By Drew Roberts
Dozens of Montevallo Faculty and students were off to the races for the annual run for research Friday April 5th. Those registered had the option of a 5k run or a one mile walk.
Each participant earned a t-shirt and those who either placed in the top three for the 5k or won the walk received medals.
The perfect weather drew a sizable crowd and the route sent the runners through campus and the surrounding neighborhoods.
Freshman Montevallo student Joe Macks took the gold with a winning time of 21:38. Macks was happy not only to compete, but to help spread the word about undergraduate research, saying, “I think it’s a great way to, you know, get more students involved and realize how great undergraduate research is. I think it’s a great opportunity for many students to learn and it really provides and opens up new doors for many students at Montevallo.”
Dr. Cindy Tidwell, the program coordinator, echoed these sentiments and urged students to expand their horizons in undergraduate research.
“I would say it is the most transforming thing you could do as an undergraduate,” said Tidwell. “To me, undergraduate research is the ultimate in undergraduate education its is what will make you stand out in anything you want to do after this is over. So when you graduate, if you want to go to grad school, if you want to go into the industry and go to work, this is something you can talk about at your interview that will make you different than other people. With undergraduate research you do a project one on one with a faculty mentor. You can design your own project. You can work with a faculty mentor on something they’re doing. When those students discover something that has never before been known, it is one of the most exhilarating things that they can do. It can really change their life. I think it’s one of the things you should do if you’re an undergrad and really want to excel at everything that you do.”
Click here to learn more about how you can get involved in undergraduate research.
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