Inaugural COSAM Discover Day highlights learning beyond the classroom

The College of Sciences and Mathematics recently hosted its inaugural COSAM Discover Day, giving students an opportunity to share the research, internships and study abroad experiences that have shaped their time at Auburn.

The event welcomed more than 200 attendees and featured 37 presentations spanning undergraduate research, internships and study abroad. Students from across the college participated, and an array of COSAM personnel served as judges.  

For Meagon Bryant, manager of career development and coaching, the event was designed to help students showcase their work while also encouraging others to explore similar opportunities.

“The goal of COSAM Discover Day is to give students an opportunity to showcase the many experiential learning opportunities they have completed at Auburn through poster presentations,” Bryant said. “The event also allows students to explore future opportunities while highlighting the work happening across COSAM year after year.”

Bryant said Discover Day helps students build confidence, self-awareness and communication skills while also giving them a chance to see the meaningful work happening across the college and explore possible future paths.

“Seeing students light up as they talked about their experiences, whether conducting research, participating in clinical opportunities or reflecting on study abroad, was super rewarding,” she said.

For Karley Earl, a sophomore in biomedical sciences pre-medicine, Discover Day was a chance to reflect on an internship that helped clarify her future in medicine.

“I decided to participate in COSAM Discover Day to highlight the internship I was able to complete and showcase the skills and knowledge I gained through that experience,” Earl said.

Earl said the internship gave her a firsthand look at patient care in family medicine.

“The relationships I formed with patients throughout this internship stood out to me most,” she said. “As a medical assistant, I was able to talk with patients, build relationships with them over time and see their healing progress firsthand.”

She said the experience also helped her better understand the kind of work she hopes to do in the future, particularly in communities with limited access to care.

“Through this internship, I realized how much I enjoy family medicine, and it greatly shifted my perspective on practicing in a rural area,” Earl said.

The event was sponsored by the Office of Academic Insight and co-organized by COSAM Student Services and Kate Buckley, faculty fellow in the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Office. Discover Day included participation from COSAM offices and programs including the Office of Academic Engagement, Innovation and Opportunity, Study Abroad, the Department of Biological Sciences, AU Teach and Career Discovery and Success. COSAM faculty, staff, students and leadership also attended to support presenters and learn more about their work.