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What is Beacon?Beacon is a competition and one-day conference for students at two-year colleges in the mid-Atlantic States. The top papers from each participating college are presented and judged at the annual Beacon Conference in June. How can I get involved?Submit a paper! Look over the research writing that you have done or are doing for your courses. Is there an excellent paper, one that involves original thought, research, and good writing? Is there a faculty member with whom you would like to work to polish the paper or do research that might turn into a paper to submit to Beacon? If so, talk to the faculty mentor, check out the 2012 Submission Guidelines and the information on this web site, and e-mail your paper to mira.sakrajda@sunywcc.edu by March 1, 2012. If you don't have a paper for this year but might consider one for next year, why not just come to the 2012 Beacon Conference and check out what your peers are doing? Why would I want to participate?You may already have written an excellent paper for a course and Beacon is an opportunity to submit that paper into a competition with other students' papers. If you are chosen as a finalist, you will have the opportunity to share your research with others by giving an oral presentation of your paper at the conference. What other benefits are there?There is a $100 prize for the outstanding paper in each of the academic categories. Also, to be a Beacon scholar is a fine addition to your resume. How do I submit a paper?First, find a faculty mentor to work with (probably the professor who assigned the paper, but it can be any professor who is willing and with whom you want to work). The paper should be one that involves research and original thinking. Next, work with your mentor to polish the paper and get it ready for submission. Pick a category that fits your paper. Can any student submit, or must he or she be in an honor society or on the dean's list with a high GPA?Any student with a worthy paper may submit it regardless of his or her grade point average or membership in honor societies. Must my instructor recommend my paper for submission?Beacon is meant to honor the relationship between instructor and student, so students are encouraged to work with their mentors. But students may take the first step by asking their instructors about submitting, especially as not all instructors are familiar with Beacon. Can I see samples of past winning papers?Check with the faculty representatives for the Beacon Conference on your campus. They should be able to locate copies of past years' Beacon Conference proceedings for you to look at. You can also view the electronic proceedings of the most recent conferences here or by clicking "Proceedings" on this website. Who can tell me more about Beacon?Contact one of the 2012 Beacon Conference Co-Directors: Dr. Lori Maida Dr. Mira Sakrajda
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