The 2005 Undergraduate Research Symposium will be held Nov. 14-16. The event, from 3-6 p.m. each day in the Women’s Building Formal Lounge, will showcase undergraduate research performed by students across several academic disciplines.
It will provide an opportunity for more than 30 students to briefly describe their research through posters and visual presentations.
“We are excited about this symposium,” said Henry Biggs, Ph.D., associate dean in Arts & Sciences and director of the Office of Undergraduate Research. “We see this as a great way for students who are iterested in graduate or professional school — or the work force — to show what they’ve been working on. It’s a wonderful opportunity for them to present work in front of a discriminating audience.
“It also provides a way for the entire campus to see just how advanced undergraduate research can be. Those who attend will also get a sense of the breadth of excellence there is, not just in the hard sciences, but social sciences and humanities as well.”
The event, which is free and open to the public, will feature student presentations and remarks from Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton; Edward S. Macias, Ph.D., executive vice chancellor, dean of Arts & Sciences and the Barbara and David Thomas Distinguished Professor in Arts & Sciences; and James E. McLeod, vice chancellor for students and dean of the College of Arts & Sciences.
Many students are excited to show their work to a larger audience.
Senior Daniel Calabrese will be presenting ongoing research on whale and dolphin vestibular systems, looking specifically at the role that the geometry of the semicircular canals plays in balance and hearing underwater.
“I believe that the Undergraduate Research Symposium presents a valuable experience for students, mentors and others within the community,” Calabrese said. “It allows for sharing of information across disciplines and provides an opportunity for students to present projects that might not normally gain attention in their respective fields due to time constraints or other reasons.”
Senior Pooja Agarwal, will be presenting research on her senior honors thesis on what is known as the “testing effect.” Her research has shown that taking a closed-book test with feedback immediately after studying resulted in the least proportion of forgetting over one week, whereas just reading a prose passage once or taking notes immediately after studying resulted in the greatest proportion of forgetting.
Her research suggests that closed-book tests with feedback should be encouraged as the most beneficial immediate test format for long-term retention.
“The Undergraduate Research Symposium is a great idea and a fantastic opportunity to share my research not only with other undergraduates, but also with the larger University community,” Agarwal said. “I also get the opportunity to learn more about what research my peers are conducting in a variety of fields, which I find fascinating.”
A May 2005 graduate of Arts & Sciences, Tim Bono is spending this year pursuing post-baccalaureate research with two of his undergraduate advisers, Randy J. Larsen, Ph.D., the William R. Stuckenberg Professor of Human Values and Moral Development and chair of the Department of Psychology in Arts & Sciences; and Larry L. Jacoby, Ph.D., professor of psychology.
Bono’s presentation, “The Split-Second Scenario: The Automatic Processing of Threat and Prejudice,” will focus on the extent to which stereotypes and prejudice can be activated automatically.
His research is designed to measure “implicit prejudice,” feelings or associations toward other groups that can potentially reside outside of conscious awareness and that might not necessarily coincide with explicit reports of attitudes.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to present this research at the symposium,” Bono said. “It’s one thing to discuss this project with my adviser in very narrow scientific jargon, but developing a presentation for a more general audience and putting all of my findings into layman’s terms has allowed me to consider, and ultimately to articulate, the real-world implications of my research.
“I am also looking forward to learning about the research projects that other students are conducting.”
For more information, go online to ur.wustl.edu.