Knowledge and inquisition circulate throughout Penn’s campus daily. But on Thursday night, all of it seemed to be in the Hall of Flags.
One hundred undergraduates presented their research projects for the Third Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium as a part of Penn Research Week, which was sponsored by the Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships Advisory Board.
Presentation topics ranged all the way from British poetry to the design of polymer membranes. College senior and Advisory Board president Priya Sehgal said this year marks the largest number of researchers to present at the symposium. She noted the first two symposiums only attracted 60 students each.
“It’s great to see research sweeping over the undergrads,” said Sehgal. “Tonight we have the humanities, [biomedicine] and engineering all represented. … This is what we wanted.”
To kick off the symposium, keynote speaker and Dean of the School of Social Policy & Practice Richard James Gelles shared some words of wisdom with the audience.
“You all have something that gives you an advantage, and that is a passion for trying to find answers to important questions,” he said to the students. “It is humbling to see the quality of thinking of the undergraduates at Penn.”
Researchers organized their presentation on a single poster that visually demonstrated their work. Students answered questions and explained their findings at their stations as friends, faculty and family mingled to support them.
College junior Francis Miller did a tremendous amount of research about The Daily Pennsylvanian itself and how it affected Penn students during the Korean War. “I was inspired to explore this topic because I did not know much about the Korean War,” said Miller. “I spent the fall semester working on this project, using the DP almost exclusively as my source.”
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At the end of the night, the judges and audience each chose the two best presenters at the symposium.
After waiting anxiously for the results, Sehgal announced the two champions. College junior Michael Morse and College senior Nicholas Barretta were both first prize winners. Michael was voted for by the audience and Nicholas the advisory board.
Sehgal commented on how the symposium has grown “audience wise.”
“I’m glad we have a bigger turnout so that some of the younger students at Penn can gain insight into research and how to get involved,” she said.
Aaron Olson, CURF Assistant Director for Communications, spoke about the other events that CURF hosts to increase their visibility on campus. “The symposium … is a great opportunity for undergraduates to show off their work,” he said. “CURF also has an open house every fall along with a series of preceptorials.”
Chipotle, Greek Lady and SweetGreen co-sponsored the symposium, offering guests and presenters tasty snacks throughout the evening.
