20th annual Undergraduate Research Day
The event returned to its in-person format after being held virtually in 2020 and 2021.
“It was so nice to be able to do this in person again,” Co-Chair of the NSU Undergraduate Research Steering Committee Dr. Mark Paulissen said. “It makes for much better interaction between the poster presenters and the people who talk with them. It is also nice because the families of the students can come and participate as well.”
For 20 years Undergraduate Research Day has provided NSU students the opportunity to research and collaborate with their faculty mentors on projects before they have completed their bachelor’s degrees.
“It used to be that for undergraduates, taking classes was enough — research was not expected or emphasized, '' Paulissen said. “But today students are expected to think critically and to be able to solve problems in addition to simply having a basic background of knowledge and skills.”
Twenty-six research posters from student authors of various majors were on display during the event’s poster session.
NSU students, faculty and other interested parties were invited to stop by the event to view and discuss the posters and research with each author.
Taylor Lee, an NSU elementary education senior, presented “Exploring the Relationship between Reading Comprehension and Student Success when Solving Mathematical Word Problems.”
“The most rewarding part of this is knowing that what I get from this will help my instruction to my students,” Lee said. “So, I gain knowledge of what teachers are seeing now and what they’re doing so I can change how I teach my students to help them better understand.”
The poster session was followed by a lunch session led by Dr. Julie Sawyer, Executive Director, Office of Institutional Effectiveness at NSU who discussed the importance of students working on research projects during their undergraduate years.
The afternoon’s events continued with the Outstanding Scholar program. This year’s Outstanding Scholars were Allison White of Braggs and senior Carlos Cuza-Martinez of Tulsa. The Outstanding Scholar runners-up were senior Luan Nguyen of Tra Vinh city, Vietnam and senior Hunter Hodson of Olive.
White’s project was titled “Financial Statement Analysis of One Gas Incorporated for the Years 2018, 2019 and 2020.” Cuza-Martinez’s project was titled “DNA Polymerase Epsilon Holoenzyme is Destabilized by Pol2 Mutation, Resulting in a Reduced Rate of DNA Replication Initiation and Elongation.” Nguyen’s project was titled “The Fundamental Theorem of Homomorphisms for Semigroups.” Hodson’s project was titled “Comparison Of Seasonal Effects On Macroinvertebrate Communities Found In Ailanthus Altissima And Quercus Stellata Leaf Litter.”
The research day concluded with a presentation of poster award winners.
Paulissen hopes an even broader array of students will participate in future Undergraduate Research Day presentations.
To learn more about research opportunities at NSU, visit https://offices.nsuok.edu/