By Keith Randall, Texas A&M University Marketing and Communications
COLLEGE STATION, March 21, 2017 — Hundreds of Texas A&M University students – both undergraduate and graduate – will display their scholarly efforts as Texas A&M University hosts its annual Student Research Week March 27-31 with several events planned on campus.
Now in its 20th year, Student Research Week highlights research occurring on the Texas A&M campus. It can also pay nice rewards for winners – this year, awards totaling more than $25,000 will be presented.
As one of the country’s largest universities with research expenditures of almost $900 million each year, Texas A&M offers a unique pathway for students to explore research projects that only a Tier One research university can provide, say the organizers.
“It allows students to refine their research and communication skills and show the depth and scope of student research,” says Jamie Wangler, Student Research Week Advisor.
“Student Research Week provides a venue for students to present their work through oral and poster presentations and compete for some very nice cash awards.”
During Student Research Week, students are exposed to challenging research opportunities designed to enhance their academic experiences and prepare them for better careers or advanced study. While exploring research first-hand, they also experience the thrill of discovery, often side-by-side with a renowned faculty member who helps guide them with their research efforts.
It allows Texas A&M to fulfill its mission of teaching, research and service.
This year’s theme is “Inclusivity,” and oral and poster presentations will be held from March 28-30.
“‘Inclusivity’ was selected as the theme because organizers are trying to reach out to historically unrepresented or underrepresented colleges and departments across campus,” Wangler explains.
“Our goal is to get the entire campus involved with Student Research Week.”
Academic areas represented include history, literature, fine arts, communications, philosophy, psychology, medicine, plant and animal science, engineering, astronomy, physics, chemistry, math, statistics, computer science, biology, neuroscience, geosciences and many more.
In addition, there is a publication devoted directly to undergraduate research titled Explorations. It is a student-run journal that selects and publishes student-authored articles of general interest in many areas, and each article is reviewed and approved by faculty members.
Inclusion in the journal is competitive: less than 20 percent of submitted articles are accepted.
Student Research Week is one of the events held by the Graduate and Professional Student Council (GPSC) in conjunction with the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies, Vice President for Research, Department of Student Life, and LAUNCH, academic colleges, administrators, faculty and staff.
For more about the event, go to http://srw.tamu.edu.