USU Student Research in the Spotlight During Research Week

Student Research Symposium, the flagship event of Research Week and the largest showcase of student research at Utah State University, will feature original projects from more than 250 undergraduate and graduate students.

Viewable entirely online using the Symposium platform, the event, is Wednesday and Thursday, April 14 and 15, is free and open to the public.

“Research Week provides us a unique opportunity to spotlight our outstanding student researchers,” says Alexa Sand, associate vice president for research. “SRS is the perfect way for us to share the breadth and depth of research being conducted by students at every level.”

With Student Research Symposium 2021, which marks the 36th year of a student showcase at USU, the students and their research will be more accessible than ever before through the online platform.

“We encourage everyone to spend some time visiting with these students and learning about their projects,” says Lisa Berreau, vice president for research. “Our students are producing research of the highest caliber, and it is a pleasure to peruse the different projects produced by our students and their mentors.”

Presentations will be viewable on-demand beginning at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, while the student presenters will be answering questions about their research in one-hour sessions between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday. Presentations will remain available through the end of the academic year.

Other Research Week celebrations will also occur daily throughout the week. Follow the Office of Research on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, and visit the Research Week website for details.

USU Among Top Undergraduate Research Schools in the Nation

This year, Utah State University was named one of the top universities in the United States for engagement in undergraduate research by the Council on Undergraduate Research. The Student Research Symposium played a crucial role in setting USU apart from the rest of the universities nominated for the award, due to its longevity and evolution.

“Each year, we dream up new ways to make SRS more valuable and accessible to participating students,” Sand said. “Whether that’s through combining it with Research in the Arts Day, creating a more effective and helpful rubric for feedback, expanding to two days to accommodate demand, or moving to a virtual forum due to a pandemic.”

Both graduate and undergraduate students find Student Research Symposium to be an immense help as they prepare to share their research within their disciplines.

Mentoring Undergraduate Researchers

An early supporter of undergraduate research at USU, Joyce Kinkead was announced as the recipient of the Faculty University Service Award at the USU Faculty Awards Ceremony.

Kinkead sat down with the Office of Research to discuss her history of mentorship and support for the undergraduate research program. Everyone is invited to listen to that conversation in her episode of the Instead podcast.

In the episode, Kinkead talks about her mentorship experiences with students, her research on the history of writing and how she went about centralizing support for undergraduate research at USU.

Among her many other accomplishments, Kinkead served as the associate vice president for research in the early 2000s, when she pioneered research dissemination programs such as Research on Capitol Hill and the Utah Conference on Undergraduate Research.

For Kinkead, undergraduate research is incredibly important because it engages students in hands-on learning.

“You really learn well by getting your hands on research and doing the activity,” she said.

Produced by the USU Office of Research, Instead highlights researchers, their stories, and the impact their work is having, and is available on multiple podcast platforms.