USU students to present research on Capitol Hill

On March 5, students from Utah State University will be participating in the Research on Capitol Hill, or ROCH, an annual event held in the State of Utah’s Capitol building in Salt Lake City.

Beginning in 2001, USU has organized the event for the last 18 years as an extension of the university’s undergraduate research program, which is the second oldest of such programs in the United States.

Alexa Sand, the associate vice president for research at USU, said that the event recognizes achievements in research by undergraduate students and includes entries from a variety of majors and colleges at USU including students from fields that are not as closely associated with research, such as the arts and humanities.

This year students’ presentations include a wide range of research, from mental health to model medieval weaponry as well as research on fake news to a project focused on feminists against fracking.

“It’s research from all different majors, and research takes different forms,” said Daniel Bertrand, a USU student and a history major participating in the event.

Bertrand’s project, the construction of a medieval weapon known as a trebuchet, is one of the of the many projects to be displayed at the event.

Focused primarily on creating an opportunity for state legislators and lobbyists to meet top undergraduate students from throughout the state, USU partners with the University of Utah in organizing ROCH.

“The fact that legislators now have a personal connection, with a face and specific knowledge of an exciting research project to go with it, means that they are much more likely to feel invested in the future of that person and the programs from which that person benefits,” said Sand.

Sand also said that all state legislators receive an invitation to the event “so there is a lot of ‘buzz.’”

Bertrand said that while students have been instructed not to lobby on behalf of USU there may be certain points that students hope to get across to Utah lawmakers.

“The whole purpose of this is to show that money for research is benefitting the schools and the students, and I hope to show that humanities research is also useful and can do cool things,” Bertrand said. “I mean, I built a giant catapult that throws a bowling ball 300 meters. All it takes is a little bit of funding.”

ROCH is open to the public. Individuals visiting the Capitol Rotunda on March 5 can interact with student presenters from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

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