Florida State University’s Office of the President and the Center for Undergraduate Research and Academic Engagement (CRE) hosted the annual President’s Showcase of Undergraduate Research Excellence on Thursday, Oct. 22. The showcase was part of FSU Discovery Days, a yearly weeklong celebration of research and creative activity.
More than 800 people attended the event, where 35 students presented posters and led creative sessions to share the projects they completed during the summer with support from competitive grants and other FSU initiatives.
“Undergraduate research is one of the hallmarks of what we do at the university,” said President Richard McCullough. “Discovery Days is all about the investment in seeking knowledge and finding discovery. We want all of our undergraduates to be part of that ecosystem that goes all the way up to the most senior professors in the world, to be part of learning about discovery.”
Student work represented multiple undergraduate research programs at FSU. Those include FSU IDEA Grants, a program that funds undergraduate students’ scholarly and creative work; the Tyler Center for Global Studies, which supports a community of global scholars from 12 partner institutions coordinated by FSU; and the International Genetically Engineered Machine team (iGEM), the premier student competition in synthetic biology.
“Through their projects, our students are contributing innovative ideas and exploring creative approaches to topics that matter, while gaining invaluable experience alongside some of FSU’s most inspiring faculty,” said Latika Young, CRE director. “We are grateful to President Richard McCullough and Vice President for Research Stacey Patterson for championing opportunities that help undergraduate researchers thrive.”
Students shared projects exploring a range of academic disciplines, from public health and international affairs to music and studio art. They examined everything from coral reefs and reptiles to the human brain and heart.
Keynote speaker Sophie Works, who has won two Tyler Center for Global Studies Undergraduate Research Awards, shared her experience traveling for two and a half months during the summer to Tallinn, Estonia, where she conducted research on the adaptation of Russian and Byzantine iconography into modern-day Estonian tradition.
“Being able to stand here and represent this event has completely changed my perspective on what I’m here to do at FSU,” said Works, a Russian (Slavic) studies and international affairs student in the FSU Honors Program. “It’s not just to get a degree and to research for myself and use it to propel my career further. It’s something where I can help other people step into their own light in research just as my own mentors have done with me.”
William Merrix, a linguistics and computer science student, spent six and a half weeks in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, to learn about the role of language in politics. He conducted interviews and focus groups to learn more about the use of the local creole language Nouchi and how it helps people conceptualize political agency and human rights.
“We take language for granted. It’s just something we have, and we use it every day,” he said. “A lot of people I don’t think realize how impactful it can be in applications to social settings, to politics, to whatever field you’re studying. To go abroad and do rigorous academic research is really a privilege, and I’m really appreciative for that opportunity.”
Behavioral neuroscience student Nilaja Grant presented her research observing empathy-like consolation behavior in pre-adolescent mice. Her research was done as part of an Honors in the Major thesis project and funded by an IDEA Grant.
“I have learned so much. It’s incredible,” Grant said. “Stuff like this is not what you’d learn in an intro class. I got to dive more into the details of stuff that I’m interested in, working with a faculty member who’s just as interested in it as I am. I’m so happy I chose FSU because we have opportunities like this.”
For more information about undergraduate research opportunities, visit cre.fsu.edu.