Students Can Dive Into Topics with Undergraduate Research Conference

By Chris Niles

Beginning a research project can feel like diving into a vast ocean of information. Students often spend untold hours swimming through a broad research topic, as they seek to address issues that perplex and warrant an answer.

For students who are looking for help in navigating this process, the UNC Charlotte Undergraduate Research Conference takes place April 19, 2013 at J. Murrey Atkins Library. All students are welcome to drop by that day to see what research is all about.

For students with research projects they wish to present, registration is open from Friday, March 1 to Monday, April 1 at 5 p.m. To register for the conference, students need only the titles of their projects and contact information of their research advisors.

The conference is a university-wide showcase of research projects completed by undergraduate students of all levels from all colleges and departments at the university.  The work presented ranges from in-class projects to year-long honors theses. There is no charge to participate.

“I believe participating in the 2012 Undergraduate Research Conference helped me develop valuable research skills,” said Jordan Stutts, a communications major and award winner at last year’s conference. “Also, presenting a research project in a formal setting like that gave me good experience in public speaking and for presentations in the future.”

Each student takes a broad research topic and narrows it into either a 12-minute presentation or a five-feet wide by three-feet tall poster board. The conference provides students with the opportunity to present their research findings and compete for cash prizes.

David Gray, now a psychology graduate student and first-place award winner in the Social Sciences/Education category last year, considers the experience valuable for prospective graduate students. “If you are interested in a graduate program, participate,” Gray said.

Students should check with their departments in which they would be proposing the research to see if the department has a preferred format. If not, the student chooses a format.

The project could be something that the student was researching for a class or could also be a research project done outside class, such as an honor’s thesis. The conference requires that students have a research advisor, either the professor of the class project or faculty member who researches and/or teaches about the topic. The project could include a philosophical analysis and data collection from the lab or the field.

“My topic, Social Media in the Arab Spring, is something that I’ve maintained an interest in to this day,” Stutts said. “As an aspiring journalist, learning about the effects of social media was great, especially in the unique way it was used in the revolutions across the Middle East. Some advice I’d give to students who are considering research is to find something that inspires you. If you’re going to dedicate so much time and energy into a subject then you really need to be passionate about it.”

The conference also can benefit students who are more experienced with research. “If a student truly understands his research, the Undergraduate Research Conference is a perfect venue to showcase his knowledge,” said Richard Hardin, a chemistry major who was last year’s Stephen H. Mosier Science award winner.

The conference features two types of awards: the Conference General Disciplinary Awards, determined by the department in which research is listed, and the Atkins Library Undergraduate Research Award, for which there are $1,000 awards in each of these five categories: Arts/Architecture/Humanities, Social Sciences/Education, Physical Sciences/Engineering, Biological Sciences/Health Sciences and Math/Computer Sciences.

Students who register for the conference will be automatically entered into the General Awards contest. To register for the Atkins Library Research Awards, students must provide additional items.

Students can get started by checking out the Research Opportunities section to learn more about identifying a project to pursue.