By Micaela Freeman | Staff Writer
Baylor sponsors an annual series of events, conferences and presentations for the annual Undergraduate Research and Scholarly Achievement (URSA) Scholars Week. The event will be put on by URSA and Baylor Undergraduate Research in Science and Technology (BURST). This year’s Scholars Week is Monday through Thursday.
The event will begin with a keynote speaker, UT Dallas professor of chemistry Dr. Julia Chance at 4 p.m. Monday in B110 Baylor Science Building.
Research presentations with be held each day at 2 p.m. on the second and third floors of the Bill Daniel Student Center.
Student poster presentations take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the BSB atrium each day with a reception including light refreshments at noon.
The URSA website says any undergraduate student that has conducted research within Baylor in the past year is encouraged to present his or her work. Majors such as computer science and engineering will display new designs, while film majors will participate in the Black Glasses Festival. All other majors are encouraged to participate in either a platform or poster presentation. Academic departments will hand out awards for the best research presentation and displays, including outstanding individual and group presentation.
Houston junior Abigail Antrich, BURST special events committee member, said Scholars Week not only allows students to present their research but also to have the opportunity to be recognized. Antrich contributes to the hosting of the keynote speaker and coordinating with URSA.
“It’s also a platform for which all their hard work and intellectual curiosity can be admired and observed by not only their peers, but also faculty and fellow researchers,” Antrich said.
Antrich said she was excited for the research opportunity that is geared toward undergraduate students.
“URSA Scholars Week was the first time that I ever presented my own research. I have learned so much not only as a presenter but as an attendee,” Antrich said. “It is so exciting to see what other undergraduates are discovering and accomplishing across so many fields on our campus.”
Antrich, as well as other members of URSA and BURST, said not only do URSA and BURST offer career experience and research knowledge, but so does Scholars Week.
Cypress sophomore Roshni Jaffery said the event offers preparedness and insight in the realm of research.
“I always look forward to URSA Scholars Week because it provides me with the opportunity to learn from other students and ask questions about contemporary research,” Jaffery said. “Moreover, URSA’s Scholars Week will always have a place in my heart because it was where I first presented my own undergraduate research.”
Jaffery, a biology and sociology major, said her goal is to have a career in research and that URSA and Scholars Week have given her insight and connections with fellow undergraduates in research.
“URSA has enlightened my college experience by gaining knowledge on current research and by allowing me to interact with professors and fellow students,” Jaffery said.
Portland, Ore. sophomore Will Chan, vice president of events and BURST, has also helped Antrich put on Scholars Week.
Chan, a University Scholar, said Scholars Week allows students of different majors come together and recognize the importance of research.
“To me, URSA and Scholars Week are platforms in which people who are interested in research and who are really curious in a particular areas and want to satisfy that intellectual curiosity and it’s a way for their voices to be heard and to be recognized,” Chan said.
The event, Chan said, is a week of student research and the accomplishments of their work.
“It’s a celebration of ideas,” Chan said.
