By Dayzsha Lino, Co-News Editor
Growing up, Mickey Vibel usually shopped at thrift stores, not fancy malls. But it wasn’t out of some retro, vintage-style choice. It was all Vibel could afford. But she was a young woman, and fashion was on her mind. So, when it came to planning a project for this year’s 15th Annual Student Research Day,
Vibel knew what she wanted to research.
“Vernacular as a Vixen” was the title of Vibel’s project, a critical analysis of the fashion industry’s insensitivity towards people who can’t afford certain items of clothing.
Vibel, a studio arts/art history major, was one of the many students who participated in this year’s SRD, which took place in the Loker Student Union Feb 12-13. From gentrification in LA to professionalism in radiography, students, working with faculty mentors, had the opportunity to practice their research skills and impress their fellow competitors by presenting research projects on issues that matter to them.
Each of the presenters had the option to participate in oral presentations, roundtables, and poster sessions with a topic of their choosing in various subjects including behavioral and social sciences, humanities and letters, and physical and mathematical sciences.
Since the event drew so many participants, each presentation took place simultaneously in different rooms of the LSU’s third floor.
On Thursday, Mario Ybarra, Jr., a conceptual artist, was the keynote speaker at the SRD lunch.
Ybarra spoke about the elements that he believes are crucial to student research, which included: intent, content, context, production, distribution, and documentation. He also shared some of his past artwork, a museum dedicated to Scarface and his very own pop-up shop in Philadelphia.
He also talked about the importance of research in the telling of all stories.
“We bridge communities with different groups, identities, and entities,” Ybarra said. “If you tell your story to a group of people, at least 30 will have some type of interest in your story.”
That afternoon carried on with more oral presentations, including Vibel’s. Along with the economic impetus of her fashion industry project, Vibel said she wanted to make a larger point about that industry expanding its diversity to others who are traditionally not represented.
“As a disabled woman of color, I want to see myself represented on the runway,” Vibel said.
Once the event concluded, a campus-wide email was sent to students and faculty Thursday night announcing the first and second place recipients in each category. The big winners of the Health, Nutrition, and Clinical Sciences III category were Elvy Fuentes, Josiah Gibson, Rebecca Hawkinson Gonzalez, and Thelma Iwuchukwu for their participation in a community-based arts center that focused on improving students’ mental health and well-being.
The rest of the winners have been released via email by the Office of Graduate Studies and research.
