Asking Questions to Change the World

What better way to start a new academic year than with a celebration of curiosity? The Undergraduate Research Program’s fifth annual Quest Fest was held Wednesday, Sept. 23, in the Cyber Fusion Center and celebrated all stages of curiosity.

Over seventy questions submitted during the first two weeks of September competed to win awards from fifteen campus leaders, including the president, provost, commandant, associate provosts, deans, and directors of programs from across campus. Students, faculty, and staff from across campus voted both in person and online to select team and individual questions for the Campus Choice Awards.

Attendees explored and discussed curious objects, including Mussolini’s telephone, a Wimshurst machine, a working air raid siren, a radioactive rock, and more. Celebrated also were the students who spent the summer diving deeply into a topic they were passionate about; student researchers showcased their results, with many highlighting the many questions that emerged as they learned more.

The importance of curiosity and questions in education cannot be overstated. As Provost and Dean of the Faculty Lea Williams, Ph.D., highlighted at this year's convocation, "when you are gripped by curiosity, when you are pursuing a question that you feel in the depths of your bones that you must find an answer to, ... you will be fully engaged in learning and exploration." That spirit of curiosity fuels the persistence required for meaningful learning, inspires innovation, and connects us with others who share our interests. Quest Fest celebrates that spirit while also highlighting the community that supports it. Year after year, campus leaders, faculty, and staff participate in the event because they recognize that great learning begins with great questions.

This year's event location, the newly constructed Cyber Fusion Center, provided a fitting backdrop for that message. Designed to foster collaboration across disciplines and beyond the walls of the University, the building reflects Norwich's commitment to helping students pursue ambitious questions and discover new possibilities. In many ways, the Cyber Fusion Center embodies the same goals that define Quest Fest itself: ask questions, make connections, and change the world.