URCA

The 21st Annual College of Veterinary Medicine Phi Zeta Research Day will be held on 7 October 2011 at the Veterinary Medical Center. The research day has become an important tradition in the College of Veterinary Medicine, one in which the research activities of undergraduate students, graduate-professional students, graduate students, faculty, and staff are presented. It also provides an opportunity to showcase our research collaborations across departments and colleges at MSU. This year’s event will feature over 90 oral and poster presentations throughout the day and a keynote address by Dr. Ian York of the Centers for Disease Control on pre-pandemic influenza at the human-animal interface.

Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. in the East Lobby of G-Building, with morning oral presentations starting at 8:00 a.m. Dr. York's address will begin at 3:30 p.m. in room G-150.

In the Spring of 2012 the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) will host its 16th annual undergraduate poster session on Capitol Hill, called Posters on the Hill. This event will help members of Congress understand the importance of undergraduate research by talking directly with the students whom these programs impact.

Great news: VENTURE is back online, and just in time for the new academic year. VENTURE is Michigan State's undergraduate research database, where faculty members post position openings for aspiring undergraduate researchers. When and where will your Spartan Saga begin?

Two undergraduate geology majors are spending the summer in southwestern Alaska assisting Professor Brian Hampton. This project is a 2-year geologic research study that will focus on the tectonic history of upper Paleozoic sedimentary rocks of the Farewell terrane of southwestern Alaska. In The Alaska Range contains some of the highest topography in the North America (e.g. Mt. McKinley/Denali at 20,320 feet) and is one of the more remote and poorly-understood mountain belts in the North American Cordillera. You can learn more about the project and track their progress on their blog, MSU Geology in the Field. (http://msugeology.tumblr.com/)

MSU's undergraduate research database, Venture, is currently experiencing technical problems. The website will be down through Wednesday, August 17. Please contact the undergraduate research office with questions. We apologize for this inconvenience.

The 2011 Grand Prize Award Recipients for Spring University Undergraduate Research and Arts Forum have been named.  Sydney Hawthorne, a senior pre-law major in the College of Social Science, received the grand prize for the social science and humanities division for her research titled: Finding Needles in a Haystack: an Empirical Analysis of a Case Selecton on the U.S. Supreme Court.  Her faculty mentor is Dr. Ryan Black in Poliitcal Science.  

Four students, who worked together on their research, won the grand prize for the science and engineering division.  Packaging students Derek Johnson, Sara Sobon, and Rita Morse, and Journalism student Aaron Miller won the grand prize for their research titled: A New Marketing Approach for Minimally Processed Onions. Johnson will be a senior this year and Morse will be a sophomore.  Sobon and Miller graduted this past spring.  Their faculty mentor is Dr. Eva Almenar. Each student will receive a $500 award.  Congratulations to our award winners.

MSU is sponsoring its first summer undergraduate research and arts forum on Thursday, July 28 from 9 AM -12 Noon in Bessey Hall.  Stop by to see the work of over 125 undergraduate researchers from MSU and from other institutions. Posters will be displayed on the first floor of Bessey Hall, while the oral presentations will be on the third floor of Bessey Hall. Contact the Undergraduate Research Office with questions.

Registration is now open for the Summer University Undergraduate Research and Arts Forum (UURAF), which will take place on Thursday 28 July 2011 in Ernst Bessey Hall. Summer UURAF provides an opportunity for students conducting research and creative activities over the summer to showcase their efforts. Please visit our Registration page for details. Don't wait: registration closes on 24 June 2011.

The Undergraduate Research Office is partnering with the Graduate School's Summer Research Opportunity Program (SROP) and the College of Engineering to provide educational and networking workshops over the summer. If you will be working as an undergraduate researcher this summer, please register with the Summer Undergraduate Research Registry so we may contact you about opportunities throughout the summer. You must also register to participate in educational / networking workshops and can do so through our Workshop Registration page.

Congratulations to our 2011 winners and thank you to everyone who participated. Approximately 520 students from 14 MSU colleges and 265 faculty mentors participated in the 2011 Forum. A full list of award winners is available on our Awards page.