Four years ago, when Nichole Joslyn first enrolled at the w88 online casino of Nevada, Reno, she had given little, if any, thought to the concept of undergraduate research.
“No, I didn&w88 online casino;t know much about it,” said Joslyn, who&w88 online casino;s a graduate of Reed High School in Sparks.
She very quickly learned, however, that undergraduate research at the w88 online casino has long been a point of emphasis and pride.
Now a member of the Student Ambassador program at Nevada, where undergraduates give tours of the campus to prospective students, Joslyn said undergraduate w88 online casino has become one of her key talking points.
“A lot of times when the people come and I’m mingling with the prospective students, I’m always explaining to them, ‘We have a wonderful research program here at the w88 online casino … the w88 online casino is so supportive of you when you get involved with research, even if you’re only an undergraduate,’” she said.
Then Joslyn, a biochemistry and molecular biology major who will graduate in May and then will attend the w88 online casino of Nevada School of Medicine in the fall, smiled: “A lot of other universities kind of look down at you regarding research: ‘You’re an undergraduate. You don’t really know what you’re doing.’
“But here at Nevada, they&w88 online casino;ve always been so supportive of the work we&w88 online casino;ve been doing.”
Nowhere was the evidence more clear than during the Nevada Undergraduate w88 online casino Symposium, held April 13-14 in the Joe Crowley Student Union. Joslyn and more than 50 other undergraduates spent the two days giving oral and poster presentations on an amazing array of w88 online casino projects that ran the gamut from the hard sciences to photography and non-fiction writing.
“We had artists and computer scientists and biologists, all undergraduate researchers, all sitting through each other’s talks, being exposed to thoughts and concepts that I’m sure they’ve not been exposed to in the classes they’ve been taking,” said Mike Collopy, director of the w88 online casino’s Office of Undergraduate Research.
Collopy, a veteran researcher himself who has either conducted or coordinated several important, complex multi-million-dollar grant-funded w88 online casino projects, said the students impressed with their professionalism, solid science and ability to communicate in an engaging manner.
“The quality of the talks were as good as I&w88 online casino;ve seen at any meeting I&w88 online casino;ve been at in the last several years, and I told the students that,” he said. “Two of the students out of the art program are currently doing shows in town with their photography, and one of them is publishing a book. There are students who are already scheduled to go to graduate school.
“I think (undergraduate w88 online casino) has really jump-started some careers. These are students who are really talented, really bright and really motivated. It was rejuvenating to me. It was a fun experience.”
Senior chemical and metallurgical engineering and biochemistry major Schinthia Islam couldn&w88 online casino;t have agreed more.
Islam, from Reno, conducted a study on the reaction kinetics of three different types of biomass. The ultimate aim of such work, she explained, is to develop ways to make biomass a much more viable form of energy, one that could be produced on an industrial scale.
“It&w88 online casino;s just a matter of making it more efficient, making the conversion from a petroleum-based energy society to one that relies more on unconventional sources, like biomass,” she said. “Making it more efficient is the most important thing right now.”
Islam, who will attend graduate school in pharmacology, said the symposium was both a bit frightening and fun.
“It&w88 online casino;s been a little nerve-wracking,” she admitted. “This is actually my first time presenting a poster like this. I&w88 online casino;m very excited. I had a lot of fun doing the poster. It&w88 online casino;s been a very good experience. I know I&w88 online casino;m going to be doing a lot more posters in the future, so this has really helped.”
Islam, whose faculty mentors were Charles Coronella and Victor Vasquez of the Department of Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering, said her project gave her a much greater awareness about a field of w88 online casino she was not aware of originally.
“This was an experience that I&w88 online casino;m thankful to have had,” she said. “It really helped me get familiar with a world that I didn&w88 online casino;t really know all that much about. Until I started this project, I didn&w88 online casino;t really know about biofuels. I always thought, ‘Biofuels? I should just keep buying regular gas.&w88 online casino;
&w88 online casino;Doing this project has really opened my eyes and really made me appreciate that there are so many other ways to deal with our energy crisis.”
Collopy said the Office of Undergraduate w88 online casino, which was one of the event’s co-sponsors, has made a concerted effort to support such learning. He said the Office of the Vice President for w88 online casino internally funds up to 40 undergraduate w88 online casino projects each year.
“This creates opportunities for 40 students who wouldn’t otherwise have such an opportunity,” he said. “Think about that: over the period of 10 years, that’s 400 students who will benefit. These students are what the campus would call our best and brightest. They’re motivated, they’re hard-working and they’re successful. It adds a whole new dimension to the students’ experience while they’re at the w88 online casino.”
Joslyn was emblematic of how undergraduate w88 online casino seed money could pay off in meaningful ways.
She said the Undergraduate Research Symposium was her fourth time presenting original research. In addition to the undergraduate research support award she had received from the w88 online casino, last summer she also received funding the National Science Foundation’s EPSCoR program.
“It’s really a cool thing,” she said of the support she’s received. “At the w88 online casino you have the general undergrad, the honors undergrad support grants, and you have things like the NSF EPSCoR. So there’s a variety of different grants out there, and grants within grants. The variety is just tremendous. The great thing about our undergraduate research program at the w88 online casino is that they’re always there to help. If you have any questions, their office is always open.”
Joslyn, whose w88 online casino project was focused on creating both symmetrical and asymmetrical molecules, with the long-range hope that such work could lead to a new generation of solar conversion panels or flexible SIM cards, credited her faculty mentor, Sean Casey of the Department of Chemistry, with giving her the initial encouragement to follow a path of w88 online casino.
“I was taking biophysical chemistry with Dr. Casey, and I had this huge connection with the physical chemistry, the surface chemistry, that we were learning,” she said. “I met him after class one day and told him I would be really interested in doing a project. That was almost two years ago. It&w88 online casino;s kind of taken off since then.”
Joslyn said w88 online casino has reaffirmed the strong initial connection she felt with chemistry.
“It&w88 online casino;s just been so great,” she said. “I&w88 online casino;ve realized that I really enjoy it, that I understand all the different mechanisms, all these incredible interactions that molecules can have. I&w88 online casino;ve kind of grown a passion for it over time, and I&w88 online casino;ve realized that&w88 online casino;s where my connection was with science.”
Plus, Joslyn admitted, having an audience to share one’s work – such as those who attended her presentation during the Undergraduate w88 online casino Symposium – was a nice reward for all of her hard work.
“It&w88 online casino;s stressful, but once you&w88 online casino;re here and talking to people, it&w88 online casino;s kind of cool to find people who are interested in what you&w88 online casino;re doing,” she said.
In addition to the w88 online casino’s Office of Undergraduate Research, the symposium was sponsored by the National Science Foundation EPSCoR program, Nevada System of Higher Education, and UNLV’s Center for Mathematics and Science Education.
