AMES, Iowa -- For the first time, Iowa State University student researchers have been selected to attend a national conference devoted to showcasing the country's best undergraduate research. Thirteen Iowa State students are presenting their research at the 31st annual National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) at the University of Memphis, April 6-8.
More than 4,000 students attend the conference, which provides an opportunity for undergraduates to present their original intellectual, creative contributions to their disciplines.
This is the first year Iowa State submitted student research abstracts for inclusion in the conference. Svitlana Zbarska, ISU's undergraduate research program coordinator, oversaw the submission process for interested students and coordinated all aspects of the group travel.
Zbarska said students will benefit from the opportunity to network with undergrad research colleagues from other universities and colleges. They'll also attend one of the nation's biggest graduate school fairs and participate in professional development workshops.
"Undergraduate students do not have many opportunities to present at the national level. Usually faculty, post-docs or graduate students represent their research at national professional conferences," Zbarska said.
"At NCUR, students will present oral and poster presentations to their peers and researchers from other institutions. And they can network with others doing research in the same area. It helps them gain confidence in their presentation and communication skills. It provides extra encouragement to pursue research careers in the future," she said.
The Iowa State students who will present their research at NCUR, along with their hometowns, majors and research titles are:
Ian Baker, Des Moines, industrial design: "Investigating Ideation Flexibility through Incremental to Radical Design Heuristics"
Jonathan Green, Indianola, mechanical engineering: "Effects of Confinement Geometry on Diblock Copolymer Systems using Finite Element Analysis"
Chase Grimm, Maynard, industrial engineering: "An Agricultural Harvest Knowledge Survey to Distinguish Types of Expertise"
Annmarie Huet, Oak Forest, Illinois, psychology: "Behavioral Effects of Compensation Contracts"
Madeline Johnson, Minnetonka, Minnesota, psychology: "Higher-Level Health Habits: Myplate Guidelines"
Timothy King, Ankeny, environmental science and biology: "Greenhouse Gas Emission and Water Quality Quantification along Saturated Buffer Strip of Bear Creek"
Mackenzie Knight, Urbandale, art and design: "The Jade Emperor: Identifying a Chinese Ceramic Sculpture"
Sarah Kurtz, Waverly, biology: "Hydroponic Testing of Iron Deficiency Chlorosis in Soybeans"
Devesh Mohan, Falls Church, Virginia, electrical engineering: "Water Quality Study for Microcystin Detection Using Colorimetric Gold Nanoparticles" and "Addressing World Food Shortage through Vertical Farming and Efficient Microgrid Design"
Anna Olinger, Salem, South Dakota, industrial design: "Deconstructing Values of the Everyday Object"
Nancy Shryock, Webster City, animal ecology and biology: "Does Marking with Dayglo Eco Aurora Pink Pigment Powder Affect the Development or Survival of Monarch Caterpillars?"
Kevin Wagner, Bettendorf, psychology: "Our Language Influences How We Conceptualize the World: The Effects of Word Order on Mental Representations"
Zihan Yang, China, chemistry: "Dielectrophoresis (Dep) at Mobile Bipolar Electrodes (Bpes)"
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