By Taylor Bryant
The 16th Annual Big Night celebration ended with 69 students participating in 52 presentations during the Research Day events. Presentations included research in the fields of business, education, fine arts, humanities, sciences and social sciences from students who worked with faculty advisors on research projects for several months. Winners were selected through area competitions at Research Day by a panel of expert judges.
“Undergraduate research provides numerous benefits to UWG students,” says Dr. Michael Hester, dean of the UWG Honors College. “In both preparing them for graduate-level work and illuminating their graduate school application with a scholarly shine, undergraduate research affords our students an advantage over their peers who are seeking to pursue a postgraduate degree. Their research also benefits the institution, showcasing UWG as a university where experiential learning is the means by which wisdom is produced collaboratively.”
West Georgia’s annual research night is a big event on campus that serves as the centerpiece in highlighting undergraduate research efforts. Big Night provides an opportunity for undergraduate students to present their original work to the UWG faculty, staff and students, as well as the Carrollton community.
“Big Night is a meaningful event for both the students and their faculty advisors,” adds Stacey Rowland, UWG manager of undergraduate research. “It's wonderful to watch our students grow while exploring their areas of interest through working with their faculty mentors. This experience provides our students with invaluable learning opportunities such as exceptional intellectual and creative abilities, increased communication skills, problem solving skills and confidence that will serve them well not only academically, but also in their professional careers.”
In April, several students had the opportunity to present and attend three different undergraduate research conferences. Twenty UWG students traveled to Lexington, Kentucky April 2-6, for the National Council on Undergraduate Research conference, the largest undergraduate research conference in the nation. Only the University of Wisconsin-Madison had a larger number of students present. NCUR is the largest undergraduate research conference in the nation.
On April 9-12 students traveled to Charlotte, North Carolina, for the Southern Regional Model UN where more than 200 students representing 30 universities competed. UWG had seven students participating with two delegates representing Guatemala and Ukraine. In addition, Lenora Ryann Popken, a first-year Advanced Academy student, was named “Outstanding Delegate in the Security Council.”
Following the Model UN, five UWG students traveled to Las Vegas, Nevada, April 13-16 for the National Social Science Association, the largest gathering of the association’s history. Advanced Academy students Chantal Atkinson, Riley Auskelis and Adam Kotter were recognized as runner-up in the undergraduate research category.
