Research Week gives students and faculty a chance to show their stuff to the world
Utah State University puts a high priority on research and is Utah’s only land-grant research facility. This week, April 3-7, USU will have its second-annual Research Week to display the research that has been done in the past year and to provide new researching ideas. Each day will focus on a different group or aspect of research.
“We have different days geared towards different groups,” said Anna McEntire, media specialist in the vice president for the research office. “We hope to include the entire campus.”
Monday, Faculty Research Day, will feature a luncheon in the Sunburst Lounge to honor the university’s top faculty researchers. Workshops will be presented on topics pertaining to research funding and the recipient of this year’s D. Wynne Thorne Research Award will be announced during the luncheon.
The D. Wynne Thorne Research Award is Utah State’s highest research honor. A prize of $5,000 is awarded to “an individual on the USU campus who has completed outstanding research within the previous five years,” according to the Research Week Web site. The award is financed by gifts from students, scientists, alumni, industry groups, agriculturists and other groups.
The award is named for Dr. D. Wynne Thorne, who taught at USU from 1939-55 as professor of agronomy, from 1955-65 as director of the Agricultural Experiment Station and director for the Division of Research, and, in 1965, became the first vice president for research. He resigned in 1973 and reassumed his position as director of the Agricultural Experiment Station. The 2005 recipient of the award, Vernon D. Parker will also speak. Parker, a professor of chemistry and biology at USU since 1988. His work and research is cited in scientific and academic journals about 100 times per year and has been very influential to chemists, according to the Research Week Web site. Recipients are nominated by peers for lifelong career achievements. Tuesday, April 4, is Undergraduate Research Day, giving students a chance to showcase their research and honor Utah State’s top undergrad researchers and research mentors.
Although many displays from undergraduate students are from the chemistry, biology and other science departments, all colleges will be represented with research projects this year.
“It’s a common misperception that this week is all about science,” McEntire said.
McEntire cited one example of a student who was submitting his personal memoirs as an exhibit. An opera quintet will also be performing this year as their exhibit.
“It’s open to any research or creative project,” McEntire said. “If a student has a good final paper or something they’ve been working on and want to take it one step further and present it with a poster as their research, it looks great on resumes and is good preparation for grad school.”
This year, abstracts could be submitted from Feb. 1 through March 10 and are usually due three weeks before the event. And although all areas of creativity and research are welcome, a mentor or faculty sponsor is recommended.
Graduate Student Research Day, on Wednesday, will feature a Graduate Student Symposium for projects by graduate students. Since all graduate students must do research as part of their degree, Wednesday’s symposium will feature all types of research and projects, as well.
“It’s been very popular the last two years,” McEntire said, “and some cash prizes are awarded.”
Thursday, April 6, Ken Busch will be the keynote speaker for Integrity Matters Day. His lecture will discuss misconduct in research funded by the National Science Foundation. This topic is familiar to Busch, as he is currently an investigative scientist in the office of the inspector general for the National Science Foundation. He has served as an investigative scientist for the NSF since 2002. Thursday will also feature a presentation and discussion titled “Copyright Issues, Patents and University Policy,” by Ray DeVito, the manager at the Technology Commercialization Office, and Russ Price, the federal compliance manager in the Provost’s Office.
“Ethics are such an important thing,” McEntire said. “Researchers have to have ethical judgement in their research and findings, use data in ethical ways and make sure their findings have integrity.”
Friday, April 7, will wrap up Research Week with Economic Development Day. The day is devoted to informing faculty about ways to get and utilize research funding, licensing and patenting procedures and rights and to clarify which patents and rights belong to the faculty since they are employed by the university. “It’s a fairly new idea,” McEntire said. The day will also focus on faculty using their research to benefit consumers and start businesses with their patents and licenses gained from their research.
For more information, go to www.usu.edu/research/researchweek.
-limarc@cc.usu.edu.