Undergraduate Researchers to Present their Work

More than 50 UA student research projects will be presented Tuesday as part of the Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics Annual Undergraduate Thesis Poster Session.

More than 50 projects led by University of Arizona students will be showcased during the Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics Annual Undergraduate Thesis Poster Session.

The event will be held Tuesday from 3 to 5 p.m. on the second and third floors of the UA Life Sciences South Building, 1007 E. Lowell St.

"Undergraduate research is critically important in engaging students in their own education," said Vicki H. Wysocki, who heads the UA's biochemistry and molecular biophysics department.

"Students involved in research are much more enthusiastic about their studies and their classroom work becomes much more relevant in the context of their research," Wysocki said. "The poster session is a chance for them to shine by presenting their progress to the campus community."

This year, 54 posters will be displayed and presented by students in the biochemistry and molecular biophysics department. Students will also present a special presentation, as part of the "Continuing Umbrella of Research Experiences", or CURE, program.

"Every year I am thoroughly impressed by the senior capstone poster presentations, the depth of understanding and the breadth of scope is stellar," said Rachel Miller, the department's senior academic adviser. "I'm really honored to have known these students as they have grown academically and excited to see what they're going to do next."

The student work is part of the senior capstone.

"Being able to present my research from my time here as an undergraduate is a great way to finish off my senior year," said Sarah Williamson, a biochemistry and molecular biophysics senior and Honors College student, who completed her thesis with Francisco Moreno, an associate professor of psychiatry.

"The biochemistry poster session is a way to share what I have been doing with the rest of the department as well as gain practice for presenting at future scientific conferences," Williamson said.

Another biochemistry and molecular biophysics student, Lisa Danowski, said such sessions are an "essential" part of the research experience.

The sessions "allow for information exchange, which is essential for the advancement of science," said Danowski, an Honors College student who completed her thesis with David Gang, an associate professor in the department and also a BIO5 Institute member.

"In general," she added, "posters display research in a fun and aesthetically pleasing way, which helps viewers of the posters to learn about the research project relatively quickly."