One out of every 11 students at the College presented research at the spring undergraduate research symposium, at conferences, during other on campus research presentations, or published their research this year.
Virginia Wesleyan continues to provide students with critical research experiences which push the boundaries of human knowledge, thought and imagination.
In the 2007-08 academic year, 110 Virginia Wesleyan students, or one out of every 11 students, presented their research at the spring undergraduate research symposium, at conferences, during other on campus research presentations, or published their research.
The College is actively encouraging students to undertake research under the guidance of a faculty mentor. Dr. Maynard Schaus, Batten Associate Professor of Biology and coordinator of undergraduate research, said "undergraduate research is starting to become part of the culture here."
In April, Katherine Burchett '09 of Virginia Beach, Va., Kim Fahle '10 of Townsend, Mass., and Kathleen Mabry '09 of Suffolk, Va., traveled with two faculty members to present research at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) in Salisbury, Md. Attendance at this national conference that brings together more than 2,000 students, faculty members and administrators from more than 300 colleges and universities across the country was a first for Virginia Wesleyan.
At Virginia Wesleyan, the increased focus on undergraduate research began in the early 2000s. In 2006, more than 50 students—spanning the humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences—participated in Virginia Wesleyan’s first Undergraduate Research Symposium. Students have presented their research findings at local, state and national conferences, and are also receiving grants for their efforts.
The 2008 Undergraduate Research Symposium featured the innovative and noteworthy accomplishments of students from academic departments across the liberal arts in areas such as art, history, the sciences, education, the humanities, business, mathematics and the PORTfolio Program.
At the 2008 Academic Fair and Poster Competition held on Friday, May 2, seven students received awards for their undergraduate research projects. A complete list of award winners and their research is listed below:
Humanities Division (oral presentations)
Kim Fahle '10 , Townsend, Mass.
"The Diverse Religious Art of the Nineteenth Century"
Kelli Karcher '08 , Virginia Beach, Va.
"Women in Mathematics: Challenging Gender Typecasting in David Auburn's Proof"
David Weirich '08, Portsmouth, Va.
"Formal analysis of 'Pantoum' from Ravel's Piano Trio"
Social Sciences Division
Jennifer Brownell '09 , Virginia Beach, Va.
"Bon Curè: the counter-revolution of the French Vendèe" (oral presentation)
Mary Warnock '08 , Virginia Beach, Va.
"Are We Dumbing Down America?" (poster presentation)
Natural Sciences and Mathematics Division
Nouman Rana '09 , Virginia Beach, Va.
"Postembryonic Development in two Species of Neotropical Harvestman (Opiliones, Laniatores, Cranaidae)" (oral presentation)
Kelli Karcher '08 , Virginia Beach, Va.
"A study of Crystallographic Groups" (poster presentation)
For more information, visit the Undergraduate Research Web site.
05.07.08