Undergraduate students at the Memorial Union will display months of hard work in research to prove that some of the most important learning material at Iowa State takes place out of the classroom and in the fray of academics.

The sixth annual Symposium on Undergraduate Research & Creative Expression will display the hard work and talents of several students from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday.

“It expands beyond perhaps the stereotypical definition of scholarship, even though a fair bit of the research is [stereotypical research],” said Dana Schumacher, assistant director for undergraduate research and scholarship at Iowa State and symposium coordinator. “Yes, there are people who work in labs, but there are also people who are working fashion designs.”

Schumacher said the symposium has expanded rapidly, especially in the arts, since its start in 2007.

“It’s a part of the research process to present and make public what it is you’re doing. That’s how knowledge has moved forward. It’s a wonderful professional experience for them to be able to capture what it is they have done and share that and learn how to share it with the different audiences,” Schumacher said. “It’s a day for the university to celebrate what students do beyond the classroom.”

The event is free to the public and feature 100 research projects.