Honors College hosts Inaugural Research and Creative Scholarship Symposium; 26 students go on to present at national conference on undergraduate research
By William Lineberry
University College, Honors College
The VCU Honors College held its inaugural Research and Creative Scholarship Symposium where 47 Honors students presented their research projects, which spanned subjects from cancer treatment to music therapy.
Of the 47 students, almost half will take their research projects to the national stage. Twenty-three students will fly to Long Beach, California to present their projects at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research–the premiere conference for undergraduate research in the country. Students are receiving full funding from the VCU Office of the Provost.
“As a R1 university, research is part of the culture at VCU and in the Honors College,” said Honors College Dean, Scott Breuninger, Ph.D. “We want our students to develop these skills and have the opportunity to share their work with their peers across the nation. We are extremely excited to be able to send these students to NCUR this year and I know that it will be a transformative experience for each of them as they develop as scholars and leaders. The fact that we are sending such a large cohort of students illustrates the commitment of VCU’s faculty to undergraduate research and is a palpable reminder that ‘Every Ram is a Researcher.’”
Students presented their research findings through poster presentations. To close the symposium, Vice President of Research and Innovation at VCU, P. Srirama Rao, Ph.D., delivered a keynote address and awarded students their certificates.
Many of the students' research projects were completed in the foundation Honors 200 course, where students spend an entire semester on writing and researching a subject, ending in a final paper.
Of the 47 students, 27 (pictured to the right) were invited and funded by the VCU Office of the Provost to attend the National Conference on Undergraduate Research this spring in Long Beach, Calif. The conference is one of the most prestigious for undergraduate researchers.
Students were accompanied by Mary Boyes, assistant professor in the Honors College and Faye Prichard, assistant professor in the Honors College and the Director of the Writing Program.
To see a full list of students and their projects, click here.