Ideafest 2025, a free and public event on May 1 at Dordt University, will showcase the diverse research, creativity, and academic achievement of more than 50 students through presentations, exhibits, and posters across a range of disciplines.
View the Ideafest 2025 program
On Thursday, May 1, Dordt University will host Ideafest 2025, a campus-wide celebration of student research, creativity, and academic exploration. The event will take place from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. in the Science and Technology Center and will feature oral presentations, exhibits, and poster displays from students across a variety of disciplines.
Ideafest was started over 20 years ago to highlight the central educational task of Dordt: to develop in students Christian insight at an advanced scholarly level, says Dr. Paul Fessler, director of Ideafest and a history professor at Dordt.
“Increasingly, our culture downplays academic achievement and insights as solitary activities that don’t get the same recognition as athletics or other co-curricular activities,” he adds. “Ideafest seeks to highlight not just one department or field but rather the diversity and integral nature of student learning and achievement at Dordt.”
Ideafest includes presentations from more than 50 students, covering topics in the sciences, engineering, humanities, social sciences, business, and the arts. Research topics range from solar integration on Dordt’s campus, to quantum computation, to theological reflections, poetry, and economic analysis.
For example, Tyler Wieringa will present on his internship at Driesen Eye Center, offering insight into the intersection of clinical practice and patient care. Another project, led by engineering students Noah Swenson, Hendrick Vande Voort, Nate Voogt, and Brayton Juffer, evaluates the feasibility of expanded solar energy use on campus.
In addition to formal presentations, a series of posters and exhibits will be on display in the Science Building atrium, with student researchers available for questions from 12:30 to 1:15 p.m. Refreshments will be served near the Natural Sciences Office.
The event is free and open to the public.
About Dordt University
As an institution of higher education committed to the Reformed Christian perspective, Dordt University equips students, faculty, alumni, and the broader community to work toward Christ-centered renewal in all aspects of contemporary life. Located in Sioux Center, Iowa, Dordt is a comprehensive university named to the best college lists by the Wall Street Journal, Times Higher Education, Forbes.com, Washington Monthly, and Princeton Review.
“As an academic institution, we want to acknowledge the contributions of our faculty members to the broader conversations within their academic disciplines,” says Kroeze Visser.
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