By Dylan Hodgson
On Oct. 21, URSA (Undergraduate Research & Scholarly Activity), in partnership with IARC (International Arctic Research Center), hosted an undergraduate research mixer in the Wood Center ballroom. Over 35 researchers had one minute to pitch their projects to undergraduate students. These pitches included job opportunities, hands-on research and grant funding.
Afterward, students had time to network and talk with researchers about opportunities that interested them. With over 35 presenters, the event offered a diverse pool of STEM opportunities. From projects on building rockets, satellites and wildfire-fighting robots to research on ocean climates, soil composition and various wildlife studies, with so many opportunities, there seemed to be something for everybody.
John Smelter, a Research Assistant Professor for IARC, saidWe co-sponsor this event to try to give undergrads, even first-year students, an opportunity to start to get hands-on experience, build their resumes and decide what kind of field they might want to go into.”
URSA is an agency that supports all students in all disciplines, creative activity and research projects. Having travel awards, project funding and mentor awards, their aim is to engage students in research and creative activities.
The presentation made many students very interested and excited for research opportunities. A first-year botany student said, "It was cool getting to see all the different research opportunities… I'm very interested in plants, so I thought the two berry ones were super cool.”
Students interested in pursuing undergraduate research can learn more about available opportunities, project funding and travel awards through URSA.