This past Thursday, all EMU undergraduate classes were canceled to encourage students to attend and support the festival of Academic and Creative Excellence. The day consisted of various students from all majors and programs showcasing their hard work and passion projects, as well as seniors presenting their final senior capstone projects.
The day started off strong with the EMU Engineers for a Sustainable World club presenting their student-built supermileage car created with the purpose of reaching maximum fuel efficiency. This means the car would produce as much energy as possible from a certain amount of gas, which would lessen the amount of gas needed and therefore produce a more eco-friendly vehicle. Participating students got the opportunity to travel to Indianapolis to compete in the 2023 Shell Eco-Marathon on the iconic motor speedway! The car reached an efficiency of 453 miles per gallon, and the club is aiming to surpass 1000 miles per gallon at next year’s competition in 2024.
Additionally, the EMU Music Department held a midday recital featuring both instrumental and vocal solo performances, as well as an improvised piano performance. Despite being one of the smaller programs here, EMU music students demonstrated their ability to perform different songs in a wide range of classical artists, foreign languages, instruments, and techniques.
STEM and Business majors got their time to shine as well, with project posters on display in the Suter Science Center throughout the afternoon. Non-presenting students got the opportunity to learn about various topics researched by fellow students, while also supporting other programs.
“We planted sunflower seeds in different copper concentrations to survey their reactions,” said Sierra Mcvey, a 10th grade biology major, about her group’s presentation.
A much anticipated part of the festival took place at the end of the day: the Art Gallery and senior exhibition topped off the afternoon featuring visual art in multiple forms, from paintings to photography to poetry. A particularly unique work from the senior exhibition was Rachel Jennings’s piece titled “Insulin”. Hemmings utilized multiple mediums within the piece, consisting of photos of injection from varying positions and blood sugar monitoring, as well as actual needles on display in the gallery. Through “Insulin”, Jennings intended to bring awareness to the daily struggle that comes with experiencing Type 1 Diabetes. This illness is not a physical struggle as much as it is a psychological one, and “Insulin” brought the impact of Type 1 Diabetes on mental health to light.
Other pieces in the student gallery tackled a range of themes, stories, and emotions, such as 2nd year Nussa Garti’s photography of fellow art student Bri Leeper, which tells a tale of a lonely siren singing her last song alone in a shower, or senior Chris Murray’s poetry providing a commentary on our modern society.
From supermileage cars to visual art, the ACE festival was the catalyst for EMU students to showcase their hard work, unique talents, and diversity. Alternatively, the ACE festival was also an affectionate send-off for many, as seniors summed up their projects at the end of their four years at EMU.
