Student represents UAA in Washington D.C.
by Kathleen McCoy |
UAA student Reem Sheikh and Dr. Carol Jones will visit Washington D.C. this week to
present Reem's research poster on Capitol Hill. The Council on Undergraduate Research
(CUR) will welcome nearly 80 undergraduate students from across the nation to Capitol
Hill to present the results of their independent research in science, mathematics
and humanities. They will display their research posters to Members of Congress,
federal agency funding officers, and invited guests in Rooms 338-B - 340-B of the
Rayburn House Office Building from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM. The press is invited to meet
the students and view the posters.
The students were competitively chosen from just under four hundred applicants. Their
research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes
of Health, NASA, and many other agencies --- federal, state, and private.
The nation's technological infrastructure requires well-trained scientists and engineers,
but studies show that the number of students selecting these fields will not keep
up with demand. Participation in research projects represents one of the most effective
ways of engaging students actively in the learning process and a significant majority
of students electing to pursue advanced degrees in the physical and life sciences
engage in undergraduate research. Students participating in original research projects
graduate from college at higher rates than those who do not. Posters on the Hill offers
students the opportunity to share their personal
stories and the excitement of their discoveries with members of Congress and professional
scientists. Students spend the day visiting the offices of their elected representatives
and the large majority meet with one or more Representatives or Senators. The day
concludes with a poster session attended by members of Congress, their staffs, and
personnel from federal funding agencies. This year the Council on Undergraduate Research
and the American Chemical Society are collaborating by jointly hosting CUR's Posters
on the Hill and ACS's Public Service Award. ACS will be honoring Rueben Hinojosa (D-TX),
David Hobson (R-OH), and Dr. Ralph Cicerone, Director of the National Academies of
Science.
"Posters on the Hill is one of CUR's signature events, showcasing the high quality
research undergraduates are capable of producing with faculty mentors. The creative
process is fundamental to our nation's history of innovation; thus, providing opportunities
for undergraduate research, resulting in original creative and/or intellectual contributions,
should be a high priority of our higher education institutions, as well as federal
and private funding agencies," says Lori Bettison-Varga, College of Wooster.
CUR is a national professional association representing faculty and administrators
at nearly 1000 academic institutions. CUR, and our
governmental and private partners, facilitates collaborative research by students
and their faculty mentors. We work to provide students with a wide range of opportunities
to learn science by doing it. We provide faculty with opportunities to integrate
research into their teaching. Students with research experience as undergraduates
go on to leadership positions throughout our society.
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