The University often points to the growing number of undergraduates involved in faculty research. But what are the students actually doing?
At the third annual Undergraduate Research Symposium in May, more than 250 undergraduates answered that question. In posters and oral presentations, they presented their work to their peers, their professors, and the broader community.
“This event celebrates the students involved in research and the faculty who open the doors to this kind of learning experience, ” says Kim Johnson Bogart, assistant dean ofUndergraduate Education, who organized this year’s event with Janice DeCosmo, director of Experiential Learning for the Office of Undergraduate Education and director of theWashington Space Grant Program, and Jodene Davis, administrative specialist in the Office of Undergraduate Education.
The event has grown tremendously since its introduction in 1998, when about 40 students gave presentations, mostly involving scientific research, and an equal number prepared posters. Participation nearly doubled the following year and again this year, with a huge increase in the breadth of topics, ranging from landscape design to DNA.
Some audiences might be surprised at the students’ exceptional ability to explain their research, but not Johnson Bogart. “Knowledge students gain through research is in their bones,” she says. “They’ve lived with it, wrestled with it. So they can speak fluently about it.”
The best part, says Johnson Bogart, is the impact of research on becoming educated. “When students plunge deeply into research, they come out the other side understanding what it really means to learn about a question or a problem,” she says. “And through that immersion in a very narrow focus, students begin to appreciate the value of knowledge across all fields. With that insight, they are on their way to becoming educated.”