Georgetown Undergraduates Present Research
Thirty undergraduate students presented their science and health-related research at the sixth annual Georgetown University Undergraduate Research Conference, held April 3-4, 2008. The university-wide event, hosted each year by the School of Nursing & Health Studies (NHS), included students from NHS, Georgetown College, and the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service. One visiting student from Bates College in Lewiston, Maine also participated. Topics ran the range, from mercury and MRSA, to HPV and Parkinson's disease. "It's important for undergraduates to be exposed to research at an early point in their academic career and to see the opportunities and possibilities in the research field," said Emily Herzberg (NHS'08), a co-chair of the conference planning committee. "At Georgetown University, where educating the whole person is an educational value, undergraduate research is important because it allows students to use the skills they learn in the classroom and apply those skills to real-life situations," added co-chair Roland Dimaya (NHS'09). The conference began on Thursday night with a welcome from Julie DeLoia, associate dean of academic affairs at NHS, and a keynote address from Timothy Barbari, dean of Georgetown University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. "The purpose of the conference is simple," DeLoia said. "It is to showcase your hard work. It's invaluable practice for your professional careers. This is an incredibly exciting time to be in science...and health care." Barbari, an accomplished expert in chemical and biomolecular engineering, then spoke to the students and faculty about his scientific research on polymer membranes. He also discussed how collaborative partnerships among small businesses, academic institutions, and federal agencies, such as the National Institutes of Health, can result in fruitful and funded scientific projects. On Friday morning, participating students highlighted their posters for a panel of faculty judges. "It's important for undergraduates who are considering careers in research or academia to experience the conference, to answer the questions of faculty and fellow students, and to share some of what we've learned," said Sara Burnes (SFS'08), a culture and politics major at the School of Foreign Service. "That's why I got involved," she said. "I am thinking of pursuing applied anthropology in graduate school, and I wanted this experience before jumping in with both feet." Later in the day, three students orally presented the findings of their projects, including Matthew Crommett (NHS'08), an international health major, Jennifer Mulla (NHS'08), a human science major, and Aki Niihara (NHS'08), an international health major. NHS Dean Bette Keltner Jacobs distributed the awards for best poster, best oral presentation, and runner-up poster. Mulla won $100 for best oral presentation. Elizabeth Kander (NHS'08), a human science major, won $100 for best poster. And Crommett won $50 for runner-up poster. "Congratulations," Keltner Jacobs said. "You have taken your first step in science. May this be the first of many."
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