VCU’s Second “Poster Symposium For Undergraduate Research & Creativity” Illustrates Student Research Efforts

By Mike Porter

Visitors to Virginia Commonwealth University’s 2010 campus-wide “Poster Symposium For Undergraduate Research & Creativity” were introduced to a variety of research topics, such as how to assess risk and vulnerability at major sporting and entertainment centers, how “chair yoga” is helping seniors manage arthritis pain and how the Iraq War was covered on YouTube.

The poster symposium featured research from 73 undergraduate students from both campuses. They displayed their posters on April 28 in the University Student Commons Commonwealth Ballrooms.

VCU President Michael Rao welcomed participants and emphasized the importance of research in VCU’s continued success.

“Thank you all for being the pioneers and leaders that are starting something that’s going to be very big at VCU,” Rao said.

Participants were selected from a pool of students who submitted abstracts. The abstracts explained their research, documented its progress and provided context for their creative work.

“This is a wonderful event and a testament to the outstanding research that happens every day at VCU,” said Beverly J. Warren, Ed.D., Ph.D., FACSM, interim provost and vice president for academic affairs. “Clearly, this event has already become a VCU tradition of which you all can be proud.”

The student research represents a variety of fields of study, including economics, homeland security and emergency preparedness, dentistry, English, biological complexity, pediatrics and human and molecular genetics. Also represented were mechanical engineering, government and public affairs, psychology, art, biology, chemistry, statistical and operations research, history, physics, mass communications and social work.

“The presentations represent diverse topics ranging from genomics research, issues related to homeland security, public health and the contributions of women in poetry,” said Jacqueline Smith-Mason, Ph.D., assistant dean and director of undergraduate research at the Virginia Commonwealth University Honors College. 

Student participants welcomed the opportunity to present and explain their research.

Senior Elizabeth J. Feree, who is majoring in bioinformatics, answered questions about her mathematically based model to predict the spread of flu.

“I think events like this are important because we meet other people and get to explain and sometimes defend our work,” Feree said.

Junior Priscilla H. Witwer, who is majoring in social work, researched web-based study in intercountry adoption agencies.

“To publicize what I’ve learned in a subject that I’m passionate about is a privilege and an honor for me,” Witwer said.

Senior Kristin Test, who is majoring in psychology and criminal justice, said the poster symposium allowed her to teach others about her research and gave her an opportunity to learn about the work of others.

“It is nice to see all of the different types of undergraduate research going on here at VCU,” Test said.

During the symposium, VCU administrators announced 15 undergraduate students will be provided stipends this summer to conduct research through the Summer Research Fellowship Program.

Administrators also recognized seven faculty research mentors, who worked with student Goldwater Scholars.

• Gary Bowlin, Ph.D., Department of Biomedical Engineering in the VCU School of Engineering, who mentored Allison de Groot, a 2008 Goldwater Scholar

• Maryanne Collinson, Ph.D., Department of Chemistry, who mentored Mohammed Karim, a 2009 Goldwater Scholar

• Lynne Elmore, Ph.D., Department of Pathology, who mentored Jet Aiken, a 2008 Goldwater Scholar

• Joyce Lloyd, Ph.D., Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, who mentored Christopher Pang, a 2010 Goldwater Scholar

• Hakam Tiba, M.D., Department of Emergency Medicine, who with his colleague Kevin Ward, M.D., mentored Kate Proffitt, a 2007 Goldwater Scholar

• Yan Zhang, Ph.D., Department of Medicinal Chemistry, who mentored John Bajacan, a 2008 Goldwater Scholar

• Stephen Fong, Ph.D., Department of Chemical and Life Sciences Engineering, who mentored Mary Beth Bird, a 2008 Goldwater Scholar

VCU is an institutional member of the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR), which represents more than 900 colleges and universities. The council was founded in 1978 and is dedicated to promoting high-quality, undergraduate, student-faculty collaborative research and scholarship.