The 2026/27 Faculty Research Showcase was held on Wednesday, Oct. 21 and highlighted the scholarship of over 40 Behrend faculty members throughout the afternoon and early evening. The event also featured a presentation from this year’s keynote speaker, Dr. Christopher R. Shelton, Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychology and Director of the Virtual/Augmented Reality Lab (VAR Lab).

From 2:30-5:45 p.m., the showcase covered research from Behrend’s Schools of Business, Engineering, Science, and Humanities and Social Sciences. Project topics ranged dramatically amongst faculty members. For instance, Elizabeth Fogle explored redacted/censured language in classical texts and the fresh meanings that emerged from such erasure. Elisa Wu, on the other hand, studied wearable Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) which she used to track and convert real-time biomechanics to practical motion programs for UR robots. This portion of the event allowed Behrend faculty to interact with and respond to one another’s scholarship, revealing the diverse range of work being conducted outside of classrooms and the plethora of questions driving Penn State’s research forward.

Following the faculty presentations, Alicyn Rhoades, Vice Chancellor and Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies, spoke on the importance of scholarly activity for Penn State faculty and students. She then announced the creation of the Center for Emerging Technologies & AI, which aims to support faculty driven research across disciplines.

Shelton, 2026 recipient of the Council of Fellows Excellence in Research Award, began his lecture “A Psychologist Walks Into a Tech Lab” at 6:15 p.m. in McGarvey Commons. His speech delved into some of his more notable work, including 3-D scanning the Liberty Bell and making it an open-access resource for researchers. Shelton also brought on stage his robot dog, BenBen, who carefully navigated the platform after the doctor called for him. Shelton underlined the importance of keeping an open mind to emerging technologies, stating that one of technology’s key hurdles are actually people. “Will they accept the technology?” Shelton asked the audience. No one had a clear answer for him.

The event concluded with 30 student researchers displaying their posters, primarily to fellow peers. While some faculty members did engage with students, a surprising number avoided this part of the event entirely and focussed on connecting with other staff. However, there was a wonderful range of topics spotlighted by Behrend students from AI integration in creative writing workshops (Lauren Galle-Boyko) to creating a DNA meta-barcode library to catalogue the various species inhabiting the Limpopo River (Karleigh Steiner).