and the Somali Failed State. I’m very excited.”
Presenters and attendees alike are gearing up for this opportunity to share knowledge and ideas with each other.
“I’ve never been to CCI before,” Sophomore Erika Rossow said. “I’m really excited to go and learn about people’s projects.”
The Celebration of Creative Inquiry is open to everyone, and all members of the Gustavus community are urged to attend.
“We encourage everyone in the community to come and enjoy talking with the student presenters and learning about their academic endeavors,” Hecht said.

-Kaity Young