Undergraduate Research Forum Highlights Next Generation of UIC-Trained Scholars
Early on the morning of April 6th, hundreds of UIC students, staff, faculty, and alumni poured into the UIC Dorin Forum for the Undergraduate Research Forum (URF), an opportunity for over 300 undergraduate students to present their research to the broader campus community with many projects focused on the impact that the pandemic continues to have on daily life.
A spring research forum has existed in some capacity over the past several years, including as a virtual series of sessions hosted via Zoom in 2021. The event fulfills the requirement of various programs and departments for students to publicly present their capstone or other senior-level project.
By engaging faculty, staff, and alumni as presentation judges, this event connects faculty with students who are either interested and/or engaged in research in fields related to their own and provides alumni with an opportunity to make a positive impact on the lives of current UIC students.
“In short, the URF is a celebration of the myriad ways in which research and discovery are embodied by UIC’s undergraduate students,” says Tyler Nielsen, Executive Assistant to the Provost & Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and one of the organizers for the 2022 URF.
James Lynn, Executive Director of the Office of High School Development, Acting Director of the Office of Undergraduate Research, and 2022 URF organizer adds: “The URF is such a powerful and meaningful event because it allows our students to disseminate and showcase their work, with an emphasis on mentorship by UIC faculty.”
Sponsored by the Office of Undergraduate Research, the Honors College, the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, the University Library, the Urban Health Program, and the Center for Clinical and Translational Science, the URF worked to build collaborative partnerships across the campus in service of the diverse students whose work was showcased.
First, second, and third place prizes were awarded for projects within five general categories; Arts/Design/Humanities, Business/Computer Science, Mathematics/Engineering/Physical Sciences, Life Sciences, and Social Sciences. The winners were determined based on comprehensive scoring from multiple judges and were announced during the closing awards ceremony which featured welcome remarks by Provost Javier Reyes and a keynote address by Dr. Cynthia Blair, Associate Professor of History and Black Studies.