VCU to host National Conference on Undergraduate Research this month

By William Lineberry
Honors College

For the first time, Virginia Commonwealth University will host the annual National Conference on Undergraduate Research this month, the nation’s largest conference spotlighting excellence in undergraduate research.

From April 13-15, more than 4,000 undergraduate student presenters from across the country will converge at the Greater Richmond Convention Center to showcase their scholarship and creative projects. VCU will have more than 400 students presenting at the conference, representing all of VCU’s schools and colleges that serve undergraduates.

“With our Every Ram’s a Researcher initiative in full swing, it is truly an opportune moment for VCU to host the National Conference on Undergraduate Research,” said Herbert Hill, Ed.D., assistant vice provost of undergraduate research and creative inquiry. “VCU continues to expand access to transformative, research-supportive learning experiences that prepare our graduates to address complex questions and challenges in a global society.”

Established in 2011, NCUR is the flagship conference for the Council on Undergraduate Research. The host location and university changes each year, and VCU’s Office of the Provost is the primary sponsor this year. NCUR will be held during VCU’s annual Research Weeks, which celebrates the discoveries and breakthroughs of the university's research enterprise throughout the month of April.

Student projects span across disciplines – from STEM to the arts and humanities – and will primarily be featured through a series of poster sessions over NCUR’s three-day program The presentation portion of the conference will allow students to engage with peers about their work, and NCUR helps them establish connections with faculty from VCU and beyond.

India Cox, a junior majoring in psychology in VCU’s College of Humanities and Sciences, said she is ”absolutely ecstatic” to present her project – “From Custody to Care: Understanding Mental Health and Recidivism in the Criminal Justice System.” – which points to the career she wants to pursue.

“The entire purpose of presenting this project is to draw attention to the overall impact the justice system has on all of us,” Cox said. “I’ve never presented orally, only by poster, so I’m excited to engage with an audience and hear feedback.”

She added that the ability to pursue deep research as an undergraduate has shaped her perspective on learning and growth.

“Every time I conduct research, I’m amazed by the information I find, and I feel it’s part of my purpose to share what I learn out to the world,” Cox said. “When doing a research project, I always come in very anxious about the way things are going to fall into place and how I’m going to connect the dots with what I’m given. However, these projects never fail to flow in the direction that’s most impactful, and many times it falls together completely on its own. I’m just there to combine the data, which I think is really the beauty of research.

“The answers to any of our questions are already there,” Cox said. “Someone just has to care enough to find them.”

More than one-third of all VCU students are engaged in research. Mary Boyes, an Honors College faculty member and NCUR faculty mentor, said watching her students conceive, conduct and eventually present their projects is a special experience.  

“It’s just so impressive to see the variety and depth of our students’ research and creative projects,” said Boyes, who is serving as a mentor to 52 research and creative projects at NCUR this year. “Having the opportunity to mentor these amazing students is one of my favorite parts of being a professor.”