News

Dr. Maria Iacullo-Bird, Assistant Provost for Research in the Office of Research and Clinical Associate Professor of History in Dyson College of Arts and Sciences at Pace University, has been elected to serve as president of the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR). Iacullo-Bird will become president-elect on July 1, 2023, taking a seat on CUR’s Executive Board , and succeeding 2023-2024 CUR president Bethany Usher (George Mason University) in the summer of 2024.

Lourdes Echegoyen, PhD (The University of Texas at El Paso), Sean Fox (Carleton College), and Eric Hall, PhD (Elon University) have been elected as general representatives on CUR’s Executive Board for 2023-2024. These positions assist in providing the strategic direction of CUR, while supporting CUR’s mission and strategic goals. Their positions will become active as of July 1, 2023.

John F. Barthell, PhD (University of Central Oklahoma/National Science Foundation), Lance Barton, PhD (Austin College/University of North Carolina at Charlotte), and Winny Dong, PhD (California State Polytechnic University – Pomona) have been elected to serve as council representatives on CUR’s Executive Board. These positions assist in providing the strategic direction of CUR and represent the voice of its members while supporting CUR’s mission and strategic goals.

CUR congratulates the new and or re-elected division councilors to the General Council for a three-year term starting on July 1, 2023.

Department of Theatre Assistant Professor of Musical Theatre Brad Willcuts and East Lansing High School Visual Arts Instructor Jacqueline Carroll have brought their students together in a unique collaboration to bring words and movement to life.

University of Wisconsin - La Crosse is being nationally recognized for its undergraduate research opportunities. UWL is one of three schools earning the 2021 Campus-Wide Award for Undergraduate Research Accomplishments (AURA). The distinction comes from the Council on Undergraduate Research, which has given out the AURA award for the last seven years. Campuses that receive the award demonstrate depth in undergraduate research initiatives, and display continual innovation.

Mercer University’s School of Engineering earlier today continued a run of unprecedented success with the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship. For the third consecutive year, three students were announced as recipients of the nation’s most prestigious scholarship for undergraduates in science, mathematics and engineering. Mercer leads all U.S. institutions with a total of nine engineering majors selected as Goldwater Scholars since 2019.

The short story is that UCO’s Provost John Barthell, Ph.D., has had the honor of having a species of bee named in his honor, the orchid bee Eufriesea barthelli. And while the obvious connection is Barthell’s extensive work in bee research worldwide, the story of how a new bee species like E. barthelli comes to be is more like a scientific mystery novel.

Sunghee Lee, Ph.D., Iona College Board of Trustees endowed chemistry professor, established the scientific research group Project Symphony to enhance the fundamental understanding of cell membranes and help engineer new bio-inspired devices. For nearly two decades, various Iona STEM majors have worked side-by-side with Lee to perform groundbreaking research, setting students well on their way to both successful careers and more advanced degrees.

Dr. Bethany Usher, Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, has been elected to serve as president for the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR). Usher will become president-elect July 1, 2022, taking a seat on CUR’s Executive Board, and succeeding 2022-2023 CUR president Ruth Palmer (emeritus College of New Jersey) in summer 2023.