The annual URSS happened on Mar. 20 to acknowledge and award undergraduate research
Pavlis Honors College hosts the Undergraduate Research & Scholarship Symposium (URSS) annually. This year, it was hosted on Friday, Mar. 20 at the Rozsa Lobby from 12:30 p.m to 3:30 p.m., with awards announced at 3:15 p.m.
The URSS highlights research conducted by undergraduate students across the different disciplines offered at Tech. For some students, this is the culminating experience of their Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) or their Undergraduate Research Internship Programs (URIP). During the event, the audience could cast a vote for the Audience Choice Award.
Marika Seigel, Dean of the Pavlis Honors College, and Chris Hohnholt, SURF and URIP Coordinator, welcomed the students and audience to the URSS. Seigel said, “Research begins with curiosity—the kind that asks bold questions, challenges assumptions, and seeks new ways of understanding the world. Today, that curiosity comes to life as Mighican Tech’s undergraduate researchers share the discoveries, insights, and innovations they’ve developed over the past year.”
Awards were given for the top three research projects and the audience choice. These awards consisted of a certificate and Amazon gift card.
In first place was Samantha Cooper, a second-year student studying Chemical Engineering. She researched on the generation of circulating tumor reference materials for early ovarian cancer detection. In second place was Mara Sorensen, a fourth-year student studying Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. She presented her research on using fatty acid analysis to evaluate the effects of human-altered landscapes and sex on the nutritional status of black vultures. In third place was Carter Rodzik, a third-year student studying Biomedical Engineering. He researched on the humidity-driven tunability of electrospun nanofiber scaffolds for tissue engineering.
The Audience Choice Award went to Connor Fleser, a third-year student studying Computer Science, who researched the creation and understanding of statutory rules through formal computational representations.
Students were well prepared, but nervous about presenting their information. For many, such as Vera Denison, a senior studying Environmental Engineering, and Janelly Sanchez-Puentes, a sophomore studying Mechanical Engineering, it was their first time presenting research. Denison’s research was about the effects of activated sludge and wetland soil application to improve freshwater dune stability. Sanchez-Puentes completed a parametric study of Aero-PLA foaming in its impact on mechanical properties. The students said that they worked 10 to20 hours per week on their research.
In a pre-event interview with Hohnholt, he said, “We had a large overall number of students participating this year. I was able to break [the event] into two sections. Last year, I want to say the number [of students] was close to 40. This year, we have 54, and getting 54 people into this space is difficult.” URSS continued last year’s change of having the non-audience judging online.
Many of the projects have been supported by programs such as SURF and URIP and are made possible by the Copper Shores Community Health Foundation, the John Edgar McAllister Foundation Trust Undergraduate Research Fund, DeVlieg Foundation, and the Great Lakes Research Center.
To learn more about SURF visit mtu.edu/honors/research/surf/. To learn more about URIP, mtu.edu/honors/research/urip/. For more information about URSS, contact the Pavlis Honors College at honors@mtu.edu, visit the Pavlis Honors College website at mtu.edu/honors, or contact Chris Hohnholt at cahohnho@mtu.edu.
