Benedictine College marks 30th Discovery Day with 83 student presentations

Benedictine College turned its Atchison campus into a campuswide research showcase on April 15, when 144 students presented 83 academic projects alongside 56 faculty members from 19 academic departments. The work ranged from bacterial batteries and autonomous delivery drones to musical composition, a spread that showed how undergraduate research can reach into practical questions facing local life, from technology and business to culture and civic problem-solving. Classes and meetings were canceled so students and faculty could attend, giving Discovery Day the weight of a major academic occasion rather than an extra event on the calendar.

The keynote speaker, Lexi Chirakos, Ph.D., the Policy and Data Management Specialist at the Health Policy Institute of Ohio, brought a public-policy lens to the day with a talk titled The Courage to Be Wrong: A Scientist’s Journey of Discovery Through Questions, Failure, and Faith. Her work at the Health Policy Institute of Ohio places her in an organization that describes itself as independent and nonpartisan, focused on evidence-informed state health policy. Chirakos joined the institute in 2021 after serving as a Legislative Services Commission Fellow in the Senate Democratic Caucus and as co-president of the Science Policy Initiative at the University of Notre Dame.

For Benedictine, Discovery Day remains one of the clearest expressions of its liberal arts identity. The college says the program is designed to move learning outside the classroom, pairing students with faculty mentors in collaborative problem-solving that pushes original research into public view. Provost and Dean Dr. Kimberly Shankman said original research strengthens curiosity and the love of learning, a point reflected in the way students were asked not only to investigate ideas, but also to explain them to an audience.

The 30th annual Discovery Day also underscored how deeply rooted the tradition has become in Atchison. Since 1996, more than 3,600 students have presented or co-authored Discovery projects, and the college said the symposium has involved virtually all faculty and all academic departments over time. The 2026 total of 83 presentations topped the 77 presentations featured in 2024, when architect Michael Raia delivered the keynote. At Benedictine, the event has become more than a showcase of student talent. It is a standing reminder that research, inquiry and public presentation are part of the college’s contribution to Atchison County.