Seven of Robert Morris University’s Communication and Media Arts students attended the Laurel Highlands Communications Conference hosted by Indiana University of Pennsylvania Undergraduate Research Conference with Dr. Ann Jabro on April 11, 2014.

These students were selected to present class projects they have worked on at RMU to their peers and other professionals in the field of communication and media arts.  The group consisted of two panels with 30-minute presentations each.

The presentations consisted of iMovies, public relations campaign research, and the analysis of the cable industry. In attendance were Sarah Cave, Jacob Cimba, Jennifer Eberly, Melissa Egnacheski, Michelle Emanuele, Justin Fuss, and Victoria Della Valle.

The students who presented at the conference were able to fulfill the Student Engagement Transcript (SET) requirement for Undergraduate Research by presenting their course work at this conference.

The students believed presenting their research at a conference was more rewarding than presenting it in a classroom setting, or just handing in a paper to their professor.

“I think that it is a really great experience and being able to present research outside of the classroom is more rewarding than just an A in the class,” said Sarah Cave, senior public relations major.

Not only are these students fulfilling one of the hardest SET requirements, but they are living out RMU’s core values by expanding themselves professionally as well.

Dr. Ann Jabro escorted these students to the conference and was pleased with their performances.

“I was overwhelmed with pride at the sophistication, poise, comfort and professionalism our students exuded,” said Jabro.

Attending the conference allowed for them to network with other professionals in their field and to speak to other students who could potentially be future co-workers someday. Presenting in the conference gave students professional experience by practicing public speaking skills and professionalism.