Isabelle Malouf was so into science she wore it to prom. The gown that she made with organza and sequins had a bubble-type skirt that resembled a bacteriophage. A dress and a virus, it was part of the Daring Night Attire – or DNA – collection she created for a high school design class.
The Color of Science
October 6, 2014 by
Isabelle Malouf uses zebrafish to do endocrine reception research.
Students Presented Work at Research and Creativity Symposium
April 28, 2014 by
Hundreds of University of Mary Washington students presented their research as part of the annual Undergraduate Student Research and Creativity Symposium on Friday, April 25. The event, in its eighth year at UMW, celebrates excellence in undergraduate student research by giving students the opportunity to share their work with faculty, their peers and the public.
Students discuss their research in Jepson Hall as part of the ninth Research and Creativity Symposium.
The presentations represented various disciplines, including the sciences, history, humanities, mathematics, social sciences and the arts.
Many student oral and poster presentations took place in Jepson Hall, filling the building with students, faculty and family members. Presentation topics ranged from biodegradable polymers and erosion in the Chesapeake Bay to food security and advertising.
“It’s fun learning about the real life applications of the chemistry we’ve been learning,” said Rachel Thomas, a sophomore biology major and chemistry minor who presented on alternative methods for closing wounds. “You learn more as you go, and people ask questions to really help you think about your research.”
An art student shares her work.
Student performed original music and scenes from plays in duPont Hall, with art and art history presentations and works in Melchers.
In conjunction with the symposium, additional presentations took place across campus in the areas of English, math, history and geography.
“We hope that our research will help inspire future UMW students,” said David Chambers, a senior geography major who co-presented with junior Ray Humiston on the results of their field work on deforestation in Guatemala.
The symposium kicked-off on Thursday, April 24 with the keynote lecture “Structural Color – Origin and Evolution,” by Hui Cao, professor of applied physics and physics at Yale University.
The Undergraduate Student Research and Creativity Symposium is funded by the Class of 1959 Endowment. For a full list of student presentations, visit http://cas.umw.edu/student-research-and-creativity-symposium/.
UMW Students Present Research at Annual Symposium, April 25
April 23, 2014 by
Hundreds of University of Mary Washington students will present their research as part of the annual Undergraduate Student Research and Creativity Symposium on Friday, April 25 from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event celebrates excellence in undergraduate student research by giving students the opportunity to share their work with faculty, their peers and the public.
Every year, students showcase their work at the Research and Creativity Symposium.
Hui Cao, professor of applied physics and physics at Yale University, will present a keynote lecture on Thursday, April 24 to kick-off the symposium. Cao’s lecture, “Structural Color – Origin and Evolution,” will be held at 7 p.m. in Jepson Hall, Room 100.
The symposium, in its eighth year at UMW, will feature oral presentations, poster sessions, art exhibits, and theatrical and music performances from numerous disciplines across the university. Diverse oral and poster presentations will be held in Jepson Hall; geography, history and American studies presentations will be held in Monroe Hall; a mindfulness gallery and religion talks will be held in Trinkle Hall; English, linguistics, and communication presentations will be held in in Combs Hall as part of the Kemp Symposium; and art history senior presentations will be held in Melchers Hall. Students will perform original music compositions and scenes from several plays in duPont Hall’s Studio 115.
The Undergraduate Student Research and Creativity Symposium is funded by the Class of 1959 Endowment. For a full schedule and list of student presentations, visit http://cas.umw.edu/student-research-and-creativity-symposium/.
UMW to Host Psi Chi Symposium, April 17-18
April 3, 2014 by
James P. Morris, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Virginia, will deliver the keynote address at the 29th annual Psi Chi Symposium for Undergraduate Research in Psychology at the University of Mary Washington. The lecture, “Characterizing Individual Variability in Neural Circuitry Underlying Social Perception,” will be delivered at 4 p.m. on Friday, April 18 in Lee Hall, Room 411.
James P. Morris, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Virginia
UMW students will present their research as part of the symposium on Thursday, April 17from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and on Friday, April 18from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Lee Hall, Room 411. Morris’s lecture and the symposium are free and open to the public.
Morris is the head of the Social Neuroscience Laboratory at the University of Virginia. He also teaches courses in human neuroscience, social neuroscience and social neuroscience research at UVA. In his research, Morris focuses on how social perception is represented in the brain, with research relating specifically to the neuroscience of autism spectrum disorder, epigenetics and social perception. He is a member of the International Society for Autism Research, the Society for Experimental Social Psychology and the Social and Affective Neuroscience Society.
Sponsored by UMW’s chapter of Psi Chi, the international honor society in psychology, the symposium provides a forum for students to share their research and findings with their professors and peers.
For more information, contact Mindy Erchull, associate professor of psychology, at (540) 654-1557.
Research Rocks
October 25, 2013 by
Two geology professors are giving their students hands-on experience in the lab and in the field.
Symposium Showcases Student Research
July 25, 2013 by
Kimberly Hildebrand shares her poster presentation during the Summer Science Institute Symposium.
University of Mary Washington students and faculty gathered in Jepson Hall on Wednesday, July 24 for a day dedicated to original STEM-related research. The Summer Science Institute Symposium was the culmination of 10 weeks of research for more than 20 undergraduate students and their faculty mentors.
During the symposium’s awards ceremony, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Richard Finkelstein, applauded the dedication of the faculty mentors and the innovation of the students’ projects. The importance of research, he asserted, is how it fosters in students the ability to think through abstract concepts with an eye toward practical applications.
Brooke Andrews (left) and Professor Nicole Crowder
Ngoc Quyen Huynh (right) and Professor Hai Nguyen
The following students received awards for their research:
- First Place Poster Presentation: Brooke Andrews, “Synthesis and Purification of 4,4′-di(n-alkyl)-2,2’bipyridine” Adviser: Nicole Crowder
- Second Place Poster Presentation: Ngoc Quyen Huynh, “Fabry-Perot Interferometer” Adviser: Hai Nguyen
- First Place Oral Presentation: Patrick Mullen, “Absorption Spectroscopy of Rubidium” Adviser: Hai Nguyen
- Second Place Oral Presentation: Kathie Belrose-Ramey, “Locating the Binding Site of RAI1 within the CLOCK Regulatory Region” Adviser: Deborah Zies
Kathie Belrose-Ramey (right) and Professor Deborah Zies
A list of all student research projects is available in the symposium’s program.
Student Researchers Present at Symposium, July 24
July 17, 2013 by
The 2012 Summer Science Institute Symposium winners pose with Professor Werner Wieland (third from left) and Professor Janet Asper (second from right)
Twenty UMW students will present their research at the annual Summer Science Institute Symposium on Wednesday, July 24. Sessions, including oral presentations and poster presentations, will run from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in Jepson Hall, Room 100. The symposium will culminate with an awards ceremony at 4 p.m. A schedule of presentations and a list of abstracts is available in PDF form.
UMW’s Summer Science Institute, a 10-week undergraduate research program, started in 1999. For more information, contact Professor Deborah Zies at (540) 654-1435.
In Search of Turtles
July 16, 2013 by
An uncommon reptile discovery will help shed light on the species in the Fredericksburg region.
