6 UTC students accepted to present at NCUR 2021 @ Home

Holley Beeland January 12, 2021 — No Comments

Congratulations to these students for getting accepted to present at NCUR 2021 @Home!

Francesca Cable, “Efficacy of Stress Relieving Interventions Through Zoom”
Berkay Dean, “CubeSat Reaction Wheel-Based Attitude Control System”
Ximena Leon, “Increasing Stress Tolerance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae Using Lipocalin Genes”
Luke McPherson, “Building Engagement in College Student-Led Clubs”
Brennan Ward, “Prediction of Gasification Outputs Via Supervised Machine Learning Approach”
Dell Zimmerman, “Synthesis and Characterization of Poly(Hydroxyethyl Methacrylate) Hydrogels for Drug Delivery Applications”

Joshua Lawson (’19) has paper accept to journal Applied Economics

Holley Beeland December 11, 2020 — No Comments

UTC alumni, Joshua Lawson (finance major, 2019) recently co-published the paper titled, “Speculation and Food-Grain Prices”, with his mentors Drs.  Rafayet Alam (UTC) and Xiaoli Etienne (West Virginia University). The paper was published in the A-rated journal Applied Economics. The published research  is associated with an undergraduate research project Josh completed with Dr. Alam in 2018-2019.

This paper previously won the Best Student Paper award at the Academy of Economics and Finance. Congratulations to Joshua and many thanks to Dr. Alam for his mentorship and support of student success.

Office for URaCE Hosts Inaugural Virtual Summer Learning Institute!

Holley Beeland August 11, 2020 — No Comments

Summer Research Institute InfographicThis free, 8-week program focused on research and career preparation. Program participants attended weekly virtual seminars and discussions, created professional CV’s and e-portfolios, and learned tips and best practices for entering the world of work, or applying for graduate or medical school.  Fifteen  students participated in the program this year. See more information below.

 

 

 

 

 

Quotes from Participants

UTC Undergraduate Researchers Selected to Present at NCUR 2020

Holley Beeland January 21, 2020 — No Comments
The Office for URaCE congratulates the following undergraduate researchers who have been accepted to present their work at the National Conference for Undergraduate Research. NCUR will be held  at Montana State University in late March. Abstracts were selected from more than 4,000 submissions, and students will share their research projects with peers, faculty, and staff from all over the nation. Congratulations on your high academic achievement!

JheDienne Adams (History), Alaura Robinson ( Communication), Matthew McCarver (Math), Ximena Leon ( Biology), Dell Zimmerman (Engineering), and Jaylen Mans( Biology)

UTC has record participation in Undergraduate Research Forum

Holley Beeland November 25, 2019 — No Comments

The fourth annual Southern Conference Undergraduate Research Forum (SURF) was held on November 1-3, 2019 at Wofford College in Spartanburg, S.C.. The SURF conference brings together more than 150 undergraduate researchers from around the region and showcases undergraduate research projects completed in the summer. UTC had the largest number of presenters this year with 18 presenters representing a diverse collection of UTC majors and disciplines.

Colleges:
Arts & Sciences (13)
Computer sScience & Engineering (5)

Majors:
History (1)
Biology (5)
Spanish (1)
Psychology (1)
Psychology & Criminal Justice (1)
Mathematics (1)
Computer Science (1)
Creative Writing (1)
Chemical Engineering (1)
Communication (1)
Civil Engineering (1)
Pre-Professional Biology (1)
Electrical Engineering (1)
Mechanical Engineering & General Mathematics (1)

UReCA: The NCHC Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity has published “Tr ansl ation less” by Maris Souza, UTC student.

Holley Beeland November 5, 2019 — No Comments

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Russell Helms
UReCA
423-364-4860
russell-helms@utc.edu
www.nchc-ureca.com

Student from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Published in National Research Journal, UReCA

UReCA: The NCHC Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity has published “Tr ansl ation less” by Maris Souza, a current student at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

“What I love most about this photo series is that it captures the loneliness and language barrier experienced by an immigrant,” a member from the UReCA editorial team said. “Whether the images depict the grandmother outside of her home alone or in an ambiguous landscape, they all build up the idea of someone who is having trouble connecting with her surroundings.”

UReCA congratulates Maris on her achievement and is happy to publish her work in our 2019 edition (available at https://www.nchcureca.com/). UReCA provides a publication venue for undergraduates with works that make a significant contribution to their respective fields of study and can be anything from microbiology to musical composition. Through an online platform, UReCA encourages interdisciplinary creative activity and research among undergraduates.

“Being published in UReCA is a national honor,” said Brian J. White, Ph.D., UReCA faculty advisor and Dean of College of Arts and Sciences at Graceland University. “UReCA features only a handful of interdisciplinary works from among the best in the nation.”

Selections for the journal are made from submissions received by a team of undergraduates at multiple colleges across the nation. Submissions are received throughout the year and represent a wide range of subjects, including creative works, scientific studies, and humanities research. Submissions are received on a rolling basis, and final decisions are made every August. This year only 25 students were accepted into the journal at a 13% acceptance rate.

“The selection of these students’ work for publication demonstrates not only exemplary student achievement, but also excellent university faculty and staff support, which undergraduates need to succeed in their fields,” said Johnny MacLean, Ph.D., UReCA faculty advisor and Assistant Provost at Southern Utah University. “Becoming published in UReCA is a university-wide endeavor as students must carefully research and become experts in their fields at the undergraduate level before being selected.”

UReCA is an online, peer-reviewed journal that fosters the exchange of intellectual and creative work between undergraduate students, providing a platform where students can engage with and contribute to the advancement of their individual fields. For students interested in submitting work to UReCA, visit www.ureca.submittable.com.

UReCA: The NCHC Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity has published “Enclosing Spaces” by Arden Craft, UTC student.

Holley Beeland November 5, 2019 — No Comments

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Russell Helms
UReCA
423-364-4860
russell-helms@utc.edu
www.nchc-ureca.com

Enclosing SpacesStudent from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Published in National Research Journal, UReCA

UReCA: The NCHC Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity has published “Enclosing Spaces” by Arden Craft, a current student at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

“The photographs of this sculpture help the viewer appreciate the complexity and talent required to execute the piece,” a member of the UReCA editorial team said. “We rarely receive such interesting and unique pieces from visual art students.”

UReCA congratulates Arden on her achievement and is happy to publish her work in our 2019 edition (available at https://www.nchcureca.com/). UReCA provides a publication venue for undergraduates with works that make a significant contribution to their respective fields of study and can be anything from microbiology to musical composition. Through an online platform, UReCA encourages interdisciplinary creative activity and research among undergraduates.

“Being published in UReCA is a national honor,” said Brian J. White, Ph.D., UReCA faculty advisor and Dean of College of Arts and Sciences at Graceland University. “UReCA features only a handful of interdisciplinary works from among the best in the nation.”

Selections for the journal are made from submissions received by a team of undergraduates at multiple colleges across the nation. Submissions are received throughout the year and represent a wide range of subjects, including creative works, scientific studies, and humanities research. Submissions are received on a rolling basis, and final decisions are made every August. This year only 25 students were accepted into the journal at a 13% acceptance rate.

“The selection of these students’ work for publication demonstrates not only exemplary student achievement, but also excellent university faculty and staff support, which undergraduates need to succeed in their fields,” said Johnny MacLean, Ph.D., UReCA faculty advisor and Assistant Provost at Southern Utah University. “Becoming published in UReCA is a university-wide endeavor as students must carefully research and become experts in their fields at the undergraduate level before being selected.”

UReCA is an online, peer-reviewed journal that fosters the exchange of intellectual and creative work between undergraduate students, providing a platform where students can engage with and contribute to the advancement of their individual fields. For students interested in submitting work to UReCA, visit www.ureca.submittable.com.

URaCE Interview session: Insights from Sara Bey on undergraduate research in physics

Holley Beeland September 25, 2019 — No Comments
Sara Bey explaining her research at the Summer 2019 Undergraduate Research Symposium

Sara Bey explaining her research at the Summer 2019 Undergraduate Research Symposium, Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2019 in the University Center

1. What is your name?

Sara Bey

2. What is your major?

Physics

3. Why did you decide to participate in Undergraduate Research?

In the spring semester of my freshman year, I got to know one of the seniors in the department well and she became a great mentor to me. Due to the math pre-requirements for physics classes, majors in this department don’t touch a physics class until their second year. At that point in my freshman year I was looking for some way that I could be involved in physics earlier. I started on a research project under Dr. Allen and being trained by the upperclassmen who was mentoring me.

I thought, “Thank goodness someone has done physics!”

4. What did you research?

The project is a very early on look at semiconducting thin films that show interesting magnetic and electronic properties. This is a very new material, so we are in a preliminary stage of heavy data collection and analysis. One optimistic application for this material is in spintronics, which is a new field of electronics which hopes to store data and information in the “spin up” or “spin down” of an electron.

5. What skills did you learn while engaged in research?

  • I’ve developed technical lab skills running equipment and manufacturing small scale wires and contacts. I have gained exposure to different data processing software which will be highly applicable to my future career.
  • Public speaking and presentation skills thanks to tons and tons of different conference opportunities.
  • Maturity as a student and as a member of the physics community.
  • Research isn’t always a beautiful picture… but as an undergraduate student pursuing graduate school, I make a high priority to focus on how I am spending my time and what this will translate to in two to three years. I fill my time with things I am passionate about, but also things I know will be worth something in the future. These two categories overlap for some things, and sometimes I just have to put in hard work that doesn’t necessarily feel inspiring at the moment.
  • I had no idea as a freshman what I wanted to be… I thought I wanted to be an astrophysicist, but this research has made it clear that I want to do applied material science. I learned this while I was doing research at the University of Alabama: MINT center Material in Information Technology looking at nonvolatile memory. They had a ton of graduate students that gave me advice.

6. What have you learned about yourself by participating in Undergraduate Research?

Research changed my mind about myself… before I did research, I didn’t think I had any place in the Physics environment and was completely underqualified… but it ended up being the most valuable experience I’ve had. It helps me as a student to have the balance to have my regular coursework and learn physics in a different environment.

7. How will you use what you learned during your research experience?

When I go to graduate school, because of the experiences I’ve had hands-on, I might be the only person who has used some of the technology before. It is a huge benefit to me to have already worked with what I have.

8. Other thoughts you would like to share?

I think that students interested in research shouldn’t be intimidated by it and should try to get over that fear. They should talk to the professors in their department and listen to what they are interested in. They love talking about it! Your real job will be hands-on and won’t look exactly like your classes.

UTC senior art majors will present their original research at the SECAC 2019 Conference

Holley Beeland September 12, 2019 — No Comments

This October, three undergraduate seniors from UTC’s Department of Art – Arden Craft, Alyson McGowan, and Hannah Wimberly Lowe – will present their original research at the SECAC 2019 Conference. SECAC is the country’s second largest national non-profit organization devoted to education and research in the visual arts, with individual and institutional membership of a global scope. Hosted by the UTC Department of Art, the 2019 Conference in Chattanooga (October 16–19, 2019) will be the largest in the organization’s history, with 140+ sessions and 650+ chairs and presenters exploring a multitude of topics.

Craft, McGowan, and Wimberly Lowe will share work they developed as part of special projects and seminars at UTC. Both Craft and McGowan’s presentations tie into the work they are conducting towards their Honors theses. Craft is a double major in Studio Art and Art History. Her paper, Constructions of Personhood: An Exploration into Artist James Luna’s Work, The Artifact Piece (1986), engages in a postcolonial critique of the popular exploitation of Native American imagery. Focusing on one performance from Luna, Craft uncovers the entangled nature of identity, consumerism, and difference embedded in American culture from the 1980s to today. McGowan’s paper, A Psychoanalysis of Caravaggio, reflects her academic interest in the Italian Baroque period, while delving into historiography, Lacanian theory, and her own visual analysis of the acclaimed artist’s self-portraiture. She conducted on-site archival research in Italy to develop this project, and currently works with the Hunter Museum of American Art as a Gallery Assistant. McGowan was the recipient of the Gavin Townsend Memorial Award for Art History majors last year, and presented preliminary research towards this project at URACE Research Dialogues in April 2019. Wimberly Lowe is also an Art History major, and her paper, National Parks 2050: Reinventing American Landscape to Communicate Environmental Urgency, draws from research conducted during her curatorial internship at the Hunter Museum and an upper level Art History seminar. She examines the intersection of landscape imagery and ecocritical theory to explore how the arts have advocated for environmental action from the 1840s through today.

Presenting at SECAC will provide these students with valuable professional experience and feedback on their original research from a broad community of artists and experts in and beyond Chattanooga. Their participation will also grant them exposure and networking opportunities as they explore future graduate study. Craft, McGowan, and Wimberly Lowe’s commitment to the research panel highlights their leadership as part of a growing community of students rigorously engaged  in Art and Art History at UTC. Their presentations at SECAC are generously sponsored by UTC’s Department of Art and URACE program. In addition to SECAC, these students have also committed to share their work and experiences at the upcoming URACE Research Dialogues in April 2020.

UTC students to present research at the national SECAC Art conference in Chattanooga in October

Holley Beeland August 22, 2019 — No Comments

Alyson McGowanWe’re excited for UTC students Arden Craft, Hannah L. Winberly Lowe, and Alyson McGowan (pictured), who are presenting their research at the national SECAC Art conference in Chattanooga from October 16-19 (https://secacart.org/page/Chattanooga), with support from Art History Professors Olivia Wolf and Stephen Mandravelis. UTC Undergraduate Research and Creative Endeavor is supporting #secac2019 conference registration for these students!