On April 14, 2026, Stetson University will host its annual Showcase, a longstanding celebration of undergraduate research, creative activity, and academic excellence. Now in its twenty-eighth year, the event highlights the depth and diversity of student scholarship across disciplines.
This year’s theme, “Currents of Curiosity: Crossing Streams,” reflects the increasingly interdisciplinary nature of student work, as ideas move across boundaries between science, technology, the arts, and the humanities.
The Showcase will feature poster sessions, oral presentations, art exhibitions, and music recitals, offering students the opportunity to share research ranging from environmental studies and public health to artificial intelligence and social analysis.
The 2026 Grady Ballenger keynote speaker, Dr. Antonio Byrd, will address the role of generative AI in research and publishing, encouraging thoughtful engagement with both its possibilities and ethical implications.
Through this event, Stetson continues to foster curiosity, creativity, and clear communication, preparing students to engage meaningfully with an increasingly complex and interconnected world.
The widespread availability of generative artificial intelligence (GenAl) platforms can shift how scholars across disciplines understand what research is and how to conduct it. From reading to analysis to writing, GenAl may be a tempting option for driving a research agenda forward efficiently but at what cost to academic publishing? Based on preliminary work from Modern Language Association Task Force on Al and the Humanities, Dr. Antonio Byrd describes a framework for evaluating GenAl tools in research. He describes the implications of using GenAl for common research practices and how academic editors are navigating this evolution in the knowledge-making landscape. Using his experience as co-editor of two special issues and an editorial board member, Dr. Byrd will give advice on disclosing the use of GenAl to mentors, editors, and peer reviewers. The talk will conclude with a What Would You Do? section where audiences look at three real-world scenarios that “test” their boundaries of GenAl use and refusal.
About the Speaker
Dr Antonio Byrd
Antonio Byrd University of Missouri Kansas City. An expert on “Black literacies, professional and technical communication, multimodal writing, and composition pedagogy”, Dr. Byrd is also a nationally recognized leader on the impacts of GenAI in undergraduate research and cognitive thinking. He has spoken as a Keynote for CUR to strong reception. He will address how we meet this new challenge and opportunity head-on.
It is my great honor to announce the recipient of this year’s Hand Award for Distinguished Faculty Achievement. This prestigious award recognizes excellence in research, creative, and professional activity, highlighting the significant contributions faculty members make to their professional fields and to the intellectual vibrancy of our campus.
The recipient of this year’s award is one of Stetson University’s most prolific scholars, whose work has had a profound national and global impact. With more than 300 publications, over 30,000 citations, and an h-index of 77—an exceptionally rare and esteemed score—his scholarship stands as a model of rigor, innovation, and collaboration. One nominator wrote: “He has collaborated on published projects with almost every faculty member within the psychology department, and with several other faculty across the university.” His research, particularly in the area of media psychology, has reshaped the field by challenging established views and offering a more nuanced understanding of the complex relationship between media and human behavior. His vital work been published in the most distinguished academic journals in his discipline and has also earned him numerous invitations to present his research at prestigious institutions around the world.
Transcending academic boundaries, today’s award recipient is also a well-respected public intellectual, whose expert insights are regularly featured in major media outlets such as MSNBC, NPR, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The LA Times. His ability to translate complex research on violence in media has made him a trusted voice on critical social issues.
As a teacher-scholar, this individual has been deeply committed to mentorship. One colleague wrote: “Every semester as he runs multiple studies in his lab, he has a team of undergraduate student research assistants working with him. His students get excellent training in the research process, and he often publishes with those students too.” In short, he embodies Stetson’s relationship-rich learning.
In recognition of his exceptional contributions to the field, his tireless dedication to his students, and his collaborative spirit that has enriched the Stetson community, I am proud to announce that the recipient of this year’s Hand Award for Research, Creative, and Professional Activity is Professor of Psychology, Dr. Christopher Ferguson.
Dr Christopher Ferguson
Presented by Dr. Katty Webb, Dean of the Library and Learning Technologieson May 9, 2025 at the 2025 Academic Awards and Recognition Ceremony
