Undergraduate research conference to showcase ‘the best of higher education in Utah’

In this 2015 file photo, John Murray helps his students build mini solar homes, Cedar City, Utah, circa December 2015 | Photo courtesy of Southern Utah University, St. George News / Cedar City News

CEDAR CITY — Celebrating academic, professional and personal achievements resulting from undergraduate research projects or creative endeavors, the Utah Conference on Undergraduate Research will be held at Southern Utah University Friday and host students from all of the Utah higher education institutions.

The Utah Conference on Undergraduate Research provides an excellent opportunity for students to present their work in a scholarly setting to students, faculty, field specialists and community members.

There are currently 500 attendees registered and 350 presentations scheduled, according to a press release from Southern Utah University. Presentations may include both visual and oral displays of work in all academic disciplines, from art history to molecular biology as well as performance of creative research within the visual and performing arts.

Some presentations from SUU students and faculty include sports economic research, the effects of fire on an aquatic ecosystem, noise pollution, critical thinking skills and dance and culture from ancient Greece.

“UCUR 2018 at SUU has been in the planning stages for over a year,” said Mackay Steffensen, Undergraduate Research and Scholarship Program director and associate professor of chemistry. “This is one of the larger UCUR conferences and promises to showcase the best of higher education in Utah.”

The Utah conference is modeled after the National Conference on Undergraduate Research and organized by a committee of representatives from educational institutions across the state. Since its founding, UCUR serves as the culminating event of Undergraduate Research & Creative Achievement Week as designated by the Utah Gov. Gary Herbert.

UCUR is hosted by a different university in Utah each year. Southern Utah University last hosted this event in 2010.

Click here for a comprehensive schedule of the conference.

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @STGnews

Free News Delivery by Email

Would you like to have the day's news stories delivered right to your inbox every evening? Enter your email below to start!

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.