Annual forum gives undergrads opportunity to showcase efforts

For the past three years, the Office of the Provost and the Honors College have organized the University Undergraduate Research and Arts Forum (UURAF), a venue in which students have the opportunity to showcase their research or creative efforts.

Although the forum is an excellent example of some of the high quality scholarly and creative work that's going on around campus, not all undergraduate research activity leads to a UURAF presentation.

"While the sciences have generated the lion's share of participation at the forum," says Barbara Steidle, assistant provost for undergraduate education and academic services, "projects that link research and policy-generation, showcase artistic works or demonstrate deep thinking on fundamental issues have provided opportunities for students in all areas to present not only to their peers, but also to experts in the disciplines.

"We want to encourage faculty across the disciplines to consider how they can involve their undergraduates in the creative process," Steidle said.

Faculty judges for this year's UURAF, held April 6, were:

Helmut Bertrand, Doug Luckie, Richard Miksicek and Ken Nadler, biochemistry and molecular biology; Darcy Greene, business and communication arts; Charles Owen, engineering and math; Stuart Lingo and Herbert Norman, humanities and social sciences; Tammy Long and Jim Smith, organismal biology; and Gary Westfall, physical sciences.

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