Symposium Highlights Undergraduate Research at WSU

March 17, 2008

OGDEN, Utah – Weber State University will host the fifth annual Undergraduate Research Symposium and Celebration on March 24 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Shepherd Union Building.

The symposium offers a forum for students to present their research findings and share experiences with the campus and community. The event will include approximately 107 student presentations, involving 39 oral presentations, 66 poster presentations and two performing arts presentations.

The oral and poster presentations represent a broad cross section of departments and disciplines at WSU. Scheduled presentation topics range from “Fungi of the Great Salt Lake,” to examining the “Effects of Chemotherapy on Blood Eosinophil Counts in Breast Cancer Patients,” to “College, Depression & Stress: The Influence of Financial Status and Living Situation on Psychopathology.”

“The dissemination of findings is a key step in the whole research process,” said associate zoology professor John Cavitt, director of the Office of Undergraduate Research at WSU. “Our symposium provides an excellent opportunity for students to present their research findings to the entire WSU community.”

Cavitt said the symposium will be the first time most of the students have presented research findings in a formal setting, which will prepare them for presentations at national conferences in their disciplines.
Undergraduate research fosters collaborations between students and faculty mentors, allowing students to explore areas of interest in greater detail or depth. 

“We know that working closely with a faculty mentor on projects such as these provides a tremendous learning opportunity for our students,” Cavitt said. “Many of the skills learned in collaborative research are difficult to teach in the traditional classroom environment.”

Oral presentations will be held from 11 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. Posters will be on display from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Students presenting posters will take questions from 3-4 p.m. A complete schedule of events is available at weber.edu/our.

“The symposium illustrates the depth and quality of undergraduate research at WSU and provides a unique opportunity for the campus and the community to celebrate student achievement,” Cavitt said. “Everyone is welcome to attend.”

The symposium is free to the public.

Visit weber.edu/wsutoday for more news about Weber State University.

Contact:  John Cavitt, director, Office of Undergraduate Research
               801-626-8541 · jcavitt@weber.edu

Writer:     Amy Hendricks, office of Media Relations
               801-626-6346 · amyhendricks@weber.edu