Celebrating 30 Years of Innovation and Scholarship at Petersheim Academic Exposition 

Now in its 30th year, the 2026 Petersheim Academic Exposition, "Share, Honor, Unite," will take place from Monday, April 20, through Saturday, April 25, 2026. All are invited to attend the Exposition, which includes oral presentations, poster sessions, esteemed lecturers and more.

This annual celebration honors the intersection of scholastic achievement, creative innovation and transformative engagement. Driven by Seton Hall’s mission, the Petersheim Academic Exposition unites a diverse community — including undergraduate and graduate students, alumni and faculty — in vibrant collaboration across a variety of academic disciplines. 

The Opening Ceremony will take place from noon to 2 p.m. on Monday, April 20, in Bethany Hall (Rooms A, B and C) and will be livestreamed. Delivering the keynote address will be Jose Lopez, Ph.D., professor of Physics and director, Office of Grants and Research Services and co-chair, Petersheim Academic Exposition Planning Committee. The Opening Ceremony will be followed by a complimentary lunch to celebrate the expo’s commencement; register now to save your seat.

The Closing Ceremony of Celebration and Awards will be held from 3:30 to 5 p.m., Friday, April 24, in the McNulty Hall Amphitheater, featuring a keynote speech by Reverend Joseph R. Laracy, S.T.D. 

Poster Sessions: A Gathering of Great Minds

A cornerstone of the Petersheim Academic Exposition is the diverse series of poster sessions and intellectual exchange across disciplines. Specialized sessions, including the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Poster Session on April 21 and the Diplomacy Project Senior Poster Session on April 22, will feature students and faculty showcasing high-level inquiry into global relations and complex scientific phenomena. On April 24, the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science will feature students’ poster presentations, while the Department of Social Work and Public Administration will host a session highlighting the critical role social workers play in shaping, challenging and advancing public policy.

These sessions provide a unique platform for undergraduate and graduate researchers to engage directly with the University community, defending methodologies and research developed over the course of their studies through visual displays and oral summaries that embody the expo's theme of "Share, Honor, Unite."

Tips for Preparing for the Petersheim Academic Expo

If you are presenting at the exposition, the Teaching, Learning and Technology Center (TLTC) is offering a workshop titled "Academic Poster Design Tips and Tricks" on April 9 for faculty, staff, administrators and students. Additionally, the TLTC's Open Labs offer an alternative for personalized support, providing direct access to instructional designers and creative tools such as Adobe Creative Cloud to help enhance visual storytelling and design.

Students are encouraged to visit the Poster Presentations page on the Petersheim Academic Exposition website for additional tips, tricks and guidelines.

Oral Presentations: A Commitment to Research and Excellence

The 30th Petersheim Academic Exposition will also continue its tradition of compelling oral presentations, where researchers will delve deeper into their work through scholarly talks.

The 2026 Institute of NeuroImmune Pharmacology (INIP) Symposium on April 21 will showcase a multidisciplinary research framework that integrates computational data mining with experimental biology to uncover molecular pathways in neuroimmune responses and glioblastoma progression. Dedicated to the memory of Exposition founder Matthew Petersheim, Ph.D., the session will highlight how early-career investigators use these integrated methodologies to accelerate the discovery of therapeutic targets for addiction and aggressive brain tumors.

The Time Machines Symposium, which will be held on April 23, highlights the research projects of five undergraduate students who worked in Walsh Library’s Special Collections, delving into a specific object or collection, such as the D’Argenio Roman coin collection, over the course of an academic year. Attendees will have the opportunity to see the actual objects students worked with, which will be on display as they present their work.

Also scheduled for April 23, the University Libraries’ DataLab Initiative session will showcase interdisciplinary student-faculty collaborations that apply advanced data analysis and computational modeling to solve complex, real-world problems, from qualitative assessments of jury diversity in legal decision-making to the technical testing of algorithms for potential applications in data storage.

Other symposiums include Student Research in Behavioral Finance and the Department of Physics on April 22; the ELMP Research Colloquium featuring graduate students from the Higher Education (HRED), PK-12 and Law Enforcement Executive Leadership (LEEL) programs on April 23; and the Interprofessional Health Sciences Campus Research Symposium on April 24.

With topics spanning from data-driven investigations to historical research, these oral sessions — which are just a small sampling of the 2026 line-up — will provide a sophisticated forum for students to engage their peers and faculty in rigorous academic dialogue.

In addition to student presentations, the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Criminal Justice will be hosting Ivan Sun, Ph.D., a world-renowned criminal justice scholar and a global leader in empirical AI research in policing, as a distinguished guest speaker. In 2025, Sun launched two global programs exploring the impact of AI on policing and higher education, using innovative simulations and experimental vignettes to analyze how judicial and law enforcement professionals across seven countries assess emerging technologies. He will be sharing his findings in a lecture titled “Artificial Intelligence in Policing: International Evidence, Ethical Challenges and the Future of Law Enforcement” in the Jubilee Hall Auditorium on April 24.

Celebrating the University’s Commitment to Service and Scholarship

Beyond poster and oral presentations, Petersheim also includes community-oriented events such as the Fourteenth Annual Servant Leadership Day on April 21, featuring a presentation on “Leadership and the Gift of Self” by Seton Hall University President, Monsignor Joseph Reilly. Sponsored by the Center for Vocation and Servant Leadership in conjunction with the Office of Mission and Ministry, the gathering is a celebration of Seton Hall University’s commitment to forming students as “servant leaders in a global society.”

A Rich Schedule of Events Continues

The exposition features an expansive roster of talent across all disciplines, with new opportunities for engagement added throughout the week. For event details and a complete list of poster sessions, oral presentations and featured speakers, please visit the Petersheim Academic Exposition website and check regularly for updates to the schedule of events.

This year, the Petersheim Academic Exposition coincides with Seton Hall Giving Day, an annual fundraiser uniting alumni, families and friends with proceeds benefiting all areas of the University. On April 22 and 23, community members may direct their gifts specifically to support the Petersheim Academic Exposition; visit the campaign page to learn more and participate.

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