Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and with the safety of our members uppermost in mind, the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) has regretfully decided to cancel the in-person 2020 Biennial Conference. However, please mark your calendars for a virtual 2020 Biennial Conference to take place during a similar timeframe. The Executive Board, Biennial Committee, Conference Host, and National Office recognize that the power of the CUR community is in our ability to support each other and share knowledge and resources to help us through these trying times. We are working on converting our in-person conference into a virtual one and will be excited to interact with all of you in this new space.
Details, schedule, and registration will be released on Monday, May 4, 2020. For those who are currently registered for the in-person conference, please watch out for further communications on your registration within the next 7 business days. For any further questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to cur@cur.org.
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The CUR national office and leadership team continue to keep updated on what our health authorities are advising. We understand that you still may have reservations about committing to attend a conference given the evolving situation with the COVID-19 pandemic.
We encourage all of our undergraduate research community to check out our member resource page. We are making daily updates to bring you the latest resources to help navigate your way through these times. From online webinars that help us understand how to move forward in this time of change to ‘how to’ videos on converting to virtual teaching and learning, this page was built for our evolving undergraduate community.
From all of us at CUR’s National Office, we sympathize with everything you’re going through right now. We know the pain of cancelled events, graduations, research presentations, and time cut short with friends, students, mentors, and colleagues. Remember to take care of yourself. CUR is here for you.
I AM CUR. YOU ARE CUR. WE WILL ALWAYS BE CUR.
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Posters on the Hill
The Council on Undergraduate Research regrets to inform you that we have cancelled our in-person event, Posters on the Hill, originally set to take place April 20-21, 2020. After much consideration, it is within the community’s best interest, the health of attendees, and to our national office staff, that we do not proceed with our scheduled event and remain compliant to the guidelines of the District of Columbia Department of Public Health, CDC, and WHO at this time.
UPDATE: The CUR National Office has been researching ways to honor the many students’ achievements of being accepted to the 2020 Posters on the Hill celebration. Though the in-person event has sadly been cancelled, we are organizing a virtual poster session to take place on April 21 via Twitter. Accepted students and faculty were notified on March 25 of this change. We hope our community can gather around them and celebrate by following #POH2020 and #POHGoesVirtual on Twitter. If you have any questions, please email Liz Hains.
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National Conference on Undergraduate Research
As of March 11, 2020, Montana State University, in conjunction with the Council on Undergraduate Research, regretfully has canceled the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) to have taken place on March 26-28, 2020. In working with local and state COVID-19 task forces, we take this step out of an abundance of caution. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
For registrants and graduate fair representatives who withdrew their registrations prior to the event cancellation on March 11, the registration fee will be refunded after the $50.00 cancellation fee is assessed in accordance with the refund policy states on the NCUR 2020 website.
For registrants and graduate fair representatives whose registration was voided by the cancellation of the event, a full refund will be provided. Fees paid for excursions through the “Extras Store” will be refunded in full. Refunds will be processed within approximately two weeks.
For additional questions and information, please refer to the NCUR 2020 website.
Vanderbilt University sophomores Ashwin Kumar and Abinaya Ramakrishnan and junior Amelia Taylor are among the 2020 recipients of the Goldwater Scholarship—awarded to undergraduate STEM students who show exceptional promise of becoming the nation’s next generation of research leaders.
They are among 396 college students across the United States who were selected as Goldwater Scholars from a field of 1,343 nominees. The Goldwater Scholarships are one- and two-year scholarships that contribute up to $7,500 per year toward educational expenses.
Ashwin Kumar, of Irving, Texas, is enrolled in the School of Engineering with a triple major in computer science, neuroscience and applied math.
“Ashwin works with three faculty members in two departments on impactful research projects while also leading one student organization and serving as an officer of another,” said Philippe Fauchet, Bruce and Bridgitt Evans Dean of Engineering. “Goldwater Scholars are extraordinary students, and I congratulate Ashwin on the award of this prestigious scholarship.”
As an undergraduate, Kumar has been conducting interdisciplinary research between the Human Imaging Lab, directed by Seth Smith, associate professor of radiology and radiological sciences; the Medical Analysis and Statistic Interpolation Lab, directed by Bennett Landman, associate professor of electrical engineering, computer engineering and computer science; and with Kurt Schilling, research assistant professor of radiology and radiological sciences.
“I am pursuing collaborative image acquisition and analysis research to create and analyze pediatric spinal cord maps for detecting pediatric pathologies,” Kumar said. “Specifically, I have conducted random effects modeling to better understand pediatric spinal cord development through Jacobian analysis.”
A Vanderbilt Chancellor’s Scholar, Kumar aspires to earn a doctorate in biomedical engineering, with a specialization in imaging science. He plans to study the intersection among image analysis, high performance computing and statistical optimization. Conducting research on biomaterial optimization and teaching at the university level are among his career goals.
Kumar serves as president of Vanderbilt Project RISHI, which works to provide financially sustainable solutions to core problems within Indian villages. He is also secretary of the Vanderbilt Biomedical Engineering Society.
The other two recipients, Abinaya Ramakrishnan and Amelia Taylor, are enrolled in the College of Arts and Science.
“Having two students from Arts and Science selected for one of the nation’s intensely competitive STEM scholarships is a testament to the quality of our undergraduate research experience,” said John Geer, Ginny and Conner Searcy Dean of the College of Arts and Science and professor of political science. “We are extremely proud of Abinaya and Amelia and look forward to seeing the impact of their discoveries in the years to come.”
Ramakrishnan, of Lisle, Illinois, is a double major in biological sciences and medicine, health and society. Her research experiences include working with Dr. Miklos Kertai, professor of anesthesiology, to understand postoperative complications following cardiac surgery.
“Since my freshman year, I have been investigating how mean platelet volume can be used to predict postoperative risk for acute kidney injury following cardiac surgery and minimally invasive procedures, like the transcatheter aortic valve replacement,” Ramakrishnan said. She has also contributed to basic sciences research on mosquito heart physiology under Julián Hillyer, associate professor of biological sciences.
“Being a Goldwater Scholar validates the efforts I have put into research starting from my sophomore year of high school and further motivates me to continue my research journey,” Ramakrishnan said. As an Ingram Scholar, Ramakrishnan has a strong commitment to community service. She volunteers with Hope Clinic, NAMI Tennessee and Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and serves on the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Young Adult Leadership Council.
Ramakrishnan plans to earn a doctorate in epidemiology and clinical investigations and pursue a research-based career devoted to understanding and predicting postoperative complications following surgery. “I hope that through these clinical investigations, we can reduce the number of postoperative complications after surgery and pave a path to a faster recovery,” she said.
Taylor, of Bristol, Tennessee, is a double major in chemistry and philosophy. She is affiliated with the McLean Research Group Laboratory for Structural Mass, led by Stevenson Professor of Chemistry John A. McLean.
“It is so gratifying to be named a Goldwater Scholar and to be recognized for my research ability and potential to complete a doctorate in chemistry, because it is something I am so passionate about,” Taylor said. “It confirms my notion that this is the correct career path for me.”
She plans to pursue a doctorate in chemistry followed by a clinical chemistry fellowship. Her career goals include conducting interdisciplinary research in bioanalytical chemistry and teaching at the university level.
“My research focuses on better understanding the link between diet and Alzheimer’s disease through quantitative metabolomics,” Taylor said. “Currently, I am studying the changes that occur in amino acid metabolism in a mouse model of familial Alzheimer’s disease and obesity/diabetes.”
Taylor serves as president of the Vanderbilt University QuestBridge Chapter, a scholarship organization for high-achieving, low-income students. She is also a student fellow in the SyBBURE Searle Undergraduate Research Program.
Taylor encourages sophomores to apply for the Goldwater even if they are unsure if they will be competitive. “I applied my sophomore year and was not selected as a nominee, but because I had experience with the process, I was able to re-apply my junior year as a stronger candidate,” Taylor said. “Writing and communicating are skills you have to practice to learn, and the Goldwater application provides valuable practice in scientific communication for other fellowships, grad school applications and beyond.”
The Goldwater Scholarship Program, established by Congress in 1986 in honor of the late Sen. Barry Goldwater, seeks to foster and encourage outstanding students to pursue research careers in the fields of the natural sciences, engineering and mathematics. Vanderbilt is among 461 institutions whose institutional representatives submitted nominations for 2020.
The following faculty served on this academic year’s nomination and review committee: Beth Bowman, assistant director, Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Biological and Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine; Lauren Buchanan, assistant professor of chemistry; Craig Duvall, professor of biomedical engineering and director of undergraduate studies; Todd Peterson, faculty director of the Office of Honor Scholarships and associate professor of radiology and radiological sciences; and Paul Sheldon, professor of physics and astronomy.
The CUR Chemistry Division has announced the 2020 recipients of its Outstanding Mentorship Award, which recognizes excellence in mentoring of undergraduate researchers:
• Geneive Henry, Susquehanna University • James A. Phillips, University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire • Aimée Tomlinson, University of North Georgia
Geneive Henry is Charles B. Degenstein Professor of Chemistry and head of the Department of Chemistry at Susquehanna University. She earned her BS in chemistry with first-class honors and her PhD in organic chemistry at the University of the West Indies. Henry focuses her research projects on producing derivatives of essential oil components that have anticancer, antioxidant, and antibacterial properties and has mentored more than 50 students in biochemistry, biology, biomedical sciences, and chemistry. She also has been involved in efforts to mentor students and faculty from underrepresented groups as well as nurture cross-disciplinary and interuniversity collaborations.
James A. Phillips is professor and chair of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire. He earned his BA in chemistry at Middlebury College (graduating cum laude) and his PhD in physical chemistry at the University of Minnesota–Twin Cities. Phillips’s research examines condensed-phase effects on the structural properties of molecular complexes. His mentoring efforts have involved research with 45 undergraduates, including at-risk and nontraditional students; development of course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) in partnership with early-career colleagues; and participation in the Molecular Education and Research Consortium in Undergraduate Computational Chemistry (MERCURY). He has served as a councilor in CUR’s Chemistry Division and as a member of the NCUR Oversight Committee.
Aimée Tomlinson is professor in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry at the University of North Georgia. She earned her BS in mathematics and her BS in chemistry at Purdue University, and her PhD in theoretical/computational chemistry at Carnegie Mellon University. Her research interests involve computational chemical physics and quantum theory. She has mentored more than 40 undergraduate researchers and early-career faculty members, with attention to supporting women in STEM and individuals from the LGBTQ community, and participates in the MERCURY consortium.
The Outstanding Mentorship Awards of CUR’s Chemistry Division honor exceptional mentoring and advising by higher education faculty across all subdisciplines of chemistry. Each award consists of a $500 cash prize to the recipient, a certificate of recognition, a one-year individual membership to CUR funded by the Chemistry Division, and a letter of commendation from CUR sent to the recipient’s institution.
For the second year in a row, four exceptional Emory College students have won the nation’s top scholarship for undergraduates studying math, natural sciences and engineering.
Taylor Dover, Krishna “Ananthu” Pucha, Kim Sharp and Pushkar Shinde are among the 396 Goldwater Scholars chosen from more than 1,343 outstanding applicants across the United States.
They each receive up to $7,500 per year, until they earn their undergraduate degrees, to go toward the cost of tuition, fees, books and room and board.
“This year, Emory College had a record number of applicants for the Goldwater Scholarship, and our nominees represented the extraordinary depth and breadth of research opportunities in the Emory community and beyond,” says Megan Friddle, the College’s director of national scholarships and fellowships.
“We are thrilled to see these four students receive this kind of national recognition for their work and for their potential as scholars and researchers,” she adds.
Congress established the prestigious award in 1986 to honor the work of U.S. Sen. Barry Goldwater. Including this year’s winners, 38 Emory students have received the honor since 1989.
Selected for their intellectual prowess and potential for significant future contribution to their chosen fields, Emory’s Goldwater Scholars this year conducted graduate-level research in the math, chemistry and biology that help form the basis of new therapeutics, especially timely work during the COVID-19 pandemic.
All four recipients plan to pursue doctoral degrees in their respective fields.
Taylor Dover: A chemistry professor in the making
Dover, a first-generation college student from rural Alabama with a chemistry and math double major, entered Emory without any research experience.
Now a junior, he has since conducted extensive research in chemistry professor Frank E. McDonald’s synthetic organic chemistry lab, as part of a collaboration with an ophthalmology research laboratory in the Emory University School of Medicine.
This year, Dover has been working on an independent project to isolate the mirror image forms – known as chiral biomolecules for their right-handedness and left-handedness – of a compound that their collaborators previously discovered in screening a collection of compounds for potential pharmaceutical treatments.
In animals, the compound appears to provide protective and healing activity in trauma-damaged retinas. The research to tease out the chiral molecules could pave the way for the development of new drugs to treat those injuries.
“He’s facing a challenge first in how to tell which of the mirror images we have before then seeing if we can synthesize it to see if it is stable enough to eventually test as a therapeutic,” McDonald says. “Taylor has the perfect blend of curiosity, organization and intellect to work this out.”
For Dover, that means each success will create a new challenge. Tackling those challenges requires more than what he can learn in a classroom or a lab.
To broaden his perspectives, and wind down his brain, he makes time to attend the Emory Missional Community, practice tae kwan do and volunteer with ChEmory and the Bread Coffeehouse.
It is that volunteer work, his service as a teaching assistant in several chemistry courses and his commitment as a mentor in both STEM Pathways and the 1915 Scholars Program, that made him realize he wants to become a chemistry professor, focused broadly on the synthesis needed to put new drugs on the market.
“I find this so incredibly fascinating that it drives me to want to share it,” Dover says. “The beauty of becoming a research professor is I get the opportunity to help people get excited and explore what interests them in the same way I’ve been able to explore, and the opportunity to continue learning throughout my life.”
Ananthu Pucha: Bridging the gap between bioengineering and patient care
In high school, Pucha envisioned a career as a sports doctor and reached out to orthopedics researchers before even arriving on campus.
He joined Nick Willett’s Regenerative Lab, where instead of training to tend to athletes on the sidelines, he began working on cellular-based therapies that could help patients with osteoarthritis and major bone defects.
Pucha, a junior majoring in neuroscience and behavioral biology, still plans to become a doctor. But he also plans to pursue the PhD that gives him the opportunity to continue the biotechnology research he hopes will aid future patients.
“He will be an incredible doctor because he will be the rare physician who really understands treatments at their basic engineering and technical levels,” says Willett, assistant professor of orthopedics in the School of Medicine, a mechanical engineer by training who focuses on biomedical research.
Pucha helped considerably with data image processing on research examining stem cells as a treatment for osteoarthritis, and earned a listing as an author on the final paper.
He is the first author on a paper, now in secondary review, based on his own research on sex differences in a rat-model of osteoarthritis, Willett says.
As a Petit Undergraduate Research Scholar, Pucha is also researching immune-modulation of stem cells in a new project. The work has implications in osteoarthritis as well as in a variety of diseases marked by over-active immune systems. A computer science minor, he is also working to develop computer models that he can use to identify trends in his research.
Outside of the lab, Pucha dances with the Emory Karma Bhangra team in its showcases. But his also uses that time to elevate his teaching skills, working as a teaching assistant in undergraduate biology labs and tutoring at a local Mathnasium and at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
“I find teaching is the best way to break down barriers and really connect with people, and research can be the basis for that,” Pucha says.
Kim Sharp: A focus on fundamental chemistry for big-picture impact
Sharp’s devotion to researching reactivity and synthesis – the fundamental chemistry questions with broad pharmacological and therapeutic impact – stems only in part from a passion for science.
A junior, she also loves the stories and details in literature and visual art – her specialties as a member of the Emory QuizBowl team – and considered a German minor after learning the language in high school and an exchange trip.
It’s that combination of intellectual curiosity and creativity in thought processes that make her the ideal researcher in Simon Blakey’s organic chemistry lab, experimenting with new ways to form carbon-nitrogen and similar chemical bonds at the heart of drug development.
“To synthesize knowledge and be able to think about it in new ways is a skill itself,” says Blakey, professor of chemistry. “Kim is fantastic because she has all of that, plus persistence. She’s a phenomenal team player and a team leader.”
Sharp’s specific work is in organometallic methodology, researching carbon-hydrogen bond functionalization using rhodium catalysts. Expanding this area of chemistry to new systems will enable efficient synthetic routes, improving drug production.
She conducts her research in between time carved out for QuizBowl and jiu jitsu, an activity that Emory College senior Sarah Hunter, a Goldwater Scholar last year, introduced to her.
She also is active with She’s the First, a campus group that fundraises to help provide K-12 educations for women in India, Kenya and Peru. One of the women who attended a school that the Emory program supports recently earned a master’s degree in a neuroscience field.
Sharp plans a PhD for herself, still focused on research related to organometallic methodology and the drug synthesis work she’s done since her first year on campus.
She spent last summer examining a C-H amidation reaction from a different viewpoint after being selected for the Center for Selective C-H Functionalization’s NSF-funded International Research Experiences for Students (IRES) program. She traveled to South Korea to work in the lab of Mu-Hyun Baik, to conduct the computational work needed for an analysis of a reaction, to get a better understanding of what made the reaction work.
“I was happy to learn computational chemistry because it’s a whole base of knowledge I can apply to other areas of chemistry I’ll encounter in the future,” Sharp says. “It would always be nice to stumble on a catalyst that works well but what would be awesome is being able to intentionally make a transformation better.”
Pushkar Shinde: Asking ‘the question of questions’
Shinde, a sophomore and Woodruff Scholar, joined biomolecular chemist Khalid Salaita’s lab as a first-year student last year and immediately began asking questions.
That in itself is unusual. Most undergraduates keep quiet until they are sure they follow the complex research that melds biology, physics, math, engineering and chemistry in a bid to map and measure cellular mechanics.
Even more rare were Shinde’s contributions, such as his questions in a lab meeting discussing the question of how T cells decide to activate the immune system.
Salaita had already provided the first direct evidence that T cells, which scour the body looking for problems, give a tiny tug on other cells to determine if they are friend or foe. Salaita was discussing the theory that mechanics somehow help with that discrimination when Shinde raised the question that is now the basis of his research project.
“He had this refined way of asking, is what matters the force or the energy, meaning the force times the distance,” Salaita says. “It’s going to be interesting to see what he does in the project and how he proceeds, and it’s exciting to see him grow and develop as a scientist.”
Shinde was able to begin the project’s initial design work just before spring courses were moved to remote learning. He can design the probes to measure the DNA but cannot begin actual testing until he’s back in the lab.
The work is a fundamental study to understand the mechanical forces in T cell response – information that can be used to improve cancer therapies and vaccines.
Shinde, a chemistry major, is especially excited about the potential impact as well as the opportunity to conduct research that requires broad knowledge across the natural sciences and math. He also plans to incorporate how the work intersects with ethics – his minor – and the humanities.
He has honed those interdisciplinary skills as a fellow in IDEAS, a selective program that encourages learning and thinking across fields, and as service chair of the Good Vibe Tribe, a club that emphasizes compassion and holistic wellness techniques. He also plays on the men’s varsity tennis team.
“I’m very grateful to be in a lab where the question of all questions is being asked – why does your immune system behave the way it does – and the way we pursue the answers is so intersectional,” says Shinde, who plans to pursue a PhD in chemistry. “It’s really exciting to have this opportunity.”
Williams College Professor Honored for Exemplary Mentoring and Leadership in Mathematics
Steven J. Miller, professor of mathematics at Williams College, has been selected as the 2020 Council on Undergraduate Research-Goldwater Scholars Faculty Mentor Awardee. The award consists of a plaque and $5,000 for the awardee’s research program and/or undergraduate researchers.
Selected from nine finalists, Miller was recognized for his considerable achievements as a dedicated scholar, teacher, and mentor to many undergraduates who have achieved success in graduate school and beyond. Miller, who specializes in number theory, earned his BS in mathematics and physics from Yale University, where he graduated summa cum laude, and his MA and PhD in mathematics from Princeton University.
Said John Mateja, president of the Goldwater Scholarship Foundation, “Dr. Miller’s exceptional record mentoring 10 students who were named Goldwater Scholars and co-mentoring an additional 5 students made him an outstanding choice of the CUR-Goldwater Scholars Faculty Mentor Award selection committee for the 2020 award. His leadership of the National Science Foundation-supported SMALL Research Experiences for Undergraduates program has introduced hundreds of undergraduates to the excitement of mathematics research and changed lives across the country.” He also noted that Miller’s Goldwater Scholars have received support such as Churchill Scholarships and NSF graduate research fellowships.
Said Lindsay Currie, CUR executive officer, “Dr. Miller embodies the very best in undergraduate research mentors in his thoughtful, individualized approach to his work with students; his enthusiasm for collaboration with undergraduates; his commitment to making mathematics approachable for both majors and nonmajors; and his attention to building student skills and opportunities for their professional and personal advancement.”
Said Denise Buell, dean of the faculty at Williams College, “It’s a terrific honor for Williams to have a member of our mathematics and statistics department named as a 2020 recipient of the CUR-Goldwater Scholars Faculty Mentor Award. Professor Miller is a prolific scholar and known for his commitment to student life and learning.”
Said Miller, “I am honored to be the recipient of the 2020 CUR-Goldwater Faculty Mentor Award. I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to not only work with many of the top students in the country but with many of the best mentors, which include my family, my teachers, and my outstanding colleagues here at Williams.” (See Miller’s YouTube video for more on his response to the award.)
As one of the top research universities in the world, Michigan State University pushes the boundaries of discovery to solve pressing global challenges through research—from impacting malaria patient outcomes to studying causes of lupus.
For two juniors in MSU’s Biomedical Laboratory Diagnostics (BLD) Program—Rachael Nassimbwa and Shamya Harris—undergraduate research brought an opportunity to travel and present research projects to fellow undergraduates from around the country.
Nassimbwa spent last summer in Malawi, working in a research laboratory studying malaria.
“I worked on a project to develop a quantitative assay for determining parasite load among malaria patients, to enable better prognosis and patient outcomes, as well as reduce cases that progress to cerebral malaria,” Nassimbwa said. “This research will improve patient care among malaria communities.”
After returning to Michigan State, Nassimbwa applied to present a poster on her research to Harvard. She was subsequently selected to present at the 2020 National Collegiate Research Conference at Harvard University.
“It was an interesting experience to interact with fellow undergraduates involved in research at their respective universities,” Nassimbwa said. “This motivated me to continue pursuing my interests in the science field. It enlarged my network and I met prominent scientists such as Dr. George Church and Dr. Jeremy Berg, among many others.”
Harris’s undergraduate research focuses on lupus.
“Lupus is a devastating systemic autoimmune disease that preferentially affects young black women, who are reported to have a higher fatality rate than their white counterparts,” Harris said. “We have demonstrated that intranasal instillation of lupus-prone NZBWF1 mice with crystalline silica accelerates systemic autoimmunity and glomerulonephritis. Notably, these effects were prevented when mouse diets were supplemented with DHA, an omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid found in fish oil supplements.”
Harris received funding from MSU and the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS) to attend and present at this year’s conference in Anaheim, Calif.
“The experience was great! I had a chance to present my poster and make lifelong friends with underrepresented students like me who participate in research all over the country. I was also able to interact with many scientists and get advice on how I could make my journey to medicine the best possible.”
Both Nassimbwa and Harris understand the value of participating in undergraduate research.
“During my time in Malawi, I learned a lot about conducting research and how relevant it is to participate in cutting-edge research to acquire solutions for various medical challenges,” Nassimbwa said.
“Participating in this research has allowed me to approach systemic lupus from a scientific view,” Harris added. “I have also learned the importance of journal club meetings and participating in research conferences, which are key aspects of gaining knowledge on scientific research. This research has enhanced my curiosity and I am driven to ask more questions than ever before.”
Both students continue to participate in undergraduate research. Harris remains active in researching lupus, while Nassimbwa, staying true to her interests in infectious diseases, is currently studying HIV.
by Barret Baxter, Communications Manager, Biomedical Laboratory Diagnostics Program
Text courtesy of MSU College of Natural Science. Please visit https://natsci.msu.edu/news/undergraduates-gain-experience-through-research-projects/ to view the original article.
Seven University of Wisconsin Oshkosh students were among more than 125 representatives from across the UW System presenting their research at the 17th annual Research in the Rotunda event on Wednesday, March 11, 2020 inside the State Capitol in Madison.
During the four-hour event students showed off their undergraduate research projects with displays and conversations with legislators, faculty, staff and administrators from around the UW System as well as curious members of the public. For many of the students, Research in the Rotunda marks another milestone in the research process on which they closely worked with a UW Oshkosh faculty or staff mentor for months or even years.
The student research projects cover a wide range of topics, including mental and physical health and an array of environmental, political, social and economic issues.
Megan Robertson, a recent graduate and Appleton native, spent the day sharing about Influence of the Oneida Government Boarding School on the Oneida People of Wisconsin. She was moved to dig into the history of the boarding school that had a 25-year run on the Oneida reservation a century ago in part because of the lack of history of native peoples education she’d received before college.
State Rep. Dave Murphy (R-Greenville) spent time with Robertson, sharing his personal connection to the Oneida reservation. She also got to discuss her work with UW System Regent Torrey Tiedeman.
Even with heightened concern over the spread of the coronavirus that’s impacting many UW System activities in the weeks ahead, several state officials took time to chat with student presenters. There was no glad-handing—all patrons were asked to avoid handshakes—but those with professional ties to the Capitol were still able to mingle with bright young minds from around the state.
UWO history professor Stephen Kercher, who worked with Robertson on her project, said the event went “exceptionally well” despite the unusual circumstances.
“It’s just rewarding every year to see our students holding their wits together, organing their thoughts and being able to pull off a description of their work in a very succinct manner,” he said. “For a lot of them it’s the first time they’ve done it.”
Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes and Rep. Gordon Hintz (D-Oshkosh) also made rotunda rounds. One of Barnes’ stops was to talk with Angel Camacho, a senior economics major from Kenosha, who present research on the impact of the Cornell note-taking method on student success. (For the uninitiated, the Cornell method is a way of organizing notes that includes summaries and unanswered questions from a lecture or lesson.)
After meeting with Barnes, Camacho said he found it more nerve-racking to present in front of a room full of peers than one of the state’s top officials. Camacho, along with recent graduate Brenna Prieto, senior Megan Elger and junior Stacey Sparks, are part of the Ronald E. McNair Scholars Program. He said Research in the Rotunda was an opportunity to show the state’s investments in higher education pay off.
“It’s important to show that the money that’s being invested into students and to what we want to do is still important,” Camacho said. “It has meaning, it has some impact, and it’s helping us develop and consequently be out in the job market and making a difference.”
UW System President Ray Cross took a break from circulating to address the crowd of several hundred people to stress the significance of student research.
“Today’s event is one of the more public and prominent events we do regarding student research but our commitment runs much deeper,” he said. “We value the strong connection between our universities and our state government and it’s critical in moving our state forward.”
by Shane Nyman
Please visit https://uwosh.edu/today/83223/research-in-the-rotunda-2020-uw-oshkosh-students-in-madison/ to view the orignial article.
Quinnipiac University hosted its annual Northeast Undergraduate and Graduate Research Organization for Neuroscience (NEURON) conference on Sunday, February 23, 2020. This year was the conferences 33rd year and it was co-hosted by University of Connecticut (UCONN).
What is NEURON?
The Northeast Undergraduate and Graduate Research Organization for Neuroscience (NEURON) is an organization that supports the undergraduate and graduate education and research in the northeast regions of the United States.
NEURON’s Primary Goals:
To provide an open forum for neuroscience undergraduate and graduate students to present and discuss their work with students and faculty of similar interests.
To provide faculty an opportunity to discuss curricular and research issues in neuroscience, biopsychology and related areas.
To provide resources to enhance communication and collaboration among neuroscience researchers and educators.
In order to achieve these goals, NEURON has annual (and formerly bi-annual) conferences that are focused on enhancing neuroscience training. The one-day conference provides a forum for undergraduate and graduate students to present and gain feedback from peers and faculty on the research in which they have engaged during the academic year. Students and faculty participate in workshops that discuss important topical and pipeline issues in neuroscience. Notable neuroscientists are invited to provide the keynote address. The diversity of the agenda provides a well-rounded opportunity for all attendees to engage in rigorous science, while promoting and encouraging the development of neuroscientists in training.
For more information or to get involved, visit: http://www.quinnipiac.edu/neuron
For Roxanne Wan, the divinity is in the details. Whether it’s tiny flour-coated fingers rolling out dumpling wrappers, static electricity mussing a boy’s hair as he prepares for bed or a mother delicately latching the bedroom door after whispering goodnight, Wan’s camera lingers and lounges in these moments.
It’s an instinct that hasn’t gone unnoticed by her digital storytelling professors — or the jurors who select films for the world’s most prestigious celebration of cinema. Wan is one of two Mizzou undergraduates whose films will screen at the Cannes Film Festival in May. Her five-minute short Moments is an ode to Chinese mothers and children in Columbia.
“Being an international student in the United States has helped me understand that we are all so much alike,” says Wan, a senior from Weishan, China. “There are many more similarities than differences, and people don’t always realize that.”
Fanxi Sun’s short, Her Diary, is a visual representation of passages from her personal journal. The subtitled, black-and-white film pairs tactile images in nature with Sun’s introspective poetic reflections.
“I was trying to figure out something visually that aligned with what I wrote,” says Sun, a senior film studies major from Zhejiang, China. “I’m intrigued by the forest and trees in Missouri, because I grew up in a city.”
Both films were selected through Campus MovieFest, an international college competition that supplies participants with filmmaking equipment and gives them seven days to produce their work. The strict format highlights the young auteurs’ cinematic intuition, and of 1,700-plus submitted films, only 38 were selected to be shown in the Short Film Corner in the Marche du Film at Cannes.
Sun and Wan also participated in the 2020 Visual Art & Design Showcase (VADS). Sun submitted a photography series titled Somewhere, a set of black-and-white photos depicting images of vulnerability and sensitivity inspired by her love of Japanese novels. When she’s not in class, Sun hones her videography skills as an intern for the Visual Production Services team in the MU Academic Support Center (ASC).
“Technologically, Fanxi is a natural,” says Nicholas Benner, senior media producer at ASC. “You show her how to do something once and she totally gets it.”
Wan’s VADS film, Cigarette in Love, is a sensual and allegorical rumination from the perspective of a lit cigarette. The short received the Ragtag Cinema Video Award and is currently screening prior to select features at the local theater. And Wan herself will spend even more time at the venue volunteering in theater operations for the True/False Film Fest.
“Roxanne certainly has an eye for cinematography, but it extends beyond making pretty pictures,” says Desireé Moore, assistant teaching professor of digital storytelling and Wan’s mentor for VADS. “She has a style that bends and reflects based on her subject matter, and that’s crucial.”
Sun is set to graduate in May and plans to take a gap year before applying to graduate school. Wan graduates in December, and hopes to be in film school at New York University or the University of Southern California eventually. Both are planning to make the trip from CoMo to France for the Cannes Film Festival in May.
“My filmmaking and photography friends are like family to me,” Sun says. “I really think it’s why I’ve never been homesick at Mizzou.”
The CUR Physics and Astronomy Division would like to honor Mentors in our disciplines for their long-term efforts in mentoring undergraduate research (UGR) students. Individuals may be nominated by CUR Institutional or Institutional-Enhanced members, or individual CUR members. Nominees are encouraged to be CUR members, but it is not required for nomination. Individuals mentoring interdisciplinary projects are eligible as long as those projects involve a major physical or astronomical component. Nominations/recommendations must be submitted in their entirety by 11:59 pm (EDT), Sunday, May 31, 2020. (Submissions are closed at this time.)
Mentors with 3 or more years of experience in a primary role are eligible. While this generally corresponds to Assistant Professors and above, the committee recognizes that many mentors are not in tenure-track positions and that some scientists begin significant undergraduate research mentoring before they obtain a permanent position. Nominations of individuals at 2-year colleges, national labs, research centers, etc. are especially encouraged. Nominations must be made by colleagues who know the nominee well. Self-nominations will not be accepted.
Application requirements:
Online application form, to be completed by the nominator, and includes submitting items 2 and 3 below
Nomination Letter – submit a 2-3 page letter submitted to the link above that specifically a ddresses the nominee’s mentoring of UGR students. The letter should describe:
The nominee’s long-term personal commitment to mentoring;
How the nominee’s mentoring strategies fit student needs and limitations;
Additional information that the nominator feels is warranted.
Nominee CV/Resume (two-page limit) – submitted to the link above. This document should provide information on the cumulative UGR mentoring activities. All publications and presentations with undergrad co-authors within the past 5 years should be listed.
Two recommendation letters from undergraduate research students (two-page limit for each letter) – At least one student must have been mentored by the nominee within the past five years. Each letter should detail:
How their mentor helped them achieve in areas of their life that mean the most to them (i.e. academic, career, or personal growth);
How their mentor modeled positive behaviors and successful research outcomes.
Additional information about the mentor’s work with the student is welcome. Recommendation letters should be submitted separately by each recommender.
The CUR Physics and Astronomy Councilors will review all completed applications and select this year’s winner(s). The awardee(s) will be notified in late Spring. Awardees will receive a plaque recognizing their significant contributions to mentoring undergraduate researchers. Letters of recognition will also be sent to identified superiors (Department Chair, Dean, Provost, Center Head, etc.).
Questions about the application process should be addressed to Carol Hood at chood@csusb.edu.