Story By: Walker Payne
MONTEVALLO, Ala. — The University of Montevallo will host its 28th annual Undergraduate Research Day on Wednesday, March 11, in Harman Hall.
The event will take place from 9:00 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. and will give students the opportunity to present their research across a variety of disciplines.
During the event, students will share their findings in the form of oral or poster presentations, with four consecutive sessions of oral responses beginning at 9 a.m. and one session of poster demonstrations beginning at noon.
According to Undergraduate Research Program Coordinator Dr. Cindy Tidwell, more than 40 students have participated in conducting research this year and will be presenting their findings at the event.
“Undergraduate Research Day is kind of a culmination of everything that the students have done over the year,” Tidwell said. “So, we give them an opportunity to present their research and showcase what it is they’ve done, and um, it’s really quite a wonderful experience.”
This year’s program will see presentations from students across all five colleges, highlighting disciplines like chemistry, business, and art.
Dr. Tidwell says the Undergraduate Research Program prides itself on giving students the opportunity to grow differently from the typical classroom experience.
“It’s one thing to have a conversation with somebody that does what you do, but to learn how to talk about it with people from other areas of study, it’s an entirely different thing,” she said.
The Undergraduate Research Program has offered students an interdisciplinary manner of research and facilitation since its introduction, and Dr. Tidwell says it has always been a program for everyone on campus.
UR courses are offered every semester, allowing students to work one-on-one with UM faculty on either their own individualized research or research already initiated by their designated mentor.
Dr. Tidwell says students can currently submit research proposals for the summer, with a final deadline of April 10.
Students interested in researching for the fall semester have until August 7 to submit their proposals. Note: if the proposed fall research project involves human or animal subjects, students must adhere to the April 10 deadline, due to an additional process of evaluation.
For any student considering participating in the Undergraduate Research Program, Dr. Tidwell suggests you go early to speak with professors you’re interested in researching under. However, she emphasizes that most faculty members would “jump at the chance” to help any student interested in dedicated research.
“When I was a student here, 30 years ago, UR Day was just getting started,” Tidwell said. “It started about the time, right after I graduated… and I was very very happy, when I came back as a faculty member, uh, to have my own research students participate in Undergraduate Research Day.”
For more information on the Undergraduate Research Program and UR Day, you can visit their website here.
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