UI event showcases undergrad research

IOWA CITY -- More than 150 undergraduate researchers will present their work July 28 at the fifth annual University of Iowa summer undergraduate research conference.

Sponsored by the UI Graduate College, the conference is a culmination of students' summer undergraduate research experiences at the UI. The event runs from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. at the Iowa Memorial Union's Main Lounge.

Such experiences are important for undergraduates because it's a great entry point for them into the world of research, UI Graduate College Dean John Keller said.

"They learn what advanced research and scholarship are all about if they want to pursue graduate school, which we certainly hope they will do," Keller said. "This is a semi-formal way to present their research to the research community at the university."

While some of the undergraduates who participate in summer research at the UI are UI undergraduates, many come from other universities. About one-third of the 150 students who will participate in next week's showcase are participants in the UI Graduate College's Summer Research Opportunities/McNair Scholars Program, partially supported by the U.S. Department of Education to bring outstanding students from around the world to U.S. research institutions.

Students in the summer research programs work directly with faculty mentors and other researchers in a broad range of academic disciplines, Keller said.

Along with educating undergraduates about research, such programs help recruit students to UI graduate programs, he said.

"It's a great way for the faculty to see students from other places that they might want to try to recruit," Keller said. "It expands the horizons of our faculty in terms of the quality of students available to recruit."