The James J. Whalen Academic Symposium

Present your original research or creative work at Ithaca College's distinctive annual symposium.
Ithaca College student presents her research findings
Whalen Symposium 2024
Experience it for yourself!
Present your research and other creative works to your peers; volunteer; and/or support your peers by attending their presentations!
Your Next Steps

Inspire other students, faculty, staff, and community members with your commitment to your topic and the depth of expertise you have developed.

Honoring former IC President James J. Whalen's dedication to student learning and academic research, the James J. Whalen Academic Symposium is an annual Ithaca College tradition that celebrates student learning as students present their mentored research and other creative works—individually or in collaboration with others—in a professional conference-like setting. 

Ithaca College has a long tradition of fostering student learning through collaborative research with faculty mentors, and the success of that tradition has been demonstrated repeatedly as Ithaca College students regularly present their research at conferences such as the National Council on Undergraduate Research and the Eastern Colleges Science Conference. 

Each year's Whalen Symposium provides a rich sample of the broad range of student research and creativity at Ithaca College. Enormous personal growth comes from working closely with a faculty or staff mentor to define and refine a research topic, gather information and evidence, and then write and present findings or perform.

You are cordially and enthusiastically invited to experience the James J. Whalen Academic Symposium for yourself: present, volunteer, and/or attend!

NEW for the 2024 Whalen Symposium

Highlighting Energy & Sustainability Research and Creativity!

The cross-disciplinary energy and sustainability work that IC students are increasingly participating will now be highlighted through the Whalen Symposium. These projects help Ithaca College and Upstate New York communities to address the complex challenges associated with climate change. Separate awards will be presented based on the “sustainability” category. To participate and be considered for this category, students from any school may select “sustainability” as their School when completing the Whalen Abstract Submission Form.

Digital Posters Can Now Be Presented!

As a trial run for Whalen 2024, a limited number of digital poster presentations will be accepted. Please select “digital poster” as your option in presentation type when completing the Whalen Abstract Submission Form. Those who selected digital will be instructed to save their posters as a PDF and bring them to them symposium on a flash drive that has been formatted for Windows computers.

"Be open to life. Do not allow conformity to wear down your aspirations. Have the courage to trust your own dreams."

James J. Whalen, President of Ithaca College, 1975–1997

Questions about the Whalen Symposium?