Undergraduate Research Program

Warhawks from across all disciplines are putting the finishing touches on a diverse array of undergraduate research projects and will present their findings on Tuesday, September 26. Come see over 50 different projects and show support for the 69 students presenting their work. This free, public event takes place from 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM in the James R. Connor University Center Hamilton Room.

“It’s a showcase of academic student engagement in its purest form – seeing students engage in scholarly activity through undergraduate research within their discipline and across disciplines,” said Whitney Supianoski, director of the McNair Scholars Program.

Projects range from social work and criminology to performing art pieces. Many of the students have been preparing their research and working alongside a faculty mentor for close to a year.

“Typically, they (undergraduate students) work for a year or more. By ‘work’ I mean the active scholarly work that they need to put in, including a literature review or some sort of experimentation. It includes thinking how to present the work and explain the work to people who may not be in their field of expertise,” said Catherine Chan, director of the Undergraduate Research Program.

As a longstanding UW-Whitewater event, Undergraduate Research Day has grown not only in numbers, but in the quality of the research being presented.

“I’ve witnessed a growth in the variety of the projects and different trends in the projects being presented,” said Chan. “There are more team-based projects now, more interdisciplinary projects being developed.”

Beyond the preparation that these students put into their research, their presentations help them harness their academic career and use what they’ve learned beyond campus borders.

“Undergraduate research gives students an opportunity to make their education their own. Often times, those who may not have previously seen themselves doing undergraduate research do it to make meaning of their academic work and to make sense of why they’re in their discipline,” said Supianoski.

Chan added, “It is certainly an opportunity for them to practice any opportunities down the line for interviews for grad school, professional schools and employment.”

On April 12^th, 2017, 125 students and 50 faculty members from all across the state of Wisconsin gathered at the Capitol building in Madison to showcase their various research projects in the 14^th annual Research in the Rotunda. Students from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater once again got to take part in this exciting event, alongside students from 26 other UW-System Schools, including but not limited to La Crosse, Oshkosh, Milwaukee, Stevens Point, Parkside, and Rock County.

Various state legislators attended to show their support for the young minds in the research community. Among them was Representative Peter Barca, who got to take part in an educational game, the product of a research project conducted by UWW student Katherine Stull and faculty mentor Nick Hwang.

Other UW-W students who showcased their research at the Capitol include Alex Griffith, Brent Zey, Antwanette Bounds, Kiandra Davis, David Sackett, and Jessenia Zavala. The students got a chance to meet with local legislators and demonstrate that Undergraduate Researchers are capable of amazing results.

The research showcased at this event contributes to the UW-System’s reputation as a national leader in Undergraduate Research. Students and mentors throughout the state continue to pursue interesting and important projects, creating an even brighter future for academics and research in the UW-System.

Photos of this event can be found in a gallery on the UW-System Website:

https://www.wisconsin.edu/research-in-the-rotunda/2017-photo-gallery/

If you or anyone you know is interested in Undergraduate Research, feel free to email us at urp@uww.edu , or stop by our program office in Andersen Library.

Are you interested in sharing your research in our URP blog? If so, take a look at our story intake forms! The forms feature basic questions about your research. These questions/answers will then be converted into a story to be posted on the blog. If you are looking to spread the word about your research or just show off what you have accomplished, fill out a form and send it to us at urp@uww.edu.

General Grant Story Intake Form

Rap Story Intake Form

We hope to see some interesting submissions!