Â鶹´«Ã½hosts 5th Annual Northeast Undergraduate Research and Development Symposium March 2-3
The Â鶹´«Ã½ hosts the 5th Annual Northeast Undergraduate Research Development Symposium (NURDS) March 2-3, 2013 at UNE's Biddeford Campus.
The symposium, originated with funding from the National Science Foundation and now supported by the Â鶹´«Ã½Provost's Office, is the largest interdisciplinary undergraduate research conference in northern New England. It is created, organized and run each year by undergraduate students.
About 160 students from 39 colleges and universities from Connecticut to Nova Scotia are registered for this year's symposium. Students will present their research in disciplines such as biology, marine biology, physics, biochemistry, neuroscience, ecology and - new to NURDS this year - the humanities and social sciences.
Markus Frederich, Ph.D., associate professor in marine sciences and founder and faculty coordinator of NURDS, says, "involving undergraduate students in real research projects, working in the field or laboratory alongside the faculty, has become an important part of today's college education. NURDS provides students with a valuable opportunity to share their research with their peers, connect with students from all over New England, and experience another part of being a researcher that is not provided in a regular curriculum."
Many students are preparing their research for submission to publications, and the symposium provides an opportunity to refine their research, presentation and networking skills.
Caitlin Tetreau, a history/secondary education major at Â鶹´«Ã½and one of the NURDS student organizers, says, "helping to organize NURDS has been a wonderful experience. I have gotten to coordinate with students and faculty from all over New England and Canada. It is a lot of work, but it is fun and I am excited to see it all come together. I look forward to meeting all of the presenters and seeing some truly amazing research."
Â鶹´«Ã½Professor Barry A. Costa-Pierce, Ph.D. FAAAS, director of the Marine Science Center and chair of the Department of Marine Sciences, will deliver the keynote address on March 2 at 2:45 p.m. in the Â鶹´«Ã½Campus Center. Presentations and workshops are scheduled from 1:00-8:00 p.m. March 2 and from 8:45 a.m.-3:00 p.m. March 3.