Katherine Burchett '09, Kim Fahle '10 and Kathleen Mabry '09 were the first students from Virginia Wesleyan to participate in the conference.
By Melissa Fowler '09
Three Virginia Wesleyan College students traveled with Batten Professor of Art History Dr. Joyce Howell and Batten Associate Professor of Biology Dr. Maynard Schaus to Salisbury, Md., to present their research at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) Thursday, April 10 – Saturday, April 12. Katherine Burchett '09, Kim Fahle '0 and Kathleen Mabry '09 were the first students from Virginia Wesleyan to participate in the conference.
Burchett, from Virginia Beach, Va., researched and presented her findings on best management structures to reduce pollutant discharge and to mitigate excess water runoff caused by urban development from entering surface waters. For her research she placed 18 bottles around the College campus before a storm and within 24 hours of the storm being over she tested the water for total phosphorus (TP). Her research findings show that measures of TP have not been consistent; however, Burchett hopes that continued sampling will provide an enhanced understanding of design and nutrient concentration.
Fahle, from Townsend, Mass., presented her research that she began working on in the fall semester in her 19th Century Art course. The research started as her honors project of research on religion, specifically Christian art in the 19th century. She looked at three artists, William Blake, Eugene Delacroix, Paul Gauguin and the group of artists known as The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. She examined how these artists portrayed religious images as the validity of religion being called into question by discoveries of science and new ideas in philosophy.
"I really look at how differently these artists portray similar subject matter and make arguments as to what caused them to choose to depict their subjects in the way they did," said Fahle.
Mabry, from Suffolk, Va., has been working for two years with Schaus and the Virginia Department of Transportation to document and measure the usage of a highway under crossing by large mammals. Although Mabry is focusing on black bears; she has found that deer, raccoon and fox have all been observed using the structure.
The research conference is a national event that brings together students from more than 300 colleges and universities. NCUR is an annual event that has drawn over 2200 undergraduates, faculty and administrators to promote undergraduate research since the first conference in 1987.
"The participation of our students in NCUR is an important indicator of the growing importance of undergraduate research on our campus," said Dr. Timothy O'Rourke, vice president for academic affairs and Kenneth R. Perry Dean of the College. "Increasingly, faculty mentors, who are themselves highly regarded scholars, are drawing bright students into the research enterprise. The students, in turn, are winning recognition for their fine work."
Along with presenting their research, the students also observed research presentations from other individuals and listened to keynote speakers including American Broadcasting Corporation Executive Vice President for Documentaries Rudy Bednar and Anne Foerst, ethicist and computer science professor. All three students enjoyed their experience and the opportunity at the conference.
"Presenting at this conference was a chance to be a part of something that is so large and so many people are a part of," said Fahle. "It was great to experience this national conference and it was incredible to be part of something that is so large and prestigious."
For more information about undergraduate research at Virginia Wesleyan College, visit the Undergraduate Research Web site.
04.14.08